Samsung’s latest flagships, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, are finally official. Representing the very best of what Android smartphones are capable of, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ pack many unique features that set them apart from almost every other phone in the market right now.
In this article, I am going to highlight the top 5 features that make the Galaxy S8 worth a look over the likes of the LG G6, Google Pixel, and even the iPhone 7. These features might not be unique to the Galaxy S8 (or S8+) per se but the combination of all the features mentioned below makes it one potent handset. After all, a smartphone should be the greater sum of its internals and features, which is what the Galaxy S8 is.
Snapdragon 835
Unveiled first at in January this year, Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 835 chipset is finally making its debut on the Galaxy S8. While Sony was the first OEM to announce a phone powered by a Snapdragon 835 chipset at MWC, the Galaxy S8 will be the first device actually hit the market. The US variants of the Galaxy S8 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset which also features an Adreno 540 GPU and a Gigabit LTE modem. The international variant of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will feature Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 chipset — which like the Snapdragon 835 — is based on Samsung’s own 10nm LPE fabrication process. https://youtu.be/D8Ert5yjMV4
DeX
DeX or Desktop Experience is a drop-in dock for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ that essentially turns the handsets into a full blown Android-powered desktop. The dock features an HDMI port, 2x full-sized USB 2.0 ports, and an Ethernet port thereby allowing you to hook the device to a 4K TV and connect all your accessories to it. It also features integrated wireless charging and a cooling fan so as to keep the device cool while under heavy load. Considering that the Galaxy S8 comes with a powerful Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835 chipset, it has more than enough grunt to handle all the regular tasks on a big screen like emailing, editing word documents etc.
The DeX offers a Start menu of its own and to offer a PC-like functionality, it lets you maximise/minimise individual apps as well. For security purposes, you can also lock your DeX desktop using a passcode or facial recognition.
Bluetooth Dual Audio
While Samsung does not have any answer to Apple’s W1 chip found inside the iPhone 7, the company does have one Bluetooth related trick up its sleeve for the Galaxy S8 and S8+: Bluetooth Dual audio. The Galaxy S8 is the first Android handset that allows you to stream audio to two different Bluetooth headsets/speakers simultaneously. You can also control the volume of each Bluetooth device independently, without interfering the audio playback on the other device. The Galaxy S8 is also the first Android smartphone to launch with Bluetooth 5.0 that offers 4x the range, 2x the speed, and increases the data broadcasting capacity by 800 percent.
Autofocus for Selfie Camera
With consumers now clicking more selfies than ever before, Samsung has completely revamped the front camera setup on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The devices now feature an 8MP f/1.7 shooter with autofocus — something that is still very rare on front camera of smartphones. The presence of autofocus means that selfies taken on the Galaxy S8 will be able to accurately focus on your face and captured more detailed selfies than any other phone in the market. In addition, the camera app of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ offers plenty of stickers and filters similar to what you will find in Snapchat.
Pressure Sensitive home button
The Galaxy S8 is Samsung’s first flagship Galaxy S smartphone to not feature a physical home button. Instead, the handset now comes with on-screen navigation buttons. To make the switch from hardware to on-screen home button easier for its long time users, the Galaxy S8’s virtual home button is pressure sensitive. This means that you will be able to push on the bottom part of the screen to bring up the home button even if the display is off or if an app is running in full screen. Think of Samsung’s approach as Apple’s 3D Touch technology but just limited to one particular area of the screen. The above are — in my opinion — the best features of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. That does not mean the handsets do not pack any other unique and novel features. There’s Samsung Pay, facial recognition, Samsung Health, and more which further help in enriching the experience of using the handset. What do you think are the best features of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+? Drop a comment and let us know.
