Oneplus 5 vs samsung galaxy s8
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8
One of the biggest selling points of OnePlus devices in years past are the low price points. Compared to the high-end Samsungs, HTCs, and LGs of the world, OnePlus devices have traditionally carried price tags that are a few hundred dollars lower than the competition.
Now that OnePlus has increased the price point with its latest flagship, is the OnePlus 5 able to go toe-to-toe with the latest and greatest from Samsung? Or does the price difference belie a larger feature gap? We find out, as we take an in-depth look at the OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 / Galaxy S8 Plus!
Design
One of the biggest and most obvious differences you’ll notice between the OnePlus 5 and the Galaxy S8 is the way they look and feel.
You get a full metal unibody construction with the OnePlus 5, with its reshaped antenna lines and the look and placement of the dual camera setup resulting in a striking resemblance to the iPhone 7 Plus (or the OPPO R11). Regardless of how you may feel about that, it is still a good looking design and comfortable to hold, largely thanks to its slightly curved back and rounded corners.
The OnePlus 5 is a tad slippery though, so you might want to consider getting a case for your shiny new device.
On the other hand, a mostly glass build that is held together by a metal frame is what you get with the Galaxy S8 smartphones, which has typically been the case since this was introduced a couple of generations ago. Both the front and rear glass panels have been curved for both aesthetic reasons and for comfort in the hand. As good as these phones look, though, it doesn’t take long for your fingerprints to get all over it and somewhat diminish its appearance.
Both the OnePlus 5 and Galaxy S8 look really sleek, but the build material of both smartphones make for quite slippery devices. It’s going to be a toss up between the two as far as handling is concerned.
Display
The main attraction of the Galaxy S8 is its display, and it just blows the screen of the OnePlus 5 out of the water.
The Galaxy S8's display is infinitely better in every way
That’s not to say that the 1080p display of the OnePlus 5 is lacking in any way. However, when comparing them side by side, the Galaxy S8 is infinitely (no pun intended) better in every way. The display of the Galaxy S8 is practically edge-to-edge, and by getting rid of the Samsung logo and the physical home button up front, the company was able to shrink down the bezels and stretch the screen vertically to give you more display real estate in a smaller body.
While the displays of both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are larger than that of the OnePlus 5, what is truly surprising is that in terms of the size, the OnePlus 5 is actually more similar to the Galaxy S8 Plus. The displays of the Samsung smartphones are incredible to look at, and there’s nothing that is quite comparable currently available in the market.
Performance
Both the Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5 come with the fastest processor currently on the market – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. With the S8, you’re getting 4 GB of RAM, while the 5 sports either 6 or 8 GB of RAM.
Everything just feels more fluid on the OnePlus 5
Both these phones perform extremely well when it comes to everyday tasks like launching apps, playing games, or browsing the web, but everything feels much more fluid on the OnePlus 5. Some of the credit has to be given to the software package and the faster animations, but it definitely feels like the extra RAM makes a huge difference. The OnePlus 5 can hold a lot of apps in its memory and it has been incredibly difficult to slow this phone down, which is never a bad thing.
Of course, the Galaxy S8 provides a smooth experience as well. Even though the animations are longer, they do make for a more refined appearance. I will admit that the Galaxy S8 does tend to stutter on occasion throughout the day, which isn’t a deal breaker by any means but is something you will notice after using the phone for a while.
Hardware
On the hardware side is where the Galaxy S8 has a few advantages over the OnePlus 5, with the former coming with features like wireless charging, expandable storage, and dust and water resistance. Any of these features could be make or break additions depending on what you are looking for from your smartphone experience, but it has to be said that ingress protection is something that is becoming a standard feature with high-end releases. It would have been nice to see with the OnePlus 5 as well.
Ingress protection is something that is becoming a standard feature with high-end releases
Both the Galaxy S8 and the OnePlus 5 come with Bluetooth 5.0 onboard, too.
Because of the S8’s new design, Samsung needed to move the fingerprint scanner to the back of the phone. But instead of centering the sensor on the back (like most other devices with rear-mounted sensors), Samsung decided to place it next to the camera module. This placement is pretty awkward.
You do get used to this position eventually but it’s still not the most intuitive location. To make matters worse, the scanner is quite slow and inconsistent. Other unlocking methods like the iris scanner and facial recognition are available as well, but those aren’t the most reliable or 100% secure either. On the other hand, the fingerprint sensor of the OnePlus 5 is at a far more convenient location up front and is also one of the fastest scanners I’ve ever used on a smartphone.
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus come with 3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh batteries respectively, while the OnePlus 5 features a 3,300 mAh unit. I have been using the Galaxy S8 Plus as a daily driver and despite it coming with a larger battery, the battery life has been far better with the OnePlus 5.
Both are capable of comfortably lasting throughout an entire day of use, but there’s usually a little more left over with the OnePlus 5. There have also been instances where I’ve been able to push to battery of the OnePlus 5 to last up to a day and a half, which has never happened with the Galaxy S8 Plus. You can definitely see the advantages of having a 1080p display with regards to battery life when looking at the battery performance of the OnePlus 5.
I also prefer OnePlus’ Dash Charge technology over Samsung’s fast charging method. Dash Charge is just significantly faster than the other, and it quite possibly the fastest charging method that is currently available on any smartphone.
Camera
The biggest change OnePlus has made this year is to the camera. The OnePlus 5 has a dual camera setup with a 16 MP main sensor with a f/1.7 aperture and a 20 MP secondary unit with a f/2.6 aperture. The latter is a telephoto lens that allows for 2x lossless zoom and the ability to emulate a blurry background or bokeh effect with its portrait mode.
On the other hand, Samsung has stuck to a more traditional camera setup, with a single 12 MP shooter with a f/1.7 aperture and it also comes with optical image stabilization, which isn’t available with either sensor of the OnePlus 5. The lack of OIS on the OnePlus 5 makes a huge difference, particularly when shooting in low light conditions. The OnePlus 5’s photos are noticeably softer in detail, less sharp, noisier, and tend to have orange-y color tones that don’t look very natural.
OnePlus 5 camera samples
Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8 Plus camera samples
OnePlus is able to close the gap in well-lit situations, with images that aren’t that far off from what the Galaxy S8 is able to produce. However, the differences are much easier to spot once you look at lot closer. The OnePlus 5 tends to ever so slightly overexpose images, making the colors, shadows, and blacks look much more washed out. When you zoom in, you can see that the photos are just not quite as sharp or as detailed as what is seen with the Galaxy S8.
Software
Software certainly plays a huge role in the overall experience here. While I like what both Samsung and OnePlus have to offer, I prefer the latter simply because it is a lot closer to stock Android or what you get with the Google Pixel, albeit with a lot of nice features on top to customize the OS. You can change the accent colors, switch to a great-looking dark theme, enable on-screen navigation keys, and use a variety of off-screen gestures to launch the camera, turn on the flashlight, or open an application of your choice.
The new version of the OxygenOS has introduced a few new features as well, including a reading mode that turns the screen to grayscale to make it easier on the eyes, and a “do not disturb” mode created specifically so that you aren’t interrupted in the middle of of playing a game.
Samsung has also done a great job with improving their software package by introducing cleaner icons and a toned down color scheme. Everything is really enjoyable for the most part. Samsung has a bunch of software tricks of their own, like the Game Launcher for managing all your games in one place, the theme engine that lets you customize virtually every part of the user interface, and the very useful Always On Display that is also highly customizable and can show important information like the time, date, and notifications.
The biggest problem with Samsung’s software continues to be all the extra bloatware and duplicate applications. The addition of Samsung’s AI assistant, Bixby, which isn’t even fully available yet, only further adds to the redundancy, especially when the phone already comes with Google Assistant. Samsung even went as far as to add an additional hardware button to encourage the use of Bixby, but that isn’t a move that has paid off so far. Of course, that might change when Bixby Voice gets out of beta and comes available to everyone. The OnePlus 5 also comes with an extra hardware button, but this one has a more practical use, by allowing you to easily switch between different notification profiles.
Specs comparison
| Display | 5.5-inch AMOLED 1920 x 1080 resolution 401 ppi 16:9 aspect ratio | 5.8- or 6.2-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED 2960 x 1440 resolution 570 or 529 ppi 18.5:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | 2.45 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 mobile platform | U.S.: 64-bit octa-core (2.35 GHz Quad + 1.9 GHz Quad) Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 10 nm process Global: 64-bit octa-core (2.3 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad) Samsung Exynos 8895, 10 nm process |
| RAM | 6/8 GB LPDDR4 | 4 GB LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 64/128 GB UFS 2.1 | 64 GB UFS 2.1 |
| MicroSD | No | Yes, up to 256 GB |
| Cameras | Rear camera Main: 16 MP Sony IMX 398 sensor, 1.12 μm, ƒ/1.7 aperture, EIS, dual LED flash Telephoto: 20 MP Sony IMX 350 sensor, 1.0 μm, ƒ/2.6 aperture Front: 16 MP Sony IMX 371 sensor, 1.0 μm, ƒ/2.0 aperture, EIS | Rear: 12 MP AF sensor, 1.4 μm, ƒ/1.7 aperture, OIS, LED flash Front: 8 MP AF sensor, 1.22 μm, ƒ/1.7 aperture |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh Non-removable Dash Charge (5V 4A) | 3,000 or 3,500 mAh Non-removable Fast charging |
| Water resistance | No | IP68 dust and water resistance |
| Software | Android 7.1.1 Nougat OxygenOS | Android 7.0 Nougat TouchWiz |
| Dimensions and weight | 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25 mm 153 g | S8: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8mm, 155 g S8 Plus: 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173 g |
Gallery
Final thoughts
While these phones may be separated by up to a couple of hundred dollars, they are a lot closer than you might think. However, that doesn’t mean that the cheaper price tag of the OnePlus 5 hasn’t resulted in any compromises, and you can definitely tell where it falls short.
There are things that I think the OnePlus 5 does better than the Galaxy S8, especially with regards to the general performance and the software experience. But for me, the latter is the more well-rounded device when you take everything into consideration even if that means having to deal with a higher price tag.
Which smartphone would you pick between these two? Do share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8. Получится ли убить флагман в этом году? – Qled.com.ua
Оба этих телефона выглядят великолепно, но каждый из них идет в совершенно разных направлениях. Samsung Galaxy S8 выглядит футуристическим и современным, со своим вытянутым дисплеем 18,5×9, практически отсутствием граней по бокам, очень тонкими гранями сверху и снизу, и изогнутым по краям экраном. Это определённо новая тенденция, а телефонов с таким форм-фактором мы будем видеть всё больше и больше. В то же время уже привычные 16х9 экраны будут предлагаться всё реже во флагманах и через несколько лет станут прерогативой бюджетных смартфонов.
OnePlus 5 по-прежнему очень хорош, но имеет гораздо более толстую рамку вокруг дисплея, чем Samsung Galaxy S8. При этом, это более крупный телефон, хотя его 5,5-дюймовый экран меньше, чем 5,8-дюймовая версия на флагмане Samsung. По нынешним меркам он выглядит обычно, и напоминает iPhone 7 Plus. Стоит учесть, что сравнительно с iPhone 7 или Google Pixel XL его рамки значительно тоньше. Да и среди других 5,5 дюймовых смартфонов он будет одним из самых миниатюрных. О сравнении с iPhone 7 и Google Pixel XL Вы можете прочесть здесь и здесь.
Оба телефона сделаны из металла и стекла. Samsung Galaxy S8 покрыт стеклом с обеих сторон (Gorilla Glass 5), и имеет металлическую рамку. OnePlus 5 защищён стеклом только на лицевой части (Gorilla Glass 5). В этом плане OnePlus будет крепче, и не окажется таким скользким.
Из-за более вытянутого экрана S8 намного уже, чем OnePlus 5, но ни один из них не является тяжелым, и оба могут быть комфортно использованы одной рукой. OnePlus 5 – 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3 мм, 153 г. Samsung Galaxy S8 – 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 мм, 155 г.
Ещё один большой плюс Samsung Galaxy S8 – это защита от воды и пыли по стандарту IP68. Его можно погружать в воду на 30 минут. OnePlus 5 не предлагает ничего подобного.
Оба телефона получили по 1 динамику на нижней грани корпуса. Там же размещены разъёмы USB-C и разъёмы для наушников.
Стоит отметить, что сканер отпечатков пальцев у OnePlus встроен в кнопку домой на передней панели. Samsung переместил свой сканер на заднюю часть корпуса слева от камеры. Многие пользователи жалуются на то, что подобное решение является не удобным.
Samsung предлагает смартфон в 5 цветах. И ещё несколько скорее всего скоро будут анонсированы. У OnePLus 5 лишь два цвета, и сегодня появилась информация о скором появлении модели в третьем цвете.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Характеристики
Оба этих телефона получили всё самое лучшее. Samsung Galaxy S8 поставляется с процессором Exynos 8895 или Snapdragon 835. В Украину поставляется с Exynos.
OnePlus 5 получил Snapdragon 835. В плане оперативной памяти он значительно опережает своего конкурента. В зависимости от комплектации компания предлагает 6 или 8 ГБ оперативной памяти. В Samsung Galaxy S8 лишь 4 ГБ. Справедливости ради, стоит отметить, что не каждый сможет загрузить даже 4 ГБ оперативной памяти.
OnePlus 5 предлагает модификации с 64 или 128 ГБ встроенного хранилища, без возможности расширения. Samsung Galaxy S8 предлагает только один вариант с 64 ГБ памяти и возможностью расширить её ещё на 256 ГБ с помощью microSD карт.
В Geekbench 4 OnePlus 5 набирает 1962 и 6719 баллов в одиночных и многоядерных тестах, которые практически идентичны оценкам в 2016 и 6530 баллов, которые получает Galaxy S8. Но OnePlus 5 жульничал, при прохождении этих тестов, о чём уже писали.
Что касается времени автономной работы, то они оба обещают около дня. Но OnePlus 5 сможет проработать всё-таки дольше. Плюс благодаря обновлённой технологии Dash Charge, устройство заряжается значительно быстрее, чем Samsung Galaxy S8. Samsung – 3000 мАч, OnePlus – 3300 мАч.
Говоря о дисплеях, OnePlus 5 получил 5,5 дюймовую Full HD AMOLED матрицу с максимальной яркостью в 1000 нит, чего достаточно для показа настоящего HDR видео.
Samsung Galaxy S8 получил дисплей Super AMOLED QHD+ с разрешением 2960×1440 пикселей.
Обе панели покрывают цветовую гамму DCI-P3. Но для широкоформатных видео всё же лучше подойдёт Samsung Galaxy S8.
OnePlus 5 получил двойную основную камеру. Один датчик Sony IMX 398 с 16 мегапиксельным объективом f/1.7. Вторая камера представлена 20 мегапиксельным телеобъективом f/2.6. Это позволит вам получать более интересные кадры, а также приближать объект в 2 раза (честные 1,6). Это то, чего нет у Samsung.
Камера Samsung Galaxy S8 очень хороша. Она представлена 12 мегапиксельным сенсором сзади f/1.7. По качеству снимков она уступает лишь HTC U11 и Google Pixel.
Оба могут снимать видео в 4К и имеют множество дополнительных настроек. На передней панели OnePlus 5 получил 16 мегапиксельный сенсор, Samsung Galaxy S8 – 8 мегапиксельный.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Цена
OnePlus 5 начинается с 479 долларов, что намного больше, чем Samsung Galaxy S8, который стоит 725 долларов. В Украине он стоит 25000 гривен или 22500 гривен по акциям, что значительно больше 725 долларов.
Разница в цене в этом случае кажется более оправданной, чем при сравнении OnePlus 5 с Google Pixel XL.
И всё же она есть, и она значительна. Компания OnePlus именно так и завоевала поклонников, предлагая решения с топовым железом за цену, значительно ниже, чем у конкурентов. Да – у Samsung отличный дисплей, да – с ним вы будете себя чувствовать круче и современнее, чем с последним iPhone и да – заплатив на 250$ меньше вы получите в полтора раза больше оперативной памяти, но всё остальное будет скромнее.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Резюме
Дизайн: OnePlus 5 выглядит хорошо. По сравнению с Samsung Galaxy S8 про него больше ничего не скажешь. Samsung предлагает смартфон, который сейчас выглядит уникально, и чьему форм-фактору в следующем году будут подражать большинство производителей. Его внешний вид сейчас без сомнения вызывает WOW эффект.
Характеристики. Плюсом OnePlus можно назвать аккумулятор. Но не то что бы значительным. Наличие двойной камеры тоже хороший бонус. Минимум 6 ГБ оперативной памяти против 4 ГБ у Samsung. К сожалению прямых фото сравнений, не проводилось, но по прошлому опыту стоить помнить, что камера в Samsung одна из лучших. По производительной мощности они практически равны. Стоит записать в плюс S8 его не стандартный дисплей с QHD+ разрешением. OnePlus 5 довольствуется традиционным, хоть и очень качественным, Full HD. Не стоит также забывать о наличии стандарта IP68, и сканера сетчатки глаз у S8.
Об этом не говорилось выше, но к Samsung предлагается огромное количество фирменных аксессуаров, таких как Gear VR или Samsung Dex например. OnePlus этим похвастаться не может, и вряд ли сможет.
Цена: Разница составляет 250 долларов. Она кажется оправданной.
Если у Вас есть 725 долларов, то смело берите Samsung. Других причин отказаться от него в пользу OnePlus 5 нет или они незначительны. Конечно, сэкономив, вы получите максимально мощный смартфон, но без Extra.
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OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8
OnePlus started out as an underdog just a few years ago, but it’s risen to become a flagship force to be reckoned with, so much so that you might genuinely be considering whether to buy a OnePlus 5 or a Samsung Galaxy S8.
And it won’t just come down to price. In fact, increasingly OnePlus handsets are no longer the affordable options they once were. But as brand recognition grows they don’t necessarily need to be, especially when they pack in as much tech as the OnePlus 5.
Read more: OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition
But just how do the OnePlus 5 and Samsung Galaxy S8 compare? And is it really a fair fight? We’ve put the two phones head to head to find out.
- Read our OnePlus 5 review
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 design
The OnePlus 5 is a good-looking phone, with a slim 7.25mm thick metal unibody, curved edges, and antenna bands that wrap around the edges, almost disappearing into the frame.
It’s a great look and one that’s quite different to the Samsung Galaxy S8. That phone is even curvier if anything, with a curved glass back and even a curved screen (more on that below), fused together with a metal frame.
The bezels on the S8 are smaller and it benefits from water and dust resistance, which the OnePlus 5 doesn’t have, but being fully clad in glass the S8 is arguably more fragile, and it’s slightly thicker at 8mm.
Yet the Galaxy S8 is surprisingly compact in other ways, coming in at 148.9 x 68.1mm and 155g. The OnePlus 5 meanwhile is 154.2 x 74.1mm and 153g, despite having a smaller screen.
You’ll also find the Samsung Galaxy S8 in a wider range of colors, including Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold, while the OnePlus 5 just comes in Midnight Black and Slate Gray.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 display
This is arguably the high point of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the low point of the OnePlus 5. Not that the OnePlus 5 has a bad screen, just that it’s not changed much from the OnePlus 3T, as it’s a 5.5-inch 1080 x 1920 16:9 display with a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 on the other hand has a curved 5.8-inch 1440 x 2960 screen with a pixel density of 570 pixels per inch. So it’s bigger, sharper and – thanks to its curves and lack of bezels – more eye-catching, all while fitting into a smaller frame.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 also employs a wider 18.5:9 aspect ratio, but one way in which the two phones are the same is the use of AMOLED technology. This typically leads to more vibrant visuals than LCD, with true blacks achieved by turning off individual pixels, which an LCD screen can’t do.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 OS and power
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a tremendously powerful phone, with 4GB of RAM and either a Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 chipset (depending on where you are in the world). Both of those rank among the top smartphone chipsets available though.
But the OnePlus 5 has it beat, at least on paper, with a Snapdragon 835 chipset of its own and up to 8GB of RAM. That figure is arguably overkill and might not have a huge impact on performance, especially as the OnePlus 3T (which has 6GB of RAM) isn’t as powerful as the Galaxy S8, but both the S8 and the OnePlus 5 are sure to rank among the most powerful phones of the year.
Both handsets run Android Nougat, though the S8 is on 7.0, while the OnePlus 5 is on the slightly newer 7.1.1. But both are sure to get updated to Android O when it’s available.
The main difference here isn’t in the operating system itself but in the interface that’s been put on top. The S8 sports ‘Samsung Experience’, which is the latest version of what used to be known as TouchWiz. It’s sleek and understated but looks quite different to stock Android and is packed full of features, including Samsung’s own Bixby AI assistant.
OxygenOS, used by the OnePlus 5, is a lot cleaner and closer to pure Android, but still has some extra features built on top, such as a reading mode and gesture controls.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 camera and battery
The OnePlus 5 has a dual-lens camera, combining 16MP and 20MP lenses. This serves a couple of purposes. One is that you can combine the two to blur backgrounds while keeping the subject in focus – also known as a bokeh effect, which can create striking images.
The other is for optical zoom, so you can zoom in without degrading the quality of your image. It also sports speedy autofocus, the ability to shoot 4K video, and, in the case of the main 16MP lens, an f/1.7 aperture, which is larger than most phones have, allowing it to capture more light.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 only has a single-lens snapper, but it’s one of the best we’ve come across. It’s 12MP and also has an f/1.7 aperture, plus optical image stabilization and the ability to record 4K video.
It’s perhaps less feature-packed than the OnePlus 5’s, but image quality is the important thing and it’s at or near the top of the pack there. We’ll let you know how the OnePlus 5 compares once we’ve put it through a full review.
Around the front the OnePlus 5 has a 16MP camera, which is a higher megapixel count than most selfie snappers, but it has an f/2.0 aperture, while the 8MP front-facing camera on the Galaxy S8 has an f/1.7 aperture – meaning the S8’s has a larger lens opening and is likely to perform better in subpar lighting.
The OnePlus 5 has a significantly bigger battery though at 3,300mAh to the Galaxy S8s 3,000mAh.
In practice, the S8’s is good enough to easily last a day for most users, but not necessarily much more than that. It remains to be seen how the OnePlus 5’s will compare, but both phones support fast charging, so you won’t need to plug them in for long.
OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8 price
The OnePlus 5 retails for $479/£449 (around AU$630) if you want a 64GB version or $539/£499 (around AU$710) for 128GB.
That’s not cheap but still some way below the Galaxy S8, which costs $725/£689/AU$1,200, and you only get 64GB of storage for that, though there is a microSD card slot.
Takeaway
Aside from its screen the OnePlus 5 looks to be just as much of a flagship as the Samsung Galaxy S8, and costs quite a lot less (though still a lot).
Along with its lower price, its dual-lens camera could be a big selling point, as could the huge amount of RAM you can get it with, even if that’s likely to be overkill in reality.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 meanwhile stands out for its great screen and striking design, and its camera, while more basic on paper, delivers in practice.
While we won’t know for sure how the OnePlus 5 stands up until we’ve put it through a full review, on paper it looks to be one of the more impressive phones of the year.
And even assuming it doesn’t knock the Samsung Galaxy S8 off its perch at the top of our best phones list, it could be a strong alternative – especially if you want to save some money.
- The Pixel 2 is another Android flagship that's coming soon.
www.techradar.com
OnePlus 5T vs Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+
OnePlus is different from all other phone makers: it has just one phone at a time and focuses all its efforts on it. Its newest phone, the OnePlus 5T, comes half a year after the previous and features an edge-to-edge screen, a new camera, Face Unlock and a few other tricks.The OnePlus 5T also happens to be an Android phone, and it’s only natural to compare it against the most popular flagship Android phones out there: the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The two Galaxies cost significantly more, but are they also significantly better?
Samsung has moved in leaps and bounds when it comes to design: its Galaxy S8 and S8+ are sleek, futuristic, and beautifully constructed of glass and metal. But OnePlus is not too far behind. While the OnePlus 5T does not have the trendy glass back, its rear side does have a nice curve to it, making the phone fit the natural curve of your hand better than the Galaxies. Its aluminum construction is sturdy, and the metal back does not get smudged with fingerprints as the Galaxy S8 does. The back of the OnePlus is exceptionally slippery, though.In the US, Samsung has the Galaxy S8 in a broader range of colors: it comes in a choice of black, blue or gray, while the OnePlus 5T is only available in matte black.In terms of pure size, the OnePlus is a bit wider than the Galaxies, so it’s a bit tougher to handle with one hand, but it is not quite as tall as the S8+. Here is how these phones compare in physical size: When it comes to convenience, the OnePlus does have a few advantages. First, it has a mute switch – the so called Alert Slider – which is a nice convenience that the Galaxy does not have. Also, while both phones have a fingerprint scanner on their backs, the one on the Galaxy is awkwardly positioned and hard to reach. OnePlus put its fingerprint reader in a natural, central position which makes a huge difference in daily use.Both phones also keep the good old headphone jack. It’s a good thing to have and allows for a dongle-free life.What the Galaxy S8 does have as an advantage is water protection. The phone features an IP68 rating, meaning that it is protected from dust and can withstand immersion in up to 5-foot deep water for half an hour. The OnePlus, on the other hand, only has bare splash protection and is not water resistant.One of the things that make high-end phones stand out is the display. Luckily, both of Samsung's Galaxy S8 phones, as well as the OnePlus 5T, feature very good-looking screens. However, there are some things you should know about. First, let’s get the display specs out of the way:- OnePlus 5T has a 6.0-inch AMOLED screen with 1080 x 2160 (Full HD+) pixel resolution
- Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED screen at 1440 x 2960 pixels (Quad HD+)
- Galaxy S8+ has a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen at 1440 x 2960 pixels (Quad HD+)
We have been using the OnePlus 5 for a few months now, and the OnePlus 5T seems to have a common display issue: with auto-brightness enabled, the 5T sets its screen brightness lower compared to most other phones. In typical room conditions, its screen would usually be much dimmer than the one on a Galaxy, for example. Some users may find this annoying.
Both the OnePlus and the two Galaxies run on Android 7 Nougat, but they have a vastly different custom interface on top of that.OnePlus’s custom interface is called OxygenOS. It’s a clean UI that looks like “stock” Android, it has all-Google apps and adds only a few customization in places that matter, but does not go overboard. The Galaxies have a very heavy interface referred to as the Samsung Experience (formerly TouchWiz). It adds a lot of extra load, slows down performance and has a lot of duplicate Samsung apps instead of Google ones.Our first criticism to to all three phones is that they still run on Android 7 Nougat, not on the newer 8 Oreo version. Chances are they will get the update only in early 2018.The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ share the same interface
Both the Galaxy S8 phones and the OnePlus 5T have bezel-less screens, so they only use on-screen navigation keys instead of physical buttons. The Galaxy has a cool, invisible touch area at the bottom center that you can press to go to the home screen from any app, even full-screen ones. The OnePlus lacks such a useful option.There are a few areas of the OnePlus that look a bit outdated: the bland, gray-colored notification dropdown, the not-very-pretty stock weather app and a few other minor annoyances. While the Galaxy interface looks more modern: from the said dropdown to the settings, keyboard and just about every other place, it’s also noticeably slower and more stuttery in terms of performance. That is the bigger problem.There is another cool feature the S8 and S8+ support: DeX. Place your Galaxy on the separately purchased DeX dock, connect it to a large-screen monitor and it will work as a desktop computer, allowing you to do work the big screen. Others have done it (not so well), and while Samsung’s implementation is not perfect, it’s still good for doing text work, browsing or going through your photos or videos. OnePlus does not have such an option. Both the OnePlus and the Samsungs support face recognition as an alternative to fingerprint scans, but the OnePlus 5T is just so much better at it! It is faster and more reliable: just a slight look at the OnePlus will instantly unlock your phone and take you to the home screen (you can actually set it up to show the lockscreen, if you prefer). Samsung's implementation is much, much slower and not as reliable, especially in the dark.None of these unlock methods, however, is considered as secure as the fingerprint scanner. Thus, it is the finger scanner that is used for financial transactions using Android or Samsung Pay. The finger scanner is again much more comfortable and easier to use on the OnePlus. It’s fast and reliable, while on the S8 and S8+ we get many inaccurate readings, mostly because of the scanner being very hard to reach, especially on the S8+.Half a year after its release, Bixby seems to be mostly forgotten. In my personal experience, Bixby is left unused as the Google Assistant is faster, knows more and is more consistent with answers, while Bixby has some trouble picking up what I say correctly and has less general knowledge.In light of all this, the dedicated Bixby button on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ seems like a waste of space. On its left side, the OnePlus has the so called “alert slider”, a mute switch of sorts, that gets much more use in daily life and seems much more practical. In 2017, all flagship Android phones come with the Snapdragon 835 chip, and the OnePlus 5T and Galaxy S8/S8+ are no exception.But what a difference software makes to the actual performance! Half a year after its release, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ feel sluggish, often frustratingly stuttery (for a flagship that is, they are still usable, though), while the OnePlus 5T just flies through Android with speed and grace. There could not be a bigger contrast! Benchmarks do not tell this story: in fact, in benchmarks these two phones have identical performance, but in real-life the difference is striking. In terms of storage, the OnePlus comes in two versions: 64GB and 128GB, and there is no microSD card option to expand that memory. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ both ship with 64GB on board, but they do feature a microSD card slot for expandable storage. Even though the OnePlus 5T has a dual 16 and 20-megapixel camera setup, it doesn't necessarily take better pictures than the Galaxy S8 and S8+, both of which feature a single 12-megapixel shooter.In bright daylight, they are all very comparable and do a great job. The S8 and S8+ stand out with much sharper pictures and excellent detail, though colors are slightly oversaturated. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 5T captures much less detail and shadows that are a bit underexposed. But overall, the difference is not that great.When it gets a bit darker, though, bigger differences start to show up. Despite the secondary camera on the OnePlus 5T being specifically made for better low-light performance, we found it was almost never used. It has a requirement of light being under 10 lux (which is a very low amount of light) in order to work. At night, the OnePlus loses a lot of detail, and pictures just look smudged out. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ both do a much better job: photos with them appear sharp and clear even at night.Camera UI of the OnePlus 5T
Samsung Galaxy S8's cam interface
Focus is also faster and more reliable on the Galaxy.We found no major difference in the way the LED flash works on these phones. It’s not the greatest out there and introduces a color cast to pictures, so you should only use it when it’s absolutely necessary.When it comes to the front camera, we have a 16MP front shooter on the OnePlus 5T and an 8-megapixel front cam on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Again, in daylight the differences are not that obvious, but in slightly lower light, the Galaxy shoots sharper and better-looking pictures with more detail. Both the Samsung phones and the OnePlus 5T can record up to 4K video at 30fps, but there are some noticeable differences in video quality.Put frankly, we are not very impressed with video recording on the OnePlus 5T: colors appear on the dull side, auto-focusing is slower than average and not very reliable, and there are more artifacts when the camera moves. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are not perfect themselves: they appear artificially oversharpened and colors are a bit overstated, but the overall appearance in videos is better. Focus locks very quickly, there is a lot of detail to recordings, and the colors look better, even if a bit too saturated. There is a single bottom-firing loudspeaker on the S8 and the S8+ and it is nothing special, just okay. Actually, in comparison with the OnePlus 5T, it is plain bad.The OnePlus 5T has just one loudspeaker that is also firing towards the bottom, but it offers a lot more definition and a more spacious feel (in the confines of what is possible on a phone). If you watch videos and want great sound, or if you listen to a lot of music on the loudspeaker (I occasionally play my phone in the kitchen and in the car), you would appreciate this big boost in quality that the 5T speaker delivers.Of course, using headphones or connecting to an external speaker results in much higher quality of the audio. Luckily, both the Galaxy S8 and the OnePlus 5T feature a headphone jack, so you can easily connect, without the need for any dongles. Bonus points for both phones! Battery life on smartphones is slowly improving by the year, and the OnePlus 5T, Galaxy S8 and S8+ all fare well in terms of battery life.The OnePlus 5T has a 3,300mAh battery, the Galaxy S8 ships with a 3,000mAh cell, and the Galaxy S8+ features a 3,500mAh battery.We get very comparable results with all three phones, but the OnePlus actually pulls slightly ahead. All these phones will usually get you through a full day of use, and with moderate use you can get around a day and a half of use on a single charge, but neither phone will last the full two days for the average user.We also put all three phones through our proprietary battery test where we set all phones to equal brightness levels and have them go through a typical workload. The OnePlus 5T scored highest with 8 hours and 51 minutes on this test, while the Galaxy S8 score was 8 hours and 22 minutes and the Galaxy S8 result was 8 hours. Not a major difference, but still indicative.Another important aspect of the battery equation is the time it takes to recharge a phone. Samsung has its Adaptive Fast Charging technology, while OnePlus has its awesome Dash Charge tech. Both are quick charging technologies, but they work differently. The OnePlus charger uses a higher amp and it maintains fast charging speeds even when you use the phone while charging. The Samsung charger uses a higher voltage and cannot maintain the fast charge speeds when you use the phone.In real life, the OnePlus 5T charges slightly faster than the S8 and the S8+. It finished a full charge in just 1 hour and 33 minutes, while the Samsungs both took around 1 hour and 40 minutes.Also, while the Samsung phones support wireless charging, you do not have this option on the OnePlus 5T.
We’ve had no issues with call quality on any of the three phones. We have comparatively clear and loud volume during calls on the Galaxy S8, S8+ and the OnePlus 5T. So… which one should you get?Let’s first look at the prices:You can find many deals on the Galaxy S8 series these days, so the price you end up paying will likely be less than what you see above, but even after those discounts, the OnePlus 5T is still the cheaper phone.If we put price aside, it’s clear that both the OnePlus 5T and the two Galaxy phones have very distinct strengths: for the Galaxy S8 and the S8+ that is the immersive bezel-less screen with eye-popping colors, the faster camera that takes better-looking photos and videos, and a few little tricks like its water-resistance and wireless charging ability. On the downside, the S8/S8+ are noticeably slower in daily use, they stutter and just do not run as smoothly as a phone of this class should. The OnePlus 5T is the opposite in terms of performance: it’s one of the fastest Android phones we have ever used. It has a clean and good-looking interface and a nice display while Dash Charge is seriously impressive. But the 5T falls short when it comes to the camera – it is not bad, but in most cases, it is also noticeably worse than those on the Galaxies.For us, it boils down to two things: if you want performance and don’t care too much about the camera, the OnePlus would be the better choice. If you are ready to deal with a noticeably slower phone, but want a great camera and extras like water resistance or wireless charging, then go for one of the two Galaxies.www.phonearena.com
