Yesterday, the initial batch of reviews for Samsung's upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8 (and Galaxy S8 Plus), landed. Perhaps it wasn't too surprising to hear that the company had carried over the good things they had learned from the highly-praised Galaxy Note 7, adopted them into the Galaxy S8, and then included an even better display than last year's flagship phablet.
The majority of reviews had a lot of good things to say about the Galaxy S8, about how Samsung's on the right track to redemption after the debacle last year, and that the Galaxy S8's display is more than enough to brush away other criticisms. Any negative remarks about the phone are squarely put on elements like the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, which Samsung decided should go way up near the top of the phone and right next to the camera.
All-in-all it sounds like Samsung made a great phone, and those who buy it will probably be pretty happy.
I was speaking with a friend of mine yesterday, about those reviews, because he has been on the fence regarding the Galaxy S8 and whether or not it would become his next daily driver. He's been going back-and-forth between it and the LG G6. He talked himself into waiting (he was initially planning on picking up the G6 on launch day), and decided he'd compare both handsets in person at his local wireless carrier's retail shop.
He did so, and he's decided that he's going to go with the LG G6. While he admits the Galaxy S8 is great to look at, he's just not a fan of the curved display. He's afraid that dropping his phone would pretty much guarantee a cracked display, and he's not a fan of cases. On top of that, he just doesn't see a point to it.
Samsung has tried to make reasons for the curved display to exist, like getting notifications right there on the side of your phone, but it's hard to say whether or not this is something that has been deemed noteworthy or worth keeping around from the general public. Samsung has also put a little drawer there, which you can access by sliding your finger over the curved edge to the left, and from there you can get all sorts of details and apps. It's all customizable, which is nice, but it all feels like excess.
I asked him today how he was liking his decision so far, and even though he's barely a day into owning the G6, he's happy with it so far. And now I can't help but wonder how you feel about curved displays? Is this a feature that you're excited about (and one of the reasons you'll be picking up the Galaxy S8?), or do you prefer screens that don't curve? Let me know!