The Samsung Galaxy S7 continues to be an excellent smartphone. However, it has been in the market for some months now, which means the replacement should be somewhere in the horizon already. Rumours and speculations about the S8 also started to pick up the pace as well which provides us with an inkling of what the S7 successor could be like in reality.
Mentioned here is a compilation of all that we know of the S8 so far.
Display: Apart from the overall looks, display happens to the biggest draw with any smartphone, one that serves to be the main working area for the user. No wonder, manufacturers make it a point to offer the highest resolution display as is technically feasible with their top-end smartphones. And Samsung is expected to go really overboard with the S8 that is touted to come with nothing short of a 4K screen.
The above rumour is further backed by the fact that Samsung is aiming for a big slice of the emerging VR market with its Gear VR headset. And it is almost pertinent to have the best of the display with optimum VR experience. That makes a strong case for the S8 to come with a super sharp 4K display.
Another aspect that works in favour of the S8 coming with 4K display this time is the very fact that the past few of Samsung’s flagship devices have been offering QHD displays. Hence, an upgrade is on the cards already.
Samsung is also reported to be doing away with flat screen version so that the curved edge will be the new norm for the company’s flagship devices. SamMobile further reported the new S8 would be available in screen size options of 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch. So there is not going to be a separate S8 Edge this time, or its going to be Edge all the way.
Always On Display AOD: This has been one of the main draws of the Note 7, what with some of the most important notifications always there to be seen on display at all times. The brilliant display of the Note 7 further added to the appeal and it is expected to get even better with the rumoured 4K display of the S8.
Further, the AOD is expected to get even more informative with more third party players likely to contribute to it as well.
Design: Samsung has already been doing a brilliant job with its flagship offerings with a subtle but clever use of metal and glass. That said, there might not be any revolutionary changes with the way S8 is going to look like though there still is going to be a degree of freshness imparted to the S7 successor, that’s for sure.
That said, it will be really nice to see Samsung trying something new with the way its rear cameras and the flash is placed. Even though the camera evolved by leaps and bounds, the way it has been arranged in the device continues to be largely the same. Maybe it’s time Samsung tries something different. It is likely too given that dual cameras are fast becoming the norm these days.
Camera: Samsung might have some pleasant surprises here with rumours claiming a completely new unit that might go into the making of the S8. It is touted to be of 18 to 24-megapixel resolution while having a wide f/1.4 aperture. The latter makes for a healthy improvement over the f/1.7 aperture of the S7.
The S7 is already acclaimed for its pictorial abilities, and things are only expected to get better with the S8. Then, as has already been mentioned, a dual lens camera each of different resolutions can’t be ruled out either.
Battery: This is another area where Samsung is believed to be thinking really big, as big as 4200mAh can be. The S7 already does a great job with its 3000mAh power pack and an outright upgrade to a 4200mAh unit should no doubt do wonders. Hopefully, that does not happen at the cost of weight or thickness of the device. Needless to say, the battery will be compliant with both wireless and fast charging tech.
Power: Though not official but the new S8 is likely to come powered by the new 3.2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 830 chip in the US or the 3GHz Exynos 8895 processor in other regions. Then there is going to 6 gigs of memory as well to allow for blazing performance.
Launch: As for the S8’s expected launch schedule, Samsung has generally done that during the MWC event. The 2017 edition of MWC kicks off on 27 February, so a launch anytime around end-Feb remains a distinct possibility.
