Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: How the size, battery, camera and other specs compare
Samsung unveiled its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S8, on Wednesday after much anticipation. The South Korean tech company released two models — a regular S8 and a larger S8 Plus — drawing comparisons to Apple's iPhone 7s, which also have a regular model and a larger 7 Plus device. Here's how Samsung's S8 Plus compares to the iPhone 7 Plus, which was announced in September.
Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Size
The S8 Plus is a 6.27-inch-long device with a 6.2-inch screen. The iPhone 7 Plus is roughly the same size — 6.23 inches — but has a 5.5-inch screen.
Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Battery
The Galaxy S8 Plus comes equipped with a 3,500 mAh battery while the iPhone 7 Plus has a built-in Li-Ion 2900 mAh battery.
Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Camera
The S8 Plus has a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with autofocus. In comparison, the iPhone 7 Plus has a 12-megapixel dual-lens camera with both wide-angle and telephoto camera and a 7-megapixel front-facing camera.
Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Design
The S8 Plus has an "infinity display" that gives the handset a bezel-less curved edge and an "end-to-end" screen. The iPhone 7 Plus' screen, which has a resolution of 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels, is an LED-backlit Retina HD display.
Samsung eliminated the home button in the S8 Plus, which the iPhone technically still has. But the iPhone's home button is not quite a traditional button, as Apple replaced a mechanical button with a force-sensitive one that vibrates back at the user using a "taptic engine." Built into the iPhone "home button" is the fingerprint sensor, which is located on the back of the device for the S8 Plus.
Lastly, the S8 Plus still has a headphone jack, which Apple did away with in the iPhone 7.
Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Voice assistant
The biggest reveal is Samsung's smart voice assistant Bixby, which will rival Apple's Siri. "You can use voice, text or touch to say what you need since it understands all three," according to the official website. At launch, Bixby will be able to understand commands in in English, Spanish, Korean and Chinese.
Galaxy S8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Unlocking the device
S8 users have four ways to unlock their device: type in a password or draw a pattern; use the fingerprint sensor; use the iris scanning technology, which was first introduced in the Galaxy Note 7; or facial recognition. The last options involves holding up the device selfie-style to get access into the smartphone. The iPhone 7 Plus does not have facial recognition or iris scanning abilities — users can type in their passcode or use the fingerprint sensor.
