The rumor mill has been spilling out specs and features for the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 for months, and while neither handset is expected until at least March 2017, both are projected to be hits. However, if you were going to chose the iPhone 8 over the S8, what would be your reasons?
You’re a loyal Apple customer
The first and most obvious reason anyone would want to buy the iPhone 8 is because they prefer Apple. I suppose that’s where the term “fanboy” originally came from. However, it has since been turned into a derogatory term, and not something that I think merits talking about any further. That said, Samsung does have its own fans, and for it to have become the best-selling Android handset manufacturer in the world, it would need them.
Additionally, I think people will flock to the iPhone 8 because it is certain to have an iconic nature. After all, 2017 will be the iPhone’s tenth birthday, and many owners of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have forgone the 7 to await the iPhone 8’s arrival instead.
Furthermore, there’s design and the “stay with what you know” factor. Until the Galaxy Note 6, Samsung was still using flimsy plastic to cover its top-of-the-line S-range, which, with its flimsy back panels, turned consumers off. Alternatively, we have had Apple leading the way in design and build quality for many years. As for Samsung, it’s only caught up since the S6, and it was just too late for Apple fans to switch.
So past experiences do leave a mark on smartphone users. If you’ve been happy with the iPhone in the past, you’re more than likely going to choose the iPhone 8 over the Galaxy S8.
Samsung’s smartphones explode
Could anything be more debilitating to a manufacturer’s brand than its flagship product exploding? I don’t think so, and for Samsung, that’s what has been happening with the Galaxy Note 7. In fact, the situation has gotten so bad that the Korean company has pulled the handset from both sale and production, effectively ending the handset’s two-month lifespan and wreaking havoc on its brand and share price.
So why the iPhone 8 and not the Galaxy S8? One is for the obvious reason explained above. There has been a report of an iPhone 7 exploding, but this so far has been an isolated incident. And it was obvious from the images that the handset flamed before it was placed into its box. So unlike the Samsung incidents, no one was hurt, and no one was put in any danger.
As for the effect of this on the sales of any future Galaxy S8, while no poll has taken place, it will, without a doubt, have lost Samsung some customers and once-loyal fans. And while there are lots of other Android handset manufacturers out there, such as Google with its Pixel, some are likely to switch over to Apple and purchase an iPhone 8 just because they can no longer trust Samsung.
What other reasons could there be?
Scratch resistant material
Rumors are suggesting that Samsung will take some of the features supposedly touted for the iPhone 8 and use them in the Galaxy S8. However, as far as I can tell, not all the features will make it. One such feature is a ceramic substance which is light, super-smooth and scratch-resistant. Already being used in the new Apple Watch Edition, industry watchers believe it will be used on the iPhone 8.
How does this compare to the Galaxy S8? Right now there’s little information on this. However, it’s thought that Samsung will concentrate on making significant internal hardware upgrades and keep the external features and specs much the same as before.
Wraparound display
While Samsung reacts to current flagship issues, it’s thought that this will cause it to take its eye off the ball. And this could be why the Galaxy S8 won’t offer anything new in the design stakes. Instead, it will go with an all-metal body and curves.
As for the iPhone 8, reports dating back a few months had the handset featuring a wraparound display. This would make 2017’s handset an almost complete redesign of not only the screen but the iPhone in its entirety, considering that the Home button is said to be disappearing, along with the bezel.
This wraparound screen would cover both the front and rear of the handset, leaving owners to determine the placing of features and meaning that iPhone 8 features like the fingerprint sensor and Home button could be moved to where a user wanted.
iPhone 8 in a win-win situation
Samsung, for many smartphone owners, will have an awful lot to do to win back their trust. Undoubtedly, the press will make it harder for it to do so because whatever handset the company releases in the future, it will receive greater scrutiny than ever before.
As for Apple and the almost sure to be iPhone 8, this can only be a win-win situation. Not only has your biggest competitor taken a hit, but its future products will too. So the iPhone 8 could see the biggest sales of any of its siblings as untrusting consumers switch to the Apple brand.
