Samsung greeted the new year with the release of their Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+ (2018) duo of upper mid-range 18:9 display smartphones. These devices pack some heavy hardware at a price range that puts them in the line of sight of some of last year’s flagships. The A8 in particular steps closely into the territory of one of Huawei’s early 2017 front-runners, the P10. Let’s find out who among the two is better on paper.
| Samsung Galaxy A8 | Huawei P10 |
|---|---|
| 5.6-inch Super AMOLED 18:9 display @ 2220×1080 pixels | 5.1-inch full HD display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 431ppi |
| Not Mentioned | Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Exynos 7885 Octa-core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Hexa) processor | HiSilicon Kirin 960 2.4GHz octa-core processor |
| Mali-G71 GPU | Mali-G71 MP8 GPU |
| 4GB RAM | 4GB LPDDR4 RAM |
| 32GB internal storage expandable up to 256GB via microSD card | 32GB / 64GB internal storage expandable up to 256GB via microSD card |
| 16MP PDAF camera f/1.7 rear camera w/ LED flash | 20MP monochrome + 12MP color f/1.8 dual rear cameras with LED Flash, OIS |
| 16MP FF f/1.9 + 8MP f/1.9 front cameras | 8MP f/1.9 front camera |
| Dual SIM, nano (dedicated microSD slot) | Dual SIM, nano (Hybrid) |
| 4G LTE Cat. 11 | 4G LTE |
| WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | WiFi (2×2 Mimo antennas) |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, (Huawei Geo Technology), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner |
| USB OTG | USB OTG |
| USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| NFC | NFC |
| IP68 Water and Dust resistance rating | - |
| Android 7.1.1 | Android Nougat 7.1 with EMUI 5.1 (Planned upgrade to Oreo) |
| 3,000mAh battery w/ Fast Charging | 3,200mAh battery with SuperCharge |
| 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm | 145.3 x 69.3 x 7mm |
| 172g | 145 g |
| Php 26,990 | Php 25,990 |
Summary of advantages
Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018):
• Larger screen size
• Dedicated microSD card slot
• Higher front camera resolution
• Dual front cameras
• 18:9 display
• IP68 Water and Dust resistance
• Bluetooth 5.0
Huawei P10:
• Gorilla Glass 5 protection
• Higher rear camera resolution
• Dual rear cameras
• Larger storage options
• Larger battery capacity
• Slimmer
• Lighter
As seen on the spec sheet, the Galaxy A8 takes the advantage when it comes to overall viewing experience as its 18:9 aspect ratio setup gives users more screen real estate at the same 1080p resolution. The P10, meanwhile, does have denser pixels and a crispier display as the smaller screen size allows for more pixels.
Storage capacity, on the other hand, goes to the P10 as you can have a choice of either 32 or 64GB. The Galaxy A8 does provide users with a dedicated microSD instead of a hybrid setup, allowing the chance to use two SIM cards without sacrificing storage expansion.
Imaging is quite the battle, as the devices take reversed roles. The P10 definitely takes the spot for the rear shooters as its equipped with a dual 20MP monochrome + 12MP color Leica co-engineered camera setup, while the Galaxy A8 takes the front camera department due to its dual 16MP FF f/1.9 + 8MP f/1.9 front shooters. Check out sample shots from both devices here – Huawei P10, Samsung Galaxy A8.
As for battery life, the Galaxy A8 takes the crown despite the smaller capacity. Samsung’s device got a 12 hours rating from the PC Mark work 2.0 battery test and it lasted 18 hours and 30 minutes in our video loop test. The P10, on the other hand, got a rating of 9 hours and 15 minutes and lasted 14 hours and 30 minutes in our loop test.
Looking at special features, the Galaxy A8 sports an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, making it a device fit for rugged use and travels. It also features much of the settings that we saw in the Galaxy S8/S8+ such as Smart stay which keeps the screen on while you’re looking at it, as well as One-handed mode, Finger sensor gestures, Quick launch camera, Multi-window, and Device Maintenance.
The P10, though without water resistance, makes up for it with the features that come with EMUI 5.1 such as split screen functionality, app twin, and a plethora of shortcuts and gestures located at the smart assistance settings. There’s also a unique setting called Off-Screen Navigation that repurposes the fingerprint scanner into a navigational button (a short press acts like a Back button, a long press takes you back to the Home screen, and swipe left to open Recent Tasks. It’s a bit confusing at first but you’ll get used to it after some time).
The Samsung Galaxy A8 is priced at Php 26,990. You can read our review here. While the Huawei P10 has dropped to a Php 25,990 price tag. More of the Huawei P10 can be seen here. Which do you think is the better device? Drop your comments below.
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ReapIt says:
Great work. It really helped me. Interesting one.
Jeff Nourse says:
both are nice headset but i want to go with P10 because of features.
p10user says:
P10’s camera aperture is f/2.2.
Jack says:
Both smartphones are cool and also both have almost same features but this ill go with Huawei. Thankyou zen for this specification comparison. Thank you
Jason de las Alas says:
Samsung is overpriced. IMHO
Jason de las Alas says:
You can’t compare a phone with one just released a few days compared to one released 6 months ago. This will come out unfair.
Also, P10 is a flag ship phone and A series is not.
Zen Estacio says:
The price and specs are almost identical. Actually, the price alone is enough for a comparison.:)