Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ hands-on preview
Mar 30, 2017 at 2:45 am EDT
Despite 2016's late stumble
with that phone, Samsung is still on top of the Android world. Part
of that is due to its extreme popularity in the mid- and low-end phones that
sell in dramatic numbers around the world, but it all falls under the halo of
the flagship Galaxy S line. Last year's Galaxy S7 was (and still is) a great
phone that cut back on gimmicks to just provide a fantastic overall experience
that did just about everything the market wanted. There weren't many
shortcomings to speak of — so how do you keep people interested, without giving
up the things that brought you so much success?
For fear of looking like it's
standing still, Samsung took a proven platform and refined it, keeping
everything that made the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge so popular
while adding a handful of big features that will keep people interested. The
Galaxy S8 and S8+ are undeniably successors to the Samsung Galaxy S line in
terms of looks, but make legitimately good moves toward usability. The same
goes for the software, where a couple of big features and design changes lay on
top of a familiar interface to the hundreds of millions of current Galaxy
owners.
It can be tough to stay on top for long, but Samsung wants to keep
pushing even though it's ahead. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are how it does it — here
are our first impressions of the phones.
The latest flagships from Samsung are easily the biggest Android
phones of the year in terms of influence and sales at the top end of the
market, and that means there's a whole lot you'll want to learn. Kick it all
off with our hands-on preview video, then read along for more details on what
Samsung has to offer in 2017!
"Cool new Galaxy!" is a
thing people say today, much in the same way they'd remark if you were carrying
a fresh iPhone the day you took it out of its box. The brand identity of
Samsung's last two generations of Galaxy S line cannot be overlooked, and it
isn't taking this for granted. That's undoubtedly why the Galaxy S8 and S8+
look so similar to their predecessors, even if it's
frustrating to the smartphone nerds among us who want to see altogether new
designs year after year.
This is a distinctly 'Samsung' design, simply
refined for 2017.
At a glance, from any given angle you'd be hard-pressed to
immediately pick out the "new" phone between the Galaxy S8 and S7
series of devices. Yes the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are gorgeous phones, but they use the same recipe as 2016 — with
just a slightly different proportion of the ingredients. Finely milled metal
and curved glass are mixed together, and in 2017 there's simply a whole lot
more glass.
83% of the front of the Galaxy S8 is usable screen real estate,
which as you can see in the photos means there's minimal bezel to speak of on
the left and right sides of the display. Even the top and bottom have shrunk,
nearing the point on the top bezel where you can't go much smaller assuming you
want a front-facing camera, sensors and call speaker. That top bezel is so thin
that Samsung even sacrificed its bold SAMSUNG branding that has graced the top
of every previous Galaxy S phone — leaving the silkscreen logo
on the back to stand alone. On the bottom, the home button and capacitive
navigation keys have been abandoned — perhaps the only part of this design that
is a clear departure from previous Galaxy S phones.
The shrinking bezels align with the
change in display aspect ratio foreshadowed by the LG G6 —
Samsung has moved to a super-tall 18.5:9 aspect ratio, making the Galaxy
S8 actually narrower than the Galaxy S7, but notably taller
thanks to its diagonal screen measurement of 5.8-inches to the GS7's
5.1-inches. The display corners are also curved, just like the LG G6 ... which
doesn't add much but a neat bit of symmetry to the curved corners of the phone.
But even with much smaller bezels, both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still quite
tall compared to traditional 16:9 phones — the GS8+, in particular, seemed
tough to manage in one hand in my brief time with it.
The screens are bigger, taller and equally
curved on both models.
2017 also marks the death of "edge" branding within the
Galaxy line, as both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are technically edge phones,
sporting dual-curved displays of the more subtle variety closer to the Galaxy
Note 7 than the more dramatic Galaxy S7 edge. And with this distinction gone,
it means the two models are nearly identical — with only the size of the screen
(5.8-inch vs. 6.2-inch) and battery (3000mAh vs. 3500mAh) being
differentiators.
Whether flat or curved, these displays
look fantastic — and you shouldn't be surprised at this point that Samsung can
make an industry-leading AMOLED panel. Not having spent a large amount of time
with it I can't speak to its visibility in fringe situations like harsh
sunlight or very dim areas, but based on what I have seen I
have no doubts about its abilities. In both screen sizes the resolution is
"QHD+" which means 2960x1440 — so that's 400 pixels taller than your
typical 2560x1440 screen.
The hardware is simply wonderful, even if it
isn't a massive departure from 2016.
What metal remains in the bodies of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has been
polished to a sheen rather than left in a more raw state, making for a more
seamless look from the slick glass to the now-slick metal. The change is most dramatic
on the black and silver color variations, in which there's little
differentiation in the colors between the two materials. The colors all around
are more subdued yet iterative takes on the Galaxy S7's available palette, with
black, gold, silver and blue making a return — the one new color, "orchid
grey," is a subtle purple-grey combo that's simply wonderful.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are really beautiful pieces of technology in
either size, but much has remained the same from the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S6.
Within the proper proportions, the volume and power buttons have stayed put on
the sides, and the combination of a headset jack, data port (now USB-C, of
course) and speaker are on the bottom.
For everything that was added, Samsung didn't
take away a single hardware spec or feature.
The core tenets of what Samsung calls the "Galaxy
foundation" are still here as well. That means you're getting an SD card
slot, IP68 waterproofing and biometric security — all table stakes for Samsung
at this point. A core point of that foundation is also the camera experience,
which is big point of strength for Samsung. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ have
the same camera hardware as last year, meaning we're looking
at a 12MP "Dual Pixel" arrangement with an f/1.7 lens, leaving any
improvement in quality to the new ISP (image signal processor) of the new
Qualcomm and Exynos SoCs in the phones, as well as software improvements.
Samsung says it has improved blur reduction simply by changing the processing, and as we've seen recently with the LG G6 and Google Pixel, a whole lot can be done in software nowadays.
Samsung has to prove that camera processing
improvements alone are enough.
On the other side of the phone, the
camera is a complete overhaul. Samsung moved to a new 8MP sensor with a bright
f/1.7 lens that finally includes auto focus, something that you very rarely
see even on high-end phones. A welcomed improvement that will make each and
every selfie look better.
The Galaxy S8's hardware runs the risk of not moving the needle
those who haven't necessarily been drawn to the Galaxy S6 and S7 in the past,
but it's clear at this point that there are hundreds of millions of people who
over the years have decided they do indeed like the modern Galaxy styling.
Samsung managed to make the Galaxy S8 bigger without making it unmanageable,
and the Galaxy S8+ is a secondary option that gives people who want more screen
the full experience in a larger footprint. All the while, these phones didn't
lose a single feature the original Galaxy S7 and S7 edge had.
Galaxy S8 and S8+ Software and experience
In continuing with its messaging
about the "Galaxy foundation," Samsung isn't really playing the specs
game anymore — at least, it isn't marketing the specs game.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ have the specs you need, but Samsung
isn't adding more just for the sake of more — the focus is on providing the
experience people expect from a top-end phone. You're getting top-of-the line
processors in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 and double the base
storage to 64GB — but at the same time, it's staying put at 4GB of RAM and
battery capacities that haven't increased from the Galaxy S7 generation.
To most people, the amount of RAM
and precise size of the battery don't really matter — what
does matter is performance, and there's a great chance that with either the Snapdragon
835 or Exynos 8895 paired with 4GB will do great. And doubling the base storage
to 64GB while keeping the SD card slot is a nod to helping you store everything
today and in a year when your apps and media appetite grow.
SEE
EVERYTHING NEW IN THE GALAXY S8'S SOFTWARE!
Samsung always packs a ton of features in its software, and the
Galaxy S8 and S8+ are no exception. To get up to speed with everything that's
new in the software, be sure to read our full breakdown here!
And on the software side, Samsung is working with a known
quantity, building on Android 7.0 Nougat that looks and acts much the same as
the updates that have rolled out to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. (I was also told
the intention is to launch with Android 7.1 — we'll see how that works out.)
That means you're going to find mostly white and grey interface elements, along
with pops of color throughout for icons and big touch points. The launcher has
dropped an app drawer button but retained the drawer itself using a swipe-up
gesture, just like Google's Pixel Launcher, and that kinda of subtlety can be
found throughout the interface with a bit more transparency used all around in
place of explicitly huge buttons.
Samsung's software is good, clean and fast.
Let's hope carriers don't mess it up too much.
Samsung is, for the first time, using an on-screen navigation bar
with soft keys, which is something I'd bet Google is happy about — this
basically leaves HTC as the final "big" name that doesn't at least
give you an option for on-screen buttons. To help soothe those who felt so attached
to the physical home button you'll still find the home button present on the
always-on display you can push to bring up the lock screen. Samsung achieves
this without "accidental" touches by using pressure-sensitive
technology to make you press harder to activate the button on the always-on
display.
It isn't clear that Samsung intends
to use this pressure sensitivity anywhere else in the interface, though, and
during my brief time with the phones in the company of Samsung representatives
nobody even mentioned the feature. The second part of the equation is a
much-improved haptic feedback engine that gives you more of a physical feeling when pressing the button — very similarly to Apple's new iPhone 7 home button and MacBook Pro trackpad.
The pressure sensitivity and improved haptic feedback are welcomed additions,
but it feels a bit odd to not see the functionality expand beyond the home
button. Maybe that's a sleeper feature waiting to be enabled in the future.
Pressure sensitivity and improved haptics are
great — but they aren't used throughout the interface yet.
The Galaxy S8
and S8+'s tiny bezels necessitated the move to on-screen buttons, which also
means it had to move its fingerprint sensor to the back of the phone. Rumor has it that Samsung wanted to get some sort of under-glass fingerprint sensing into
the Galaxy S8, and when the technology wasn't ready ... well, we got this.
The fingerprint sensor is placed next to the camera, which on
these extra-tall phones is way up there. Those who hold their
phone in their left hand are in double trouble as they have to reach up and
around the camera lens to access it. It's likely to make it even harder to keep
the camera lens clean, and Samsung's camera software even has a warning
reminding you to clean your lens when it notices it's dirty.
Thanks to the precarious placement of the sensor, it makes sense
that Samsung is really high on its iris scanning technology. Whether it's through a change of hardware or
software, the iris scanner is much faster than the Galaxy Note 7's, which is a welcomed change. Of course I was using it in good
lighting and for a short amount of time, but it recognized quickly and unlocked
right away. Now, how will it do when viewing my eyes from the side, at night
and while I'm walking down the street? Undoubtedly it will have less precision
than just touching the fingerprint sensor. This is one that will take more
real-world use to see how it does over time.
More Galaxy S8 to
explore
We've only just scratched the surface on the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
With the phones going up for pre-order on March 30 and released on April 21, we
have a few weeks to wait before they're broadly available and can start to
truly dive deeply into all of their features.
But even without seeing the phones for a deep evaluation, there's
a whole lot to be excited about. Samsung continues to make some of the most
gorgeous and perfectly executed hardware in the industry today, punctuated by a
fantastic display that is now surrounded by even smaller bezels. You get more
screen than ever before, and can choose between two sizes of phones with no
differentiation in specs or capabilities aside from the battery capacity.
Samsung added to the experience without
taking away a single piece of what made the Galaxy S7 great.
A year on from the all-around hit of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge,
Samsung added the latest top-end processors, more base storage, new iris
scanning capabilities, the foundation for whole-phone voice control and a new
desktop docking system. At the same time, it didn't take away a single feature
that made the Galaxy S7 series great — you still get waterproofing, an SD card
slot, fast charging, wireless charging, a known great camera and integration
with Samsung's vast ecosystem of products and services.
Even if you (understandably) aren't entirely sold on Bixby's
abilities or the idea of using DeX to replace your desktop computer, you can
absolutely look past those features to see a fantastic overall phone. Fringe
features aside, Samsung is still absolutely nailing the basics with the Galaxy
S8 and S8+, providing the features and performance you expect out of a high-end
phone while also giving you a great hardware that's wonderful to both see and
hold. As always you're going to pay handsomely for Samsung's top-of-the-line
experience, but as was the case last year you're going to get your money's
worth here.
ANDREW MARTONIK Thur
http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s8
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