I DON’T KNOW
I bought and used an 8+ as my daily phone for about 3 weeks. I loved the hardware (except for the obvious screw-ups of the fingerprint reader location and the dedicated button for their bot – that one being much easier to hit than the volume-down button).
The software performance (especially scrolling) bothered me a little right away, and increasingly over the course of the trial.
I kept both an iPhone 7+ and the S8+ in a front pocket (one each) for the last couple of weeks. Once I resumed reaching for the iPhone first (despite the far superior screen and overall packaging of the S8+), I returned the Samsung. I really need to try a Pixel next; Samsung sucks at optimizing for a fluid UI, and that’s a deal-breaker for me.
Weird, I am not seeing any of this. I had a Pixel XL and really haven’t noticed any difference in terms of software performance. Google assistant is easier to use and feels much more integrated on the Pixel and I do miss that. Bixby is pretty useless and a nuisance when trying to take a picture (constant “try me” stuff). I also have an iPhone 7+ and that is like holding a brick compared to either the Pixel XL or S8+. Heavier and wider.
Right now my Gear S3 + S8+ combo is better than a previous Apple Watch 2 + iPhone 7+ combo. I probably like the Apple Watch a bit more because of its form factor, but I prefer the S8+ much more than the iPhone 7+.
I bought a G3 a couple of years back and it’s still a cracking phone so, uh, you go girl!
I agree, though I’m still using one. I really can’t wait for a v2 Pixel to try next.
Yeah the S8+ had a great look and an even better feel. It took a gradual but inexorable accumulation of annoyance with the overall lack of software polish for me to finally give that up. Everyone has a different balance between the acceptable and the not, and in what areas they notice things more, so ymmv.
Pixel, on the other hand, looks to me like an uninspired clone of the now 3 year old Apple design. I had no interest in ever picking one up, so I can’t comment on how it feels to handle.
The 821 … did not do it. Fast forward one year exactly, to summer 2017… I have my first 835 device in hand (OnePlus 5)
Factoring in recent badly needed Chrome Android JS improvements, I hereby decree Android at obama-not-bad.png performance levels.
It’s not quite at iPhone 6s levels yet (geekbench 4 → 2313), but it is finally in the ballpark enough that it’s no longer a serious problem… serious is what it used to be, like 1/5th the perf (or worse!) … now with the 835 we see roughly ½ the perf of an iPhone 7, dipping down to ⅓ in a few scenarios. That’s actually fantastic compared to where previous Android hardware was in 2015 and 2016.
That’s about level with the hardware benchmarks (half), which means we have browser software that is no longer crippling the hardware, and its… uh… er… mediocrity can shine through.
So… yay? 🎉
[pizza]
Beyond benchmarks, how does that difference in performance actually feel? My LG G3 still ‘feels’ fine, but it is starting to show its age with increased battery drain/heating so I’ll have to swap it out eventually. I’m actually interested in the LG G6 over the S8 largely cause of the lower cost and my love of the G3. But… 821 vs 835. Granted, anything is an upgrade for my 2014 phone :)
Hahaha haha
Eh, 821 vs 835 is not gonna be a huge jump in perf. If you want a huge jump, switch to iPhone 7, or the upcoming 8.
Otherwise you’re waiting until March / April 2018 and the 845 which is “supposed” to be 20% faster than the 835, that’d be a big enough jump over the 821.
Phrasing or just a dumbass question? :)
And hellllll no to an iPhone, but thanks. It makes me less worried about going with an 821-based phone if that’s where I go.
I’m just clowning because it makes little difference in the actual feel of the phone.
Excellent, that’s what I was hoping was the case :) I love benchmarks, but I love $200 cheaper phones that are 90% as good as the more expensive, too.
I have a OnePlus 3T which runs on a 821 CPU. It’s a beast. Everything loads near instantaneously. I can task switch to my heart’s content. I can’t think of any time I thought: this could be faster.
Benchmarks are all well and good. But the phone is a joy to use.
Same for my Nexus 6p.
At no point is anything slow or sluggish.
I mean, I have a Nexus 5X which is built on an 808 of all things, and it’s perfectly fast. The only thing that I really would like is for the camera to open faster, and take pictures faster, which IIUC is only partially the fault of the CPU.
Keep telling yourself that, if it helps… ;)
Man you guys have low standards. I want my phone to be, ideally, as fast as my desktop and at least as fast as a modern ultrabook laptop.
I’m contemplating ditching my Galaxy S7 for a phone with a Snapdragon 625 but double the battery life. I only need half decent performance and a great better life and I will be content.
What about an xtra-battery case? That seems warranted in the “I prefer a heavier but long running device” case.