The Samsung Galaxy S8 – and Galaxy S8 PLUS – will get a release date inside Q1 2017... and they're shaping up to be VERY impressive!
UPDATE:
A FULL spec sheet for the Galaxy S8 Plus has leaked online, dishing all the details on every possible facet of the device. The list appears to be captured from an official Samsung product promotional piece, as it uses the firm's typical font and layout seen on its posters, product pages, and similar material. As with most of the best and more reliable tips and leaks these days, the info comes via @evleaks on Twitter.
As you can see, the display will measure 6.2in on the diagonal if you include the curved edges which wrap around the sides of the device; the flat fascia will be 6.1in, with a QHD+ Super AMOLED panel. The camera is listed as a 12MP Dual Pixel setup, meaning that it uses Samsung's Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus seen on the Galaxy S7 series - it will NOT have two camera sensors! It'll be IP68 water resistant, pack an iris scanner, supports wireless charging, packs 64GB of onboard storage with microSD support, and has AKG hardware audio for the headphone jack.
The Galaxy S8 launch is shaping up to be one of the biggest announcements of the year, as usual. There is still a little longer to wait, however, as Samsung has pushed its launch back; it will not happen at MWC 2017 as it normally does. Instead, rumours are consistently pointing to a launch in late March in New York.
Either way, all roads point towards the Samsung Galaxy S8 getting a release date in April – likely around the 21st.
Expect three handsets, big new features and likely a brand new $1000+ priced model.
The phone is shaping up to be a massive update and below you'll find all the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 rumours, leaks and information.
Read on to find out everything we know so far...
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Launch
Samsung executive Koh Dong-jin, speaking to Asian news sources, has commented on the firm's scheduled February 26 MWC event, and has apparently confirmed that the company will reveal the Galaxy S8's launch and release schedule, including official release date, the day after, on February 27. It would appear it's doing this that fans know when to expect the device in stores. The actual launch event will not take place until March 29 in New York, and the phone isn't expected to hit the market until April 21. That April 21 launch date has once again been reaffirmed by Korean source ETNews, which states this will see the phone release worldwide.
As should be clearly evident by now, the Galaxy S8 won't launch at MWC 2017. The word this time comes directly from Samsung itself, however, specifically from its chief of mobile, Koh Dong-jin, who, while talking to assembled press regarding the findings of its Galaxy Note 7 "explosiongate" investigations, confirmed that in order to prevent similar issues with the Galaxy S8 it will be released later than previously expected.
"Lessons of this incident are deeply reflected in our culture and process," he said, according to Reuters. Koh himself did not mention a release date, which leaves us with earlier rumours ranging from mid-to-late March, right through to an April launch and an arrival of the device on shelves sometime in May. Although Samsung is usually quite quick from announcement to release, this time some sources suggest it could be a whole month after the launch event before the new flagship arrives with consumers.
However, one of the other bits of info to emerge in recent days throws some light on this. It comes once again from Twitter source @Ricciolo1, who previously brought us the info regarding the Galaxy S8 launching in late March (March 29 to be exact) to hit the market in "w17" (week 17) with a price tag of 849 euros. In a new Tweet, Ricciolo says the March 29 launch is still accurate, but adds that Samsung will hold multiple, simultaneous launch events in the US and EU; he also mentions a "record breaking" marketing campaign, whatever that means.
On January 23 a report from Forbes reveals some info regarding Samsung's purchasing of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor en mass. According to the details, Samsung, which is the firm that produces Qualcomm's 835 chip on its FinFET 10nm production process, has bought the lion's share of the SoC for its Galaxy S8. There's a lot to this which we'll go over in the CPU section further into this article, but writer Ben Sin reports having spoken to anonymous insider sources in Asia who he says confirmed the Galaxy S8 would be available in South Korea from April 14. That language, to us, suggests when it will actually hit shelves following an earlier launch event, and it's possible that the Galaxy S8 may arrive in Samsung's home nation a little earlier than elsewhere.
Additionally, another report via The Guardian on January 24 claims the Galaxy S8 will be available from April 21. The paper cites "several well placed sources" which also reaffirm the idea of two Galaxy S8 models; a regular version and a Plus model. The April 21 release date would fit with earlier reports of Samsung taking nearly a month to bring the phone to market following the launch event, which current rumours are saying will take place on March 29.
A report written by Evan Blass (@evleaks) for Venturebeatreiterates launch information - the previously quoted March 29 launch date is allegedly accurate, as is a New York launch and an April 21 availability date, prices are also quoted at €799 and €899 for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus respectively, presumably for the 64GB storage base model.
There's been a lot of talk about the Galaxy S8 actually being present at MWC 2017 even if it's not going to be showcased to the public; it's fairly normal for major manufacturers to use such expos to showcase upcoming devices to key partners during exclusive, private meetings behind the scenes. Attendees typically include accessory manufacturers, network carriers, major retailers, that sort of thing. However, a Korea Herald report reveals that Samsung has begun issuing invitations to a press event at MWC 2017 for February 26; this is understood to be the launch of the Galaxy Tab S3. But according to tipsters, although Samsung won't fully reveal the Galaxy S8 to the public, it may have a brief one minute long teaser video of the forthcoming flagship. This wouldn't be the first time Samsung has teased an upcoming product at a launch event either, at last year's MWC 2016 the firm teased the Gear S3 smartwatch in a similar fashion.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Specs: Design
Another day closer to launch and another Galaxy S8 live photo leak. This time the handset is looking chic wearing all black and comes via a post from a Chinese case manufacturer. The leak doesn't really reveal anything new at this stage, it just shows once again the curved display design, Type-C USB port, punched speaker grille, front-facing sensors in the top panel, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. We do get to see the display powered on and a look at the Grace UX, although it pretty much looks like a slightly cleaner and more rounded-off TouchWiz.
A leak via @onleaks and Gear India is a video render showing the device apparently based on a factory CAD render.
It shows the two phones side-by-side and rotated to virtually every angle, giving a close-up view of all the details and features we've seen leaked for months and months.
Another handful of renders have hit the web featuring both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, based on previously leaked details. At the same time, tipsters have once again reiterated that the Galaxy S8 will be priced at upwards of $800, adding that the colour options will include black, gold, and "Orchid Gray". The China-based leak of pricing details at this level comes on top of at least two earlier leaks alleging much the same price bracket. The renders, however, don't appear to take account of this new colour scheme information, with speculatory colour options including blue, green, and red, it did get the basic black correct, however, not that this is much of a prediction.
On January 26, a huge leak has sprung up which includes live images of the Galaxy S8's design and a full spec line-up. The leak comes via a mixture of sources incuding Evan Blass, aka @evleaks writing for Venturebeat, and The Guardian, and confirms the rumoured two sized of Galaxy S8 model. There will be both 5.8in and 6.2in variants as the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus respectively. They will both feature curved Super AMOLED 18.5:9 aspect ratio displays. Allegedly there will be pressure sensitive touch features but only on the lower portion of the screen. Both Type-C USB and 3.5mm headphone jack ports are present.
Following the above leaked image, digital artist Benjamin Geskin has created a set of renders based on it. They're not official product/press renders, but they've been deliberately made to look that way and use the design shown in @evleaks photograph to provide what is thought to be the most accurate set of renders to date of the handset.
Notable features include the dual curved edge bezel-less display, multiple ports for front-facing sensors, no physical Home key on the front, a fingerprint scanner on the back, volume rocker and power keys on the left-hand side of the device, and what we can only assume is the dedicated Bixby AI assistant key on the right-hand side.
Another set of renders has appeared online which it's claimed show highly accurate measurements and details of the Galaxy S8's design, allegedly the most accurate information to date and it's said to be corroborated by reliable sources who've seen the phones first hand. Coming via CNET Korea and SamMobile, the images show a screen ratio of 18.5:9 just as @evleaks said, meaning it will match the LG G6 in having a new 2:1 wide-screen ratio which is being dubbed "Univisium" and an 83% screen-to-body ratio.
The source also confirms we're looking at 5.2in and 6.2in displays for the S8 and S8 Plus respectively, though it should be noted this measurement includes the wrap-around edges which is why the diagonal measurements on the schematics are a little shorter. Allegedly the curvature of the edges will be less pronounced than the S7 series in order to reduce inadvertent touch input. The leak also confirms the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner location.
Reports on January 25 suggest Samsung is planning a rather interesting feature for the Galaxy S8. You may recall Microsoft built a feature for Windows 10 called Continuum, which allowed any Windows 10 phone to be docked with a monitor and keyboard and to run full-blown Windows 10 as a desktop environment, effectively turning your phone into a proper mini-PC. Well, some patents and slides have leaked online suggesting Samsung has its own similar feature planned, known as the Samsung DeX Station (DeX stands for Desktop Experience). The feature could make use of the handset's Type-C USB capabilties to function with compatible monitors, however, Samsung has a much more tailored setup in mind with the DeX Station dock itself which sounds very similar to Microsoft's equivalent.
A Samsung patent describes DeX like this:
"Application software, namely, for projecting the screen of mobile device to displays via computer peripheral devices and wireless networks; computer peripheral devices; computer software for wireless network communications; computer software, namely, for controlling user interface mode adaption; computer software for use in computer access control."
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Specs: Display Technology
According to Samsung Display researcher Park Won-sang, Samsung is going all out on the Galaxy S8 Super AMOLED display following the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. During the International Meeting On Information Display, Park said "Samsung Display would roll out a full-screen display whose display area ratio reaches more than 90 percent next year."
That would mean a 20% increase in screen-to-body ratio over the Galaxy S7 series, meaning Park's claims would sit with earlier rumours of a true edge-to-edge full-screen display on the Galaxy S8. The Galaxy S7 EDGE display already wraps around both sides of the phone, so there isn't much room for expansion there, which means it's possible this further enlarged display will probably expand towards the top and bottom sections of the phone.
This also means that tackling the Home key and fingerprint scanner may be necessary; several OEMs are looking into fitting fingerprint scanners under the display glass, but an alternative would be a rear-panel mounted scanner and the use of Android's on-screen software controls for UI navigation.
An interesting titbit has popped up on July 26; apparently we now have a codename for the project. The codename, interestingly, drops some hints about the Galaxy S8 features and also supports earlier claims of a 4K display intended for use with VR, that's because the codename for the Galaxy S8 is allegedly "Project Dream".
You may recall that Google is working on a VR platform desgined for Android OEMs to work with on their hardware, and that project is called Google Daydream, so it doesn't take a huge leap to see where one leaves and the other picks up on the naming convention. The word comes via multiple sources in China as reported by local publication MyDrivers.
According to details sourced by the Korea Herald, Samsung's Galaxy S8 will feature a larger 5.5in display with a 4K resolution - allegedly this design feature has been picked specifically with VR in mind, implying that the handset may be being prepared to work with Google Daydream, a possible Google headset, and indeed Samsung's own Gear VR hardware. In addition, the report also reiterates earlier claims that the display panel will have a UHD (4K) resolution designed for use with VR applications.
UBI Research claims the handset will sport a 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. Normally we would wonder why something sharper than the Galaxy S7's QHD 5.1in setup would be necessary (at nearly 600ppi) as it's already nearly impossible to pick out pixels if you try, but that said, VR is in its infancy and perhaps there are gains when you're staring directly into a phone dangled inches from your eyeballs.
The current-gen Galaxy S7 edge has a 5.5in display, larger than the regular flagship, so it is interesting that the Galaxy S8 will be enlarged to this size, but with that said, there is a possiblity Samsung has figured out a way to enlarge the display without making the chassis much bigger.
The introduction of Samsung’s curved AMOLED panels has often been called a gimmick but the popularity of these handsets cannot be disputed — punters and reviewers alike love them. The popularity of Samsung’s EDGE models even caught Samsung out, forcing the company to rejig its orders in a bid to satisfy demand for the Samsung Galaxy S7 EDGE, which is now outpacing sales of the standard S7 model in some regions.
And this popularity has lead to Samsung adopting an interesting approach to its 2017 Galaxy S8. According to reports both models — the 5.1in and 5.5in models — will feature a curved AMOLED display. The source of the news is the Korea Herald, which reported the following:
“Now the Korean tech giant is promoting the curvy screen as its premium smartphone lineup’s key identity,” the report notes. “Sources said the company has already started securing display panels in two sizes — 5.1 inch and 5.5 inch — from its own display-making unit Samsung Display, the world’s sole producer of double-edged screens. “
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Specs: Specs & Hardware
According to new details emerging on February 20 the next-gen Samsung Exynos processor, which will be found in the new Galaxy S8 series, will be dubbed the Exynos 9810. The information, curiously, comes via a source posting on LinkedIn, an alleged intern at Samsung's R&D operation in Bangalore. Other than the name, not much info was revealed, although it's fairly safe to beleive this is the same chip Samsung teased recently but did not name.
This likely means that, despite hogging the supply of Snapdragon 835 chips it has produced for Qualcomm, Samsung's established MO of a split between its own Exynos and Qualcomm Snapdragon CPUs between models in different regions appears to be alive and well. Whether the Exynos 9810 or the Snapdragon 835 lands in the international variant we would have in the UK, Europe, and North America, remains to be seen.
The rumour mill says there will be both Exynos 9810V and Exynos 9810M variants of the chip with different GPUs. The former will have an 18-core ARM Mali-G71 while the latter will use a 20-core version of the same model GPU, effecitvely making the Exynos 9810M the tweaked and tuned version with slightly higher performance. Both models are said to feature the latest Samsung Mongoose M2 core architecture, supposedly quite a step up in power from the Galaxy S7's M1 cores. They're also said to be built on the same 10nm FinFET production process as the Qualcomm S835.
Contrary to the above rumours, Samsung has announced its Exynos 9 chipset on February 22, revealing it to be the Exynos 8895. It's an octa-core CPU for high-end flagships, built on the 10nm FinFET semiconductor process. Samsung claims a 27% boost in performance and a 40% lower power drain. Four of the CPUs are entirely custom built by Samsung, while the other four are ARM Cortex-A53 cores. The SoC also uses a Mali-G71 GPU with support for resolutions up to 4K UHD on display and up to 28MP cameras with dual-sensor support. The Exynos 8895 is already in mass production, although Samsung has not explicitly named it as the processor inside the Galaxy S8 series.
Samsung’s Exynos 9 Chipset – The Soul of The Galaxy Note 8/Galaxy S8
Samsung has just published a teaser image for its upcoming Exynos 9 CPU, the chipset that could power some Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 models in 2017.
Samsung recently bought up the bulk of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipsets, a move that has made life very difficult for other Android phone makers in 2017, though some units will almost certainly run Exynos chipsets.
Literally nothing is known about this chipset at present, though it will likely be built on Samsung’s 10nm process, just like Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835 CPU.
Rumours claim the new Exynos 9 chipset will feature an an octa-core CPU with four custom M2 cores and four ARM Cortex-A53 ones, and the new Mali-G71 GPU.
Evan Blass, aka @evleaks writing for Venturebeat has revealed a LOT of new info about the Galaxy S8. It will apparently have a 3,000mAh battery cell while the larger S8 Plus has a 3,500mAh unit and both will have two different models of processor depending on region; either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or a new Exynos chip which hasn't been named, but both are based on 10nm FinFET architecture manufactured by Samsung's chip division. An 11% performance uplift is quoted and a 20% improvement in power efficiency.
There's talk of 4GB RAM, not an upgrade to the 6GB or 8GB previously rumoured. Internal storage will start at 64GB with microSD support but there's no word on higher tier internal storage models just yet, though it's implied they will be a thing.
Following on from the above report, a new leak backs up the idea of both the Galaxy S8 models having bigger battery cells than the Galaxy S7 generation - however, it would also appear the batteries are even bigger than the leak from @evleaks indicates. A report from SamMobile states that Samsung's subsidiary, Samsung SDI, will supply 3,250mAh batteries for the Galaxy S8 and 3,750mAh cells for the Galaxy S8 Plus. Comparing that to the Galaxy S7 series; the Galaxy S7 had a 3,000mAh cell while the Galaxy S7 EDGE had a 3,600mAh cell. The bigger batteries will feed the larger high-resolution display panels, although the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset should also be kinder to the battery life.
However, there's now also some complication regarding the RAM and storage, and this is starting to echo the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. We recall last year the Galaxy Note 7 was long-rumoured to pack 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage, then, nearer the launch it was tipped with 64GB storage and 4GB of RAM; on launch day this latter rumour was confirmed to be true, but shortly after the launch, and just before the exploding battery issue emerged, Samsung confirmed and launched a Galaxy Note 7 model with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM as an exclusive to China. So, despite the above rumour from @evleaks apparently contradicting earlier rumours of the Galaxy S8 packing 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage, according to a new tip from SamMobile and @mmddj_china there may actually be such an edition in the works. The line is that there will be both 4GB/64GB models and 6GB/128GB models, but allegedly the 4GB/64GB edition will AGAIN be the only one available in North America and Europe, in case you were still under the illusion that the global market doesn't play second fiddle to Asia in Samsung's mind! Indeed, the rumour seems to suggest the scenario is exactly the same as the Galaxy Note 7; the 6GB/128GB edition will be a China exclusive and may land in South Korea. Samsung may consider a rollout elsewhere if there is sufficient demand - a tip guys; we're pretty sure there will be!
Forbes writer Ben Sin has published a report on January 23 detailing information from his insider sources in Asia. According to these unnamed tipsters, Samsung has purchased the vast majority of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors it is producing on Qualcomm's behalf using its 10nm FinFET production process. Allegedly this quantity of chips is destined for the Galaxy S8, and so many have been bought up by Sammy that HTC and LG have had to settle for the older Snapdragon 821 inside their HTC U Ultra and LG G6 flagships respectively.
In other words, it has effecitvley monopolised the supply! What isn't clear is whether Samsung has bought up the entirety of a relatively small production run to date, or if it has bought a collosal number of chips. There is speculaton that if it is the former, we may still see a split in the Galaxy S8 distribution between Snapdragon-based models and Exynos-based alternatives (region dependent, as per usual). The alternative, if Samsung has bought a mountain of S835's, is that for the first time ever ALL of the Galaxy S8 flagships may run on Samsung-produced Qualcomm hardware.
"The Snapdragon 835 won't be available in large quantities until after the Galaxy S8 launches," the sources told Sin.
According to sources posting on Chinese social network Weibo, Samsung is allegedly testing its next-gen processor chip which may appear inside the firm's flagship models released in 2017. It's not known precisely what the processor will be called, but it is assumed it will be an Exynos 8995 following on from the Exynos 8990.
This next-gen chip promises to be quite a jump ahead of the current 8990 setup which is manufactured on 14nm FinFET semiconductors, while the 8995 will apparently use a 10nm fabrication instead.
As usual for improved nanometre construction methods, it's thought this will lead to faster performance but better power efficiency, and just to give some context of how much more powerful the tipster says a 30% increase for the current test speeds for the new silicon, which are going as high as 4GHz for the main custom core cluster, with 2.7GHz for the ARM Cortex-A53 cluster paired as part of the big.Little architecture.
That is the maximum speed, however, and it's likely that for any production models there will be a cap lower than this.
Techtastic posted some info sourced from Weibo which alleges a top-tier Galaxy S8 model with 256GB storage space and there's mention of 6GB of RAM too. Now, bear in mind that the Galaxy S7 was HEAVILY rumoured to have 6GB RAM, in fact many people were certain of it....and it didn't deliver the goods with only 4GB of RAM. In addition, while other manufacturers have been ramping up from 64GB storage to 128GB models, Samsung kept the Galaxy S7 series and the now discontinued Galaxy Note 7 at 64GB tops. So in other words, don't hold your breath!
What's also not clear, assuming for the sake of argument that the 256GB storage and 6GB RAM details are correct, is whether we'll see 6GB RAM across the board, or if this will be restricted to the higher storage models, or whether it will be restricted to just Exynos or Qualcomm processor model variants. We also have no details on whether the 32GB option will be getting the chop, or whether there will also be a 64GB and/or 128GB lower-tier variants.
There have been some whispers of a possible 8GB of RAM inside the Galaxy S8, which might seem like a bit of a leap, until you hear the news that SK Hynix, a leading memory manufacturer, has just announced its new LPDDR4X RAM chip for 2017 - dual-channel 8 Gigabit 8GB RAM chip which is 30% smaller and 20% more battery efficient than its predecessors. To make matters more interesting, a report from Korea's The Investor explicity states that the chip is destined to be embedded in both Apple's iPhone 8 and Samung's Galaxy S8.
Rumoured specs for the Samsung Galaxy S8 include:
| Specifications | Galaxy S8 Specs |
| Battery | 4200 mAh |
| Camera Features | Optical image stabilization, geo tagging, facial recognition, HDR, auto laser focus |
| Camera – Front | 9.0 Megapixels |
| Camera – Rear | 30 Megapixels |
| Colors | Black, blue, gold, and white |
| Features | Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, fingerprint scanner, retina eye scanner, wireless charging, rapid charging, mini projector |
| Memory | 64 and 128 GB internal memory and expandable with dual micro SD cards |
| Operating System | Current Android operating system 2017 |
| Price | $850 USD, 775 Euro – see below |
| Processor | Snapdragon Qualcomm octa-core 3.2 GHz processor |
| RAM | 6 GB RAM |
| Release Date | April 2017 – See Below |
| Screen Display | 5.2” 4K display with a 4096 x 2160 screen resolution |
In a bid to undo the damage done by the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung plans on hitting back big time in 2017 with a new, larger model of the Galaxy S8 called the Galaxy S8 Plus.
This means, in 2017, there will be two Galaxy S8 handsets: the standard Galaxy S8 and the new Galaxy S8 Plus. Both models will feature EDGE displays and, thanks to new design and display technology, will feature a bezel-less design so the overall size of the handset should not be much bigger than current Galaxy S7 models.
The standard Galaxy S8 will feature a 5.7in OLED display, while the Galaxy S8 Plus will pack in a larger 6.2in panel. But – and this is the kicker – the overall size will not be impacted too much by the inclusion of what is a very large panel, thanks to new design language that will see Samsung eradicate bezels from the handset’s design. Think something like this.
“Samsung showed off its new display at the Display Week conference in San Francisco,” reports TR. “The display measures 5.5 inches and boasts a resolution of 2160 x 3840, which is an insane 806 pixels per inch. Samsung's current Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge flagship phones boast quad HD resolutions (1440 x 2560), but an upcoming Samsung device may get the 4K treatment, like the next Galaxy Note.”
There is also talk about the Galaxy S8 Plus featuring Samsung’s, usually Note-exclusive, S-Pen stylus. If so, this would be the first time that feature has come to a phone outside of Samsung’s Note series, and while multiple reports have suggested Samsung may discontinue its Note series, I personally do not see that happening. Adding the S-Pen to the Galaxy S8 Plus could just be a way of sweetening the deal for potential buyers.
“Samsung is already rumored to be working on two distinct versions of the Galaxy S8 next quarter,” notes BGR, “ including a regular model and a ‘Plus’ phablet. The larger device may come with a dual rear camera just like the iPhone 7 Plus and a 4K display. TechTastic speculates that the model could also house an S Pen stylus. If that’s the case, a 5.5-inch Galaxy S8 Plus could effectively replace the Galaxy Note 8 that would’ve been released next August.”
It also looks as if Samsung is pulling out the big guns in the camera department as well:
"On the back there’s said to be a whopping 30-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation while a 9MP snapper will be on the front for those all-important selfies," notes Pocket Lint. "We've previously seen rumours suggesting the S8 will have a dual-lens camera, so we're not holding out for a 30MP sensor just yet."
How Samsung will differentiate the two models remains to be seen, but given the lack of interest in its Galaxy S6 EDGE+ handset it seems likely the larger, more costly phone will have to feature a couple of interesting USPs in order to encourage adoption.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Specs: Bixby – Samsung's Answer To Amazon's Alexa
Siri and Google Assistant are fine. But Amazon’s Alexa is the true king of the digital assistant arena. For this reason, it is Alexa that Samsung has to best with its upcoming Bixby AI, which will debut inside the Galaxy S8 later on this quarter.
Smart is one thing. But learning is another thing entirely. Part of the major pull around Alexa is that she learns and is always acquiring new abilities, thanks to Amazon opening her up to third-party developers. Will Bixby be the same? Or do we have another Siri on our hands?
Unknown. But Samsung has already shot and missed once with S-Voice, so I do not seeing making the same mistake twice. Like Siri, S-Voice was essentially useless. And once the novelty of talking to your phone had worn off, the feature was seldom used.
Fast-forward a few years and we now have truly smart digital assistants. Alexa is the best and has to be experienced to be believed, but you can bet your ass the rest of the tech space will do their utmost best to outdo Alexa in 2017/18.
One thing we DO know about Bixby is that it will be able to do payments, which is pretty darn cool. All the user will have to say, according to Sam Mobile, is, “Bixby, send $100 to Chuck” and the payment will be processed. Not too shabby.
According to reports, Samsung Bixby may be able to speak more languages than Google's own AI assisstant. Korean media claims to have heard that Bixby will understand as many as 7 or 8 languages at launch, including Korean and Chinese, versus Google Assistant's 5 languages.
As of January 19, reports from SamMobile apparently reveal more details of the features and capabilities of Bixby. Allegedly, Bixby will integrate with compatible apps and will support Samsung Pay. On top of that, it will supposedly integrate with the handset's camera, which will allow it to perform visual searches with objects and products, and will recognise text. These features sound remarkably similar to a lot of Google's intelligence systems that it has been devleoping for some time.
"The standard camera app on the Galaxy S8 will feature its own Bixby button, giving access to a search tool that processes whatever the user is pointing the camera at. Bixby will analyze the image, and identify objects and text. It will help you search for that object, or use optical character recognition to process any text you point the phone at," says the report.
It added, "Not only will it help you find where you can buy an identified object, but it can make the purchase as well."
Here's the official line on VIV from the people that made it:
"Viv is an artificial intelligence platform that enables developers to distribute their products through an intelligent, conversational interface. It’s the simplest way for the world to interact with devices, services and things everywhere. Viv is taught by the world, knows more than it is taught, and learns every day."
A big leak via @evleaks writing for Venturebeatreveals some more details regarding Bixby.
According to the report, a dedicated side-mounted key will operate the Bixby AI assistant which has been paired up with Android Nougat. Bixby apparently can perform and understand more complex tasks and commands than rival platforms. The leak also confirms Samsung's equivalent to Microsoft Continuum in the form of Samsung DeX with a dedicated dock to bring about the desktop environment on a conencted monitor and keyboard.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Specs: Camera
Evan Blass, aka @evleaks writing for Venturebeat leaked plenty of new details about the the Galaxy S8, including some info about the camera. The primary camera will be a 12MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture similar to the Galaxy S7 but the reports confirm the Bixby AI-aided visual search feature with icons appearing on screen that allow the user to indicate the type of search to be performed (OCR-enabled web search on photographed text, for instance, or a shopping-site search for products of interest)". The front-facing selfie camera will be an 8MP, f1.7 aperture adjacent to a dedicated iris scanner, while the fingerprint scanner now sits on the rear next to the primary camera. There appears to be no dual-camera.
On June 20, sources inside China have claimed the Galaxy S8 will feature a dual-camera sensor. This would mean the handset is keeping in trend with the likes of the Huawei P9 and LG G5, as well as rumours about the iPhone 7 Plus/Pro. According to the details the dual-camera sensor will be engineered by Samsung Motors aka SEMCO, so the firm will be producing its own imaging tech this time round.
An August 30 report has emerged from an allegedly reliable Weibo tipster described as having a good track record. The source is adding to the Galaxy S8 rumour pile; reiterating that the new handset coming in 2017 will have a dual-camera sensor. The informant says that the sensor array will feature both a Samsung-made 12MP sensor and a Sony 13MP sensor. Meanwhile, the front camera is said to be an 8MP setup. The source also says to expect a Galaxy Note 7 style iris scanner.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date & Specs: Rumoured New Features & USPs
According to an anonymous tipster speaking to Android Police, a system dump from the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet appears to show guidlines for the use of new Samsung Galaxy S8 features. Amongst the details there are images, showing the use of a Galaxy S8-shaped handset, complete with the rear panel fingerprint scanner; the guide shows how to use the built-in heart rate sensor which is positioned on the left of the camera module, apparently incorporated into the flash module.
The leak also reveals how the on-screen Android controls will function, in the absence of the Galaxy S series' usual physical Home key and capacitive controls. This isn't too surprising, however, it's fairly standard stuff with a square home key in the middle, flanked by a multitasking key on the left and a 'back' key on the right - this is typical for Samsung but the inverse of standard Android controls.
We also get a quick look at Samsung's DeX docking system, which allows the Galaxy S8 to perform like a computer when hooked up to appropriate display and control hardware, similar to Microsoft's Windows Continuum.
SamMobile reports that the Samsung Galaxy S8 may be the first smartphone to hit the market with the new Bluetooth 5.0 standard. This isn't sourced from any internal tipsters, however, it appears to simply be a logical conclusion the publication has reached, according to the details, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has now approved and officially adopted Bluetooth 5.0 in the second week of December.
"Bluetooth 5.0 promises faster speed, longer range and larger broadcast message capacity. It also provides improved interoperability and coexistence with other wireless technologies. Bluetooth SIG says that the latest standard has four times the range, two times speed and eight times broadcast message capacity as compared to Bluetooth 4.0. The group expects devices with Bluetooth 5.0 to arrive “within two to six months," says the report.
The logical conclusion comes in when it is revealed that Samsung is a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, meaning it's quite likely that the firm will integrate the new standard into its devices as quickly as possible. The timing may be no coincedence either, and with that "two" months bracket implied that would sit neatly for the Galaxy S8 launch in late February; indeed, Samsung would likely already have production up and running for the new handset including the Bluetooht 5.0 component, meaning that the official adoption by the group would be a necessary formality to put through about now.
A December 16 report from Korean publication Naver claims that the Galaxy S8 will feature an iris scanner similar to the one found on the short-lived Galaxy Note 7. However, the same report also adds that we may see a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner module and no Home button on the front of the device, this contradicts many earlier rumours and raises a lot of quesitons about user interaction with the phone.
According to reports on December 21, Samsung has trademarked the name "Beast Mode" in the European Union; it's believed this may represent a high-performance mode users can toggle on the Galaxy S8 flagship, possibly for gaming or VR applications. The Samsung Galaxy S7 series already has a performance booster mode, but the use of the term "Beast Mode" implies this will be a USP of the phone and may be significantly ramped up from earlier implementations of similar features.
As you may be aware, "Beast Mode" is something of a meme on the internet and in popular culture to describe when someone enters a state of high performance, covering things like players in online games or characters in movies getting high kill-streaks, or someone lifting a ton of weight in the gym. The trademark filing specifically refers to the name being applied to smartphone software, but doesn't specift exactly what it does, or if it applies to the Samsung Galaxy S8.
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