Contributed by Billy Zheng - www.thirtyseventech.com
Rumours surrounding the soon-to-be-released Samsung Galaxy S8 kicked into high gear when long time blogger and phone leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) released the alleged specs sheet for the Galaxy S8+. Here’s what we think.
Leaks
Despite the hubbub surrounding the leaked specs, most of the components of the list are quite unsurprising. The 12MP Dual Pixel main camera, IP68 dust and water resistance, iris scanner, 64GB internal memory with MicroSD support, 4GB of RAM, wireless charging, Android OS and Samsung Pay are parts and features which we have already seen on the now defunct Note 7. So what’s new on the device?
Bigger display, less buttons
With the Galaxy S8, Samsung has completely removed the tactile and physical buttons on the front of the phone, and opted for software buttons similar to the ones found on the Google Pixel and Sony Xperia series. The fingerprint sensor has been relocated to the to back of the phone as well, taking its place to the right of the camera module.
With more space on the front of the phone, Samsung has fit in a gargantuan 6.2” AMOLED with a QHD+ resolution, sporting curved sides similar to the Note 7. The drastic increase in size from the Galaxy S7 Edge’s 5.5” comes as a surprise as Samsung usually reserves its much bigger displays for the Note and Mega devices. However, we fully expect Samsung to launch a smaller 5.2” - 5.5” sized device to cater to consumers who prefer an easier to handle phone.
Better audio tuned by AKG
DeX Desktop Experience Dock
Leakers have also uncovered images of a desktop dock for the S8 called the “DeX dock”, which will enable the S8 to project a desktop-like environment to an external display via HDMI. This concept is very similar to Windows Continuum enabled devices, which enable users to perform tasks on PC on their phones - such as editing documents in Microsoft office, sending emails, and even playing games.
Faster processor, less power consumption
Samsung always uses cutting edge system-on-chips (SOC) with their flagship devices, and the S8 will definitely be using the newly unveiled Exynos 9 8895 processor. Samsung has shifted its chip production to a 10nm manufacturing process, which means that the new SOC will perform 27% faster and consume 40% less energy while being 40% smaller in size as compared to the 8890 used in the S7.
The graphics processing unit now supports 4K VR and gaming, while the image signal processor now supports video recording at a whopping 4K at 120FPS, and support for dual cameras up to 28MP. Other features include a new modem supporting 1GBPS download speeds, and support for faster storage (eMMC 5.1/UFS.21/SD 3.0) and RAM (LPDDR4x). As with their previous devices, Samsung will be using Qualcomm SOCs for the US markets in order to cater to consumers on CDMA bands. Evan Blass has confirmed that the S8 will make use of the new Qualcomm 835, the direct successor to the 821 and 820 chips used in 2016 flagships. Most of the 835’s specs are very similar with the Exynos 8895, with the exception of a different image signal processor (supporting 32MP), and support for the new Quick Charge 4.0 protocol, which enables a phone to get five hours of battery life in just 5 minutes of charging. TL;DR A speculative specs sheet Although there have been no more rumours and confirmed specs to date, we’ve made an educated guess on what will be offered with the S8 and S8+. The new features are in Bold, and our guess are marked with a *Asterix. Stay tuned - the Galaxy S8 and S8+ is set to be revealed on March 29 and launched on April 21st. Here's our guesses:
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