Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium vs Huawei Mate 9 vs HTC U Ultra
Whose Android flagship phone reigns supreme?
Samsung has just taken the minty-fresh wrapper off the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ handsets at an event overnight in New York. The two new phones represent Samsung’s pitch at the premium smartphone market for 2017, but it’s hardly alone in the smartphone space.
We’ve already examined how the Galaxy S8 compares against Apple’s popular iPhone 7, and how the larger Galaxy S8+ compares against the iPhone 7 Plus, but how do the specifications compare against the current crop of premium Android smartphones such as the LG G6, the Huawei Mate 9, HTC's U Ultra or Sony's upcoming Xperia XZ Premium?
Samsung Galaxy S8: Everything you need to know
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium vs Huawei Mate 9 vs HTC U Ultra: Specifications
| Smartphones | Samsung Galaxy S8 | Samsung Galaxy S8+ | LG G6 | Sony Xperia XZ Premium | Huawei Mate 9 | HTC U Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Android 7.0 | Android 7.0 | Android 7.0 | Android 7.1 | Android 7.0 | Android 7.0 |
| Screen size | 5.8 inches | 6.2 inches | 5.7in | 5.5in | 5.9in | 5.7in |
| Resolution | 2960×1440 Super AMOLED | 2960×1440 Super AMOLED | 1,440×2,880 LED | 3,840 x 2,160 LED | 1080x1920 LED | 2560x1440 LED |
| Display density | 567ppi | 530ppi | 564ppi | 806ppi | 373ppi | 515ppi |
| Storage | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| Weight | TBC | TBC | 163g | 195g | 190g | 170g |
| Processor | Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 | Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 | Snapdragon 835 | Octa-core Kirin 960 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 |
| Rear camera | 12MP | 12MP | 13MP/13MP | 19MP | 20/12MP | 12MP |
| Front camera | 8MP | 8MP | 5MP | 13MP | 8MP | 16MP |
| Battery | 3000mAh | 3500mAh | 3300mAh | 3230mAh | 4000mAh | 3000mAh |
| RRP | $1,199 | $1,349 | $1,008 | TBC | $999.99 | $1,199 |
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6 vs Sony Xperia XZ Premium vs Huawei Mate 9 vs HTC U Ultra: Analysis
As all the premium phones are Android phones, there’s no real app gap to speak of. They’re all devices that support expandable storage, so it’s easy enough to expand the inbuilt capacity as required. Most feature an inbuilt AI assistant, although Samsung, like HTC, has gone its own way with its "Bixby" AI rather than Google’s assistant as found on the LG G6 and Google's own Pixel phones.
The one area where Samsung may not stack up, at least on a specifications front, is the included camera. Early rumours suggested that the S8 and S8+ camera would support a 1,000fps mode, similar to that found on the Xperia XZ Premium, but that’s nowhere to be seen.
Equally absent is any kind of dual lens solution as found in the LG G6 and Huawei Mate 9. Additional lenses can add significant visual flexibility when it comes to taking photos, although it’s not terribly likely that Samsung will deliver a bad camera on its new flagship phones.
The one area where Samsung may have a leg up on its competition is in companion devices. There’s a new Gear VR to go with the Galaxy S8, as well as a new Gear 360 camera and the DeX dock that turns the S8 into an effective laptop style device if you’re a truly mobile worker. Whether this approach pays off for Samsung remains to be seen.
