Is Samsung is out-Apple-ing Apple...maybe?
I suppose it depends on how you look at it, figuratively and literally. Looking at the phones from a purely surface perspective (glancing at the pictures), the Galaxy phones are..."simpler" to understand from a design perspective than the X and look great. That first impression is important, though probably not enough to get people to really switch one way or the other.
But the real question is: Is that all that made Apple devices Apple devices? Perhaps so to those who don't own Apple devices or don't care to.
Alternately, perhaps "Apple" is part aesthetics, part physical simplicity, part deep OS and hardware integration, part "it just works" (whether perception or reality), part customer service and relationship, part resale value, part quality perception (whether perception or reality), part physical feel (construction quality, fit and finish) part status symbol, part materials used, part access to the massive app store, part massive 3rd party hardware ecosystem, part what your important family/friends have, part simplicity, and so on. Any combination of those things can and should influence opinion on the main question.
In my opinion, it takes a little more than a first glance impression and debatable physical design queues to determine whether Apple is being out-Apple'd. In my opinion, physical appearance is only part of the formula, and every iPhone has been more than sufficient in the design category, though certainly not always the prettiest option. If I were to score it, I'd give the Galaxy a 10 and the iX a 9, but I have held neither so I reserve the right to re-score those. ;-)
Honestly I think everyone arguing about phones in 2017 ends up looking pretty bad.
This page is filled with comments about which phone is the most beautiful.
You have to resort to that stuff if you want to engage in phone wars because the difference in most phones is not that big anymore. All of them pretty much work now. The last real innovation was probably the phablet and that was years ago. Nothing really huge has changed the game up since then.
Best post on the page.
You guys should breathe, really take a step back and look at yourselves, arguing about relatively insignificant cosmetic differences, split seconds of performance, and millimeters of bezel as if they make these devices suddenly "hideous" and "unusable" on one end or perfect on the other. You sound like fucking idiots, to be frank.
If you like the Samsung phones and Android, the Samsung phones are a fantastic option with an objectively good design with perhaps the best screens in the business, excellent camera, limited bloat compared to previous generations, etc...but are certainly not beyond reproach. If you like Apple phones and iOS, the X is the flagship, developing interesting technological solutions (in this case, the face tracking array) and making them practical enough for grandma to use reliably (faceID)...but is certainly not beyond reproach either. In fact, none of these devices are perfect. None of these devices ever have been.
Whether the X is worth $150-$250 more than the S8/S8+ (msrp) is a matter of personal discretion and usually comes down to things like important apps/games that may only be on the Apple device or peripherals/ecosystem stuff (audio docks, car integration, receiver integration, etc.). Yes, some games and apps are not available on Android (no, it's *not* a wash if the game/app you love isn't available on the other platform), and that will matter to some. Yes, some hardware that is iOS compatible is
not Android compatible, and that will matter to some. Maintaining that compatibility while getting a more powerful device for a little more monies (or equivalent money if opting for the iphone 8) will be preferable for many. Nothing wrong with that; it's quite sensible, really. And that's before talking about user experience, resale value, OS/experience preferences, app parity, and features like iMessage and Facetime that suddenly become inaccessible if switching to Android. And the same holds true for Android users who have bought into Android compatible hardware/software that doesn't offer support or versions for iOS. It's not simply a matter of "which is the better value" in a vacuum as if that's all that gets weighed, people. You're all smart enough to know better.
None of your egos should be so fragile that both of these cool products can't look cool to you. You shouldn't need further validation in your purchases, folks.