Richard Goodwin 01/02/2017 - 5:00pm

A few quick points on why the Samsung Galaxy S8 will likely be the best overall smartphone of 2017

Apple’s iPhone 8 might cause some drama when it drops inside Q3 of 2017, but it is going to have to be seriously impressive in order to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy S8, which is shaping up to be a very compelling handset.

Samsung had a pretty turbulent 2016, what with the Galaxy Note 7 and all, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the company is really GUNNING for it in 2017.

As usual, the Galaxy S-update will be the company’s flagship offering. Though this year there could well be three Galaxy S8 models: two standard, with EDGE displays, and, a larger, Plus or Pro model.

Core experiences should be pretty close across all models, however, and this, as well as tweaks to the design, is what’s going to sell the phone, likely by the boat-load, in 2017.

Below are my top picks for what to look forward to on Samsung’s soon-to-be-launched Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship handset.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Design & Overall Spec

Apple used to be the king of industrial design. But this is no longer the case. Samsung is now the mac daddy when it comes to phone design.

The Galaxy S7 EDGE and Galaxy Note 7 were head and shoulders above the iPhone 7 with respect to design and finish, and this trend will almost certainly continue into 2017 with the Galaxy S8.

How Samsung refines the design of the Galaxy S7 this year remains to be seen, but leaks have confirmed that the Home key will no longer exist on the handset and this means more display real estate and a sleeker, smarter frontal appearance.

All Galaxy S8 models will be EDGE models. The standard flat-display design will no longer be available, apparently. Not that this should concern anybody; the EDGE models of Samsung’s current handsets look absolutely stunning when compared to their non-EDGE stablemates.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Bixby

This is where things start to get very interesting. Bixby is Samsung’s play for the AI space in 2017. Developed by Viv Labs, the guys that created Siri, Bixby is Samsung’s version of Alexa.

We already know quite a bit about Bixby: it’ll be a lot smarter than the current generation of Siri, ship inside ALL Samsung handsets in 2017, and will be able to do many, many cool things that currently aren’t available on any phones.

One such feature, recently leaked online by a couple of courses, is Bixby’s ability to tell, from a picture taken by the phone, what the user is looking at and then find that object online so the user can buy it using Samsung Pay.

The two services – Bixby and Samsung Pay – will work hand in hand to offer a seamless and completely unique shopping experience. Beyond this, Bixby is said to be very intelligent and capable – think more Amazon Alexa than Siri.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Camera and Imaging

Samsung has always had solid pedigree when it comes to imaging. But this year’s Galaxy S8 phones will benefit from a raft of new features that will really extend what’s possible with the handsets from a photography standpoint.

A bunch of patents dropped earlier this year that showed Samsung’s plans for imaging aboard future Galaxy handsets. Most of the patent was about new features like dual-sensor technology and improvements to overall photo quality.

I always look forward to Samsung’s new camera technology, and this year’s release will definitely be significant. I’m expecting big things from Samsung in this department in 2017.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Display – Best In Class Display

The Samsung Galaxy S7 had the best overall display of any smartphone released in 2016. You can find out more why inside our Samsung Galaxy S8 Display Review. The long and short of it is pretty simple though: through careful investment in AMOLED technologies, Samsung has found itself very much a leader in this field.

The applied technologies it has developed always find their way to Samsung’s latest and greatest flagships, and this year’s Galaxy S8 will be no exception. Reports suggest Samsung could well release the Galaxy S8 with a 4K OLED panel in order to add more detail to VR experiences.

This 4K panel could be just one of the USPs of a larger, Galaxy S8 Plus or Pro model.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S8’s specs will be impressive. New Android flagship devices ALWAYS push the boundaries in this regard, and Samsung is usually the first of the big name brands to do the pushing inside Q1 of every year.

The Galaxy S8 could pack up to 8GB of RAM onboard. The architecture uses two 8 Gigabit RAM modules stacked in a dual-channel configuration, equalling 64 Gigabits, aka 8GB of DRAM. The setup takes up 30% less space inside the phone shell than current LPDDR4 memory while also being 20% more battery efficient, according to the creator of this hardware, SK Hynix.

And, yes, that’s significant. Very significant.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Software: Android Nougat + Big Updates To Key Apps

The Galaxy S8 will run Android Nougat. But the big star of the show inside its software will not be Android; no, it will be Bixby and Samsung’s updated Health help, according to reports, which the company is keen to make one of the handset’s biggest unique selling points.

The S-Health app, for instance, will apparently be a lot more advanced, help users diagnose symptoms, contact medical professionals, and access tons more detailed data about their body’s energy levels and overall health.

Bixby will almost certainly feature prominently in how these new apps are managed and how one interacts with them.

What are you most excited about seeing?