2017 has been the year of the bezel-less smartphone, with everyone and their mothers jumping into the bezel-less design bandwagon. It isn’t a bad thing, though, as a bezel-less design frees up some precious real estate on the front to allow fitting of larger displays in a relatively smaller area. All new devices in the …
2017 has been the year of the bezel-less smartphone, with everyone and their mothers jumping into the bezel-less design bandwagon. It isn’t a bad thing, though, as a bezel-less design frees up some precious real estate on the front to allow fitting of larger displays in a relatively smaller area. All new devices in the high-end segment are bezel-less and the trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Apple’s latest flagship, the iPhone X follows the same design principle, but today we’ll be taking a look at a slightly older iPhone; the iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone 6S Plus has seen several price drops since its release two years ago and is now on par with some high-end devices. The three devices we’ll be looking at today are the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus 2018, the OnePlus 5T and the iPhone 6s Plus.
A bezel-less design is no good if it doesn’t have a sturdy body to go with it. We don’t know much about the build quality of the Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus yet, but we’ll update the segment once the device is released. The OnePlus 5T has an all aluminium body and sturdy construction. The iPhone 6S Plus also uses similar materials but is heavier than the OnePlus 5T at 192 grams. The OnePlus 5T is the better device here, as it is sturdier in construction and lighter in weight
The Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus 2018 harnesses the power of Samsung’s Super AMOLED panel, with its 6-inch panel (1080×2220 resolution, 18.5:9 aspect ratio). The OnePlus 5T has a 6.01-inch optic AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1080×2160. The iPhone 6S Plus goes for a traditional 5.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1920×1080. The Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus is the better device here, as Samsung’s Super AMOLED panels are one of the best in the market right now.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus 2018 is expected to use a f/1.7 16-megapixel primary camera and a dual 16+8-megapixel secondary camera; a first for Samsung. The lower f-stop value of the camera will significantly enhance its low light performance, but we won’t be able to comment on it further, till the device is released. The OnePlus 5T has the best cameras of the lot; a dual 16+20-megapixel primary camera and a 16-megapixel secondary camera. The 12-megapixel primary camera and the 5-megapixel secondary camera on the iPhone 6S Plus isn’t bad by any means, just old. It simply cannot hold up to the superior camera of the OnePlus 5T.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus 2018 will most likely use Samsung’s own Exynos 7885 SoC clocked at 2.2GHz. The OnePlus 5T uses Qualcomm’s best and latest Snapdragon 835 chip, clocked at 2.3GHz, while the iPhone 6S Plus uses Apple’s A9 Bionic SoC clocked at 1.84GHz. The OnePlus 5T is the clear winner here, as the Snapdragon 835 outperforms both the chips by a wide margin.
The Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus 2018 is expected to be powered by a 3,5000mAh Li-ion battery. The OnePlus 5T uses a 3,300mAh Li-Po unit and the iPhone 6S Plus a 2,750mAh unit. The OnePlus 5T employs a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and the Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus is likely to follow suit. The iPhone 6s Plus was one of the first devices to introduce the concept of the fingerprint scanner to the smartphone world and it has its on the front, which also doubles up as a home button. The OnePlus 5T is the better device here, because of its compatibility with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4.0, significantly reducing charging times.
The Apple iPhone 6S Plus, albeit an excellent device, cannot hold up to the OnePlus 5T. The iPhone 6S Plus was a beast at its time, but competition has caught up with it, rendering it obsolete, for all practical purposes. Honestly, for Rs. 36,990 you’re better off getting an iPhone 7 unless you absolutely need that headphone jack and want to stick to iOS.
The OnePlus 5T, at Rs. 32,999 is considered by many to be rushed and an unnecessary upgrade to the OnePlus 5. But the bezel-less design and improved camera make the device an absolute beast and is definitely bang for the buck. On a side note, we’re anticipating the release of the Galaxy A8 Plus 2018 so that we can witness its power first hand, as it looks incredibly promising.
