Video Comparison: Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. iPhone X

[deanthedev]

And their numbers don't add up really do they?

Then again, Phillip Michaels was also an editor @ Macworld, he's hardly impartial and is always iskewed...

How do they not add up? Doing a processor intensive task (encoding video) using the same App the iPhone slaughters the S9.

I’m getting an S9+ soon. If you like I’ll let you pick some Apps to run and compare. I doubt you’ll be happy with those results either.

 

[SuperMatt]

But how do you send files from your phone to your computer and vise versa? Email? Google Drive? Ugh, those methods are so old and inconvenient.

And what happens when you're working on your computer and you get a text? Do you have to move to your phone in order to respond? Wouldn't it just be so much better if you could respond from the device that you're already on? When I'm working from my computer, sending texts with my keyboard is so amazing, and it's such a time saver.

I can't fathom why Android phone manufacturers still haven't figured out that these are amazing features. Why can't Android phones have anything similar to AirDrop and iMessages? It blows my mind that arguably Apple's best features still haven't been copied yet.

Apple's best features are extremely difficult to pull off. Hence, no copies. Android manufacturers copy the easy stuff. When they try to copy the best features, they fail. Facial recognition is slow and insecure on Samsung for example. Even the "fluff" features like Animoji they can't get right. And Bixby? I guess making a voice assistant isn't as easy as everybody thinks.
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I'm not in the market for either one, but the fingerprint reader (ironically which I've grown to love because of Apple), nicer design (IMO regarding the simpler display design), and lower cost would push me toward the S9 over the X. The "sticky" part of the iPhone for me is iMessage and Find my Friends, but I could find alternatives I suppose.

I'd suggest buying an 8 or 8+ then. I personally have been enjoying the X. Face ID is way better than touch ID IMHO. It does take a little while to adjust your habits from previous iPhones, but when you do, things are more efficient on the X.

 

[Koh Phi Phi]

I had been an iOS guy since the beginning: many iPhones and iPads along the years. Never thought to switching...

But I had recognized iOS stalling, and Android introducing features I was craving for, such as for example true split windows, or true file manager. I had hoped iOS 11 would introduce these features, but they were half-baked attempts..

So, I upgraded from my iPhone 7 to a Samsung Note 8 instead of the iPhone X. And let me tell you guys: best freaking phone I have ever owned, and Android is FAR more flexible/powerful than iOS.

Try to look outside the walled garden with open eyes. There is PLENTY to like out there...

 

[DNichter]

Fine phone, crappy software. Until they start beating Apple when it comes to performance, security, privacy, apps, ecosystem, and support, I have no reason to switch.

 

[ssl0408]

I tried an S8 last year. Beautiful phone, horrible operating system. The phone had to be rebooted every couple of days because it would get sluggish. The major apps on Android look terrible. The Google Play Store is a disaster filled with fake reviews. I was forced to use three different apps for texting and video. Bunch of duplicate apps provided by Samsung and Google. All the bells and whistles don’t matter because they don’t get the simple things right.

 

[bsolar]

Nice try... but we all know what a notch is.
And we all know what a rectangle is, and why a rectangle without a notch is a better display.

Actually which one is better is debatable. Mind that the comparison is between a larger rectangle with a notch and a smaller rectangle without a notch. Both designs have pros and cons.

 

[berrymetal]

I've wasted 7 minutes of my life

 

[deanthedev]

Tomsguide isn't an Apple channel but it might as well be.

Ah yes, the old fall-back. Anyone says something goog about Apple they must be biased.

The iPhone is faster. Period. And you can actually run superior Apps unlike Android where devs can’t be bothered to create truly powerful Apps. Such a waste buying an Android phone or tablet with a fast processor that never gets utilized.

 

[1050792]

Then what are you doing on this forum?

I'm in a public forum participating in a community which has various Areas of my own interest including Apple, in which I can give my own unbiased opinion freely on the internet?

 

[sumsingwong]

Samsung has always been a poor person iphone

Even a 16 y/o working at McDonald’s can get an iPhone X 256gb because finance is now available but if paying more for something makes you feel above Android owners, have at it.

 

[AZ Jack]

I stopped watching the review about 1:40 in when he described Face ID as unreliable with "countless issues." My experience has been completely the opposite. I have found iPhone Face ID to be extremely reliable and I am continuously impressed with how well it works in a variety of situations. If I think back over the last month how many times I have had to type in my code to unlock the phone I would guess it is less than five. That is truly remarkable and a far cry from countless issues. When a point in a review is so far off my own experience it makes me not want to watch the rest of it.

 

[sumsingwong]

Both phones are great but I just want the following changes:

iPhone - Remove the notch
Galaxy S9 - Remove Bixby/button and Samsung skin + provide Android updates more frequently

The Bixby button can be reassigned for other functions.

 

[Blaze4G]

Then what are you doing on this forum?

Last I checked, Apple had other products apart from the iPhone. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Didn't know you have to always want an iPhone over any other phone all the time to be a part of this forum.

 

[Southern_Vet]

Lol. Nice try.

It’s the truth. Samsung just has a full width notch called a bezel.

 

[deanthedev]

There are something that i want to keep separate. E.g. photo i take using camera app in secure folder only shows up in Gallery app in secure folder and not outside. I can have separate email/fb/etc accounts set up too.

I can see companies wanting to do this for employees (keep personal and work separate). In which case they'd just use MDM, which gives you much more granular control over Apps and data than Secure Folder does.
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I'm in a public forum participating in a community which has various Areas of my own interest including Apple, in which I can give my own unbiased opinion freely on the internet?

If you say so. I don't even have any accounts at any Android forums. Why would I go into their house and crap all over products they use? What purpose would that serve?

 

[1050792]

I can see companies wanting to do this for employees (keep personal and work separate). In which case they'd just use MDM, which gives you much more granular control over Apps and data than Secure Folder does.
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If you say so. I don't even have any accounts at any Android forums. Why would I go into their house and crap all over products they use? What purpose would that serve?

I'm not craping, I own and use Apple products as well, why should I come here and defend everything Apple does?"

 

[Ted13]

It is a nice color.

Also glad the fingerprint sensor is below the camera this year. Should be slightly lower, but it's a step in the right direction.

The "right direction" is either it being replaced by a working Face ID, or to be placed on the *front*. Anything else is an excuse for a continuing mistake (or inability by Samsung to write good software in the case of the Face ID...)

 

[nviz22]

But in terms of hardware Samsung is much more ahead than Google and has always been...

Hardware support =/= simple top of the line hardware. If your Galaxy craps out, good luck getting it replaced easily. You have to mail it to Samsung for repairs.

 

[1050792]

Hardware support =/= simple top of the line hardware. If your Galaxy craps out, good luck getting it replaced easily. You have to mail it to Samsung for repairs.

Never had any issues with any Samsung store nearby, can't talk about other people's experiences though.

 

[kagharaht]

Wow. If I wasn't so stuck wit Apple Ecosystem, the Samsung simply blows away the iPhone X. Full screen and no notch. You can almost feel Macrumors reviewer is trying hard to not just say S9 is just much better than iPX.

 

[Toutou]

But how do you send files from your phone to your computer and vise versa? Email? Google Drive? Ugh, those methods are so old and inconvenient.

What files? My photos and videos are sent to Google Photos. Music can be easily streamed, except the few albums I like to keep on the device. Documents and other files - well I guess I'll have to decide between cloud storage, mass storage via USB, one-click FTP, Bluetooth, Wifi Direct, email…

And what happens when you're working on your computer and you get a text?

I haven't been sent an SMS message since the spring of 2017 or so. For Messenger or WhatsApp (or the Google one I don't use), well, there are desktop clients so I usually get the message on the Mac, too.

I can't fathom why Android phone manufacturers still haven't figured out that these are amazing features. Why can't Android phones have anything similar to AirDrop and iMessages? It blows my mind that arguably Apple's best features still haven't been copied yet.

They can and they do. What's so revolutionary about iMessage? It's just a messenger that works both on your phone and your computer.
AirDrop, again, there are alternatives. MiDrop, off the top of my head.

The "sticky" part of the iPhone for me is iMessage and Find my Friends, but I could find alternatives I suppose.

Not absolutely sure about this, but Find my Friends should work pretty much like Google's Location sharing.

 

[nviz22]

Never had any issues with any Samsung store nearby, can't talk about other people's experiences though.

Samsung has given me a rough experience with their hardware repair center in Texas. Once, I sent my Note 2 in for a repair and they didn't do squat with it. Another time, I sent my mom's old S6 Edge and it came back with a voided warranty and rooted software. Nobody rooted the S6 Edge either.

 

[1050792]

Samsung has given me a rough experience with their hardware repair center in Texas. Once, I sent my Note 2 in for a repair and they didn't do squat with it. Another time, I sent my mom's old S6 Edge and it came back with a voided warranty and rooted software. Nobody rooted the S6 Edge either.

It came back with rooted software? That sounds fishy... Samsung won't even accept for warranty a phone that has been previously rooted.

 

[nviz22]

I had been an iOS guy since the beginning: many iPhones and iPads along the years. Never thought to switching...

But I had recognized iOS stalling, and Android introducing features I was craving for, such as for example true split windows, or true file manager. I had hoped iOS 11 would introduce these features, but they were half-baked attempts..

So, I upgraded from my iPhone 7 to a Samsung Note 8 instead of the iPhone X. And let me tell you guys: best freaking phone I have ever owned, and Android is FAR more flexible/powerful than iOS.

Try to look outside the walled garden with open eyes. There is PLENTY to like out there...

Another thing I am considering is the cost of IoT: If you want to include home automation and IoT products, you have to look for things that work with iOS rather than something that works with Android. Sure, Phillips can cater to Android and iOS. However, there are some products that use HomeKit to be fully functional.

Peripherals are also another cost element with smartphone ownership. To fully get quick charge with the 8/8+/X, you need to spend an additional sum to get a feature Android offers out of the box.

 

[nviz22]

Because it's a comparison thread of an Android phone with an iPhone maybe?
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It came back with rooted software? That sounds fishy... Samsung won't even accept for warranty a phone that has been previously rooted.

Yeah, the story doesn't seem normal and it is hard to believe. I have had worse situations with HTC before. I had a One M9 I purchased. Tried using their warranty perk with replacing the device (AT&T model) to a T-Mobile model. They sent me back to back devices with gaps in between the LCD screen and the body. I wrote the former HTC USA CEO a message and he helped me get another brand new unit in the box.

By far, Apple is the best with post-purchase hardware support because of their store ubiquity and speedy hardware replacements.

I think Google has a good balance of hardware support and software support. In my experience, they ship you a phone first through an advanced exchange with their standard warranty. With the concerns about the P-OLED screen, Google extended its warranties to two years to make good on LG's flub. Add in the timely updates and you have someone who is a better buy than Samsung.

Samsung Pay, Smart Alerts, curved edges. Nice at first, become more nuanced as time goes on since you can get by with alternatives or similar features. I have Apple Pay and don't even need the MST tech Samsung offers. Smart Alerts can be replaced with AOD or an ambient display. Curved edges are more gimmicky and represent quick app shortcuts. Google's Assistant could share sports scores on the lock screen (what I would use the edge screen for mainly).