Samsung Galaxy S8 Gets Launch

Print

After months of stories of phablets spontaneously catching fire Samsung reveals the Galaxy S8 and S8+, a pair of devices promising to be the company's return to mobile device form.

Samsung Galaxy S8The S8+ is the bigger option with a 6.2-inch screen, but the S8 might be the superior model since it features a 5.8-inch "infinity display"-- a Super AMOLED screen wrapping around the curved front of the phone, making it almost bezel-less. Both displays run at 2960 x 1440 resolution, and phone construction features Gorilla Glass 5 on both front and back with a metal band in between.

Depending on region, the phones are powered by either Qualcomm or Exynox octa-core processors together with 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage (expandable to 256GB via microSD slot) and a 3000mAH battery (3500mAh in the S8+). Also included is a 12MP duopixel f/1.7 aperture rear-facing camera, 8MP front-facing camera, fingerprint sensor, USB-C port and, in a Samsung first, Bluetooth 5 connectivity.

As previously announced, the S8 and S8+ are the first devices to feature Bixby, the Samsung take on voice assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant. Summoned via pressing a button on the left side or simply calling its name aloud, it should allow one to control all phone functions through voice alone, a task the competition cannot handle as yet.

The Galaxy S8 reveal comes with two interesting accessories-- an update on the Gear 360 camera and the DeX. The Gear 360 records 4K-resolution 360-degree video via 8.4MP image sensors and dual fisheye lenses, and allows users of compatible devices (meaning most 2016-2017 Samsung devices, iPhone and Windows/Mac PCs) share footage on livestream services or platforms such as Facebook, YouTube or Samsung VR.

Meanwhile the DeX is a dock turning the Galaxy S8 into an Android-based desktop PC-style device. It features a redesigned Android UI optimised for keyboard and mouse input, and is compatible with Microsoft and Adobe apps as well as enterprise virtual desktops from Citrix, VMware and Amazon Web Services. It includes x2 USB 2.0, ethernet and USB-C power-in ports together with a cooling fan and adaptive fast charging (AFC) technology.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ ship from April 2017, as does the DeX.

Go Discover New Possibilities With the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

Go Samsung's New Gear 360

Go Samsung DeX