Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8: Does Samsung Have A Real Advantage This Time?

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Leaks about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and Apple’s flagship iPhone 8 are flowing in from almost everywhere. Samsung and Apple haven’t confirmed the key features of their respective devices, but the rumor mill has revealed almost every detail about the upcoming Note and iPhone, including their dimensions. The Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8 competition is heating up even before their launch. Which device would outsell the other? Probably the iPhone 8. But Samsung may have a major advantage or two over Apple this time.

Note 8 vs iPhone 8: Consumer anticipation

These two are the most anticipated smartphones of the year. The iPhone 8 will be Apple’s first smartphone in three years to sport an all-new design. Apple fans are desperately waiting to see what the 10th anniversary iPhone would look like. Samsung’s Note line has a cult following of people who love a giant display and a stylus.

This Google trends graph (via BGR) comparing the traffic for keywords “iPhone 8” and “Galaxy Note 8” shows that consumer anticipation for Apple’s flagship phone is much higher than the Note 8. Samsung’s next-gen phablet will succeed the exploding Note 7 that has made some users skeptical of the Note brand. But the success of Galaxy S8 is a testament that Samsung knows how to regain the faith of consumers.

Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8 Trends
Image Source: Google Trends (screenshot)

The Note 8 will have a beautiful design

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is the most beautifully designed smartphone we have seen this year so far. Its edge-to-edge Infinity display made Android fans fall in love with the device. Samsung will use the same OLED Infinity display on the Note 8, though there will be a few minor changes. Images of the final Note 8 design leaked by Evan Blass suggest that the corners will be more squared-off than on the Galaxy S8.

https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/892286351445504000

A few days ago, Apple accidentally revealed the iPhone 8 design in the HomePod firmware. The 10th anniversary iPhone will also have an edge-to-edge OLED display. But unlike Note 8, it will have a cutout at the top to house the 3D sensor, earpiece, and front camera.

The Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8 dimensions shared by PhoneArena show that the new iPhone would be smaller than the Note 8. You can easily hold it in your palm for one-handed operation. You can’t do that with the Note 8. The iPhone 8 is also said to have an innovative in-display fingerprint sensor, but the Note 8 will have the fingerprint scanner on the back panel. Samsung has little advantage over Apple’s phone in terms of design.

Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8 Dimensions
Image Credit: PhoneArena (screenshot)

Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8: Specifications

Noted tipster Evan Blass of VentureBeat has spilled the beans on the final Galaxy Note 8 specifications. As per Blass, the Note 8 will have a 6.3-inch display with a 1440 x 2960 resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The Note 8 also comes with an S Pen stylus, just like every other Note phone before it. Blass claims the device will have IP68 certification for water-resistance, a USB Type-C port, and a 3300mAh battery with wireless charging support.

The Galaxy Note 8 will be powered by Snapdragon 835 in the US market and Exynos 8895 in international markets. The powerful processors will be coupled with 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which users can expand further via a microSD card slot. The phablet will have two 12-megapixel camera sensors on the back, and an 8MP front snapper.

Samsung told fans last month that the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 would be its strongest smartphone for multimedia consumption. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise considering the Note phones have always focused on multitasking and multimedia consumption for power users.

The iPhone 8, on the other hand, will have a 5.8-inch OLED screen with no physical home button. The HomePod firmware revealed a few days ago that it would feature an infrared scanner for facial recognition. Other iPhone 8 features include an improved water-resistance, inductive wireless charging, and an incredibly fast A11 processor.

The iPhone 8 is widely expected to sport a vertically oriented dual camera setup on the back. The iPhone 7 Plus already offers the top-notch camera. We can expect the next flagship to offer an even better photography experience. The iPhone 8 will also support augmented reality applications that will change the way you interact with the device and your surroundings.

Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 8: Release timelines

Samsung has made it official. It will unveil the Note 8 at an Unpacked event in New York on August 23. Leaked documents suggest the company will start taking pre-orders only a couple of days later on August 25th. Samsung hasn’t confirmed when the phablet would hit the store shelves, but representatives at a Korean wireless carrier told ETNews that the device would go on sale on September 15.

If it turns out to be true, this release timeline will give the Galaxy Note 8 a major advantage over the iPhone 8. Samsung’s mobile chief DJ Koh recently said that the device would be launched in two phases. In the first phase, it will go on sale in key markets such as the US, the UK, China, and South Korea in September. Other markets will get the phablet in October during the second phase of rollout.

Apple is expected to announce three new iPhones – iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus, and iPhone 8 – in September. The iPhone 7S and 7S Plus would go on sale in September itself. But supply chain leaks and industry experts are confident that the iPhone 8 release would be pushed back to October/November due to technical challenges with new features.

The first few weeks after launch are crucial for any smartphone. The delayed iPhone 8 release means the powerful Galaxy Note 8 will have a clear window of 3-6 weeks. In September and early October, the Note 8 will be competing against the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, which will be only iterative upgrades over the current models. Its real challenger won’t arrive until several weeks later.

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