Samsung Galaxy S8 review - detailed characteristics of the flagship. Samsung Galaxy S8 Review

2017 has many surprises in store for gadget lovers. The Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone is highly anticipated, and for good reason. After all, the device is equipped with many additional features compared to previous models. Samsung Corporation is a global manufacturer of luxury smartphones that are distinguished by performance and quality. This time the developers promise to reach a new level and truly surprise us. Whether they succeed or not, you will find out from today's review.

The Galaxy S8 mobile device will be the third model in the S line, which is capable of taking high-quality photos, has powerful hardware, an innovative display and an impressive amount of RAM. We invite you to watch a short video review of the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Screen

According to preliminary information, it became known that the smartphone will be produced in several versions - standard and Plus version. They will be equipped with 5.1 and 5.5 inch displays. We all know that Galaxy S7 has a screen with QHD resolution. This is more than enough for a smartphone. However, the developers don't think so. They decided to go further and surprise the consumer.

The Galaxy model will acquire 4K screen. Many may think that this is too much for a smartphone, but this is not the case when it comes to VR (virtual reality glasses). The device will have a resolution of 2160x3840 and a pixel density per inch of 806. Fans of mobile gaming will have access to games in HDR and 3D through VR glasses. Many have been waiting for this for a long time.

Users liked a special innovation in the released S7 smartphone, namely the Always On Display function. The display always works with minimal backlight. The AOD function will be greatly improved in the S8 series. You will be able to activate widgets.

Design

Skeptics made the wildest speculations about this. Some said the concept would have a foldable body, citing insider claims. Moreover, many argued that not only the phone’s body would fold, but also its screen. This statement was not groundless, since this technology was patented by Samsung Corporation.

After the presentation of the Galaxy S8, all myths and mysterious statements were dispelled. It became clear that the device would have a classic shape, but with its own improvements. The corners of the smartphone will be slightly smoothed, this will make it more comfortable to hold in your hands. Aluminum inserts will appear on the sides, which will give the phone some solidity and presentability. The model will be much thinner and will have a powerful camera that is capable of high-speed shooting and high-definition photos.

There will be several available color variations:

• Black Onyx;
• Gold Platinum;
• Silver Titanium;
• White Pearl.

Every color looks great.

Characteristics of iron

According to the information provided by insiders, it became known that the device will be produced in two variations:

1. For distribution in the United States, the model will have an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 830, clocked at 3.2 GHz.
2. The version for the rest of the world, and the one that will be available in Russia, will receive an Exynos 8895, 3 GHz processor, which was developed and released quite recently.

These characteristics show that the device’s power consumption will decrease significantly, and the graphics chip will become 75% faster. These are quite impressive figures for a mobile device.

Moreover, there have long been rumors that Samsung is actively negotiating with AMD and Nvidia corporations to use their components in their devices. If the new Galaxy S8 phone is equipped with one of these chips, it will provide a significant performance boost.

Regarding the amount of RAM used, it will be 6 GB high-speed memory, which is enough for working with complex applications.

Battery and camera

Reliable information has emerged that the camera matrix will have a resolution of 12 MP Dual Pixel and will cope well with photos. The aperture has also undergone some changes, naturally, for the better F 1.6.

The optional camera will not only take bright and clear photos, but also record video in 4K resolution at 60 fps.

The front camera also has decent characteristics - 7 MP, f 1.6 QHD resolution.

Regarding the battery, it will have a capacity of 3500 mAh.

Additional features

Among the important innovations:

1. Iris Scanner. This feature will keep your files even more secure. Thanks to the retinal scanner, only you will have access to the information stored in your smartphone.
2. Water Resistant IP Now the gadget is not afraid of moisture.

There are also other additional features that will become known after the release of this smartphone model.

Price

There is only one question: how much does the phone cost? A reasonable opinion is that the price of the new model will be $100 more expensive than the S7 at the start of sales.

Regarding the price in Russia, according to preliminary estimates, the cost will be RUB 54,000. Naturally, these calculations do not take into account the collection of duties. The smartphone is not too cheap.

release date

The presentation is expected on March 29. The planned release of the new model will take place in the second quarter of 2017. It follows from this that this smartphone will appear in Asian markets at the beginning of April.

In Russia, the start of sales of S8 is scheduled for end of April 2017. As you can see, you don't have long to wait. We hope you are interested in the gadget.

Conclusion

A device for lovers of innovation and progressive. The phone is capable of handling complex tasks, including HDR gaming.

Advantages: a camera that takes bright photos, a screen with 4K resolution, 6 GB of RAM, a unique design of the device. I would also like to mention the waterproof case. Now the phone is not afraid of moisture.

To be honest, the advantages of the new model are impressive. What about the shortcomings, because there certainly are. The only one is the price.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the most anticipated flagships of 2017, so we decided not to delay its review. The demand for the new model turned out to be simply colossal, people lined up in huge queues and rushed to pre-order in order to be among the first to receive the first smartphone based on the Snapdragon 835 chip and with an iris scanner. The company tried to offer a truly innovative and, most importantly, reliable product in order to regain its reputation after the self-igniting Note 7. Let's review the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone to see how successful the flagship turned out to be this time.

Equipment Samsung Galaxy S8

The package package turned out to be quite rich, because Samsung is one of the few manufacturers who continues to accompany their devices with high-quality headsets developed together with AKG. Also inside the box we will find a compact charger, a USB Type-C cable, an adapter for microUSB and USB-A, as well as documents and a paper clip for easy removal of the SIM card tray.

Design

We will look at the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S8 a little later, but now let's focus on its appearance. The new model inherited the main design lines of the S7 edge and Note 7. The manufacturer decided to abandon the wide frames around the display perimeter, which puts the S8 a level above most of its competitors. The company managed the impossible in a compact-sized case: 148.9x68.1 mm fit a large 5.8-inch display.

Thanks to the new approach, it occupies 84.26% of the front panel of the device. In this regard, the company nicknamed its screen “infinite”. Its side ends are slightly curved, which creates the feeling that you are holding only one display in your hands. The Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone turned out to be truly innovative, because the manufacturer did not limit itself to just one framework. Through the efforts of the world's leading experts, it was possible to develop an impressive design. All elements are made in the same style, and rounded corners and edges perfectly complement the appearance. The corners of the screen are rounded to match the shape of the body. The corporate logo will no longer appear on the front side, because the smartphone is already recognizable.

The new Samsung Galaxy S8 64gb is not so expressive from the back, but there is a recognizable style and symmetry here too. The camera module no longer protrudes beyond the body, and on either side there is an LED backlight, a heart rate sensor and a fingerprint scanner. The latter is not very conveniently located. In an attempt to find it, you can touch the camera lens.

The back and front panels are covered with Gorilla Glass 5, and to give rigidity to the body, the ends are made of metal. They are now polished and painted in the same color as the body, which completes the design. Due to this, the impression is formed that the device consists entirely of glass.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 g955f black looks particularly beautiful, but there is also arctic silver, blue coral, gray orchid, as well as maple gold. The use of premium materials contributes to a better perception of the flagship and a pleasant feeling during use, but unfortunately glass remains the most easily soiled material that quickly collects fingerprints. Samsung Galaxy S8 review in Russian showed that the case does not play, no matter how much pressure you put on it. At the same time, it is better to wear it in a protective bumper, since glass is much inferior in strength to metal.

The Galaxy S8 received a larger display than the S7 edge, but the dimensions of the body, on the contrary, decreased. Thanks to the rounded ends, the case fits like a glove in the hand, making the smartphone comfortable to use even with one hand. The sides of the display are not as curved as in the S7 edge, which helps avoid accidental clicks.

The changes also affected the governing bodies. Now the function keys have become virtual, although they are convenient to use. The Home key detects pressure and confirms every action with vibration, so that soon after purchasing the device it is easy to feel blindly. In the settings you can set your own location of control keys.
The case is equipped with protection against water and dust according to the modern IP68 standard. This means it can be lowered up to 1 meter underwater for up to 30 minutes.

Galaxy S8 display

Samsung Galaxy S8 screen is the first thing that catches your eye. It occupies most of the front surface, and its diagonal is 5.8 inches. As before, the manufacturer uses a Super AMOLED matrix in its technology, but this time the resolution is non-standard - 2960 × 1440 pixels with an innovative aspect ratio of 18.5:9. In this regard, the Samsung Galaxy S8 display is smaller in width, but larger in height compared to classic models, which have an aspect ratio of 16:9. The company's main achievement is that it managed to put a larger display in a body smaller than that of the S7 edge (5.8 versus 5.5 inches).

The review of the Samsung Galaxy S8 64gb smartphone showed that the non-standard resolution had virtually no effect on the application interface. They successfully adapt to it in most cases. In addition, you will always have a choice: use the program with its standard aspect ratio, or stretch it to the entire display. The multitasking menu has a separate key to control the aspect ratio. In games everything is a little more difficult. Sometimes the keys eat up the edges of the screen, but this is not critical. It is not at all necessary to stretch the game across the entire display, because the black bars along the ends do not attract much attention to themselves. The same applies to videos that are shot primarily in the 16:9 aspect ratio.

Samsung Galaxy S8 review in Russian showed that the viewing angles and color rendition are simply amazing. In the parameters, you can select the color formation mode, making them more saturated or realistic. Our testing showed excellent factory calibration with a bias towards “warm” tones, virtually ideal gamma and uniform backlighting. If desired, you can activate the “Blue Filter” in the menu.

Another feature is the ability to select the display resolution - HD (1480×720), FullHD (2220×1080) or WQHD (2960×1440). If you set the maximum resolution, the pixel density per inch will be 570, which is more than enough. There is no talk of any pixel grid; it is impossible to see. It's not even in HD. It is worth noting that as the resolution decreases, autonomy greatly increases, which is associated with a reduced load on the processor. FullHD can be called optimal; higher resolution will only be required for VR glasses.

A review of the Samsung Galaxy S8 2017 showed that the interesting feature of displaying certain information selected by the user on the locked display has been retained. It was possible to implement it due to the fact that in AMOLED panels, each pixel is illuminated separately. The function has been slightly improved. So, now the display goes completely dark when the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone is in your pocket, which saves battery. The brightness level is adjusted automatically depending on the current light level. A detailed review of the Samsung Galaxy S8 showed that the Edge option could not be avoided. With its help, you can display a curtain on the edge of the screen, with which you can access various applications and functions.

The Galaxy S8 introduced a speed dial panel, which includes four tools that allow you to crop an area of ​​the screen, recognize text from an image, make a GIF from a piece of video, and select an area of ​​the display, and then fix it on top of other programs.

Samsung Galaxy S8 performance

The full Samsung Galaxy S8 review moves on to technical specifications. Let's start with the fact that this model uses Bluetooth 5th generation for the first time, which provides not only higher data transfer speeds, but also the ability to simultaneously work with two BT devices (for example, headphones and smart watches).

Samsung Galaxy S8 technical specifications include a powerful Exynos 8895 chip, developed by Samsung specialists. It is built using a 10 nm process technology and is based on 4 Cortex A53 cores with a frequency of 1.7 GHz and 4 cores with a frequency of up to 2.35 GHz, developed in-house. The video accelerator uses the Mali-G71 MP20, which is 40% more efficient than the Mali T880MP12 installed in the S7 edge.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone features 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of user memory. There is a hybrid tray for a memory card, but when using it you will have to give up one nanoSIM. Performance is at the highest level, which is noticeable both when working with the interface and in resource-intensive applications. There is no dependence on resolution, the device always “flies”. According to the results of synthetic tests, the Galaxy S8 showed phenomenal results, becoming one of the most productive flagships at the moment.

Fingerprint and iris scanner

The characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone turned out to be excellent - this is the first device with an iris scanner installed. But this function is still imperfect and needs improvement. It can be easily deceived by placing a photograph of the owner of the device under the front camera lens. It is safer to use a traditional fingerprint scanner, which cannot be scanned. By the way, it is located to the right of the camera lens, which is quite unusual and extremely inconvenient. Your finger involuntarily gets on the camera and stains its lens while you are trying to feel the scanner.

Initially, the manufacturer planned to use Synaptics technology, in which the scanner is built under the display glass, but there was not enough time to implement it. This is a complex technology that will definitely appear in the manufacturer’s future devices. It would be more logical to place the scanner under the camera, but over time you begin to get used to the unusual location of the sensor. The scanner works at lightning speed and reads touches from any angle. Samsung Galaxy S8 characteristics photo price will be discussed in detail in our article.

The iris scanner is installed on the front side of the device next to the camera. Luckily it is infrared, so it works well even in complete darkness. The speed and quality of recognition are at the highest level, but may act poorly in bright sunshine. If you wear sunglasses, the quality of recognition depends on the surrounding environment. Glare on the glass can interfere with the normal operation of the scanner, and if there is no glare, it will work well through glasses.

Interface

Samsung Galaxy S8 user reviews speak positively about its shell and stability of operation. The interface is built on Android 7.0 with minor proprietary modifications in the form of the Samsung Experience shell. The company has done an excellent job of optimizing the OS for its own platform, and the interface logic has remained virtually unchanged compared to pure Android. Samsung Galaxy S8 mobile review showed that the icons, notification shade and system applications were redrawn by the company's designers. Visually, the interface has become simpler and more pleasant to use. The animation works smoothly, even the slightest slowdown is not noticeable. To access the menu, you no longer need to search for a separate key, now you just need to perform a top-down gesture on the desktop.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 g950 review showed that during the initial setup, you can choose which applications from the manufacturer to install, and which ones you decide to refuse. The Briefing panel, which previously acted as a news aggregator and was located on one of the desktops, is now being replaced by Bixby. It was built into it as a widget. There is a separate mechanical key to launch the virtual assistant, so it can be removed from the desktop.

Bixby virtual assistant

The Samsung Galaxy S8 64gb smartphone received a new virtual assistant. The essence of the idea is that developers can independently add their own programs and services to it. And it, in turn, provides the user with a convenient voice control system. At the time of the announcement, Bixby already supported work with 50 applications. The assistant will analyze the user's preferences and display data that will be truly interesting to him. New gadgets will also appear, simplifying the use of the gadget and adding new options. This is an interesting idea that will definitely develop.

Samsung Galaxy S8 camera review

Samsung Galaxy S8 review mobile 128gb moves on to photographic capabilities. The resolution of the main module is 12 megapixels with an f/1.7 aperture, optical and digital stabilization, a six-element lens and a sensor with a large pixel size of 1.4μm. In terms of technical characteristics, the camera module has not changed since the S7 edge, but it uses improved image processing mechanisms and a new camera revision. Samsung Galaxy S8 camera review showed that it began to work faster and the detail of frames in low light was slightly improved. Now, as a standard, pictures are saved in JPEG and RAW formats. The shutter button can be pulled up, which enlarges the image with digital zoom, and when pulled down, it returns to its original position. This is a useful addition to the standard interface.

Samsung Galaxy S8 54gb review of the front camera showed that with a resolution of 8 megapixels and an aperture of f/1.7, excellent pictures are obtained. There is support for HDR, the ability to combine several frames into one to increase the viewing angle, and display backlighting, which is useful when shooting in low-light conditions. There are few changes to the camera module, but they were beneficial, and the current characteristics are enough to call the smartphone one of the best in terms of image quality.

Example photo:

Sound

The Samsung Galaxy S8 phone's sound performance is very good even though it has a protective membrane installed to prevent water from entering. The volume reserve is good, even in a fairly noisy environment you can comfortably watch a movie or listen to audio. The included AKG headset sounds great, conveying all frequencies in detail, but sags slightly in the bass. By the way, these are the best complete in-ear headphones, which retail for about $100. As before, they offer to customize the sound in their own way, using an equalizer, ready-made modes and the proprietary Adapt Sound option, in which you can adjust the sound in the headset to suit your hearing.

Autonomy Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung Galaxy S8 review in Russian moves on to autonomy. After the “hot” Note 7, the manufacturer decided to change its approach to creating batteries. They began to test them more thoroughly and not to overextend the capacity, offering a 3000 mAh battery. The autonomy of the Samsung Galaxy S8 at a brightness level of 200 cd/m2 turned out to be as follows:

• 8 hours 46 minutes at HD resolution;
• 7 hours 38 minutes at FullHD;
• 6 hours 59 minutes at WQHD.

This is a good result, considering the screen diagonal and battery capacity. The results show how strongly resolution affects autonomy. The new Samsung Galaxy S8 review showed that it supports fast as well as wireless charging.

Conclusion

Advantages:

• Really rich equipment;
• Premium design and build quality;
• Convenient and pleasant interface;
• High performance;
• Cameras;
• Sound;
• Battery life;
• Protection from moisture and dust;
• High-quality and unusual display, occupying 84.26% of the front side.

Flaws:

• The case strongly collects fingerprints;
• Poor location of the fingerprint scanner;
• Overpriced.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone is undoubtedly one of the best flagships in 2017, made in a futuristic design and with an interesting technical part. It has a user-friendly interface, excellent cameras and autonomy. But not everyone will like the location of the fingerprint scanner and the cost, which is very high.

Where can I buy?

You can purchase a smartphone at competitive prices using the following links.

I am writing this material for people who really want to know an explanation of the characteristics of the Galaxy S8, how they work in practice, and my personal opinion about this or that point in the device. And for this, just a 10-minute video and beautiful pictures are not enough. Therefore, if you are just such a reader, then get ready to spend 10 minutes of your life reading. If not, then I have selected for you under this material 10-minute video reviews of top bloggers on YouTube, which will tell you clearly, quickly and superficially.

So, let's begin! Samsung Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F) at the start of sales costs 55,000 RUB in Russia, 25,000 UAH in Ukraine, 1,800 BYN in Belarus, 301,000 KZT in Kazakhstan. For fun, I converted all these prices into dollars and summarized them in the chart below:

In this section I will tell you all the characteristics: from the body to the cameras.

Design, elements on the case, materials and dimensions of the smartphone

The design of the flagship is not similar to any other device, but the Samsung style is noticeable. Everything is very smooth and in your hands it feels like a piece of glass polished to perfection. I can’t find fault with the joints of the elements; everything fits very well and without cracks. I have a black version, but in our market you can still find gold and amethyst.

By thickness The smartphone is 8 mm, nothing protrudes in the planes. The metal frame on the left and right ends is only 3.5 mm wide, to which the front and rear windows are rounded off. Samsung calls this "Edge Design". Width The S8 is quite narrow - 68 mm, which is one and a half millimeters narrower than the Galaxy S7. Samsung smartphones have always been distinguished by their compact size in terms of body/display ratio. By height The device is 6.5 mm taller than its predecessor and is 149 mm. Weight is 155 g, and as for me this is the optimal indicator that you want to feel in your hand.

Even though the S8's screen diagonal is quite large, I still want to call it a compact smartphone that will be convenient for people with small hands. When I hold it in my hand, I think that this is exactly how it should be and I don’t understand why smartphones were different before.

Ok Steve! In terms of design, I want the Galaxy S8.

On the front there is a large display, with very narrow frames at the top and bottom (each almost 7 mm). There's nothing on the bottom bezel, and part of me says, "So if the area is empty, then remove it entirely in favor of an EVEN larger display!" But the normal part of me (I think it’s normal) understands that before this there were no such screen-to-body ratios, and the engineers tried very hard to create what we have in front.

Above the screen in the center there is a neat earpiece, to the left of which there are two sensors (light and proximity), infrared illumination for recognizing the iris of the eye even in pitch darkness, followed by an indicator light (lit in blue or red). To the right of the speaker are the front camera and a sensor for scanning the iris of the eye. The front camera is not used for iris scanning.

On the back panel we have a protective glass that is scratch-resistant and does not have an oleophobic coating. Just above the center is the Samsung logo, which is not shiny chrome, but has a modest gray color. Above the logo in the center there is a camera, to the left of which is a heart rate sensor and a single-LED flash. I can’t say that the flash stands out in terms of brightness and has a warm tint. To the right of the camera there is a fingerprint scanner, which is inconvenient for me and I don’t use it.

At the top end there is a hybrid tray for two Nano SIM cards, or one card and a memory card. The tray is made of flexible plastic, which is a little disappointing, although this is not so important. The metal frame at the top and bottom ends is wider than the side edges, since the adjacent glass there is not rounded. On top we also have a microphone for noise reduction and two plastic dividers for antennas, which are practically invisible.


At the bottom end there is a USB Tape-C connector, a headphone jack, an external speaker, a conversational microphone and two more dividers for antennas.

On the left side there is a volume rocker and a button that calls up the interface of the Bixby virtual assistant, but more on that later.

On the right side, the power/lock button is located alone in a convenient place.

Chipset

The heart of the flagship SM-G950F is the top-of-the-line 2017 chipset of its own production, Exynos 8895 (analogue). It has 8 cores, 4 of which are low-power for light tasks and energy saving - ARM Cortex-A53 with a maximum frequency of 1690 MHz. The remaining 4 cores are manufactured using Samsung's own Exynos M1 (Mongoose) architecture. It handles complex tasks at a maximum frequency of 2314 MHz.

The biggest feature of the processor is its 10-nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology. Manufacturers have stopped increasing gigahertz and power, and are striving for energy efficiency and compactness. So that you understand, 10 nm is almost half the size of the already small 14 nm top-end Snapdragon 821 chip. At the same time, performance has not gone by the wayside, and energy costs are several times less.

See the comparison of chipset sizes in the picture:

Diagram from Intel presentation

In terms of performance, this is not the most powerful smartphone. In AnTuTu it scores 173 thousand points and gives way to the iPhone 7 Plus. At maximum graphics settings in tanks, the frames per second of the Galaxy S8 does not reach 60. On average it shows 50 frames per second. But this is not critical, since the human eye can capture a maximum of 30 frames per second.

In summer, when the weather is very hot, the smartphone gets a little warm and holding it in your hands is very uncomfortable. Heating was noticed not only in games under maximum load, but this problem can be much more noticeable in other smartphones with a similar powerful chip.

Considering that the chipset is made using the finest technical process, I don’t understand the heating. However, I have not previously heard about heating problems from other users, and I am almost sure that this point concerns my device, which is not commercial (sent for review by the manufacturer). Plus, given that the processor and core architecture are new, over time all games and programs will be better optimized for this solution.

Memory

The device has 4 GB of RAM. This is quite enough for all tasks and I did not feel any shortcomings. The AIDA64 application shows an honest 3.5 GB of RAM. 64 GB of permanent memory, and no other versions found. 54 GB available for use. It is possible to expand the memory using a MicroSD card up to 256 GB, and the card slot is separate from the SIM card.

Memory speed is excellent and reaches 787 MB/s when reading and 195 MB/s when transferring. This is the fastest indicator currently in smartphones.

Autonomy

I’ll say right away that autonomy is not the strong point of the Samsung S8. The battery capacity is 3000 mAh, and it shows average survivability. But if you take into account the display resolution and its diagonal, then everything is pretty good.

After an hour of playing, the battery drained by 20%, meaning you can play for 5 hours without interruption at maximum resolution. Plays video over Wi-Fi – 7.5 hours. But working with a GPS navigator with a rarely active display will drain the battery in 20 hours. Still, the high resolution of the display makes itself felt (by the way, it can be lowered, which will have a positive effect on autonomy).

The Korean flagship is infected from 0 to 100% in 1 hour 15 minutes. The included charger charged the battery from 0 to 50% in 40 minutes. This means that there is fast charging, but the S8 does not focus on quickly recharging the charge in the first minutes.

If you are not a hardcore multimedia user, then the smartphone will last 2 days under gentle loads. Especially if you lower the display resolution.

Display

But the screen here is quite interesting. It has an unusual aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and is made using Super Amoled technology. The screen diagonal, with such compact dimensions, is 5.8 inches. Compactness is achieved thanks to the same narrow frames mentioned earlier. This means that it is more elongated in length, and all this is due to the reduction of the upper and lower frames. The maximum display resolution is WQHD (2950x1440), but it can be reduced in the settings to FullHD or even HD. Reducing the resolution will have a positive effect on autonomy.

It is noticeable only when compared point-blank.

It’s hard to find fault with the display – it’s large, clear, frameless and very bright (1000 nits). However, there is a minus: with a white color, the picture turns a little red at a direct viewing angle. This moment is visible only if you put another smartphone next to it.

The company is already sending out an update that will correct this shortcoming, but at the time of review, this update had not yet reached my sample.

The screen has an "Always on Display" feature, where when the device is locked, the display shows the clock and date, notifications and battery percentage.

Sound

I'm not a music lover, but with the Samsung S8 I wanted to become one. The sound in the headphones is simply stunning. Perhaps I just hadn’t heard high-quality sound before, but I downloaded the track in flac format and, in comparison with the Galaxy A5, I realized that the S8 sounds like a god. Complete immersion in music. My A-5, compared to the 2017 flagship, sounds like a leprechaun drowned in a toilet.

The external speaker of the flagship also plays well, but there are no stereo speakers. The sound comes from one speaker at the bottom end, it is loud and moderately rich, like for a smartphone. The volume reaches 70.3 dB.

Perhaps the sound was influenced by collaboration with the top audio device manufacturer Harman/Kardon. AKG branded headphones are included. They can be purchased separately for $100. At the presentation, Samsung said that the S8 has a 32-bit digital-to-analog converter.

I listen to the Samsung Galaxy S8 through headphones and I can’t remember what disadvantages I talked about earlier... I don’t know how I’ll live without such sound now.

The device supports two Nano-SIM cards. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, supports dual-channel data transmission at 5000 MHz. Bluetooth also has a surprise, it . This means you can play your favorite tracks through Bluetooth headphones and go to the other side of the house or even go out into the yard without a signal source. The range is increased 4 times compared to Bluetooth 4.2. You can also connect two headsets at once (two speakers or two pairs of headphones). These are not all the advantages of the fifth version of Bluetooth, but to use it you need a headset that supports this format.

GPS navigation works flawlessly.

Software

The Samsung S8 runs on the latest Android 7 operating system at the time of release, of course. The Samsung Experience shell is installed on top; I currently have version 8.1. Everything works quickly, but with a certain proprietary animation, which is similar to the effect of minimizing windows in Windows. The main desktop displays the clock, weather, and Google search bar by default, but by default, you can pinch to install widgets, app icons, and add screens that you can swipe right to. By swiping from bottom to top or vice versa, the “app drawer” is called up. If you swipe your finger from the right edge to the left, the EDGE panel will be called up with the ability to quickly access selected applications, contacts and various opportunities to take screenshots.

The GPU processes the interface without slowdowns at maximum frame rates. No lags were noticed in third-party applications either.

Bixby

By swiping from left to right on the main screen, as well as a separate button on the end, you can open the Bixby interface, in which you can find cards that you can configure yourself. I have an alarm clock, Gallery for today, the number of steps taken, the weather and a summary of the latest news. At the moment, the assistant's capabilities are limited. Apart from the listed capabilities, the assistant can’t do anything else; it doesn’t react to voices in any way (neither Russian, nor English, nor even Korean). It is unknown when the Russian-speaking audience will be able to fully use Bixby.

However, the intentions of his work were noticed; a recommendation appeared in the notification shade to listen to music in good quality with a link to a recommended site (I had previously downloaded music on another site). I look forward to all the capabilities of Bixby's artificial intelligence and his destruction of the human race the moment he acquires it.

For now, Bixby only has a name.

Camera

The main camera on the Galaxy S8 takes 12 MP photos. The aperture is widened to F/1.7, which allows the sensor to capture more light in low light conditions. This is the widest aperture in a smartphone in my memory. There is phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization. If the smartphone cannot focus (which happens very rarely when taking photos), for example when shooting video in 4K resolution, then tapping on the display sensor can help the camera. Autofocus works using technology, it is very fast and in most cases trouble-free.

The matrix in the main camera is manufactured by ISOCELL, model S5K2L2. I assume that the American and Korean versions use a Sony sensor, model IMX333 (or another name IMX260 Pro). They say that there is no difference in the quality of pictures of the Samsung S8 with different matrices. In the S7 there was a situation where the Sony sensor took photographs in warmer tones. The size of the S5K2L2 is quite large - 1/2.5". The pixel is also not small - 1.4 microns.

I would like to note that despite all the indicators, the camera does not protrude from the body.

The main camera of the Galaxy S8 is practically no different from the Galaxy S7 in photography. In the video I think the S8 dominates.

Below is an example of shooting on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7 in HDR modes. Last year's flagship did better.

For comparison, I’ll give another example of a photo taken under the same conditions on the Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Note 4x to clearly show the quality of flagships and budget phones.

Below is a gorgeous shot with bokeh effect on the Galaxy S8. When taking photographs in good lighting, the smartphone focuses at lightning speed (I never tire of writing this).

Another macro shot:

Shooting in the blinding sun in automatic mode was not impressive. But there are many manual settings in the "Pro" mode: ISO adjustment, aperture effect, presets, manual focus, etc.

Night shot with and without flash. When using a flash, the algorithm works well, there are no highlights and in some cases it is difficult to tell that the photo was taken with a flash.

Selfie camera

The selfie camera, a first for smartphones, has autofocus. This is an 8 megapixel ISOCELL S5K3H1 matrix with an F/1.7 aperture. It takes excellent pictures for a selfie camera, nothing more to say.

Video shooting

Samsung shoots video in resolutions from VGA to 4K (UHD) resolution. When recording Full HD at 30 frames per second, video shooting in HDR mode is available. There is optical and electronic stabilization. I was amazed by the color reproduction, focusing and stabilization capabilities. You don’t need a lot of words here, you just have to see:

Youtube decided to cut the resolution down to 2k over time.

Peculiarities

Among the features of the smartphone is the ability to connect to a monitor using the DeX docking station. You can also connect a mouse and keyboard to it. The monitor displays Samsung's operating system based on Android, externally similar to Windows. Standard Microsoft applications and office solutions are designed for it. I was not able to use this gadget for a long time, but the reviews about it are not bad.

With DeX, you can open a browser, work in office applications, view and even edit photos. Applications open in full windows. Even Instagram and others are launching, but few applications have yet been adapted for this platform.

The second feature is the ability to unlock the device using the iris of the eye or face. They say that a face scanner can be fooled by a printed photo, but it’s not so simple and who would bother with this? If the options above do not always work quickly, especially if you are walking, then with the finger scanner everything happens at lightning speed, but it is not located in a very convenient place and does not recognize a wet finger.

The third feature I would like to note is the presence of a heartbeat scanner.

The fourth feature, which I did not mention earlier, is the presence of moisture and dust protection according to the IP68 standard.

Pros and cons of Samsung Galaxy S8

It's time to sum up all of the above.

pros

• thin frames around the display;
• clear, bright and elongated display, with the ability to adjust the resolution;
• convenient design and well-assembled body;
• good cameras in all respects;
• user-friendly interface;
• support for the upcoming version of Bluetooth 5;
• great sound in headphones;
• loud external speaker;
• notification indicator;
• moisture and dust protection.

Minuses

• staining the rear glass, which is prone to scratches;
• the sharp edges of the USB connector rub your finger while playing;
• Due to such a premium design, the smartphone can be fragile, you need to wear a case;
• sometimes it gets quite hot under load (perhaps this is a problem with my sample or raw software, this should be fixed by updating and optimizing games for the new kernel);
• All unlocking means are inconvenient.

My review of the Galaxy S8

The smartphone scored 5 points. Many people talk about it as the emperor of smartphones. Personally, the camera is important to me, and here it is very decent. Is it the best? This is questionable, and when compared with the Galaxy S7, they are very similar. Although the Galaxy S8's video recording is impressive.

And so the question hung in my head: is it worth buying a Galaxy S8 for the photo capabilities of the camera, if the Galaxy S7 has the same level for more affordable money? I would consider buying a Galaxy S8 for the excellent sound in the headphones and cool display, for the sake of video recording and good design. Although the design is secondary, and I would rather show off cool photographs than the cool design of a glass rectangle (as you can see, the WOW effect from the design gradually faded away for me, you get used to good things very quickly).

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A smartphone for 55 thousand rubles, which earns every ruble - and is worth every tear of Tim Cook.

To appreciate the coolness of the Galaxy S8, pick it up. Take it quickly. Forget about prejudices and your attitude towards Android. And forget about the iPhone.

Here I am holding the Galaxy S8 in my hands. I would like to treat him calmly, even skeptically, but I can’t. On the contrary, you constantly catch yourself delighted: wow, it fits in one hand, but its screen is larger than the iPhone 7 Plus (5.8 inches versus 5.5 inches). There is both water protection and a headphone jack.

What seems impossible to us on an iPhone works here.

The eighth “galaxy” has actually been brought to perfection. Even phantom clicks on curved edges of the screen have been resolved! If such a smartphone had been shown to me three years ago, I would not have believed it.

How is it possible for one thin device to fit so much advanced hardware with such a large battery? The answer is simple: courage and real innovation. And not emoticons and “forstachi”.

We have the Galaxy S8, and there is also a version of the Galaxy S8+ - a larger version with a slightly larger battery and screen. Opinions are divided: I like the Galaxy S8 better, while my colleague Mikk Sid likes the larger version – the Galaxy S8+. But I’m writing this article, so I’ll continue to talk exclusively about the standard version of the Galaxy S8.

Design and ergonomics. Pros, pros, no cons

In short: I don’t want to buy an iPhone after the Galaxy S8.

Other devices seem outdated, the cases are ugly. The impression from the G8 is the same as it once was from the first iPhone. Although in essence it is just a smartphone, nothing surprising.

I've been using iPhone Plus for two years and have gotten used to the two-handed nature of my smartphone. I’ve already forgotten what it’s like: you take it with one hand and you can open applications with one thumb, reach the far corners and respond in the messenger. That's good!

That's exactly what the Galaxy S8 does | The S8+ is unique among Samsung Galaxy smartphones: it's a big smartphone in a small body. With the advantages of “phablets”, but fits in the palm of your hand.

Galaxy S8 | The S8+ actually continues the design of previous generations of the Galaxy S series - with two big BUTs. Firstly, abandoned buttons on the front panel. Secondly, we expanded the display matrix in all directions without changing the dimensions of the smartphone.

The result is a stunning curved screen on both sides with minimal bezels at the top and bottom. Shocks anyone when they first meet them, regardless of their prejudices. This is really cool, and there are no other words for it.

The S8's display is very bright, contrasty, and sharp. Black colors are in fact black, an iPhone can only envy this. Thanks to SuperAMOLED, one of the signature features of the latest Galaxy is implemented: always active screen, even after blocking, where all notifications and time are visible. Until you try it, you won’t understand how convenient it is to be in the know without picking up your phone.

You can fully appreciate the screen in photography mode, when viewing photos taken and, of course, in games and videos. The picture almost floats in the air - it seems as if you are holding one display in your hands. I hope that the photos in the article will convey this awesome effect.

But if not, just go to the nearest large hypermarket and take a look in person, it’s worth it.

Does a large curved screen provide real benefits in life? It’s a question of emotions – but also of utility. Samsung has added a traditional Edge widget with shortcuts to the right side, plus quick access to your favorite contacts.

The enlarged screen itself is, of course, a bomb. More information on a smartphone with the same body size is a net profit for any user. You scroll less, you see more, you can more boldly include larger text sizes.

There is not a single real minus. Therefore, large screens will definitely come to all normal smartphones one day.

Productivity and Android. When it works faster than an iPhone

I looked at various tests here before I picked up my Galaxy S8. Allegedly, the iPhone 7 is still faster than it.

Only in real life I noticed exactly the opposite. I work faster with Galaxy S8. And noticeably faster.

Firstly, all my applications load faster on the Galaxy S8 than on the iPhone 7. Slack, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Chrome, YouTube, banking and taxi applications, maps and navigators are installed - about 20 programs in total. They start earlier and allow you to type and enter commands faster.

Secondly, it turns out to work more cheerfully because of the bells and whistles TouchWiz And Android. You get used to quick access to all programs through the curtain, Edge shortcuts, a normally working and really smart assistant.

And here you can leave windows of different applications running on the same screen and use them simultaneously - convenient for copy-pasting and working with docks.

Third, Android itself allows you to configure the system exactly the way you want. And I’m not talking about visual bells and whistles, such as shells, but about the logic of the system and hardware. You run the Android world, which is refreshing after Apple's closed garden.

Last week I wanted to program two NFC tags. The iPhone can't do this because Apple doesn't give users access to the NFC module. And the Galaxy S8 coped with an application downloaded directly from Google Play in a couple of seconds.

It got me thinking: unlike the iPhone, buying an Android flagship gives us full access to all the hardware in the device, allowing us to manage everything and everyone, getting the most out of the money spent. This, among dozens of other reasons, justifies spending 50 thousand rubles on the Galaxy S8.

With such performance and sophistication, switching to the S8 turned out to be a matter of one day. The programs were downloaded from the store in 10 minutes, the settings were set in another 2 minutes. During the day I got used to the new shortcuts.

I didn’t notice any “Android” horror stories; rather, on the contrary, every year TouchWiz and Android itself move further and further away from iOS, which is drowned in emoticons and Chinese-oriented.

Camera. Without the second one it’s no worse, which is funny

The Galaxy S8 has the same main camera as the Galaxy S7 edge and Note7. 12 megapixels, f/1.7 aperture – purely in terms of parameters, it differs little from the iPhone 7 Plus, except that the aperture is slightly better. The lack of a hardware upgrade is not upsetting here: firstly, the software has been updated; secondly, Samsung even then had a killer camera, and it can’t be changed for another year.

What’s funny is that even with last year’s camera, the Galaxy S8 takes better pictures than the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Not always, I agree, but often. I noticed that the Samsung takes great photos of nature - lively, bright, and not boring gray-exposed or bluish, as my iPhone likes to draw.

Pleased with the availability PRO mode in the cell. For me this is generally a must have. After all, you can control all shooting parameters: accurately set white balance, set aperture and shutter speed, ISO and focus points.

And you can save as RAW! And then pull these photos into Photoshop, even if they were taken in terrible lighting or with the white balance off. Everything is in a standard camera, unlike the iPhone.

Frontal The camera has been greatly updated. Firstly, it is now 8 megapixels. Secondly, it has autofocus, which is extremely rare for a front camera. And it became better at shooting in the dark thanks to the f/1.7 aperture. We made a separate article about this, as well as about the Samsung Galaxy S8 cameras in general – both about the front and the main ones.

Personally, this is what surprised me. See these 2 photos:

One was made with a smartphone with 2 cameras, the other with one camera, and actually from 2016. Personally, in the end I liked the photo from the Samsung better. In which there is also a real blur.

This is some food for thought for you. There’s so much hype around the second camera of the seventh iPhone, but here it’s a blast – and there’s not much of a difference.

Not everything is good, but nothing is bad

Much has already been said about the fingerprint sensor, which was forced to climb over to the side of the camera. But I've never used it yet.

I've had enough unlock with a glance– this is one of the features of modern Galaxy, and it simply rules. Now the iPhone lacks something like this, you can’t imagine. You take the phone, turn it in your direction, and use it. And no passwords.

The transfer of the central button forced Samsung to make its virtual analogue. It almost always displays and understands when you press hard on it, a la 3D Touch. Along with the navigation bar, this button disappears in full-screen mode.

I'm not a fan of virtual keys, but they are the future. And I never missed the button; it was almost never needed with the abundance of gestures and Android software bells and whistles.

Smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8 (Black) equipped with a 5.8-inch diagonal curved display on both sides. The case is protected from dust and moisture, this allows you to use the device even in the rain. An eight-core processor with a frequency of 2.3 GHz ensures fast operation of the model. A microSD memory card expands the possible storage capacity from 64 GB to 256 GB. The phone reproduces 16 million colors, so it displays a detailed picture. Control is carried out using touch keys or voice commands.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 (Black) smartphone reliably protects information from unauthorized persons, since unlocking occurs after identifying a fingerprint or iris. Due to the high resolution of the main (12 MP) and front (8 MP) cameras, clear and realistic pictures, selfies and videos are obtained. The arsenal includes proximity, magnetic field and atmospheric pressure sensors. The screen brightness is automatically adjusted based on the level of illumination. Thanks to MS Office support, the user can edit documents directly on the phone itself. Without recharging at peak loads, the model operates up to 20 hours.

Smartphone without borders

The Samsung Galaxy S8 redefines the classic smartphone design. The limitless* double-curved screen highlights the harmony of style and innovation.

* No side frames in the front plane of the screen.

Boundless Screen

The main design feature is the almost complete absence of side frames and the rounded edges of the screen. Thanks to its symmetrical design and ergonomics, it will be comfortable to use even with one hand.

Dual Pixel* camera that does it all and more

Capture memorable moments with the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera! Photo quality is comparable to professional ones, whether you're shooting on the move, day or night.

* Dual pixel. Professional SLR camera technology.

The most reliable data protection

The iris scanner* in the Samsung Galaxy S8 provides a high level of convenience and security. The technology allows you to reliably protect personal data, as well as easily unlock your smartphone.

* The quality of iris recognition may deteriorate from direct exposure to sunlight, or when wearing glasses or contact lenses.

Extended capabilities

Smartphones are equipped with the latest 10nm processor, ensuring fast operation with minimal battery consumption. Expandable memory will allow you to save all your movies, music and photos. And thanks to protection against water and dust (IP68), you will stay connected even in the rain.

*Withstands 30 minutes of immersion in fresh water to a depth of 1.5 m.

Smart Switch Data Transfer

Transfer everything you need from your old smartphone to your new Samsung Galaxy S8 using the OTG adapter included in the package.