Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Apple iPhone 8: The true war of the flagships is in the offing

Truth be told, Samsung’s real flagship device this year is the upcoming Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are handsome devices, but they feel incomplete. The odd placement of the fingerprint sensor, non-standard aspect ratio and a useless voice assistant are only some of the issues with the devices. Apple is also preparing a rather special phone this year, the iPhone 8, and it had better be something special because Samsung is leading an Android charge that is slowly but surely eating into the foundations of Apple’s complacency. Living down the Note 7 fiasco Following the Note 7 disaster, there was a lot riding on the success of the S8. Samsung had to make an incredible and safe device if it wanted to restore people’s faith in the brand, and it did, after a fashion. As far as Android flagships go, the S8 is indeed the best you can buy today, but that’s not saying much. [caption id=“attachment_374729” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  A file photo of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Image: Rehan Hooda[/caption] With the Galaxy S8, I think Samsung has managed to put together an incredible teaser for what is to come. The gorgeous glass finish, the subtle curves, the Infinity display, the force touch home button, etc. The Note 8 is expected to release in September, which is still a few months away, giving Samsung plenty of time to further refine the design that the S8 introduced. This is also enough time for developers to adopt the new aspect ratio guidelines introduced by Google and for Samsung’s Bixby to actually gain some IQ points. When the Note 8 comes out, it will be the more refined Android flagship that I think all of us have been waiting for. [caption id=“attachment_362203” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image Credit: Twitter user, @UniverseIce[/caption] In terms of specifications, VentureBeat reports that the Note 8 will be powered by the flagship Exynos 8895 chipset and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, both of which power the Galaxy S8. The phone is expected to up the RAM to 6 GB and also include a dual-camera with independent optical image stabilisation for each lens. Unfortunately, the report also says that the fingerprint sensor will once again be placed on the rear of the device.    Of course, you can rest assured that Samsung is likely triple checking its Note 8 design for battery issues. Oh, and don’t forget the S-Pen, which will apparently be accompanied by more capable software. Is there any wonder, then, that the Note 8 is to be the true Android flagship? And in Apple’s court… The Apple iPhone 8 will also mean a lot to Apple. For a start, the iPhone 8, or whatever it’ll be dubbed at launch, will represent 10 years of the iPhone and the first major design overhaul since Steve Jobs’ passing. [caption id=“attachment_385297” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Did we place three iPhone 7 phones side-by-side or is this three-generations of iPhone?[/caption] The iPhone has been making do with the exact same design that Apple introduced in 2014. In smartphone terms, that’s an eternity. Put three generations of iPhones side-by-side and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell them apart. A change in design is needed, and fast. Put an iPhone next to an S8 and the iPhone will look and feel really old, and this is coming from a person who’s used an iPhone for three years and sees no point in switching back to Android. [caption id=“attachment_379654” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image: idropnews.com[/caption] Putting all the rumours together, we’re expecting an iPhone with a bezel-less display, a fingerprint sensor integrated into the display or the power button, 3D Touch everywhere and wireless charging. As an Apple user, the iPhone 8 is significant because judging by the past, we’re going to be looking at the same design for the next 3-4 years. [caption id=“attachment_358381” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Image: Concept by Handy Abovergleich[/caption] For the first time in three years, the iPhone might also see a significantly larger battery. As far as the rest of the specifications are concerned, there’s really nothing to add. One can expect it to be powered by a platform that Apple will dub the A11 or A11X, it will have at least 3 GB of RAM and the dual-cameras on the rear will remain. Both devices are expected to be the most expensive mainstream smartphones ever made (and no, Prada and Vertu and the like don’t count) as both are expected to be priced in the $999 range. A battle of titans The battle might seem moot to the average observer, the Android user will go for the Note 8 and an Apple user to the iPhone 8 (or the iPhone 7s), after all. However, it was just before the Note 7 started blowing up that news started trickling in of **Samsung grabbing chunks of Apple's user base** . If it wasn’t for the Note 7, Apple might have indeed **been on the back foot** this year. Neither company can afford a dud of a smartphone this year.