Samsung held an official presentation of its new gadget, which all fans of the brand were looking forward to with great anticipation. We are, of course, talking about the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones. The presentation took place on March 29, 2017 in New York.
Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+
As we are new, it has expanded functionality. The flagship devices presented to the general public are equipped with screens measuring 5.8 and 6.2 inches, curved at the edges, with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Both devices have a screen resolution of 2960x1440 pixels.
The body of both models is made of glass with a metal frame. The control buttons are built right into the display itself, and the fingerprint scanner is now located on the back. Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are equipped with two video cameras. On the front side, the camera has 8 megapixels, the main one is 12 megapixels. RAM is 4 GB, internal memory is 64 GB.
Among other things, the new models are equipped with an iris scanner, similar to the one found on the Galaxy Note 7. (We'll talk about that too). Another innovation is the Bixby voice assistant (analogous to the Siri program for Apple gadgets).
It is reported that both new items will appear in retail sales in about a month. Sales will start in the USA on April 21, in Russia – on April 28. The new devices will come in black, grey, silver, gold and blue.
The price of Samsung Galaxy S8 at the start of sales will be 700-800 dollars.
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The instructions were posted on Samsung's download site and were discovered by Western media. The instructions describe detailed step-by-step guides for all settings of the Galaxy S7 Edge. But judging by the new exclusive features, Samsung is most likely masking information about the S8.
In addition to the long-leaked information about the Bixby smart assistant and the Dex function, which allows you to use your smartphone as a computer, the manual also contains new details. For example, dual audio transmission via Bluetooth.
Screen functions
Always on display. An already familiar convenient option, thanks to which you don’t have to turn on your smartphone to view the date, time or notifications.
Multi-window mode. Allows you to run two applications on the screen simultaneously. You can pin one window at the top of the screen and use other apps and features at the bottom.
Smart Features
Bixby. An intelligent voice assistant similar to Google Assistant, which is launched by pressing a special key or saying the word Bixby. Ask it something or type a text, and Bixby will launch the function you requested or show the information you need.
Hello Bixby. The Assistant analyzes what you use frequently and what you search for, and suggests information, apps, and features that might be of interest to you.
Bixby Vision. Image search function: You can scan objects and locations using the camera to find the information you need on the Internet. It also allows you to translate photographed text.
Reminders. You can now create them from anything: schedules, notes, location data. You can also create reminders from videos, images, or websites so you don't forget to watch them later.
Security Features
Iris scan. Function to recognize the unique pattern of your iris to protect your smartphone from unauthorized entry. It can be used to quickly unlock the screen, log into your Samsung account or other accounts.
Fingerprint's scanner. The sensor reads your fingerprint no matter how you place your finger. Useful for unlocking your smartphone and using Samsung Pay.
Face recognition. Another way to unlock the screen instead of entering a password or PIN.
Protected folder. Photos, notes and applications placed in it will not be available to other users. For extra security, this folder can be hidden when the device is unlocked.
Other Features
Samsung Pay. You can register your bank cards and buy goods by simply touching the terminal with your smartphone.
Samsung DeX. A feature that allows you to use your smartphone as a computer by connecting it to an external display, keyboard and mouse.
Samsung Connect. Quickly connect to nearby devices such as Bluetooth headsets or other smartphones. Through Samsung Connect, you can control TVs, home appliances and the Internet of Things from your smartphone.
Samsung Cloud. Cloud storage for images, videos and applications so you can view them on other devices.
Bluetooth Dual Audio. Stream audio from one smartphone to two Bluetooth headsets or two speakers simultaneously. In this case, you can separately adjust the volume levels for each device.
Connection with Samsung Gear. You can connect your smartphone to your watch through the Samsung Gear app and answer calls, receive messages, measure your heart rate, play music and much more.
What else is known about the Samsung Galaxy S8
According to rumors, there will be two versions: a 5.7-inch flagship and a 6.2-inch S8 Plus with curved edge-to-edge displays. The device will have a new design with maximally reduced frames and rounded corners of the display, without buttons on the front panel and with a fingerprint scanner moved to the rear panel.
One of the models is predicted to have a display resolution of 2,960 × 1,440 pixels, a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory, microSD support, improved 12 MP and 8 MP cameras, IP68 protection and several new colors.
We will find out which of this will be confirmed at the Galaxy UNPACKED evening event.
Presentation of Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+, flagships and their accessories
In New York at the Lincoln Center, Samsung showed the most important smartphones both for the market and for its future, these are the Galaxy S8/S8+. It so happened that the number of leaks regarding these devices was prohibitively high; even before the start of sales, we already knew almost everything about them. I outlined my impressions in a separate article, in which today we will add photographs of smartphones, a number of accessories and a little later - a video. I will try not to repeat that text, especially since it describes in great detail all the points related to the S8/S8+ hardware. But there is something left outside of our discussion; we will talk about it in detail in this material. But I advise you to read that text, without it this material may be incomplete.
Let's start with the official characteristics of the models:
| Galaxy S8 | Galaxy S8+ | |
| operating system | Android 7.0 | |
| Net | LTE Cat. 16* *May vary by market and mobile operator |
|
| Dimensions/weight | 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155 g | 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173 g |
| CPU | Eight cores, 64-bit, 10nm process technology |
|
| Memory | 4 GB RAM (LPDDR4), 64 GB (UFS 2.1) | |
| Screen | 5.8” (146.5 mm)1 Quad HD+ (2960x1440), (570 dpi) |
6.2” (158.1 mm)1 Quad HD+ (2960x1440), (529 dpi) |
| 1 screen is measured diagonally, taking into account only the full rectangle, excluding rounded corners | ||
| Camera | Main: Dual Pixel 12 MP OIS (F1.7), front: 8 MP AF (F1.7) | |
| Battery capacity | 3000 mAh | 3500 mAh |
| Fast charging in wired and wireless modes Wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA |
||
| Payment technologies | Samsung Pay (NFC, MST) | |
| Connections | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2 Mbit/s), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, location determination (GPS, Galileo*, Glonass, BeiDou*) *Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. |
|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint sensor, gyroscope, electronic compass, Hall sensor, heart rate sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, iris scanner, pressure sensor | |
| Sound | MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF |
|
| Video | MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM | |
And some photos of what they look like in real life.
The most common question I was asked in connection with the S8/S8+ is how easy it is to get used to the different screen geometry, how convenient is the elongated screen for everyday use. I answer - it’s convenient, you get used to it instantly and don’t feel any shortcomings, moreover, it’s difficult to switch to the “old” screen, as if they are trying to transfer you from a large TV to a small one. The side edges are not as strongly curved as in the S7 EDGE; these devices are closer to the Note 7, where the curve was perfect, there are no false positives.
Sample photos
The device settings were not set to the maximum quality settings, hence the low resolution of the images.
I’m already tired of talking every year about how Samsung is improving its AMOLED screens again and again, making them engineering works of art, they simply have no analogues on the market or anyone who can come close to them. It is clear that this fact upsets many, but this does not cease to be a reality. For S8/S8+ we used technologies that were first used in the company's TVs. In addition to the fact that the phone analyzes the picture on the screen, it has added not just a lighting indicator, but an RGB color indicator that adjusts the picture to external conditions. The devices also support the Mobile HDR Premium standard, which appeared only at the beginning of this year for 4K devices.
However, in everyday life these screens are comparable to the Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE, with a number of exceptions in which the new devices perform better - but these are almost always difficult conditions, flashing lights, semi-darkness or bright sun. The difference will be noticeable precisely in such conditions, plus when watching colorful films, in all other cases, read, normal conditions, you will not notice it. In principle, this comparison can be made for any modern smartphone, even budget devices do an excellent job with the picture in typical situations, we are always talking about changes in difficult conditions, about what you see on the screen.
Case color options
The UI update, as well as updated chipsets, made it possible to achieve even faster interface rendering. Every year phones get faster and there seems to be no room left for them to grow, and this is happening for both the Galaxy and the iPhone. Current models are very comfortable, they don’t have any brakes or lags, it’s just that new devices become a little faster, and this is perceived by the mind. A whole cohort of buyers has even appeared, those who see these changes and buy devices for them (I emphasize that such buyers are typical primarily for the iPhone market, and secondarily for the Galaxy).
It has become a new part of Samsung's strategy to change the interface for key models, that is, with the release of Note 8 we will see an evolution in how the UI looks today on the S8. Look at the photos of the interface.
In many ways, the devices look, in terms of UI and settings, similar to what we see on Android 7 on current flagships.
Now a few words about Bixby, this voice assistant grew out of S Voice, which was never popular. In the age of Siri, Google Now, Samsung decided that it was no good for them to remain on the sidelines of progress and they needed to do everything so that they had their own assistant. Bixby initially works with built-in apps like camera, contacts, gallery, messages, and settings. Moreover, Bixby is not only a voice assistant, you can ask it while typing, not only ask, but also launch applications, create recordings, and so on. The closest analogue is the assistant from Google, the idea behind Bixby is exactly the same. But for obvious reasons, Samsung’s solution is still simpler and not as functional. Let's see how it develops; there is no reason yet to replace Google Now with Bixby, especially since Google Now knows much more about you - driving routes, preferences, your mail and hotel reservations, flights, and so on. It is necessary to watch how Bixby will evolve, but there are many questions about who will win, Samsung or Google, I would still bet on Google, which has been doing this for several years and does it systematically. For Samsung, Bixby is a program, a service, if you will, but for Google, their assistant is only a part, and a small part, of what they make from user data on Android. That's why I'm betting on Google.
Another important point is the DeX docking station for S8/S8+, which has its own cooling and allows you to connect up to two USB devices, for example, a keyboard and mouse (USB 2.0). In some countries, this docking station will be given as a gift with pre-orders for S8/S8+. Separately, this station will cost 149 euros.
In addition to the fact that you get the opportunity to connect your phone to an external monitor via HDMI and control it with a mouse and keyboard, DeX mode has appeared. This is not just a broadcast of the contents of the phone screen to an external monitor, but a redesigned interface, in particular, support for MS Office and Adobe mobile applications, for example, Adobe Lightroom Mobile, has been added here. These applications have been completely redesigned for large screens, and so far this is only available for flagships from Samsung, but I am sure that later it will appear on a bunch of other devices from different manufacturers. The most direct analogy is a similar mode from Microsoft that was on Windows Phone smartphones. But the death of the platform put an end to Continuum, and the fallen banner was picked up by DeX. First of all, this is a solution for corporate users; it is unlikely to be popular from the start, but this is an interesting direction for development. DeX has implemented support for remote access to your desktops; these are Citrix, VMware and Amazon Web Services, that is, nothing original and nothing new. In principle, you can already use these services on Android.
During the presentation, an interesting figure was mentioned. The S Health service is used daily by 11 million people around the world, about 60 million do this from time to time and are counted as monthly users. Russia is one of the leading countries in using S Health, however, the same can be said about Samsung Pay, which once again confirms our love for technical innovations.
Along with the S8, they are releasing a whole range of new devices, for example, an update to last year's 360-degree camera - the Gear 360. The new camera has a reduced initial cost, it is 249 euros, and it supports 4K recording. The accessory is not the most popular, but it is needed to popularize VR content.
To understand what this camera can do, you can read the review of last year's Gear 360.
The new Gear VR glasses also have a joystick from Oculus for more comfortable control in games, but this is already for fans of the VR theme.
As for me, the line of accessories for the new flagships is as wide as possible; everyone will find what they need, be it a case with a keyboard or ordinary cases.
Sales of S8/S8+ start on April 21, prices start from 800 euros for the younger model and from 900 euros for the older one, these are the minimum prices on the market, in some places the devices may cost more. The devices will appear in Russia on April 28, the price will be 54,990 and 59,990 thousand rubles, respectively. Pre-orders will include gifts, which I think you already know, since pre-orders were supposed to start today. You also know the price for sure, unlike me when I write this text.
Finally, a few words about competitors. It so happens that Samsung sells as many Android flagships as all other manufacturers combined, these are comparable volumes. Therefore, it is impossible to seriously consider Sony, LG, HTC, Huawei in the same price group as competitors of the Galaxy line. Each company individually has very modest sales, however, the same LG G6 is a good device on the old Snapdragon 821, which immediately puts it beyond the competition. And the price in Russia of 52 thousand rubles makes it, to put it mildly, expensive, all other things being equal.
This is just one example of a device, and there are many more, but in all cases, we will be faced with the fact that other manufacturers are playing catch-up. Just remember the presence of water protection, built-in wireless charging and other “little things”. I see only the iPhone, which will be released this fall, as a real competitor for the S8/S8+, since other companies are performing one step lower. Today, the flagship market is firmly divided between Samsung and Apple; none of the other companies are even close. You should not be under the illusion that someone is capable of releasing similar devices; this is a delusion.
For many, the release of the S8 will mean that the previous generation will gain additional attractiveness due to the price; in my opinion, the S7/S7 EDGE will become one of the most popular on the market.
Tell us what you liked about S8/S8+ and what you found uninteresting. How justified is the cost of these models, what is interesting about the new operating modes, accessories, share your impressions.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year. Samsung launched this phone to great sensation a few months ago. From what we've seen so far, the Galaxy Note 7 has proven to be a huge disaster for the brand with major crashes and exploding batteries. Now the company needs to address the issue of battery explosions and therefore Samsung is recalling 2.5 million initial units of the Galaxy Note 7. According to some reports, Samsung has incomplete information that battery packs manufactured by Samsung SDI were to blame for the battery explosions. It was also reported that Samsung executives saw X-Ray samples of batteries protruding from the phone's body. Therefore, after a certain time, several possible scenarios were put forward for battery explosions, which include: a flaw in the circuit board, a glitch in the software, the control battery and the battery compartment was too small to properly accommodate the battery, etc.
But despite this, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be unveiled on February 26, 2017, the day before Mobile World Congress 2017. According to rumors, the price of the new S8 Edge will be lower than originally expected. We are talking about $1000 for US residents, but again, this is very unlikely. We can assume that the S8 Edge will be priced the same as the GS6 and GS7 Edge, which means it will cost around $900 or 820 euros. As for some of the features of the Galaxy S8, these are a retinal scanner, 4K recording, a new version of Gorilla Glass, and fast charging technology. The included wired charger is rumored to be able to fully charge the phone from 0% to 100% in 30 minutes. Wireless charging takes a little longer, about 45 minutes, but these results are better than the 7 Edge.
We can also assume that the characteristics of the Galaxy S8 in 2017 will be better than those of the S6 and S7 Edge, as the device boasts 4K, high security and high speed.
