iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8 – Apple & Samsung's Big Boys Take The Gloves Off
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is due to land fairly soon; the end of February to be precise, after which it'll hit sales in mid-March. Until then, however, Apple's iPhone X, which only launched relatively recently in September 2017, has a handful of major Android competitors.
Chief amongst them are Samsung's 2017 flagship devices; the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and the Galaxy Note 8, which launched latest of the three, but shares a lot of similar tech and features.
Apple and Samsung pretty much rule the smartphone space. No two ways about it, the duo have been commanding the lion's share of the market for years now. Some years Samsung is up, and sometimes Apple is on top instead; and below these two things are constantly shifting. Right now, Huawei is coming up in third place.
Samsung and Apple have a very long-standing rivalry and are constantly trying to out-do each other. In the world of smartphones, no two manufacturers are locked in a never-ending battle against each other like Samsung and Apple.
Increasingly, it seems, we're seeing Samsung defnining the trends of the market and conjuring up new, cutting-edge technologies, where once this was Apple's forte.
In 2017 Apple has finally embraced the edge-to-edge display design made popular by the Galaxy lineup from Samsung. Apple has also released its smartphone with the company’s biggest display in the iPhone X; a 5.8in screen, and it's OLED, no less, a first on the iPhone and Samsung's signature display technology.
However, not to be outdone, Samsung has an even bigger display with the Note 8's 6.3in screen.
Nikkei Asian Review has now reduced its forecasts for Apple iPhone X shipments for the first quarter of 2018, on the basis of word out of Apple's supply chain that component suppliers are preparing for an expected reuction in orders from Apple. Allegedly, Apple has experienced slowing iPhone X sales over Christmas and going into the new year. Nikkei has dropped its earlier forecasts by as much as 50%, down to an expected 20 million units for Q1.
Shortly after the iPhone X launch, Apple iPhone 8 sales did badly, it was thought this was due to consumers either buying the iPhone 7 instead, or waiting until supply levels of the iPhone X meant it was actually possible to get hold of one - earlier production problems had caused a supply bottleneck.
Once the supply was sorted out, iPhone X sales were decent off the back of a wave of initial enthusiasm. Analytics firm Canalys estimated an estimated 29 million units were shifted inside Q4 2017, despite a slow start due to the production problems.
It's thought that iPhone X sales may have trailed off off after that, and a major suspect in loss of interest is the high price point.
KGI Securities has also reduced its estimates to an even more damning 18 million units for 2018's first quarter.
Consumers knew a high price was coming for the iPhone X, but perhaps not quite this high. Also, following the launch, when the handset became more widely available, the usual teardown websites and Youtube channels did their thing in examining exactly what went into the iPhone X. As usual, this was also costed up by some with insider knowledge, and it turned out Apple was putting a massive mark-up on its latest model even by its own standards. Although it was fair to say the iPhone X cost more to produce than any previous iPhone, the gap between cost and retail price was bigger than ever too.
But how do the phones compare? Let’s take a look.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Specs
Here are the specs for the iPhone X:
- Display: 5.8in OLED display with a 2436x1125 resolution at 458 ppi
- Dimensions: 143.6mm x 70.9mm x 7.7mm
- Weight: 174 grams
- Storage: 64 or 256GB
- Memory: 3 GB RAM
- Processors: A11 Bionic chip
- Front camera: 7 MP photos and 1080p video
- Rear camera: Dual 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras, Dual optical image stabilisation, Optical zoom, 4K video
- Battery: 2716 mAh, Wireless charging
And here are the specs for the Galaxy Note 8:
- Display: 6.3in 2960×1440 P-OLED at 521 ppi
- Dimensions: 162.5mm x 74.8 mm x 8.6 mm
- Weight: 195 grams
- Storage: 64, 128, or 256GB + microSDXC up to 256GB
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895
- Front camera: 8 MP
- Rear camera: 12 MP Dual Lens telephoto and wide-angle
- Battery: 3300 mAh, Wireless charging
Both phones come in 64 and 256GB models (depending on your region), but only the Note 8 also offers that mid-tier 128GB storage sweet spot. It also supports microSDXC cards up to 256GB. If you take its storage expansion capabilities into account, you could technically pick twice the storage into a Note if you get the high-end model.
The Note 8 also kills it in the RAM department. It features a massive 6GB of memory, versus the 3GB found in the iPhone X. However, while many see the RAM as a main factor in determining a smartphone’s speed, it’s actually not as clear-cut as that. What really matters is how well the RAM and CPU together work with the software. And on the front the iPhone X with its A11 Bionic chip with neural engine DESTROYS the Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 found in versions of the Note 8.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Display & Design
Both of the flagships feature edge-to-edge displays. But if size strictly matters to you, the Note 8 wins it, considering its screen is a massive 6.3in versus the iPhone X’s 5.8in display. The Note 8 also features a moderately higher resolution at 2960×1440 P-OLED at 521 ppi versus the iPhone X’s 2436 x 1125 resolution at 458 ppi. But make no mistake, the iPhone X has a gorgeous screen, it’s just smaller and has that dang camera notch some people find a bit…weird. Then again, the iPhone X’s display features a true tone panel, which means it adjusts to match the warmth of the color temperature in the room, making it easier on the eyes
Because both phones offer edge-to-edge displays it’s fair to say each phone looks fairly similar. It’s really hard to differentiate form factors nowadays. However, the Note 8 is built with a stylus in mind, which the iPhone X is not. Whether you want to use a stylus with your phone could be the deciding factor here.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Battery
The Note 8 has the bigger battery at 3300 mAh, but both phones should last around the same amount of time in average daily use. Both the iPhone X and the Note 8 also feature wireless charging, which is nice as the tech gains more adoption and wireless charging pads can be founding more places.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Camera
As far as front cameras go, the Note 8 beats the iPhone X with its 8MP front camera (the iPhone X’ is 7MP). Things get identical when we talk about the rear cameras. Both the iPhone X and the Note 8 feature dual camera systems with 12 MP telephoto and wide-angle lenses. Both also shoot 4K video. Each phone can claim better images under various conditions due to their camera systems software optimization, but honestly, when the lenses are this close, the layperson probably won’t be able to tell the difference in most cases.
iPhone X vs Galaxy Note 8: Cost & Verdict
The iPhone X will cost £999 (64GB) and £1149 (256GB). The Galaxy Note 8 will cost £869 for the 64GB model. It’s a tough choice to be sure. The display of the Note 8 is jaw-dropping. Then again, the display of the iPhone X is the same. The iPhone X also features that amazing A11 Bionic chip. As for cameras and wireless charging, both are pretty much equal. And Android vs iOS aside, your choice may come down to if you want more of a true phablet, which the Note 8 is thanks to its stylus support, or just a larger smartphone with a beautiful display and the latest biometric security, in which case the iPhone X is the better choice.
