The OnePlus 5 matched the high expectations from the public upon its release last June. The smartphone brand has always showcased devices with innovative design and impressive features. Although the specs of a high-end OnePlus handset rival that of the big players in the market such as Apple's iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8, the OnePlus 5 price remains relatively cheaper. Even so, the device's status as the most innovative mobile device of the year will be challenged by an upcoming phablet from Samsung, the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note series is coming back from the ashes with the Note 7 battery debacle last year. This time around, Samsung is expected to shake up the competition with the powerful features of the Galaxy Note 8. The OnePlus 5 may not be easily outclassed, but there are some points where the latter will give way to Samsung's upcoming mobile gem.

As stated by Trusted Reviews, the OnePlus 5 is not necessarily the most innovative entry in the OnePlus series. It seems that the last groundbreaking version of the handset was the OnePlus 3, which stepped up the game with a more classic look and high-end specs. The OnePlus 5 still has some defining qualities of its own like the 3D Gorilla Glass 5 and curved body, but the OnePlus 3 just takes the cake when it comes to innovation.

As for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, expect that the South Korean tech giant would do everything to make the latest Note version different from the Galaxy Note 7. One of the highlights of the Note 8 design is the "Infinite Display," a first from Samsung that limits the bezel and extends the viewing experience of the users. The Galaxy Note 8 will not only be a better version of Note 7, but also the biggest one yet in the Note family.

However, as the larger and more expensive Samsung Galaxy Note 8 appears to be the winner, OnePlus 5 can still put up a good fight in terms of the hardware. According to Phone Arena, the internal storage and random access memory (RAM) capacities of the Galaxy Note 8 are similar to OnePlus 5. The latter's processor is also power-efficient, enhancing the system performance without compromising the battery capacity. The OnePlus 5 lacks an expandable memory, unlike the Galaxy Note 8 which has a microSD slot to extend storage capacity.

To sum it up, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 lives up to the hype through its new screen design and software features. The wireless charging component and the all-screen display are only some of the trends being set by the Galaxy Note 8. However, OnePlus 5 is still on top of its game when it comes hardware specs. Not even the Galaxy Note 8 could outclass the OnePlus 5's hardware features. With this, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 wins the title as the most innovative device of 2017, but the OnePlus 5 still boasts an incredible hardware performance.