Head-To-Head: Samsung Galaxy S8+ Vs. Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Big And Bold

Large-screen phones are trending, if the latest smartphone debuts from Samsung are any indication. Both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ have bigger display sizes than the largest Apple smartphone on the market, the iPhone 7 Plus. That's just one of the numerous differences between the latest Samsung and Apple phones, though. Which is a better fit for you? In the following slides, the CRN Test Center compares the new Samsung Galaxy S8+ vs. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus on specs, features and price.

Display

The display is really where the Samsung Galaxy S8+ stands out from the iPhone 7 Plus, and it's not just about size. Although the size difference is substantial – the Galaxy S8+ measures 6.2 inches, compared to the 5.5 inches of the iPhone 7 Plus. However, it's the "Infinity" display of the Galaxy S8+, which almost entirely eliminates the bezels around the display, that ultimately makes the phone look so different from the iPhone 7 Plus. The display covers 83 percent of the front of the phone, and Samsung has removed the physical home button to make room for more display (the bottom of the display is still pressure sensitive so that it behaves like a home button). The iPhone 7 Plus, by contrast, includes large bezels above and below the display.

The Galaxy S8+ sports a Super AMOLED display with Quad HD+ (2,960 x 1,440) resolution, and includes curved glass that tapers over the edges of the phone. Apple opts for an FHD (1,920 x 1,080) display with the iPhone 7 Plus. That's not as many pixels, but Apple's Retina technology – bright, colorful and super-sharp – goes a long way toward compensating.

Overall Size

Due to the minimal bezel on the Galaxy S8+, the device doesn't feel like a huge phone despite the 6.2-inch display size. The measurement on the phone is 6.28 inches x 2.89 inches (equalling 18.15 square inches on one side). That means the surface area of the phone is a bit less than that of the iPhone 7 Plus, which measures 6.23 x 3.07 (equalling 19.13 square inches on one side). The iPhone 7 Plus is a bit thinner, though, at 0.29 of an inch thick versus 0.32 of an inch thick on the Galaxy S8+. The iPhone 7 Plus weighs just a tad more, at 0.41 of a pound, compared to 0.38 of a pound with the Galaxy S8+.

Processor

While the new Galaxy display is a hugely significant external change, the inside of the Galaxy S8+ is getting a makeover, too. The internal upgrades revolve around the introduction of a new processor, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835. For starters, the octa-core processor promises very fast data load times (with a clock speed of 2.45Ghz). That could give the Galaxy S8+ the edge on speed over the iPhone 7 Plus, which uses the A10 Fusion processor (clocked at 2.34GHz). But the Snapdragon 835 has other benefits, too, such as lowering the drain on the battery and saving physical space inside the phone (the system-on-a-chip is the first 10-nanometer processor made by Qualcomm).

Battery Life

Samsung hasn't provided estimates on battery life so far, but it would appear that the battery life savings from the Snapdragon 835 are expected to help out significantly. The Galaxy S8+ will get a 3,500mAh battery (which is actually below the S7 Edge's 3,600mAh battery).

The iPhone 7 Plus includes a smaller battery – 2,900mAh – and promises 13 hours of battery life over LTE and 15 hours over Wi-Fi.

Camera

Samsung has decided against introducing its dual-camera setup with the Galaxy S8+ to rival that of the iPhone 7 Plus. The Galaxy S8+ will include a 12-megapixel rear camera with dual-pixel technology (which has benefits including compensating for poorly lit situations). The iPhone 7 Plus features a wide-angle camera and a telephoto camera in the rear, and both are 12-megapixel cameras. Apple says the two cameras give a major boost to photo quality while enabling 2X optical zoom and digital zoom of 10X for photos.

Connectors

Famously, or infamously, Apple omitted a headphone jack in the creation of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Samsung, however, is not copying the move in the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The new Galaxy smartphones feature the 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. The only connector on the iPhone 7 Plus is a Lightning port.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are also able to connect via a special dock to an external display, keyboard and mouse, using a feature called DeX. The feature provides users with a Windows-like Android desktop on which users can work both in Android apps and virtual desktops (powered by Citrix, VMware and Amazon Web Services).

Water Resistance

The Galaxy S8 comes with an IP68 rating, meaning the device has been certified to be able to survive even after a half hour in the water. The waters can be as deep as 5 feet, too. The iPhone 7 is just a bit less hardy, with the lesser rating of IP67, meaning it can withstand 3.3 feet of water for 30 minutes.

Biometrics

Fingerprint scanning remains the one biometric authentication option for the iPhone 7 Plus. On the Galaxy S8+, it's one of three. The others are iris scanning (which had been part of the Galaxy Note 7) and facial recognition.

Also worth mentioning: the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S8+ is located on the back of the device due to the removal of the home button.

Storage & Memory

Apple is offering three options for internal storage on the iPhone 7 Plus – 32GB, 128GB and 256GB – and the smartphone includes 3GB of RAM. The Galaxy S8+ comes with more RAM, at 4GB, and has 64GB of storage. The phone's storage will be expandable by up to 256GB with a microSD card.

Price & Availability

Samsung hasn't disclosed pricing for an unlocked version of the new Galaxy phones, instead leaving the price decisions to carriers. Verizon has disclosed it will be selling the Galaxy S8+ for a retail price of $840, while AT&T and T-Mobile are pricing the device at $850. Those prices are a fair amount higher than the iPhone 7 Plus, which has a starting price of $769.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy S8+ will start Friday, March 30, and the release date for the phone in the U.S. is April 21.