Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Apple iPhone X: Specs comparison
Samsung just announced the Galaxy S9, its latest 'big thing' that has to build upon on the solid foundation established by the Galaxy S8 started a year ago - great design, intriguing features, no-compromise performance, and meaningful innovation. Samsung is also showing that it's keeping an ear close to the ground and listens to the feedback it users have come forth with, which is always a good sign.
Now, the new Galaxy S9 is out, but a rather important new question arises - is it actually a worthy improvement over the Galaxy S8 and should you necessarily upgrade if you're happy with the previous generation of the flagship? The answer to this question might not be as obvious as it might seem at first. In order to help just about anyone interested in such a comparison, one of the easiest things we can do is compare the two devices pound for pound.
While we are at it, it will be also quite interesting to compare the Galaxy S9 and the iPhone X while we are at it. After all, it's no other but Apple that's Samsung's biggest rival on the high-end flagship market, and it's only natural that consumers will inevitably be faced upon a choice between the new Galaxy S9 and Apple's iPhone X in a few weeks' time.
|
|
|
| Samsung Galaxy S9 | Samsung Galaxy S8 | Apple iPhone X |
Design
| Dimensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 inches 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm |
5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 inches 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm |
5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm |
| Weight | ||
| 5.75 oz (163.0 g) | 5.47 oz (155.0 g) | 6.14 oz (174.0 g) |
| Materials | ||
| Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5) Frame: Aluminum | Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5) Frame: Aluminum | Back: Glass Frame: Stainless steel |
| Resistance | ||
| Water, Dust; IP68 | Water, Dust; IP68 | Water, Dust; IP67 |
| Biometrics | ||
| Iris scanner, 2D Face unlock, Fingerprint (touch) | Iris scanner, 2D Face unlock, Fingerprint (touch) | 3D Face unlock |
| Features | ||
| Notification light | ||
| Keys | ||
| Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key | Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key | Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key |
| Colors | ||
| Midnight black, Coral blue, Titanium gray, Lilac purple, Burgundy red, Sunrise gold, Ice blue | Midnight black, Orchid gray, Arctic silver, Coral blue, Maple gold, Rose pink, Burgundy red | Silver, Space gray |
Display
| Size | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5.8-inch | 5.8-inch | 5.8-inch |
| Resolution | ||
| 2960x1440px, 18.5:9 ratio, 568 PPI | 2960x1440px, 18.5:9 ratio, 570 PPI | 2436x1125px, 19.5:9 ratio, 459 PPI |
| Technology | ||
| Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED | OLED |
| Screen-to-body | ||
| 84.36 % | 84.26 % | 82.35 % |
| Peak brightness | ||
| 625 cd/m2 (nit) | ||
| Features | ||
| HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor | HDR support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor |
Hardware
| System chip | ||
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SDM845 (10 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 MSM8998 (10 nm) | Apple A11 Bionic APL1W72 (10 nm) |
| Processor | ||
| Octa-core 2800 MHz Kryo 385 |
Octa-core 2350 MHz Kryo 280 |
Hexa-core 2390 MHz Monsoon and Mistral |
| GPU | ||
| Adreno 630 | Adreno 540 | Apple 3-core GPU |
| RAM | ||
| 4GB (LPDDR4) | 4GB (LPDDR4) | 3GB (LPDDR4) |
| Internal storage | ||
| 64GB | 64GB | 256GB |
| Storage expansion | ||
| microSDXC up to 400 GB | microSDXC up to 256 GB | not expandable |
| OS | ||
| Android (10, 9.0 Pie, 8.0 Oreo), Samsung One UI | Android (9.0 Pie, 8.0 Oreo, 7.0 Nougat), Samsung One UI | iOS (15.x, 14.x, 13.x, 12.x, 11.x) |
Battery
| Capacity | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3000 mAh | 3000 mAh | 2716 mAh |
| Type | ||
| Li - Ion | Li - Ion | Li - Ion |
| Charging | ||
| Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Qi and Powermat wireless charging | USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging |
| Charge speed | ||
| Wired: 15.0W Wireless: 7.5W |
||
Camera
| Rear | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single camera | Single camera | Dual camera |
| Main camera | ||
| 12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.5/F2.4 Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm | 12 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Focal length: 26 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm | 12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 28 mm Sensor size: 1/3" Pixel size: 1.22 μm |
| Second camera | ||
| 12 MP (Telephoto, Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor) Optical zoom: 2.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 52 mm Sensor size: 1/3.4" Pixel size: 1 μm |
||
| Flash | ||
| LED | LED | Quad LED |
| Video recording | ||
| 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps) HDR, Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing | 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 2560x1440 (QHD), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps) HDR, Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Picture-taking during video recording, Video light, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing | 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (30 fps) OIS, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing |
| Front | ||
| 8 MP (Autofocus, HDR), Video capture: 2560x1440 (QHD) (30 fps) | 8 MP (Wide Angle, Autofocus, HDR), Video capture: 2560x1440 (QHD) | 7 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) |
Connectivity & Features
| Bluetooth | ||
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 5.0, Yes | 5.0 |
| WLAN | ||
| 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot | 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot | 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot |
| USB | ||
| Type-C, USB 3.1 | Type-C, USB 3.1 | Lightning |
| Hearing aid compatible | ||
| M3/T3 | M3/T4 | |
| Location | ||
| GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning |
| Sensors | ||
| Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer |
| Other | ||
| NFC, ANT+ | NFC, ANT+, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling), Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling) |
Multimedia
| Headphones | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | 3.5mm jack | No 3.5mm jack |
| Speakers | ||
| Earpiece, Multiple speakers | Earpiece, Loudspeaker | Earpiece, Multiple speakers |
| Features | ||
| 32-Bit DAC, aptX-HD | 32-Bit DAC, aptX-HD | |
| Screen mirroring | ||
| Wireless screen share | DLNA,Wireless screen share,MHL | Wireless screen share |
| Radio | ||
| FM | ||
| Additional microphone(s) | ||
| Noise cancellation | Noise cancellation, Video recording | Noise cancellation, Video recording |
Cellular
| 4G (FDD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3) |
| 4G (TDD) | ||
| Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46 | Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) | Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+) |
| 3G | ||
| Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 5(850), 8(900) | Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900) |
| Data Speed | ||
| LTE-A Pro Cat 18 (1200/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA | LTE-A Pro Cat 16 (1000/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE-A Cat 12/13 (600/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS |
| SIM type | ||
| Nano SIM | Nano SIM | Nano SIM |
| HD Voice | ||
| Yes | ||
| VoLTE | ||
| Yes | ||
Regulatory Approval
| FCC approval | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date approved: Jan 11, 2018 FCC ID value: A3LSMG960U | Date approved: Apr 06, 2017 FCC ID value: A3LSMG950U | |
| Measured SAR | ||
| Head: 0.35 W/kg Body: 0.96 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg Wireless Router: 0.95 W/kg |
Head: 0.49 W/kg Body: 0.48 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.53 W/kg Wireless Router: 0.46 W/kg |
|
Buyers information
| MSRP | ||
|---|---|---|
| $ 720 | $ 1149 | |
| In The Box | ||
| EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter, Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation | ||
Availability
| Officially announced | ||
|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2018 | Mar 29, 2017 | Sep 12, 2017 |
See the full
Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Apple iPhone X specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: