Is Samsung Galaxy S8 the Best smartphone yet?

Well, after all the Hype and Rumors we have finally witnessed the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. Samsung launched its flagship phones on 29 March 2017 in the event - 'Unbox your Phone'. The company also revealed its voice assistant Bixby, Samsung Dex (desktop experience support), Gear 360 and the controller of Gear VR.

I was once an Apple Smartphone user but later switched to Samsung Galaxy S7 edge because of its brilliant specs and features. Every time, without fail, Samsung makes it a point to wows its users by its innovative features and unprecedented user experience.

Let's this time talk about the specs and features of Samsung newly launched mobile phones - Galaxy S8 and S8+.

1.Design

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ both come with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and metal body. Unlike its predecessor, Samsung's signature home button is no longer there, now, it has an on-screen home button which is pressure sensitive (3D touch), and gives a button like feedback when pressed. Also, both the touch sensitive buttons i.e. back and window are now on-screen, just to increase the screen size. The fingerprint scanner is now shifted to the back near the camera, optical heart rate sensor is also present at the back. A new hardware button is present next to the volume rocker, when pressed, it takes you to Samsung newly introduced voice assistant Bixby. Samsung logo is no longer there at the front. Both the devices have USB type C for all your media transfer and connectivity, and yes, it has 3.5 mm audio jack. Blessing in disguise indeed!

2. Hardware Specification

Now let's jump to its hardware specification. S8 and S8+ come with octa-core Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 - US model & Exynos 8895 Octa - EMEA processor having Android OS v7.0. Both the smartphones have internal memory of 64 GB with 4 GB RAM which also supports microSD card up to 256 GB. These are the only smartphones with the latest Bluetooth v5.0. The only disadvantage is the weak battery life, S8 has 3000 mAh battery whereas S8+ has 3500 mAh battery which is lower than Samsung's last year model, S7 edge which has 3600 mAh battery. Maybe Samsung is playing safe after its "Note 7" incident some months back.

Both the devices come with an iris scanner and a face detection.Rest of its hardware features are same as that of the last year's model which also includes IP68 dust & water resistance.

3. Camera 

Last year Samsung produced one of the best smartphone cameras in S7 & S7 edge mobile devices. This year too there both the devices come with 12 MP camera, f/1.7 with Face detection, autofocus, and OIS (optical image stabilization). The front camera is 8 MP, f/1.7, with autofocus. Hopefully, the legacy of these awesome cameras continues in this year too.

4. Display

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ come with a flawless infinity display. It gives an impression of a device from the future. The display size of both the models is different, S8 has a 5.8-inch display with a resolution of 1440*2960 pixels which means 570 ppi pixel density, whereas S8+ has a 6.2-inch display with a resolution of 1440*2960 pixels which means 529 ppi pixel density. S8 has 83.6% screen-to-body ratio whereas S8+ has 84.0% screen-to-body ratio. The only difference between these two devices is the screen size and battery life.

5. Price and Availability

The expected date of its availability is 21st April 2017. You can register for one on their official website. About the price in India which the company hasn't confirmed yet is expected to be around 55000/- INR for S8 and around 63000/- INR for S8+.

Thinking of buying this new smartphone? Well, if you are looking for a bigger/better screen and can compromise on the battery, then yes, you should go for it has amazing features, and is value for money. I don't see much of a difference between S7 edge and S8 or S8+. If you decide to wait for another year then there could be a possibility of you having a better device than this. If in any case you are confused between iPhone 7/7+ and Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+, I will suggest you go for Samsung because it is ahead of its time.