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iPhone 8 Plus vs Galaxy S8+ vs Google Pixel XL: Heavyweight specs comparison

by Peter Kostadinov / Sep 13, 2017, 9:28 AM

iPhone 8 Plus vs Galaxy S8+ vs Google Pixel XL: Heavyweight specs comparison

This year, the iPhone 8 Plus took the backseat after the iPhone X turned out to be the star of Apple's event. Sorry, big boy, you've had your rightful time under the spotlights, but you are now getting deseated.

Still, regardless of its status in the portfolio, the iPhone 8 Plus is beyond a doubt a rather powerful gadget that greatly improves on its predecessor and makes it that much moreappealing offering.

In the meantime, the Pixel XL might be a bit long in the tooth now, but it's still Google's finest phone to date. And while the Galaxy Note 8 has proved to be a Galaxy S8+ on steroids, the Galaxy S8+ itself is by no means a forgettable slouch.

How do these three stack up? Great question, and here's the answer:

Apple iPhone 8 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8+ vs Google Pixel XL

Display

Display size

5.5 inches

6.2 inches

5.5 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920 pixels

1440 x 2960 pixels

1440 x 2560 pixels

Aspect Ratio

16:9

18.5:9

16:9

Pixel density

401 ppi

529 ppi

534 ppi

Technology

IPS LCD

Super AMOLED

AMOLED

Screen-to-body ratio

67.47 %

83.32 %

71.22 %

Peak brightness

625 cd/m2 (nit)

Camera

Rear

Dual camera

Single camera

Main camera

12 megapixels

12.3 megapixels

Hardware Features

Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Phase detection autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Optical image stabilization, Phase detection autofocus

Laser and Phase detection autofocus

Specifications

Aperture size: F1.8; Focal length: 28 mm; Sensor size: 1/3"; Pixel size: 1.22 μm

Aperture size: F1.7; Focal length: 26 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.55"; Pixel size: 1.4 μm

Aperture size: F2.0; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.55 μm

Second camera

12 megapixels

Hardware Features

Telephoto, Sapphire crystal lens cover, Phase detection autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Optical zoom: 2x; Aperture size: F2.8; Focal Length: 56 mm; Sensor size: 1/3.4"; Pixel size: 1 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 2560x1440 (QHD), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

Features

Optical image stabilization, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Video light, Video calling, Video sharing

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Time-lapse video, Hyperlapse, Continuous autofocus, Object tracking, Picture-taking during video recording, Video light, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

Video calling, Video sharing

Front

7 megapixels

8 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

2560x1440 (QHD) (30 fps)

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Design

Dimensions

6.24 x 3.07 x 0.30 inches (158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm)

6.28 x 2.89 x 0.32 inches (159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm)

6.09 x 2.98 x 0.34 inches (154.72 x 75.74 x 8.6 mm)

Weight

7.13 oz (202 g)

6.10 oz (173 g)

5.93 oz (168 g)

Materials

Back: Glass; Frame: Aluminum

Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5); Frame: Aluminum

Back: Aluminum, Glass

Resistance

Water, Dust; IP 67

Water, Dust; IP 68

Splash, Dust; IP 53

Biometrics

Fingerprint (touch)

Iris scanner, 2D Face unlock, Fingerprint (touch)

Fingerprint (touch)

Features

Notification light

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Apple A11 Bionic APL1W72

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 MSM8998

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro

Processor

Hexa-core, 2390 MHz, Monsoon and Mistral, 64-bit, 10 nm

Octa-core, 2450 MHz, Kryo 280, 64-bit, 10 nm

Quad-core, 2150 MHz, Kryo, 64-bit

GPU

Apple 3-core GPU

Adreno 540

Adreno 530

RAM

3 GB LPDDR4

4 GB LPDDR4

OS

iOS (12.x, 11.x)

Android (9.0 Pie, 8.0 Oreo, 7.0 Nougat), Samsung One UI

Android (10, 9.0 Pie, 8.1 Oreo, 8.0 Oreo, 7.1 Nougat)

Battery

Capacity

2691 mAh

3500 mAh

3450 mAh

Charging

USB Power Delivery

Yes

Talk time

34.00 hours

32.00 hours

Stand-by time

4.3 days (103 hours)

21.8 days (522 hours)

Talk time (3G)

21.00 hours

24.00 hours

Internet use

3G: 14 hours; LTE: 16 hours; Wi-Fi: 15 hours

LTE: 14 hours; Wi-Fi: 14 hours

Music playback

60.00 hours

99.00 hours

130.00 hours

Video playback

14.00 hours

20.00 hours

14.00 hours

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 949

$ 869

Samsung Galaxy S8+

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21 Comments

1. Nathan_ingx

Posts: 4769; Member since: Mar 07, 2012

No way I'm going to choose, iP8 over Galaxy or Pixel.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 9:50 AM 6

15. bobby84

Posts: 595; Member since: May 13, 2016

That's what any reasonable thinking person would say

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 2:06 PM 0

2. Furkan

Posts: 552; Member since: Feb 25, 2017

%68.47 lol

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 10:09 AM 0

3. gigicoaste

Posts: 456; Member since: Feb 21, 2016

Another PA vs. while not having or not wanting to include full specs. IP8 looks like doesn't require ram and also some mAh...

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 10:13 AM 2

4. submar

Posts: 713; Member since: Sep 19, 2014

Pixel of course

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 10:41 AM 3

5. iDroidPhony

Posts: 59; Member since: Sep 21, 2016

Pixel is a nice choice. But after 4 years, the iPhone would still be rocking the latest iOS.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 11:07 AM 1

8. sgodsell

Posts: 7368; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

In case you haven't forgot. Apple does upgrade their OS, but will purposely leave out features for older iPhone's. Just look at the new iOS 11. You need the latest iOS 11 in order to use Apples new ARkit. But it's restricted to the A9 and above iPhones and iPad pros. So an iPhone 6 or below cannot use the new ARkit apps which will arrive. This always happens with Apple. Now with that said, you can buy some really great mid range priced Android smartphones, that have really great specs for less than half the price of an iPhone 8 in some cases. Unlike Apple, the Android camp tends to move what was once flagship features down to their mid range priced devices, and then down to their low end priced devices. So if you keep that in mind you can get a brand new mid range Android smartphone every two years with the latest OS updates as well. The thing is even in 2017 you can get some lower end Android smartphones for $200 or less with features comparable to an iPhone 7 plus. Like the same resolution and size display. Same or more ram, same storage that is expandable. With the same LTE capabilities.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 11:41 AM 1

11. AmashAziz

Posts: 2926; Member since: Jun 30, 2014

Dude, don't try too hard. He made a point and you cannot deny that without trying to deflect. Hardware limitations cause Apple to not include some of the features in its older devices. And some Apple doesn't include just so that people would buy the newer devices. Many OEMs do that. That's how you make money. If you don't like what Apple does than don't buy its products, instead of trying to force others to hate Apple with all their heart and mind. This tells me how insecure you are inside. And it's better to have 90% of the latest instead of having none at all. If you are happy with Google not providing you even with that 90%, then buy a Pixel or a Galaxy. No problem with me.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 1:20 PM 0

14. iDroidPhony

Posts: 59; Member since: Sep 21, 2016

Please name a $200 android phone that can stand toe to toe with half of ip7+'s prowess.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 2:04 PM 1

6. Jesseclark

Posts: 28; Member since: Jun 10, 2017

The 150g compact S8 for me

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 11:09 AM 0

7. dreyfus

Posts: 22; Member since: Feb 24, 2015

I'm considering getting the Galaxy S9 or the current Note 8. I will take the decision after the S9 launch.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 11:24 AM 0

9. darkkjedii

Posts: 31041; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

This is a joke...Note 8 by a light year.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 12:54 PM 2

17. Flash

Posts: 1972; Member since: May 19, 2017

And the Biased of the Year Award goes to Darkkmite.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 4:12 PM 1

10. Scott93274

Posts: 6033; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

Top flagship phones from 2017 VS the 2016 Pixel? Why not wait a month to post this article so you can include the specs of the Pixel 2?

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 1:03 PM 0

12. AmashAziz

Posts: 2926; Member since: Jun 30, 2014

They compared the 2017 Android flagships to the older iPhone. Why can't they do the reverse?

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 1:24 PM 0

13. Scott93274

Posts: 6033; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

I just think it's an irrelevant comparison, maybe it could have been considered acceptable for the Galaxy phone because it was only 6 months between the release of either the Pixel or iPhone, but to compact a new device to something that's 11 months old when you're one month away from the release, it just seems pointless.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 1:57 PM 0

16. AmashAziz

Posts: 2926; Member since: Jun 30, 2014

Why are you so impatient? PA will likely compare the Pixel 2/XL to the new iPhones too, once its announced. It's their job to provide people with info in a convenient way since many who have a Pixel might wanna know what the iPhone 8 has over their phones.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 2:11 PM 0

19. Scott93274

Posts: 6033; Member since: Aug 06, 2013

"Impatient", I don't think it means what you think it means. I'm not telling saying they need to hurry to compare the Galaxy and iPhone with the Pixel 2, I'm saying PhoneArena should wait. If anything, PhoneArena should be patient with releasing these articles, or at least release them with phones that came out in the same year.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 7:51 PM 1

20. AmashAziz

Posts: 2926; Member since: Jun 30, 2014

Okay then. Sorry if I took you wrong. But my second paragraph answers your question as to why they are comparing the Pixel to the new iPhones.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 8:06 PM 0

18. mike2959

Posts: 694; Member since: Oct 08, 2011

On my way back to Apple.It's not the OEM fault. It's Android. Look I left Apple once again for Android and I'm about to go back. After 3 months with the 8+ battery is once again crap. The operating system is just terrible. The phone is slow. Yes I've cleared system cache and even did a factory reset. It's not Samsung. There's very little bloat most can be removed. The operating system is built on a platform of years of just jumbled crap. No I don't want to root. I just want it to work like it did the day out of the box. Android fan boys just tell me it's not possible.

posted on Sep 13, 2017, 4:45 PM 1

21. P-YWS

Posts: 144; Member since: Aug 12, 2011

iP8+ is so much wider and heavier than S8+ that Apple may have to give away the annual subscription for gym and physiotherapist to convert the takers of S8+ to the iP8+ camp.

posted on Sep 14, 2017, 12:49 AM 0

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