After months of rumors and leaks, Samsung Electronics unveiled the new Galaxy S8 and S8+ at an official event in New York on Wednesday 29. A bigger Infinity Display and the AI assistant Bixby are the main features of the phone.
The latest flagships by the South Korean tech giant will release on April 21. There are going to be different versions of the handset based on the location.
Samsung’s trendsetting design for the Galaxy S8 has been well-received by critics and tech enthusiasts. Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone later this fall that will also feature an edge-to-edge display.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+: Design and display
The most talked-about aspect of the new Samsung Galaxy S8 is its simple yet great design. Save for a few feature location choices, the device is a seamless expression of the company’s commitment to making their flagships perform and look amazing.
The standard Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the Galaxy S8+ features a massive 6.2-inch display. Both models have OLED screens with 2960 x 1440 resolutions.
In the United States, Samsung’s latest flagships will come in Midnight Black, Arctic Silver, and Orchid Grey. Foreign markets will get two additional color options: Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+: Features
Samsung is bringing a lot of new things to the table and keeping the good stuff from the last generation. For example, the S8 and S8+ have the same rear and front cameras that the S7 and S7 Edge had.
The company enhanced the hardware with both AI and facial detection. You can now choose to unlock your phone by just facing the screen, and testers say the feature is fast.
On the Artificial Intelligence department, Samsung introduced Bixby, a new digital assistant embedded in the phone and with its own easy-access button on the side. It is different from Google Assistant in that it pairs voice support with ongoing tasks so it is more responsive.
While you can ask Google Assistant to tell you how is traffic or the weather, Bixby can sort through your photos and send them to specific people as you instruct it to do so.
Another key feature of the new flagships is that they no longer have a physical home button. Instead, the bottom center of the display is pressure-sensitive, and it vibrates in response to users pressing it down to launch the home screen.
As a result of this, the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back, and it is now located next to the camera. That means that it will be easier to use your index finger to tap on the scanner when you hold the phone in your hand.
Other features include a headphone jack and a USB-C connector. The S8 and S8+ support fast charging and fast wireless charging. There is also a new dock called DeX that sells separately and turns your handset into a desktop-like device, capable of running Android apps on a monitor.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+: Price and availability
As usual with Samsung smartphones, retail prices are mostly up to the carriers and retailers who sell them. In the United States, users have the four major mobile operators and Best Buy to get their hands on the new device.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will start at $720 and the S8+ at $840 on Verizon. On AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, they will cost $750 and $850 respectively. Preorders start on Thursday, March 30.
Best Buy claims the store will sell the devices $100 cheaper than the carriers. However, the store has yet to disclose a specific price for the phones.
Source: Samsung