Apple iPhone 8 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

Head to head

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Price$129$99
Our rating7/108/10
Battery2,691 mAh3,500 mAh
Wired charging15W15W
RAM (max)3 GB—
Storage (max)256 GB256 GB
Screen size5.5 in6.2 in
Main camera12 MP12 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)202 g173 g
ReleasedSep 2017Apr 2017
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is ahead on our rating, battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.

Display

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
TypeRetina IPS LCD, 625 nits (typ)Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size5.5 inches, 83.4 cm2 (~67.4% screen-to-body ratio)6.2 inches, 98.3 cm² (~84.0% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density)1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~529 ppi density)
ProtectionIon-strengthened glass, oleophobic coatingCorning Gorilla Glass 5
FeaturesWide color gamut, 3D Touch display & home button, True-toneHDR10 compliant, Always-on display, 3D curved glass screen, Force Touch (home button only)

Platform

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
OSiOS 11, upgradable to iOS 16.7.xAndroid 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie), One UI
ChipsetApple A11 Bionic (10 nm)—
CPUHexa-core (2x Monsoon + 4x Mistral)—
GPUApple GPU (three-core graphics)—
Chipset (International)—Exynos 8895 Octa
Chipset (USA/China)—Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835
CPU (Exynos)—Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz M2 Mongoose & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
CPU (Snapdragon)—Octa-core (4x2.35 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo)
GPU (Exynos)—Mali-G71 MP20
GPU (Snapdragon)—Adreno 540

Memory

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Card slotNo—
Internal64GB 3GB RAM, 128GB 3GB RAM, 256GB 3GB RAM—
RAM—4GB
Internal Storage—64GB
Card Slot—microSDXC (dedicated slot up to 256GB)

Main Camera

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Dual12 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), PDAF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.8, 57mm (telephoto), PDAF, 2x optical zoom—
FeaturesQuad-LED dual-tone flash, HDRLED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, HDR, dual-video rec.
Resolution—12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS

Selfie Camera

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Single7 MP, f/2.2—
FeaturesFace detection, HDR, panoramaDual video call, Auto-HDR
Video1080p@30fps—
Resolution—8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.22µm, AF

Battery

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
TypeLi-Ion 2691 mAh, non-removable (10.24 Wh)Non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh
ChargingFast charging 15W, 50% in 30 min (advertised); Qi wireless chargingFast charging 15W (Quick Charge 2.0), Qi/PMA wireless charging

Body

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Dimensions158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm (6.24 x 3.07 x 0.30 in)159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm
Weight202 g (7.13 oz)173 g
BuildGlass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frameGlass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
SIMNano-SIMSingle SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
Water & Dust ResistanceIP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min)IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)

Comms

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth5.0, A2DP, LE5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
PositioningGPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS—
NFCYes (Apple Pay only)Yes
RadioNo—
USBLightning, USB 2.0USB Type-C 3.1
GPS—Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO

Launch

Apple iPhone 8 PlusSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Announced2017, September 12March 29, 2017
Released2017, September 22—
Status—Available. Released April 21, 2017

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 8 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus?

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus — 2,691 mAh for the Apple iPhone 8 Plus versus 3,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 8 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus?

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus — 202 g for the Apple iPhone 8 Plus versus 173 g for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

Which is newer, Apple iPhone 8 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus?

Apple iPhone 8 Plus — Sep 2017 for the Apple iPhone 8 Plus versus Apr 2017 for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

Is the Apple iPhone 8 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus rated higher?

We rate the Apple iPhone 8 Plus 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus 8/10.

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