About a week ago I got my hands on the new Samsung S8 Plus and based on first impressions, the phone looks fantastic.
The curved edges and the massive screen makes this phone an easy eye magnet.
The Samsung S8 and S8 Plus both have a Super AMOLED curved display at 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches respectively. Yet because of the almost bezel-less design, it’s dimensions closely resembles its predecessors.
The two phones have the typical upgrades such as smarter AI software, faster chipsets and better cameras that we normally see.
Although these phones seem amazing they have great public implications. In light of the disastrous Galaxy Note 7 recall, can the S8/S8 Plus redeem Samsung’s reputation?
Price and Release Date
Be prepared because these phones are by no means cheap in any sense of the word. The S8 will begin at $750 and the S8 Plus will sell at $850. The S8/S8 Plus will release on April 21st while preorders will ship as early as April 20th.
Design
The flagship phones continues to be another all-glass shell around a thin metal frame. The famous curved screens are still there partnered by very thin top and bottom bezels.
The S8 sports a 5.8 inch screen while the the S8 plus has an enormous 6.2 inch display. The display is the only display that is HDR certified which allows videos and pictures to have very clear highlights and shadows.
The new Samsung flagships are definitely eye-catchers with their minimal bezel design. The new bezel design compromised the home button, instead the S8/S8 Plus are similar to the that of the Google Pixel. The user must now swipe up from the bottom to reach access to the home button and respective side buttons.
Samsung has also followed the Pixel’s and LG’s decision to put the fingerprint sensor in the back. This allows users to unlock their phones in a more natural fashion. The big downsides are that users now need to pick up their phones to unlock them and the fingerprint sensor is extremely close to the camera lense.
Samsung has prepared one other method for users to unlock their phones with improved facial recognition.
Samsung also ditched the Micro-USB and converted over to the reversible port USB-C. Now there’s no more fiddling in the dark to plug your phone!
The US will have the phones released with 3 colors- Arctic Silver, Midnight Black and Orchid Gray (which closely resembles a very dark purple).
Display
The huge displays on both phones again are the only phones that have HDR certified displays. Since the screens are seemingly “endless” Samsung named their screens the “Infinity Display.”
The resolution on the phones are 2960 x 1440 with 529 pixels per inch. The two phones also do not possess the standard phone dimensions at an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. This means that the phone is taller thann average.
Camera
The camera on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have the same exact camera specs from last year’s model (12MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture).
What Samsung decided to focus on this time around was in the post-picture processing. That means much better quality when taking pictures in low light.
The new front facing 8MP camera now comes with autofocus, meaning better selfies for that daily Instagram photo.
Battery Life
The hot topic for Samsung right now after the disastrous Note 7 recall. Samsung reverted back to a 3,500 mAh battery which is actually 100mAh less than its predecessor but is a slightly more efficient.
Fast charging has improved even more meaning users can be on the go without having to worry about long charge times.
in response to the Note 7 recall, Samsung has released a video advertisement showcasing their 8-Point battery safety check. You can check it out here.
Bixby
Samsung’s answer to the Google Pixel’s Google Assistant and iPhone’s Siri. What’s somewhat amusing is that Bixby and Google Assistant are both present on the phone (I guess A.I.s can coexist).
The main advantage of using Bixby is system wide control. The Google Assistant although impressive cannot control the entire phone on its own. Anything a user can do through touch can be done by voice through Bixby.
Specs and Performance
The two phones will have the Android Nougat built in with a powerful octa-core chipset. The chip is smaller which allows the phone to be more energy efficient.
The RAM capacity has actually been reduced to 4GB and the S8 Plus can upgrade with another 256GB via microSD slot.
Worth It?
From what I can tell if you have $750 to bust then this is the best phone on the market. The powerful chipset paired with the beautiful and enormous infinity display makes the S8/S8 Plus hard to beat.
In light of the Note 7 recall, Samsung has made a strong comeback with their Galaxy S8 series and seem poised to maintain its position as a leading handset provider. This is even more evident due to the recent iPhone rumors but that’s for a later day.
Is it worth it? Yes.
PhoneTechie 