The amount of rumors and leaks regarding Samsung’s follow-up to its highly successful Galaxy S7 flagship have been unreal, but finally we can put those rumors to bed as Samsung has now officially unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.
If you’ve been keeping up with the leaks, then you won’t be surprised to see that the pair look exactly as we expected them to: rounded outer corners, virtually bezel-less curved outer edges (“Infinity Display”) with slim top and bottom bezels, glass back, and while a home button does exist, it can’t be seen; the home button is hidden underneath the Infinity Display on the front of the device. The Galaxy S8 very much looks like an evolved version of the Galaxy S7, but perhaps the biggest evolution comes from within as Samsung packs the Galaxy S8 duo with upgraded specs and plenty of fresh features.
First, let’s do a quick spec run-down.
The two are virtually identical except for the screen size and battery capacity. Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED curved display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, while the S8 Plus features a 6.2-inch display. Both feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage with microSD support (up to 256GB), 12-megapixel F/1.7 rear-facing camera, 8-megapixel F/1.7 front-facing camera, and runs on Android 7.0. The Galaxy S8 features a 3,000 mAh non-removable battery, while the S8 Plus features a 3,500 mAh non-removable battery. They both have IP68 ratings, fingerprint sensors on the back of the device, heart rate monitors, 3.5mm headphone jacks, wireless charging support, and USB-C ports.
A variant with the Exynos 8895 processor will also be available, and a variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB will be offered in China.
Feature-wise, the Galaxy S8 duo brings back the iris scanner that was first seen in the Note 7 last fall, adds facial recognition, and are the first Samsung devices to feature Samsung’s new personal AI, “Bixby”, which replaces the incredibly forgettable S Voice. Both devices have their own physical Bixby button located on the left side of the device; it is unknown whether this button is re-mappable by default, but it’s probably safe to assume that it isn’t.
The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will come in Orchid Gray, Midnight Black, and Arctic Silver at launch, with a Coral Blue coming later.
The Galaxy S8 duo will begin selling on April 21, with pre-orders beginning today. Best Buy already has a pretty sweet promotion worth checking out, and even combines with other promotions from other carriers and Samsung. Samsung also announced that each Galaxy S8 will come with a free pair of AKG headphones by Harman.
Price of the Galaxy S8 begins at $750, with the S8 Plus starting at $850. Pricing may vary among carriers.
The Galaxy S8 isn’t as subtle with its design changes from the S7 as the S7 was to the S6, but it's still clearly cut from the same marble and looks pretty slick to boot. With bezel-less displays quickly becoming one of this year’s most popular smartphone trends, the Galaxy S8 looks like it will fit right in. The edges on the device seem are also less drastic than the edges on the Galaxy S7, and more closely resemble the subtle edges of the Note 7 instead. Bixby appears to be a serious contender in the AI space, but let’s be honest – anything is better than S Voice. With promotions abound and new accessories like the Gear 360 VR headset and Samsung DeX, the Galaxy S8 may very well be another home run for Samsung this year.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the Galaxy S8? Do you already have plans to pick one up for yourself?
