Head-To-Head: Samsung Galaxy S8 Vs. Apple iPhone X

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When Apple debuted its redesigned smartphone, the iPhone X, in November, it was a landmark moment for the device series. However, for anyone who's heard about Samsung's phone releases of the past year -- such as the Galaxy S8 -- many "new" features on the iPhone X are already pretty familiar. Which of the two smartphones is the better fit for you? In the following slides, the CRN Test Center compares Samsung's Galaxy S8 vs. Apple's iPhone X on specs and price.

Display

While the iPhone X boasts the largest iPhone display yet, it's equal to the size of the screen on the Samsung Galaxy S8, which came out in the spring. The displays measure 5.8 inches diagonally. The screens both feature OLED technology, as well, along with high resolution. The Galaxy S8 has 2,960 x 1,440 resolution, while the iPhone X doesn't have quite as many pixels, at 2,436 x 1,125 resolution.

Again in the case of both phones, the standout feature is that the bezel around the display is minimal -- offering a nearly edge-to-edge appearance. That helps to provide a lot of screen space while keeping the phone from getting too huge overall (think of the large-bezel iPhone Plus models). Significantly, though, the iPhone X does have a notch cutout above the display for its camera system and other sensors. So, the Galaxy S8 comes closer to having a true edge-to-edge design.

Processor & RAM

Apple designed the iPhone X to run a speedier new processor, the six-core A11 Bionic. Two cores are for high performance, while the other four cores are for maximizing battery efficiency for less-intensive tasks. In terms of clock speed, the high-performance cores reportedly run at up to 2.39GHz.

The Galaxy S8, meanwhile, runs an eight-core processor -- Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835. The chip runs at up to 2.45GHz. Notably, Samsung packs more RAM into the Galaxy S8, 4GB, than Apple does in the iPhone X, which has 3GB of RAM. Regardless, though, you can expect terrific performance from both phones.

Battery Life & Charging

Based on estimates from the phone makers, the Galaxy S8 may come out slightly ahead on battery life. Samsung promises up to 14 hours of battery life for WiFi usage on the Galaxy S8 or 12 hours on 4G for the phone. Apple, by comparison, promises enough battery for 12 hours of Internet use on the iPhone X (there's no breakdown by WiFi or 4G).

Both devices feature a glass back, which enables wireless charging. The iPhone X and Galaxy S8 both offer Qi wireless charging, which charges up the device when it is resting on a charging pad. The phones both support fast-charging, as well.

Biometrics & Home Button

Famously, Apple has eliminated Touch ID fingerprint recognition and the home button with the iPhone X. In their place, Apple has introduced Face ID facial recognition for unlocking the iPhone X, paired with an upward-swipe gesture to access the phone's home screen.

For the Galaxy S8, Samsung also provides facial recognition as an unlocking option. However, the Galaxy S8 retains fingerprint recognition -- the scanner is on the back of the phone -- and offers iris scanning as a third biometric option for authentication. Additionally, Samsung keeps the home button on the S8.

Camera

In this head-to-head matchup, only Apple's iPhone X features a dual-camera system. The iPhone X includes two 12-megapixel cameras -- telephoto and wide-angle -- with optical image stabilization. Among the iPhone X's camera differentiators is "portrait lighting," which boosts the lighting of the contours over a subject's face. The iPhone X cameras are also specially calibrated for use with augmented-reality apps.

The Galaxy S8 features a 12-megapixel rear camera with dual-pixel technology, meanwhile. The S8 camera includes optical image stabilization, along with capabilities such as 8X digital zoom and a feature that compensates for poorly lit environments.

Storage

The Galaxy S8 and the base-model iPhone X come with the same amount of internal storage, 64 GB. The Galaxy S8 can add 256 GB on top of that with a microSD card, sold separately. The iPhone X doesn't have an option for expanding storage with a card, but it does come in a configuration with 256 GB of internal storage.

Price

As we have seen, both phones include many similarities around specs and features. They part ways around price, however: For buyers with budget as a top consideration, the Samsung Galaxy S8 may have more appeal than Apple's iPhone X. Unlocked from Samsung, the Galaxy S8 has a starting price of $724.99. That's verging on $300 less than the iPhone X, which Apple is offering for a starting price of $999.

To get the 256 GB model of the iPhone X, you will pay $1,149, while S8 owners that want the 256 GB microSD card will pay $150. A Qi wireless charging pad will add on $40-$60.