APPLE’S launch of the iPhone 8 this year was muted compared to previous phone launches.
Now product testers at a US consumer choice magazine say that three of Samsung’s previous models are better than the newly released smartphone.
The firm may yet fight back with the release of the iPhone X in November, which many industry analysts believe is the reason for the iPhone 8’s disappointing sales.
Consumer Reports, a New York ratings and review non-profit, ranked the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, unveiled back in March, as the top two devices in terms of performance.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, launched in September were ranked fourth and fifth, behind the 18-month old Galaxy S7 – according to a report citing anonymous industry sources in South Korea’s Yonhap News.
It is not all good news for the Seoul-based manufacturer, as the report ranked the Galaxy Note 8, revealed amid much fanfare in August, as sixth on its list.
Samsung had hoped its new phone-tablet hybrid would restore consumer faith in the Note range, after exploding batteries in the Note 7 tarnished the brand’s reputation.
According to the Yonhap News, weak durability and heavy weight negatively affected the device’s performance review.
Another South Korean product touted as a potential market leader, the LG V30, was not included in the rankings as it wasn’t available at the time the report was being compiled.
It appears even many Apple fans are buying the older iPhone 7 models instead of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.
Apple’s iPhone 7 models are outselling the recently launched phones head of the early November debut of the premium iPhone X.
This is according to broker KeyBanc Capital Markets, who says a ‘lack of significant enhancements’ in the new models’ may be to blame.
Traditionally, new editions of the iPhone have sold quickly as fans queue for the latest upgrade.
The surveys would add to signs that the iPhone 8 is not proving as popular as its predecessors.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus resemble the iPhone 7 line, but have a glass back for wireless charging.
‘Many respondents indicated that a meaningful portion of customers are buying iPhone 7 in lieu of the new iPhone 8, given the lack of significant enhancements in the new phone,’ KeyBanc analyst John Vinh wrote in a client note.
While iPhone 8 starts from $699 (£699), iPhone 7 is retailing from $549 (£549) after a price cut.
‘Feedback from stores indicate customers are waiting to purchase the iPhone X or to compare the iPhone X before buying the iPhone 8,’ wrote Mr Vinh, who is rated four out of five stars by Thomson Reuters StarMine for his recommendation accuracy on the Apple stock.
Apple’s much-anticipated iPhone X, a glass and stainless steel device with an edge-to-edge display, will start shipping from 3 November.
The 10th-anniversary iPhone is priced from $999 (£999) – Apple’s most expensive mobile till date.
