Long-tern
review: Is the Samsung Galaxy S8 still the Android phone you should pick?
samsung made a big splash with its S8 and S8+ handsets, and considering how flat the Note 7 fell, it was a necessary move. It’s been a few month, is the S8 still the best phone you can buy?
samsung made a big splash with its S8 and S8+ handsets, and considering how flat the Note 7 fell, it was a necessary move. It’s been a few month, is the S8 still the best phone you can buy?
Yes’ I think
it is. But the competition is strong, and the S8 isn’t a clear winner in every
area.
Take the
camera, for example. Many flagships have excellent cameras, and the S8 is
certainly one such device, but the HTC U11 and Google Pixel just edge it thanks
to sharper pictures and more natural looking colour reproduction. Performance,
too, is an area where the S8 has already started to flounder. It’s by no means
slow but the OnePlus 5 and the iPhone 7 both feel nippier in everyday use.
As
quoted by Trustedreviews.com. The Galaxy S8 remains the best-looking phone out
there, however. The curved front and back, along with that stunning Infinity
Display, combine to create a device that feels futuristic – and one that will
continue to do so for some time to come. For the most part design has survived
daily use.
I have
to admit that l’ve smashed one S8 by dropping it off my bed onto the floor; but
the pricey replacement l’ve subsequently dropped has escaped unscathed. L’ve
taken to keeping the device well protected in a case – one of Peel’s very thin
ones – and, aside from a mark on the screen. It’s held up well.
There’s
no doubt that the display is well engineered, but it still stands as the finest
screen on any phone l’ve used. It’s obviously high resolution, but the deep and
rich colours produced by the large AMOLED panel make it a joy to use.
There’s
been a distinct lack of anything to really test the HDR prowess of the phone,
which is a shame, but hopefully we’ll see that change in the future. The only
handset likely to have an equally impressive display this year is the Note 8,
or possibly the rumoured AMOLED iPhone 8.
There
are plenty of fantastic Android phones on the market right now, and you
certainly don’t have to spend the eye-wateringly high price of the Samsung
Galaxy S8 for a solid experience. But you get what you pay for, and there’s
enough going on in the S8 to make it worth the outlay. Even when the Note 8
arrives, I think the smaller size of the S8 will continue to make it the go-to
choice.
What is
the Samsung Galaxy S8?
Phones have become a little stale. Whether it’s an iPhone 7, Huawei P10, Sony Xperia XZ Premium or any other flagship phone, they all look and feel the same. But just when I thought a phone couldn’t surprise and delight me any more, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has proved me wrong.
Phones have become a little stale. Whether it’s an iPhone 7, Huawei P10, Sony Xperia XZ Premium or any other flagship phone, they all look and feel the same. But just when I thought a phone couldn’t surprise and delight me any more, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has proved me wrong.
From
the moment I picked up the S8 – and its larget, 6.2-inch sibling the Galaxy S8+
- I realised it was even more special than I expected. This is a phone that
feels innovative, a phone that l can’t help but recommend – even if it will set
you back £689/$720.
Samsung
Galaxy S8 Release Date and Price
The Galaxy S8 goes on sale globally on April 28 and is priced at £689 in the UK or $720 in the US if you want to buy it outright.
The Galaxy S8 goes on sale globally on April 28 and is priced at £689 in the UK or $720 in the US if you want to buy it outright.
Samsung
Galaxy S8 – Design
Nothing
comes close to the Galaxy S8 design-wise. It’s the best-looking phone l’ve ever
seen, leaving every other handset trailing in its wake.
The
curved rear, as seen on the Galaxy S7, nestles perfectly in your palm, while
the glass shimmers as the light hits it. The device is available in three
colours – a dark black, bright silver and a grey with a blueish tinge – with no
ugly white front plate in sight.
My review
unit is the black option, and it’s properly black all over, with shiny sides
that blend into the display. It feels like one complete piece, with the glass,
screen and metal combining all together.
The volume
rocker and standby switch are joined by a new button on the side. This is a
dedicated Bixby button – which I’ll cover in more detail in the Software
section - and while it shows Samsung is
taking its new virtual assistant seriously, it feels too much for Bixby to have
its own button.
The S8
is thin and incredibly light at 155g, but it feels sturdy and precisely made.
The last time Samsung opted for a huge change of direction with its flagship,
many of the basic features were lost in the transition. Thankfully, this isn’t
the case here. A microSD slot continues to sit tucked away with the nano-SIM,
the criminally underrated Qi wireless charging is also present, and the device
is IP68 water – and dust-resistant too, so it will survive a dunk in water for
30 mijnutes to depths of 1.5 metres.
Samsung
has also retained the headphone jack; I’d be very surprised to hear that anyone
thinks that’s bad idea. Apple’s Decision to remove a physical headphone
connection looked like it might signal the demise of the 3.5mm jack, but
Samsung has gone in the other direction, by including a pair of very good AKG
wired buds in the box.
Like the
recently launched LG G6, the font of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is almost all screen
– and it’s this that really makes the S8 stand out. Unlike with the G6, though,
the display here melts into the sturdy metal rim.
It’s
much subtler curve than on the Galaxy S7 Edge; far more like the ill-fated
Galaxy Note 7 in fact, which makes it a lot easier to use. Accidental touches
were common on older Edge phones, with your hand hitting the screen when you
were just holding the device, but I haven’t experienced this with the S8. There’s
still a bit of extra reflection on this portion of the screen, but it’s a small
trade-off for such an eye-catching look.
As with
any phone, though, not everything is perfect. Having such a big display and
tiny bezel means there’s no room for fingerprint-sensing Home button to sit on
the front.
Instead,
it’s on the back, next to the camera, and I hate it more every time I use it.
First, it’s tiny, meaning those times I actually hit it, it doesn’t recognise
my finger. But its real issue is the positioning; it’s so unintuitive. You have
to wiggle your finger around the camera – which, incidentally, throws up a
message on opening the app to remind you to clean dirty smudges of the lens –
guess where the scanner is?
I don’t
understand why it isn’t at the centre, as it is every other phone that has a
rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. I suspect Samsung wanted to build it into the
display, but just ran out of time.
I’m
also not convinced about how well this phone will hold up after months and
years of use. The addition of Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back should
offer a little more protection, but I’ve ended up with both a cracked Galaxy S6
and Galaxy S7 after drops onto carpet from barely 2ft high. Hopefully, things
will be different with the Galaxy S8 – but it feels like a delicate phone.
The phone
is also prone to showing fingerprints, but that’s par for the course with this
amount of glass and shiny metal. I’d go with the Midnight Grey colour option if
you’re really averse to smudges.
Not
only has Samsung crafted what is, in my opinion, the best-looking phone out
there, but it’s slapped on the finest display too. Although, when you consider
that Samsung has demonstrated the best screen tech for a number of years, this
isn’t really a surprise.
There’s
more to the display than just the curves. First, it has a new aspect ratio of
18.5:9, rather than 16:9. This means it’s taller, essentially giving you more
space in a body that isn’t that much bigger than that of the S7. While the
Galaxy S7 had a5.1-inch display, the S8 bumps that to 5.8.
It
sounds huge, but the phone itself is compact and Samsung is keen to point out
that it can still be used comfortably in one hand. I wouldn’t say that you can
do quite ‘everything’ with one hand – especially reaching to pull down the
notification tray – but this is far from a phablet.
The 5.8-inch
display size is in some ways deceiving. However. Don’t pick up this phone
thinking it will have the same size of screen as the Nexus 6P or HTC U Ultra in
a much smaller body. This is a tall screen and it’s bigger than the S7, but it’s
much narrower than proper phablets. Width-wise, it’s barely wider than an
iPhone 7 and noticeably narrower than the Pixel XL.
Like
the majority of Samsung phones, the panel is AMOLED and has a slightly odd
quad-HD+ 2960 x 1440 resolution. It’s also ‘Mobile HDR Premium’ certified, so
you’ll be able to stream HDR (High Dynamic Range) shows from Amazon Prime and
Netflix when those apps are updated. Arguably, HDR is the most important
evolution in TV tech is recent years, offering better contrast and a brighter
picture.
Colours
are gloriously vivid, but it manages to avoid oversaturating brighter shades
while still displaying the deepst black. Like the iPhone 7, it covers the
DCI-P3 cinema-grade colour gamut for a much wider spectrum of colours, and in
certain situations, the brightness can break the 1000-nit barrier. Considering most
phones, including the LG G6, only go up to about 650 nits, this is seriously
impressive stuff. In fact, this screen is so bright that I can keep it on 25%
brightness and it’s perfectly visible indoors.
In a
move that’s surely to try to stretch out the fairly small 3000mAh battery, when
you unbox your Galaxy S8 it will be set to display at 1080p rather that
quad-HD. Most people probably won’t notice the difference – and that’s fine. But
I’d suggest hopping into Settings and switching things up. Downscaling can
leave some apps with oddly big fonts and a softer look on texts and icons;
considering you’re spending £600/$700+ on a phone, you’ll probably
want it to look its best.
The
Samsung Galaxy S8 is the best phone out there for media binging, and l’ve
started picking it up instead of my iPad when I want to watch something on the
go. There’s a clever mode called ‘Video Enhancer’, which boosts the contrast
and brightness in certain apps – Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and so on – to give
a pseudo-HDR effect. I wouldn’t recommend keeping it on all the time, dua to
the increased battery drain, but it does make a fantastic display even better.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Full Specification
Samsung Galaxy S8 Series
|
||
NETWORK
|
Technology
|
GSM / HSPA / LTE
|
LAUNCH
|
Announced
|
2017, March
|
Status
|
Available. Released 2017, April
|
|
BODY
|
Dimensions
|
148.9 x 68.1 x 8mm (5.86 x 2.68 x
0.31 in)
|
Weight
|
155 g (5.47 oz)
|
|
Build
|
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 back panel
|
|
SIM
|
Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid
Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
|
|
DISPLAY
|
Type
|
Super AMOLED capacitive
touchscreen, 16M colors
|
Size
|
5.8 inches (~83.6% screen-to-body
ratio)
|
|
Resolution
|
1440 x 2960 pixels (~570 ppi pixel
density)
|
|
Multitouch
|
Yes
|
|
Protection
|
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
|
|
-
3D Touch
(home button only)
-
Always-on
display
|
||
PLATFORM
|
OS
|
Android 7.0 (Nougat)
|
Chipset
|
Exynos 8895 Octa – EMEA
Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 – USA & China |
|
CPU
|
Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz & 4x1.7
GHz) – EMEA
Octa-core (4x2.35 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo) – USA & China |
|
GPU
|
Mali-G71 MP20 – EMEA
Adreno 540 – USA & China |
|
MEMORY
|
Card slot
|
microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated
slot) – single-SIM model
microSD, up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) – dual-SIM model |
Internal
|
64 GB, 3 GB RAM
|
|
CAMERA
|
Primary
|
12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm, phase
detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash
|
Features
|
1/2.5” sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel
size, geo-tagging, simultaneous 4K video and 9MP image recording, touch
focus, face/smile detection, Auto HDR, panorama
|
|
Video
|
2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, HDR,
dual-video rec.,
|
|
Secondary
|
8 MP, f/1.7, autofocus,
1440p@30fps, dual video call, Auto HDR
|
|
SOUND
|
Alert types
|
Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
|
Loudspeaker
|
Yes
|
|
3.5mm jack
|
Yes
|
|
-
32-bit/384kHz
audio
-
Active
noise cancellation with dedicated mic
|
||
COMMS
|
WLAN
|
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac,
dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hostpot
|
Bluetooth
|
5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
|
|
GPS
|
Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS,
GALILEO
|
|
NFC
|
Yes
|
|
Radio
|
No
|
|
USB
|
3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible
connector
|
|
FEATURES
|
Sensors
|
Iris scanner, fingerprint
(rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart
rate, SpO2
|
Messaging
|
SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email,
Push Mail, IM
|
|
Browser
|
HTML5
|
|
Java
|
No
|
|
-
Samsung
DeX 9 (desktop experience support)
-
Fast
battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0)
-
Qi/PMA
wireless charging (market dependent)
-
ANT+
support
-
Bixpy
natural language commands and dictation
-
MP4/DivX/XviD/H.265
player
-
MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC
player
-
Photo/video
editor
-
Document
editor
|
||
BATTERY
|
Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh
battery
|
|
Talk time
|
Up to 20 h (3G)
|
|
Music play
|
Up to 67 h
|
|
MISC
|
Colors
|
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray,
Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Maple Gold
|
SAR
|
0.44 W/kg (head) 0.75 W/kg (body)
|
|
SAR EU
|
0.32 W/kg (head) 1.27 W/kg (body)
|
|
Price
|
About 610 EUR
|
|
TESTS
|
Performance
|
Basemark OS II: 3272 / Basemark OS
II 2.0: 3376
Basemark X: 42370
|
Display
|
Contrast ratio: Infinite
(nominal), 4.768 (sunlight)
|
|
Camera
|
Photo / Video
|
|
Loudspeaker
|
Voice 66dB / Noise 70dB / Ring
72db
|
|
Audio quality
|
Noise -92.5dB / Crosstalk -92.8dB
|
|
Battery life
|
Endurance rating 84h
|
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