Specs Comparison: Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) vs Note FE

With the price drop in Samsung’s more affordable stylus-laden Note FE now made official, how does it compare to the more recent Galaxy A8 (2018) with an 18:9 aspect ratio screen? Here’s a quick comparison of these two devices.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)	Samsung Galaxy Note FE
January 2018	November 2017
5.6-inch Super AMOLED 18:9 display @ 2220×1080 pixels	5.7-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD Curved Display @ 2560 x 1440 pixels, 534ppi
No Gorilla Glass mentioned	Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Exynos 7885 Octa-core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Hexa) processor	Samsung Exynos 8890 (2.3GHz octa-core CPU 4 x 2.3GHz + 4 x 1.6GHz Cortex A53)
Mali-G71 GPU	Mali T880 GPU
4GB RAM	4GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB internal storage expandable up to 256GB via microSD card	64GB internal storage, up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
16MP PDAF camera f/1.7 rear camera w/ LED flash	12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual LED flash, f/1.7 aperture, HDR Video
16MP FF f/1.9 + 8MP f/1.9 front cameras	5-megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture
Bixby Vision	Iris Scanner Samsung Stylus Pen
Dual SIM, nano (dedicated microSD slot)	Dual SIM (hybrid), dual
4G LTE Cat. 11	4G LTE Cat. 12
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS with aGPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner	Fingerprint scanner Heart-Rate Sensor
NFC	NFC
USB Type-C	USB Type-C
IP68 Water and Dust resistance rating	IP68 Water and Dust resistance rating
Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Samsung Experience 8.5	Android 7.1.1 Nougat with TouchWiz
3,000mAh battery w/ Fast Charging	3,200mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery w/ wireless fast charging
149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4 mm	153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm
172g	167 grams
Php26,990	Php27,990

These are the scores in several benchmarks, based on our reviews:

	Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)	Samsung Galaxy Note FE
AnTuTu	78,256	140,363
Geekbench	1,528 (Single-Core)	1,910 (Single-Core)
	4,307 (Multi-Core)	5,649 (Multi-Core)
PC Mark	5,179 (Work 2.0)	4,829 (Work 2.0)

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) advantages:

18.5:9 aspect ratio display
More recent GPU
Bixby Vision
Dual Front cameras
Bluetooth 5.0
Php1,000USD 17INR 1,445EUR 16CNY 124 cheaper

Samsung Galaxy Note FE advantages:

16:9 aspect ratio, Quad HD resolution display
more powerful SoC
Iris Scanner
Heart Rate Sensor
Thinner and lighter
Has a stylus
Bigger battery Capacity

Based on the spec sheet and the performance benchmarks, the Galaxy Note FE trumps the A8 (2018) in handling day to day tasks. This can be attributed to being more powerful SoC found in the Note FE, which is also the chip used with other Samsung flagship devices in 2016. At Php27,990USD 477INR 40,434EUR 454CNY 3,474, it also has a stylus, heart rate sensor and iris scanner, and is thinner and lighter. It’s also one of Samsung’s remaining devices that offer great power if you’re not that fond of the new 18.5:9 aspect ratio and rear fingerprint scanners.

The Galaxy A8 (2018), on the other hand, still has some features to boot. It bears the more recent wider aspect ratio display found on the S8, S8 Plus, and Note 8, plus dual front cameras that can accommodate your selfie needs for Php1,000USD 17INR 1,445EUR 16CNY 124 less at Php26,990USD 460INR 38,990EUR 438CNY 3,349. Bixby is also here, and it is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 which enables the phone to connect to multiple devices at the same time.

Both smartphones offer IP68 dust and water resistance and offer Android Nougat right out of the box. With these differences and similarities, which one would you prefer?