Apple’s latest flagship device, iPhone X and iPhone 8, comes with a number of firsts in awe-inspring features for an iPhone. However, Android fans need not despair. There are devices available on Android too that boast of enviable features at a cheaper price.
has unveiled the latest generation of the iPhone, including the premium iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
The devices, Apple’s most expensive to date, feature wireless charging and an all-glass design. The Rs. 89,000 iPhone X also has an edge-to-edge display with facial recognition and no home button.
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus start at Rs. 64,000 and Rs. 73,000 respectively and are upgraded versions of Apple’s current offering.
The new range of iPhones have record-breaking price tags, and the 256GB version of the iPhone X starts at Rs. 1,02,000. With that in mind, there are many fantastic smartphones out there that rival the iPhone at a lower cost.
And yet, while the iPhone X’s features have got Apple fans excited, several of the best ones are present on devices already on the market.
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What are the best current alternatives?
1. Galaxy Note8
The Galaxy Note 8 could lay claim to being Samsung’s best ever handset, and it has some key differences to the iPhone – notably its Android OS, as tweaked by Samsung, and the integrated stylus that lets you scribble down your thoughts and access other features.
With that 6.3-inch ‘Infinity Display’ you also get a lot more screen space for your money, and perhaps the only downside is just how much money you’re going to have to part with to get one – the Note 8 will set you back $929, £869 or AU$1,499 without a payment plan.
1. Galaxy S8
If you cannot wait for Apple to release its iPhone 8 and want a taste of the future six months early, you need to check out Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
These two phones are just about the nicest looking phones I have ever seen. The design, the display, the specs – everything is insanely potent and very eye catching.
After the Note 7 debacle, Samsung needed to come back guns blazing and that is just what it has done with the Galaxy S8. Like the iPhone 8, Samsung has removed the Home button and outfitted both handsets with a truly stunning all-display frontage.
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus have 20% more display than the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 EDGE. The handsets also feature a brilliant camera, great-looking new software, and Bixby, which is Samsung’s brand new AI that is designed to do battle with Amazon’s Alexa.
Work is also underway on the Samsung Galaxy S9 now as well, so as we draw closer to the end of the year, you can expect some pretty hefty price cuts for the Galaxy S8.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 launches inside Q1 2018, so things usually start to get reduced during the latter part of Q4, as retailers look to get rid of surplus inventory ahead of the big, new releases for 2018.
2. LG V30
We don’t yet know the final price of the LG V30 (stay tuned for details), but we do know it comes with a gorgeous 6-inch 18:9 HDR screen, a distinct lack of bezels, and internal components that mean the phone can keep pace with whatever Apple has to offer.
With its integrated 32-bit Quad DAC, bundled Bang & Olufsen headphones, and 3.5mm audio jack, it also has sound capabilities that put it ahead of Apple’s handset – and you can of course use your old wired headphones too. It’s expected to go on sale in September.
3. Essential Phone
The Essential Phone was created by Andy Rubin, the man that invented Android. The phone itself is a stunning piece of engineering that looks to merge premium, cutting-edge design with the key, open source principles of Android.
The handset, as you can see, looks positively stunning. For my money, there is no better-looking phone on the market right now. The attention to detail, the finesse, and the fact that it features an innovative, wireless modular system that will be expanded in 2018 is very interesting.
“One of the first things you’ll notice about Essential Phone is that there’s no branding,” said Rubin in a blog post. “That’s because we want it to be yours, not ours. And once you turn it on, you’ll find that there are a limited number of preloaded apps and no duplicative services.”
Essential Phone Specs
- 5.71in 2560×1312 Display (19:10 aspect ratio)
- Snapdragon 835 CPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 128GB of UFS 2.1 Storage
- 13MP Dual Lens Camera
- 8MP Front-Facing
- Bluetooth 5.0
- USB Type C
- 3040mAh Battery
“So why did I create Essential? Well, my hardware engineers wanted me to talk about how we are bringing real passion and craftsmanship back into this category,” said Rubin.
He added: “My software engineers wanted me to talk about our vision for making all devices, even those we don’t make ourselves, play well together. My partners wanted me to talk about how we are using methods that could change how successful technology companies are built forever.”
4. HTC U11
If Android is more appealing to you than iOS at this point then you’ve got a host of handsets to pick from across all price ranges, but the HTC U11 is definitely worth a place on your shortlist, with top-of-the-range specs and an excellent camera setup.
For your $649/$649/AU$999 you’re also getting those squeezable sides, which will at least give you a party trick that iPhone owners can’t boast about (yet?).
This being HTC you also get the usual high-quality craftsmanship, as well as the Edge Sense version of Android.
5. OnePlus 5
the latest smartphone from up and coming phone brand, OnePlus.
OnePlus is owned by BKK, the company behind OPPO and other phone brands, but the MO of OnePlus is a bit different. The company has tried something completely different with this brand, and it seems to be working.
The OnePlus 3T – also on this sold – sold very well and market watchers expect more of the same from the OnePlus 5, which has better specs, an improved design and a dramatically overhauled camera.
The OnePlus 5 retails for £450 and as you can see from the specs below, that is rather low for a phone of this calibre:
- Dimensions: 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25mm
- Weight 153g
- Display: 5.5in Optic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen (73.0% screen-to-body ratio), 16M colors, 1080 x 1920 pixels (401ppi pixel density), Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Software: Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) with Oxygen OS
- CPU: Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 Octa-core (4×2.45GHz Kryo & 4×1.9GHz Kryo)
- GPU: Adreno 540
- Internal storage & RAM: 64GB with 6GB RAM OR 128GB with 8GB RAM
- Primary Camera: Dual-Sensor; 16MP with f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.8″ sensor size and 1.12 µm pixel size, optical stabilization (OIS) + 20 MP with f/2.6 aperture and 1.0 µm pixel size, phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom, dual-LED flash, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
- 2160p video @30fps, 1080p video @30/60fps, 720p video @30/120fps
- Secondary Camera: 16MP with f/2.0 aperture and 1.0 µm pixel size, electronic stabilisation (gyro), 1080p video, Auto HDR
- Loudspeaker: Yes
- 3.5mm jack: Yes
- Connectivity: WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C 2.0
- GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
- Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3,300 mAh battery
- Colors: Midnight Black, Slate Gray
- Other: Fingerprint scanner
