Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs. Google Pixel XL: Two plus-sized phones battle it out

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are finally here, boasting perhaps the best specs we’ve seen in a flagship phone yet. But they’re not the only flagship phones around — some pretty excellent devices have launched in the past six months or so. Like, for example, the Google Pixel XL.

But how do the two “plus”-size phones compare when it comes to overall power and performance? We pit the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus against the Google Pixel XL to find out.

More: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus: Our first take

Specs

Google Pixel XL

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Size
154.7 × 75.7 × 8.5 mm (6.09 × 2.98 × 0.33 inches)
159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm (6.28 x 2.89 x 0.32 inches)
Weight
5.93oz
6.1oz
Screen
5.5-inch AMOLED
6.2-inch AMOLED
Resolution
1,440 × 2,560 pixels (534 ppi)
2,960 x 1,440 pixels (529 ppi)
OS
Android 7.1 Nougat
Android 7.0 Nougat
Storage
32GB/128GB
64GB
MicroSD Card Slot
No
Yes
NFC support
Yes
Yes
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Samsung Exynos 9 Series 8895 (International)
RAM
4GB
4GB
Connectivity
GSM, CDMA, HSPA, EVDO, LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
4G LTE, GSM, CDMA HSPA+, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Camera
12.3MP Rear / 8MP Front
12MP Rear with OIS / 8MP Front
Video
4K
4K
Bluetooth
4.2
5.0
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes
Other sensors
Barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass
Barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor
Water Resistant
No
IP68
Wireless charging
No
Yes, PMA and Qi-compliant
Battery
3,450mAh
3,500mAh
Ports
USB Type-C, Headphone
USB Type-C, Headphone
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Color options
Quite Black, Very Silver, Really Blue
Silver, Black, Orchid Grey, Blue (International), Gold (International)
Price
$649
Starts at $840
Availability

Unlocked, Verizon

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile
DT Review
4 out of 5 stars
First Take

When it comes to specs, it’s truly a case of newer is better. For starters, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus has the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, while the Google Pixel XL has the Snapdragon 821. The Snapdragon 821 was certainly a good chip for its time, and still is relatively powerful, but not against the newer Snapdragon 835.

So just how powerful is the Snapdragon 835? Well, we don’t know exactly just yet, but early benchmark results suggest the device is at least 15 percent more powerful than its predecessor.

Of course, the processor isn’t the only thing to note in the specs department. It’s expected that we’ll start seeing more phones with 6GB of RAM over the next year or so, but for now Samsung has stuck safely with 4GB, putting it on par with the Google Pixel XL when it comes to RAM.

Next up is storage. The Google Pixel XL offers either 32GB or 128GB of storage, while the Galaxy S8 Plus only comes in 64GB — so while the base model of the Galaxy S8 Plus has more than the base model of the Pixel XL, the Pixel XL has more options. Of course, then there’s the microSD card slot in the Galaxy S8 Plus, which lets you expand your storage by up to 256GB.

The Galaxy S8 has a better processor and the ability to expand on storage, so it’s the winner in the performance department.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus