Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 vs. iPhone X, Galaxy S8: What Will Be The New Changes?

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An interesting battle is on the horizon in 2018, with Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 smartphones up against the previous generation iPhone X, Galaxy S8 releases from Apple and Samsung respectively. So how will these two new releases look to improve on the last generation devices? Here ValueWalk looks at what we can expect from these major devices.

Design

The iPhone X, Galaxy S8 smartphones will be superseded by the Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 phalanx, but a huge amount may not change with regard to the design of the smartphones. The general consensus of opinion is that both of the Galaxy S9 and iPhone 11 releases will be incremental upgrades of last year’s smartphones, as opposed to being revolutionary devices. This is deemed unnecessary, after the iPhone X was a massive success for Apple, while the Galaxy S8 also attracted its fair share of admirers.

So expect a similar wraparound design to that which appeared in 2017. One possibility for the iPhone 11 is that Apple will phase out the home button from all three models released. Meanwhile, Samsung may tinker with the prospect of removing the 3.5mm headphone jack from the Galaxy S9, after Apple already took this step with its own smartphone range.

iPhone X, Galaxy S8
Image source: YouTube Video Screenshot

Display

With the iPhone X, Galaxy S8 duo due to be replaced by the Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 combination, display quality will be a key area of comparison. Based on early leaks, it seems that Samsung has opted against including 4K resolution in the Galaxy S9, and it is similarly unlikely that this will appear in the iPhone 11. When Apple released an iPhone X unit with Quad HD resolution, this was already a first in the iconic smartphone series, and the consumer electronics giant is unlikely to veer away from this massive increase in resolution when the iPhone 11 is unveiled.

What we could see instead is larger screens being included in both the Apple and Samsung products, with the display of the iPhone 11 rumored to be touching 6-inches. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S9 Plus has been linked with a 6.5-inch screen that would be truly spectacular. Although if the Galaxy X comes to fruition then this 6.5-inch display won’t be the largest available from Samsung, with the foldable device being linked with a 7.3-inch panel.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that Apple is expected to deliver three OLED smartphones in 2018, phasing out the LCD that had served the iconic range so well until the release of the iPhone X last year.

Galaxy S9, iPhone 11
Image source: YouTube Video Screenshot

Camera

As the iPhone X, Galaxy S8 combo is phased out in favor of the Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 offering, what will Samsung and Apple do with the photographic capabilities of the two devices? Early links related to the Galaxy S9 suggest that Samsung has decided against including a dual-camera in its smartphone, which will be something of a surprise and disappointment. But there have been rumors from close to the Samsung supply chain that the manufacturer has been working on improving the low-light shooting capabilities of the Galaxy S9, which is always welcome in the smartphone niche.

Meanwhile, Apple is likely to include dual-cameras in each of the iPhone 11 releases, as it continues its assault on smartphone photography. The iPhone X already scored particularly well in this department, both critically and in terms of benchmark testing, and it can reasonably be asserted that Apple now reigns supreme in smartphone photography. The iPhone 11 will look to cement this reputation.

Galaxy S9, iPhone 11
Image Source: Apple.com (screenshot)

Specs

Specs are bound to be key in the Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 generation, so how will these differ from those delivered by the iPhone X, Galaxy S8 generation? Firstly, new processes will be included in both devices, with the Snapdragon 845 set to appear in the Galaxy S9. Indeed, it has been widely rumored that Samsung has signed an exclusivity deal for the S9, which will mean that the 845 processor only appears in this device for the next few months.

Meanwhile, Apple will dust off a new A12 processor for the next generation iPhone 11. Apple is always rather protective of its component and peripheral developments, so not too much is known about this forthcoming chipset as of yet. But we can be assured that the A12 will be an improvement on the A11 chip that featured in the iPhone X, and there have been suggestions in some quarters that it could be the first ever octa-core processor to appear in an iPhone device.

Elsewhere, the battery life of the Galaxy S9 and iPhone 11 will be a particular focus of the smartphone generation, with whispers indicating that Samsung will significantly increase the size of the cell included in its flagship. The Korean corporation feels emboldened to deliver this after the dust settled on the disastrous Galaxy Note 7.

Apple devices have been criticized for the paltry battery life that they deliver, and thus the iPhone 11 will probably feature a bigger battery and power-saving functionality.

Elsewhere, as media becomes ever more demanding on storage, it is possible that we will see 512GB versions of both the Galaxy S9 and iPhone 11 in 2018.

Galaxy S9, iPhone 11

Price

The $999 and $949 price tags of the iPhone X, Galaxy S8 releases were definitely hefty, so how will the Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 generation compare? Well, it is certainly unlikely that either the Galaxy S9 or iPhone 11 will benefit from price cuts. The manufacturing cost of the two mobiles is such that a price freeze is the best possible outcome that Apple and Samsung phones can hope for in 2018.

Release date

Finally, we can expect the Galaxy S9, iPhone 11 release schedule to largely follow last year’s iPhone X, Galaxy S8 approach. This would mean that the iPhone 11 series appears in September, with the Galaxy S9 expected to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which this year begins in late February.

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