GALAXY S8 OR THE IPHONE?

One of technology’s oldest debates (and by that we mean a year or two) is whether to go with Android or iOS, with both sides brimming with passion for their respective arguments. In this article, we compare the Samsung Galaxy S8 with the iPhone, and there are some surprising results.

That is the eternal question of life; should one go for the Galaxy S8 or an iPhone? Everyone who has owned a phone has had the all-important ‘Android or iOS’ argument with themselves or with their friends, so this piece is not about that. Here we tell you some of the things that the S8 specifically can do that the iPhone cannot.

Bear in mind that we’re not making a recommendation; we love the iPhone as much as the next guy, but sometimes, the truth has to be spoken.

In that spirit, here are a few things that the Galaxy S8 can do that an iPhone cannot.

• An iris scanner. The S8 comes with a built-in iris scanner in addition to a fingerprint sensor, using which you can securely unlock your phone without having to punch in your four-digit pin number. The iPhone, as of this writing, has only a fingerprint sensor.
• A face recogniser. How about taking a selfie to unlock your phone? We now live in an era where taking a picture of oneself is faster than pressing four or so buttons to unlock one’s phone. If you’re this pressed for time, make use of the S8’s facial recognition feature, where all you need to do is take a selfie and your phone unlocks itself.
• A wireless charging pad. This is charging of the future. You just place your phone on top of the pad and it charges, apparently by magic. There is also a fast-charging option for those times when you’re in a hurry. The iPhone has neither a fast-charging option nor a wireless charging capability.
• A headphone jack. It is funny how we’re debating whether a standard headphone jack is important in a phone in 2017, but Apple, famously, reignited the debate by removing its headphone jack on the iPhone 7. But the S8 thankfully comes with one, so you can plug in standard headphones without having to use a dongle.
• Virtual Reality Software. The S8 comes with its own VR software, and it smoothly integrates with Facebook’s Oculus. You also get a free VR headset if you pre-order the S8 before April 21 of 2017. The iPhone does work with some VR headsets, but it does not natively support VR like the S8 does.
• A heart rate sensor. If you have the iPhone, you will need to buy an Apple Watch or something similar in order to measure your heartbeat. With the Galaxy S8, the heart rate sensor is right at the back, next to the camera’s aperture.

We have no horse in the race, but going by the above considerations, the Galaxy S8 seems to be ready to give Apple a run for its money. Until the next Apple product comes out, of course.