After months of pressure from the international industry and efforts to comeback from the recent mishaps…the Samsung Galaxy S8 is now officially announced. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ inherit the same size as the previous generation, but with a bigger screen size because of a maximized front screen footprint.
Check out our first impression here
The S8 series now has an infinity display. Overall, Samsung moved all non-necessary items in the front to the back. The S8 now has a 5.8-inch screen while the S8+ now has a 6.2-inch screen as compared to the 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch last year. This is the biggest screen to body ratio yet on a Samsung phone. The displays are still SuperAMOLED which is bright, color rich and black-dark pixels.
The resolution is now 1440 x 2960 with 568ppi boasting an 18.5:9 ratio screen. Samsung assured that they are in fast-track will all major developers and apps to accommodate the new ratio. This will prevent any experience of black lines appearing when viewing content in landscape mode.
Where is the home button? well, it’s at the back now. But, Samsung made the on-screen home button invisible with a haptic feedback vibration upon pressing. It’s not solid as the iPhone 7, but a lot better than the default vibration of smartphones.
The camera is still the same 12MP f/1.7 aperture with dual-pixel technology. But Samsung improved their software division by bringing in a better interface and a multi-frame technology that allows three photos to be taken in one shot and merge all of them for better detail and less blur. 
Front camera selfie is also improved now having 8MP with auto-focus. Plus, Samsung introduces stickers on top of their UI for direct fun and edition.
Here are some camera samples we took
The Galaxy S8 has a slightly upgraded processor of 64-bit Octa-Core Exynos 8895 processor (4 ARM Cortex A53 1.6GHz + 4 Exynos M1 2.3Ghz). 4GB RAM and 64GB storage accompany the device for a full-featured smartphone experience.
OS has now upgraded to Android OS 7.0 Nougat with a more cleaner Samsung TouchWiz UI. Overall the menu is more simple and compliments the removal of the home button, for better adjustment to the old button layout.
Bixby is an assistant of Samsung dedicated for Voice, Photo and Text assist. It helps you identify places and have suggestion via Pinterest, foursquare and other content partners. Samsung even put a dedicated Bixby button at the left side, just below the volume buttons.
Capable of transforming into a more functional PC-like interface by docking into a dedicated Samsung Dex dock. This unlocks the possibility for a more productive work-style via a bigger screen, you can plug in a mouse, keyboard or even other storage devices.
Some android apps will not run under Samsung Dex, but all major productivity apps are now compatible with this software. It also fast charges the device at the same time while the device is docked.
Samsung Earphones tuned by AKG – this well addition is because of Samsung’s acquisition of Harman Kardon which also owns JBL and AKG. Due to this, their audio department topped a notch and started incorporating better audio tech into their bundles.
The battery is, unfortunately, the same at 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh respectively. With the bigger screens, we’re not sure yet how Samsung compensated with this throwback. But we will know soon as we review the product more in-depth.
Accessories are also available like the new Gear VR, Gear 360, cases and a new designed wireless fast-charging dock. All items will also be available by May 2017.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ are a bit more expensive, but the well-thought upgrades still give them the advantage over other 2017 new flagships. Definitely a worthy competitor for this year’s best flagship device.
Galaxy S8 – 39,990 (as of March 29, 2017)
Galaxy S8+ – Php44,990 (as of March 29, 2017)
Galaxy S7 – Php34,990 (launched price)
Galaxy S7 Edge – Php39,990 (launched price)
Pre-order will start April 17-29, 2017 via all Samsung authorized dealers, Smart, and Globe. All who will pre-order will get a free wireless speaker bottle design worth Php5,099.
Postpaid pricing from Smart and Globe are yet to be announced as of March 29, 2017.
Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ Specifications
Check Also: Galaxy S8 First Impression Video
Also visit: Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S8 – What changed?
