SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 & S8+ LEAKS
NEWS & SPECULATION
Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers!#Samsung #GalaxyS8 #GalaxyS8+ #Bixby #DEX
SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 & S8+ IN THE WILD
Yeah, yeah… More “leaked” Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ are surfacing. I suspect that these leaks are done on purpose to give us not only a taste of things to come thus keeping our interest but also to bring our expectations down to Earth!
Am I excited about the new look? Well, no, to be honest. Samsung makes some serious premium handsets. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge especially are the pinnacle of smartphone design. The Galaxy Note 7, which is making a comeback in developing markets, was the best-looking handset of 2016 and it beats anything else on the market. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate designs from other manufacturers such as Huawei, Lenovo-Motorola, LG, ZTE and a few others but Samsung is out there for imbuing the designs with great functionality. Some real thought has gone into the design.
INNERSPACE
That said above, I leave some space in the back of my mind for the element of surprise. The Galaxy S3 had a wow factor when it was first launched and it took until the Galaxy S6 Edge for me to be wowed again! Mind you, the Galaxy Note Edge was quite an awe inspiring handset. You don’t see many of those anymore!
If anything, I am more excited about the innards… The meaty combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM. At the moment it seems that Samsung has a standard formation of the fastest processor available, a decent GPU for the games and 4GB RAM. Many tech pundits push the “6GB RAM” because that is what they hope and want to see on a flagship Samsung Galaxy S handset and I am sure that these pundits will do the same for the forthcoming Galaxy Note 8.
Anyhoo, due to the recent “leaks”, it does appear that Samsung will be sticking with the above hardware formula. The proof, as always, is in the pudding. There are many claims regarding the Snapdragon 835 and those claims remain to be seen. I don’t take those claims too seriously as the Snapdragon CPUs performs reasonably well and fall short of the hype in comparison to the iPhone CPU. Maybe this time the Snapdragon and RAM will delight hardware freaks, like me, with a blistering performance.
The next piece of hardware is the camera, it looks like it is going to be another 12MP main camera with an 8MP front facing shooter. Let’s see what the lens and software are all about. Galaxy S and Note cameras have always been very good, definitely above the average Android camera. The camera on Google’s Pixel appears to be a top camera on any smartphone. But most of the premium Androids are very competitive camera-wise; there’s little between them. I am curious as to what Samsung has in store where the camera is concerned.
inDEX
Well, it remains to be seen if users will be able to use the Galaxy S8 & S8+ like a computer by hooking it up to a dock. There was a similar dock for the Galaxy Note 2 and I don’t know why this idea, which looks to be called “DEX”, hasn’t been a feature from the Galaxy Note 3 onwards. I think being able to hook a full 2K monitor to the Galaxy S and Note ranges of handsets is a great innovation. DEX makes a lot of sense for many consumers who just want to access the Internet and Social Mediums. No, this will not be yet another nail in the coffin for desktop PCs as that particular format has become a device for hardcore gamers and multimedia producers. And the tablet has kind of fizzled for the moment… I think that there is a market for tablets still, but it looks as though manufacturers aren’t ready to push them just yet. The Android tablet game is a long one… I think the iPad has peaked. Microsoft Surface tablets are more desirable due to being able to install full software as opposed to apps. Android seems to be in a bit of a stasis where tablets are concerned. But you can bet that Samsung will be showing off a new Galaxy Tab at the Mobile World Congress in a few days time.
Yes, I would use DEX if it were a reality!
STORAGE
Again, no surprises there… 64GB storage is a standard with Samsung and that is definitely enough for storing apps, pictures, and video. I personally have the tendency to use the internal storage for apps and external for my photos and videos.
Maybe there will be a 128GB version but I seriously doubt it as there will be a microSD slot.
BATTERY
I am not expecting anything beyond a 3200 mAh battery. I would also imagine that there will be a battery extension case from Samsung.
EXTRAS & ACCESSORIES
The usual tech pundits still have it in mind that there will be a fingerprint reader built into the screen. I doubt it. By the looks of the sensors on these “leaked” photos of the Galaxy S8 & S8+, the iris scanner will be the way to unlock the handset. Why would you then need an additional fingerprint reader? Either my eyes will do it or a password in the event of a condition will prevent the iris scanner from working.
It could be that one of the accessories is a specially made S Pen for the Galaxy S8 & S8+ which would make sense for those who were hanging on for the Galaxy Note 7.
I don’t see much by the way of accessories other than the usual windowed and non-windowed cases, battery extension cases, and wireless charging pads.
BIXBY
Yeah, well… I can’t say too much on that… Personal assistants are novel and they are still in development. Siri is trailing behind Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Microsoft Cortana is getting there… I predict that Bixby will be an overhaul of the S Voice which wasn’t bad but it wasn’t that good either. I had to switch of the S Voice on my Galaxy S6 Edge as it would become active sporadically and sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night!
It looks as though the S Voice has gotten a new AI engine through the acquisition of VIV, the technology behind Siri.
CONCLUSION
I think the Galaxy S8 & S8+ are going to be an incremental improvement over the Galaxy S7 Edge. We are not going to see anything that’s way, way ahead of its time. I think the overreaction to the Galaxy S4 has had Samsung pull back on those innovations that other handset manufacturers have come to utilize in a piecemeal fashion.
What we are going to see is another beautifully designed handset that will continue to set the bar for great functionality!
Will it beat the iPhone? That’s another article…
Thanks for reading,
Synapse Circuit/Blue Gene
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