Samsung Galaxy S8 Rumours

Design

Since the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium paved the way for 4K phones, 2017 is expected to see a number of devices follow suit – including the Samsung Galaxy S8. The 4K screen would replace the previous QHD resolution panels, and certainly offer extraordinary levels of detail in both photo and video. The introduction of a 4K screen has looked even more likely since the Samsung Display at the Society for Information Display for virtual reality devices showcased a 5.5 ultra-high definition 4K display with a pixel density of 806ppi, in March. Further rumours include a curved display and a recent comment from Samsung Mobile President Dong-jin Koh claimed: “Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup.” So it’s likely that the S8 will have a far more exaggerated curve than the slightly curved back edge of the Galaxy S7. The metal and glass body is likely to stay the same however a completely new design is also possible.

Key Features

• Improved camera
  Rumour has it, Samsung has been working a new camera, which will be between 18 and 24 megapixels, a hefty increase from the 12 megapixel camera featured in the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge models. It’s also expected that the camera will have a wide f/1.4 aperture, compared to the narrow f/1.7 aperture belonging to the S7. However, other rumours suggest that Samsung could introduce a dual-lens, as seen in the Huawei P9.

• USB Type-C
  USB Type-C is capable of supplying far more power, up to 100W, compared to a conventional USB 2.0 connection at just 2.5W. It also supports different “protocols” which means you can have adaptors that can output other types of connections including HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, etc – from a single USB-C port. Given that the Galaxy Note 7 has USB Type-C it’s very likely the new S8 will too.

• Snapdragon 830 processor
  The Snapdragon 830 isn’t official yet, but rumour has it, it’s the name of the next major flagship smartphone chip from Qualcomm. It’s likely to be faster, smaller and more efficient than the Snapdragon 820 – or at least those are all areas Qualcomm is likely to try and improve. That extra power will really come in handy if Samsung plans to put a 4K screen on the Galaxy S8 or use it for high-end VR content.

• Further expected features:
  – 6GB RAM
  – Fingerprint scanner
  – Micro-SD card slot
  – Waterproof body

Release

If Samsung sticks to tradition, the new Samsung Galaxy S8 should launch in early 2017, most likely the day before the Mobile World Congress starts, with MWC 2017 set to kick off February 27th.