Samsung Galaxy S8+ Arctic Silver 64GB

The Galaxy S8+ is a beautiful phone with a stunning 6.2" AMOLED display, IP68 water resistance, and a headphone jack, but its 2017-era Exynos 8895 processor lands in the 11th percentile for performance. Prices range from $100 to $320, and it's only worth considering at the low end. Buy it as a media player or backup phone, not as your daily driver.

The Exynos 8895 Octa is an 8-core chip running at 2.30GHz, paired with 4GB of RAM. On paper, that sounds respectable. In practice, it's a seven-year-old processor trying to run modern apps, and it shows. Our benchmark data puts this phone in the 11th percentile for performance, which means it's slower than roughly 9 out of 10 phones we've tested. Day-to-day tasks like messaging and web browsing will feel okay, but anything heavier will chug. Don't expect smooth multitasking with more than a few apps open.

The 4GB of RAM is the bigger bottleneck. Android has gotten hungrier over the years, and 4GB just doesn't leave much headroom. Apps will reload when you switch between them, and the phone will occasionally stutter during animations. The 64GB of storage is workable, and you can add up to 256GB via microSD, which helps. But storage speed isn't the issue here. It's raw processing power, and this phone simply doesn't have much left in the tank for 2025 workloads.

Stacked against the Google Pixel 7 Pro, this isn't even a fair fight. The Pixel has a modern processor, a camera that's among the best on the market, and years of software support ahead of it. The S8+ wins on price alone, and only if you find it at the bottom of that $100 to $320 range. The Pixel 7 Pro is the phone you buy when you want a flagship experience. The S8+ is the phone you buy when you want a pretty screen and don't care about much else.

The Motorola Moto G and Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ are more realistic alternatives. Both are budget-to-midrange phones that will outperform the S8+ in processing power, battery life, and camera quality. The Redmi Note 14 Pro+ in particular brings modern connectivity and a much better camera at a similar price point. The S8+ counters with that gorgeous AMOLED panel and IP68 rating, but that's about it. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro is another step up in price and performance, with a much better camera and years of iOS updates still ahead. If you're not married to Android, it's worth a look.

Here's where things get interesting. The S8+ is listed between $100 and $320 across two US listings, and that $220 spread is massive. At the low end, you're getting a lot of phone for a hundred bucks. A 1440p AMOLED display, IP68 rating, stereo speakers, and expandable storage for that price is genuinely compelling. At the high end, you're getting fleeced. $320 puts you within striking distance of much newer mid-range phones that will run circles around this thing.

If you're shopping for one of these, patience is your friend. The Newegg listings show the same phone at different price points, so it's worth watching for the lower end of that range. At $100 to $150, the S8+ makes sense as a secondary device, a media player, or a first phone for someone who doesn't need much power. At $250 or above, walk away. You can do better.

The Galaxy S8+ is a bit of a time capsule at this point. It was Samsung's big, beautiful flagship back in 2017, and now it's floating around the unlocked market for somewhere between $100 and $320 depending on where you look. That's a wild price spread for a phone that once commanded flagship money, but it also tells you something about where this device sits in 2025. It's not competing with new phones anymore. It's competing with whatever else you can grab for under $300.

Who's this for? Someone who wants a big, gorgeous screen and doesn't care about having the latest processor or camera tricks. The 6.2" Super AMOLED panel still holds up visually, even if the phone around it feels dated. If you're coming from a budget phone with a mediocre display, the S8+ will feel like a serious upgrade. The IP68 water resistance and headphone jack are nice touches that even some modern flagships have dropped.

But let's be real about the compromises. The Exynos 8895 was fine in 2017, but our database puts its performance in the 11th percentile among phones today. That's rough. The camera sits at the 29th percentile, battery at 39th. You're buying this for the screen and the nostalgia, not because it's going to keep up with a Pixel 7 Pro. And that's okay, as long as you know what you're getting into.

Skip this if you need a reliable daily driver. The performance is too far behind for modern apps, the battery won't keep up with heavy use, and the lack of software updates is a real security concern. If you're buying a phone for banking, work, or anything sensitive, this isn't the one.

Gamers should also look elsewhere. The 24th percentile gaming score means modern titles will be a frustrating experience. Instead, check out the Motorola Moto G or Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ for better performance at a similar price. If you want a bigger screen and better camera, the Google Pixel 7 Pro is worth the extra money. The S8+ is a nostalgia piece or a media player, not a workhorse.

If you can find the S8+ for around $100 to $150, it's a solid buy as a media device or backup phone. The display alone is worth that much, and the IP68 rating means you don't have to baby it. It'll handle calls, texts, music, and video streaming without much complaint. Just don't expect it to be your daily driver for heavy use.

For anyone planning to use this as their primary phone in 2025, I'd steer you elsewhere. The performance is too far behind, the battery won't get you through a full day of real use, and Android 7.0 is a security and compatibility headache. Spend a bit more on a Moto G or Redmi Note and you'll get a phone that actually keeps up. The S8+ is a lovely relic, but it's still a relic.