The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are, without a doubt, the best smartphones in the industry this year. Well, 2017 has just started and the S8 duo hasn't gone on sale yet, but it sure looks like only the Galaxy Note 8 will be able to one-up what Samsung is offering with the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Our official review will tell you everything there is to know about Samsung's new flagships, but for now, here are the top eight features of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ that you should know about.
QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Displays with A+ ratings
The most important feature of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ is their top-notch Infinity Displays. The Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch curved Super AMOLED display, while the Galaxy S8+ features a 6.2-inch curved Super AMOLED display. Thanks to the Infinity Display design, these smartphones are barely larger than the competing iPhone models, which means that you’re getting more screen real estate in the same size.
Moreover, these displays are the best in the industry when it comes to picture quality, contrast, brightness, and viewing angles. DisplayMate tested the Galaxy S8’s display and crowned them as the best in the industry (just as it did the Galaxy S7 display). If you happen to love HDR videos, you’ll be delighted to know that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are the first smartphones to be certified by the UHD Alliance for Premium Mobile HDR.
There’s also a pressure sensitive home button (and customizable navigation keys) embedded into the Galaxy S8 and S8+’s displays. This home button will always be visible in the Always On Display mode. The AOD mode has also been improved in terms of power efficiency using a dedicated IC, so the new phones would consume even lower power when the AOD mode is active.
Powerful 10nm octa-core processors
The next best thing about the Galaxy S8 and S8+ is their brand new octa-core processor. These 64-bit octa-core smartphones use either the Exynos 8895 SoC or the Snapdragon 835 SoC, depending on the market. These processors are designed and built using Samsung’s 10nm FinFET fabrication process technology.
There’s a massive improvement in graphics performance of these chipsets, so the Galaxy S8 and S8+ would be the best smartphones for mobile gaming or any other performance-oriented task. They are also compatible with Vulkan, the next big thing in the gaming industry. They would also sip lower power compared to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge’s processors under similar workloads, even though real-life battery life might not be that great overall.
Improved camera performance
Compared to the fixed-focus 5-megapixel front-facing camera on the S7 and S7 edge, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ feature 8-megapixel front-facing cameras with F1.7 aperture and ‘Smart Auto Focus’, which means that your ever-so-important selfies would turn out much better compared to the ones clicked using previous Samsung flagship smartphones.
Even though it doesn’t look like Samsung upgraded the rear camera on the Galaxy S8, there is a definite improvement. First and foremost, the company has used a slightly upgraded 12-megapixel sensor for the rear-facing camera with F1.7 aperture, Dual Pixel autofocus, and 4K video recording. Thanks to the powerful processor, 4K videos support EIS (electronic image stabilization), too, so videos would appear to be smoother.
Moreover, the multi-frame processing technology in the Galaxy S8 and the S8+ captures multiple images and uses them to create a final image that has better colors and white balance, resulting in better-looking images. There are Snapchat-like filters and stickers too, so you can click fun pictures and videos without using the battery-draining Snapchat app.
Enhanced security with iris and facial recognition
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ offer five types of security technologies: iris recognition, face recognition, pattern, password, and PIN. This is more than any other smartphone in the market. You can easily choose the method that you like the most. Moreover, these new smartphones also feature Samsung Pass, which can be used to store your login credentials for online services, so that you won’t have to remember them every time you log on to a website or app. You can also use the Secure Folder app to save important files, images, videos, and apps.
Bixby
Bixby is Samsung’s improved artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant. The company built it using Viv’s technology, and it said to be more powerful than Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant. Samsung claims that the user can use Bixby to perform almost any task that they can do by touching the smartphone’s display. That’s a tall claim, and that’s why Samsung has included a dedicated button on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ to summon Bixby.
Bixby can not only understand what's on-screen, but it can predict what you're looking at. You can order Bixby to share an image that you're viewing on the gallery app to anyone in your contacts list. The AI-powered digital assistant can also identify things using the camera app, so you can point the Galaxy S8 or S8+ on a bottle of wine and ask Bixby to show information related to it and buy it from online stores. Bixby can also learn your routine and show you relevant information through Google Now-like cards.
Samsung's Bixby currently works with Flipboard to show important stories that you care about, new music albums released on Google Play Music, or show you an Uber card so that you can book a cab with just one tap. The company claims that it is working with more partners to include Bixby actions in more apps in the near future, and also on bringing better language support. You can even give Bixby a go on your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, although you won't see its full potential on any device except the S8 and S8+.
IP68 certification for dust and water resistance
Similar to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. You would think that it isn’t an improvement over their predecessors, but it's still the highest level of water and dust resistance on a smartphone and not something you find on many devices out there. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ offer peace of mind when you get caught in the rain or face an unexpected water spill. Moreover, you can use the Galaxy S8 and S8+ to capture memories at your pool party or when you’re on the beach with your loved ones.
1 Gbps LTE & Wi-Fi
The new chipsets used in the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are not only great for processing performance but also provide the latest and greatest in terms of connectivity. These new smartphones are the first Gigabit LTE (Cat 16 LTE) and Gigabit Wi-Fi ready (1024 QAM) smartphones from Samsung. This means that you can get download speeds of up to 1 Gbps while using a compatible LTE network or a Wi-Fi access point. Samsung also claims that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are up to 20% faster than the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge on a Wi-Fi ac (5GHz band) access point.
AKG earphones in the box
When Samsung acquired the Harman group last year, rumors started floating that the Galaxy S8 would feature stereo speakers from AKG (owned by Harman). That dream didn’t come true, but Samsung was thoughtful enough to include a high-quality 32-bit DAC and AKG-tuned earphones with the S8 and S8+ for much better sound quality. In fact, the AKG earphones might be one of the finest earphones bundled with smartphones these days.
There's a lot to like on the Galaxy S8 and S8+, but the features mentioned above are what we think are the most attractive on the new bezel-starved Galaxy S flagships. What do you think? Agree with our list? Have something to add of your own? Get a conversation going in the comments, and do take a look at our Galaxy S8 and S8+ hands-on for our early impressions.
