14 DAY TRIAL // The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally upon us, as Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S8 and S8+, this year’s flagships that will replace the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge at the forefront of Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup.
Samsung finally held the Unpacked 2017 event in New York City at 11 a.m. (EDT), at the David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. The South Korean company also scheduled a similar event at the Here East (2012 Olympic Press and Broadcast Centre) in London at 5PM CET. Moreover, the Unpacked 2017 event was live streamed on Samsung’s Unpacked Android and iOS app, as well as on its official website.
Significant design change in the lineup, introduction of key features
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ feature some of the most powerful components on the market today, aside from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 platform. They mark several premieres for Samsung, being the first phones to come with Bluetooth 5.0 and the company’s own virtual assistant Bixby.
The design of the two phones brings a significant change in the lineup, with the removal of the physical home button, a trademark of Samsung Galaxy S phones. Thus, the company made way for the Infinity Display that covers 80% of the front panel and graciously curves at both edges. The fingerprint scanner on the back is just one of the security solutions that Samsung employed on the new phones, together with the iris scanner, brought over from the late Galaxy Note 7.
As expected, the two smartphones come with IP68 certification against water and dust damages, together with Gorilla Glass 5 coating on top of the 5.8-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch screen on the S8+. They feature 4GB of RAM, 64GB of UFS 2.1 internal memory, 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh batteries to power various processes.
In terms of camera performance, the front shooter now has an 8MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture and smart auto focus. Rear camera capacity is 12MP, just like on its predecessor, with dual pixel technology with enhanced image processing.
“The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ usher in a new era of smartphone design and fantastic new services, opening up new ways to experience the world,” said DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.
