Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus - Which is better?

Apple iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

52 out 100
Apple iPhone XS
VS
44 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Apple iPhone XS
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone XS Manufactured in September, 2018, with display 5.8 with chipsetApple A12 Bionic, vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, Manufactured in April, 2017 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 8895. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone XS
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
  • Larger display: 6.2in
  • Higher pixel density: 529ppi
  • Lighter design: 173g vs 177g
  • Higher battery capacity: 3500mAh vs 2658mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB
- 4/512 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 6/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Smartphones:
Apple iPhone XS
vs
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Super AMOLED
Size 5.8 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1125x2436 pixels 1440x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 458 ppi 529 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 625 nits 580 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10
Touch Sampling Rate 120 Hz n/a
Screen-to-body ratio 81.1 % 83.3 %
Features DCI-P3 Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone XS
635 nits
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
642 nits
sRGB gamut98.8 %99.8 %
PWM (Flicker)240 Hz250 Hz
Response time4.4 ms4.4 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone XS], [Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 143.6 mm (5.65 in) 159.5 mm (6.28 in)
Width 70.9 mm (2.79 in) 73.4 mm (2.89 in)
Thickness 7.7 mm (0.3 in) 8.1 mm (0.32 in)
Weight 177 g (6.24 oz) 173 g (6.1 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gold
- Gray		 - Black
- Gold
- Gray
Fingerprint sensor No Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone XS
81.1 %
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
83.3 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A12 Bionic Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 8895
Max Frequency 2490 MHz 2300 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.6 (Tempest)
- 2/2.49 (Vortex)		 - 4/1.69 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.314 (Exynos M2)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 7 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Neural Engine No
Graphics Apple A12 GPU Mali-G71 MP20
GPU Cores 256 320
GPU Frequency 1100 MHz 546 MHz
FLOPS 576 GFLOPS 375 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone XS
1307
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
n/a
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone XS
3447
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
n/a
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1307n/a
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)3447n/a
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone XS
733639
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
346771
CPU202576104827
GPU217548116171
Memory14685363736
UX16666262037
NanoReview Score733639346771
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone XS
5698
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
n/a
Max Surface Temp.44.8 °Cn/a
Stability63 %n/a
Graphics Test34 fpsn/a
Graphics Score5698n/a
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone XS]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB - 4 GB
- 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 1794 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB		- 64 GB
- 128 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 2.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS iOS 12 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) Android 7.0 (Upgradeable to Android 9.0)
OS Size 11.8 GB 11.7 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI

Battery

Volume 2658 mAh 3500 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes Qi (10 W) Yes Qi/PMA
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (60% in 45 min)
Full Charge Time 2:40 h 1:55 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone XS
16:06
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
17:41
Web Browsing05:44 h07:10 h
Video Playback09:44 h10:52 h
Games03:54 h04:35 h
Standby Mode84 h83 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Optical, 2x Digital
Flash Quad LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (720p)
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP		 Standard: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.7
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorApple iSight XSamsung S5K2L2
Sensor size1/2.551/2.6
Pixel size1.4 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.4n/a
Focal length52 mmn/a
Sensor size1/3.4n/a
Pixel size1 μmn/a
StabilizationOpticaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone XS
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
88
Video quality
Apple iPhone XS
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
88
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone XS
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
88

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 3088x2316 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.7
Focal length 32 mm 25 mm
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Sensor size n/a 1/3.6
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1440p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type No USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoYes
2G BandsGSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsHSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE Bands*LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2600)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category1616
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Mono
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone XS
87.3 dB
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
83 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2018 yr March, 2017 yr
Release Date September, 2018 yr April, 2017 yr
Launch Price ($) 1000 850
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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