Samsung Galaxy S8 preview

FEATURE

• First impressions: It absolutely Nails it.
• Samsung can still deliver the goods.
• The Galaxy S7 edge being a fantastic device, but it also has to regain the confidence lost by the Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung is still on top of the Android world. Part of that is due to its extreme popularity in the mid- and low-end phones that sell in dramatic numbers around the world, but it all falls under the halo of the flagship Galaxy S line. Last year's Galaxy S7 was and still is a great phone that cut back on gimmicks to just provide a fantastic overall experience that did just about everything the market wanted.

Specification:

• 5.8-inch 2960 x 1440 pixels, 570ppi 
• Samsung Exynos 8895 Processor 
• 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, microSD 
• Rear 12MP f/1.7, front 8MP f/1.7 
• Iris scanning, rear fingerprint sensor 
• 3000mAh battery, USB Type-C, wireless charging 
• Android Nougat with TouchWiz 
• Google Assistant

Look:

keeping everything that made the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge so popular while adding a handful of big features that will keep people interested. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are undeniably successors to the Samsung Galaxy S line in terms of looks, but make legitimately good moves toward usability. The same goes for the software, where a couple of big features and design changes lay on top of a familiar interface to the hundreds of millions of current Galaxy owners.

Metal remains in the bodies of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has been polished to a sheen rather than left in a more raw state, making for a more seamless look from the slick glass to the now-slick metal. The change is most dramatic on the black and silver color variations, in which there's little differentiation in the colors between the two materials. 

5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and the larger 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+

Camera:

Samsung moved to a new 8MP sensor with a bright f/1.7 lens that finally includes auto focus, something that you very rarely see even on high-end phones. A welcomed improvement that will make each and every selfie look better. 

The glass back of the Galaxy S8 has the square camera lens positioned centrally at the top with a flash to its left, as was the case with the S7 edge, but there is now also a fingerprint sensor to the right. Perhaps a strange position in terms of usability but in terms of design, it delivers a level of symmetry that is very pleasing to the eye like the rest of the device.

The Galaxy S8's snapper features Bixby integration, allowing you to use the Bixby Vision feature to identify things. This works in a similar way to Googles and the Amazon app, not a new technology but certainly a feature worth mentioning.

Performance:

The Exynos processor, the Galaxy S8 will offer over a 10 per cent improvement in CPU compared to the S7 edge, and a 21 per cent improvement in GPU. The Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 paired with 4GB will do great. And doubling the base storage to 64GB while keeping the SD card slot is a nod to helping you store everything today and in a year when your apps and media appetite grow.

For the first time, using an on-screen navigation bar with soft keys, which is something I'd bet Google is happy about this basically leaves HTC as the final "big" name that doesn't at least give you an option for on-screen buttons. Samsung is really high on its iris scanning technology. Whether it's through a change of hardware or software, the iris scanner is much faster than the Galaxy Note 7's, 

And 3000mAh battery on board, which is a little smaller than the 3500mAh found in the larger Galaxy S8+, though both are charged via USB Type-C, 

Verdict:

The S8 and S8+ feature edge-to-edge displays, so almost all of the front of the device is taken up by the screen. The S8 has a 5.8-inch display while the S8+ boasts 6.2 inches.

Both have a 12MP main and 8MP front camera, a fingerprint sensor on the back, and run Android 7.0.amsung has pushed the boundaries, crossed the lines and returned with a device that is genuinely exciting and a huge step away from what may now be considered boring.

Key specs | Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

Feature	S8	S8+
Screen size	5.8 inches	6.2 inches
Dimensions	148.9 x 68.1 x 8mm, 155g	159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1mm, 173g
Camera	12MP main, 8MP front	12MP main, 8MP front
Storage	64GB + MicroSD	64GB + MicroSD
Software	Android 7.0	Android 7.0
Release date	April 28 or April 20 for pre-orders	April 28 or April 20 for pre-orders