Samsung’s smartphone launches are always highly anticipated events, but this year’s Galaxy S8 launch is set to be even more interesting. The company has a lot to prove with its newest product, as it’s the first device to be launched since the exploding Galaxy Note 7 grabbed headlines last year.
We’ve seen numerous leaks regarding Samsung’s next flagship, but when Evan Blass leaks it – you know it’s the real deal. A new report from VentureBeat brings us the specs and the first image of the Galaxy S8.
Photo courtesy of VentureBeat
A new photo claims to show off both the front and back of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Specifically, this is the larger of the two models, says VentureBeat. This GS8 is said to include a 6.2-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and curved edges, as well as a 3500mAh battery.
The smaller Galaxy S8 will reportedly include a 5.8-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with the same aspect ratio and curved edges as the larger model. The battery of this version will be smaller, though, measuring in at 3000mAh battery.
The displays on both phones will allegedly include a touch-sensitive portion on the lower part of the display that’ll distinguish between different screen presses, similar to Apple’s 3D Touch functionality.
Another rumoured feature of the GS8 is the Samsung DeX. With this feature, you’ll be able to plug the Galaxy S8 into an HDMI dock and connect it to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to get a desktop version of Android. A convenient feature if you like to watch movies on your phone.
Both phones are expected to include a 12-megapixel rear camera with a visual search feature, an 8-megapixel front camera, and an iris scanner. Because Samsung opted not to use a physical home button on the GS8, the fingerprint reader has moved to the back of the phone, next to the rear camera.
Samsung will also include “Bixby,” its new virtual assistant that can be activated by pressing the dedicated button on the side of the phone. “Bixby” is said to be more advanced than some of the other digital assistants on the market, such as Apple’s Siri, with the ability to handle multi-step instructions.
Rounding out the Galaxy S8’s rumored feature set is a disappointing 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a microSD Slot, USB Type-C, stereo speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Samsung is reportedly planning to include a Snapdragon 835 processor in some models of the phone and an Exynos chipset in others, depending on the market.
Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy S8 on March 29, says the report. There’s no word on when the GS8 might launch in North America, but a European launch is allegedly happening on April 21, with pricing set at €799 ($1122 CAD) for the 5.8-inch model and €899 ($1262 CAD) for the larger 6.2-inch version.
Again, Samsung will look to garner sales away from the iPhone, but with the latter’s tenth anniversary coming up this fall, expectations are on Apple to deliver a blockbuster device, given the design of the iPhone 7 has remained relatively unchanged compared the iPhone 6/6s.
