Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ Launched: Price, Specs, Release Date & More
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S8 on Wednesday, its latest flagship smartphone boasting a new voice assistant and larger display as the technology titan looks to steal a march on Apple and regain ground after the embarrassing Note 7 saga. The device comes in two models with different screen sizes - the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus.
Some of the key features of the device include a so-called "infinity display", giving the device a bezel-less curved edge and a 12 megapixel back camera. For the top five features, click here. CNBC also got hands-on time with the product.
At the event, Samsung stressed how the new Galaxy S8 is the "start of a new era." The company also showcased its in-house voice-based virtual assistant named Bixby, which makes its debut on the flagship Galaxy S8. As expected, Samsung's Bixby will be taking on other voice-based virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence including Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana and Amazon's Alexa. The Galaxy S8 will come with a set of pre-installed apps that will work with Bixby.
There were also rumour that Samsung S8 will sport a iris recognition but nothing like that is happening. As the name suggests, the bio-metric recognition scans iris to unlock the phone, verify Samsung account, and more. Additionally, both the devices also sport fingerprint scanner which is located at the back.
Samsung has also finally introduced its Microsoft Continuum-like feature, Samsung DeX, which will let users use smartphone like a computer by docking it to monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Similar to the Galaxy S7, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are dust and water resistant with IP68 certification. Both the handsets run on the company's UI based on Android 7.0 Nougat.
What is Bixby?
As explained by CNET, It's a three-parter that combines elements of voice commands with Google Now-style cards and image recognition.
Bixby Voice is the Siri/Google Voice Search/Amazon Alexa component that you speak commands to. But it'll be limited at launch. You can ask it to toggle your Wi-Fi settings, share a photo with someone and perform other phone-centric tasks, but you can't launch an internet search, like looking up the weather or asking when your favorite restaurant's going to close.
You start it by pressing and holding the Bixby button beneath the volume keys (like a walkie-talkie), or with a wake word -- Samsung will provide more details closer to the S8's sale date.
Bixby Home is like Google Now cards and it lives one swipe left of the home screen. It's a scrolling list of things like the weather and news stories, your step count, plus some recommendations for things you habitually do. For example, if you call the same person at 4 p.m. every day, Bixby Home will suggest the same when 4 o'clock rolls around. You can customize what you see in the settings, and share items with others.
Bixby Vision will feel eerily familiar to anyone who's ever used Google Goggles or Bing Vision on a throwback Lumia phone. A camera feature, it uses optical image recognition to extract text (OCR), identify objects and read QR codes. You can scan a book cover to shop for it, and learn more about wine through partner Vivino. It uses Google Translate to translate text in 52 languages, and Pinterest to assist with image search.
Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ specifications:
In terms of specifications, the Samsung Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED display while the Galaxy S8+ sports a 6.2-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED display. The company is terming these as Infinity Displays, and they are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Samsung also says the smartphones are the first to be certified by the UHD Alliance as Mobile HDR Premium.
Both the smartphones sport 12-megapixel 'Dual Pixel' rear camera with optical image stabilisation and an f/1.7 aperture, while there is an 8-megapixel front camera with autofocus on board as well, featuring an f/1.7 aperture. Both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will come powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 SoC (2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad) in the US, while most international markets (including India) will get the Exynos 8895 SoC (2.35GHz Quad + 1.9GHz Quad).
Variants which will be released in select markets, including most probably India. Both the handsets pack 4GB of RAM and come with 64GB inbuilt storage while also supporting expandable storage via microSD card (up to 256GB).
Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ include 4G LTE (Cat. 16), Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, NFC, and GPS. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. It also supports Samsung Pay, with NFC and MST connectivity.
Samsung S8 Release Date:
Samsung has now confirmed the Galaxy S8 release date: April 21 for the US, and April 28 for the rest of the world (including the UK) - although it hasn't given specific information on territories such as Australia.
You can pre-order the phone already and if you do so before April 19 you'll get the Samsung Galaxy S8 delivered to your door as soon as the April 20 if you're in the UK.
Samsung S8 Price:
While Samsung did not announce the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ price at its event, US carrier pricing has been obtained by The Verge. Verizon Wireless has the lowest rates, at $720 (roughly Rs. 46,700) for the Galaxy S8 and $840 (roughly Rs. 54,500) for the Galaxy S8+. Prices go up to $750 (roughly Rs. 48,700) and $850 (roughly Rs. 55,200) respectively.
Cheers!!!
Some of the key features of the device include a so-called "infinity display", giving the device a bezel-less curved edge and a 12 megapixel back camera. For the top five features, click here. CNBC also got hands-on time with the product.
At the event, Samsung stressed how the new Galaxy S8 is the "start of a new era." The company also showcased its in-house voice-based virtual assistant named Bixby, which makes its debut on the flagship Galaxy S8. As expected, Samsung's Bixby will be taking on other voice-based virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence including Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana and Amazon's Alexa. The Galaxy S8 will come with a set of pre-installed apps that will work with Bixby.
There were also rumour that Samsung S8 will sport a iris recognition but nothing like that is happening. As the name suggests, the bio-metric recognition scans iris to unlock the phone, verify Samsung account, and more. Additionally, both the devices also sport fingerprint scanner which is located at the back.
Samsung has also finally introduced its Microsoft Continuum-like feature, Samsung DeX, which will let users use smartphone like a computer by docking it to monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Similar to the Galaxy S7, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are dust and water resistant with IP68 certification. Both the handsets run on the company's UI based on Android 7.0 Nougat.
What is Bixby?
As explained by CNET, It's a three-parter that combines elements of voice commands with Google Now-style cards and image recognition.
Bixby Voice is the Siri/Google Voice Search/Amazon Alexa component that you speak commands to. But it'll be limited at launch. You can ask it to toggle your Wi-Fi settings, share a photo with someone and perform other phone-centric tasks, but you can't launch an internet search, like looking up the weather or asking when your favorite restaurant's going to close.
You start it by pressing and holding the Bixby button beneath the volume keys (like a walkie-talkie), or with a wake word -- Samsung will provide more details closer to the S8's sale date.
Bixby Home is like Google Now cards and it lives one swipe left of the home screen. It's a scrolling list of things like the weather and news stories, your step count, plus some recommendations for things you habitually do. For example, if you call the same person at 4 p.m. every day, Bixby Home will suggest the same when 4 o'clock rolls around. You can customize what you see in the settings, and share items with others.
Bixby Vision will feel eerily familiar to anyone who's ever used Google Goggles or Bing Vision on a throwback Lumia phone. A camera feature, it uses optical image recognition to extract text (OCR), identify objects and read QR codes. You can scan a book cover to shop for it, and learn more about wine through partner Vivino. It uses Google Translate to translate text in 52 languages, and Pinterest to assist with image search.
Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ specifications:
In terms of specifications, the Samsung Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED display while the Galaxy S8+ sports a 6.2-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED display. The company is terming these as Infinity Displays, and they are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Samsung also says the smartphones are the first to be certified by the UHD Alliance as Mobile HDR Premium.
Both the smartphones sport 12-megapixel 'Dual Pixel' rear camera with optical image stabilisation and an f/1.7 aperture, while there is an 8-megapixel front camera with autofocus on board as well, featuring an f/1.7 aperture. Both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will come powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 SoC (2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad) in the US, while most international markets (including India) will get the Exynos 8895 SoC (2.35GHz Quad + 1.9GHz Quad).
Variants which will be released in select markets, including most probably India. Both the handsets pack 4GB of RAM and come with 64GB inbuilt storage while also supporting expandable storage via microSD card (up to 256GB).
Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ include 4G LTE (Cat. 16), Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, NFC, and GPS. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. It also supports Samsung Pay, with NFC and MST connectivity.
Samsung S8 Release Date:
Samsung has now confirmed the Galaxy S8 release date: April 21 for the US, and April 28 for the rest of the world (including the UK) - although it hasn't given specific information on territories such as Australia.
You can pre-order the phone already and if you do so before April 19 you'll get the Samsung Galaxy S8 delivered to your door as soon as the April 20 if you're in the UK.
Samsung S8 Price:
While Samsung did not announce the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ price at its event, US carrier pricing has been obtained by The Verge. Verizon Wireless has the lowest rates, at $720 (roughly Rs. 46,700) for the Galaxy S8 and $840 (roughly Rs. 54,500) for the Galaxy S8+. Prices go up to $750 (roughly Rs. 48,700) and $850 (roughly Rs. 55,200) respectively.
Cheers!!!
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