You don’t have to be a Samsung zealot to admit its phones have become increasingly sophisticated over the past few years, offering beautiful designs, powerful hardware, and elegant software.
There’s a reason why the Note 7 was our (unofficial) smartphone of the year in 2016. It’s also easy to see why we dubbed the Galaxy S8 the closest thing to perfect.
Now, with the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung has managed to create the most technologically advanced device the mobile market has ever seen. Frankly, it’s the smartphone of our dreams.
If you showed the Note 8 to someone from 2015, they’d have a conniption. They’d marvel at the phone’s all-glass design, edge-to-edge display, and S Pen capabilities. It’s the ideal smartphone, providing users with an exemplary balance of hardware and software.
More than that, it sets an incredibly high bar for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8, which rumor has it will be expensive and difficult to find at launch.
With the specter of last year’s Note 7 recall still haunting Samsung, the Note 8’s release is important on multiple fronts. For one, it absolutely can’t run into any issues. It’s also arriving at a time when it’ll contend with a lot of really good competition.
What makes the Note 8 stand tallest, however, is its sheer amount of features. In addition to an exceptional design and powerful specs, there’s the S Pen, wireless charging, advanced biometrics, Samsung Pay, Bixby, and innovative software features, including App Pair, which allows users to easily launch two apps in multi-window mode.
Samsung’s flagship also features a dual-camera setup with optical image stabilization, DeX support, IP68 dust and water resistance, and the best smartphone display on the market. It goes without saying that Apple will need to bring its A game in order for the iPhone 8 to outshine Samsung’s latest.
But for how sophisticated Samsung’s mobile portfolio has become, Apple’s iPhone is still among the market’s most popular devices. Even though Apple’s smartphone hasn’t undergone a meaningful transformation over the past few years, the device continues to sell like gangbusters, beautiful design be damned. And when the iPhone 8 hits, it promises to feature several major changes people have been begging Apple to make.
Even if the iPhone 8’s hardware falls short of the stratospheric bar set by Samsung, it’ll still be immensely popular among consumers. That’s just how it goes. And with the prospect of an all-star product lineup from Apple over the next few months, Samsung’s newest flagship could quickly become overshadowed.
Over the next few months, consumers will be treated to several fantastic options, from the Google Pixel 2 XL to the LG V30. Apple’s iPhone 8, which is said to feature a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge display, will be one of many competitors vying for the Note 8’s throne.
We already proclaimed the Galaxy S8 to be the closest thing to perfect, and the Galaxy Note 8 is even better. So, the question is: Can the iPhone 8 be better than perfect?
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