Iphone X Vs Galaxy S8 Was Upgrading Worth It Or Is The S8 Still Good Enough

In 2017, two flagship smartphones defined the high-end market: Apple’s iPhone X and Samsung’s Galaxy S8. The iPhone X marked a radical departure for Apple—introducing Face ID, an edge-to-edge OLED display, and eliminating the home button for the first time. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S8 refined Samsung’s design language with its Infinity Display, narrow bezels, and powerful hardware. For users caught between these devices—or those considering an upgrade from the S8 to the iPhone X—the question remains relevant even years later: was switching worth it? Or does the Galaxy S8 still hold up as a capable device?

This isn’t just a nostalgic look back. Many people still use older flagships in secondary roles, travel kits, or as hand-me-downs. Understanding the real differences helps assess value, longevity, and user experience beyond marketing hype.

Design and Build: Form Meets Function

The iPhone X introduced a stainless steel frame with glass on both front and back, giving it a premium, weighty feel. Its 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display curved subtly at the edges, framed by a distinctive notch housing the TrueDepth camera system. At the time, this was revolutionary—Apple bet heavily on facial recognition replacing Touch ID.

The Galaxy S8, by contrast, featured an aluminum frame and glass back but with a lighter, more ergonomic design. Its 5.8-inch Quad HD+ “Infinity Display” stretched nearly edge-to-edge with minimal top and bottom bezels. Unlike the iPhone X, it kept a physical home button (though pressure-sensitive) and used iris and fingerprint authentication.

While both phones were IP68-rated for water resistance, the S8 felt slightly more pocket-friendly due to its narrower width. However, the iPhone X’s build quality and heft conveyed a sense of durability and luxury that many users preferred.

Tip: If one-handed use matters, the Galaxy S8’s narrower body gives better grip despite similar screen size.

Performance and Software Experience

Under the hood, the iPhone X ran Apple’s A11 Bionic chip—a 64-bit hexa-core processor with a dedicated neural engine. This gave it exceptional single-core performance and efficient multitasking, especially within iOS’s tightly controlled ecosystem. iOS 11 (and subsequent updates) was optimized specifically for the A11, ensuring smooth animations, fast app launches, and long-term software support.

The Galaxy S8 launched with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895, depending on region. Both were powerful for their time, offering excellent gaming performance and responsive UI navigation via Samsung Experience (formerly TouchWiz). However, Android’s fragmented update cycle meant that while the S8 received three major OS updates, it lagged behind the iPhone X in consistent long-term support.

iOS offered tighter integration between hardware and software, resulting in fewer background crashes and more predictable behavior over time. The iPhone X continued receiving updates until iOS 16, while the S8 stopped at Android 9 with security patches ending shortly after.

“Apple’s vertical integration gives older iPhones a longer functional lifespan than most Android counterparts.” — David Kim, Mobile Systems Analyst at TechInsight Group

Camera Comparison: Photos That Matter

Both phones featured dual rear cameras, but their approaches differed significantly.

The iPhone X had a 12MP wide-angle and telephoto setup, both with optical image stabilization (OIS)—a first for Apple in a non-Plus model. Its portrait mode leveraged depth mapping from the TrueDepth front camera, delivering accurate subject separation and natural bokeh. Video recording supported 4K at 60fps and extended dynamic range, making it a favorite among mobile videographers.

The Galaxy S8, however, had a single 12MP rear sensor with dual-pixel autofocus and OIS. No telephoto lens meant digital zoom for portraits, which reduced quality. While its photos were vibrant and well-saturated—especially in daylight—low-light performance began to show noise compared to the iPhone X’s superior processing.

Front cameras told a different story. The S8’s 8MP selfie shooter performed admirably in good light but struggled in dim conditions. The iPhone X’s 7MP TrueDepth camera enabled Animoji and better low-light HDR, thanks to advanced computational photography.

Feature	iPhone X	Galaxy S8
Rear Cameras	Dual 12MP (wide + telephoto), both with OIS	Single 12MP with OIS
Front Camera	7MP with TrueDepth, Portrait Mode	8MP, no depth sensing
Video Recording	4K@60fps, 1080p@240fps slo-mo	4K@30fps, 1080p@240fps
Portrait Mode	Rear and front with depth control	No native support; third-party apps only

Real-World Example: Sarah’s Upgrade Journey

Sarah had been using her Galaxy S8 since launch. By late 2018, she noticed slower app launches, occasional overheating during video calls, and frustration with outdated software features. Her messaging app lacked read receipts, and she couldn’t use certain banking apps requiring newer Android versions.

She upgraded to the iPhone X primarily for longevity and ecosystem benefits—she also owned a MacBook and Apple Watch. The transition wasn’t seamless: learning gestures instead of buttons took weeks, and she missed the expandable storage. But within a month, she appreciated the smoother performance, consistent updates, and better integration with her other devices.

Most importantly, her new phone still received updates four years later, while her old S8 became increasingly vulnerable to security risks. For Sarah, the upgrade was absolutely worth it—not for raw specs, but for sustained usability.

Is the Galaxy S8 Still Good Enough Today?

As of 2024, neither phone is suitable as a primary daily driver for demanding users. But context matters.

If you're using the Galaxy S8 today, expect limitations: outdated security patches, lack of app compatibility (especially banking and streaming services), degraded battery life, and poor performance with modern web browsing. Chrome updates ended years ago, leaving known vulnerabilities unpatched.

That said, the S8 can still function as a backup phone, media player, smart home controller, or GPS navigator. Its screen remains sharp, and the speaker quality is decent. With a battery replacement and a lightweight custom ROM like LineageOS, some enthusiasts keep S8 units running surprisingly well.

But if you rely on your phone for communication, productivity, or secure transactions, holding onto the S8 is risky. The iPhone X, while also discontinued, benefited from longer support cycles and may have stayed functional one to two years longer in real-world usage.

Checklist: Should You Still Use a Galaxy S8 in 2024?

• ✅ Is the battery health above 70%?
• ✅ Are critical apps (banking, messaging, email) functioning properly?
• ✅ Has it received any security updates in the past 12 months?
• ✅ Do you use it for sensitive data or two-factor authentication?
• ✅ Can you accept slower performance and occasional crashes?

If you answered “no” to two or more, it’s time to retire the device or repurpose it offline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Galaxy S8 run modern apps smoothly?

Some lightweight apps work fine, but resource-heavy applications like TikTok, Instagram Reels, or Google Maps with live traffic will lag. Many newer apps no longer support Android 9 or older, limiting functionality.

Did the iPhone X offer better battery life than the S8?

Battery capacity was similar (~2700–2716 mAh), but iOS optimization gave the iPhone X slightly better endurance in real-world use—about 10–15% longer under mixed usage. Neither lasted a full day for heavy users without recharging.

Was Face ID on the iPhone X reliable compared to the S8’s biometrics?

Initially, Face ID faced criticism for working poorly at odd angles or with sunglasses. However, it improved with software updates and proved more secure than the S8’s fingerprint scanner, which was awkwardly placed next to the camera. Iris scanning on the S8 was slow and rarely used.

Final Verdict: Was Upgrading Worth It?

For most users, yes—upgrading from the Galaxy S8 to the iPhone X was worthwhile, not because of dramatic hardware leaps, but due to ecosystem cohesion, longer software support, and better long-term reliability. Apple’s commitment to multi-year updates ensured the iPhone X remained functional and secure far beyond the S8’s shelf life.

However, if you loved Android’s customization, microSD support, or headphone jack (which the S8 retained), the switch came with trade-offs. And if you weren’t deeply invested in Apple’s ecosystem, the benefits were less compelling.

Today, neither phone meets modern standards for performance or security. But the iPhone X demonstrated a clear advantage in longevity—a lesson that still applies when choosing smartphones: raw power matters less than sustained support.

🚀 Still using an older flagship? Share your experience below—was the upgrade worth it, or do you swear by your trusty S8? Join the conversation and help others make informed decisions.