In a surprising turn of events, Consumer Reports has recommended the Galaxy S7 from last year over Apple’s latest flagship the iPhone 8. What’s more, the iPhone 8 was ranked lower than it’s biggest rivals, the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
Recently, the organization has rated several newer phones the same as or above their predecessors or older rivals, which has naturally brought up some unconventional comparisons.
In their latest rating, the new iPhone 8 was ranked the same as the 2016 flagship, Samsung Galaxy S7 from a year ago. While the phones both have a similar score of 80, the reputed organization recommended the older phone over the new iPhone.
This is a lower score than the iPhone 8’s prime-competition, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ duo, which both share the top-spot at 81 points. The iPhone 8 further shares its spot with the Galaxy Note 8 and the LG V30. Both of those phones are, fortunately for Apple, ranked below both the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy S7.
The Galaxy S7 was recommended for its superior call quality as well as battery life. In its own right, the iPhone 8 managed to bring an improvement over its predecessors, however, it wasn’t enough to beat its heavy-handed Korean rivals.
The bad reputation this ranking brings might be the least of Apple’s worries; recent reports have indicated lackluster sales (including the ones which indicated the iPhone 7 as outselling the newer model), highly unlikely for a newly-released Apple product, let alone the iPhone.
It’s not the end of the world for Apple, as most consumers are gearing up to have a look at iPhone X (which itself faces supply issues) before making a purchase. Whether the iPhone X gets a better score than its now-fading brother remains to be seen.