Battle of the Snapdragons: Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Xiaomi Mi 6

Technology giants Samsung and Xiaomi have unveiled their flagship smartphones, bringing some disruptive tech to the table, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset being the most noticeable feature making them stand out in the much crowded high-end smartphone market.

The 835 is Qualcomm’s mobile system on a chip (SoC), which contains all the key ingredients that sit at the heart of a smartphone. This includes the CPU, graphics processor, Wi-Fi and 4G modems, sound hardware and sensor hubs, among others. The chip uses 25 per cent less power, resulting in a better battery life. In some tasks, such as recording high-resolution video and rendering 3D games, the 835 is up to 30 per cent more efficient. The chipset also has support for QuickCharge 4, which is up to 25 per cent while managing 30 per cent better efficiency; so that extra speed won’t result in added heat.

Other smartphone makers including Google, Sony, HTC and OnePlus are also reportedly following the trend and are planning to incorporate the latest processor on their flagships. For now, only Samsung and Xiaomi flagships with the SD 835 have made it to life. Let’s see how these phones stand when pitted against each other.

Kicking off with the display, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has the ‘Infinity Display’ with dual curved edges and almost non existent bezels. It sports a 5.8-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED screen. The Xiaomi Mi 6 on the other hand packs a 5.15-inch IPS LCD display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution.

Both Mi 6 and Galaxy S8 are powered by SD 835 SoC with the former featuring 6GB of Ram and the latter with 4GB RAM. Both phones run Android Nougat OS with their respective user interface skins atop. For connectivity, the Xiaomi Mi 6 supports 4G+ networks with download speed of up to 600Mbps and up to 100Mbps upload speed.

On the photography front, the Galaxy S8 boasts a 12MP 'Dual Pixel' rear camera with optical image stabilisation and a f/1.7 aperture. The Xiaomi Mi 6 in turns flaunts a 12MP rear dual camera setup. On the front panel, both phones have an 8MP snapper for selfies.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 comes with Samsung Pay support for NFC-based mobile payment service. The Mi 6 also comes with a NFC and is compatible with the company's Mi Pay.

One of the biggest features that Samsung has unveiled with its flagship is the Bixby AI virtual assistant, a feature missing from the Xiaomi Mi 6. Both phones are water resistant with IP68 certification. Also, the Galaxy S8 unlike Mi 6, offers 5 levels of biometric security including the iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, and facial recognition.

When it comes to battery life, the Xiaomi Mi 6 offers a 3500mAh battery with fast charging, while the Galaxy S8 comes with a smaller 3000mAh battery, with support for wireless and fast charging.

Overall both phones are looks good on the brochure with the Galaxy S8 being the pricier device comes with better specifications. But considering the price of Xiaomi Mi 6, it has got all the potential to take on any other flagship out there.