Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung’s next flagship smartphone – the Galaxy S8 – is due to debut in the next few weeks, with rumours suggesting we will see it announced on 29 March, followed by its release in mid-April.

The leaks have been plentiful over the last couple of months though so while nothing is official as yet, we have a good idea as to what we can expect and how it might compare to its competition. Here is how the Samsung Galaxy S8 stacks up against the Google Pixel, based on the speculation.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 rumours

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: Design

• Similar dimensions for both expected
• S8 rumoured to offer more exciting design
• S8 should be waterproof

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumoured to offer similar dimensions to the Galaxy S7, despite claims of a larger screen size. It is thought the new smartphone will retain the glass and metal sandwich but slim down the bezels for an almost all-screen front with the possibility of soft keys built into the display at the bottom.

Reports claim Samsung will ditch the physical home button at the front and reposition the fingerprint sensor to the rear, while also adding a dedicated side button for launching the Siri-like personal assistant, Viv. Leaks present a solid, premium device with a lovely design that will likely offer IP68 waterproofing, USB Type-C and a headphone jack.

Google’s Pixel features glass and metal as its primary materials too, though rather than an all-glass rear, the Pixel has just the top third in glass, creating a recognisable design statement. There is a circular rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C and Google has also opted to retain the headphone jack but there is no waterproofing.

Measuring 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.5mm, the Pixel is ever so slightly larger than the S7, but that could mean it’s a very similar size to the Galaxy S8. It has no physical buttons on the front either, though the bezels surrounding the display are much larger than what is reported for the S8.

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: Display

• S8 expected to offer larger display
• S8 rumoured to have a higher resolution than Pixel
• Both thought to use AMOLED

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is reported to be coming with either a 5.7-inch display or a 5.8-inch display, either of which is said to be curved, like the S7 edge, making for a more interesting design.

Rumour has it Samsung will stick with a Quad HD Super AMOLED display, meaning the pixel density will be either 524ppi or 514ppi, but it is claimed the screen will still offer improvements on the Galaxy S7.

The Google Pixel has a 5-inch Full HD AMOLED display, putting its pixel density at 441ppi, meaning the Galaxy S8 will offer a shaper, crisper display on paper. The Pixel is protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and it is a flat display, making the finish a little more standard compared to what is expected for Samsung’s new device.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: Camera

• Both expected to have 12MP rear cameras
• Both expected to have 8MP front cameras
• S8 rumoured to feature iris scanner

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is said to be coming with the 12-megapixel Duo Camera found on the Galaxy S7, offering the same aperture of f/1.7. It is claimed the S8 will have a new visual search feature though and no doubt there will be a few other improvements too, such as optical image stabilisation.

The front-facing camera is reported to be an 8-megapixel sensor that has auto-focus and it is also thought it might include an iris scanner.

The Google Pixel has a 12.3-megapixel rear camera featuring an aperture of f/2.0, while the front camera is an 8-megapixel snapper with an aperture of f/2.4 and fixed focus. The rear camera features 1.55µm pixels and it offers phase detection and laser autofocus, but no optical image stabilisation.

• Google Pixel review

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: Hardware

• S8 rumoured to have faster processor
• S8 expected to have larger battery capacity
• S8 should have microSD

Rumours suggest the Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, or the Exynos 8895 chip, depending on the region. There have been reports of 4GB, 6GB and 8GB of RAM, as well as suggestions of both 64GB and 128GB storage models, both of which should have microSD.

The Google Pixel runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, which is supported by 4GB of RAM. It is available in 32GB or 128GB storage options, with no support for microSD expansion.

In terms of battery capacities, the Galaxy S8 is rumoured to be coming with a 3000mAh cell, which as we mentioned is expected to be charged via USB Type-C, while the Pixel has a 2770mAh capacity, also charged via USB Type-C.

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: Software

• Pixel has pure Android experience
• S8 rumoured to have Bixby voice assistant
• Pixel has Google Assistant

The Samsung Galaxy S8 will launch on Android Nougat with Samsung’s TouchWiz software over the top, while the Google Pixel runs on pure Android Nougat.

Samsung is rumoured to be offering the Bixby voice assistant on the S8, and it is also rumoured to be coming with an always-visible status bar, as well as the ability to connect it to a monitor for a desktop view of Android.

Google’s Pixel on the other hand, is the only device to currently offer Google Assistant built-in. It also offers a very clean, seamless Android experience as it offers no bloatware, which also means it is first in line for software updates.

• What is Google Assistant?

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Google Pixel: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature a larger, sharper display, more powerful hardware, a larger battery capacity and a more exciting design.

The Google Pixel is a fantastic smartphone though and although it might not have a curved display, or the latest processor, like the S8 is expected to offer, it does have a pure Android software experience, along with an excellent camera.

Everything is speculation for now when it comes to the Galaxy S8 but we will update this feature with the official specs when they are announced, as well as when we have reviewed it to see how these two devices compare in the real world rather than just on the spec sheet.