Samsung unveiled the heavily rumored Galaxy S8/S8+ to put all the speculations to rest. The greatest Galaxy smartphone has been announced in a dedicated event in New York and we will dish out all the specs, price, features and everything you need to know about the flagship handset.
The Samsung Galaxy S8
Moving on from the Note 7's plight, the Korean giant released the Galaxy S8 duo with cutting-edge specs and innovative features that cast shade to all its major rivals.
Infinity Display
If you're keeping an eye to the rumors you might have a very good expectation about the Galaxy S8. For one, Samsung intros the Infinity Display which not only sealed the bezels from the right and left edges, but extended the display from the top to the chin of the device. In order to do this, the physical home button was removed to give way to the pressure sensitive on-screen buttons and the almost bezel-free display.
As for the specifics, the standard S8 measures 5.8 inch in diagonal while the S8+ comes with 6.2-inch screen. Both comes with Super AMOLED tech and a new 18.5:9 aspect ratio. Likewise, this is also the first Ultra Dynamic Range certified screen.
Processor, Storage
Samsung put the spotlight on the 10-nm processor which compresses more transistors than those made from 14nm process. But on paper, the Galaxy S8 duo has an octa-core processor in the Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 chipset, four of which runs up to 2.3GHz; and the other four at 1.7GHz, other markets might get 1.9GHz.
It's also complemented by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. China and Korea might have a 6GB/128GB combination. The company also stressed that the S8 is shipping with a UFS/microSD hybrid card slot.
Camera
The camera module is the same story as the S7's award-winning 12MP Dual Pixel sensor. However, it is now improved with a supporting software that shoots multiple frames and captures the best features of these frames and combined them into one beautiful image.
The front camera got an upgrade, now it has an 8MP sensor and Samsung says it always focuses on your face.
Gigabit LTE, Battery
It's also the first handset that has Cat 16 LTE which tallies a download speed of up to 1Gbps. The Samsung Galaxy S8 packs a 3000 mAh battery while the bigger S8+ comes with 3500 mAh. The Galaxy S8 duo is also supported by the company's Adaptive Charging and fast wireless charging.
Others, Colors, Facial Recognition
Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are rated with IP68 waterproof and dustproof certification. You can have it in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold. The standard S8 costs USD 750 while the S8+ costs USD 850. Aside from the Iris Scanner, the S8 can now unlock your device by Facial Recognition.
Bixby: Samsung's Virtual Assistant
In the display, you'll notice an extra icon that will invoke Bixby. It is Samsung's card in the Virtual Assistant market. The company highlights that Bixby is smarter than any other VA around. It can intelligently answer voice queries. It can recognize landmarks and suggests best restaurants and places nearby. Likewise, it also has cognitive tolerance, this means that it is capable to understand incomplete commands from users and gets better over time.
Accessories: DeX, AKG
Every Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will come with a free Harman Kardon AKG earphones worth USD 99. There's also a DeX dock which works like Microsoft's Continuum feature that turns your smartphone into a desktop.
Price and Availability in the Philippines
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available in May 5 at Php 39,990 and Php 45,990 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Specs
- 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED Infinity Display, 2960 x 1440 at 570 ppi
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835/ Exynos 8895 Chipset
- 4GB/6GB of RAM
- 12MP Dual Pixel camera sensor, Dual-tone LED Flash
- 8MP Front Camera
- Dual SIM
- 64GB/128GB Internal Storage
- Expandable Up to 256 via microSD
- 4G LTE (Gigabit LTE), 3G, 2G
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Dual Band)
- Bluetooth 4.2
- USB Type-C
- 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Fingerprint Sensor
- IP68 Rating
- 3000mAh Battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat OS with Samsung Experience
- With free Harmann Kardon AKG Earphones
- Php 39,990 Galaxy S8 Price in the Philippines
Samsung Galaxy S8+ Specs
- 6.2-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display, 2960 x 1440 at 529 ppi
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835/ Exynos 8895 Chipset
- 4GB/6GB of RAM
- 12MP Dual Pixel camera sensor , Dual-tone LED Flash
- 8MP Front Camera
- Dual SIM
- 64GB/128GB Internal Storage
- Expandable Up to 256 via microSD
- 4G LTE (Gigabit LTE), 3G, 2G
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Dual Band)
- Bluetooth 4.2
- USB Type-C
- 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Fingerprint Sensor
- IP68 Rating
- 3500mAh Battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat OS with Samsung Experience
- With free Harmann Kardon AKG Earphones
- Php 45,990 Galaxy S8 Price in the Philippines
