Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

Consumer Reports says old Samsung phones are better than Apple’s brand new iPhone 8

Published Oct 17th, 2017 11:53AM EDT
iPhone 8 vs. Galaxy S8
Image: Zach Epstein for BGR

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Apple already sold millions of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus units, but launch weekend estimates fell short of what’s expected from typical iPhone launches. It’s not that the iPhone is losing its appeal all of a sudden, but this year isn’t a usual one for Apple. The best iPhone of 2017 hasn’t even launched yet, as the iPhone X won’t be released until early November, which is why many buyers skipped the iPhone 8 models.

But the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are still great phones. In fact, we called the 8 Plus the best smartphone in the world right now, boring though it may be. The testers over at Consumer Reports don’t agree though, and they believe that old Samsung phones are better than the iPhone 8.

The organization ranked the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus as the top two devices when it comes to performance, Yonhap News reports. The iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, with Samsung’s 2016 Galaxy S7 sitting in the third position. That’s right, Consumer Reports thinks the 18-month-old Galaxy S7 is a better phone than either new iPhone 8 model.

It’s not all good news for Samsung, whose Galaxy Note 8 only comes in sixth, after the two iPhone 8 models. Apparently, weak durability and weight affected the Note 8’s review. The LG V30, which is an iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8 rival, has not been included in Consumer Reports’ ranking as it wasn’t yet launched in the US while the site was testing.

It’ll be interesting to see how the iPhone X will fare in the same performance and user experience tests. After all, the iPhone X has almost the same internal components as the 8 and 8 Plus. That said, the iPhone X does have plenty of unique features that may affect the overall experience, including an all-screen design, no home button, a new dual-lens rear camera, a bigger battery, and Face ID that replaces Touch ID.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.