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Samsung Launches Galaxy S8 Smartphone (cnbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the new-phones-on-market dept.

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled the Galaxy S8, its latest flagship smartphone boasting a new voice assistant and larger display as the technology titan looks to steal a march on Apple and regain ground after the embarrassing Note 7 saga. The phone comes in two models with different screen sizes -- the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus. From a report: Some of the key features of the device include a so-called "infinity display", giving the device a bezel-less curved edge and a 12 megapixel back camera. [...] Samsung also revealed Bixby, a smart voice assistant to rival Apple's Siri. It will be able to answer questions you ask, but Samsung highlighted how it's different. One use case involved taking a picture of a monument and Bixby being able to tell you information about this as well as recommendations of restaurants nearby. The display has a resolution of 2960 x 1440. The Galaxy S8 (both variants) comes powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core SoC (in international markets, Exynos octa-core). Other features include 12MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing camera, 3,000 mAh battery (3,500 mAh battery on Plus model), USB-C charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack, IP68 water and dust resistance capability, support for wireless charging, Bluetooth 5.0, and support for LTE Cat 16. It runs Android 7.0. Prices are yet to be announced.

4 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. bezel-less curved edge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "bezel-less curved edge"

    F that! I already have a hard enough time holding my phone with a bezel without accidentally touching the edges of the screen. Forget putting adding a protective case to protect your multi-hundred dollar toy as you won't be able to use the edges of the screen.

    1. Re:bezel-less curved edge by The+Snowman · · Score: 3, Interesting

      F that! I already have a hard enough time holding my phone with a bezel without accidentally touching the edges of the screen. Forget putting adding a protective case to protect your multi-hundred dollar toy as you won't be able to use the edges of the screen.

      I traded in my S7 Edge specifically because the curved edges were so damn annoying. I would almost constantly trigger functionality on the edges of the screen, interrupting what I was doing. Adding a case did not help: the pressure the case put on the edges actually made it worse. Touching elsewhere on the phone would distort all the interconnected pieces of the case just enough to trigger a touch in a random place. It was also annoying when playing games where I might need to touch near the edge of the screen: the curvature made it harder to read the screen and touch the edges.

      Upgrading to an "old-school" flat-screen phone eliminated all of the annoyances caused by the curved edges. I will never buy another curved-screen phone. Since Samsung is committed balls-deep to technology that actively pisses me off, I doubt I will ever buy another one of their phones.

      --
      24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day. Coincidence? I think not!
  2. If only by Artem+S.+Tashkinov · · Score: 3, Interesting

    they could make their phones 2mm thicker and add 20-40% larger battery.

    CPU and GPU performance increase is nothing to write home about despite the new 10nm fabrication process.

    The screen to body ratio is just excellent. This is what we should have had years ago.

    DEX is really cool or even more functional. Microsoft should start worrying about Windows dominance on the desktop right away.

    VR has been and will remain a gimmick people will try and then forget about in a month.

    Overall it's a very cool and functional phone Apple will be copying in the next three years. I'd buy one if not for its staggering price.

  3. Re:Garbage in, Garbage out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have high technical aptitude. I don't want to unlock the bootloader to my phone, I consider Galaxy phones fast, I can easily ignore the software I don't use with no harm done, and my phone has never exploded, nor do I consider it remotely possible it will do so.

    Overpriced? Maybe you are just poor or old (probably both, considering you are a 5 digit UID). Considering how much I use cell phones for, paying what amortizes to $1/day or $1.50/day is an amazing price. People easily pay a lot more for barely-used luxury items.