Trending December 2023 # Up Close And Personal: How The Samsung Galaxy S6 Uses Its Octa # Suggested January 2024 # Top 20 Popular

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Recap Samsung Galaxy S6

The graphs above are for a device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, which has a quad-core 1.7GHz ARM Cortex A53 cluster and a quad-core 1.0GHz A53 cluster. Although the two clusters of cores are different, one is clocked at 1.7GHz and the other at 1GHz, the difference between the two is mainly just clock speed.

The Exynos 7420 used in the Galaxy S6 uses four ARM Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 2.1GHz, and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz. This is quite a different setup than the Snapdragon 615. Here there are two distinctively different CPU core architectures being used together. For example the Cortex-A57 uses an out-of-order pipeline, while the Cortex-A53 has an in-order pipeline. There are of course many other architectural differences between the two core designs.

Chrome

So let’s start by comparing the way the Samsung Galaxy S6 uses Chrome. To perform the test I opened the Android Authority website in Chrome and then started browsing. I stayed only on the Android Authority website, but I didn’t spend time reading the pages that loaded, as that would have resulted in no CPU use. However I waited until the page was loaded and rendered, and then I moved on to the next page.

Chrome – active cores on a Samsung Galaxy S6.

The graph above shows how many cores are being used by Android and Chrome. The baseline seems to be around 5 cores and it peaks frequently at 8 cores.  It doesn’t show how much the core is being used (that comes in a moment) but it shows if the core is being utilized at all.

Chrome – core usage on a Samsung Galaxy S6.

The graph above shows how much each core was utilized. This is an averaged-out graph (as the real one is a scary scrawl of lines). This means that the peak usages are shown as less. For example, the peak on this graph is just over 95%, however the raw data shows that some of the cores hit 100% multiple times during the test run. However it still gives us a good representation of what was happening.

Chrome – core usage profile on a Samsung Galaxy S6.

On the Exynos 7420 (and on the Snapdragon 615) cores 1 to 4 are the LITTLE cores (the Cortex-A53 cores) and cores 5 to 8 are the big cores (the Cortex-A57 cores). The graph above shows that the Exynos 7420 is favoring the little cores and leaving the BIG cores idle as much as possible. In fact the little cores are hardly ever idle were as the BIG cores are idle for between 30% to 50% of the time. The reason this is important is because the BIG cores use more battery. So if the more energy efficient LITTLE  cores are up to the task then they are used and the big cores can sleep.

However when the workload gets tough the big cores are called into action, that is why the max usage for the big cores is at 100%. There were times when they were used at 100% and other times when there were idle, allowing the LITTLE cores to do the work.

Reading with Chrome – big vs LITTLE usage on Samsung Galaxy S6

Notice the three spikes in big core usage as I loaded a page and the spikes in the LITTLE core usage as I scrolled down the page and new elements were rendered and displayed.

Gmail and YouTube

Google deploys many of its key Android apps via the Play Store, and besides Chrome, other popular Google apps include YouTube and Gmail. Google’s email client is a good example of an app that uses Android’s user interface elements. There are no sprites, no 3D graphics, no video to render, just an Android UI. I performed a general usage test where I scrolled up and down in the inbox, searched for emails, replied to an email and wrote a new email – in other words I used the app as it was intended.

Gmail – core usage on a Samsung Galaxy S6.

As you would expect, an email client isn’t going to stress a processor like the Exynos 7420. As you can see from the graph, overall CPU usage is fairly low. There are a few spikes, but on average the cores utilization is less than 30 percent. The scheduler predominantly uses the LITTLE Cortex-A53 cores and the big cores are idle for around 70 percent of the time.

You can see how the LITTLE cores are used more often than the big cores from this graph:

Gmail – big vs LITTLE usage on Samsung Galaxy S6.

YouTube is different to Gmail in that while it has UI elements, it also has to do a lot of video decoding. Most of the video work won’t be handled by the CPU, so its job is predominately UI and networking plus general coordination.

The big vs LITTLE graph is quite revealing here:

YouTube – big vs LITTLE usage on Samsung Galaxy S6.

The big cores are hardly being used at all and the energy efficient (but lower performance) cores are being used to move around data, and handle the network connections etc.

Gaming

Games are a quite different category of app. They are often GPU intensive and not necessarily CPU bound. I tested a range of games including Epic Citadel, Jurassic World, Subway Surfer, Crossy Road, Perfect Dude 2, and Solitaire.

Starting with Epic Citadel, the demo app for the Unreal Engine 3, what I discovered is that again the LITTLE cores are being used consistently and the big cores are being used as support, when necessary. On average the LITTLE cores are running at around 30 to 40 percent utilization while the big cores are being used at less than 10 percent. The big cores are idle for around 40 percent of the time, however when used they can peak at over 90 percent usage.

Epic Citadel – core usage profile on Samsung Galaxy S6.

The graph above are for actual game play (i.e. walking around the Epic Citadel virtual world using the on screen controls). However Epic Citadel also has a “Guided Tour” mode which automatically swoops around various parts of the map. The core usage graph for Guided Tour mode is slightly different to the real game play version:

Epic Citadel Guided Tour Mode – core usage profile on Samsung Galaxy S6.

Here are the graphs for Solitaire, Jurassic World, Subway Surfer, Crossy Road, and Perfect Dude 2:

As you would expect Solitaire doesn’t use much CPU time, and interestingly Jurassic World uses the most. It is also worth looking at the big versus LITTLE graph for Perfect Dude 2, it shows a near textbook scenario where the LITTLE cores throttle down, while the big cores ramp up. Here is the same graph with those big core peaks highlighted:

Perfect Dude 2: big vs LITTLE (with highlights)

Odds and ends

I have two more sets of graphs to complete our picture. The first is a snapshot of the device when idle, with the screen off. As you can see there is still some activity, this is because the program which collects the data itself uses the CPU. In a quantum-physics-esque kind of way, the act of observation alters the outcome! What it does give us is a baseline:

The other set of graphs is the artificial workload created by benchmarks, in this case AnTuTu:

What does it all mean?

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Vs Iphone 6 Plus Comparison

Our Verdict

It’s virtually impossible to pick a winner here, as both are fantastic phones. Choosing between them is difficult, unless you have a specific need for a feature which is available only on one phone, or if you’re already tied into either iOS or Android because of other devices you own such as smart home gadgets which only offer apps for one system (typically iOS). Your choice will also dictate which smartwatch you can use: currently it’s Android-with-Android and Apple-with-Apple and no crossover.

The S6 is smaller and has a few quirky features – the on-demand heart-rate sensor isn’t a good enough reason to choose it over the iPhone though.

Samsung’s phone is quite a bit cheaper on contract, so this will make it the obvious choice for some, while others will want it because of its great camera.

Because of its size, many see the iPhone 6 Plus as the worse of the two current flagship iPhones, but we like the big screen for watching videos, browsing the web and even editing the occasional document.

If your contract is coming to an end and you’re wondering whether to go for the iPhone 6 Plus or Galaxy S6 as your next phone, we’re here to help with our Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison. See also:  best smartphones 2023 and  best new phones coming in 2023.

Clearly you could wait and see what Apple launches later this year, but it’s going to be a long while before Samsung updates its flagship phone. Here are the rumours about the iPhone 6s

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison: Price

We’ve talked about contracts, but the range of prices is too complex to go into here, and this is the same reason we mainly compare phones on their SIM-free prices.

The best deal you can get on an S6 or a 6 Plus will depend on whether you can persuade your existing mobile provider to discount the monthly fee as you’re a long-time customer, give you an upgrade ahead of time and other benefits.

Essentially, you can get an S6 for free (no up-front cost) if you pay around £30 per month, while it’s almost impossible to get a free iPhone 6 Plus. Usually, you’ll pay between £10 and £100 depending on the monthly contract price, which is typically over £40 per month.

Buying the phone outright seems expensive, but is the cheaper option overall. The S6 costs £599 for the 32GB model and £660 if you want 64GB.

The iPhone 6 Plus is one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy at £619 for the 16GB version, rising to £789 for the 128GB model.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison: Design

Again, both are flagship smartphones and are superbly built and look great. Style, of course, is a personal thing so you’ll have to decide which you prefer.

It’s a similar situation with software. Android and iOS are both great mobile operating systems, but they each have their strengths and limitations. If you already own other Apple products, an iPhone might be enough to persuade you to spend the extra on the 6 Plus, while those who prefer the open nature of Android will lean towards the S6.

But since we’re talking about specific phones rather than their software, let’s get into the detail.

First off: colours. The iPhone 6 Plus comes in Silver, Gold or Space Grey, all of which are anodised aluminium and look great. The S6 offers a choice of Blue Topaz, White Pearl, Gold Platinum and Black Sapphire. The Blue Topaz and Gold Platinum are an acquired taste with a shiny mirror finish so it’s well worth taking a look at one in the flesh before ordering.

The S6 has a 5.1in screen, which is a little smaller than the iPhone’s 5.5in display. It’s the S6 with the higher resolution at 2560×1440, versus the 1920×1080 of the iPhone. If you care about pixels per inch, it’s 577 against 401 for the iPhone.

Their technologies differ, too. Samsung uses its Super AMOLED panel with vibrant colours (some would say garish) while Apple sticks with more traditional IPS LED. Both are great screens, and we’d argue that you don’t really need the higher resolution offered by the Galaxy S6. It’s nice to have, but far from essential.

You’ll struggle to fit the iPhone in your jeans pocket. It’s 158mm tall and 78mm wide. The S6, on the other hand, is 143x71mm. The S6 is hardly tiny, but it might just make the difference for some people.

Weight is also noticeably different with the S6 at 138g and the iPhone 6 Plus tipping the scales at 172g.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison: Connectivity

These are both 4G phones with a single SIM slot, so if you’re after a phone that can take two SIMs, look elsewhere.

The iPhone has no expandable storage (it’s unlikely Apple will ever deviate from this way of doing things) and it’s a similar story with the S6. You’re stuck with what you buy. So buy big, if you can afford it.

You get dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi on both handsets, as well as GPS, Bluetooth Low Energy and NFC. With the iPhone you can use NFC only for Apple Pay, though. Both have fingerprint scanners, neither of which are the old ‘swipe’ type.

The Samsung has extra features such as a heart-rate sensor, an IR blaster for controlling your TV (and other gadgets that work via infrared) and also supports USB OTG.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison: Cameras

Both phones have protruding rear cameras, but this is irrelevant if you’ll stick them straight in a case. The S6 has a better camera than the iPhone 6 Plus, not simply because it can capture more detail with 16Mp against the iPhone’s 8, but because the photos it takes simply look better. For photo examples, see our best phone camera comparison

That’s not to say the iPhone has a poor camera. Far from it. It takes excellent photos – we just wish it had a higher-resolution sensor for those times when you want to crop in or zoom.

Both have their own special shooting modes, but we prefer Apple’s 240fps Slo-mo and speeded-up Time-lapse over Samsung’s selfie-oriented fare (the S6 will shoot 240fps slo-mo as well, but we still prefer Apple’s implementation including the editing options).

For video, the iPhone tops out at 1080p but has clever ‘focus pixels’ which mean footage is always sharp and focused on the right object. While the phone has optical stabilisation, this is used only for photos taken in low light. The cinematic quality you get in videos would appear to be done in software.

The S6 can shoot 4K video at 30fps which is a neat trick, especially if you have a 4K TV on which to watch clips. It’s decent quality, too, although not at the level you’ll get from a camera which a larger sensor such as the Panasonic GH4.

Specs Apple iPhone 6 Plus: Specs

A8 processor chip with 64bit architecture and M8 co-processor

5.5-inch ‘Retina HD’ screen with resolution of 1920 x 1080, pixel density of 401ppi and 1300:1 contrast ratio (typical)

Rear-facing camera (‘New iSight camera’) with 8Mp photos, ƒ/2.2, optical image stabilisation and 1080p video recording

Front-facing (‘FaceTime’ camera) with 1.2Mp photos, ƒ/2.2, 720p video recording and burst mode

16GB/64GB/128GB storage

Lightning connector

Touch ID fingerprint scanner

158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm

172g

Example And Types Of Leveraged Loans With Its Uses

Introduction to Leveraged Loans

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These are simple loans; their distribution and arrangement are the only difference. They are arranged for the companies already having debts and are set by the syndicate banks. These are managed by private equity firms, hedge funds, and other players.

Example of Leveraged Loans Types of Leverage Loans

There are three types :

Underwritten Deals: In this type, the arranger guarantees the entire loan amount by entering into the underwriting deal. The arranger must bear any left-out loan if the investors do not subscribe to the loan amount. He can try to sell the remaining loan in the market later on. Even if the market conditions are down in the future, the arranger is the only one who bears losses by selling the loan even at a discounted rate.

Best- Efforts: Contrary to the above, instead of committing the entire amount of underwriting of the loan, the arranger group commits to underwrite less than the whole amount. Any undersubscribed amount can be adjusted per the market variations, or it can be left as a credit. If, after the changes also, the loan continues to be unsubscribed, the lower amount of the loan has to be accepted by the borrower to close the deal.

Club Deal: This type of deal is usually for private equity players. The private equity players can acquire targets previously held by more prominent strategic players anytime in the past while distributing the exposure risk. These are larger-sized loans than own funding by the lenders and are used for M&A activity.

Leveraged Loans Index Uses of Leveraged Loans

There are many M&A deals where leveraged buyout (LBO) is used. Leveraged loans form an essential and significant portion of LBO. Hence, these are used in many M& A deals.

The Loans are used to better prepare the company’s balance sheet in case of its stock repurchase.

Debts of the companies can be refinanced with the help of these.

The company can use it for its day-to-day operations and acquiring various long-term assets.

Leveraged Loans vs High Yield

Leveraged Loans are secured loans guaranteed by the company’s assets, whereas high-yield bonds are not secured.

As the Leveraged Loans are secured, they prioritize getting paid in case of the company’s insolvency, whereas the High Yield bonds are paid after the Leveraged Loans.

Advantages

The loan amount obtained through these loans can push the company’s capital, and if that amount is used correctly, it can make the company achieve its dream heights.

When the business has objectives of acquisition, management buyout, shares buy-back, or a one-time dividend, leveraged loans suit the best because there are additional costs and risks of bulking up on debt.

The company takes these Loans in addition to other debts, i.e., short-term and long-term debts. It brings the company to a higher than average debt level, and in the long run, it possesses an increased leverage risk.

The interest rates paid in these loans are higher; hence, this type of funding proves costly for the company.

The process of taking, dealing with, and managing leveraged loans is much more complex; thus, the management must invest much time.

Conclusion Recommended Articles

How To Set Up Personal Hotspot On Iphone And Ipad: A Complete Guide

All of us have that one friend who always runs out of data and keeps asking for a Personal Hotspot connection as they’ve run out of their data limit doomscrolling on the internet. There are several other instances when sharing the data connection of your iPhone with other devices comes in handy and saves the day. This article will take you through how to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad.

What is Personal Hotspot?

The Personal Hotspot – also known as Tethering- is a feature available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Android, and several other devices out there. It allows users to share their Cellular/Mobile Data connection with other users and devices through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB. The host device replicates the functionality of a Wi-Fi router and shares its network connection with other devices. 

While it might not have the ability to provide data speeds or even the range when compared to a modern Wi-Fi router, it does cover enough range and offer decent speeds to carry out day-to-day tasks. The speed depends on your cellular connection’s range and the data speeds your carrier provides. 

Requirements to use Personal Hotspot on iPhone or iPad  

An iPhone running iOS 8 or above. 

iPad (Cellular+Wi-Fi model) running iPadOS 8 or above.

A USB Cable if you intend to share Wi-Fi through a wired connection. 

How to turn on Personal Hotspot on iPhone and iPad

Also, while the Personal Hotspot option will be available with an active SIM card, accessing this feature is only unlocked when you turn on Mobile/Cellular Data. 

Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad. 

Tap Mobile/Cellular Data option → toggle on Mobile/Cellular Data. 

You can tap the Personal Hotspot option on the same screen or go back to Settings and select Personal Hotspot.

Whenever you toggle on the Maximize Compatibility option, the device switches to transferring data at 2.4GHz, which extends the range of the network but comes at the cost of lower transfer speeds.

Connect to Instant Hotspot without password using Continuity 

Continuity, a convenience feature introduced by Apple, enables Instant Hotspot on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Instant Hotspot allows other Apple devices to connect to your Hotspot without entering the password. The caveat is that some system requirements need to be met to use Continuity and Instant Hotspot. 

iPhone 5 or above running on iOS 8.1 or later. 

iPad fourth gen or later. (All iPad Mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models are supported.)

Mac devices running macOS X Yosemite and above. 

You need an iPhone or iPad (Cellular) that supports Personal Hotspot (most devices do, so you need not worry). 

All devices you want to use the Instant Hotspot feature should use the same Apple ID.

You need to enable Wi-Fi on all devices.

You need to enable Bluetooth on all devices.

With the requirements to use Continuity and Instant Hotspot out of the way, here’s how to connect to Instant Hotspot without a password using Continuity. 

Ideally, if you meet all the aforementioned requirements, the devices will connect to the Personal Hotspot without asking for a password. But, if you face any difficulties, ensure to go through the requirements again and follow the needful. 

Changing your passwords a couple of times every year is generally a good practice to keep your accounts safe from hackers and data breaches. Here are some tips you should follow before changing your password.

How to change Personal Hotspot password on iPhone or iPad

Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.

Select the Mobile/Cellular Data option and enable the mobile Data toggle. 

Navigate to Personal Hotspot.

You have successfully reset the password of your Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad.  

How to change Personal Hotspot name on iPhone or iPad 

Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.

You have successfully changed your Personal Hotspot name. 

Identify if devices are connected to your Personal Hotspot

Whenever any device connects to the Personal Hotspot of your iPhone or iPad, a rounded rectangle icon in green will show up in the System Status Bar of your device.

The icon will display the Personal Hotspot icon (interlocked loops) for a couple of seconds and will then show the time. Also, the icon is dynamic and will pulse to inform the user that other devices are using their Hotspot. 

Mobile or Cellular Data consumption by Personal Hotspot 

For the uninitiated, the Personal Hotspot uses data from your data plan. So, unless and until you do not have a truly unlimited data plan with no FUP limit, please do not leave your Personal Hotspot on and share it with every other person. Moreover, the tasks performed by devices using your Personal Hotspot also significantly affect the amount of data used from your data plan. 

If you are off an unlimited plan, please keep track of the data used. You can refer to our detailed guide, which will help you through all the steps to track iPhone and iPad data usage. Personal Hotspot is also a contributing factor to battery drain, so turning it off is a precautionary method to extend the battery life of your iPhone. 

FAQs

How do I reset my iPhone Hotspot?

To reset your iPhone Personal Hotspot, you will have to reset all the network settings of your iPhone. To do so, head to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings. 

Is using iPhone Hotspot free?

Personal Hotspot as a feature is free. However, it uses your Mobile/Cellular Data connection and shares it with other devices. So, sharing your internet connection through Personal Hotspot is only free if you have a free data connection. 

No more Personal Hotspot trouble

The Personal Hotspot feature is an excellent alternative to Public Wi-Fi. It decreases the risk of having your data leaked and ensures you are connected to a private and encrypted network. Moreover, it is a great tool for sharing your internet connection with others in need. 

Read more:

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Darryl

Consumer Technology and Motorcycles are the two things that excite Darryl the most. Why? Because Tech helps better people’s lives, and solving people’s problems related to tech is something he enjoys. And what about bikes, you ask? Well, drop a gear and disappear.

The Physical Brexit Study: How Close To Pangea?

The physical Brexit study: how close to Pangea?

A study has been conducted which shows when England began to break away from Europe physically, creating the Dover Strait. Using bathymetric maps to study the bottom of the sea, scientists have discovered a lot more than what’s previously been known about the area and the sequence of events that created today’s topography. Britain, it turns out, was connected to the mainland (last time it was connected, that is) via a chalk ridge that kept a giant proglacial lake in check – until disaster struck.

A large amount of spillage from the lake created by a chalk dam created the beginnings of what have turned into the Dover Strait. From Calais in France to Dover in England, a chalk ridge kept a massive lake at bay until it spilled over. This glacial lake’s spillage was likely inevitable – unless, of course, there was something to keep that glacier nearby as cold as is required to keep solid forever.

Another set of lakes overflowed after the chalk ridge event. These lakes created the Lobourg Channel. By the end of this overflow event, the entirety of what is now the United Kingdom was effectively separated from the rest of Europe.

Above you’ll see several stages between the Permian period with Pangea and the broken-apart set of land masses we have on Earth today. This set of events took place over a very, very long period of time. These images come from Earthguide Online Classroom.

The breaking apart of Pangea took place starting hundreds of millions of years ago. As of 65-million years ago, what would eventually become North and South America had nearly broken away entirely from the African and Asian continents. It was much, much more recent that England’s land mass started to break away from the rest of Europe.

ABOVE: “(a) Coloured and shaded relief multibeam bathymetry map of the Lobourg Channel. SI, streamlined island; TSR, tidal sand ridge. Water depth is indicated by colour bar. Location of image is shown in Fig. 1. (b) Three-dimensional perspective view of cataract at head of Channel 2 looking N. Sc, prominent scours in bedrock. Vertical exaggeration is ∼2. Water depth is indicated by colour bar. Dashed line indicates line of seismic profile in Fig. 8. (c) Map view of floor of Lobourg Channel showing prominent longitudinal lineations (ridges and grooves) (L). Orientation of lineations is indicated by double-headed arrow. SD, sand dunes. Location of image is indicated on a. Water depth is same as in colour bar in a.”

The timing of the beginning of this breaking away of England from the rest of Europe was said in this study to have stared at around MIS 12. That’s Marine Isotope Stage 12, otherwise known as the Anglian stage – that’s between 478,000 and 424,000 years ago. The break continued for quite some time. The study suggests that the second event likely occurred around 160,000 years ago.

Researchers suggest that the break will have likely been mainly complete by MIS 5e – that’s the Eemian or Ipswichian stage. As such, around 123,000 years ago the UK was likely completely separate from the rest of Europe. The study suggests that “by MIS 5e, marine mollusc assemblages from coastal deposits indicate full connection of the Channel with the North Sea during the interglacial highstand.”

In other words, it took around 355-thousand years for England to break away from the rest of Europe. It’s assumed that the Brexit in 2023 will be complete in a considerably smaller amount of time. The results of this newer Brexit may or may not be more of an environmental mega-event on England this time around – we shall see!

For more information on this subject, see the paper “Two-stage opening of the Dover Strait and the origin of island Britain.” This paper can be found under code doi:10.1038/ncomms15101 in Nature Communications. This paper was authored by Sanjeev Gupta, Jenny S. Collier, David Garcia-Moreno, Francesca Oggioni, Alain Trentesaux, Kris Vanneste, Marc De Batist, Thierry Camelbeeck, Graeme Potter, Brigitte Van Vliet-Lanoë, and John C. R. Arthur.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Vs Galaxy S8 Review: What’S The Difference?

Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy S8

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Yesterday Samsung finally unveiled the Galaxy S8, and there are some key changes over the now year-old Galaxy S7, including a larger, higher-resolution, dual-curved-edge display, the introduction of Bixby, some faster core hardware, and a new take on the home button.

The Galaxy S8 is available to pre-order now, and will go on sale in the UK and Europe on 28 April 2023 at £689, but the Galaxy S7 could be yours right now and costs just £499 SIM-free (via Carphone Warehouse). So which Samsung Galaxy should you choose?

We’ve compared the specifications of the two handsets to work out exactly what is the difference in an effort to help you find the best phone for your needs. You can read in more detail about the Galaxy S8 features and specifications, and check out our Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S8 reviews.

What is the difference between Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S8? Price

If you purchase today you’ll save £190 on the Galaxy S7 over the Galaxy S8 at SIM-free prices, which is certainly not to be sniffed at. 

Unlocked mobiles claims to have the lowest UK SIM-free prices – £674.98 for the Galaxy S8 – and the phone should be in stock 19 April.

If you’re looking to buy on contract look to our articles on the best Galaxy S8 deals and best Galaxy S8 Plus deals.

Samsung phones have a habit of falling rapidly in value in the first few months after their launch, but even if the Galaxy S8 price drops 20 percent three months from now you’ll still be saving more than £50 if you buy the Galaxy S7 instead. You’ll save even more if you shop around at the likes of Amazon and eBay.

The fact is, though, most of us will get our next smartphone upgrade as part of a contract deal.

Whereas today you can get the Galaxy S7 on plans starting from £28.49 per month (via Carphone Warehouse), UK operators are listing the Galaxy S8 from £35.99 a month – but that’s with a huge £199 upfront cost. The lowest upfront cost we’ve seen is £9.99, but you’ll pay £60.99 per month. So, either way, the Galaxy S8 will cost you a lot more.

In many cases the Galaxy S8 is being sold as part of a deal in which you get a free Bluetooth speaker worth £99. That sounds great, but adds to its value only if you want or need the speaker. Check out the best Galaxy S8 deals.

It’s worth pointing out that those prices for the Galaxy S7 are for the standard 32GB model, whereas the Galaxy S8 has 64GB of storage as standard.

If you want to find out about the latest and best Galaxy S8 contract deals, register below and we’ll drop you an email as soon as they’re announced.

(Your email will only be used to contact you about S8 deals. No spam or nonsense, we promise. We also need to know what country you’re in so we send you the right deals for where you are.)

Models

The Galaxy S7 came in two versions: one with a standard 5.1in Quad-HD SuperAMOLED display, and an ‘edge’ version with a 5.5in Quad-HD AMOLED dual-curved-edge display.

For the Galaxy S8 the dual-curved-edge display is now standard across the range, hence the name change from ‘edge’ to ‘Plus’ for the larger of the two.

The only differences between the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are the price, screen size, dimensions, weight and battery capacity, so choosing between the two should be much easier this time around – you want the bigger one or you don’t.

Design

The new Galaxy flagship has a lot more screen estate over its predecessor, and without a drastic change in the dimensions. As we’ve noted above the dual-curved screen is now standard across the range, but Samsung has made other changes, too.

Whereas the Galaxy S7 had a 5.1in screen, the Galaxy S8 now has a huge 5.8in screen. The resolution has also been increased, from Quad-HD to Quad-HD+ (2960×1440 pixels).

It’s managed to increase the size of the display without making the chassis significantly larger – previously 142x70x7.9mm it is now 149x68x8mm – and it has done so by removing the physical home button from below the display. 

The fingerprint scanner has been moved to the rear, now found to the right of the camera, while onscreen buttons at the front are paired with a pressure sensor buried at the foot of the screen. Also see: Samsung Pay is now available in the UK!

The loss of the home button makes the Galaxy S8 look quite different to previous Samsung flagships, though the company has continued with the metal and glass front/rear design introduced in the Galaxy S6 and refined in the Galaxy S7. The Galaxy S8 has tougher Gorilla Glass 5 screen protection, too, but both Galaxy phones are IP68 waterproof. Also see: Galaxy S8 Active latest rumours

In the UK we’ll get just two colours at launch – Midnight Black and Orchid Grey, with Arctic Silver coming soon – though there are five available in total. The Galaxy S7 also comes in five colours: black, white, gold, silver and pink gold.

Processor

Samsung has replaced the Snapdragon 820 inside the Galaxy S7 with a Snapdragon 835, which it has built in co-operation with Qualcomm. This 10nm chip integrates the Adreno 540 GPU, and promises improvements in performance (up to 27 percent higher), efficiency (up to 40 percent higher), and therefore battery life. It also supports Quick Charge 4.0, which is being marketed as able to give you five hours life from a five-minute charge.

RAM

Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S8 come with 4GB DDR4 RAM, so no change here.

Cameras

The 12Mp, f/1.7 camera fitted to the rear of the Galaxy S7 is also seen in the Galaxy S8, but there has been some improvements to the selfie camera, which is now rated at 8Mp and comes with an autofocus feature.

Audio, ports and connectivity

Samsung has recently acquired audio firm Harman, which is well known for its Harman Kardon speakers. The Galaxy S8 substitutes the bottom-facing speaker on the Galaxy S7 with a stereo pair. It also ships with AKG earphones, and retains that 3.5mm headphone jack dropped by Apple and others.

The Galaxy S7’s Micro-USB has been swapped out for USB-C, while Bluetooth has been upgraded to version 5.0.

A cool extra for the Galaxy S8 is compatibility with DeX, a new dock and desktop conversion system similar to Microsoft’s Continuum. Simply plug your S8 into the (optional, expensive) dock and you can use apps on a monitor, keyboard and mouse set up.

Battery

As with the Galaxy S7, the Galaxy S8 supports wired- and wireless fast charging. The battery capacity itself hasn’t changed, and is still rated at 3,000mAh.

We’ll have to wait to get the Galaxy S8 into our lab to see the difference in runtime – while the new Snapdragon 835 is more energy efficient than the S7’s 820, the Galaxy S7 has a smaller, lower-resolution display.

Software

One of the most talked about new features in the Galaxy S8 is Bixby, a virtual assistant to rival the Google Assistant that is based on recently acquired Viv’s AI technology. Bixby is able to conduct mobile payments, control apps and even perform image search. Samsung outed Bixby ahead of the Galaxy S8 launch, and you can read more about it here.

The Galaxy S8 ships with Android Nougat, whereas the Galaxy S7 has Marshmallow out of the box with an update to Marshmallow available, so there will be little difference in the software.

You’ll also like: Samsung Galaxy S9 rumours

Also see: Best new phones

Specs Samsung Galaxy S8: Specs

Android 7.0 Nougat

5.8in Quad HD display (2960×1440), 570ppi

Dual curved edge display

Exynos 8895 octa-core processor

4GB RAM

64GB internal storage

Micro-SD card slot (up to 256GB)

12Mp rear-facing camera with OIS

8Mp front camera

Pressure sensitive home button

Fingerprint scanner

Heart rate monitor

11ac dual-band Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX

GPS

NFC

4G LTE Cat 16

Headphone jack

USB-C

3000mAh non-removable battery

Wireless charging

IP68 dust & waterproof rating

68x149x8mm

155g

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