The Galaxy S8 is nearly here and while Samsung is determined to keep the radically redesigned handset a secret, the biggest leak yet has just revealed almost every detail of the new smartphone and its larger sibling the Galaxy S8 Plus…
The news comes from none other than acclaimed KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, and this is something of a surprise given his reputation has been built specifically on his insider knowledge of Apple. That said Kuo has delivered a lorry load of information about Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones, both confirming existing rumors and delivering new information.
Exactly how the Galaxy S8 should look according to multiple sources in recent weeks. Image credit: Benjamin Geskin
- The Galaxy S8 will have a 5.8-inch display, 0.7-inches larger than the 5.1-inch Galaxy S7
- The Galaxy S8 Plus will have a 6.2-inch display, also up 0.7-inches on the 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 Edge which it replaces
- A change to wider aspect ratios means both phones will have increased resolutions of 2960 x 2400 pixels (WQHD+)
- Both models will feature curved OLED displays for the first time
- The physical home button is indeed being removed
- A new iris recognition sensor will be part of six sensors along the top bezel of each new Galaxy: proximity, ambient light, iris, an IR-LED transmitter, front camera and receiver
- On each phone at the back are four modules: camera flash (top left), heart rate sensor (bottom left), the main camera (middle) and fingerprint scanner (right - yes, stupidly right)
- There will be seven color options: gold, silver, bright black, matte black, blue, orchid and pink (availability by country remains unknown)
- Both phones will have an increased 8MP front camera, but stick with a 12MP rear camera
- A rear dual-camera setup was ditched with Samsung apparently citing both cost and “immature dual-camera ISP design”
- USB 3.1 Type-C predictably replaces microUSB on both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus
- A new PC Mode will be enabled when either phone is placed in a special dock (presumably an optional extra) and connected to a monitor or TV, this creates a desktop-like user environment
- Models sold in the US, Japan and China will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset, models sold in Europe and the rest of Asia will have Samsung’s Exynos 8895
- Korean and Chinese Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus models will have 6GB of RAM, but elsewhere the phones will only ship with 4GB - this may prove a sore point
- The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will go on sale on April 21st, suggesting the recent shipping delay has been overcome
In addition, Kuo expects a 6:4 shipment split in favor of the Galaxy S8 with 40-45 million handsets sold during 2017. This is slightly lower than the 52M Galaxy S7 units shipped in 2016, but Kuo says this is no reason for Samsung to be disappointed. Instead he points out Galaxy S7 shipments were unusually high due to the recalled Galaxy Note 7 which pushed potential Note customers back to this handset.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will have minimal top and bottom bezels to fit a larger display into a compact chassis. Image credit: Benjamin Geskin
So is there anything else left to know?
Well Kuo didn’t touch on the asking price for either the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, though it is expected to be significantly higher than last year. There’s also still a lack of solid information on the upgrades Samsung is making to its cameras, in particular, to tackle new smartphone camera champs the Google Pixel and Pixel XL.
Either way, though, after 2016’s incremental upgrade, it looks like Samsung is once again pulling out all the stops with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. With Apple’s radically redesigned iPhone 8 coming later this year, that was essential.
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