Samsung has just made the Galaxy S8 and S8+, its flagship smartphone offerings for 2017, official. Both devices offer improvement in most aspects, including the processing speed and displays, compared to their predecessors. However, are those improvements massive enough for you to consider an upgrade?
The release of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge in 2015 marked an important milestone in Samsung’s smartphone design philosophy. The South Korean smartphone giant introduced a glass-and-metal build, dual-edge curved displays, and non-removable batteries to its premium smartphone lineup.
How much of an improvement do the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ offer compared to the two-year old Galaxy S6 and S6 edge? Some of the notable improvements include a much faster processor, larger displays (and a complete move to curved displays in both the variants), an improved camera autofocus mechanism, IP68 dust and water resistance, and a lot of added security features.
Let’s find out how the Galaxy S8 and the S8+ compare to the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in the specs comparison table below. For more detailed specs, head to our devices section.
| Galaxy S6/S6 edge | Galaxy S8/Galaxy S8+ | |
| Display | 5.1-inch flat/curved Super AMOLED, Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels), 16:9 | 5.8/6.2-inch curved Super AMOLED, Quad HD+ (2960 x 1440 pixels), 18:5:9 |
| Processor | 2.1GHz octa-core Exynos 7420, 64-bit, 14nm | 2.3GHz octa-core Exynos 8895 (or Snapdragon 835), 64-bit, 10nm |
| RAM | 3GB LPDDR4 | 4GB LPDDR4 |
| Rear camera | 16-megapixel, OIS, F1.9 aperture, phase-detection autofocus, 4K video recording | 12-megapixel, OIS, F1.7 aperture, Dual Pixel phase-detection autofocus, 4K video recording |
| Front camera | 5-megapixel, fixed-focus, F1.9 aperture, QHD video recording | 8-megapixel, autofocus, F1.7 aperture, QHD video recording |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB/128GB UFS 2.0 internal, non-expandable | 64GB UFS 2.1 internal, microSD slot (up to 256GB) |
| Software | Android 5.0 Lollipop (upgradeable to Android 7.0 Nougat) | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Battery | 2,550/2,600 mAh, Adaptive Fast Charge wireless Charging | 3,000/3,500 mAh, Adaptive Fast Charge, and fast wireless charging |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, IR, NFC, microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack | 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Dimensions | 142.1×70.1×7 mm/143.4×70.5×6.8mm, 132g/138g | 148.9×68.1×8.0mm/159.5×73.4 x8.1mm, 152g/173g |
| Other features | Samsung Pay, fingerprint sensor | AKG earphones, 32-bit audio, Bixby virtual assistant, Samsung Pay, IP68 water & dust resistance, fingerprint sensor, iris/face recognition, pressure sensor |
