The Galaxy Note 7 has been a messy turn for Samsung, however, the company seems to be already focusing on its next flagship device. Several reports have suggested that the South Korean tech giant is going big with the Galaxy S8 to garner back its reputation.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumored to be launched in early 2017. The new flagship device is expected to come with a 4K screen and dual camera setup, among many others. They might also be waterproof just like its predecessors. Here’s a list of all the specifications and features, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to feature:
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to sports the curved edged screens with a metal build. It will come with IP68 certification, making it waterproof and dust resistant. A recent report also claimed that Samsung is planning to ditch the 3.5mm jack, following Apple’s lead. Instead, the company might go with a USB-C port for audio output.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to be the first smartphone to sport a 4K display. Samsung had showcased a 5.5-inch 4K display prototype at the Display Week conference in San Francisco. As per a recent report, the company also plans to introduce VR in the next flagship smartphone, which will benefit greatly from a 4K display. The new display will feature a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, pixel density of 806ppi, 350nit brightness, and 97% color gamut.
The edge display on both sides will be present too, as Samsung claims it as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup. The company plans to offer differentiated user experience through software and user-friendly functions for the curved screen. There might not be any flat screen model. But, there still might be another variant featuring a 5.1-inch curved Super AMOLED display with 2K resolution.
Performance
With a focus on VR, Samsung is expected to pack better performance and graphics power. As per a report by Forbes magazine, 4K display on the Galaxy S8 will be matched by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor [made with 10nm process] and ARM’s Mali-G71 processor. The G71 is one of the most powerful graphics chips on the market. It is specially designed to endure high-end mobile graphics. The Galaxy S8 might also feature an Exynos 8895 processor. In the past, Samsung has introduced two different processors for different regions. As per PC Advisor, the Galaxy S8 might be come with a Qualcomm X16 modem, which supports 1gbps download speeds similar to LTE Cat. 16.
VR: The combination of a powerful graphical ability, computational power, and an ultra high definition screen hints strongly at VR being the next USP.
Additionally, the Galaxy Note 7 will likely be supported by 6GB of RAM. This will help in multitasking and faster performance. The 6GB RAM has already made its way to the Android smartphones and Samsung would like to stay on top.
There is no indication about the internal storage as yet. However, the likely choice seems to be 64GB, based on the Galaxy S7 and Note 7 range. The flagship smartphone can be expected to feature the latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS along with an upgraded TouchWiz on top. It might also feature the Viv virtual assistant, which is said to replace the ‘S voice’. The S8 might also be capable of dual-booting Android and Windows.
Camera
As per a recent report, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will sport dual camera set-up on the back, similar to the iPhone 7 Plus. The exact specification for the camera not known yet. But it is expected to be upwards of a 12MP sensor along with a 13MP secondary sensor.
Battery
The surest thing about the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be that it will feature a safe battery. Samsung wouldn’t want to repeat its mistake and damage its reputation. With such powerful specs, it will be hard to avoid heating issues but then the smartphone also needs a bigger battery. We can expect Samsung to find a way to bring a bigger and better battery, which is also safe.
Pricing and Release date
As per Samsung tradition, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to be priced in the range of $700 to $800, depending on the features. It can be expected to drop somewhere between February and March in 2017, around the time of Mobile World Congress. However, according to Korean Herald, the launch of Samsung Galaxy S8 is likely to be advanced, which makes sense.