The first thing you’ll notice when putting these two phones side by side is just how similar they are. But, despite the Galaxy S8 featuring a 5.8-inch display, the Galaxy S7 Edge (5.5-inch screen) is actually bigger overall.

Strangely, the Galaxy S8 is thicker than the Galaxy S7 Edge, yet it has a smaller battery than last year’s model (3,000mAh as opposed to the S7 Edge’s 3,6000mAh). Even still, the Galaxy S8’s Snapdragon 835 processor promises to net users significant performance and battery improvements, so the difference may not even matter.

Another subtle but notable difference is the S8’s higher resolution display, which gets users 570ppi compared to the S7 Edge’s 534ppi screen. That probably won’t be discernible to most users during everyday use but it shows that Samsung continues to push its display technology in a positive direction.

If you currently own the Galaxy S7 Edge, whether or not you should upgrade is a tough question. There are some trade-offs no matter which route you decide to go. We’re still questioning Samsung’s decision to put the Galaxy S8’s fingerprint sensor right next to the camera lens, but we can’t help but love the device’s beautiful screen.

We haven’t spent too much time with the Galaxy S8 yet, so we’re holding off final judgment until later. For now, check out the chart down below for a full breakdown of how these phones compare on paper.

Galaxy S8 Gallery

Galaxy S7 Edge Gallery

Samsung - Galaxy S8 Samsung - Galaxy S7 edge
Display Size 5.8-inch, 2960 x 1440 pixel display (568 ppi) 5.5-inch, 1440 x 2560 pixel display (534 ppi)
Resolution X 2960 1440
Resolution Y 1440 2560
Display Type Quad HD+ QuadHD Super AMOLED
Operating System Android 7.0 (at launch) Android 6.0 (at launch)
Processor Octa core (2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad), 64 bit, 10 nm process Quad-core 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz processor
RAM 4GB 4GB
Storage
  • 64GB
  • 32GB
External Storage Yes Yes
External Storage Specs
  • microSD up to 256GB
  • microSD up to 200GB
Main Camera (Back) 12MP 12MP
Secondary Camera (Front) 8MP 5MP
Networks
  • LTE Cat.16 (May differ by markets and mobile operators)
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 4.2 LE
Battery 3000mAh 3600mAh
NFC Yes Yes
Connectivity
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm Headphone jack
Sensors
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Barometer
  • Fingerprint
  • Gyroscope
  • Geomagnetic
  • Hall
  • Heart rate
  • Iris
  • Pressure
  • Proximity
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Barometer
  • Fingerprint
  • Geomagnetic
  • Gyroscope
  • Hall
  • HRM
  • Proximity
GPS
  • BeiDou
  • Galileo
  • Glonass
  • GPS
Height 148.9 mm (5.86 inches) 150.9 mm (5.94 inches)
Width 68.1 mm (2.68 inches) 72.6 mm (2.86 inches)
Depth 8 mm (0.31 inches) 7.7 mm (0.30 inches)
Weight 155 g (5.47 oz) 157 g (5.54 oz)
Colors Midnight Black, Orchard Grey, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Maple Gold Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium
Supported Audio Formats MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Supported Video Formats MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM