iPhone X vs. Galaxy Note 8 – Which Is Better for Bloggers?
Smartphone makers Samsung and Apple just renewed their epic battle with prodigious releases. Apple’s iPhone X and Samsung’s Note 8 are now available, and we wanted to see how they measure up when it comes to what bloggers need.
Performance & Power
The new suite of iPhones, the 8, 8 Plus, and X, are all powered by Apple’s A11 Bionic chip (also known as SoC for systems on a chip) with 3GB of RAM. In broken down nerd speak, that means this phone is super powerful. The new chip actually scored higher than the Intel Core i5 chip that’s inside the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro base model. Granted, you won’t be putting your iPhone X through as much as you put your MacBook through, but it’s good to know you have the power behind it if you needed it.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 is powered by a Snapdragon 835 chipset for US customers, and Exynos 9 for the international market, with 6GB RAM. This allows you to be able to handle 4K Ultra HD videos (capturing and viewing). Comparing the two: iPhone X wins. The A11 chip is faster, leaner, and runs more efficiently.
Photo via Qualcomm
What this means for bloggers: a faster phone that doesn’t hold you back from multitasking, and doesn’t completely kill your battery in record time.
Display and pixel density
iPhone X is 5.8-inch with a screen resolution of 1,125 x 2,436 OLED technology. That translates to a pixel density of 458 per inch. Galaxy Note 8 is 6.3-inch with a 1,440 x 2,960 resolution of AMOLED screen translating to a pixel density of 521. Translation: pixels. Lots of them! The more pixels per inch, the clearer and crisper the image. The Galaxy Note 8 wins this round.
What this means for bloggers: choose the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for a phone with a beautiful display (like playing back your videos before uploading them to YouTube).
Camera
iPhone X comes with 12MP duo lens camera with f1.8 wide-angle and f12.4 telephoto lens, and a back camera of 7MP. Apple brings True Depth too. The upgrade to the megapixels in the FaceTime camera was a welcomed feature, as you can now take better selfies, and go live without it looking like you’re a grainy version of the Sims.
Galaxy Note 8 has 12MP duo lens, with f1.7 wide angle and f2.4 telephoto lens. Slightly higher aperture on the telephoto lens compared to iPhone X. Both phones offer 4K and HDR, Dolby Vision standard videos capability. For the casual users, the wide-angle and telephoto lens difference won’t matter much to you. But photographers will see the difference! Better lenses = better shots.
Related: 6 Great Photo Editing Apps for iPhones
You want professional quality pictures on a beer budget. We know, we know. So iPhone X made sure to focus on portrait mode. You now have Portrait Lighting, which gives you access to real-time studio lighting effects. Apple wants people to think a professional took your photos. You can also include some fun new live photo effects (anyone ready to create their own gifs?), and the True Tone Flash is focused on making sure you don’t come out extra shiny or ultra dull when the flash goes off.
Galaxy Note 8 also wants to give you some picture perfect shots. With Live focus, you can give off the effect of a blurred background and a focused subject without needing Adobe Lightroom. The phone also has different modes depending on your needs: food mode (for all you food bloggers out there), pro mode (for your much needed outfit of the day shots), and slow motion for those extra special shots.
Both cameras can record 4K videos at 60fps (frames per second). That’s pretty dang crisp! Most people don’t need to shoot in 4K, mainly because your viewers probably have devices that can’t play it back in that quality anyway. But for those who need the capability, it’s there!
This one is almost a tie. But the Galaxy Note 8 has a slight advantage: expandable memory. One thing that can catapult Androids over iPhones is the fact that you can add additional storage via microSD card up to 256GB. So you don’t have to worry about deleting apps because you were being modest and bought the 64GB version rather than the 256GB (remember when iPhones started with just 8GB of storage? The horror…)
What this means for bloggers: Either phone would give you beautiful shots. But who wants to keep moving photos around so they don’t run out of room?
Price
Let’s be honest. The price is steep for both. This whole “finance your smartphone” trend has made phone companies cocky, and now buying your phone outright will set you back a whole month’s rent depending on where you live. The iPhone X 64GB is available at $999 (retail) or $33.34/month for a 30-month installment agreement. You can buy the 256GB version for $1,149 outright, or $38.34/month on the installment plan. The Galaxy Note 8 is only available at 64GB, so you can either buy it at the retail price of $949.99 or pay $31.67 over 30-months.
What this means for bloggers: This is completely up to you. Whatever you can afford.
Design
iPhone X has a 5.8-inch screen, stainless steel frames, and all glass. Note 8 is a 6.3-inch phablet, all glass, and metallic frames. The all-glass body allows QI Standard wireless fast charging. Both are identical portrait height with duo-lens vertically aligned.
What this means for bloggers: Whatever you do, buy a phone case.
Features & Functionality
Both phones are neck and neck when it comes to battery life: iPhone X gives you 21 hours and Note 8 gives you 22 hours of talk time.
Galaxy Note 8 comes with the fantastic Samsung S Pen, which can read, take notes, zoom or even translate a text. Unfortunately, Apple has not made the iPhone X, or any other iPhone model, compatible with the Apple Pencil which is used on iPad Pro tablets.
Galaxy Note 8 has a curved screen to slide menus and buttons to life. iPhone X does not have a home button. Samsung offers an unlocked version for customers who want their freedom to choose their wireless carrier. Curiously, the FM function is added in case the cellular network is knocked out in an emergency. iPhone X offers none of this.
Both iOS and Android bring a lot of functionality. These two phones compare well regarding functionality and speed, with iPhone X having a slight edge. When it comes to waterproof capacity, iPhone X is IP67 certified Note 8 is IP68 certified. iPhone X comes with Face ID too. You just stare at the phone, and it unlocks.
What that means for bloggers: Choose iPhone X if you want your phone to be super secure (you do unlock it with your face, afterall). Choose Samsung Galaxy Note 8 if you want a cool stylus and the freedom to take your phone talents wherever you’d like.
Conclusion
Both phones are amazing, especially compared to the hot phones we were buying 10 years ago (BlackBerry Curve, RAZR2, various Nokia models, and the very first iPhone). The choice depends on what you prioritize most. If your blog constantly has you on the go for events and such, Galaxy looks like the choice. For bloggers looking to spruce up their Snapchat and Instagram, iPhone X is a good match.
Alissa Davis is an ardent contributor on tech revolution, and is a freelance writer with a love for all things technology. You can also find her on Twitter sharing her love of technology.
