Consumer Reports Rates Galaxy S8 Over iPhone 7 as 'iPhone 8' Rumored to Address Most Shortcomings

[The Phazer]

Sigh... It's not surprising that things as important as critical security updates aren't important to Android users. I get that... if they were important, you wouldn't be on Android in the first place. However, attempting to down play this reality just makes you look foolish. Also, before you go on about updates coming through the play store, let me know how that works for kernel level vulnerabilities.

Google issues kernel level security updates monthly, and indeed so far the S8 has been reliably getting these. This might be a reasonable criticism of the Android ecosystem as a whole, and long term support is questionable, but this point is unambiguously false so far in regards to the S8. Indeed, the S8 is getting more regular security patching than iOS is so far.

You claim you'd be missing a lot by switching to iOS? Yet, you're unable to even provide a few examples to illustrate your point? I know, micro-managing the preferences to your various widgets is probably very important to you.

Not speaking for that poster, but I posed a pretty big list in this thread already (Consumer Reports Rates Galaxy S8 Over iPhone 7 as 'iPhone 8' Rumored to Address Most Shortcomings), which certainly aren't "micromanaging widgets", but are common core tasks that iOS does badly.

Apple trickles down features at a snail's pace....
Translation: Apple takes the time to implement features correctly and securely from the beginning rather than rushing to market just to claim to be first. There are countless examples of features coming first on Android that were implemented very poorly. Everything from fingerprint scanners, wallet payment systems, LTE chips that ran down the battery faster than the device could be charged, third party keyboards that send your private passwords and credentials up to third party servers, etc, etc.. the list goes on.

Apple took an age to implement notifications, and the implementation is still a trainwreck compared to Android. Seriously, these things go both ways. I think we're a few years past realism of claiming "it just works" with iOS. The platform doesn't clear out it's inconsistencies enough. The Apple you dream of wouldn't have done something as weird as ship flagship devices with incompatible power connectors in the modern era, but yet "it just works" applies to my Macbook and S8 who can use one charging cable, whereas my iOS devices are the odd one out.

 

[Technarchy]

Wow...iphone apps crashed 3 times more than Android.

Anything good about iphone that is not a myth?

iMessage is a juggernaut. Nothing else comes close.

On android I have resorted to Allo and Facebook Messenger, but I really miss iMessage and blue bubbles.

 

[I7guy]

Wow...iphone apps crashed 3 times more than Android.

Anything good about iphone that is not a myth?

You can't prove, maybe except for sales and profits, one phone is better than the other. iPhone wins in form and function, longevity, support, ecosystem, and soc. Does away with outmoded sd card. With iPhone don't need multiple messaging and video platforms and features such as 3dt are supported across flagships. As was said above: "it just works".

 

[grkm3]

I've had nothing BUT battery issues with my S7. It will not hold a charge for more than 30 hours with casual use. Using Maps or Waze GPS cuts that down to about 5 hours. Worst piece of tech I ever owned. My sister's BF has the same problems. I know I can't draw conclusions about an entire product line based on an n of 2, but I'm going back to the iPhone. The only question is if I suck it up for 6 months to get the 8 or get the 7 now. I'll probably wait.

Is this a joke? My gf can't get half a day without charging her iPhone and your complaining about 30 hours of use?

 

[Technarchy]

You can't prove, maybe except for sales and profits, one phone is better than the other. iPhone wins in form and function, longevity, support, ecosystem, and soc. Does away with outmoded sd card. With iPhone don't need multiple messaging and video platforms and features such as 3dt are supported across flagships. As was said above: "it just works".

Nothing about SD is "outmoded". It's a phenomenal feature, and certainly more cost effective than paying Apple's ridiculously expensive memory costs.

3Dt and Touch ID are certainly excellent performers.

 

[mib1800]

You're very enthusiastic about this phone I can understand that but personally I don't feel it's a mature enough product they still use someone else's OS they put a lot of layers on top of it the face recognition security can be tricked by a photo the Touch ID is next to camera very inconvenient etc on top of that you don't know if they are collecting data without permission like the microphone in their Smart TVs.

Then Apple touch id has also been tricked so it is not a mature product either. I'll bet someone can trick apple implementation of facial or iris scanner if they were implemented in next iPhone.

On the app sending data home, it is quite foolish to think iPhone is any better.

 

[bobob]

Google issues kernel level security updates monthly, and indeed so far the S8 has been reliably getting these. This might be a reasonable criticism of the Android ecosystem as a whole, and long term support is questionable, but this point is unambiguously false so far in regards to the S8. Indeed, the S8 is getting more regular security patching than iOS is so far.

That is an exemplary use of rhetoric to conceal a weak argument!

Can anyone spot the use of exaggeration?

 

[mib1800]

You can't prove, maybe except for sales and profits, one phone is better than the other. iPhone wins in form and function, longevity, support, ecosystem, and soc. Does away with outmoded sd card. With iPhone don't need multiple messaging and video platforms and features such as 3dt are supported across flagships. As was said above: "it just works".

Yep, it just works if your expectation is non existent since you are willing to tolerate apps that crashed 3 times more than android.

That is an exemplary use of rhetoric to conceal a weak argument!

Can anyone spot the use of exaggeration?

Nope.

 

[I7guy]

Yep, it just works if your expectation is non existent since you are willing to tolerate apps that crashed 3 times more than android.

True. And I the same vein If you want to tolerate an operating system that runs inconsistently from minute to minute, has more zero day vulnerabilities than anything else you can buy the s8. See how that works.
[doublepost=1497530699][/doublepost]

Nothing about SD is "outmoded". It's a phenomenal feature, and certainly more cost effective than paying Apple's ridiculously expensive memory costs.

3Dt and Touch ID are certainly excellent performers.

So I tried the s8 multiple times, and imo, there is no draw, for me, to either get and use the phone concurrently with my iPhone or replace my iPhone with the s8. I can see why others might like it though; it's just not for me.

 

[mib1800]

True. And I the same vein If you want to tolerate an operating system that runs inconsistently from minute to minute, has more zero day vulnerabilities than anything else you can buy the s8. See how that works.

The difference is you just made up the above fiction. What I posted is factual.

 

[Whimseh]

Well yeah, iPhone 7 was to hold people over until this year.

I'm sure Galaxy owners are just happy to have a device that doesn't explode

 

[I7guy]

The difference is you just made up the above fiction. What I posted is factual.

No, there is plenty of evidence to support what I said, just browse these forums.

NB an impartial website that uses name calling for the sake of journalism is biased an unreliable. So no you didn't post any facts, just some speculation.

 

[mib1800]

No, there is plenty of evidence to support what I said, just browse these forums.

NB an impartial website that uses name calling for the sake of journalism is biased an unreliable. So no you didn't post any facts, just some speculation.

Nope. I don't see any of the evidence you said about android.

And no. That website is just referencing info from another source and it is not speculation.

 

[I7guy]

Nope. I don't see any of the evidence you said about android.

And no. That website is just referencing info from another source and it is not speculation.

That doesn't make it credible this rendering your point moot.

 

[The Phazer]

That is an exemplary use of rhetoric to conceal a weak argument!

Can anyone spot the use of exaggeration?

I can't and I wrote it, indeed I bent over backwards to be fair in it, so please do feel free to point it out.

 

[mib1800]

That doesn't make it credible this rendering your point moot.

Well definitely very much more credible than your pluck from the air conjecture.

 

[techconc]

You speak with such conviction. LoL! Your source: Written by one of the "respected journalists" that decided to leave -- no sour grapes indeed.

I rate your reference, alternet.org, as a respected and trusted publication, above them all. Exactly as you do. /s

My own experiences with Consumers Reports have been positive at large.

So, let us agree to disagree.

You read and follow alternet.org to guide you, and I will continue to use Consumer Reports as initial guidance for products I have no expertise to distill the good from the chaff -- products such as mattresses, large appliances, and services.

ahh yes... when you can't make a logical argument to challenge the facts, attack the source! The FACT remains, CR gutted their staff years ago of anyone with any level of competence. If you don't like the original source I provided, there are countless other accounts of what's happened there.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/22-more-experts-have-fled-horrific-leadership-consumer-jeffrey-fox
http://stateofthenet.net/2016/02/22-more-experts-have-fled-horrific-leadership-at-consumer-reports/
http://jimromenesko.com/2013/10/30/...s-restructures-to-survive-in-the-digital-era/
etc., etc.
The fact that there was a massive brain drain at CR from 2013 on is not up for debate. It's a fact and it's well documented. The reality is that CR had become irrelevant leading up to that date and they are a complete joke today. Their flawed testing methodologies has been exposed as well. Just look at the fiasco they had with the Macbook Pro review they had.
[doublepost=1497536507][/doublepost]

The S8 also works with HDMI out flawlessly. Most people don't know that this feature has came back from the dead since it hasn't been seen since the note 4/ S5 era.

I Iove your post by the way. When Ifanboys see the list, it just rattles their feathers lol.

No, we look at the list and laugh. The functionality of a device isn't boiled down to a meaningless list of specs. How a device actually work matters. Take for example the IP68 rating. Sounds great on paper until you see the video reviews of the iPhone 7 fairing better in practice with only an IP67 rating.
What's more all you have to do is put of a few statistics like the fact that over 90% of mobile malware exists on Android. The fact that the market is so fragmented and only about 7% are up to date on the latest OS release. Then there is the joke of privacy that comes with Google services, etc... Oh and do you want to talk about actual device performance?? Get the point?
[doublepost=1497537052][/doublepost]

Google issues kernel level security updates monthly, and indeed so far the S8 has been reliably getting these. This might be a reasonable criticism of the Android ecosystem as a whole, and long term support is questionable, but this point is unambiguously false so far in regards to the S8. Indeed, the S8 is getting more regular security patching than iOS is so far.

LOL.... Yes, however, delivery of the update is the issue. Of course Google will issue a patch. The problem is, it will never be delivered to the vast majority of Android users. That's the issue!

Not speaking for that poster, but I posed a pretty big list in this thread already (Consumer Reports Rates Galaxy S8 Over iPhone 7 as 'iPhone 8' Rumored to Address Most Shortcomings), which certainly aren't "micromanaging widgets", but are common core tasks that iOS does badly.

Yes, I read your post and it is comprised of vague and unsupported claims. As an example you claim notifications are significantly better on Android than on iOS, yet, you're unable to articulate why you believe that to be the case.

Apple took an age to implement notifications, and the implementation is still a trainwreck compared to Android. Seriously, these things go both ways. I think we're a few years past realism of claiming "it just works" with iOS. The platform doesn't clear out it's inconsistencies enough. The Apple you dream of wouldn't have done something as weird as ship flagship devices with incompatible power connectors in the modern era, but yet "it just works" applies to my Macbook and S8 who can use one charging cable, whereas my iOS devices are the odd one out.

Again, more vague and unsupported claims. For that matter, using the same cable isn't an example of "it just works". Worse, Android as far more levels of inconsistencies across the various implementations. Honestly, you're post is amusing, if not a bit deluded.

 

[mib1800]

No, we look at the list and laugh. The functionality of a device isn't boiled down to a meaningless list of specs. How a device actually work matters. Take for example the IP68 rating. Sounds great on paper until you see the video reviews of the iPhone 7 fairing better in practice with only an IP67 rating.
What's more all you have to do is put of a few statistics like the fact that over 90% of mobile malware exists on Android. The fact that the market is so fragmented and only about 7% are up to date on the latest OS release. Then there is the joke of privacy that comes with Google services, etc... Oh and do you want to talk about actual device performance?? Get the point?

Oops..do you mean this from everythingApplePro that showed iphone7 dead in water whereas S8 survived?

Or this from macworld camera test showing S8 trounced Iphone 7+ in all categories

Or this one showing s8+ trounced the ip7+ battery test

 

[I7guy]

Well definitely very much more credible than your pluck from the air conjecture.

Not really, basing your entire discussion on some uncredible source says it all.

 

[techconc]

Oops..do you mean this from everythingApplePro that showed iphone7 dead in water whereas S8 survived?

No, I was thinking more like this example of Samsung's IP68 fail.

Since you're going off topic, I thought you might enjoy a performance test as well.

Then, there's always the malware that's highly associated with Android....

 

[Starfyre]

Keep at it Samsung, keep the pressure up on Apple.

 

[melendezest]

Sigh... It's not surprising that things as important as critical security updates aren't important to Android users. I get that... if they were important, you wouldn't be on Android in the first place. However, attempting to down play this reality just makes you look foolish. Also, before you go on about updates coming through the play store, let me know how that works for kernel level vulnerabilities.

You claim you'd be missing a lot by switching to iOS? Yet, you're unable to even provide a few examples to illustrate your point? I know, micro-managing the preferences to your various widgets is probably very important to you.

Apple trickles down features at a snail's pace....
Translation: Apple takes the time to implement features correctly and securely from the beginning rather than rushing to market just to claim to be first. There are countless examples of features coming first on Android that were implemented very poorly. Everything from fingerprint scanners, wallet payment systems, LTE chips that ran down the battery faster than the device could be charged, third party keyboards that send your private passwords and credentials up to third party servers, etc, etc.. the list goes on.

No one said security updates aren't important. And I get plenty of them. But I'm not going to go down the "iOS is more secure than Android" argument route. While I value it, Security is not the reason I use Android. Perhaps it is why you use iOS. Ok then. I take responsibility for my own security, and the risks involved.

I also just don't buy the whole "Apple implements only when it's right" trope either. But you can keep believing it. It doesn't matter to me. I'm not here to convince people to switch. I'm just pointing out BS when I see it.

Now, here's some of what I'm missing from iOS (iPhone specifically), since you need me to provide this for you (when a simple google search will do). Not going to justify them, just list a few of the features I use everyday and would miss:

1. Headphone jack
2. Back button
3. App tray
4. Home screen customization (widgets, etc)
5. File system access
6. Mouse support
7. Split-screen Multitasking
8. Themes
9. MicroSD card support
10. Multiple User Support
11. Wireless Charging
12. App switcher button
13. Notifications light (on Sammy devices)

 

[mrochester]

No one said security updates aren't important. And I get plenty of them. But I'm not going to go down the "iOS is more secure than Android" argument route. While I value it, Security is not the reason I use Android. Perhaps it is why you use iOS. Ok then. I take responsibility for my own security, and the risks involved.

I also just don't buy the whole "Apple implements only when it's right" trope either. But you can keep believing it. It doesn't matter to me. I'm not here to convince people to switch. I'm just pointing out BS when I see it.

Now, here's some of what I'm missing from iOS (iPhone specifically), since you need me to provide this for you (when a simple google search will do). Not going to justify them, just list a few of the features I use everyday and would miss:

1. Headphone jack
2. Back button
3. App tray
4. Home screen customization (widgets, etc)
5. File system access
6. Mouse support
7. Split-screen Multitasking
8. Themes
9. MicroSD card support
10. Multiple User Support
11. Wireless Charging
12. App switcher button
13. Notifications light (on Sammy devices)

It's funny because I think the back button and app switcher buttons are one of the big problems in Android and need to go! I much prefer the iOS navigation methods.

But otherwise I don't need any of your 10 points on my smartphone. It just goes to show that not everyone's needs are the same.

 

[driceman]

Kind of lost faith in Consumer Reports after their weird testing issues with the MacBook Pro (both on the high and low side- they somehow got it to last both 3 hours and 17 hours, neither of which are realistic for that laptop according to everyone else who's ever used it). Tells me that the way they "test" products is not very scientific.

Personally I don't like the curved screen thing, especially now that both sizes of phone have it. If I were getting an Android phone, I'd certainly get a Pixel over an S8 because of how lousy TouchWiz is and how many overheating issues Samsung phones seem to have largely because of it (even before the Note 7 fiasco).

But I'll stick with iPhone for the ecosystem (much stronger laptop platform than Chromebooks, for sure, and the App Store for iPhone is much better than the Play Store for Android), the stable, consistent software updates in my experience (APFS rollout was impossibly smooth- really kind of mind-boggling, actually), because Google services are all available if you want them on iOS anyway, and because Apple doesn't throw in features like curved screens just because they can. I appreciate the restraint.

That, and Google's hopping around with Nexus and Pixel devices makes me less confident that there will be a Pixel 5 in a few years, for example, than that there will still be new iPhone models coming out (would rather not buy into an ecosystem I'm likely to just leave). They make great online services, and Chrome's web developer tools are fantastic on the desktop, but having multiple email apps and multiple chat apps from the same company is super convoluted to me.

I mean, I'm also a MacRumors reader. So I may be biased. But nevertheless, I don't really consider Consumer Reports' opinions to be objective.

 

[melendezest]

It's funny because I think the back button and app switcher buttons are one of the big problems in Android and need to go! I much prefer the iOS navigation methods.

But otherwise I don't need any of your 10 points on my smartphone. It just goes to show that not everyone's needs are the same.

Really? You think that the back button and app switcher are "problems"?? That is interesting. You like closing apps one at a time? You like having to reach to the top of a page to go back? Or have to double-click the Home button, then swipe until you find the app you were in before, then click on it? I guess you're one of the folks that loved Apple's one-button mice too.

I'm also betting that many of the features on my list will come to iPhone, just not yet. But when they do, then they'll be "amazing" or "done right".

So yep, you're right. Not everyone's needs are the same. Thank God Google and Sammy listen to "the rest of us".