Galaxy A8 Star vs Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z: Find Out Which One is Better

South Korean tech giant Samsung recently launched its latest A series smartphone dubbed as Galaxy A8 star. The phone is priced at Rs. 34,999, which keeps puts it in direct competition with the king of mid-range smartphones i.e. OnePlus 6. There is another device that was recently launched in the mid-range segment with flagship like features- the Poco F1. And then there is Asus Zenfone 5z, which is the most affordable smartphone featuring Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon 845 chipset. So basically, the consumers are spoilt for options!

Today we’ll compare the four phones; Galaxy A8 Star, Poco F1, OnePlus 6 and Asus Zenfone 5Z on below mentioned parameters along with the price in India to find out which one provides a better value for money to the buyers:

• Design and Display
• Software and Battery
• Hardware (RAM, Storage, Chipset)
• Camera

Galaxy A8 Star vs Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z: Design and Display

The Poco F1 lacks a bit behind in terms of design as compared to the other three as it has used a plastic for the construction of its back, which gives it an ordinary feel in the hand. While the other three i.e. OnePlus 6, ZenFone 5Z and Galaxy A8 Star feature same shiny glass sandwich design giving them a slightly premium feel. All four phones feature a dual camera set up on the rear along with the fingerprint scanner. The buttons are standard in nature i.e. volume rocker and power button. But OnePlus 6 also features an alert slider, which is very handy to quickly change the sound profiles.

In terms of display, all four phones feature Full HD display with tall aspect ratios and iPhone X like notch at the top. The Galaxy A8 Star sports a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED “Infinity Display” with FHD+ resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The ZenFone 5Z features a 6.2-inch full-HD+ Super IPS+ display with 1080×2246 pixel resolution and an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The Poco F1 bears a 5.99-inch full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2248 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The OnePlus 6 features a larger 6.28-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080×2280 pixels. The screen aspect ratio is 19:9 which results into an impressive 84 percent screen-to-body ratio.

So, in our opinion, the OnePlus 6 is a winner in terms of design and display.

Galaxy A8 Star vs Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z: Software and Battery

The OnePlus 6 will be shipped with Oxygen OS 5.1 based on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out of the box which is clean as well as fast with great optimization and launching speed. It also comes with gesture navigation similar to the one found in iPhone X. In addition, the OnePlus is known to offer timely software updates to its users which keeps on optimizing the performance.

The Zenfone 5Z also offers a near stock version of Android based on Android 8.1 Oreo along with the ZenUI 5.0. It also comes with gestures for navigation and some AI features.

The Galaxy A8 Star runs Android Oreo 8.1 operating system out of the box with heavily skinned Experience 9.0 UI on top, which may not be able to provide a smooth performance during complex tasks like gaming etc.

The Poco F1 comes with Android 8.1 Oreo-based MIUI operating system out of the box. It has a customised MIUI with its own Poco launcher. The interface is very intuitive and user friendly in nature.

In terms of battery, the OnePlus 6 and Zenfone 5z are backed by a 3,300mAh battery that can last an entire day with single charge. The Galaxy A8 Star packs a slightly better 3,700mAh battery but it has a mid-range chipset, so it’s bound to consume more power as compared to other phones. The Poco F1 on the other hand is fueled by an impressive 4,000mAh battery which can give better output as compared to the other three. All four phones come with a support for fast charging, however it’s the OnePlus 6 steals the show as it comes with a faster 5V/4A 20W Dash Charging support which is quicker than the rest three.

Galaxy A8 Star vs Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z: RAM, Storage and Chipset

In terms of chipset, the OnePlus 6, Zenfone 5Z and the Poco F1 are powered by Qualcomm’s powerful snapdragon 845 processor clocked up to 2.8GHz along with Adreno 630 GPU for graphics. The Galaxy A8 Star is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 660 processor along with Adreno 512 GPU and thus loses the battle here. Notably, the Poco F1 comes with a LiquidCool Technology which helps to keep the device cool during prolonged gaming sessions.

In terms of RAM and storage, the OnePlus 6 features 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of inbuilt storage. The Zenfone 5Z and Poco F1 come with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB, 128GB and 256GB of onboard storage. While, the Galaxy A8 Star comes in single variant i.e. 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. Again, the Galaxy A8 Star doesn’t live up to the expectations, while the Zenfone 5Z and Poco F1 emerge out as the winners in this segment.

Galaxy A8 Star vs Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z: Camera

Let’s talks about the optics which is a crucial factor for camera buffs. As mentioned earlier, all four phones feature a dual camera set up on the back. Let us check the exact configuration of the same now.

The OnePlus 6 features a vertically stacked dual camera setup placed in the middle which consists of a 16-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.7 aperture, OIS, EIS and 20-megapixel secondary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. The rear camera setup also features a dual-LED flash. The front hosts a 16-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture and EIS for selfies.

The Poco F1 bears a vertically stacked dual rear camera set up which comprises of a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.9 aperture and 5-megapixel secondary sensor with f/1.9 aperture. On the front, you get a 20-megapixel snapper with f/2.0 aperture and portrait mode.

The Zenfone 5Z comes with vertically stacked pair of cameras on the back consisting of a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and an 8-megapixel secondary sensor with fixed focus and f/2.2 aperture. The camera set up also features single LED flash. For selfies, you get an 8-megapixel fixed focus sensor on the front.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star comes with a vertically stacked ‘Dual Intellicam’ camera set up with a combination of 16MP primary sensor and a 24MP secondary sensor with f/1.7 aperture. The front features a 24MP snapper with f/2.0 aperture for selfies and video calls. The selfie camera also supports Smart Beauty and Pro Lighting features along with AR Stickers.

Both OnePlus 6 and Poco F1 score well in the camera department.

Galaxy A8 Star vs Poco F1 vs OnePlus 6 vs Asus Zenfone 5Z: Price in India

Last but not the least, let’s have a look at the pricing of all four phones in India.

• Asus Zenfone 5Z: 29,999, Rs. 32,999 and Rs. 36,999
• OnePlus 6: 34,999 and Rs. 39,999
• Poco F1: 20,999, Rs. 23,999 and Rs. 28,999
• Samsung Galaxy A8 Star: 34,999

CompareRaja’s Verdict:

One thing is clear from the above comparison that we will not recommend you the Galaxy A8 Star due to the specifications it offers at a price tag of Rs. 34,999. The other three phones definitely provide a better value for money as compared to Galaxy A8 Star. So, Samsung really needs to put up a good show if it wants to capture market share in the sub 35k segment.

The OnePlus 6 has and Poco F1 have their own PROs as well as CONs and give each other a stiff competition. The OenPlus has its own fan following due to the flagship features and premium design it offers at an affordable price. However, the Poco F1 has a greater price advantage which can help it to garner some market share. So, we leave that choice up to you. Don’t forget to refer to the quick specs comparison below before you take the decision.