Listen: Galaxy S8 vs iPhone 8 Plus live music comparison

A live gig is one of the most unpredictable tests for any smartphone, owing to the cacophony of noise and lack of controlled conditions.

Still, if you’re into live recordings and want a phone that’ll do a decent job, which device should you get? LG’s phones are fantastic on paper, but the V30+ review unit hasn’t arrived yet.

But what we do have is our Galaxy S8 (review) seed unit and the iPhone 8 Plus review unit. So how do they compare in the audio department? We took them to a recent Alien Ant Farm gig, recording side-by-side.

It must also be said that I recorded at 4K/60fps on the iPhone 8 Plus, sticking to 1080p/60fps on the Galaxy S8. Still, the Apple clip’s metadata shows it recording at a variable bit-rate far below the Galaxy S8’s. Additionally, the metadata also reveals that the 8 Plus is recording in mono.

Our hot take? Well, the 8 Plus seems to be more muted (perhaps in a bid to keep distortion to a minimum?) but things like the cymbals sound great to my terrible ears. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S8 is definitely louder, but still offers good audio. What do you think?

Check out two more samples below.