2016 will be a year to forget for Samsung and its phone products.
The Galaxy 7 Note was a disaster as its battery blasts became somewhat legendary, and not in a good way. The phone was even banned by the airlines. It was a manufacturing and public relations nightmare.
Samsung hopes that its new phone, the Galaxy S8, will cure the evils of the past and lead the brand to the good graces of Android World.
Recently released first looks indicate that the phone has what it takes to place Samsung at the top or near the top of the smartphone heap.
The phone is a handsome devil. It has a tall and narrow shape. The physical home button has been removed with a new virtually “bezel-less” design. It looks stylish and fits easily in the palm of your hand. Even iPhone fans will appreciate the aesthetics of the new device.
The phone comes in two sizes. The S8 measures 5.8 inches and the S8 Plus comes in 6.2 inches. The images are distinct, bright, and extremely colorful. The quality of the photo is excellent.
Samsung also has its new Bixby digital assistant to create positive vibes. It’s meant to compete with Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa.
You can access Bixby by pressing a button on the side of the phone instead of yelling at the device. It will detail your appointments, weather, and other compatible apps.
Samsung has also empowered Bixby to search by vision. This will require a click through the phone’s camera app. It can provide you with an exact item you are looking for or other search options.
Security is solid with an iris scanner and fingerprint sensor. However, many will find the fingerprint sensor a bit awkward. It has been placed on the back of the phone near the rear camera. It is difficult to reach and will smudge the rear lens.
Another problem is the aspect ratio of the videos. The 18.5: 9 screen means that many videos and apps will not fit. Black bars are visible on the sides.
Good things still abound, like a headphone jack on the bottom and a MicroSD slot. There’s even a USB Type-C plug-in and IP68 waterproofing.
Inside, the hardware is cutting edge with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4GB of RAM. It will quickly go through any game on the Play Store.
All types of applications are included with the phone. About 40 in total, including Skype and Microsoft Office Suite.
The 12 megapixel camera is top notch. Samsung has improved image processing. The front camera has been upgraded to an 8MP module from a 5MP module with a faster aperture. Even low-light photos are better. Camera quality is within easy reach of the Google Pixel.
Many of the camera filters seemed to be inspired by Snapchat. You can add glasses, mustaches, and more.
Tests indicate that the phone will take about 80 minutes to recharge. Samsung learned its lesson the hard way and the battery now goes through a heavy checklist before installation. It may be the safest on the market. Still, it could be faster, but it will provide faster wireless charging than an iPhone.
Overall, the phone is of extremely high quality and demands a high-quality price. The S8 will set you back $ 750 and the S8 Plus $ 850. However, each phone has 64GB of native storage, up from 32 for the S7. Samsung also includes AKG headphones valued at $ 100.
Colors include item silver, midnight black, and orchid gray.
Beauty has a price and the new Samsung Galaxy 8 certainly has both.