Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+: The launch event
One of the most awaited phones of the year Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are here. The smartphones are one the highlights of the year 2017. Samsung has launched its flagship phone today. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ had their details leaked ahead of the launch. But now we can legit see the phone in all its glory at the official launch at the Lincoln Centre in New York City. The event confirmed everything there is to know about the phones and added more to our insight on where smartphone technology is heading.
Here are the details about the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ which is the flagship phones by the company for the year 2017.
Basically two variants of the S8 were launched today. The first one is the regular Galaxy S8 which has features of edge display. The screen of the Galaxy S8 is 5.8 inches which is bigger than what is available in the Galaxy Note Series. The Galaxy S8+ comes in a 6.2 inch screen. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have screen resolutions of 1440×2960 pixels. There are 570 pixels per inch for the Galaxy S8 and 529 pixels per inch for the Galaxy S8+.
We heard rumors about the infinity display and we’re glad to say that Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have that. The infinity display benchmarks a new standard in the industry which expanded screen size. This means that there won’t be an increase in the whole footprint but the screen would be bigger and awesome. A lot of this contributes to the immersive experience Samsung wants to bring to the consumers.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have the best design
Now when talking about the industrial design dynamics it turns out that Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have the best ones in the industry. The design even surpasses its predecessors. The edge to edge infinity display is so perfectly curved and melts over the frame of the phone that one can hardly recognize the fine line between the screen and the frame. It looks so elegant. The sensors are placed in the usual places. The sensors secure the front camera and the IRIS scanner. Now that the front side of the phone is mostly display, the home button and the back, along with the multitasking keys have been removed. They are now replaced with soft keys.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Features: May Start Recognizing Faces
If you’re wondering about the soft keys do not worry! The satisfying click of the home button is still there. Haptic feedback stimulates the click whenever you press the home button. The home button was removed from its place on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. It is now found on the side of the camera on the back along with the fingerprint scanner. This might cause a lot of smudges on the camera. We find the position a bit unreasonable and awkward. But, anything for a good design?
The power button is found on the left of the phone and volume keys on the left as well. We see that the button placement is as usual. However, there is another button right below the volume buttons. The button activates Bixby, which is Samsung’s new assistant. You can read more about it here. Samsung has not gotten rid of the headphone jack in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. You can find the USB type C port, loud speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the device.
Camera quality is pretty terrific
The front cameras on the devices have seen vast improvement. An 8 MP camera supports the front side with a F1.7 lens that also features auto focus. There is no change in the back camera which is the same 12 MP with a F1.7 lens. We do know that there is an improvement in image processing this way. The camera software is able to click multiple shots that combine them into one high quality image. The final image is brighter and has a more sharp quality. Bixby vision is part of the camera which is used to scan and return information regarding what it sees.
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Looking at the hardware and storage specs we see a lot of improvement. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have chalked out new standards in the industry for phones that are coming out. It features the world’s first 10nm processor used in a smartphone. The device is promising 10 percent better performance with a GPU that is 21 percent more capable. Power consumption is reduced by 20 percent in comparison to what we have in last year’s device. Talking in simple terms this means less power consumption even when you’re multitasking on your phone and launching apps. More faster and less power consuming is the perfect blend.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and the Exynos Series 8894 chip will be used in the phones depending on the region of sale. Two variants do not mean that the RAM will be different, however. The 4GB RAM on the phone is the same as Galaxy S7. This is against the rumors that there will be a 6GB RAM in the models launched today. We guess the company is contended with the RAM for now.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have more storage
The storage capacity of the phones is 64 GB which is just the internal storage. This can be enhanced with a microSD card. Coming to the highlight of the event, there is the launch of Bixby. The company announced its first virtual assistant to counter Siri by Apple.
The virtual assistant by Samsung makes life much easier for the user. It collects information and searches the internet for you. The questions you ask can be answered by it as well. However, one attractive feature is the way it helps in making sure how you use your phone. Users can just talk to the phone instead of touching it for the phone to perform tasks.
Read: Move over Siri and Alex Bixby is here
Some of the other specs of the phone are given below:
Android Nougat 7.0 (Grace UI)
Dimensions: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm (S8) / 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm (S8+)
5.8-inches, 1440 x 2960, 570 ppi, Always-On display, Gorilla Glass 5 (S8) / 6.2-inches, 1440 x 2960, 529 ppi, Always-On display, Gorilla Glass 5 (S8+)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, Octa-core (4×2.35 GHz Kryo & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo)
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via microSD card
Primary camera: 12MP, f/1.7, OIS, LED flash, 4K recording
Secondary camera: 8MP, f/1.7, 2k recording, Autofocus
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v5.0
USB-C v3.1
Sensors: IRIS scanner, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2
Battery: 3,000mAH (S8) / 3,500mAh (S8+)
Availability
The phone is available for pre-orders on the March 30th for US consumers. The price of the phone will be set by the carrier. In the UK the phone is available at £689 (PKR 89,566) and the S8+ at £779 (PKR 101,282). Both smartphones will be available for sale on 21st April in the UK.
Image via Droid Life
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