The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to hit stores later this year, and the market is already abuzz with rumors. Leaks and teases are coming out of the woodwork in droves. People are wanting to know if the device is going to go down the route of the Note 7. In other words, will it involve explosions and recalls too?
There is no clear word yet as to when exactly the Galaxy S8 will launch, but here are some solid conjectures.
Predicted Galaxy S8 Release Date
The first half of every year is when Samsung typically launches any flagship product, so there is a lot of confidence in the early 2017 release of the Galaxy S8. It has been observed in the past few years that new phones are announced a day before the Mobile World Congress starts. Since this year’s MWC starts on February 27, people are expecting that the S8 will be announced to the public on the 26th.
Techradar, however, believes that there will be a delay, especially since Samsung is likely looking to incorporate their new VR assistant. The South Korean smartphone giant may also need more time to look into the flammability of the Note 7 and make sure this doesn’t happen with the S8. Word is being thrown about that the unveiling is likely to be pushed back to April (perhaps on the 18th), but that there might be relevant announcements as early as late March.
Expected Galaxy S8 Features
Many insiders are convinced that the S8 won’t be sporting a flat screen, but a curved one instead. It has also been reported a few months ago that there will be two versions of the highly anticipated handset. They are codenamed Dream and Dream 2, with 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch displays respectively.
The theory of a curved screen is supported by leaked images from DforDesign, which showed curved tempered glass screen protectors. Additionally, industry insiders are saying there will be more screen real estate this time around. This is based on the statement made by Samsung’s Principal Engineer for Display, Park Won-sang. He stated that their aim is to come up with a new OLED display with more than 90% screen-to-body ratio.
By just looking at those screen protectors, it seems there is going to be an iris scanner but no home button. This would make sense considering that they are pushing to have more screen on their product. If that’s the case, then we might be seeing virtual keys on the Samsung S8 soon, and even a 3D touch feature.
The S8 is also expected to have a QHD (for the smaller screen version) and 4K display (for the larger screen). The device will also be taking full advantage of the latest advancements in virtual reality technology. Other likely highlights would include a better processor, most likely the Snapdragon 830. It is also expected that the S8 will come with an even better camera and 6GB of RAM.
Another thing of note is the recent Synaptics developments. In their previous phones, Samsung made use of Synaptics fingerprint sensors. Recently, the latter announced the development of the Natural ID FS9100 optical fingerprint sensor. This enables the scanning of fingerprints even if there is 1mm of “full cover glass” in between the sensor and a person’s skin. This could mean that the new fingerprint scanner will be incorporated in the S8.
Overall, Samsung is keeping a tight lid on specific information about the Galaxy S8. More leaks and rumors, along with official announcements, are expected to surface anytime soon.
