Consumer Reports has some bad news for Apple: Samsung's flagship handsets are better options. Even models that are much older.

(Image credit: Sam Rutherford)

In a new rating Consumer Reports has released, the testing organization has awarded the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ scores of 81 out of a possible 100, topping the iPhone 8's score of 80. What's worse, despite receiving the same score, Consumer Reports actually recommends the Galaxy S7, with its own score of 80, over Apple's new handsets.

Apple unveiled the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus at a press event last month. Since then, the company's smartphone has been called into question by industry pundits who wonder if it's having trouble attracting customers. In fact, one recent report says the iPhone 7 is outselling the new iPhone 8.

After its release last month, Apple's iPhone 8 units were still readily available on store shelves — a phenomenon that we hadn't seen in previous generations. That was followed by reports that the iPhone 8 wasn't selling nearly as well as Apple had planned, and bolstered by reports that customers instead were waiting on the iPhone X.

MORE: 5 Reasons I'm Skipping the iPhone 8 for the iPhone X

For its part, Apple hasn't commented much on the iPhone 8's success, or lack thereof, and the company typically doesn't break out sales by device type.

Consumer Reports has long been one of the most trusted services for consumers to determine which products they should buy. That the publication prefers not only Apple's biggest competitor this year, but also the smartphone Samsung launched last year, is notable.

So, where does the Galaxy S7 Edge out Apple's iPhone 8? According to Consumer Reports, the Galaxy S7's "handset capabilities" are slightly better than those in the iPhone 8, and it found Samsung's handset to offer better battery life and call quality.

One other tidbit: Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is actually placed below the iPhone 8 with a score of 80. LG's G6 is the only other handset to reach a score of 80 in the Consumer Reports testing.