Samsung. Unboxed. The New S8.

Samsung. Unboxed. The New S8.

Samsung is BACK, with the latest and greatest – the S8 and S8 Plus, are a revelation. The wraparound design makes the screen the centrepiece of the phone, the Infinity Super AMOLED display pops out with its vibrant colours and high screen to body ratio. Compared to the previous S7 edge, the new phones actually feel slimmer, and easier to hold, thanks to a taller aspect ratio, and a better edge build. They are beautiful phones and blows away the competition.

To achieve this, Samsung removed the non-essentials on the front of the phone. The branding, the home button / fingerprint sensor combo, have all been deemed excess to requirements. The smaller S8 managed to achieve a bigger display than an iPhone 7 Plus, in a smaller footprint, and yet, still retaining the 3.5mm jack. And that’s worth applauding. Now they just have to ensure that the phones do not explode and this would be a homerun.

The previous generation Galaxy S7 and Note 7 have been great phones and many top features have been retained. The IP68 waterproof feature, IRIS recognition, and compatibility with the other great Samsung products like Samsung Pay and GearVR are still on the cards. I am not too sure how useful Bixby would be, which is the other big star of the release, but there’s Google Assistant as an option as well.

Preorders with the local telcos – Singtel, Starhub, M1, is expected within the week, and with a ship date of April 21.

As you would expect from a flagship phone, the specifications do not disappoint.

Galaxy S8

  • Size: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8mm
  • Weight: 152g
  • 5.8-inch Infinity Super AMOLED curved display with 2960 x 1440 resolution (571 PPI)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor or Exynos 8895 8895 processor, depending on market
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 64GB of UFS 2.1 storage
  • microSD support up to 256GB
  • 12-megapixel F/1.7 camera with autofocus and optical image stabilization, Quick Launch and Bixby support
  • 8-megapixel F/1.7 front camera with autofocus, Quick Launch, and Bixby support
  • Iris scanner
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • Heart rate sensor
  • IP68 water and dust proof certification
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with dual band support
  • GPS, Glonass
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • 3,000 mAh battery with fast-charging, wireless charging, and battery saving modes
  • Android 7.0 Nougat with Samsung UX on top

Galaxy S8+

  • Size: 159.5 x 73.1 x 8.1mm
  • Weight: 173g
  • 6.2-inch Infinity Super AMOLED curved display with 2960 x 1440 resolution (529 PPI)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor or Exynos 8895 8895 processor, depending on market
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 64GB ofUFS 2.1 storage
  • microSD support up to 256GB
  • 12-megapixel F/1.7 camera with autofocus and optical image stabilization, Quick Launch and Bixby support
  • 8-megapixel F/1.7 front camera with autofocus, Quick Launch, and Bixby support
  • Iris scanner
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • Heart rate sensor
  • IP68 water and dust proof certification
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with dual band support
    GPS, Glonass
    USB Type-C
    3.5mm headphone jack
    3,500 mAh battery with fast-charging, wireless charging, and battery saving modes
    Android 7.0 Nougat with Samsung UX on top