How the specs of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X compare to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy devices, Essential Phone, LG V30, Pixel, Pixel XL, and HTC U11
The iPhone X is here, and it might be the most dramatic update to Apple's flagship smartphone in years.
Context & Ripple Effects
This is The Verge's annual flagship scorecard, a format it has run before: back in 2015 it put the iPhone 6s lineup against the Galaxy S6, Note 5, and Nexus 6. The 2017 edition matters more than usual because the description frames the iPhone X as Apple's most dramatic flagship redesign in years, so the comparison table doubles as the baseline every rival gets measured against.
Camera is where the story immediately sharpened: within two weeks, DxOMark awarded the iPhone 8 Plus a record 94, four points above the Pixel and HTC U11, and by December a head-to-head test crowned the Pixel 2 XL best overall camera while crediting the iPhone X for selfies and the Note8 for video versatility.
First-order effects
- Shoppers choosing among the nine devices named — from the iPhone 7 to the Essential Phone and HTC U11 — get a single spec sheet to arbitrate, right as Apple asks them to jump to a redesigned, higher-priced X.
Second-order effects
- Camera benchmarking becomes the marketing battleground: after DxOMark's record iPhone 8 Plus score, Google's Pixel counter-positioned as the still-camera winner by December, forcing each flagship's pitch to lean on a specific scoring niche (selfies for Apple, video for Samsung).
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, flagship differentiation consolidates around camera scores and display/design rather than raw internals — and the rival set itself churns, with 2015's Moto and Nexus entries replaced by 2017's Essential Phone, LG V30, and Pixel.
The trend: Flagship smartphones are competing less on raw specs and more on camera benchmarks and edge-to-edge redesigns, with third-party scores like DxOMark acting as the referee.