iPhone 8 And Galaxy S8: Apple And Samsung Race For Smartphone Dominance
2017 is shaping up to be the biggest year for smartphone consumers in years with both Apple and Samsung leading the way. Both companies have a lot to prove, and from the looks of things, they are working overtime to create groundbreaking phones.
According to CNN, Apple shares are soaring from the new iPhone hype.
“Shares of the iPhone maker surged 6% on Wednesday to their highest level since July 2015. Apple (AAPL, Tech30) is now up an impressive 11% so far this year, blowing past the rest of the stock market.”
The article adds that not only did Apple post its first sales increase in a year, but Tim Cook also sent positive signals about demand heading into the release of the iPhone 8, which has excited investors, due later this year.
One of the biggest features of the new iPhone 8 could be inductive wireless charging.
“Over the course of the last year, there has been ongoing speculation that wireless charging company Energous has inked a deal with Apple and could potentially provide wireless charging technology for the upcoming iPhone 8,” says columnist Juli Clover, who adds that a new investor’s note from Copperfield Research outlines why Apple has no plans to use Energous’ WattUp radio frequency-based wireless charging solution.
This is good news for many people since Apple has been working on wireless charging solutions for years. However, wireless charging will likely be just one of the many new innovative features on the upcoming iPhone.
According to 9to5Mac, we may also see 4.7-inch to 5.8-inch curved OLED displays, an all-glass design with new colors, an embedded (into the screen) home button, and something that has to do with augmented reality. It has been reported that Apple has been working with Carl Zeiss on augmented reality glasses that may be used in conjunction with the iPhone.
Apple will certainly have to come up with the goods, especially since Samsung will get a head start in the market. According to Tech Radar, the S8 will be officially unveiled on March 29 and possibly be released on April 21. In the past, Samsung has usually uncovered their new Galaxy S8 smartphones at the end of February at the annual Mobile World Congress event. Perhaps Samsung is just making sure they get things right; after the Note 7 debacle, they certainly can’t afford another recall.
Tech Radar has also summarized the likely highlights of the S8 in another article.
“Likely highlights include a 4K screen, a Snapdragon 830 processor, 6GB of RAM and a massively improved camera. There’s even a chance that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have an iris scanner or a foldable screen, though the latter is somewhat less likely.”
The article confirms that there will be two different versions of the S8, and both will come with curved screens. One could be a 5.7-inch regular version, and the other, the one that would have the 4K screen, will be 6.1 inches. The S8 could also have a 30MP dual-lens rear camera and an 8MP front camera.
SamMobile has new information on the battery that will be used in the Galaxy S8.
“Local media reports out of South Korea suggest that Samsung has decided to source the Galaxy S8 battery from Murata Manufacturing Works in Japan. It took over Sony’s battery business in June last year and will function as the supplier for Galaxy S8 batteries.”
Based on all the reports, which smartphone are you most excited about — the iPhone 8 or the Galaxy S8? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Peter Macdiarmid/AP Images]
