These two tech giants have been at each other for over a decade. Let’s see which one of these two flagships has an edge over the other.

Design

Both the Note8 and iPhone X have gone with the new trend of nearly all display at the front. Both devices sport a glass back, which can be fingerprint and smudge magnets even with minimum use. The Note8 has a screen to front body ratio of 83.2 per cent and slim borders top and bottom, but the iPhone X (screen to front body ratio of 82.9 per cent) has a notch (a bit like a flap) on the top, which houses a lot of essential parts (discussed later), apart from the front camera.

Our verdict: There is a good case to be made that Samsung made the right choice by having slim borders at the top and bottom, instead of going with a notch, which is definitely going to be a noticeable thing for a new iPhone X user, more so while watching videos or viewing images in landscape mode. How Apple plans to enhance the experience with the notch in place is yet to be seen, but for now, the Note8 deserves some credit for its design language.

Display

The Galaxy Note8 features a 6.3-inch (2960×1440), super sharp S AMOLED display that can go over 1000 nits in brightness, with no visibility problems under direct sunlight. The phone can handle multimedia without breaking a sweat, whether it is a high resolution video, image or graphic-intensive game. The iPhone X, on the other hand, boasts a 5.8-inch (2436×1125) Super retina OLED, making it the first iPhone with an OLED and not LCD in place. It’s the costliest and most high quality panel Apple has ever used, and it should be great for consuming content videos, or even playing augmented reality (AR) games on the go.

Our verdict: The Note8 not only has a bigger screen for those looking for one, it is also much more usable under sunlight. The iPhone X’s OLED doesn’t quite go that bright if needed, though colour reproduction and viewing angles are great.

Camera

Both phones are equipped with a dual 12 MP camera setup with dual Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), for better shots in low-light as well as much better video output when you’re moving while shooting. Their approaches are a little different, though.The iPhone camera has an f/1.8 aperture for the standard lens and an f/2.4 aperture for the telephoto lens, with Quad True Tone flash, against the Note8’s f/1.7 aperture for the wide angle lens and f/2.4 aperture for the telephoto, coupled with its LED flash. For those interested in front-facing cameras, the Note offers an 8 MP camera with an aperture of f/1.7, and the iPhone X has a 7 MP camera at f/2.2 with Retina Flash.

Our verdict: It really is hard to choose between these two in the camera department. If a wider-angle lens is what you want, the Note8 should do the job for you. The iPhone X has a really nice portrait mode, enhanced from the previous iterations, and provides a lot of in-built editing options under portrait auto modes that are easy to use.

Protection against the elements

Both devices are dust and water-resistant, with the Note8 IP68 certified, while the iPhone X is IP67. Apart from this, the iPhone X also features wireless induction charging, supporting the popular Qi induction charging standard; the Note8 does this, but it also supports fast charging while being charged resting on a wireless charger pad. The 6 in 67 and 68 stands for dust-resistant, and both the devices have the same certification – the difference is in the water-resistant properties.

Our verdict: That shiny new iPhone X can survive splashes and spills well, even a quick fall in a glass of water. The Note8 can withstand all this, plus it comes out alright when immersed in 1.5 metres of water for less than 30 minutes. You needn’t worry using the Note8 or the iPhone X in the rain, but the Note8 has a better chance of survival in water.

Iris scanners and face recognition

The Note8 has an iris scanner and face recognition for enhanced security as well as added convenience, but the implementation seems half baked for now. The phone doesn’t always recognise the user at every angle, and you have to often hold it at your eye level to unlock it. The iPhone X goes a step further with its FaceID, by putting in an infrared camera and dot projector at the top of the front, to map the face of the user and offer a quick and secure unlocking process.

Our verdict: The iPhone takes this round. FaceID is quicker, more convenient and reliable for daily use. Note that FaceID on the iPhone X replaces the good old TouchID, but the Note8 does have a fingerprint scanner at the back, right next to the heart rate sensor and camera, which works fine, but is inconvenient to reach without hitting the camera lens using one hand.

Pricing

There is a significant difference here. The Note8 64 GB costs Rs 67,900, while the iPhone X 64 GB is priced at a significantly higher Rs 89,000.

Bottom Line: If you really want a new product from Apple (other than the standard iPhone 8 and 8 Plus) and are already well invested in the ecosystem (having a lot of paid apps, movies and other content from iTunes), the iPhone X seems like the device to get. On the other hand, if you are looking for something from the Android world, there are not many phones that can hold a candle to the Note8. The Google Pixel 2 is coming, and there is also the LG V30 that arrives later, but the Note8 is hard to beat for the time being, mainly because of the Samsung screen and camera combo it comes loaded with.