Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Price in India, specifications comparison

Published On: March 16, 2018

The competition in the high-end smartphone segment has heated up after the launch of the new Samsung S9 series late last month. You now have a wider variety of phones to choose from if you have a deep enough pocket. In today’s article, we will take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and compare it against its sibling from last year – the Galaxy S8 Plus and the widely acclaimed camera king of smartphones; the Google Pixel 2 XL.

Table of Contents

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Design, display

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and the S8 Plus being closely related share almost the same design. The S9 Plus is basically an evolved, fine-tuned design of the ‘original’ S8 from 2017. Both the S9 Plus and the S8 Plus boast of a glass-clad back panel and an aluminium frame. The display on both the handsets are identical as well and happens to be a Super AMOLED panel that measures 6.2-inches across. The display is in the 18.5:9 aspect ratio and has a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels. Both the phones also get a PI density score of 529.

The Google Pixel 2 XL gets a 6-inch P-OLED display and like the other two phones in this comparo, the panel is in the 18:9 aspect ratio. The display resolution of the phone is 1440 x 2880 pixels – thereby giving it a PPI density score of 538.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Specifications, hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus version for India will use the Exynos 9810 SoC that integrates the Mali-G72 MP18 GPU for graphics. The phone will be sold in the 64GB and 256GB versions in India. The 64GB version gets 4GB of RAM while the 256GB version gets 6GB of RAM. The imaging department is handled by a 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel setup at the rear with support for OIS, PDAF, and 2X optical zoom. At the front, there is an 8-megapixel shooter with f/1.7 aperture. The phone can record 4K videos in 60fps. The primary camera has a unique dual aperture feature as well.

As for the Galaxy S8 Plus, this handset is powered by the Exynos 8895 SoC in India and gets the Mali-G71 MP20 GPU for graphics.The handset comes with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. As for the camera, the Galaxy S8 Plus has a single 12-megapixel camera at the rear with f/1.7 aperture and an 8-megapixel, f/1.7 camera at the front for selfies and video calling. Video recording using the main camera tops out at 4K resolution at 30fps.

The Pixel 2 XL is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipsets – the flagship chipset for Android smartphones in 2017. The handset is offered in a single 4GB RAM + 64GB version in India. The handset uses the Adreno 540 GPU for graphics. The camera department is handled by a 12.2-megapixel, f/1.8 primary camera that supports PDAF, OIS and laser autofocus. Video recording tops out at 4K resolution at 30fps. The front camera is an 8-megapixel unit.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2 XL: OS Updates, software

The Galaxy S9 Plus at the time of its launch ships with Android 8 Oreo preinstalled. This is the latest version of Android. The handset is likely to receive future updates to Android on a timely basis.

The Galaxy S8 Plus still runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat right out of the box. However, Samsung is about to release the official update to Android 8 Oreo for the S8 series before the end of this month if we are to believe news reports.

Being a Pixel, the Pixel 2 Xl is the fastest in this group to receive priority updates. The Pixel 2 XL currently runs Android 8.0 Oreo and is also likely to be updated to Android P before the end of this year.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Price in India, conclusion

As outlined at the beginning of this article, all the three handsets in this list are high-end flagship class handsets. Let us now check out their prices.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus 4GB RAM +64GB: Rs. 64,900
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus 6GB RAM +256GB : Rs. 72,900
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus 4GB RAM +64GB: Rs.58,900
Google Pixel 2 XL: 4GB RAM + 64GB: 54,999

If you have the money, it makes sense for you to buy the newest handset in this list the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. However, if OS updates are your priority, it might be wiser to go with the Pixel 2 XL.