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    Galaxy S8 vs. Moto G8 Power: Is an old flagship better than a new budget phone?

    With costs of flagship telephones just like the iPhone 11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the OnePlus 8 Pro ($999 at OnePlus) commonly breaking the $1,000 mark, shopping for a finances handset or a used older-generation mannequin can prevent massive cash.But what’s the higher possibility: shopping for a used flagship that launched a number of years in the past or getting a brand-new finances cellphone? Will the efficiency be pretty much as good? Can they deal with the identical duties? Are they each protected to make use of? 
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    To discover out, I pitted two telephones towards one another. One is the Galaxy S8 ($420 at Amazon). Launched in 2017, the cellphone was the head of cell expertise in its day. With a robust processor, an excellent single rear digital camera, a beautiful curving display screen and a waterproof design, the Galaxy S8 earned a glowing rating in CNET’s overview on the time. I picked it up preowned within the UK for less than £205 (about $255 or AU$370). Available new for round that worth is the Moto G Power (known as the Moto G8 Power within the UK). Brand-new (it was launched in April), it prices £220, $275 or AU$399 — a very inexpensive possibility. It has a 6.4-inch display screen, 4 rear cameras, an octa-core processor and the newest Android 10 software program.

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    The Galaxy S8 was the flagship of its day, however yesterday’s high tech at all times trickles right down to turn into in the present day’s naked minimal and this older cellphone put up a hell of a struggle. Its processor efficiency outstrips the Moto, its single digital camera takes attractive photographs and its waterproofing and Android Pay help makes it a strong finances possibility.The Moto G8 Power’s a number of cameras, nevertheless, do present extra taking pictures choices, its battery life is far better and its up-to-date Android software program means it’s going to keep safer to make use of for years to come back. The S8, alternatively, will not obtain safety updates for for much longer, making it extra weak to hackers.Read extra: That used or refurbished Android cellphone could be unsafeIt’s that security difficulty that clinched the win for the Moto G8 on this piece, however learn on to see extra element on how I got here to that conclusion.

    Andrew Hoyle/CNET

    It could be three years outdated, however the Samsung Galaxy S8’s nice processor efficiency, succesful single rear digital camera, waterproofing and Android Pay compatibility make it a compelling alternative nonetheless for these purchasing for used telephones on a finances.

    Read our Samsung Galaxy S8 overview.

    Sarah Tew/CNET

    Motorola’s Moto G Power has a giant, vibrant display screen, a number of rear cameras and the newest model of Android. It’s a superb finances purchase in the event you’re after a brand-new cellphone.

    Read our Moto G Power overview.

    Processor efficiency: Galaxy S8 beats Moto G PowerBoth telephones pack octa-core processors. The Galaxy S8 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset whereas the G8 Power encompasses a Snapdragon 665. Both have 4GB of RAM. On our suite of benchmark checks, the Galaxy S8 was the clear winner, with higher efficiency noticed for each processor and graphics checks. You can see the total breakdown of rating on the bar graph beneath, however the takeaway right here is that regardless of being three years outdated, the Galaxy S8 is the higher performing cellphone.Moto G Power vs. Galaxy S8 efficiency chart

    Legend:
    Geekbench 5 Single core
    Geekbench 5 Multicore
    3D Mark Sling Shot
    Note:
    Longer bars equals higher efficiency

    It’s noticeable, too. While on a regular basis navigation across the house screens is comparable on each telephones, the S8 handles graphically demanding video games higher. When the G8 Power is about on the default high quality, the sport Asphalt 9: Legends was somewhat stuttery and have become nearly unplayable once I modified the graphics to excessive. The S8 dealt with these excessive graphics with little seen slowdown. Less demanding video games such because the peaceable Alto’s Adventure performed completely effectively on each telephones. They additionally dealt with photograph enhancing in Snapseed and high-definition video streaming on YouTube and Netflix with out breaking a sweat.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Winner: The S8’s superior processor processor efficiency makes it higher outfitted to deal with the number of demanding video games on the Google Play Store. For on a regular basis duties like e mail and WhatsApp although, you will not discover the distinction.

    Discover the newest information and greatest evaluations in smartphones and carriers from CNET’s cell specialists.

    Camera: Galaxy S8’s single rear digital camera vs. Moto G8 Power’s 4When it launched, the S8’s single rear 12-megapixel digital camera was among the many greatest cameras discovered on a cellphone. But issues have moved on and in the present day’s telephones pack a number of cameras, providing wider angles and telephoto zooms. The Moto G8 Power packs 4 cameras on its again: a regular 16-megapixel, an 8-megapixel ultrawide, an 8-megapixel 2x telephoto zoom and a 2-megapixel macro. You’d suppose that with these many cameras, the Moto G8 Power could be the clear-cut winner. But the Galaxy S8 places up a hell of a struggle. Moto G Power.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Galaxy S8.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    In this primary shot overlooking Edinburgh’s Dean Village, the S8 has higher trying distinction than the Moto, which appears considerably washed out compared. Moto G Power.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Galaxy S8.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    The identical is true on this scene taken inside Dean Village. The Moto has evidently tried to brighten the shadows, however it’s not look and the punchier tones of the S8 are significantly better.Moto G Power, large angle.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    The Moto’s additional cameras do allow you to get completely different views from the scene vantage level, nevertheless. This large scene captures extra of the fluttering flags…Moto G Power, 2x zoom.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    …whereas this zoomed view provides a sexy composition across the varied chimney stacks — neither of which the S8 can obtain. Moto G Power macro lens.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Galaxy S8.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    The Moto G8 Power’s macro mode allowed me to focus nearer on this flower, however the low 2-megapixel decision means there’s not a lot element within the last picture. I really desire the shot from the S8, which has sufficient decision to let me crop additional into the picture and nonetheless have higher trying element.Winner: It’s a toss-up. The Galaxy S8 takes superior photographs from its single digital camera and supplies higher colours and distinction. But the Moto G8 Power has extra taking pictures choices, which snag pictures that would not be potential with the S8. Neither is a transparent winner over the opposite, so it comes down to non-public desire.Battery: Moto G8 Power’s big cell retains on goingAs the Moto G8 Power’s identify suggests, the cellphone packs a meaty battery: 5,000-mAh. That vastly outstrips the Galaxy S8’s 3,000-mAh cell. The G8 Power does have an even bigger display screen to energy although, which possible takes a toll on battery life. While we’re nonetheless ready on official lab check outcomes for the G8 Power, I performed a small-scale check of my very own. After one hour of streaming a YouTube video (with equal excessive brightness and quantity muted on each telephones) the Galaxy S8 had dropped from totally charged to 87% remaining. The Moto, nevertheless, solely dropped to 94%. Anecdotally, the S8 can final a lot of the day — however provided that I used to be aware about my energy utilization. To eke out essentially the most juice, I averted demanding gameplay and video streaming. In common, in the event you’re considering of constant to make use of your cellphone throughout an evening out after work, anticipate to energy up earlier than you permit the workplace (ought to workplaces and nights out ever turn into issues we do once more). 
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Winner: The Moto G8 Power, with its capacious battery, will not wrestle to get via a full day of use and has loads of energy to spare to order a midnight pizza. (Pepperoni. Extra cheese.)Security: The Moto G8 Power’s up-to-date software program provides peace of thoughts for longerBecause any cellphone that does not have the newest safety patches is extraordinarily weak to being hacked, software program safety on an older handset is an excellent larger deal than it usually is. Most Android producers are inclined to help their telephones for 2 to a few years, then successfully lower them unfastened because it turns into too time-consuming to maintain updating older fashions.The newest software program model for the Galaxy S8 is Android 9 (aka Pie), with safety updates that arrived earlier this April. That means it is just about bang updated and due to this fact protected to make use of. According to Samsung’s replace data web page, the S8 will obtain quarterly (quite than month-to-month) safety updates, though for the way lengthy it’s going to obtain these updates is not recognized and Samsung wasn’t in a position to give a transparent reply when contacted. It’s value noting that the S7 Active (launched in 2016) continues to be receiving safety patches, so it is potential the S8 could have some time forward of it but. 
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    As for the Moto G8 Power, safety is a giant benefit. It’s brand-new, runs the newest Android 10 software program and can possible not solely obtain the subsequent massive replace to Android 11, however may even obtain safety patches additional down the road. Winner: When your cellphone receives an replace additionally depends upon your provider, however because the newer cellphone, the win goes to the Moto G8. In addition, Motorola’s replace web page reveals that it is presently updating telephones way back to 2018’s Moto E5. Based on that, it is truthful to imagine that the G8 Power will nonetheless be protected to make use of in early-mid 2022.Design, show and extrasThe Galaxy S8 appears and feels just like the extra luxurious cellphone, even accounting for the slight scuffs and scratches that trace that it was preowned. The curved glass and strong really feel is extra premium than the plastic-backed Moto G8 Power. But there is no denying that the Moto’s large 6.4-inch show makes movies extra immersive than the S8’s 5.8-inch display screen. True, its decision is not as excessive, leading to a decrease pixel density (399 ppi in comparison with the S8’s 570 ppi), however you probably will not discover a distinction. When I used the cellphone, icons and textual content on the Moto seemed completely crisp and sharp, and high-resolution movies look nice.The S8 does up the stakes with IP68 waterproofing (the G8 Power solely has a nano coating to guard itself towards mild splashes), in addition to NFC, which helps you to use Android Pay and Samsung Pay. Both telephones have rear fingerprint scanners, cost with the newer USB-C sort cable, and have 64GB of storage with the choice to increase with a microSD card.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Winner: The addition of waterproofing and NFC for Android Pay put the Galaxy S8 forward, however the Moto G8 Power’s larger display screen might be useful to these of you wanting to look at Netflix on the go.Which do you have to purchase?It’s more durable than I assumed to decide between the 2. Despite being three years outdated, the Galaxy S8 holds its personal extraordinarily effectively, with wonderful processor and digital camera efficiency, a luscious design and options like waterproofing and Android Pay compatibility. The massive level towards it’s the software program. While it is nonetheless technically receiving safety updates, it’s totally a lot in the direction of the tip of its supported life cycle and as per the recommendation from business specialists, utilizing an unsupported cellphone will be harmful. Using expertise for longer is one thing we must always all attempt to do and rescuing used telephones from ending up in landfill is definitely factor. But it is essential to take action safely and persisting in utilizing an unsupported cellphone, exposing your private data and banking particulars, even nude pics, to hackers is not a danger you need to take. As such, the S8’s reasonable usable life is not so long as the Moto G8 Power’s. The Moto additionally has the good thing about the larger display screen and it presents digital camera options not discovered on the S8. 
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Given these factors, my cash must go on the Motorola Moto G8 Power, if just for the peace of thoughts of getting its software program supported for longer. Had I spent only a bit extra, nevertheless, I might have picked up the Galaxy S9 ($600 at Sprint), used, for beneath £300 — being a whole yr newer than the S8 I used, its reasonable life is loads longer, which might resolve my essential concern over the S8. I’ve little doubt that the S9 would have been the clear winner on this shootout.So do contemplate shopping for used — it is an effective way of placing superior tech in your pocket, not stretching your finances and rescuing an in any other case nice cellphone from landfill. But it is essential to buy good: Buy from a trusted supply (I used MusicMagpie within the UK however Gazelle performs an similar service within the US) and ensure it is latest sufficient that it will nonetheless obtain safety updates for a very long time to come back. 

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