Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone X: Head to head comparison

One of the most anticipated smartphones of 2017 — the Apple iPhone X, has been unveiled. The smartphone has been gathering mixed response, some acclaiming it to be the future of smartphones whereas other are looking at it as a follow-up product to get on par with those from the Android ecosystem, Speaking of Android, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been receiving positive response, despite its awkwardly placed fingerprint sensor and massive dimensions.

Both these smartphones will be coming to India and will offer buyers a choice of premium smartphone user experience. Therefore, it would be fair to put both of them in a proper head-to-head comparison, based on their capabilities on paper.

Design

Both the smartphones flaunt modern bezel-less designs. The iPhone X’s front has clearly a more Essential PH-1-esque yet rounded design, with a bigger binnacle on the top to accommodate the FaceID sensors. The iPhone X also has visible bezels along the sides and the bottom, which are evident in both black and white colours. The Galaxy Note 8, on the other hand, is a squared version of the Galaxy S8, with noticeable chins at the top and bottom. However, the Note 8’s curved display on the sides make it seem almost bezel-less and that along with equal chin proportions make it more balanced design.

Subjective Winner: Galaxy Note 8

Security

The iPhone X has attracted limelight with its FaceID authentication that Apple promises to work in any light conditions. That’s due to some extremely sophisticated technology working in real-time. The Note 8 has multiple systems to let the user choose his/her preference — oddly placed fingerprint sensor, iris scanner that works only in well-lit conditions and facial recognition based on Android’s original facial recognition feature. This clearly boils down to personal preference — if you want futuristic tech, then the iPhone X is a clear winner. But, if you prefer new technology mixed with everyday practicality based on existing technologies, then the Note 8 is for you.

Subjective winner: Both

Productivity

Since these are top-of-the-line offerings, productivity comes as a major factor in deciding the winner. The iPhone X wooed the world with its button-less approach to navigation using swipe gestures and a revamped iOS 11 which is believed to be lag-free as well as easy to use. However, all of these have to be tested in the real world and you will have to wait for our review on the iPhone X. The Note 8 is refreshed take on the conventional smartphone experience, with standard navigation buttons — you know what lies where despite Samsung’s overhauled Android UI. It also has the S Pen, which has proven to be of massive assistance in the corporate world from previous Note smartphones.

Subjective Winner: Galaxy Note 8 (until the iPhone X is reviewed)

Gimmicks

A flagship smartphone has to have some gimmicky feature that will be the face of its marketing campaigns. The iPhone X has the FaceID along with the neural processor and gesture based navigation on its side whereas the Note 8 has its tried and tested S Pen along with the new curved Infinity Display and an array of security features. The Note 8 then takes the lead for being more gimmicky, but only by a slight margin.

Subjective Winner: Galaxy Note 8

AI

Artificial Intelligence is the next big thing and will make the smartphone smarter in the coming days. The iPhone X even with its neural engine is dependent on Siri’s capability, which is essentially Apple’s version of Google Assistant. We haven’t seen the Bixby in real-time but Samsung’s listing of the functions that it can perform outnumber that of Siri. In fact, Bixby is termed by some as the perfect friend for lazy smartphone users that can even swipe the screen when asked to do so. And there’s Bixby Vision that seems more practical in the real world than Apple’s virtual dinosaurs from the ARKit.

Subjective Winner: Galaxy Note 8

Innovation

There’s no other way to put it but the iPhone X is the clear winner. Its OLED display has no chins to hide the components driving the display, the FaceID will lead the future of smartphone verification methods and the gesture-based navigation is something completely new. The Note 8 is essentially the modern version of the conventional smartphone with nothing new.

Subjective winner: iPhone X

Price:

The iPhone X will start from Rs 89,990 in India for the base 64GB variant. The Samsung Galaxy Note has only one variant in India for Rs 67,990.

Overall subjective winner: Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Note that we have mentioned the winner as subjective as we haven’t reviewed both the devices yet. If you believe the result should have been the complete opposite or agree with our choice, feel free to express yourselves in the comments below.

(Also published on Deccan Chronicle)