Apple iPhone 7 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Price | R3,299 | R3,599 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 2,900 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | — | 15W |
| RAM (max) | — | 4 GB |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 64 GB |
| Screen size | 5.5 in | 5.8 in |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 188 g | 155 g |
| Released | Sep 2016 | Apr 2017 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 7 Plus is ahead on storage (max). Samsung Galaxy S8 is ahead on battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S8 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Apple iPhone 7 Plus is the cheaper option.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Type | Retina HD IPS LCD, 16M colors | Super AMOLED, HDR10 |
| Size | 5.5 inches | 5.8 inches, 84.8 cm2 (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~570 ppi density) |
| Brightness | 625 nits (typical) | — |
| Features | Wide color gamut (P3), 3D Touch, Display Zoom, Dual-domain pixels | 3D Touch (home button only), Always-on display |
| Protection | — | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Chipset | Apple A10 Fusion (16 nm) | — |
| CPU | Quad-core 2.34 GHz (2x Hurricane + 2x Zephyr) | — |
| GPU | PowerVR Series7XT Plus (six-core graphics) | — |
| OS | — | Android 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie) |
| Chipset (USA) | — | Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 (10 nm) |
| Chipset (Global) | — | Exynos 8895 (10 nm) |
| CPU (USA) | — | Octa-core (4x2.35 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo) |
| CPU (Global) | — | Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Mongoose M2 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU (USA) | — | Adreno 540 |
| GPU (Global) | — | Mali-G71 MP20 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| RAM | 3GB | — |
| Internal Storage | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Internal | — | 64GB 4GB RAM |
| Card slot | — | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Modules | Dual 12 MP: Wide (f/1.8, 28mm, 1/3.0", PDAF, OIS) + Telephoto (f/2.8, 56mm, 1/3.6", AF, 2x optical zoom) | — |
| Features | Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS, OIS |
| Single | — | 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Modules | 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard) | — |
| Features | Face detection, HDR, Panorama, Retina Flash | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1440p@30fps |
| Dual | — | 8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.22µm, AF; 2 MP (dedicated iris scanner camera) |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Type | Non-removable Li-Ion 2900 mAh | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable |
| Talk Time | Up to 21 h (3G) | — |
| Charging | — | 15W wired (Quick Charge 2.0), Qi/PMA wireless charging |
Body
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm (6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) | 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm (5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 188 g (6.63 oz) | 155 g (5.47 oz) |
| Build | Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Durability | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min) | — |
| Protection | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes (Apple Pay only) | Yes |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | — | No |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 |
|---|
| Announced | September 7, 2016 | March 2017 |
| Status | Released September 16, 2016 | Released April 2017 |
| OS at Launch | iOS 10.0.1, upgradable to iOS 15.8.5 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S8?
Samsung Galaxy S8 — 2,900 mAh for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus versus 3,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S8?
Samsung Galaxy S8 — 188 g for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus versus 155 g for the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S8?
Samsung Galaxy S8 — Sep 2016 for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus versus Apr 2017 for the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Is the Apple iPhone 7 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S8 rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 7 Plus 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 7/10.
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