Samsung launches the Galaxy S8, S8+: Hardware specs and features inside

Samsung took the lid off its latest Galaxy S8 devices this morning, showcasing the Galaxy S8 and S8+. It’s the first flagship device Samsung has launched since the disastrous Galaxy Note 7 (refurbs coming soon to a country probably not near you), and its first opportunity to showcase its premium smartphone that’ll go up against the iPhone 8 later this year.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a 5.8-inch device with a Snapdragon 835 platform processor and a display that covers virtually the entire phone. The top and bottom bezels are extremely small, while the screen curves over the left and right edges (Samsung is marketing this as an Infinity Display), and the feedback from sites like The Verge is positive. Samsung is also dedicated to moving past the Note 7 debacle. DJ Koh, president of Samsung’s mobile business, told the audience “The Galaxy S8 is our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what’s possible in safety.”

The glass of both phones is Gorilla Glass 5, from Corning. We’ve grabbed a couple slides off their presentations to demonstrate how well it deals with various scratches compared to previous versions of GG, and one that shows relative strength compared to Gorilla Glass 4.

Scratch tests on Gorilla Glass 5 compared to previous versions. Note that how strong the phone’s glass is depends on its thickness.

There was concern about Gorilla Glass 5’s strength with the Note 7; we’ll have to wait for testing to confirm if this is a problem with the S8/S8+. Click to enlarge.

Since there’s no longer any room for a traditional home button, Samsung has switched to using software buttons and some haptic feedback, like Apple’s newer iPhones do. Unlike what earlier rumors suggested, Samsung did retain a 3.5mm headphone jack for the S8 and S8+.

Differences and similarities between the S8, S8+

The US version of both phones uses the Snapdragon 835 on 10nm with a 2.35GHz high-end clock and a 1.7GHz low-power clock (four cores in each cluster, eight cores total). The International version uses a Samsung Exynos 8895, clocked at 2.35GHz / 1.9GHz in a similar quad-core cluster configuration.

The Galaxy S8, front and back

The Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch OLED with a resolution of 2960×1440, 570ppi. The S8+ has a 6.2-inch OLED at the same resolution, giving it a slightly lower (though still absolutely gorgeous) 529ppi. The rear camera don’t seem to have changed, but the front is now an 8MP camera with support for autofocus.

The rear is a 12MP camera with optical image stabilization. The Verge reports that the camera is much faster than the S7 Edge, despite having identical hardware specs. Picture quality may also be better thanks to software optimization.

The rear camera and fingerprint sensor. Photo by PCMag.

Battery size is the other differentiation point, with the S8 having a 3000 mAh battery and the S8+ is 3500mAh. Both devices charge via USB-C, both have a 3.5mm headphone jack, wireless charging, a Cat. 16 LTE modem, Bluetooth 5.0 with support for streaming to up to two devices, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and support Samsung Pay.

Both devices also ship with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (microSD cards can add an additional 256GB of space, and support for up to 2TB of storage is already programmed in). The S8 will start at $720 (full retail); the S8 Plus will be $840 full retail. Preorders start on March 30, with devices shipping on April 21. Additional coverage and more photos are available at our sister site, PCMag. For more information on other aspects of the Galaxy S8, like its software and new digital assistant, check our companion piece, here.

*Feature image courtesy of PC Magazine