With the Galaxy S8 now available on general sale, the new Samsung smartphone will be entering an increasingly competitive smartphone marketplace. So how does the new Samsung device match up with releases from Apple, LG and Google? Here ValueWalk compares the Galaxy S8 with the iPhone 7, LG G6 and Google Pixel.
The Galaxy S8 is among the largest of these four mobiles, which is hardly surprising considering that it has the biggest display as well. Both the LG G6 and Galaxy S8 measure 148.9mm in length, but the LG G6 is very marginally broader. The iPhone 7 is the sleekest and slimmest of these four devices, partially explained by the fact that it has the smallest display.
Advantage: iPhone 7
Weight
LG has produced the heaviest of these four smartphone contenders with the LG G6, which weighs in at 163 grammes. Again, the iPhone 7 is the niftiest in this department, with the 138g weight of the Apple device being smaller than each of its three contenders. The heaviest is the LG G6, which weighs in at 163 grammes, despite having a slightly smaller display than the recent Galaxy S8 release.
Advantage: iPhone 7
Screen
Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 benefits from the largest display of the four smartphone contenders, featuring a striking 5.8-inch wraparound screen. The LG G6 is just 0.1 inches smaller, with a 5.7-inch display included. Google’s Pixel has a 5.0-inch screen, while the 4.7-inch display of the iPhone 7 is starting to look rather small by modern standards.
Advantage: Galaxy S8
Resolution
The LG G6 and Galaxy S8 feature extremely similar resolution, although technically the Galaxy S8 has an incredibly marginal edge. The 1,440 x 2,960 resolution of the Galaxy S8 means that it is capable of displaying 80 pixels per row more than the LG G6. This is more than double the resolution of the iPhone 7, while the Google Pixel delivers full HD resolution.
Advantage: Galaxy S8
Processor
As the newest of these four smartphones, it is perhaps not surprising that the Galaxy S8 features the most powerful processor. Apple’s iPhone 7 is also very competitive in this department, although it doesn’t benefit from an octa-core processor. But the 2.34 GHz of the iPhone 7 is rather similar to the four most powerful 2.35 GHz cores of the Galaxy S8.
Advantage: Galaxy S8
Memory
Apple is definitely lagging behind its competitors in this department, although it could be argued that the comparison between the four devices is somewhat unfair. The Californian corporation has always relied on its unique combination of proprietary software and hardware in order to deliver excellent performance, and thus the mere 2GB of memory included in the iPhone 7 could be considered misleading.
Each of the other three devices compared here have been armed with 4GB of RAM memory. There were rumors that the Galaxy S8 would contain 6GB, but these turned out to be unfounded.
Advantage: Galaxy S8, LG G6 and Google Pixel
Storage
This is one area in which Apple has been acclaimed for offering consumers a greater amount of choice, with three differing models of the iPhone 7 delivering up to 256GB of native storage. This double that of the premium version of the Google Pixel, with the 128GB offered by that device double the 64GB maximum of the Galaxy S8 and LG G6.
Of course, it is important to note that the Galaxy S8 offers micro SD, which is also true of the LG G6.
Advantage: iPhone 7
Camera
Cameras are becoming ever more important in the smartphone marketplace, and thus it is perhaps unsurprising that these four contenders offer extremely similar snapper provisions. The LG G6 has the most powerful camera in megapixel terms, offering a 13-megapixel unit. But the f/1.7 aperture of the Galaxy S8 is the most impressive figure of the four.
Advantage: LG G6
Battery
The LG G6 is the clear winner in this department, and it is rather odd that Samsung has chosen not to include a larger battery in the recent Galaxy S8. However, there could be logistical reasons for this spec, hence the LG device can remain out in front of the crowd here.
Battery life is one area in which the iPhone range has been strongly criticized, and considering the 1,960 mAh cell that Apple has included in the device, it is easy to understand why. Both the Galaxy S8 and LG G6 provide batteries that are well over 50 percent larger, and the Google Pixel also has a much larger battery than its Apple rival.
This is one area in which there is significant room for improvement when the iPhone 8 is released.
Advantage: LG G6
Price
It is always difficult to assess prices of mobile devices, with the vast and diverse marketplace available to consumers. Thus, this article compares the prices available at Amazon.com, rather than looking at multiple retailers.
And it is the LG G6 that comes out the winner at the world’s biggest retailer. It is possible to pick up a model of the LG G6 for just $700 on Amazon, which is marginally less than the competitively priced iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 retails for $720 on Amazon.com, with both of the two cheaper devices significantly more affordable than either the Galaxy S8 or Google Pixel.
Unsurprisingly, considering that it has only just been released, the Galaxy S8 retails at $950. It will be interesting to see how Apple prices the iPhone 8 when it is hits the market, as there have been some reports suggesting that its price tag could be in excess of $1,000. The Google Pixel is somewhat more affordable than the Galaxy S8, but the $850 price tag does seem a little steep considering its relative size.
Advantage: LG G6
