I can’t remember a phone that has leaked quite as much as the Samsung Galaxy S8. During the past few months there has been a steady stream of reliable, detailed leaks about the handsets.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will launch on March 29, though this latest leak (via WinFuture), which we’re calling the Mother Load, reveals pretty much everything about the handset – even Samsung’s official press shot of the handsets.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has leaked a lot – way more than any other Samsung handset release before it. This makes me think that a lot of the leaks aren’t exactly flukes.
I think Samsung might just be helping out with them, seeding information and images to certain sources in order to drum up the maximum amount of hype, headlines and internet chatter around the handsets’ prior to launch.
Think about it: it’s like free advertising – advertising that gets people pumped for the launch. And then, when the handset is as good as the leaks suggest, you get lots of pre-orders and big handset sales once the handset goes live.
The devices are exceptionally well put together, based on the leaks, and look to have major updates in all key areas. The result of this should translate into massive sales for Samsung – sales that will help the company cover its losses on the Note 7.
And it lost a spectacular amount of money because of the Galaxy Note 7.
According to Gartner, "Three Chinese vendors — Huawei, Oppo and BBK Communication Equipment — together accounted for 21 percent of the smartphones sold to end users worldwide in the third quarter of 2016. They were the only smartphone vendors in the global top five to increase their sales and market share during the quarter."
"China led the growth in the smartphone market in the third quarter of 2016," said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner.
"Sales of smartphones in China grew by 12.4 percent, and the vendors who most successfully exploited the sales opportunities there were Oppo and BBK Communication Equipment. In Oppo's case, 81 percent of its smartphone sales came from China, while BBK accounted for 89 percent of smartphones sales in China. These two vendors also grew strongly in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Russia," he added.
This is why Samsung NEEDS the Galaxy S8 to do the business. It has costs to cover and profits to make. Fortunately, it looks as if the Galaxy S8 will be one hell of an update.
The blog revealed 25 new features and upgrades that will hit the new handsets. These include details about the display, the camera, the design language, the internal specs and expected performance for the handset.
Basically, everything.
This leak, alongside the pictures, gives us our clearest look at the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 so far. It shows us what the handset will look like, its USPs, and how it will differ from other Android flagships on the market right now.
Right: let’s dig down into the details, shall we?
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Display & Design
Both handsets will feature CURVED, OLED displays. EDGE is now the norm inside Samsung’s Galaxy S8 range.
The displays inside the handsets (5.8in Galaxy S8; 6.2in Galaxy S8 Plus) will feature an ultra-wide 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The screen resolution will be 2960 x 2400 (WDHD+).
The Samsung Galaxy S8 dimensions will be 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0mm and it will weigh in at 151g. The report did not mention the S8 Plus’ size or weight, though it is definitely bigger.
Neither handset will feature a physical home key. The finger print scanner has also be moved to the back of the handset. It now sits just below the camera unit.
Both handsets will be water and dust resistant.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Security
Gesture Recognition – both handsets will feature gesture-recognition, meaning you can program in hand-gestures to unlock the phone and/or certain applications.
Both handsets will feature an iris scanner. This was first seen on the Galaxy Note 7 and has now made its way down to the upcoming S8 phones.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Performance
Bizarrely, the report suggests both handsets will run on 4GB of RAM – not 6GB, as previous rumours suggested.
Both handsets will run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset and Samsung’s on Exynos 8895 CPU.
The US, Japan and China will apparently be the first regions to get the Snapdragon, with everywhere else getting Exynos.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Camera
The main camera on both handsets will be a 12MP setup with a f1/7 aperture and OIS. The camera will also feature Dual Pixel focus for even faster capture and better, dynamic shots.
The front-facing setup has also been updated from 5MP to 8MP.
Performance-wise, these cameras should be very fast indeed. Expect zero shutter lag, excellent dynamic range and plenty of additional features we don’t yet know about.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Specs & Connectivity
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will feature 3000mAh and 3500mAh, respectively. This is the same size as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 EDGE, which is odd, given the increase in display size.
They are non-removable cells as well… but that’s to be expected these days. I do miss the days of removable cells in Samsung phones though.
Wireless charging is present and accounted for on both models, as is dual-band gigabit Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 4.2 and USB Type-C.
And, most importantly, the 3.5mm headphone jack is present and accounted for. Phew!
Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Price
EU prices will start at €799 for the Galaxy S8 and €899 for the Galaxy S8 Plus. If you’re in the US, you’re likely looking at $799/849 and $899/949. Pricy!
The handsets will be available in the following colours at launch: Black, Blue, Gold, Orchid Gray and Silver.
