Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Galaxy S8 vs Apple iPhone X: Specs comparison

3comments
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, 84.36% screen-to-body 5.8-inch, 84.26% screen-to-body 5.8-inch, 82.35% screen-to-body
Type
Super AMOLED, HDR Super AMOLED, HDR OLED, HDR, 625 nits
Resolution
2960x1440px, 18.5:9 ratio, 568 PPI 2960x1440px, 18.5:9 ratio, 570 PPI 2436x1125px, 19.5:9 ratio, 459 PPI
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Features
HDR support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Snapdragon 845 SDM845 (10 nm) 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
Memory
4GB (LPDDR4)/64GB
4GB/128GB
4GB/256GB
4GB (LPDDR4)/64GB 3GB (LPDDR4)/256GB
3GB/64GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 400 GB microSDXC up to 256 GB not expandable
OS
Android (10, 9.0 Pie, 8.0 Oreo) Android (9.0 Pie, 8.0 Oreo, 7.0 Nougat) iOS (15.x, 14.x, 13.x, 12.x, 11.x)

Battery

Type
3000 mAh, Li - Ion 3000 mAh, Li - Ion 2716 mAh, 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
4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p (960 fps)
HDR, Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing
4K UHD (30 fps), QHD, 1080p (60 fps), 720p (240 fps)
HDR, Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Picture-taking during video recording, Video light, EIS, Video calling, Video sharing
4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p (30 fps)
OIS, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing
Front
8 MP (Autofocus, HDR)
Video capture: QHD (30 fps)
8 MP (Wide Angle, Autofocus, HDR)
Video capture: QHD
7 MP (HDR)
Video capture: 1080p

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.0, Yes 5.0
WLAN
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
USB
Type-C, USB 3.1 Type-C, USB 3.1 Lightning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
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
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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66
4G (TDD) Bands
38, 39, 40, 41, 46 38, 39, 40, 41 38, 39, 40, 41
3G Bands
5, 8, 4, 2, 1 1, 2, 5, 8 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
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

Availability

Officially announced
Feb 25, 2018 Mar 29, 2017 Sep 12, 2017
Prices (MSRP)
$720 $1149







Score a Free iPhone 13

Switch to a 3-Month Total 5G Unlimited plan with Total Wireless


We may earn a commission if you make a purchase

Check Out The Offer
Google News Follow
Follow us on Google News
Loading Comments...

Latest Discussions

by Thisfonesuxs • 2
by TBomb • 6
by bklabel • 15

Recommended Stories

FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless