OnePlus 5 vs. iPhone 7 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S8: Flagships unfazed

Display

The OnePlus 5 has kept the same 5.5-inch display as the 3T - not just the same diagonal, resolution and technology, but the exact same panel, as AIDA 64 reports. We would have liked to see the FullHD resolution dropped in favor of QHD, especially given the panel's Diamond pixel arangement.

The iPhone 7 Plus's screen is a 5.5-inch FullHD unit itself, only it has an equal number of the three primary color subpixels.

The Galaxy S8 has the highest screen resolution, actually surpassing the QHD's 1,440x2,560px resolution. It is after all, in a stretched up 18.5:9 aspect, allowing it to fit a panel with a 5.8-inch diagonal into the width of 5.2-inch 16:9 one. With all the implications of that, of course - positive (more screen estate, comfortable single-handed use) and negative (pillarboxing, potential scaling issues) alike.

The iPhone 7 Plus wins the maximum brightness contest as it's able to push about 60nits more in Auto mode than the Galaxy S8 can muster. The OnePlus's Auto mode doesn't bring a boost and the OP5 is the dimmest of the three in challenging conditions. The AMOLED can be dialed down all the way to 2nits, while the iPhone's LCD goes as low as 4nits, which is still perfectly okay for night-time scrolling.

The iPhone can't compete with the AMOLEDs for contrast - infinite is more than 1400:1, good as the 7 Plus' reading is.

Out in the sun, it's the Galaxy S8 that snatches an easy win. Being the all-time highest scoring phone in our sunlight legibility test and all. The OP5 is in the middle, suffering a slight dip in contrast compared to the 3T. The iPhone 7 Plus comes in last, though it's posting solid numbers for an LCD.

Sunlight contrast ratio

• Samsung Galaxy S8
  4.768
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  4.658
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
  4.615
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
  4.439
• OnePlus 3
  4.424
• Samsung Galaxy S7
  4.376
• HTC One A9
  4.274
• Samsung Galaxy Note7
  4.247
• Samsung Galaxy A3
  4.241
• OnePlus 3T
  4.232
• Google Pixel XL
  4.164
• ZTE Axon 7
  4.154
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
  4.124
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  4.124
• Samsung Galaxy Note5
  4.09
• Huawei Nexus 6P
  4.019
• Vivo Xplay5 Elite
  3.983
• OnePlus X
  3.983
• Oppo R7s
  3.964
• Apple iPhone 7
  3.964
• Huawei P9 Plus
  3.956
• Meizu Pro 6 Plus
  3.935
• Lenovo Moto Z
  3.931
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
  3.918
• OnePlus 5
  3.914
• Samsung Galaxy C5
  3.911
• Samsung Galaxy C7
  3.896
• Samsung Galaxy A5
  3.895
• Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
  3.879
• Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
  3.873
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  3.859
• Sony Xperia XZs
  3.818
• Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
  3.817
• Motorola Moto X (2014)
  3.816
• Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
  3.804
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
  3.802
• Xiaomi Redmi Pro
  3.798
• LG V20 Max auto
  3.798
• Sony Xperia XZ
  3.795
• Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
  3.789
• Apple iPhone 6s
  3.783
• Meizu Pro 5
  3.781
• Microsoft Lumia 650
  3.772
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  3.767
• Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
  3.756
• Oppo F1 Plus
  3.709
• Vivo X5Pro
  3.706
• Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
  3.688
• Apple iPhone SE
  3.681
• Huawei Mate 9
  3.68
• Samsung Galaxy A7
  3.679
• Meizu PRO 6
  3.659
• BlackBerry Priv
  3.645
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
  3.597
• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  3.588
• LG G6
  3.556
• Apple iPhone 6s Plus
  3.53
• Motorola Moto Z Play
  3.526
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
  3.523
• Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
  3.523
• Acer Jade Primo
  3.521
• Microsoft Lumia 950
  3.512
• Oppo R7 Plus
  3.499
• nubia Z11
  3.466
• Huawei P10 Plus
  3.456
• HTC U Ultra
  3.453
• Samsung Galaxy J7
  3.422
• Meizu MX5
  3.416
• LG V20
  3.402
• Huawei P10
  3.379
• Oppo R9s
  3.352
• Honor 8 Pro
  3.341
• Oppo R7
  3.32
• Lenovo P2
  3.316
• Xiaomi Mi 5s
  3.276
• Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
  3.244
• Samsung Galaxy J2
  3.235
• Sony Xperia X Performance
  3.234
• Xiaomi Mi Note 2
  3.228
• Motorola Moto X Play
  3.222
• Oppo F3 Plus
  3.218
• Huawei Mate 9 Pro
  3.206
• Huawei P9
  3.195
• Lenovo Vibe Shot
  3.113
• Motorola Moto X Force
  3.105
• LG Nexus 5X
  3.092
• HTC U11
  3.089
• Huawei Mate S
  3.073
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
  3.065
• Sony Xperia XA1
  3.012
• Sony Xperia X
  2.989
• Huawei P10 Lite
  2.974
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  2.97
• Huawei Mate 8
  2.949
• Xiaomi Redmi 3S
  2.913
• Sony Xperia XA Ultra
  2.906
• LG G5
  2.905
• HTC One S
  2.901
• Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
  2.893
• Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
  2.884
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
  2.877
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  2.877
• Sony Xperia Z5
  2.876
• Microsoft Lumia 550
  2.851
• Lenovo Moto M
  2.813
• Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
  2.803
• Sony Xperia Z5 compact
  2.784
• Meizu MX6
  2.751
• LG V10
  2.744
• Xiaomi Redmi 3
  2.735
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
  2.714
• Meizu M5
  2.71
• Sony Xperia M5
  2.69
• Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
  2.679
• Huawei P9 Lite
  2.679
• Vivo V3Max
  2.659
• Xiaomi Mi Mix
  2.658
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  2.641
• Xiaomi Redmi 4a
  2.635
• Sony Xperia XA
  2.609
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
  2.582
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus
  2.582
• Meizu M5s
  2.58
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  2.574
• LeEco Le Max 2
  2.567
• Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
  2.563
• Microsoft Lumia 640
  2.563
• Lenovo K6 Note
  2.544
• Lenovo Moto G4
  2.544
• Oppo F1
  2.528
• Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
  2.525
• Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
  2.506
• Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
  2.503
• Oppo F1s
  2.481
• Motorola Moto G
  2.477
• Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
  2.473
• Huawei G8
  2.471
• Huawei nova
  2.467
• Sony Xperia Z
  2.462
• Lenovo Vibe K5
  2.459
• Meizu m3 max
  2.447
• HTC 10 evo
  2.407
• Huawei Honor 7
  2.406
• Sony Xperia E5
  2.386
• ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
  2.382
• Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
  2.378
• HTC 10
  2.378
• Oppo F3
  2.376
• vivo V5 Plus
  2.371
• Meizu m1 note
  2.362
• Huawei nova plus
  2.329
• HTC One E9+
  2.305
• Alcatel One Touch Hero
  2.272
• Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
  2.254
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
  2.253
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
  2.249
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  2.235
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  2.234
• Motorola Moto G (2014)
  2.233
• Huawei P8
  2.196
• Meizu M5 Note
  2.189
• Huawei Honor 6
  2.169
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
  2.166
• OnePlus Two
  2.165
• HTC One X
  2.158
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
  2.145
• LG Aka
  2.145
• Archos 50 Diamond
  2.134
• Xiaomi Redmi Note
  2.119
• Xiaomi Mi 4S
  2.095
• Acer Liquid X2
  2.084
• Huawei P8lite
  2.078
• vivo V5
  2.059
• Moto G 3rd gen max manual
  2.026
• Xiaomi Mi Max
  1.996
• Sony Xperia E4g
  1.972
• OnePlus One
  1.961
• Meizu m3 note
  1.923
• Meizu m2 note
  1.892
• BlackBerry Leap
  1.892
• ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
  1.759
• Sony Xperia U
  1.758
• Asus Zenfone Selfie
  1.68
• Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
  1.675
• ZTE Nubia Z9
  1.659
• Jolla Jolla
  1.605
• Motorola Moto E
  1.545
• Sony Xperia M
  1.473
• Sony Xperia L
  1.351
• HTC Desire C
  1.3
• Meizu MX
  1.221
• Sony Xperia E
  1.215

Color accuracy is spectacular on all three phones. That is, the iPhone's display is super accurate out of the box, while the Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5 need to have the relevant display modes enabled in settings, but the end result is practically the same. All three are able to reproduce the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces with an average DeltaE of less than 2.

The Galaxy S8 supports HDR10 video for which you need to head over to Amazon video. The other two don't offer the feature.

Display winner: Samsung Galaxy S8. The highest-resolution display of the S8 is also the most contrasty in the sun, and max brightness is excellent as well. HDR10 support is a nice bonus too.

Connectivity

None of these has an FM radio receiver - just getting this out of the way.

The OnePlus 5 and the Galaxy S8 come with the same Snapdragon 835 chipset, though an Exynos 8895 version of Samsung's top dog also exists (with marginal difference in connectivity features). That said, the OP5 has its LTE limited to Cat.13/12 for a theoretical maximum download speed of 600Mbps and 150Mbps upload. Meanwhile, the S8 supports Gigabit LTE. The iPhone 7 Plus' download speed is capped at 450Mpbs, or Cat. 9.

The OnePlus 5 is a dual SIM device by default, while the S8 comes in both single SIM and dual SIM versions, but some markets may only get one of these versions. The iPhone 7 Plus only exists as a single SIM device.

All three phones support dual-band Wi-Fi - b/g/n in the 2.4GHz spectrum and a/n/ac over 5GHz. Bluetooth is superior on the S8 and OP5 - v.5 comes with improved range and speed over the iPhone's v4.2. NFC is available on all three of them, though Apple only enables it for Apple Pay, while on Android you can read NFC tags and set up other connection triggers.

The Galaxy S8 supports positioning on all mainstream systems - GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo. The OP5 skips the European Galileo, while the iPhone only does GPS and GLONASS.

Wired connectivity sets the three apart too. The iPhone uses the proprietary Lightning connector, which supports USB 2.0 speeds. That's not all that's limited on the iPhone though. USB Host support only lets you attach some certified accessories or access your digital camera storage via proprietary adapters that are separately sold. You can pair a Bluetooth keyboard to the phone should you need this sort of peripheral. In the absence of a 3.5mm jack, Apple bundles a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. Woo-hoo.

The OP5's USB-C port is capped at USB 2.0's 480Mbps, too. Not all USB-Cs are created equal, however, and the S8 adheres to USB 3.1 for transfers for transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. The S8's USB-C can also output video at 4K/60fps with the right type of cable. It can additionally turn into a desktop computer via the DeX docking station, complete with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Connectivity winner: Samsung Galaxy S8. The S8 has the widest range of connectivity features, simple as that.

Battery life

The OnePlus 5 packs the highest capacity battery of these three, a 3,300mAh unit that's still marginally smaller than the one in the preceding model. The Galaxy S8 relies on a 3,000mAh cell, while the iPhone 7 Plus is fitted with a 2,900mAh power pack.

The three phones have pretty much the same area to light up - the Galaxy's 5.8-inch display is only 2% larger in screen real estate theoretically, but with the rounded corners it may actually end up being smaller. Then there's the matter of LCD vs. AMOLED, and that's before we get to iOS vs. Android. From a user's perspective, that's hardly relevant, though - let's look at the battery life numbers.

The iPhone 7 Plus trails in overall endurance but has one important advantage - its thirteen and a half hours of web browsing over Wi-Fi will have you scrolling two and a half hours longer than on the OP5, and three and a half more than on the S8.

It's a completely different story in video playback, where the AMOLEDs have a clear advantage. To the tune of almost 19 hours vs. barely 8 in the case of OnePlus 5 vs. Apple. The Galaxy S8 can't quite match the OP5 in this area, but it still outlasts the iPhone 7 Plus by a whopping 6 and a half hours.

The Galaxy S8 is the most efficient in 3G voice calls - arguably the least important of these three tests but still - it's one win each. It should be noted that we've tested the Exynos version of the S8, and Snapdragon 835 phones have proven less frugal in terms of standby and voice call longevity.

The OnePlus 5 charges super fast with its proprietary Dash charge tech, but you need to have the charger and cable on you for it to work. Apple supplies a downright inadequate 5V/1A with the 7 Plus that takes more than 4 to top up. The Galaxy S8 supports QuickCharge 2.0 (not 3.0, and not 4.0), but that makes it compatible with most chargers. On top of that it also supports wireless charging unlike the other two.

Battery life winner: Tie. iPhone 7 Plus snatches the victory in web browsing, which some believe to be the most important metric, but loses in the other two tests. The OnePlus 5 is the undisputed champ in video playback endurance, while the S8 rules in voice calls and edges the OP5 in overall rating. Wireless charging is another one in S8's favor, and that could make it the winner for you.