Leaks the date of availability of the Samsung Galaxy phone S8 for sale in global markets
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 theres no shortage of rumours and leaks. Heres what we know about Samsungs 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
Itll 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 wont be seeing Samsungs 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 isnt going away any time soon.
Theres plenty of new S8 talking points, though. For instance, its expected that well 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 revealWhat�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
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 Samsungs next flagship smartphone:
And heres an image that VentureBeats (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
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.
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.
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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. Heres 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. Whats 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 wed 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.
Were 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. Its a bit like Twitter, which makes it tough to authenticate sources. Secondly, those specs seem very generous, and would outclass most of last years handsets by a long way.
That said, Samsung has a lot to prove with the Galaxy S8. Whats more, Apple introduced a 256GB iPhone in late 2016, so Samsung following a similar approach wouldnt be too farfetched � though were not convinced by Samsung adopting the high storage as default. And dont forget that OnePlus built 6GB of RAM into both the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, so that level of memory isnt 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 its not just the rear-facing camera that is poised for a performance boost. In November 2016, a report from Koreas ETNews claimed that Samsung will be adding autofocus on the S8s front-facing camera. Its 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 theres no real reason why Samsung couldnt introduce such an upgrade for the Galaxy S8.
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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
