Samsung Galaxy S8 release date, specs, rumours, and price explained
Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S8
The
Samsung Galaxy S8 is potentially just one month away, and so there's no
shortage of rumours and leaks. Here's what we know about Samsung's next
flagship, including the Galaxy S8 release date, specs, features, and
price.
(Update: 26 February 2017): Samsung
has confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will be announced in New York on March
29, announcing the news during a press conference at Mobile World
Congress 2017.
Latest Galaxy S8 news and rumours
It'll come as no surprise to those familiar with smartphone release cycles, but CES 2017 has been and gone with no Galaxy S8 sightings. Samsung released TVs, fridges, speakers, Chromebooks, updated versions of the Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017), and half-hearted apologies for the exploding Note 7 fiasco but, alas, no shiny new flagship.
Unfortunately, it turns out that we won't be seeing Samsung's new phone at the next big tradeshow – MWC 2017
– either. In a surprise announcement, Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy
S8 would skip the show, with analysts expecting an April debut instead.
The
good news is that Samsung has already applied for the Galaxy S8
trademark, which may mean a launch is imminent. Early in January,
Samsung filed for ownership of the branding, citing smartphones,
tablets, cables, and phone cases as the sorts of items it could be
applied too. Despite the fiery Note 7 PR debacle, it seems Galaxy isn't
going away any time soon.
There's plenty of new
S8 talking points, though. For instance, it's expected that we'll see
two distinct variants of the Galaxy S8, one small and one big. The
larger version is, according to Evan Blass, going to be called the
Galaxy S8+, and both versions will reportedly have an 'Edge' style
display – flat screens begone.
Better still, we’re already hearing
talk of Galaxy S8 specs, with rumoured features including a Qualcomm
Snapdragon 835 chip, a QHD display, and a very high screen-to-body
ratio, as this leaked photo (courtesy of Sammobile) demonstrates:
Read on to find out more – here’s a detailed round-up of what to expect from the Galaxy S8.
Galaxy S8 at a glance:
When does the Galaxy S8 come out? March 29 reveal
What’s new about the Galaxy S8? Rumoured: 4K screen, SD830 chip, USB-C
How much will the Galaxy S8 cost? Best guess: £599
Watch Now: Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8
Related: Best Android Smartphones 2016
Galaxy S8 Release Date UK & US – When will the new Galaxy S8 come out?
Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will be announced in New York on March 29, but when will it be released?
The
Galaxy S8 release date is likely of fall in either March or April,
based on recent history. Here’s a quick look back at previous Galaxy
phone launches:
- Galaxy S7 release date – March 11, 2016
- Galaxy S6 release date – April 20, 2015
- Galaxy S5 release date – April 11, 2014
- Galaxy S4 release date – April 27, 2013
- Galaxy S3 release date – May 29, 2012
- Galaxy S2 release date – May 2, 2011
- Galaxy S release date – June 4, 2010
A
Forbes report published in January pointed to April 14, 2017 as the
prospective launch date, while a report from South Korea's ETNews claims
that it will be made available in stores on April 21.
Galaxy S8 Features – What’s new about the Galaxy S8?
The
Galaxy S8 is guaranteed to flaunt some of 2017’s latest and greatest
mobile hardware, but Samsung is keeping a tight lid on details.
Here’s what you can expect to see in terms of Galaxy S8 features...
Galaxy S8 Design – Major overhaul?
Samsung might be planning a major design overhaul for this year’s Galaxy S8.
A
report from Korea’s ETNews says Samsung wants to ditch the Home button,
integrated its functionality into the display instead – just like
Apple’s rumoured iPhone 8. Samsung allegedly wants to do this to “fill
all of the front of the Galaxy S8 with just screen”. This video from
Android blog Techdroid shows a Galaxy S8 render based on such rumours:
We’ve
also heard a rumour that the Galaxy S8 may have significantly smaller
bezels than the Galaxy S7. Speaking to The Investor, Park Won-sang a
Principal Engineer for Samsung Display, said that the company was aiming
to introduce an OLED display with a greater-than 90% screen-to-body
ratio. He went on to reveal that Samsung hoped to create a handset with a
99% screen-to-body ratio in the next few years. For contrast, most
phones currently have an average ratio of around 80%.
These
rumours were echoed by a Bloomberg report from November that claimed
Samsung is planning to kit the Galaxy S8 out with an “all-screen front”.
The article says the “bezel-less” phone will “provide more viewing real
estate”, with Samsung expected to ditch the physical Home button and
bury its functionality in the lower section of the glass instead.
But
the biggest boost to this rumour’s credibility came courtesy of
Synaptics’ announcement that it had developed a new fingerprint scanner –
the Natural ID FS9100 optical fingerprint sensor.
What’s
important about the FS9100 is that it can scan your fingerprint through
1mm of “full cover glass”, which would enable Samsung to hide the
scanner underneath the glass, rather than having to embed it in the Home
button.
“By
bringing optical sensing technology with the right form factor and
power consumption envelope to smartphones and tablets, Synaptics is
enabling the elimination of the Home button, which is a critical next
step to full top-to-bottom, edge-to-edge smartphone and tablet
displays,” says Les Santiago, Research Director for analyst firm IDC.
Importantly,
Samsung has used Synaptics fingerprint sensors on previous flagship
smartphones, including the Galaxy S8. So that makes it even more likely
that this new sensor will make it to a future Samsung handset. The only
possible roadblock would be that Synaptics says manufacturers can sample
the sensor from Q1 this year, with manufacturing beginning in Q2 – that
may be too late for inclusion in the Galaxy S8.
With those leaks
in mind, a new concept render has been created by the appropriately
named Concept Creator, which offers a quirky vision of Samsung's next
flagship smartphone:
And here's an image that VentureBeat's (generally reliable) Evan Blass claims actually depicts the real Galaxy S8:
Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge Screen – Will Samsung use a 4K display?
On the matter of displays, we should kick off with the screen sizes for past Samsung flagship phones:
- Galaxy S7 – 5.1-inch
- Galaxy S7 Edge – 5.5-inch
- Galaxy S6 – 5.1-inch
- Galaxy S6 Edge – 5.1-inch
- Galaxy S5 – 5.1-inch
There’s
a clear trend of 5.1-inch panels, which is a decent middle-ground that
suits most users. We’d expect the Galaxy S8 to follow suit, although a
report from the Korea Herald pointed to two variants: 5.7-inches and
6.2-inches.
We’re also convinced that 2017 might be the year
Samsung moves to a 4K display, following on from the Galaxy S6’s
introduction of a QHD screen. One report from Weibo suggested that one
variant of the Galaxy S8 will use a 4K-resolution screen.
The
main argument for introducing a 4K display is the growing popularity of
virtual reality. When you use a Gear VR headset today, you’re looking
at a Galaxy smartphone’s QHD screen. But because the image display is in
stereoscopic mode – split into two, basically – then you’re getting
half resolution. Pair that with the fact that your eyes are very close
to the screen, and pixel density suddenly becomes very important.
If
Samsung moved to a 4K panel, you’d enjoy a significantly enhanced VR
experience – visually, anyway. And it’s worth noting that the Snapdragon
820, which powers the Galaxy S7, already supports native 4K displays at
60fps.
The
good news is that it might actually happen. The Korea Herald reported
on comments from analysts at UBI Research, who were quoted as follows:
“Samsung
Display showcased a 5.5 ultra-high definition 4K display with a pixel
density of 806ppi for virtual reality devices at the Society for
Information Display, a display trade show, in California in March.
Considering various factors including the production yield rate for the
next-generation display expected to improve in the coming months, the
5.5-inch AMOLED will be deployed in the next Galaxy smartphone,
presumably, named the S8.”
There’s also a rumour that the Galaxy
S8 will only be available with a curved-edge display, after a Samsung
executive recently hinted that flat screens might be going away for
good. Speaking to the Korea Herald, Samsung Mobile boss DJ Koh said:
"
Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone line-up
if the company can provide consumers differentiated user experience
through software and user-friendly functions (for the curved screen)."
The
Herald published a follow-up report that said Samsung was considering
whether to ditch flat screens on the Galaxy S- series going forward.
That’s reportedly down to the fact that the curved Galaxy S7 Edge
outpaced the flat Galaxy S7 in terms of sales. The Herald believes
Samsung is procuring curved displays in 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch variants
from its own Samsung Display division.
Galaxy S8 Specs – How powerful will it be?
New 10nm processor? – The Galaxy S8 specs haven’t been announced yet (obviously), but they’re pretty easy to predict.
The
Galaxy S7 featured either a Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890, depending on
where you bought your phone. The former is built by US chip maker
Qualcomm, while the later is a custom-built Samsung chip. We’re
expecting that the Galaxy S8 be sold with Qualcomm and Samsung chips,
depending on your market.
Particularly interesting is a report by
Forbes suggesting that Samsung has bagged early shipments of the
Snapdragon 835, cutting the LG G6 off from using the chip entirely.
Related: 10 Common Galaxy S7 problems and how to fix them
Samsung
has already confirmed that it is working on producing the Snapdragon
835 with a highly efficient 10nm manufacturing process. This means the
transistors are far smaller than those built on the 14nm and 16nm chips
used in the Galaxy S7. As such, we’d expect a 10nm chip to be much less
power-hungry, and potentially more powerful.
According to Samsung,
the new transistor design will mean transistors can be placed on a chip
with 30% greater area efficiency, resulting in 27% higher performance
or 40% lower power consumption. Manufacturing has already started, with
chips expected to land in smartphones in 2017. In fact, Samsung has
already vowed to produce a second-gen version of its 10nm chips in the
second half of 2017.
Samsung’s chip-making division hasn’t
announced any partners, but South Korea’s Electronic Times believes
Samsung will be the sole manufacturer of the Snapdragon 830, Qualcomm’s
next flagship chip. Samsung rival TSMC is also good for 10nm chips, too.
Related: iPhone 7
Mali, Adreno, or Nvidia GPU? –
According
to specialist blog Sammobile, Samsung is courting both Nvidia and AMD
to license their GPU technologies for its own Exynos chips. Nvidia and
AMD have both seen success with their new Pascal and Polaris
architectures respectively.
Unfortunately, we’re not convinced
that Samsung will be able to turn around a new mobile GPU with Nvidia
tech inside in time for this year’s launch. Far more likely is the
rumour that Samsung will use ARM’s new Mali G71 GPU in the Galaxy S8.
That’s ARM’s new top-end mobile GPU built on the British firm’s new
Bifrost architecture. It’s a 16nm chip clocked at 850MHz, and offers 40%
improved performance and 20% better efficiency than the Mali-T880 –
that’s the Galaxy S7’s GPU. Here's what ARM says about its latest GPU:
“The
Mali family enables stunning visuals for UHD content and the superior
power and scalability of the Mali-G71 makes it the perfect GPU for next
generation, high-end use cases like premium gaming and mobile VR.”
It’s also worth noting that the Mali-G71 was developed to meet the needs of Vulkan,
which is the powerful, cross-platform API built by Khronos. Samsung
already added support for Vulkan in the Galaxy S7, so it’d be surprising
if the same wasn’t true for the Galaxy S8.
Super-fast modem – What’s also probable is that the Snapdragon 830 – and the Galaxy S8, by extension – will come with a Snapdragon X16 built-in.
The
Snapdragon X16 is Qualcomm’s latest modem built on a 14nm manufacturing
process, and supports “fibre-like” LTE Cat. 16 download speeds. That’s
significantly superior to the X12 modem built into the Snapdragon 820
chip – as used on the Galaxy S7 and LG G5.
The
Snapdragon X12 modem supports 600Mbps download speeds. But the
Snapdragon X16 can handle incredible downlink speeds of up to 1Gbps.
That means a 4K movie – estimated at 100GB average file size – could be
downloaded in just over 13 minutes. And a Blu-ray movie, which averages
at around 20GB, could arrive in a quarter of that time.
Qualcomm
has already revealed that manufacturers are currently sampling the
Snapdragon X16, so it would be very surprising if the Galaxy S8 didn’t
use the Snapdragon X16.
Unfortunately, while the Snapdragon X16
can support high-speed connections, it doesn’t guarantee them. Fast
speeds also depend on your phone network, and no cellular networks in
the UK currently offer 1Gbps speeds. Qualcomm predicts that 1Gbps speeds
may be offered in the UK within two years, however.
USB-C, finally?
– The Galaxy S7 was rumoured to feature a USB-C port, but that didn’t
happen. Now the Galaxy S8 is expected to debut the technology instead.
USB Type-C
is a USB specification that should eventually replace the Micro USB
ports that you’ll find on the majority of smartphones today. It’s
already been used on plenty of devices in 2016, perhaps most prominently
with Apple’s 12-inch MacBook.
USB
Type-C is a reversible connection – you can stick it in upside down,
basically – just like the Apple Lightning port. It also supports
different “protocols”. That’s a fancy way of saying that you can have
adapters that can output other types of connections – HDMI, DisplayPort,
VGA, etc. – from a single USB-C port. That’s why Apple’s 12-inch
MacBook only needs one port.
USB-C is also capable of supplying much more power (up to 100W) compared to a conventional USB 2.0 connection (2.5W).
All
this means that USB-C is a worthy upgrade over Micro USB, and it would
seem very curious if that Galaxy S8 didn’t make the switch. Perhaps the
only downside to upgrading would be that the Galaxy S8 wouldn’t be
compatible with existing Gear VR headsets, which use Micro USB
connections.
Perhaps the best evidence of a USB-C Galaxy S8 is
that the Galaxy Note 7 featured the technology. What's more, Samsung
also built a new Gear VR that supports USB-C for the Note 7, so it makes
sense that the Galaxy S8 would follow suit.
More storage, more RAM?
– A leak in late November suggested that we'd see significant upgrades
to the storage and memory inside the Galaxy S8, as compared to the
Galaxy S7. Sources on Chinese social media site Weibo – a hotbed for
tech leaks – claimed that the S8 will feature a generous 6GB of RAM, as
well as 256GB of storage as standard.
We're in two minds about
this one, however. Firstly, although Weibo regularly turns out reliable
leaks, we have no way of verifying the information that shows up on the
site. It's a bit like Twitter, which makes it tough to authenticate
sources. Secondly, those specs seem very generous, and would outclass
most of last year's handsets by a long way.
That said, Samsung has
a lot to prove with the Galaxy S8. What's more, Apple introduced a
256GB iPhone in late 2016, so Samsung following a similar approach
wouldn't be too farfetched – though we're not convinced by Samsung
adopting the high storage as default. And don't forget that OnePlus
built 6GB of RAM into both the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, so that level
of memory isn't unprecedented for Android smartphones either. Still,
takes this leak with due caution.
Better speakers?
– Last month, Samsung bought connected car tech firm Harman, which also
sells audio products under a number of different brands. The deal,
worth an impressive $8 billion, led to rampant speculation that we’d see
some of the company’s speaker tech debuting in upcoming Samsung
products.
Well the speculation isn’t over yet, as FoneArena
reports that Samsung plans to equip the Galaxy S8 with dual speakers and
stereo sound, built by – and branded with the logo of – Harman.
Unfortunately,
we’re not entirely convinced by the report. The acquisition is still
underway, so Harman’s technologies are unlikely to feature in the Galaxy
S8, which could launch very shortly. Also, speaking to the Investor,
Park Jong-hawn, Senior VP at Samsung, said: “If we are to adopt Harman’s
high-end audio technology for the Galaxy S series phone, the first
model could come in 2018."
Galaxy S8 Camera – Even better than the S7 camera?
Samsung’s
flagship phones have impressed in the camera department in recent
years. The Galaxy S7, for instance, debuted ‘Dual Pixel’ technology.
Every pixel on the Galaxy S7’s image sensor has two photodiodes instead
of one. One of the biggest advantages of this increased pixel count is
faster focus. When you’re taking a photo with an iPhone, between 5% and
10% of the pixels are used for focusing. But with the Galaxy S7, every
single pixel is able to take part. More of the same with the Galaxy S8,
perhaps?
But
it gets better. The Galaxy S7 also features a large f/1.7 lens aperture
and a 1/2.6-inch sensor. We already know that Samsung is hard at work
developing a 1/1.7-inch sensor fit for use in smartphones, and there are
rumours that there’s also a lens with a faster f/1.4 aperture in the
works too. Both could feature in the Galaxy S8.
Unfortunately,
recent reports seem to suggest that neither innovation will be ready for
the Galaxy S8 launch, for that matter. Instead, it seems more likely
that the Galaxy S8 will tout a very similar camera module to the Galaxy
S7, at least until we hear otherwise.
One key upgrade could come
in the form of a dual-lens camera module. Huawei used the technology in
its recently launched Huawei P9, and Apple followed suit with the iPhone
7 Plus. A smattering of such rumours regarding the Galaxy S8 have been
posted to Chinese social media site Weibo – most recently by tipster I
Ice Universe – but it’s too early to believe such reports.
Perhaps
the best evidence of a camera upgrade so far is a recent Samsung patent
filing in South Korea. The patent describes a newly improved zoom
function for smartphones. This had led to speculation that Samsung plans
to mimic the iPhone 7 Plus, and add a dual-camera module with a
telephoto zoom lens.
In any case, we’d be very surprised if Samsung didn’t follow Apple with a dual-lens camera.
But
it's not just the rear-facing camera that is poised for a performance
boost. In November 2016, a report from Korea's ETNews claimed that
Samsung will be adding autofocus on the S8's front-facing camera. It's
less common to find autofocus on secondary cameras than primary ones, as
front-facing cameras are typically only used for selfies or video
calling. But there's no real reason why Samsung couldn't introduce such
an upgrade for the Galaxy S8.
Related: Android Pay vs Apple Pay
Galaxy S8 Battery Life – Will it have a bigger battery?
The
matter of Galaxy S8 battery life is tricky, because how long a phone
lasts on a single charge depends on so many factors. The first is the
size of the actual cell. Here’s a brief history of battery capacities
for recent Samsung flagships:
- Galaxy S7 – 3,000mAh
- Galaxy S7 Edge – 3,600mAh
- Galaxy S6 – 2,550mAh
- Galaxy S6 Edge – 2,600mAh
As
you can see, the Edge variants tend to have slightly bigger batteries.
But the screens tend on those phones are a little bigger – moreso on the
S7 Edge than the S6 Edge – which explains the added capacity. If there
are two variants of the Galaxy S8, we’d expect this trend to continue.
But cell size isn’t the only factor that affects battery life. Google’s Android N
– the software expected to feature on the Galaxy S8 – offers battery
life improvements. Then there’s the likely 10nm processor, which will be
less power-hungry than the current 14nm processor on the Galaxy S7.
However, if Samsung does finally move to a 4K display with the Galaxy
S8, you can count on that putting a serious damper on battery life too.
In
any case, battery life is hugely important to phone buyers these days,
so we’d be surprised if Samsung was willing to ship the Galaxy S8 if it
could manage less than a single day’s use.
Interestingly, Samsung
is also said to be turning to Sony to help prevent a repeat of last
year's exploding Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. According to the Wall Street
Journal, Samsung is going to use Sony as the third battery supplier for
the upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone. The report cites multiple unnamed
sources as saying that Sony’s battery-making division has already been
contracted to make an order that is “small in quantity”.
Samsung’s
shift towards Sony batteries will potentially improve public opinion
about the company’s phones. After all, the Galaxy Note 7 battery
problems were found to exist in cells from both of the handset’s
suppliers, which were Samsung’s own SDI division, and Japan’s ATL.
But
despite the contract win, Sony may not benefit significantly from
Samsung’s custom. Last year, Sony agreed to sell its battery division to
Japan’s Murata Manufacturing Co. for around £125 million. The deal
isn’t due to close until July, so Sony will make some early revenue from
the Samsung orders. However, it’s believed that Murata will eventually
take over from Sony once antitrust regulators clear the acquisition.
Related: Best PS4 deals right now
Galaxy S8 Waterproof – Will it be IP68 certified?
One
of the best features of the Samsung Galaxy S7 was its waterproof
chassis. So we’re hoping the Galaxy S8 follows suit with an
IP68-certified body – but what does that actually mean?
IP stands
for ‘Ingress Protection’, and it’s a rating system put forward by the
International Electrotechnical Commission to let consumers know how (1)
waterproof, and (2) dustproof, a device is. If a handset is
IP68-certified, it can be submerged in water at a depth of 1.5 metres
for up to 30 minutes. By contrast, an IP67-certified phone – like the
Samsung Galaxy S5 – is only rated to depths of one metre.
So how
likely is it that the Galaxy S8 will be waterproof? Well, while the
Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S7 were aqua-friendly, the Galaxy S6 was not, which
shows Samsung is willing to skip over water-proofing for design
purposes. However, the waterproof Galaxy S8 was extremely well-received,
so it seems unlikely that Samsung will tamper with its winning formula
too much.
- Samsung Galaxy S7 – IP68
- Samsung Galaxy S6 – N/A
- Samsung Galaxy S5 – IP67
- Samsung Galaxy S4 Active – IP67
- Samsung Galaxy S4 – N/A
- Samsung Galaxy S3 – N/A
Unfortunately, there haven’t been any rumours specifically regarding a waterproof Samsung Galaxy S8 just yet, so stay tuned.
Galaxy S8 Headphone Jack – No more 3.5mm audio port?
Samsung
could also follow Apple’s suit and ditch the headphone jack on the
Galaxy S8 – à la the iPhone 7. The USB Implementers Forum recently published
its Audio Device Class 3.0 specification, which details a standard for
phone makers that allows audio to be transmitted via USB-C. The new
standard is a clear bid to incentivise Android phone manufacturers to
abandon the age-old 3.5mm audio jack for greener, USB-C shaped pastures.
“USB
is the simplest and most pervasive connector available today, making
USB Type-C the logical choice for the future of digital audio,” said
Jeff Ravencraft, President of the USB-IF. “We encourage companies
interested in adopting USB specifications to take advantage of USB-IF
resources to reduce time-to-market and deliver reliable USB products.”
The
organisation’s new specification talks about how OEMs should remove the
3.5mm jack to shave “up to a millimetre off product designs and
[reduce] the number of connectors”. It adds: “Fewer connectors will open
the door for innovation in countless ways and make it easier to design
waterproof or water-resistant devices."
Now that Apple has paved
the way (with great controversy), it's much easier for other phone
makers like Samsung to make a similar move.
There is, however, some evidence to the contrary. A new leaked image that allegedly depicts a Galaxy S8 case was posted to Slashleaks
by user MIKKE, who commenters on the forum say has a "99% accuracy"
record. What's notable about the leaked case render is that there's an
access point for a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, which could mean
Samsung plans to retain the port.
While
we can't verify the image, it wouldn't be a surprise if Samsung had
already completed the S8's design and was giving up schematics to case
makers. That said, this image could be completely spurious, and could
quite easily have been created by an enterprising hoaxer. However, we
should not that the above isn't the only case we've seen. Check this
out:
Galaxy S8 Software – Android Nougat or Android...Oreo?
Samsung’s
Galaxy S8 will probably launch before the next version of Android
(Oreo, maybe?) is announced. Instead, we’re far likelier to see Android
7.0 Nougat on board.
Nougat is Google’s flagship mobile OS for
2016, and is the debut software for the new Google Pixel smartphone.
Probably the biggest improvement with the software is the addition of
split-screen mode. However, Samsung already offers this feature with its
own TouchWiz skin – the software Samsung overlays onto Google’s Android
OS. But there are other new perks, like notification stacking, a
flatter ‘material design’ aesthetic, and battery life improvements.
And given the support for Android Pay, it seems very likely that the Galaxy S8 will retain NFC for contactless payments.
You can read all about the entire update in our Android Nougat review.
Android N's new split-screen feature
Samsung Galaxy S8 Accessories – Cases, cameras, and more?
Samsung is plotting a new 360-degree camera to launch alongside the Galaxy S8 this year, apparently.
A
new report by specialist blog Sammobile says that Samsung is currently
developing a ‘Gear 360 Pro’, a 360-degree camera that will succeed last
year’s Gear 360. It’s supposedly set to launch at the same time as the
Galaxy S8, which we’re currently expecting to arrive between February
and April this year.
Samsung announced its first consumer-grade
360-degree camera – the Gear 360 – at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress
last year. It launched alongside the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but has only
been shipped in a limited number of markets. We’re guessing Samsung was
simply testing the waters with this device.
Samsung's Gear 360, pictured alongside a Galaxy S7 Edge and a Gear VR
But
if the ‘Gear 360 Pro’ does launch this year, it will be a sign that
Samsung had reasonable success with the Gear 360. Here’s what we can
expect, according to today’s report:
“The Gear 360 could bring
improved image and video quality as well as more features, but we are
not sure about its aspects as of now. The South Korean smartphone giant
is also working on the Gear 360 Manager app for the iOS platform,
bringing iOS support for its 360-degree cameras. However, we don’t think
iOS support will be released any time soon.”
Samsung is currently
beta-testing the Gear Manager app for iPhones, which adds iOS support
for Samsung’s smartwatches and fitness trackers. So it’s no surprise
that company may be hoping to extend this support to its Gear 360 camera
too.
We’ve also seen a report from journalist
and leaker Roland Quandt, who believes that Samsung will introduce a new
pair of wireless headphones alongside the Galaxy S8.
The
headphones, which are expected to be direct rivals to the Apple
AirPods, will reportedly be wireless, and feature active noise
cancelling. That means they’ll “listen” to ambient noise and then
release their own “anti-noise” to cancel out the din – perfect for long
flights or noisy train journeys.
Quandt says that the headphones
will cost €130, which is £112 at current rates. For contrast, Apple’s
AirPods retail at £159, or €179 on the continent.
Samsung Patents – The future for Galaxy S8?
Samsung
has a huge (and ever-growing) patent portfolio, which makes for
excellent future-gazing. Will any of these features make it to the
Galaxy S8?
New home button
Samsung could be
preparing to swap out its signature lozenge-shaped home button for
something a little more iPhone-like. A recently published Samsung patent
depicts a handset with circular home button sensors, just like the
iPhone. And another patent positioned the sensor on the back of the
phone, just like the LG G5.
Better Selfies?
It
was recently reported that Samsung was planning to introduce a new
alternative to Android's notification light, dubbed 'Smart Glow'. Since
then, tech blog Sammobile released what it claims is accurate
information about the feature.
According to the report, Smart Glow
is an illuminated ring around the camera lens on the back of Samsung
Galaxy smartphones. This ring lights up for notifications, and will be
customisable, i.e. users can change the colour depending on the type of
alert.
The
report also notes that Smart Glow won't just be used for replacing the
notification LED, however. It might also help impprove your selfie game
significantly:
"It's also going to help users take pictures of
themselves with the rear camera. Since that can prove to be a bit tricky
as opposed to taking a selfie with a front camera, the Smart Glow ring
will illuminate when it detects the face and the photo will then be
taken in a few seconds."
Samsung is expected to show off Smart
Glow initially with the upcoming Galaxy J2, rumoured for an imminent
Indian launch. If the feature is a hit, there's a good chance the Galaxy
S8 will also boast Smart Glow.
Dual Display
Smartphone
makers have struggled to innovate in recent years, but a recent patent
filing from Samsung shows one of the ways in which handsets, such as the
Galaxy S8, could get a lot more interesting in the future. The company
has submitted designs for a new high-end that features two screens on
either side of a 'built-in cover'.
This latest submission seems to
be a developed version of a previously submitted patent application for
a smartphone with a very small seam between two screens. It now seems
Samsung has ditched the idea of having the dual-screen setup make one
larger display in favour of a new design which, as Patently Mobile
reports, looks like "a professional notebook aimed at executives, sales
pros and students".
The
new design consists of a cover that folds open to reveal two screens,
one of which will be a 'functional unit' containing input devices,
sensors, antenna devices, and charging pads. Also revealed in the patent
filing are pen and ultrasonic input, a projector and biometric scanner,
and sensors to track grip, gestures, and UV.
Patently Mobile
notes the removal of a traditional hinge design, which has allowed
Samsung to reduce the weight and thickness of the phone itself. Also
highlighted in the report is a passage from the patent submission
itself, which mentions a "processing device (e.g., a GPU) for supporting
a mobile TV".
Samsung submitted the patent application in
November 2015 in the US but, as always, there's no guarantee we'll ever
see the design put into production.
'Beast Mode'
A
Samsung trademark filing has revealed the mysterious ‘Beast Mode’, a
possible piece of software intended to ship with this year’s Galaxy S8.
On
December 21, Samsung applied to the EUIPO, Europe’s intellectual
property office, for a trademark on the term ‘Beast Mode’. The
application is currently “under examination”, according to the IP
bigwigs, and has a chance of never being granted. But the trademark
filing offers vital clues about what to expect from ‘Beast Mode’.
According
to the filing, the term ‘Beast Mode’ could be applied to any of the
following: Smartphones, mobile phones, software/apps for smartphones,
computer software, laptops, computers, tablets, portable computers, and
notebooks.
That’s a fairly exhaustive list of technologies, but
there’s a clear trend towards ‘Beast Mode’ being used on portable
devices, as well as taking form as a piece of software.
But the
biggest clue comes courtesy of a separate filing for the same ‘Beast
Mode’ trademark, which was instead issued to the US Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO). In this filing, Samsung specifically describes the
following technology: “Mobile phone with pre-installed integrated
application software for enhancing the speed and performance of the
mobile phone.”
It seems, then, that ‘Beast Mode’ will be an app or
widget that Samsung smartphone users will be able to use to boost the
performance of their phone. This could come in handy for mobile gaming,
for instance, or when running heavier software – like video editing apps
– on a handset.
Of course, Samsung could quite easily extend
‘Beast Mode’ to its range of notebooks or Galaxy tablets too;
performance boosting is commonplace in the PC market, after all.
Samsung Display screens
This
isn't actually a patent, but it's futuristic Samsung tech so we've
lumped it in this section anyway. In January, Samsung's screen-making
division – Samsung Display – posted two videos on YouTube showing off
the capabilities of its displays. What's interesting is that the handset
depicted in the two videos looks very similar to the Galaxy S8 leaks
we've seen so far. Specifically, there's no Home button, and an
assumption that the fingerprint scanner is embedded below the glass.
An early tease of the Galaxy S8 design? Perhaps:
Galaxy S8 Price – How much will it cost?
We can only guess at the Galaxy S8 price at this stage. To help, here’s a look-back at recent Galaxy phone mark-ups:
- Galaxy S7 – £569
- Galaxy S6 – £599
- Galaxy S7 Edge – £639
- Galaxy S6 Edge – £695
Unsurprisingly,
the Edge-variant Galaxy phones tend to cost between 5% and 10% more
than their more traditional counterparts. If we take the average price
of the S7 and S6, and assume that the Galaxy S8 will cost about £599,
then the Galaxy S8 Edge would probably retail at about £639.
However,
we’ll have to wait for some leaks nearer to the Galaxy S8 release date
before we can put our finger on the price with any degree of certainty.
The
only real news we’ve had on Galaxy S8 pricing so far comes courtesy of a
report by Korea’s Choice News. The report details a note from Goldman
Sachs, a leading global financial institution, that suggests Samsung is
expecting a significant cost increase for the Galaxy S8, in terms of how
much it pays for the components.
“We expect raw material prices
to rise 15-20% compared to the Galaxy S7,” Goldman Sachs was quoted as
saying, with the report adding: “If raw material prices rise, retail
sales price hikes will be considered.”
Of course, there’s no
guarantee that prices will rise if Samsung does have to pay more for the
Galaxy S8. Samsung will have to ensure that its next flagship phone
lands at a reasonable and competitive price, especially considering the
waning consumer trust that followed last year’s Galaxy Note 7 recall
debacle.
Should I wait for the Galaxy S8?
The Galaxy S8 is a long way off, so it may be unwise to batten down the hatches and wait for the 2017 flagship.
There are plenty of great phones on the market right now, not least the Galaxy S7, and Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL. But you’ll also find good value from the HTC 10 and, to a lesser extent, the LG G5. And if you’re not a die-hard Android nut, the iPhone 7 is a formidable handset.
But
by the time the Galaxy S8 handset comes out, there’ll be even more
phones available. We’d expect to see the LG G6 vying for your
hard-earned cash, for instance.
And looking beyond that, you’ll have the HTC 11 (probably, anyway) shortly following the Galaxy S8, with the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8 assuredly in tow.
Galaxy S8 Concepts
Thanks to DesignWoOS,
we've seen very impressive concept renders for the Galaxy S8. These
concepts are based on leaks and so, while they may be completely wrong,
there's a good chance that they accurately depict what Samsung's next
flagship phone will look like.
Check them out:
What phone are you most excited for in the coming year? Let us know in the comments.
WATCH: What's the best smartphone right now?
What would you like to see from the Galaxy S8? Tell us your thoughts below.
