In this guide

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  • Details
    • Pricing & Availability
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Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

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Samsung Galaxy S8
4.0
★★★★★
Finder score
  • Battery Score 4
  • Camera Score 4
  • Design Score 4
  • Performance Score 4

Summary

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a superb phone in almost every respect and still one of the best phones you can buy.

  • Stylish design
  • Excellent battery life
  • Great display screen
  • CAT16 connectivity
  • Fingerprint sensor is terribly placed
  • Bixby isn’t smart enough at launch
  • Edge display still functionally worthless
  • Mono speaker only

In this guide

  • Review
  • Details
    • Pricing & Availability

Details

Pricing & Availability

Launch price (RRP) $1,199
Launch date 2017-04
Samsung Galaxy S8

There’s no doubting that Samsung had a rocky time leading up to the launch of the Galaxy S8. The Galaxy Note 7 should have been a triumph and but for that pesky issue with handsets bursting into flames, it would have been.

The Note 7’s untimely demise put Samsung in the tricky position of heavily marketing the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge at a time when it should have been building up the hype for the Galaxy S8 prior to Mobile World Congress. Instead, Samsung used its MWC 2017 launch to show off some shiny new tablets for both Android and Windows 10, with just a simple announcement that the Galaxy S8 would be launched nearly a month later.

The Samsung Galaxy S8, as Samsung pitched it, was a revolutionary device that would "unbox your phone" and deliver so much more than any smartphone had before. While Samsung has enjoyed a dominating position in the Android space, those were still bold claims for the Galaxy S8 to live up to. We've assiduously tested the Galaxy S8 here at finder to separate the hype from the reality of the Galaxy S8 and the news is (mostly) good.


Design

  • The curved "Infinity" display is mighty attractive and maximises usable screen space without increasing phone size.
  • Water resistance remains top-notch.
s8_trail_738

Camera

  • The single-lens approach lacks the versatility of many competing smartphones.
  • Nevertheless, the Galaxy S8 is capable of taking quality shots suitable for on-the-go photography.
s8_camera_738

Performance

  • Handles even the most demanding apps without a hitch.
  • Not quite as impressive for playing 3D games.

Battery life

  • All-day battery even under heavy use.
  • Supports both fast charging and wireless charging.
s8_display_738

Verdict

  • Not ground-breaking, but still an excellent example of premium smartphone design.
S8_side_1_738

Pricing and availability


Specifications

Display

Display Size
5.8 inches
Resolution
1440 x 2960px
Pixels per inch (PPI)
570 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels
12MP
Rear camera aperture size
f/1.7
Video recording
4K
Front camera megapixels
8MP
Front camera aperture size
f/1.7

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions
148.9mm x 68.1mm x 8mm
Weight
155g

Connectivity

NFC
Yes
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Network category speed
Category 16

Power, storage and battery

Processor
Exynos 8895
RAM
4GB
Operating system
Android 7
Internal storage
64GB
External storage support
Up to 256GB
Battery capacity
3,000mAh

Device features

Headphone jack
Yes
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Water resistance rating
IP68
Wireless charging
Qi

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Image: Shutterstock

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