Samsung has delayed the announcement of the S8. This is attributed to the mishap that was the Galaxy Note 7 which became flammable as a result of problems with the battery. The company therefore had to take extra precautions by using a new testing system before releasing the flagship into the market. The S8 will be announced on March 29 and will go on sale in April, a one-month lag that is common with Samsung flagships.
However, the S8 has some great features that are an improvement from the S7. These include:
Display
The display is bigger, at 5.8 inches but still as thin as the S7 at 69.6 mm. the body ratio has been improved and the model also features curved edges. The 506 ppi pixel density is admirable as it sharpens display, including images, videos and gaming. The Quad HD resolution has also been carried forward from the S7.
The general outlay is still the same with the power button and voice buttons on the side of the phone. However, the home screen button is now a virtual one which also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor and scanner, allowing you to unlock your Samsung Galaxy S8 with ease.
Battery power and camera
The battery capacity has been increased in the S8 which means more and longer-lasting power which reduces the number of times that one has to charge the phone. Additionally, it has wireless charging and quick charge which are great features.
The camera is maintained at 12 MP and 8 MP for the rear and front facing cameras respectively. Both have dual lens capabilities and auto focus. The front facing camera in the S7 did not have these features.
Missing features and shortcomings
However, there are still notable shortcomings or missing features in the Samsung Galaxy S8. One notable thing is the screen resolution. Samsung could have upgraded this. With the improvement of the Gear VR, it is expected that the flagship would go a notch higher. While the VR Headset is supposed to enhance the user’s experience, having a screen feel so close to the eye, if it does not have the highest screen resolution, will still cause pixelation.
Another upgrade that could have done the phone much good would have been increasing the resolution of the camera. While the 12 MP camera with f/1.7 aperture is still good, one would expect that Samsung would have stepped up the resolution, at least to be at par with some of the previous model’s 16 MP. A compromise would have been to make the photos better in low light conditions if they did not plan on increasing resolution.
Conclusion
Some changes such as the virtual home screen button are appreciated. However, Samsung could have more milestones with each subsequent model that they release. It feels like the S8 is just a bigger version of the S7 with minimal tweaks and a larger battery capacity. This could reflect on their sales as no one wants to pay an arm and a leg for a bigger phone with largely similar features to one they already have.
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