Next year, Samsung launches the new Galaxy 8 phone. What are we looking forward to with this new phone and why would the consumer want to choose it?
The new Samsung Galaxy 8 phone is rumoured to be launched in March or April next year. Past launch dates have always been around this time of year, with the S5 being launched in April 2015, the S6 launched in April 2015 and the S7, which we know and love launched this year in March. Exciting times ahead, but what are the special features we can look forward to…
…Samsung’s Galaxy S8 could feature a circular home button, this could possibly be moved to the back of the device. It may also feature a new ‘Smart Glow’ ring around the rear-facing camera that will replace the notification light. This new light may also illuminate when the rear-camera detects a face, making it much easier to take the famous selfie’s with the primary camera. This information comes from newly revealed patents, so these features are in no way guaranteed.
All of the past smartphone devices launched by Samsung have had a screen size of 5.1 inches, apart from the S7 Edge, which stretches to 5.5 inches. How big is the new Galaxy 8 screen going to be? The past sizes of Samsung phones are a happy middle ground size between the small iPhone SE at 4 inches and the 6-inch screen of the Nexus 6. We predict that the Galaxy S8 will feature a 5.1-inch display, and the Galaxy S8 Edge will feature a 5.5-inch screen. Samsung will be in a better position to compete with Apple’s 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones.
Will the Galaxy S8 finally launch a 4K display? The Galaxy S5 featured a Full HD display, but Samsung switched to QHD panels (1,440 x 2,560 pixels) with the Galaxy S6 device. This resolution was retained for the Galaxy S7 too, despite rumours of a 4K-panel display. This is long awaited and would be a great addition to the S8 specification.
Onto virtual reality…VR is the key difference between 2016 and 2017. During 2017, VR is expected to be well and truly mainstream. The Gear VR headset needs to be 4K display. At present with the Gear VR Headset, the screen you’re looking at is a QHD panel. But it’s pixelated, and that’s not great. This is partly because you’re not actually seeing a QHD picture. The screen is running in stereoscopic mode, which means the panel is cut into two identical halves, each at Full HD resolution. If Samsung were to use a 4K display, each image (or half of the screen) would be running at a QHD resolution, which means the Gear VR would look twice as impressive. If Samsung really wants to back VR – and all evidence suggests it does, then we’ll see a 4K screen on the Galaxy S8. It would be a sensible move and a likely one as the Snapdragon processor already powers the Galaxy 7 devices already supports 4K display, and the Galaxy 8 will feature an even newer processor so no problems here.
Samsung has a reputation of launching quality phones and it would be frustrating for the consumer if the next one was any different to those launched in the past.
The smartphone market is easy to predict. After all, we already know what processors, modems, and camera technology will be available for Samsung to use ahead of next year’s Galaxy S8 debut. Some of the likely Galaxy S8 features include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 830 chip, a huge 1/1.7 image sensor, and a hi-res 4K/UHD display to name a few.
Samsung is expected to not only launch the Galaxy 8 next year but they are also expected to launch five other flagship devices in 2017, according to recent rumours. One of those is tipped to be a foldable Galaxy X, but familiar entries look likely too, most likely the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Edge, and Galaxy Note 7.
The Galaxy S8 seems a long way off. Although the way the months fly past we will be holding it before we blink. There are plenty of great phones on the market right now, not least the Galaxy S7. Decent value can also be found from the HTC 10 and the Nexus 6P, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. By the time the Galaxy S8 handset comes out, there’ll be even more phones available. We’d expect to see the Galaxy Note 6, iPhone 7, LG G6 and the new Nexus too, all gunning for your cash. And looking beyond that, you’ll have the HTC 11 (more than likely) shortly following the Galaxy S8, with the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 7 assuredly following.
Happy choosing!