At a time where some new smartphone introductions might go unnoticed, that is not the case when it came to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, the company’s first big product introduction since Samsung’s explosive Note 7 and washing machine problems not so long ago. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been highly anticipated and industry leaked for months. Some industry bloggers spoke of rumors that the next generation Galaxy smartphone would be introduced in February during Mobile World Congress and more public leaks that it might be the week to follow. After many false predictions Samsung finally officially unpacked the new flagships on March 29th.
The handsets themselves are good sized with a 5.8-inch display for the Galaxy S8 and a 6.2-inch display Galaxy S8+. The usable screen is designed to go edge to edge with what the company calls an Infinity Display (with no bezel) and features Gorilla Glass on both the front and back of the handset. Both handsets come with an 8MP front facing camera and a 12MP rear facing camera. The company has beefed up the phones’ processing power by including a 10nm processor, and support for gigabit LTE and gigabit Wi-Fi up to 1 Gbps. The phones are water resistant, support a MicroSD memory card, and feature wireless charging capabilities.
Samsung also introduced its Siri-like assistant, Bixby. The new smartphones will have a “Bixby Button” that can be activated by touch, voice, or text commands. Bixby’s Voice function will work with several apps and features including the camera, contacts, gallery, messages and settings. The company plans to expand Bixby’s voice support to work with other third-party apps in the future.
This smartphone wants to be more than just a smartphone, it wants to be as secure and familiar as a typical computer. To that end Samsung introduced a docking station called the DeX Station. DeX is an accessory docking station for the smartphone that when docked allows connection to a monitor (HDMI-compatible) or use a Bluetooth-enabled, USB or RF-type keyboard or mouse. The company also introduced its new set of safety features, called Samsung Knox. Knox includes a fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, and facial recognition so users can select their own means of authentication to open the phone.
VR and gaming will be all new on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The smartphones will work with the new third-generation Gear VR with Controller, allowing for one-handed control and navigation while playing a game.The smartphones can be used with Samsung’s new Gear 360 camera which can create 4K 360-degree videos and 15MP photos.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available April 21 and come in midnight black, orchid gray, arctic silver, coral blue, and maple gold. The phones will be available on the popular wireless carriers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
The S8 and S8+ are the first major product introductions from Samsung since the explosive Galaxy Note and subsequent washing machine recalls in 2016. Those PR nightmares could have crippled a smaller or lesser known vendor, but Samsung is hoping to emerge from the embarrassing debacles with these new smartphones. President of Mobile Communications Business, DJ Koh was quoted in the press release “The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what’s possible in safety and marks a new milestone in Samsung’s smartphone legacy.”
The specs and features the S8 and S8+ are impressive which could make these new flagships popular smartphone choices for people looking for a new device. Due to the pricing, these phones are more likely to appeal to a tech savvy consumer willing to spend a little more for their next smartphone. Samsung must be holding its proverbial breath hoping and awaiting positive user stories without any exploding results.
Contact Keypoint Intelligence with with question or to learn more about our ongoing research into the Mobile Imaging industry.
