Samsung Wows Tech Crowds With Galaxy S8 Handsets

Galaxy S8 Revealed: What does it mean for iPhone?

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin

HOW THE iPHONE 8 COULD BUILD UPON AND LEAPFROG THE S8

It’s always exciting when Samsung unveils new flagship phones. The South Korean electronics giant is, after all, considered Apple’s only major rival in the smartphone game. However, with the recently announced Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung has positioned itself as a likely frontrunner in what could be another paradigm shift in smartphone design and technology - and, so rumor and speculation suggest, Apple should soon be joining that revolution with the iPhone 8.

IMPRESSIVE SMARTPHONES, BUT ARE SOME CRACKS SHOWING?

For those smartphone users entrenched in the Samsung and Android ecosystems, there is a lot to like about the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The display, in particular, will make a big impression. The display sizes - 5.8-inch and 6.2inch, respectively - have been bumped up from the 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch panel sizes of last year’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. However, the handsets overall aren’t significantly larger, with significantly shrunken bezels leaving the screen taking up 83% of the face.

What has similarly helped is that the Galaxy S range has now completely done away with flat displays. The S8 and S8+ both integrate screens that curve at the sides, allowing all owners to take advantage of the software features designed for use with those curves but previously reserved for Samsung’s Edge and Note phones. Samsung has also given the S8 a Samsung-specific virtual assistant, Bixby, plus facial recognition technology and a relocated fingerprint sensor.