In the fifth of our comparison articles, I've decided to compare the various flagship phones from all the major manufacturers. In this, part 1 of that fight, we have Google, Apple, LG & Samsung. The winner is quite interesting, (as is the outright looser), so read on to find out what the numbers tell us...
Comparing phones is always a somewhat emotive opinion on the part of the person doing the comparison, so I have tried to keep this one based upon facts rather than feelings. Some may argue with some of the decisions and some may need explanation. The winning phone in each category is shown in dark green and gains 2 points. Where no obvious winner exists, "highly commended" scores are in light green and gain 1 point)
| Feature | Google Pixel 2XL | iPhone X | LG V30 | Galaxy Note 8 |
| Construction | Candybar, aluminium & glass | Candybar,stainless steel & glass | Candybar, aluminium & glass | Candybar, aluminium & glass |
| Size | 157.9mm x 76.7mm x 7.9mm | 143.6mm x 70.9mm x 7.7mm | 151.7mm x 75.4mm x 7.3mm | 162.5mm x 74.8mm x 8.6mm |
| Weight | 175g | 174g | 158g | 195g |
| Screen | P-OLED 6.0" 2280x1440 538ppi | AMOLED 5.8" 2436x1125 458ppi | P-OLED 6.0" 2800x1440 538ppi | AMOLED 6.3" 2960x1440 521ppi |
| Screen / Body Ratio | 76.4 % | 82.9 % | 81.2 % | 83.2 % |
| Battery | 3520 mAh | 2716 mAh | 3300 mAh | 3300 mAh |
| Processor | Snapdraggon 835 | Apple A11 Bionic | Snapdraggon 835 | Exynos OctaCore |
| RAM | 4GB | 3GB | 4GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB /128GB | 64GB / 256GB | 64GB / 128GB + MicroSD | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB + MicroSD |
| Camera (rear) | 12.2Mpix f/1.8, IOS, Phase Detection autofocus, HDR | Dual 12Mpix f/1.8 & f/2.4, Phase Detection autofocus, IOS, 2x Optical zoom | Main: 16Mpix f/1.6 (71deg)& Wide: 13Mpix f/1.9 (120deg), IOS, HDR10, Assisted Zoom | Tele: 12Mpix f/2.4 (45deg) & Wide: DualPixel 12Mpix f/1.7 (77deg), IOS, 2x Optical zoom |
| Camera (front) | 8Mpix f/2.4 | 7Mpix f/2.2, HDR, panorama | 5Mpix f/2.2 (90deg) | 8Mpix f/1.7 |
| Connectivity | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 2.0 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 |
| Operating System | Android 8.0 | iOS 11.0.2 | Android 7.1.2 | Android 7.1.1 |
| Biometrics / security | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Face ID | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Fingerprint (rear - left), iris detection, face detection |
| Protection | Waterproof (IP67) | Waterproof (IP67) | Waterproof (IP68), Shockproof | Waterproof (IP68) |
| Charging | QuickCharge 3.0 | Fast Charging, Wireless Charging | QuickCharge 3.0, Wireless Charging | QuickCharge 3.0, Wireless Charging |
| Price | £ 799 | £ 999 | £ 799 | £ 869 |
| Availability | Now | Now | Now | Now |
| Total points | 5 | 4 | 10 | 10 |
...So there we have it; a newly altered scoring card produces a different result. Whereas the LG V30 had walked away with the "best phone" prize on our previous scoring matrix, now we've included screen / body ratio and a couple of other changes, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has jumped up to claim joint first place. Pop over the page to see how the next 4 andsets alter the landscape, and to find out the ultimate winners and loosers.