Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. OnePlus 3T: Is the Mid-Range Smartphone a Fine Alternative?
Whenever a premium flagship device such as Samsung's Galaxy S8 launches, some consumers tend to consider all their options before buying one. In this case, many people would like to know whether a mid-range smartphone such as the OnePlus 3T is a worthy alternative over the pricier Galaxy S8.
While the Galaxy S8 is naturally more powerful than most of the older smartphones, it does not rule out that some of the budget-friendly devices is comparatively fine to go head-to-head with the most-talked about smartphone at the moment.
Design and Display
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While advertised as a mid-range option, OnePlus still made an effort to build the OnePlus 3T with a head-turning style. The OnePlus 3T is made out of "space-grade aluminum alloy" that helps in making the mid-range phone look like it costs more. The company also did well in choosing the palette of color options for the device such as Gunmetal, Soft Gold, and Midnight Black.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S8 undeniably comes with a sleek design. It brings the game to another level with the signature curved edge display the Galaxy S series has been known for. The back-panel protection provided by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 also makes it better.
One of the highlighted selling points of the Galaxy S8 is its Infinite Display. For the first time, Samsung did away with the physical home button to push the bezels further to the edges to achieve am uninterrupted bigger screen.
Both devices sport the active matrix organic light-emitting diode display panel. However, the Galaxy S8 has the Super AMOLED type while the OnePlus 3T has the Optic AMOLED variant. But the bigger distinction falls in the resolution. The newer device delivers a quad high-definition of 1,440 x 2,960 pixels or has about 570 pixels per inch density while the OnePlus 3T has the typical full HD 1,080 x 1,920 pixels.
Camera
The numbers indicate that the OnePlus 3T wins the camera department with both front and rear cameras having 16 megapixels capacity while the Galaxy S8 has the same camera set up as the Galaxy S7 Edge with 12 MP on the rear and 8 MP for selfies. However, it is important to note that the Galaxy S7 Edge is one of the smartphones that first garnered a very high 88/100 rating from the reputable image quality reviewer DxOMark.
Meanwhile, reports still say that OnePlus 3T's cameras stand a chance. Stuff recalls that the "amount of detail" on photos taken with a OnePlus 3T is totally worth its price value.
Battery
The OnePlus 3T has an advantage with a 3,400-milliampere hour component that is designed with the Dash Charge technology that promises to deliver enough power that makes the device last a day after just 30-minute recharging. The Galaxy S8 has the common 3,000 mAh battery setup.
Processor and Memory
In terms of their CPUs, the Galaxy S8 is packed with an octa-core chip that can deliver as much as 2.3-gigahertz power. On the other hand, the OnePlus 3T is powered with a quad-core 2.3 GHz chip.
The Galaxy S8 comes off the box with 64 GB internal memory but offers one dedicated slot for a microSD card that can accommodate an additional 256 GB space. Its SIM 2 tray can also be used as another memory card slot for another 256 GB.
On the other hand, the OnePlus 3T does not offer options to expand the storage space but it has variants with 64 GB and 128 GB internal memory.
Meanwhile, in terms of random access memory, the OnePlus 3T gets the upper hand with 6 GB while Galaxy S8 only has 4 GB.
Price
As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy S8 is expected to be naturally powerful in several areas when compared to the OnePlus 3T. As a mid-range smartphone, however, the latter gives it a good fight and the great price difference brings balance to the scale. The OnePlus 3T will only cost a buyer as low as $439 while the Galaxy S8 is priced at $720.
With the comparisons mentioned above, it is safe to say that OnePlus 3T provides a competitive option and does a fine job at being a mid-range smartphone.
