Several flagships, including Samsung Galaxy S8, HTC U11, OnePlus 5 and Xiaomi Mi 6 have made it to the stores in the first half of 2017, but it is the second half that's going to be more interesting for the simple reason that two most-awaited handsets -- Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Apple iPhone 8 -- are coming. And these devices from arch-rivals could be released at around the same period.
Some may pit the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 against other flagships like OnePlus 5, Xiaomi Mi 6 and the yet-to-be-released Nokia 9, but its real threat will be Apple's iPhone 8. The flagships from Apple and Samsung are premium devices expected to be priced between $900 and $1,000, while other handsets belong to a relatively lower price range.
Also read: Why Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has to fight Galaxy Note 7 ghost besides competing with iPhone 8
Interestingly, Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 could arrive at around the same time if reported are anything to go by. The Samsung device was expected to be unveiled in August like its predecessors, but latest reports have claimed that it could see the light of day at the consumer electronics fair IFA 2017 in Berlin which is scheduled for September 1 to September 6. This means even its release date could clash with iPhone 8 which is also set for release in September.
The South Korean technology giant is yet to announce the features of the Galaxy Note 8 but reports have claimed that it will sport a 6.3-inch QHD Infinity display with 2,960×1,440 pixels resolution, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and an Exynos 8895, runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system, mounts dual rear camera – 12MP wide-angle camera and 13MP telephoto lens, and houses a 3,300mAh battery.
It is also reported that the handset could come in three colours -- black, blue and gold colour – and priced at 999 euros in Europe and more than $900 in the United States.
On the other hand, iPhone 8 is expected to come in three variants, iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus and iPhone 8 with a 4.7-inch, 5.5-inch and 5.8-inch with OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen respectively. All the variants are expected to share other features like an A11 chipset, an iOS 11 operating system, a 3D depth-sensing front camera, a wireless charger, and a new fingerprint ID solution.
There is no word on the pricing of iPhone 8, but some have suggested that it could come with a price tag of around $1,000.
