“One more thing,” said Tim Cook, and the crowd cheered. And that thing was unsurprisingly the 10th anniversary iPhone X. Apple also announced the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular connectivity, and the Apple TV 4K at the event. The iPhone X unveiling drew instant comparisons with Samsung’s latest and greatest flagship. People wanted to know how the best of iOS stacks up against the best of Android. Here’s our detailed iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8 comparison.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Design
The iPhone X has an entirely new design. It has an all-screen front, except for a small ‘notch’ at the top that houses the selfie camera and other sensors. The bezels and home button have disappeared. The phone has a glass and stainless steel design. Apple claims the iPhone X glass is the “most durable ever in a smartphone.” It is reinforced by a laser-welded steel and copper structure.
Despite sporting a giant 5.8-inch display, its form factor resembles that of the iPhone 7. The 10th-anniversary model has a screen-to-body ratio of 80.94%. The iPhone X’s screen-to-body ratio is still lower than the Galaxy Note 8’s nearly 83%. The Note 8 has Samsung’s signature glass and metal design with a gorgeous Infinity display. While the iPhone X has ditched the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, the Note 8 has a fingerprint scanner on the back. The position of the Note 8 fingerprint sensor makes it difficult to reach, though.
In terms of dimensions, the Galaxy Note 8 measures 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm. The iPhone X measures 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm. It means the Note 8 is bigger, thicker, and wider than the anniversary iPhone. The Note 8 weighs 195g compared to the iPhone X’s 174g.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Display
For the first time, Apple is using OLED panels on its flagship smartphones. And those OLED screens are made by Samsung. The OLED displays are far better than LCD screens in terms of viewing experience and gaming. They are also more energy efficient.
The iPhone X boasts of a 5.8-inch Super Retina Display, which has a resolution of 2436 x 1125. It translates into a pixel density of 458ppi. The Cupertino company has also incorporated its True-Tone technology into the iPhone X. The True-Tone display adapts to different lighting conditions to offer you better color accuracy and viewing experience.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 features a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD+ resolution of 2960 x 1440, giving you a pixel density of 521ppi. The screen is curved on both sides, similar to the Galaxy S8. The Korean electronics behemoth has the upper hand when it comes to the display resolution. At 1200 nits, the Note 8’s screen brightness is significantly higher than the iPhone X’s 625 nits. Samsung’s phone offers better viewing experience when you are outdoor. The Note 8 has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.
Just like Samsung’s other flagship models, the Note 8 comes with an Always-On display. It allows you to see important notifications, time, and calendar even without touching the phone. Thanks to the OLED display, the feature has little impact on battery life. The iPhone X, on the other hand, lacks the Always-On display.
Oh, did I tell you that experts at DisplayMate recently confirmed that the Note 8 had the best smartphone display in the world? Of course, the iPhone X hadn’t been announced when DisplayMate carried out the tests, but we expect the Note 8 to retain the crown.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: RAM and storage
Similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, the 10th anniversary iPhone X has 3GB RAM. That’s only half of what the Galaxy Note 8 packs. Apple controls both the software and hardware of its products, so it can tightly integrate them to deliver a faster performance even with lower RAM. The Note 8 comes with Android Nougat with Samsung’s own UI on top. It needs 6GB RAM to deliver a blazing fast performance while multi-tasking.
The iPhone X will be available in 64GB and 256GB storage options. Apple has probably never considered adding a microSD card slot into its iPhones. The Galaxy Note 8 is available in 64GB of base storage. There are also 128GB and 256GB options in select markets. The Note 8 allows you to expand storage by up to 256GB via a microSD card slot.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Processing power
At the special event, Apple executives talked at length about the iPhone X’s processing power. The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X come with the company’s new A11 Bionic chipset. The hexa-core processor is built using 10nm manufacturing process. Apple claims it is 70% faster than the previous generation. The tech giant has the habit of getting the most out of its processors by tightly integrating the hardware with iOS. The iPhone X will need all the extra processing power to support augmented reality, artificial intelligence, Animojis, and other features.
The Galaxy Note 8 comes in two versions. The North American variant is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset, the most powerful processor available to Android vendors. The EMEA version runs Samsun’s in-house Exynos 8895 processor, another beast built using 10nm manufacturing process. These processors are powerful enough to support the Note 8 when users turn it into a computer using the DeX.
Both handsets run powerful processors, and neither of them is going to experience hiccups. When you are paying nearly $1,000, you don’t expect your phone to be a slouch. But if you must know which of the two packs more power, it’s the iPhone X. Leaked GeekBench benchmark results show that the iPhone X running A11 Bionic chip scored 4061 points in single-core and 9959 points in multi-core tests. By comparison, the Galaxy Note 8 scored below-2000 points in single-core and about 6800 points in multi-core tests.
Anyway, you are unlikely to notice the differences during normal usage.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Camera performance
You are not going to shell out a thousand dollars on a phone without checking its camera quality. Apple has been consistently improving the camera of its smartphones. The iPhone X comes with a vertically oriented 12-megapixel wide-angle and a 12MP telephoto lens on the back. The wide-angle lens has an aperture of f/1.8 while that of the telephoto lens is f/2.4.
Apple has included optical image stabilization (OIS) in both the cameras, which mitigates the shakes in both cameras. The iPhone X allows you to take pictures in Portrait mode. You’ll be able to shoot 4K videos at 60fps, slo-mo footage at 1080p resolution and 240fps. The iPhone X also features a new Portrait Lighting mode that allows you to take more visually appealing portrait photos. The 7MP front-facing camera also supports Portrait Lighting feature.
The Galaxy Note 8 also has a dual camera setup on the back, consisting of a 12MP wide-angle and a 12MP telephoto lens. Just like iPhone X, the Note 8 has OIS in both the rear cameras. It allows you to take portrait photos with blurred backgrounds. The phone has an 8MP camera on the front for selfies.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Security
In a bold move, Apple has ditched the Touch ID fingerprint sensor from the iPhone X. It is going all in with the new Face ID technology. You’ll have to register your face using the TrueDepth front camera when using it for the first time. After that, the device will wake up automatically when you stare at the screen. Apple told audience that the Touch ID fingerprint scanner had an error rate of one in 50,000. But there is only one in a million chance of someone else being able to fool your phone with Face ID. It’s far more accurate. It can’t be fooled with a photo or a mockup of your face.
The Face ID technology beams 30,000 infrared dots to recognize your face. It will be able to recognize you even in the dark. It can detect your face accurately even when you grow beard, go bald, put on some weight, or wear a hat. In short, the technology adapts to your physical changes. You can also use Face ID to authenticate payments via Apple Pay.
On the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung offers more than one way to unlock the device. It gives you the flexibility to choose how you want to unlock your phone. In certain situations, the fingerprint scanner may seem more appropriate than facial recognition. The Note 8 comes with facial recognition technology, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, and a more secure iris scanner.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Battery life
First off, the Galaxy Note 8 battery is unlikely to explode like the Note 7. The Korean company has put a lot of efforts into the manufacturing process, battery testing, and quality control to ensure that the Note 8 batteries are safe. The phablet packs a 3300mAh battery that supports fast charging and wireless charging technologies. The Note 8 battery offers up to 22 hours of talk time, up to 14 hours of Internet usage, 16 hours of video playback, and 74 hours of music playback time.
Apple did not reveal the iPhone X battery size. But it told the audience that the 10th anniversary iPhone lasts two hours longer than the iPhone 7. If you are planning to buy the iPhone X, you can expect up to 12 hours of Internet usage, 21 hours of talk time, 13 hours of video playback, and up to 60 hours of music playback.
Finally, Apple has adapted the Qi wireless charging standard that Android vendors including Samsung have been supporting for years. Now you’ll be able to place your iPhone X onto an inductive charging pad. The Cupertino company also plans to launch its own charging mat called AirPower sometime next year. AirPower will be able to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Special features
Yes, augmented reality is coming to the iPhone X, and it will be huge. At the event, Apple demoed how AR applies to various use cases and how it’s going to change your gaming experience. It’s not yet clear how the AR experience on the iPhone X will be different from the ARKit apps on the existing iPhones, though. Another feature is Animoji. It allows you to control an emoji using the front camera. Animoji also adds your voice to emojis.
The Galaxy Note 8 has its S Pen stylus that allows you to execute shortcuts and jot down quick notes. The Note 8 also supports Samsung’s DeX, which allows users to turn the phone into a computer by connecting it to a monitor, keyboard, and a mouse.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Pricing and availability
Long before Apple unveiled the 10th anniversary iPhone, the rumor mill was certain that it would cost $1,000 and that its launch could get delayed by a few weeks. Turns out, they were correct about both things. The iPhone X has been priced at $999 for the 64GB model and $1,149 for the 256GB version. That’s much higher than the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus’s $699 and $799, respectively. You can take advantage of Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program if you want to pay for the phone in installments.
Apple will start accepting pre-orders for the iPhone X on October 27th in more than 55 countries. The phone will go on sale on November 3rd.
The Galaxy Note 8 isn’t far behind in terms of pricing. It has been priced at $930. Pre-orders for the phone opened more than two weeks ago. It will hit the store shelves on Friday, September 15.
Conclusion
The iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8 are incredibly powerful phones with excellent cameras and gorgeous displays. The premium smartphone market is still largely dominated by Apple and Samsung. Eventually, it comes down to which operating system you prefer. If you love iOS, go for the iPhone X (or iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus). Android power users will likely lean towards the Note 8.
Another factor that will affect buyer decisions is the timing of the purchase. If you want to buy a premium smartphone right now, the Note 8 is your device. It will be available in stores in a couple of days. The iPhone X is still about two months away, and it may be hard to find upon launch.
