2016 will be a year to forget for Samsung and its phone products.
The Galaxy 7 Note was a disaster as its battery explosions became somewhat legendary, and not in a good way. The phone was even banned by airlines. It was a manufacturing and public relations nightmare.
Samsung hopes its new phone, the Galaxy S8, will cure the ills of the past and bring the brand into the goodwill of the Android world.
Just released, first glances indicate that the phone has what it takes to put Samsung at or near the top of the smartphone heap.
The phone is a handsome demon. It has a tall and narrow shape. The physical home button has been removed with a new virtually “bezel-less” design. It looks elegant and can easily fit 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 is 6.2 inches. The images are distinct, bright and extremely colourful. Image quality is excellent.
Samsung is also counting on its new digital assistant Bixby to create some positive vibes. It’s meant to compete with Apple’s Siri, the Google 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 enabled Bixby to search by vision. This will require one click through the phone’s camera app. It can provide you with an exact item you’re looking for or other search options.
Security is strong with an iris scanner and a fingerprint sensor. However, many will find the fingerprint sensor a bit awkward. It has been placed at the back of the phone, near the rear camera. It is difficult to reach and will stain the rear lens.
Another problem is the aspect ratio of the videos. The 18.5:9 screen means that a lot of videos and apps won’t fit. Black bars are visible on the sides.
The good stuff still abounds, like a headphone jack at the bottom and a MicroSD slot. There’s even a USB Type-C plugin and IP68 waterproofing.
Inside, the hardware is state of the art with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4GB of RAM. You will quickly go through any game on the Play Store.
All types of applications are included with the phone. About 40 in all, 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 arm’s reach of the Google Pixel.
Many of the camera filters seemed to be inspired by those on 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 lengthy checklist before installation. It is perhaps the safest on the market. Still, it could be faster, but it will provide faster wireless charging than an iPhone.
Overall the phone is very 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 releases AKG headphones valued at $100.
Colors include Article Silver, Midnight Black, and Orchid Grey.
Beauty comes at a price and the new Samsung Galaxy 8 certainly has both.