Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

47 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S9
VS
36 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S9 Manufactured in March, 2018, with display 5.8 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810, vs Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018), Manufactured in January, 2018 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 7 Octa 7885. 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 Samsung Galaxy S9
  • Larger display: 5.8in
  • Higher pixel density: 568ppi
  • Lighter design: 163g vs 172g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 4/64 GB
    - 4/128 GB
    - 4/256 GB    		 - 4/32 GB
    - 4/64 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    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.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    vs
    Galaxy A8 (2018)

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Super AMOLED Super AMOLED
    Size 5.8 in 5.6 in
    Resolution 1440x2960 pixels 1080x2220 pixels
    Aspect ratio 18.5:9 18.5:9
    Pixel density 568 ppi 441 ppi
    Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate No No
    Max brightness 658 nits 390 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10 No
    Screen-to-body ratio 84.1 % 75.5 %
    Features Always-On Display n/a
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    657 nits
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    586 nits
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hz242 Hz
    Response time7 ms4.6 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S9], [Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 147.7 mm (5.81 in) 149.2 mm (5.87 in)
    Width 68.7 mm (2.7 in) 70.6 mm (2.78 in)
    Thickness 8.5 mm (0.33 in) 8.4 mm (0.33 in)
    Weight 163 g (5.75 oz) 172 g (6.07 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - Black
    - Gold
    - Gray
    - Blue
    - Purple    		 - Black
    - Gold
    - Blue
    Fingerprint sensor Yes rear Yes rear
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    84.1 %
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    75.5 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy S9 and Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810 Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7885
    Max Frequency 2900 MHz 2200 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (2 + 6)
    Architecture - 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
    - 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)    		 - 6/1.6 (Cortex-A53)
    - 2/2.2 (Cortex-A73)
    Process Samsung Samsung
    Transistor Size 10 nm 14 nm
    Neural Processor Yes No
    Graphics Mali-G72 MP18 Mali-G71 MP2
    GPU Cores 324 32
    GPU Frequency 572 MHz 770 MHz
    FLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS 70.4 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    734
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    n/a
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    1894
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    n/a
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)734n/a
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)1894n/a
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    470496
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    202681
    CPU13763373673
    GPU16815526657
    Memory8618450080
    UX7852452271
    NanoReview Score470496202681
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    2272
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    n/a
    Max Surface Temp.39.2 °Cn/a
    Stability93 %n/a
    Graphics Test13 fpsn/a
    Graphics Score2272n/a
    Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S9]
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    6347
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    n/a
    Writing score6325n/a
    Web score5265n/a
    Video editing5496n/a
    Data manipulation5694n/a
    NanoReview Score6347n/a

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 4 GB 4 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4
    Memory Frequency 1794 MHz 1333 MHz
    Channels 2 2
    Storage
    Storage Capacity64 GB- 32 GB
    - 64 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 2.1eMMC 5.1
    Memory CardMicroSDMicroSD

    Software

    OS Android 8.0 (Upgradeable to Android 10) Android 7.1.1 (Upgradeable to Android 9)
    OS Size 14 GB n/a
    UI Skin One UI 2.5 One UI 2.0

    Battery

    Volume 3000 mAh 3000 mAh
    Max Charging Power 15 W 18 W
    Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes Qi/PMA (10 W) No
    Reverse Charging No No
    Fast Charging Yes (40% in 30 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (50% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:35 h 1:35 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    15:09
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    17:10
    Web Browsing05:32 h06:38 h
    Video Playback09:42 h11:19 h
    Games03:45 h04:20 h
    Standby Mode75 h80 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 12 MP 16 MP
    Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4920x3264 pixels
    Zoom Digital Digital
    Flash Dual LED LED
    Stabilization Optical Digital
    8K Recording No No
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) No
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 240 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
    Slow Motion 960 fps (720p) No
    Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 16 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    Main lens
    Matrix12 MP16 MP
    Aperturef/1.5 - 2.4f/1.7
    Focal length26 mm26 mm
    SensorSamsung SAK2L3Samsung S5K2P6SX
    Sensor size1/2.551/2.8
    Pixel size1.4 μm1.12 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    104
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    82
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    91
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    74
    Overall camera score
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    99
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    79

    Front camera

    Matrix 8 MP 16 MP
    Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 4608x3456 pixels
    Aperture f/1.7 f/1.9
    Focal length 25 mm 27 mm
    Sensor Samsung S5K3H1 Samsung S5K3P8SP
    Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.1
    Pixel size 1.22 μm 1 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) No
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 1440p at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) 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 Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    Bluetooth version 5 5
    Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
    USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
    USB version 3.1 2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*22
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
    eSIM Support *NoNo
    Hybrid SlotYesNo
    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/B2300/B2500/B2600)LTE (B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500)
    LTE category1811
    5G SupportNoNo

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo Mono
    3.5 mm Jack Yes Yes
    FM Radio No Yes
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy S9
    86 dB
    Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
    85 dB

    Other

    Class Flagship Mid-range
    Announced February, 2018 yr December, 2017 yr
    Release Date March, 2018 yr January, 2018 yr
    Launch Price ($) 720 480
    Sensors - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor    		 - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S9 the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

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