Review LG V30 is the main competitor of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Did the Galaxy S8 manage to beat the iPhone and other competitors?

Smartphone announced at the end of March Samsung Galaxy The S8 turned out to be quite controversial. Users around the world are vigorously discussing the controversial new product. Journalists who have reviewed the device are confident that it is better not to rush into purchasing a new product. Below are five reasons why you shouldn't rush into... purchase of Galaxy S8.

1. Controversial design

The design of the Samsung smartphone has changed a lot - so much so that it can be uncomfortable to use. The flagship screen has grown from 5.1 to 5.8 inches, and the fingerprint scanner has moved to back cover. As a result, said Mike Gikas of Consumer Reports, it's very easy for a user to get the photo sensor dirty while trying to feel the sensor from the back. Besides, new design The device is not very convenient for left-handed people to use.

2. Key function is not available in Russia

Journalists were not very pleased with Bixby, Samsung's new voice assistant. Siri competitor And Google Assistant. Its capabilities have been well received (Bixby is positioned as a full-fledged assistant that allows you to control the entire range of device functions with your voice), but last week Samsung announced that all Bixby functions will become available to users in the United States “later this spring,” and the launch dates The version for Russian users is unknown. Bixby is one of the main features of the Galaxy S8, and the company offers to use it only some time after purchase.

3. For the same money you can buy an iPhone 7

Let us remind you that the Galaxy S8 in Russia costs from 54,990 rubles. This is how much potential buyers will be asked for for the younger version with 64 GB of memory. Galaxy model S8+ will cost 59,990 rubles.

What else can you buy for this money? Almost any last year's flagship official price! iPhone 7 in the basic configuration with 32 GB of memory costs 52,990 rubles, the 128 GB version will cost 60,990 rubles. If you pay a little extra, you can get an iPhone 7 Plus. Apple devices can be found cheaper from gray sellers.

4. The story of the Note 7 explosions

Around new Galaxy S8 there are a lot of uncertainties. Firstly, there is concern that the Galaxy S8 may repeat the fate of the Galaxy Note 7 phablet, the production and sales of which were stopped due to spontaneous fires. According to the results of Samsung's own investigation, the gadget could ignite or explode while charging - and all due to a defect in one of the factories. It is still unclear to what extent Samsung was able to eliminate design problems and assembly defects for release.

5. Do you really want an Android smartphone for 55,000 rubles?

Expensive Android phones are bought against common sense. If you don’t consider gadgets from a functional point of view, then you should seriously think about how friends and colleagues will perceive the appearance of a “Google Phone” in your hands for that kind of money. Most likely, they will simply decide that you fell for the advertising. But even if you can convince them, you won’t be able to get +5 to respect and esteem.

Current competitors were chosen as competitors. this moment flagships: Samsung Galaxy S8+, OnePlus 5, Essential Phone, Meizu Pro 7 Plus, LG G6, Google Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus.

Dimensions and screen

This year, smartphone manufacturers have a tendency to create “frameless” smartphones. Therefore, designers and developers had to think carefully about how to design the device so that the display occupies as much area as possible. Samsung took a rather radical step and abandoned its signature button under the screen. This made it possible to increase the display of smartphones (S8+ – 6.2″, Note8 – 6.3″), while their dimensions are comparable to other competitors. Moreover, the Note8 has a smaller case width than the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5″), Pixel XL (5.5″), Meizu Pro 7 Plus (5.7″), so it feels more comfortable in the hand and does not tend to slip out. This was largely achieved through the use of a non-standard 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which definitely had a positive effect. The same applies to the LG G6 (5.7″) and Essential Phone (5.71″), which boast compact body and a big screen.

As for displays, almost all smartphones have matrices with QHD resolution. The only exceptions are OnePlus 5 (FHD) and iPhone 7 Plus (FHD). All devices are equipped high-quality screens, which issue great picture, but you will definitely get a wow effect from using Samsung, LG and Essential Phone smartphones due to their non-standard aspect ratio and the fact that the screen occupies almost the entire front panel.

Iron

Pixel XL and LG G6 smartphones are equipped Snapdragon processors 821, while most competitors use the top-end Snapdragon 835 (Samsung releases Exynos 8895 versions for some markets). This is explained by the fact that at the time of the announcement of the devices, the new SoCs were not yet available for use in production. But in everyday work, the Snapdragon 821 has enough power. Meizu decided to use Helio X30 in their flagship, while Apple traditionally equips its devices with processors own production, V iPhone case 7 Plus is the top-end A10.

The unspoken standard of 2017 was the minimum volume random access memory 4 GB, which Android smartphone manufacturers equip their flagships with. The Galaxy S8+, Essential Phone, LG G6 and Pixel XL are equipped with exactly this amount of RAM. OnePlus 5 offers 6 or 8 GB of RAM, Meizu Pro 7 Plus – 6 GB, Note8 – 6 GB. However, I note that the amount of RAM does not directly affect system performance. In this regard, system optimization is important, as shown by the example of the iPhone 7 Plus, which only needs 3 GB of RAM for comfortable operation.

Cameras

Another trend this year is the use of dual cameras in smartphones. Note8 became the first Samsung device, which is equipped with two cameras and, judging by, the pictures are very High Quality, largely thanks to the optical stabilization that is installed in each sensor. Otherwise, it’s not entirely correct to judge by the dry characteristics of the camera, so I’ll just note that only the Galaxy S8+ and Pixel XL are equipped with a single camera, while in all other devices the second camera expands the photographic capabilities of the smartphone.

Battery

After the Note7 fiasco Samsung company decided not to experiment with batteries, so Note8 is equipped with a 3300 mAh battery, which with such big screen It should easily last for a day, but it’s unlikely to last more. However, the situation with competitors is similar - the most big battery Galaxy S8+ and Meizu Pro 7 Plus are equipped with 3500 mAh, followed by Pixel XL with 3450 mAh. The smallest battery capacity is the iPhone 7 Plus – 2900 mAh and the Essential Phone – 3040 mAh. All smartphones support various technologies fast charging.

Again, it is not entirely correct to compare autonomy only by battery volume; system optimization largely influences the operating time of a smartphone. But, judging only by the numbers on the sheet, the situation is best for OnePlus 5 - the battery capacity is 3300 mAh, and do not forget that the smartphone is equipped with a Full HD display.

Price

Let me note right away that smartphones entered the market in different time, so the cost of the devices in the article may differ from what it was at the start of sales. But for us it is interesting to compare smartphones here and now, so we will start from average market prices.

The most expensive smartphone became Note8, its price starts from $929. The LG G6 costs almost twice as much – about $510, but don’t forget that the smartphone was announced back in February. For about the same money you can buy the recently introduced OnePlus 5 ($505) and Meizu Pro 7 Plus ($530). The Essential Phone costs $699. Spring Samsung flagship The Galaxy S8+ costs $675, while the price tags for smartphones from Google and Apple are at $769.

Conclusion

Before us are eight flagship devices, each with its own strengths And interesting features. IN technically they offer similar characteristics, but as they say, “the devil is in the details,” and it is these details that determine the success of a particular smartphone. The Galaxy Note8 has all the potential to become one of the most successful devices of this year, so if you're eyeing it as a potential purchase, then wait for a review on our site soon, after which you can make an informed choice.

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Sony has been installing for a very long time excellent IPS displays in smartphones, so choosing between the XZ Premium and S8+ based on image quality will be a matter of taste. In comparison with Samsung, the fingerprint scanner of the Japanese flagship can already be used without swearing, and based on the quality of the photos, one can preliminarily determine that Sony takes slightly less bright, but clearer pictures with natural color rendition, while Samsung blurs the frame more, but produces a wider dynamic range. And, judging by preliminary comparisons with the iPhone 7 Plus, Sony still saddled its photo algorithms properly. It is high time!

Otherwise - no, excuse my English, know-how: none voice assistants, no exotic camera modes, no edges, etc. But this is not important - the main thing is that the smartphone has high quality camera, display, sound and there were no problems with autonomy and speed. Because we can’t talk about it reliably yet - due to a shortage of supplies of the Snapdragon 835 and some bureaucracy, the XZ Premium will go on sale only in the summer, a few months after the start of sales of the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8.

conclusions

Most of the complaints about the S8/S8+ relate to ergonomics. Samsung didn't remove the fingerprint scanner like Apple removed the audio jack, but it did make the scanner awkward to use. And so that Bixby, into which the Koreans poured a lot of money, does not “sink”, it was “nailed” separate key and replaced the volume down buttons. Whether you like it or not, you will use it periodically.

I repeat once again: Galaxy S8/S8+ is not an S7 “with a new sauce”, it is, in some way, a return to origins. Because five years ago, passers-by would turn their necks in the same way at the “huge” 4.7-inch HD display inside the glossy, streamlined Galaxy cases S3. In the same Samsung models first introduced the stupid, as time has shown, voice assistant S-Voice and multi-windows to resemble a computer (and in S8 it “reinvented” Windows Continuum). And even “childhood illnesses” with the display were also typical for the S3 and S8.

I don't like the soapy body design of the Galaxy S8+, and Not I like the way of avoiding inconveniences for old methods of use in order to courageously overcome them with new ones (be it a voice assistant or a face/iris scanner). I don’t like the “bland” sound in the headphones and last year’s rear camera. I don’t like the battery life under load compared to the S7 edge. Logically, now I should say “for the same money it’s better to buy %smartphone_name%!”... but there is no such smartphone.

Sony's flagship will appear only in the "bright future" and it is not known whether it will be better in all respects. LG is offering for an amount comparable to the S8 a relatively slow smartphone that has both a screen and optical stabilization, And front-camera worse. Huawei also didn’t come close either in performance or in the ratio of display diagonal to body dimensions, and even in terms of camera quality it almost “jumped” to last year’s Samsung camera.

The “godlike” Xiaomi, as practice has shown, is not strong enough to compete with the flagships of 2017. So the Chinese simply wrapped the Snapdragon 835 in an inexpensive case and installed cameras “slightly better than the iPhone 7 Plus.” Everyone was waiting for a miracle, but what they got was another powerful “Chinese”.

What kind of miracle is it when no one (not even LG, the giant producing OLED matrices) is still able to build a display that is as bright, colorful and correctly calibrated, even if it’s not curved? How did it happen that Samsung, which before the S7 edge even molded the cores for hardware according to a ready-made recipe, built the most powerful processor in the world, cooler than the “craft” chip of the most experienced Qualcomm?

Currently available for sale are top flagships from Apple and Samsung, which share first place for the title best smartphone of the year. Both devices can be called a work of design thought. They combine powerful characteristics"gland", excellent camera and a stunning display.

The declared characteristics are practically no different, so when choosing a specific one, difficulties arise. Who to trust, Apple or Samsung? We spent Samsung comparison Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 Plus to walk you through the key features of each device.

Who is the Samsung Galaxy S8 aimed at?

If you're looking for a top-end Android device, then the Galaxy S8 is perfect choice. This smartphone is currently the flagship among all Android devices. Therefore, such a purchase will provide the latest technologies and top performance.

Samsung loses to other smartphones on Android platform only in one - it does not have the most latest version OS.

Out of the box, the S8 comes with Android 7.0 Nougat. However, as they say in the company itself, soon it will be available to users of the eighth Galaxy Android update 8.0 Oreo, and then the flagship from Samsung will have no equal.

Fans of “naked” Android, like the Google Pixel, may be disappointed. After all, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has branded shell company - Samsung Experience. Changes appearance don't touch the whole system, however, some icons and proprietary features. For example, swiping on the camera button allows you to zoom the image in the frame. Considering the 5.8” AMOLED display, this feature of the system makes shooting much more comfortable.

But nonetheless, Samsung shell Experience is not something to brag about. Trend mobile market is a “bare” system that the user can independently customize. And, unfortunately, Samsung cannot provide this.

However, compared to the iPhone 8 Plus, the Galaxy S8 has a much sleeker design. The screen seems to move along the chassis from the bottom frame to the top, depriving the smartphone of its side edges. While the iPhone 8 Plus offers us a design that has been established for years, starting from the time of the sixth Apple. Key Difference Apple's new product consists only of a glass back panel. Otherwise, the design of the smartphone can be considered a copy of last year's iPhone 7 Plus.

If you look at the numbers, then again the favorite will be Korean flagship. Samsung S8 has 0.3” bigger display than in the iPhone 8 Plus. In addition, Samsung tried to make their device frameless, while the Cupertino team didn’t even think about it.

Returning to the numbers, we can criticize Apple for its cost. new iPhone. Cupertino residents are famous for the high cost of their products, but the price of the devices is not always justified. Samsung Galaxy S8 is about $100 cheaper than its competitor. This is quite a significant amount of money, for which you can buy an additional kilogram of covers and external battery - useful gadgets for the present time.

For whom is it ideal? suitable for Apple iPhone 8 Plus?

When developing new products and technologies, Apple primarily cares about its own ecosystem and the operation of all devices in one bundle. Therefore, if you have already become acquainted with Cupertino products through MacBook, iMac and other devices, feel free to go to Apple Store for a new iPhone.

Apple is famous for its synchronization between “related” products, as well as excellent pairing. Eg, Apple Watch and iPhone.

Speaking of Apple Watch. If you plan to use a smart tracker in the future that will monitor your activity, notify you about important events and act as a companion to your smartphone, then a combination of iPhone and Apple Watch can be called ideal.

There are still no pairs smart watch and a smartphone that would be better than Apple's ecosystem. Yes, there are many fitness trackers and bracelets for Android devices. But, alas, not a single couple works so synchronously.

In addition to a pair of Apple watches and a smartphone, we can also highlight the excellent work with MacBook computers and iMac as well Apple console TV. Smart Sync, great teamwork and the real magic of Cupertino - this is what the Apple ecosystem is famous for.

Unfortunately, to achieve such interaction between an Android smartphone and smart TV it won't work. Unless both devices are from the same manufacturer, i.e. Samsung TV and samsung smartphone. However, Android OS does not provide synchronous work with Windows OS. This means that you won’t be able to work on your smartphone and computer at the same time. Unless it's about cloud synchronization between third party applications.

Talking about iOS devices, one cannot fail to note the data security in this closed system. Everyone remembers how a few years ago the FBI demanded that Apple hack the iPhone 5C of one of the criminals. Despite belonging to ISIS, the Cupertino team refused to create backdoor software. As the developers commented, by hacking one device, they will open access to millions of their products. Therefore, the company cannot take such a risk.

There were many ships loud statements and threats, however Apple solution remained unshakable in this regard. Considering that more advanced products have been released since the iPhone 5C, security Apple products can be assessed at the highest level.

World security experts also confirmed the reliability Apple technology Touch ID. With each new model, she improved and became smarter and faster. And the company itself is proud of its achievements in this regard.

Which one would you choose?

There is a fingerprint scanner in both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Apple iPhone 8Plus. But, apple device better protected from hacking secret Touch data ID. Therefore, the smartphone from Cupertino wins here.

When comparing operating systems, iOS is more accessible and understandable than Android. Although Android outperforms the Apple OS in terms of settings. After all, it offers many possibilities for customizing the smartphone “to suit you.” While iOS is a closed operating system, which does not allow you to customize the device in any way.

Flagship camera - which device comes first?

An incredible amount of content is now being filmed on smartphone cameras. You can have a full frame camera at home SLR camera from Nikon or Canon, but you don't carry it with you every day. While the smartphone is always at hand. Therefore, the camera in a device plays a significant role when choosing it.

As is known, iPhone camera- the most popular in the world. Samsung is not lagging behind in this regard and produces quite competitive products. IN iPhone comparison 8 Plus and Galaxy S8 fight Dual technologies Pixel from Samsung, and Studio Lighting with dual camera from Apple.

The Eighth Galaxy still shoots with only one “eye,” while the Cupertino team equipped the iPhone 8 Plus with a dual module. Although samsung camera is capable of producing beautiful bokeh; its competitor from Apple does it much better. In addition, iPhone 8 adds Studio Lighting, which allows you to work professionally with the lighting in your photo. This technology is currently undergoing beta testing. But soon, users of the new Apple devices will be able to appreciate the updated camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 can only compete here with its Dual Pixel feature, which allows you to take beautiful photos and videos in low-light conditions. Also, settings Galaxy cameras S8 allows you to activate PRO mode, where you can carefully adjust all parameters to achieve the best result.

We have reviewed key features every smartphone, now the choice is yours. Who is your favorite - Samsung Galaxy S8 or Apple iPhone 8 Plus?