OnePlus 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: Which should you buy?

Chinese smartphone-maker OnePlus has launched its latest flagship mobile, the OnePlus 5, which aims to take-on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 at the top of the handset market.

It serves as a replacement for the OnePlus 3T, a smartphone that "managed to undercut the competition on price and beat them on design", The Guardian says.

Despite this, the numbering order has jumped a step from three to five, which the Daily Telegraph says is " partly due to the number four being consider an unlucky number by some East Asian nations".

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The OnePlus 5 is being labelled as the most powerful device the company has made, but can it compete with the South Korean giant's Galaxy S8?

Here's what the critics say.

Design

The OnePlus 5 is closer in design to the iPhone 7 than the Galaxy S8, with a horizontal dual-lens camera and embedded antenna bands.

It also retains the physical home button at the bottom of its 5.5ins full-HD AMOLED (active matrix organic light emitting diode) display, a button relocated from the front to the rear of the device on the Galaxy S8.

This means the OnePlus 5 doesn't have the bezel-free design of Samsung's latest smartphone, but it does have slimmer borders on the left and right than the outgoing OnePlus 3T.

The S8 also "benefits from water and dust resistance", says TechRadar, which is not present on the OnePlus 5. However, Samsung's offering "is arguably more fragile" due to its glass display, although the 5.8ins AMOLED screen does pack more pixels compared to the OnePlus 5. The Korean smartphone boasts a resolution of 1440 x 2960 to the OnePlus 5's 1080 x 1920.

Performance

"Both of these flagship phones are seriously powerful beasts that have enough horsepower to comfortably handle each and every app and game on the Play Store," says TrustedReviews.

Each has enough RAM to handle challenging tasks such as editing video or playing games, meaning the option to increase the OnePlus 5's 6GB to 8GB is "sort of pointless".

One of the biggest benefits the OnePlus 5 holds over the Galaxy S8 is its battery life, as The Independent says the latter has a more "demanding screen to power".

The OnePlus 5 will get users through a full day without needing a recharge, thanks to its larger capacity 3,300mAh over the S8's 3,000mAh.

Price and Verdict

Prices for the OnePlus 5 start at £449, which makes it substantially cheaper than Samsung Galaxy S8's £689 and gives it all the performance of a flagship smartphone without the expensive price tag of its rivals, says TechRadar.

However, those looking for great screen quality may want to consider the S8, argues the site, as it has a higher pixel count and a bezel-free design.

TrustedReviews agrees, saying the OnePlus 5 "seems a much better deal than the S8", particularly if buyers are looking to get the phone without a pay-monthly contract.

Only those wanting "a better screen and a sleeker design" will opt for the S8, although it's a considerable premium to pay "if you want the best phone available".