Samsung is hoping to redeem itself with their latest flagship the Galaxy S8. But that is not going to be an easy task, for it to reach the same heights as its predecessors the company will have to produce a device that is brilliant in every aspect. Anything less than that just won’t be enough to get them out of all the mess they have been in lately and attract customers. Samsung has been the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons. They had to recall their Galaxy Note 7 because of isolated incidents of the batteries exploding. It was largest recall in the history of any mobile device, costing Samsung a whopping $5 billion. But that wasn’t the end of Samsung’s misery, after the issues had been taken care of the Korean company resumed sales for the Note 7. Up until the news of supposedly a replacement unit Note 7 caught fire in an US airliner. Pamela Gilbert a former executive director of CPSC said “If it’s the fixed phone and it started to smoke in his pocket, I’m going to guess there’ll be another recall”. A second recall is probably the last Samsung would want. And because of this two major carriers of USA AT&T and T-Mobile have suspended sales of Galaxy Note 7.
Despite all that, Samsung should be appreciated for taking responsibility for their faulty devices instead of just looking away. All the customers who had already purchased their Note 7’s were given alternate solutions to choose from. So, after all this drama, it seems the right time to start a discussing a new flagship device from Samsung. What has been Samsung doing for the past year, what new features could the new Galaxy S8 possess? Well here is everything that we know about the latest Samsung Galaxy S8, specs, features, latest news, release date, pictures, Price and all the rumors floating over.
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Galaxy S8 Labeled Dream Project
Samsung has decided to label its Galaxy S8 devices as Dream and Dream 2. Considering the nightmare the company has been going through, it seems quite appropriate. Another interesting thing is seen in the code names given to the Galaxy S8 devices, SM-G950 and SM-G955. This device should have been named SM-G940, since the Galaxy S7 was SM-G930. But Samsung decided to skip the number 4 because in Korea the Number 4 is considered bad luck. And that is the one thing Samsung are not looking for at the moment.
Exynos 8895 Chip
The Galaxy S8 is to contain Samsung’s own chip, Exynos 8895 SoC (System on Chip) which will be clocked at 3GHz, which will make image processing 70% faster. There have been rumors circulating that Samsung will use the Snapdragon 830 SoC. But that seems unlikely because if we look at Samsung’s pattern of the last couple of years we find that they have been using Exynos chips and this year expected to be no different. Samsungs Exynos 8895 chip will have to go up against Apple’s A10 Fusion chip, which is said to be the most power chip ever fitted to phone. The A10 Fusion chip broke every benchmark ever set in processing speed and power. On Geekbench the A10 Fusion chip got a score of 3301 on single core and 5336 on multi core. All that is very good but the Exynos chip also reputedly scored 2301 for single-core and 7019 for multi-core in Geekbench. It is going to be an interesting competition between these two.
The display is expected to have some major changes as well. Some reports suggest that, Samsung is all set to equip its Galaxy S8 with 4k Display. It was expected that the Galaxy S8 will have a major display makeover, considering how the previous versions made use of the QHD displays panels. The device will also consist of a 6GB RAM alongside 64/128GB internal storage. A micro SD slot will be available to extend the storage. On the back it is equipped with a 12 MP camera and on the front an 8MP selfie shooter. Plus, there have been reports suggesting that Samsung’s supplier have been taking orders for dual-lens cameras. Which are designed to provide DSLR quality pictures. However it is still unclear whether Samsung will develop the cameras and sensors in its in-house LCI division, or they will engage a third-party supplier for the development.
Dual Edge Screen
There has been talk that the Dual Edge Display is going to be a trade mark for the new flagship devices, after the Note 7 was released with one. It is safe to say that Samsung is getting rid of the old flat screen displays in their flagship devices and replacing them with a dual-edge display. Samsung is thriving to provide its user with unique designs and experiences, which the dual-edge display provides. It is also said that the company is looking to provide some extra functionality for the edge display. And rumors say that Samsung might ditch the physical home button on the device’s bottom bezel, providing the user with captivating viewing of images and videos. The fingerprint scanner will be integrated in the display itself. So, Samsung will most probably release the Galaxy S8 with a 5.2 inch or a 5.5 inch dual-edge display. It has also been rumored that Apple is going to be using a curved OLED display for new iPhone which is set to be released next year around the 10 year anniversary of the Apple iPhone. And the curved OLED display is said to be manufactured by Samsung.
There are some rumors going around that, Samsung might be thinking of removing the 3.5mm headphone jack as Apple did with their latest iPhone 7. Samsung should understand that there is no need for them to follow the steps of their competitors because they will be will lose their distinctiveness. Samsung needs to come with something new and innovative to counter their competitor. It is very important for Samsung to innovate if they want to stay in the competition especially after their recent major setback.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date
With everything that has been going on with the exploding batteries, Samsung might release the device earlier than expected. If we look back the S-Series, they have always been released in April. But, there is a strong feeling that Samsung might unveil the Galaxy S8 at the Mobile World Congress 2017. It seems like the best platform at the moment for Samsung to announce their next flagship set but if for some reason they decide not to, then March sounds most likely.
One major concern that has risen is that if Samsung release the Galaxy S8 earlier than expected, how much that will affect the quality of the device. Will the R&D Department have enough time to test the device thoroughly for any issues that may arise in the future. Samsung’s PR department will surely address these concerns. Samsung will have to be extra careful with this device because the usual marketing techniques will not work this time when people are looking for a quality device.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Price
There has been no official announcement regarding the pricing of the device. But, looking back at past flagships, we can assume that the Galaxy S8 will cost somewhere in-between $750 to $900.
Here are the expected prices of the Galaxy S8 for different countries:
USA 790 USD
UK 600 pound
UAE 2900 AED
Europe 719 EUR
Canada 1045 CAD
China 5275 Yuan
Australia 1055 AUD
Japan 8052 Yen
India 53000 INR
Pakistan 83000 PKR
Galaxy S8 Specs
Display: 5.2 inch dual-edge Super AMOLED 4K display with 4096 x 2160 pixels resolution
Camera: 12 MP Rear, 8 MP Front.
Waterproof & Dust Resistance: IP68 Certified – Water & Dust Resistant
Processor: Exynos 8895 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 830
RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4
Storage: 64/128 GB
Software: Android 7.0 Nougat
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX, GPS, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, NFC, USB Type-C
Battery: 3200 mAh
Release Date: MWC, 2017
Colors: Black, White, Gold, Silver, Pink Gold
Price: Exp. $750 to $900.
Overall the Galaxy S8 seems like an interesting device. There is time for left for Samsung to improve on the device and provide its customers with a cool-headed quality device. Samsung needs to forget about the crisis it has been in lately and announce its latest flagship device the Galaxy S8 with a bang (generally speaking).
