Samsung has its hopes high that the recently launched Galaxy S8 will be the best selling smartphone of the year. Reaching such a target isn’t easy, considering the dominance of Apple’s super fast iPhone 7 Plus. There is no doubt that both manufacturers have gone a long way to release into the market one of the best smartphones of all time.
The iPhone 7 Plus is super-big and comes along with great components covering almost all aspects of the smartphone. Checkout its snazzy dual back camera that effectively hits a blow to zooming issues. As you are still amazed by these, the iOS 10 will leave you feeling the real power of an Apple smartphone. There is no doubt making that extra splurge for the Plus is worth it.
But the amusement doesn’t just start and stop in Cupertino. Take a quick flight to South Korea and you meet Samsung and its very own Galaxy S8, which was by the way launched in the United States. Samsung placed much thought behind this smartphone hyped to be in the market anytime from 21 April this year. The popularity of the smartphone has been building up with constant leaks and by this time, many people have already made up their minds to purchase it. So who will have the best premium handset? Here is a deeper look into the battle – iPhone 7 Plus Vs Galaxy S8 Plus.
The Design
The Galaxy S8 Plus and Galaxy S8 have an identical design, except that the elder brother adds some extra inches to make it 6.2 inches. The design is jaw-dropping, almost the entire front being all-screen that curves both to the right and left while the top and bottom having very little bezel.
The sensational-looking smartphone is all glossy metal and glass. Even though you may not be impressed by the curved screen, it will be unfair to give Samsung thumbs up for the creative work here. And by making the screen extra tall, the smartphone doesn’t give you the impression of a monstrous large device, it’s just over 1mm wider than the iPhone 7 Plus, and actually somehow 4.5mm shorter – confusing right?
The moment you look at the S8+, your impression of the iPhone 7 Plus design will change. Apple’s flagship device feels rather rudimentary. It comes with the same design that Apple has maintained years down the line since the first iPhone in 2007. The differences are minimal, with the elimination of headphone port and less-obnoxious antenna lines.
The Camera
Apple’s victory over the new S8+ is apparent when it comes to the camera.
The iPhone 7 Plus features a 12MP camera setup on the back. This is a trick that had been tried on other smartphones but Apple somehow managed to beat them all by making it an easy-to-switch to sensor.
The beast camera also comes with a powerful Portrait feature that blurs backdrops to give your pictures a DSLR-like look. Then the wide f/1.8 aperture captures loads of light for everyday snaps to produce the best pictures ever on a smartphone.
Samsung got it all wrong with the camera. It retains the same old camera on the S7 Plus but purports that there are some software improvements for better pictures. The smarter software lets you take three separate pictures which are then processed to minimize blur for one final shot. Much about the camera S8+ camera is yet to be known but from the look of things, Apple has it here.
The headphone Jack
When Apple launched its iPhone 7 Plus, the biggest controversial feature was the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Many didn’t like it then and neither do they like it now. Even the most loyal fans frowned upon this removal as it forced them to either use the $160 wireless AirPods or go with the lighting charger.
Some months down the line, users are adapting to the changes. But Samsung is not yet ready to gamble in this area. That may explain why they chose to retain the headphone port in its S8+.
For users who wouldn’t want anything to do with the wireless headphones, the port is a deal breaker when it comes to purchasing iPhone 7 Plus.
Water and Dust Resistance
For the very first time, Apple included water resistance capability in its iPhone series. The iPhone 7 Plus has a water resistance capability of up to 1m deep for a maximum of 30 minutes.
But Samsung seems to have an upper hand in water resistance (no surprise anyway). The Galaxy S8 Plus can remain submerged for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 metres.