Description

Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung has added to its line the Galaxy s8 and the bigger Galaxy s8 plus. These two phones are Samsung’s flagships of 2017 that are expected to take on phones like the iPhone 8, the LG G6, the HTC u11, and other 2017 flagships from other different manufacturers. So we should expect top-notch features with the s8 and s8 plus from Samsung. This is an overview of the Samsung galaxy s8.

Samsung Galaxy S8 specs

• Release Date: 2017, March
• Dimensions: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm
• Weight: 155 g
• Screen: 5.8″, Super AMOLED
• Main Camera: Single, 12 MP
• Selfi Camera: Single, 8 MP
• Memory: 64 GB, 4 GB RAM
• CPU: Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Mongoose M2 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53) – EMEA
• Battery: 3000 mAh
• Sensors: Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2

Samsung Galaxy S8 Design and Build

Samsung decided to go all out with the design of the Galaxy s8. Looks, sometimes are everything. This is an almost bezel-less smartphone with an 83.6% screen-to-body ratio. It, therefore, is super tall although it amazingly doesn’t feel that way while holding it. The move Samsung took to get rid of bezels allowed for a tall screen on a relatively normal size of a smartphone. The glass of the galaxy s8’s screen melts on its sides giving it a seamless look with curved edges on both sides.

This time Samsung has also done away with the physical home button and replaced it with a virtual one, again, a move to create room for the display on the galaxy s8, and also reduce bezel size. The back of the s8 features a camera at the top middle, it is centrally placed, a fingerprint scanner, and an LED flash on the right and left of the camera. Its glass back looks stunning, and you get wireless charging as a result of the glass back. Its sides are made of metal frames of course. The galaxy s8 has a stunning design and I applaud Samsung for the craftsmanship they put into the s8. Its dimensions are 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm and she weighs 155 grams. Also to mention the s8 is IP68 certified – dust/waterproof over 1.5 meters and 30 minutes.

Display

Besides its build, the Samsung galaxy s8’s display is also another selling point of this phone. Samsung’s display is the best in the smartphone market, the crown is Samsung’s and they are undisputed. The s8 has a display Samsung calls Infinity display which brings with it a sharp HDR screen. The resolution of the Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen stands at 1440 x 2960 pixels (570 PPI pixel density). Its 5.8-inch screen can get as sharp as it can, bright and the user has an option of controlling its resolution. Viewing angles, from my review was “140 > view <170.” With the s8, Samsung nailed the display and they do earn all the rights to have it as one of its selling points. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Camera

Two cameras, a primary 12 MP sensor with improved image processing, and an 8 MP secondary camera with autofocus. The primary camera features geo-tagging, simultaneous 4K video, and 9MP image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, Auto HDR, and panorama while the selfie one has l video call and Auto HDR.  The images are sharp, of course, and the general picture quality is very impressive. Samsung has also introduced this feature for its primary camera that will give you detail about what you have focused on.

For example, if you want to take a picture of a product in the supermarket, when focused the S8 will tell you about the product and give details like where to buy it, alternatives of that product, and so on. I’m not sure it will be a feature you will use every day although it’s just nice to have it.

Performance and Memory

The  Samsung Galaxy s8 comes with 64 GB onboard and runs on 4 GB of RAM. It has a dedicated SD card so if 64GB isn’t enough, you can still expand up to 256 GB using an SD card. The s8 has Exynos 8895 Octa – EMEA or Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 chipset (depending on your market), Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz & 4×1.7 GHz) – EMEA or Octa-core (4×2.35 GHz Kryo & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo) CPU (depending on your market) with Mali-G71 MP20 – EMEA or Adreno 540 GPU (also depending on your market).  It comes with Android Nougat straight out of its box although it runs Samsung’s skin TouchWiz.

Battery

The s8 comes with a user-non-removable 3000mAh battery with an endurance rating of 84 hours. Now Samsung doesn’t really go all out with battery capacity. 3000mAh will last a full day of moderate usage and in case you run out of charge, there is quick charging support on the s8 and wireless charging is also supported.

Connectivity and Network

Samsung Galaxy s8 supports GPS, and Wi-Fi (dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, and hotspot), it is the first phone in the world with Bluetooth 5.0, has NFC, and comes with a 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector.  Network: GSM 2g, HSPA 3G and LTE 4G. Supports either single or dual sim.

Other features: the s8 also adds to its security feature face-scanning which is very fast, you blink you miss it, and an iris scanner which is very secure.  How I end my review of the s8. This is a very impressive smartphone. Its design is top-notch and it nails basic smartphone features like the display and the camera. It does feel like a phone of the future, one that has come before its time. Samsung Galaxy S8 surely is a masterpiece.

Get the latest Samsung Smartphones in Kenya.