Galaxy S8 Hidden Features: You Should Know About These Tricks. Ease of use Pros and cons of a smartphone

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are the first major new products from Samsung after the failure of the Galaxy Note 7. It was already clear from pre-orders that the Galaxy S8 will become one of the best-selling smartphones of 2017, even though it is $100 (5,700 rubles) more expensive than the S7.

Cool smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8 - Reviews

The Galaxy S7 Edge also has impressive capabilities, and it costs $400 (22,500 rubles). Should you pay $750 (42,200) for the new Galaxy S8? I think so - not only because of the better screen, but also the high build quality, stylish design with powerful performance. Let's take a closer look at the new Samsung flagship.

The surface of the Galaxy S8 smartphone is smooth and soft to the touch, thanks to the use of glass in the design, there is no gap between the back and front panels.

The screens of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have a resolution of 2960x1440 pixels, the image is very clear. The Super AMOLED display is highly bright and color accuracy is guaranteed with HDR Premium certification. This is the best screen we've ever seen on a smartphone. The edges of the display are rounded and there is minimal bezel at the top and bottom. The screen occupies 83% of the front panel.

The diagonal of the Galaxy S8 Plus is 6.2 inches, the S8 has 5.8 inches. On large screens, even using email is convenient, but the frameless design takes some getting used to - while testing the S8 Plus, at first I constantly activated the screen when I picked up the smartphone.

The all-glass design makes Galaxy S8 smartphones slippery, fragile and prone to fingerprints. You have to keep a microfiber cloth on hand at all times for cleaning.

The power button is located on the right side of the device, while the dual volume rocker and Bixby voice assistant button are on the left. For the first time, Samsung has not added a Home button to the front panel.

The headphone jack is located at the bottom, to the left of the USB Type-C port. Also, at the bottom there is a single speaker, which has the same problem as the Google Pixel and LG G6 - it is covered with your hand when using the smartphone in landscape mode. The sound quality is good, but the iPhone 7 sounds louder.

The back is not as impressive as the front, and is almost no different from the Galaxy S7. The camera is located next to the flash, heart rate sensor and fingerprint scanner. Both versions are thin, pleasant to the touch and have excellent build quality, although the S8 is smaller, making it easier to hold in your hand.

Features and Features

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are powered by an Exynos 8895 processor with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded thanks to a MicroSD card slot.

I got a Galaxy S8 that kept freezing, especially when opening the notification tray and recent apps section. A factory reset fixed the problem and everything worked as it should, but everyone should be prepared for this.

The games Asphalt Xtreme and FIFA Mobile never froze, although Dawn of Titans lagged at some points, but this happened rarely. Applications launch quickly and easily, and multitasking allows you to use several programs at the same time.

In the benchmark, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus surpassed the Google Pixel in performance, and in some respects they were better than the iPhone 7 Plus.

While the initial issues have passed and we've enjoyed the Galaxy S8's smooth performance, Samsung obviously won't be able to push out updates and optimize the performance of its new smartphones as quickly as Google and Apple do.

operating system

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a stylish and user-friendly user interface, with icons evenly spaced and fonts easy to read.

The absence of a physical Home button gives the smartphone a more modern look. In its place is an area of the screen that, when pressed and held, will take you to the home screen from any application. The navigation icons can be swapped, placing the Back button on the left and Recent Apps on the right. This is how they are located on most Android smartphones.

There are many options for changing the interface: adjust the screen resolution, turn on and off the use of edges, change the position of the brightness slider on the notification panel, activate the LED indicator, and so on. The Galaxy S8 has many useful features to suit every taste. For example, Smart Stay allows you to keep the screen backlit only when you're looking at it.

Multitasking is better here than on any other Android phone - using the split screen, you can move application windows as you like, or launch Picture in Picture mode and place one on top of the other.

The Galaxy S8 is the first smartphone to use Bluetooth 5, with 4x the range of Bluetooth 4.2 and 8x the bandwidth (2x the data transfer speed). This means you can move 200 meters away (with line of sight) from your smartphone and still listen to music via Bluetooth headphones. In addition, you can now stream music to 2 different Bluetooth devices at the same time.

Samsung's facial recognition technology doesn't work 100% of the time, especially in low light, but it's still faster and more reliable than a fingerprint sensor. An iris scanner is also available on the Galaxy S8, although it's not as powerful.

The worst performer is the fingerprint sensor in the new S8 series. The scanner is difficult to reach on the Galaxy S8 Plus, and you won’t be able to use it to control your smartphone, as is now fashionable. The Samsung Galaxy S8 sensor is located close to the camera, so users will often get confused and touch it by mistake. Samsung is aware of this issue and advises cleaning the camera more often, but this could have been avoided by simply placing the fingerprint scanner below, as is done on almost all other smartphones.

The main 12-megapixel camera hasn't changed much compared to the S7. Given enough lighting, the Galaxy S8 takes high-quality photos with accurate colors. If there is not enough light, sometimes the clarity decreases, but as a rule, even in the dark, the photos turn out to be of high quality.

Unfortunately, Samsung hasn't added anything new to the regular camera, such as a second lens. There are still several modes to choose from, including Selective Focus and Panorama. In Pro mode, you can change the shutter speed, focus and ISO.

More impressive is the 8-megapixel front camera, which has a lot of fun filters and masks, like in Snapchat. By rotating the camera to the sides in Wide Selfie mode, you can “stitch” pictures into one, taking a panoramic selfie.

Samsung Voice Assistant

Samsung's new digital assistant is disappointing; the first version doesn't even support voice command recognition. The only functions available are Bixby Home, Reminder and Vision.

Home displays a variety of information, such as your current pedometer reading, upcoming calendar events, weather forecast, and trending Twitter posts. But, in practice, it’s easier and faster to look at the corresponding applications separately, since the Bixby button is too slow and unreliable.

Reminders is an analogue of reminders in Google Inbox or Google Assistant. Assistant can still be used by pressing and holding the on-screen Home button.

The most useful feature is Vision. Augmented reality technology allows you to receive information about different objects in real time. For example, you can point your camera at a pair of shoes and find out how much they cost on Amazon.

Samsung has promised a lot, but at the moment Bixby is an unfinished service.

Battery Samsung Galaxy S8

The Galaxy S8 Plus uses a 3,500 mAh battery, the Galaxy S8 – 3,000 mAh. By the end of the day, with intensive use (watching streaming videos, listening to music, filming videos, etc.) both smartphones will be discharged up to 25%. Under normal load, they are discharged to 40% in the evening.

Fast wireless charging is supported via the USB Type-C connector - a new standard that not everyone has gotten used to yet.

Bottom line

Samsung Galaxy S8 is a smartphone with high build quality, excellent screen and camera. The battery is standard, designed for 1 day of operation. The Bixby voice assistant is still terrible, but you can turn it off and use Google Assistant.

There are plenty of decent smartphones that cost less than the S8 and S8 Plus - Google Pixel, LG G6 and iPhone 7 - but none have such a high-quality display. It's worth considering buying the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus when you're aiming for the top-end smartphones and are willing to pay $750 (42,200 rubles) or more.

Advantages

Gorgeous display
High build quality
Cool Features
Improved user interface
Waterproof

– along with the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, these are perhaps the most eagerly awaited Android smartphones of the year, so when the pre-ordered smartphone finally arrives on your doorstep, you'll want to get your hands on it right away.

And we're not just talking about its features, like the expansive, edge-to-edge 5.8-inch display or the brilliant 12-megapixel camera. The S8 offers a treasure trove of impressive features, some of which are slightly more useful than others.

Yes, the 8-core chipset of the smartphone offers a headroom of performance, the smartphone uses a new innovative biometric security system, but this is window dressing, dig deeper and you will discover the capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S8 that are waiting for its users.
These are the features that will make you feel like a master of technology, that will transform you from a smartphone user to a Galaxy S8 connoisseur. The following Galaxy S8 tips, tricks and tricks should be known by every user.

1. Notifications tab using fingerprint scanner

The overall size of the phone isn't huge, but the Samsung Galaxy S8 offers a noticeable amount of screen real estate. There is so much panel that you will find it difficult to reach the top of the screen when holding the smartphone with one hand. This does not mean that the “Notifications” tab that drops down at the top is out of reach, however.

Instead, you can enable gesture controls on the rear fingerprint scanner. This will allow you to lower the notification window by swiping down on the biometric sensor, without having to reach across the entire screen.

To activate this function, you need to go to Settings – Additional features – Fingerprint scanner and enable the option of the same name.

2. Customize the Edge panel

Those curved edges of the stunning Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy S8 are more than just an eye-catching feature. They hide a sea of features and functionality, as well as shortcuts to all your favorite apps and contacts.

To access them, you should drag the tab on the right edge of the screen. It will open shortcuts to your most frequently used applications. Swipe again and you'll see your favorite contacts, while another swipe will reveal a selection of smart features, like taking a screenshot.

On any of these tabs, you'll be able to tap the settings icon at the bottom of the screen, which allows you to customize the type and amount of content displayed on the tab.

There are more than a dozen pre-built Edge panels to choose from, ranging from traditional weather to sports scores, phone calendar and compass, and there's also a flashlight function. For those looking for something more, additional panels can be downloaded from the web.

3. Split-screen multitasking

Thanks to the new Infinity Display, you have a lot of working space on the Samsung Galaxy S8, so you'd want to put that space to good use, wouldn't you? One method is split-screen multitasking, which allows you to run two applications side by side.

Some apps won't work in split-screen mode—games work better in full-screen mode—but if you want to browse a social network while working on email or checking a recipe or measuring ingredients, you can achieve it with minimal effort.

To open apps in this mode, you must first tap the Recent button at the bottom of the screen. Now open the multitasking tab, which you will find on the already open applications (it looks like two rectangles) this will expand the application to half the screen. After opening the application, you can move it or resize it, or you can return to full-screen format.

4. Make unlocking your smartphone more fun

If you use the Iris scanner to automatically unlock your smartphone the first time you look at it, but that's not enough to make you feel like Iron Man, the following fun feature of the S8 will help you. You can enable additional overlays on the Iris scanner preview screen to replace the electronic circles around the eyes with graphics that look a little more interesting.

To access this feature, you need to go to Settings – Lock screen – Security – Iris Scanner – Preview Window Masks. Here you can choose how you want to decorate your eyes, be it a cute bunny face, an owl head, or Iron Man mask style goggles.

We know what most people will choose, and it's not a cute bunny.

5. Use Google Assistant

Just because Samsung's assistant is not yet ready for voice control in Russia, you shouldn't be deprived of voice control. Thanks to the new Android, the Samsung Galaxy S8 gets Google Assistant right out of the box.

It allows you to complete tasks, access certain features, search online, requiring only voice commands, Google Assistant is accessible by long pressing the Home button of your smartphone.

You must set up the assistant before first use to teach it your voice, but once you're done, you can perform any voice commands with a simple prefix of "Ok, Google."

Fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, face scanner. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is chock full of biometric security measures. There is also an option with a traditional PIN, pattern and password that will help you unlock your smartphone. But what if a smartphone is smart enough to automatically unlock the device when it knows it's in a safe place?

This is where the Smart Lock feature on the S8 comes into play, allowing you to set the phone to automatically unlock it in certain situations, such as when you're at home or on your home Wi-Fi network.

To activate, you need to go to Settings – Lock screen and security – Smart Lock. Here you can select the criteria based on which the smartphone will unlock itself, for example, when it is in close proximity to the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch or in a car.

7. Take advantage of your camera's Pro features

The 12 megapixel camera on the Samsung Galaxy S8 is brilliant. The f/1.7 aperture, phase detection autofocus and optical image stabilization are all well-equipped to capture stunning footage when you're shooting in auto mode.

But the camera's capabilities go much deeper, and you can customize everything based on your individual needs in Pro mode.
In the Camera app, swipe from the left side of the screen to reveal shooting modes, including Panorama, Rapid, and even Hyperlapse. Choosing the 'Pro' option, however, will give you full control over the phone's built-in features.

Here you can configure everything from the passport optical stabilization settings to camera shutter speed, exposure and white balance. You'll also be able to adjust the camera's exposure levels in search of a specific shot, ensuring a balanced shot no matter the surrounding conditions.

8. Make the screen one-handed friendly

The large screen area is a great feature from a visual point of view. But it can become unnecessarily bulky when trying to operate it with one hand. Luckily, Samsung thought about this and gave the Galaxy S8 some features for one-handed operation.
You can make the contents of the screen more compact by activating the one-handed control mode, which is done by simply swiping diagonally up from any (bottom) corner of the phone, and you can also press the Home button three times, quickly.

However, to invoke the mode using any of the above methods, you must first activate the function. You can do this by going to Settings - Additional Features - One-Handed Mode.

9. Turn on rescue mode on your phone

The Samsung Galaxy S8 isn't just a phone that all your mates will want to see the moment you take it out of your pocket, it's also a device that could end up saving your life. To do this, you need to enable the SOS Messages function.
To enable this feature, you need to go to Settings – Additional features – Sending SOS messages, then toggle the option to “On”.

Once you set up an emergency contact, triple-pressing the phone's power button at any time will automatically send an SOS message to that contact, alerting them to an emergency and requesting assistance.

You can enhance this option beyond the standard alert by, for example, attaching a GPS location.

You can also choose, for example, to connect images to the message, which are obtained from the front and main cameras of the phone, or you can send 5 seconds of audio recording.

10. Reconfigure soft keys

Android softkeys are a subjective decision. Some love them, others hate them, and while many argue that the back button should be on the left instead of the Multitasking (Recents) button, others argue that it should be on the right. Well, luckily, the Galaxy S8 lets you make your own choices.

Regardless of your preferred settings, be it Recents - Home - Back or Back - Home - Recents, you can customize the phone's key layout to suit your needs, just go to Settings - Display - Navigation Bar - Button Layout and then make your choice.

Among other things, you can adjust the sensitivity of the control keys and even assign a new background color to the soft buttons to make them stand out better, fit into the theme, and so on. Do you like pink buttons?

Main features

If by some miracle you managed to survive until the end of April without knowing anything about the new Samsung smartphones, then here are the dry facts. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ look in many ways similar to their predecessors, but the screens have “stretched” in length (aspect ratio 18:9 or 2:1 instead of the usual 16:9), occupying almost the entire front panel of the device. The use of flexible OLED panels has made it possible to create a smartphone with record-breaking narrow frames: the user gets the impression that he is simply holding a large screen in his hand.

The smartphone cases are not very thin (8 and 8.1 mm), but record narrow for their screen diagonal. For example, the width of the Galaxy S8 equipped with a 5.7-inch display is 68.1 mm. That's 1.5mm smaller than the 5.15-inch Galaxy S7 and just 1mm larger than the iPhone 7, which has a small 4.7-inch display. In the case of the Galaxy S8+, a 73.4 mm wide body (about the same as last year's 5.3-inch LG G5) fits a 6.2-inch diagonal screen. The mechanical home button and the fingerprint scanner on the front panel no longer fit - the button is now virtual, and the scanner is located atypically, to the right of the main camera lens.

Smartphones have the most modern electronic components: 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of built-in storage and an 8-core 64-bit processor (in devices for the Russian market this is Samsung Exynos 8895). The battery capacity of the S8 is the same as that of the S7 - 3000 mAh, and the S8+ - 3500, that is, 100 less than last year's S7 edge. The main cameras are the same, 12-megapixel, but Samsung has improved the image-forming algorithms. The front cameras are 8-megapixel and equipped with an autofocus system that guarantees greater clarity of pictures.

It’s unlikely that anyone would have expected that Samsung’s new products would suddenly slow down, take blurry photos, or turn out to be poorly assembled - the leader of the global smartphone market does not allow this to happen. However, after the presentation of the Galaxy S8/S8+, a lot of questions remained that could only be answered based on the testing results. Here are the main ones:

A narrow body and a large screen are great, but how does moving the fingerprint scanner and eliminating the mechanical home key affect convenience?

If the fingerprint scanner on the back is inconvenient, can you rely on facial or iris recognition to unlock your phone?

Is the battery too small for the new powerful processor and large ultra-clear (QuadHD+) screens?

What innovations will the Koreans enjoy in terms of interface and software?

Are you sure it won't explode?

Total screen

Journalists who prepared reviews of new Samsung products were universally delighted with the new large screens. "The QuadHD SuperAMOLED screen is incredibly rich and sharp, and also very bright, even outdoors in direct sunlight. It's no exaggeration to say that this is the best smartphone display I've ever seen," writes The senior editor in his review Verge Dan Siefert. At the same time, he notes that, despite the narrow frames, the smartphone never registered erroneous clicks when touching the edges of the screen with the palm of the hand. The Verge journalist is confused by only one thing: you have to reach too far with your fingers to the top edge of the screen to open the notification panel.

History with biometrics

All previous models of Samsung smartphones equipped with a fingerprint scanner have it built into the mechanical home button under the screen. Galaxy S8 and S8+ do not have a button. To soften the pain of parting with it, a pressure sensor and a vibration motor that simulates a click should come into play - they come into play when the user presses with force the on-screen home button or, if it is not visible (for example, when watching a video), on the place where it must be. "The virtual home button provides some tactile feedback when pressed, but it's not as compelling as the iPhone 7's implementation of the same idea," notes Wired columnist Mark Walton.

What's wrong with the location of the fingerprint scanner on the rear panel to the right of the camera, explains 9to5google columnist Ben Shawn, and most of his colleagues write about the same thing. Firstly, the camera lens gets dirty all the time - and Samsung even built a function into the Camera app to remind you to wipe the lens. Moreover, if the user has not added fingerprints to the smartphone, reminders do not appear.

Secondly, the sensor is too high and difficult for users with normal-length fingers to reach, even on the smaller Galaxy S8. Sean also complains that the initial scanning of the papillary pattern is very slow, and during use, efficient and fast scanning is hampered by the small size of the sensor.

Battery: smaller is better, but safer

Compared to last year's Samsung flagships, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ have new, more powerful processors and larger screens, but the battery capacity in the case of the compact version remains the same (3000 mAh), and in the Galaxy S8+ it even decreased from 3600 to 3500 mA *h. Most reviewers note that the battery lasted for a day with normal use - at least in the case of the Galaxy S8+. Only Dan Siefert from The Verge calls the autonomy “average”; other journalists are quite satisfied with the battery capacity.

“In our standard video playback test, we loop an HD video and play it at 50 percent brightness with Wi-Fi on. The compact Galaxy S8 lasted 13 hours and 27 minutes in this mode until the battery was completely depleted—slightly longer than the Galaxy S7 or Google Pixel. But the Galaxy S8+, with its 3,500 mAh battery, was the clear winner, playing videos for 15 hours and 8 minutes - longer than the Pixel XL, Galaxy Note 7 or Moto Z Force," Chris writes in his review for Engadget Velasco. He, however, does not specify what screen resolution was set during testing.

The fact is that in order to extend battery life, Samsung decided to cheat a little. "The maximum screen resolution is 2960 x 1440 pixels (QuadHD+), but the default is 2220 x 1080 (FullHD+), and if desired, it can be reduced to 1480 x 720 (HD+) - the reason is that if you put up with a lower resolution, battery life will be longer," explains SlashGear's Chris Davis.

Most importantly, the batteries don't seem to explode. Although those who opened the Galaxy S8. “The battery voltage of the Samsung Galaxy S8+, its capacity and design tolerances are almost identical to the Note7,” iFixit said. “The battery for our device was even supplied by the same manufacturer that supplied batteries to some Note7 models.” Thus, the Galaxy S8+ battery capacity is 3500 mAh, voltage is 3.85 V (13.48 watt-hours), or exactly like the infamous Samsung phablet. "The design surrounding the battery - its placement, spacing and frame - is very, very similar to the Note7," the experts added. However, there is no reason to fear fires - after the scandal that happened with the Note 7, Samsung tested the batteries of new products as carefully as no other manufacturer has probably ever tested them.

What is this, Bixby?

The “assistant” application in the Samsung Galaxy S8, although it has a name like an English butler, will not yet be able to answer such a question as “Oatmeal, sir” - its voice functions were not completed in time for the start of sales of the new flagships. Nevertheless, the company clearly considers the new “assistant” an important weapon in the competition. “Bixby is so important in the Galaxy S8 ecosystem that it even got a dedicated mechanical button on the smartphone... But for now it is “scattered” throughout the phone. Swiping right from the main screen (or pressing the dedicated button) brings up the Bixby Home screen - a copy of Google Now with recommendation cards , including upcoming events, recent photos, social media updates, news, etc.,” says Ulanoff.

The camera also features Bixby Vision for object identification, product search, and photo text capture and recognition. According to a Mashable reviewer, the feature works correctly about 60 percent of the time. "I'm not at all impressed with Bixby, at least for now," says Walt Mossberg.

As for the previously rather clumsy and not very beautiful TouchWiz interface, almost no one has any complaints about its new version in the Galaxy S8. Of course, reviewers are not delighted with the fact that for many tasks the smartphone has two applications pre-installed (from Google and from Samsung), for example, for working with mail and calendar, but in general they are satisfied with the software. "TouchWiz has finally grown up," writes Engadget's Chris Velasco. And in a very noticeable way. Look at the Galaxy S7 interface: it's full of flashy icons and other brightly colored elements. In contrast, the Galaxy S8 interface is unobtrusive and smart in design.

conclusions

"They're not perfect," The Verge's Dan Siefert warns potential Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners. "There are a few things that might make you think twice about buying, like a terribly placed fingerprint scanner or average battery life. But the flaws, as noticeable as they are, "are more than offset by advances like a larger, towering screen and a camera you can rely on for quality."

The Engadget columnist also agrees with his colleague. “The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are not perfect, but Samsung has never come so close to ideal,” says Chris Velasco. “This is an amazing success for a company whose previous flagship... well, you know. They not only have a great design and increased performance, but also feel like devices tailored to our preferences and nitpicks. That's something you don't see very often."

No matter how you feel about Samsung, it is the main competitor to Apple and its flagship smartphones are the most desirable in the Android segment. Once upon a time, its interface was one of the most ridiculous and ugly, and the body design and materials caused ridicule from all sides. The South Korean manufacturer took all this to heart, pulled itself together and for the third year in a row has been offering users balanced and beautiful devices. Samsung Galaxy S8 is beautiful with its framelessness, which captivates at first sight. But what is hidden behind it? Let's look at it in detail in a multi-part review.

The Galaxy S8+ has an unusually rich package package. The phone comes with a charger, a USB-C cable, an adapter from microUSB to USB-C, an OTG adapter, documentation, a SIM ejection needle, and a headset with interchangeable tips jointly developed with AKG. The headset plays quite well for a complete solution, but nothing more.

When you first get acquainted with the phone, you notice three things: it has an amazing screen, it is flat and unusually elongated. Like a slipper. Or flounder. Or a cricket bat. A large screen in a small body compared to analogues is excellent. But the TouchWiz interface and programs from third-party developers are not optimized for it in the best way - here and there there are control elements located at the top of the display. And Android developers have not heard about returning to the previous page using a side swipe, like many programs for the iPhone - you have to press the virtual “back” key.

I have average-sized hands, but handling the large Galaxy S8+ with one hand is problematic. Despite its small width, small thickness and adequate height, the device requires two-handed operation. The simple S8 is better at this, but not much. In frameless smartphones, the first violin in determining usability is not the dimensions, but the display size and the user shell. So far, I can’t say that the Android platform and the Korean interface are completely ready to abandon indents and borders.

Yes, you certainly get a visual thrill from such a chic panel and minimal frames, but at the same time, to a certain extent, you have to put up with the inconvenience. Among them: a sea of black screen when the camera is running at maximum resolution (you can lower it, but then you will have to seriously sacrifice the capture angle), black bars when watching videos (you can stretch it, but again, the frame will be cropped) and black bars in games ( so far only Gameloft has taken care of them, but at the same time forgot about the maximum graphics for Exynos - see a separate game test on our channel). And of course, you can lower the curtain without using your other hand or resorting to a special Korean crab grip.

The phone is sold in three colors: black diamond, mystical amethyst and yellow topaz. The front panel is black in all cases, and the color is determined by the metal frame and the shade of the rear glass panel. As for me, the Galaxy S8 looks best in a very black design, where nothing catches the eye and one element of the body seamlessly flows into another.

You can find fault with the Galaxy S8/S8+ case in detail. Even necessary! For example, the bottom end, where four elements were placed and all were positioned asymmetrically relative to each other. Here, not only the perfectionist will be indignant, but also anyone who has at least some sense of style. Of the three buttons on the ends, the company has comfortably placed one – the power key. The volume rocker is raised too high (even higher than that of the iPhone 7 Plus), and the Bixby button with the assistant, which was not asked for, was placed directly under the rocker. As a result, the Bixby screen is called up unplannedly when you try to turn down the volume and even just like that when you take the phone out of your jeans pocket (other keys can also be pressed, but they do not activate the function, waking up the phone). Samsung imposes the use of Bixby, so you can’t turn it off completely or assign another function to a button using standard methods, and the Koreans constantly cover up third-party methods of Bixby genocide. Instead of accepting the fact that the assistant is not needed by most users, Koreans defend it.

The saddest thing about the S8's design is the placement of the finger scanner. According to rumors, they didn’t have time to build it under the glass, so they took an alternate route - they put a fingerprint sensor on the back panel near the camera. Moreover, they designed it so that the user could barely reach it, and then barely grope it without confusing it with a camera. Galaxy S8 is a smartphone designed to be used in conjunction with a case. It is slippery, difficult to grip with one hand, and extremely fragile. And the case solves these problems, resolving the main design mistake - it forms a convenient recess for the finger, which is easy to get into. True, not all cases are suitable for a fingerprint scanner - you need one where the scanner has a minimum thickness and does not have any sides. For example, only part of the pad gets into the suede official case, which leads to frequent failures to read the fingerprint (I had more than half of the misses), but the silicone (also official) finger fits perfectly. By the way, I don’t recommend a suede case for two more reasons: it loses its presentation very quickly and the device in it cannot be taken out of your pocket without turning it inside out (the texture clings to the fabric).

There's not much to praise the iris scanner for. Yes, it is capable of unlocking the phone, but it does this only under certain conditions, so much so that it is easier to come to terms with the location of the fingerprint scanner. When you just enter the data by sight, the scanner will work very well. But as soon as you change your position or location, thereby changing the angle of your view of the phone, the mistakes will disappear. The phone also mocks you - right in the morning it demands to open your eyes wider! During the day, you run the risk of attracting the attention of others by playing with your eyes. The smartphone literally makes you try on the role of illusionist David Blaine. Like, let's use some special street magic on me, you pathetic user. Needless to say, the iris cannot be read on the go and cannot be seen by your eyes in sunglasses? In general, this technology has use cases, but they are such that it’s easier not to even get used to them and: a – use a finger scanner with the right case; b – refuse protection and stupidly press on the bottom area of the screen to unlock. In short, we are waiting for the Galaxy Note 8, where the scanner will be built under the glass. In the meantime, we are swearing behind the eyes of Korean engineers.

There is only one external speaker, although many competitors have already come with two. It is comparable in volume to the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and louder than the Xiaomi Mi6, but inferior to both in sound quality. The speaker of the Galaxy S8+ plays with an emphasis on the mids, making guitar parts and bass seem like they were passed through a cheap synthesizer. I liked the sound from the Galaxy S7 edge even more - it’s a little quieter, but the sound is more intelligible.

I have a normal attitude towards curved panels; I haven’t noticed any accidental clicks on the S8. However, it is the screen that is the most controversial aspect of the device. And it’s not about the structure of PenTile, the brightness adjustment range or color rendition - this is completely in order. The problem is quality control in production, or an incompletely debugged technical process. The trick is that almost half (according to some surveys - more than half) of all S8/S8+ currently sold have a clearly noticeable pink tint. It is expressed in different ways: it turns pink over the entire area when viewed perpendicularly (the saddest case, which can be corrected by adjusting the white balance with the sliders); it turns pink only under diagonal slopes (if you don’t get hung up on it, you can live – the most common case and my case); curved edges turn pink (also my case - this can be corrected by additional adjustment of the color balance). I will note that the in-store demo units (LDUs) are devoid of any redness (at least from the ones I touched). Carefully examine the purchased device without leaving the cash register, otherwise your claims regarding pink tints may later be rejected with the justification “this is a feature of the AMOLED screen.”

The quality of the glass deserves special attention. The front side is covered with Gorilla Glass 5 with an excellent oleophobic layer and high scratch resistance. For a month of wearing the gadget without films or protective glass, not a trace appeared on the front panel. I would even say that the display glass is in perfect condition, just like out of the box. But the company definitely saved money on the backdrop. Firstly, there is either no oleophobic agent at all, or it is extremely ineffective - it is almost impossible to wipe off greasy stains. Secondly, I only used the phone without a case for a day, and carefully, but at least three scratches managed to appear on the back.

The official slogan of the Galaxy S8 is “A smartphone without borders.” But the classic “Beauty requires sacrifice” is much more suitable for him. In this case, a very impressive appearance had to be paid for with ergonomics and ease of operation. Perhaps, because of all of the above, you have the impression that the Galaxy S8+ is one complete design mistake, flavored with a defective screen. This is wrong. The phone's screen is magnificent (if you remove it or put up with the pink), and the appearance continues to please even after a month of active use (if used in a case). It’s just that after the incident with the Galaxy Note 7, I expected perfect performance from the Samsung flagship, and not forced compromises in the style of Xiaomi, and even at the price of two and a half Mi6. In the following parts we will talk about the interface, camera and hardware. Don't switch!

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S8 | S8+ for Russia:

Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA (850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz), FDD-LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20, 28)
Platform (at the time of announcement): Android 7.0 Nougat, with TouchWiz interface
Display: 5.8”, 2960 x 1440 pixels, Super AMOLED, 570 ppi, Always On, Gorilla Glass 5 | 6.2”, 2960 x 1440 pixels, Super AMOLED, 529 ppi, Always On, Gorilla Glass 5
Camera: 12 MP, f/1.7, 1/2.55", 1.4 µm, autofocus, Dual Pixel, flash, optical image stabilization, 4K video recording
Front camera: 8 MP, autofocus, f/1.7, 1/3.6", 1.22 µm
Processor: 8 cores (4 cores at 2.3 GHz and 4 cores at 1.7 GHz), 10 nm, 64 bit, Exynos 9 Octa 8895
Graphics chip: Mali-G71MP20
RAM: 4 LPDDR4
Internal memory: 64 (UFS 2.1)
Memory card: microSD up to 256 GB (instead of the second SIM)
GPS and GLONASS
Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), MIMO
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
USB Type-C 3.1
Two nano-SIM slots
Accelerometer, Geomagnetic Sensor, Gyroscope, RGB Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Barometer, Hall Sensor, Fingerprint Scanner, Iris Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor
3.5mm jack
Water and dust protection IP68
Battery: Quick Charge 2.0, wireless charging, 3000 mAh | 3500 mAh
Dimensions: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm | 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 155g | 173 g

The best big The Android smartphone you can buy.

Verdict

Large screen, acceptable phone size;
The best mobile camera on the market;
Smooth software and smooth performance;

The most expensive phone on the market;
Strange position of the fingerprint scanner;
Hello Bixby! Bixby? Hello?!

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is "the next big thing", Samsung's favorite slogan in a very literal sense. Its screen dimensions might seem ridiculous to some users, along with its cutting-edge specs and equally oversized price.

How big is a smartphone, you ask? You're looking at a 6.2-inch display, which without a doubt makes it the best Android smartphone among large handsets - if you can handle its size. The "smaller" 5.8-inch will suit you if you can't.

Remarkably, the elegantly curved screen has stretched dramatically by half an inch, from last year's Galaxy S7 Edge's 5.7-inch diagonal to the S8 Plus's 6.2-inch screen, with virtually no change in physical size. The screen is a little taller, thanks to the removal of an unnecessary panel and a physical Home button, the familiar oval shape.

Your big new phone is mocking those water droplets!

Plus, having the new Android means you'll want to use the most advanced, VR-ready smartphone available. Not to mention the best camera and best display on the market.

This is a look into the future, and ironically in the Samsung vs Apple showdown, the iPhone 8 is almost six months away from now. As a result, in 2017 Samsung continues to be a trendsetter in the smartphone market.

Obviously, the Galaxy S8 Plus isn't the ideal smartphone for everyone, and there are a few reasons for that besides the fact that it's a bit big for people with small hands. The lack of a physical home button will be a turn off for some Samsung fans and their muscle memory.

Our reaction to trying to find a fingerprint scanner.

Oddly enough, for such a futuristic smartphone, the fingerprint scanner on the back of the S8 Plus is stuck in the past. Accessing it from outside the center of the smartphone is impractical, and Samsung's new facial recognition feature doesn't work too well. At the same time, the heavily advertised Bixby voice assistant is not a practical solution at this stage.

In addition to investing a lot of money into the Galaxy S8 Plus, you'll also have to invest a little trust after the Galaxy Note 7 fires due to faulty batteries. Samsung's big flagship requires a leap of faith.

SamsungGalaxyS8Plus: Price and release date

SamsungGalaxyS8Plus in installments – 2500 rubles per month;
PriceSamsung Galaxy S8 Plus – 60,000 rubles;
Start of salesSamsungGalaxyS8Plus in Russia – April 28;
Pre-order bonuses and early delivery;

You won't find any discounts or great deals on the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus at launch as it is an incredibly expensive phone based on its specs and features. You may find some bonuses with pre-ordering, though.

In Russia, Svyaznoy offers installment plans without overpayments for 24 months, costing 2,500 rubles per month. Pre-orders are already open, and the smartphone will go on retail sale on April 28 in Russia and throughout Europe.

Our US readers will have to wait until May 9 for the unlocked Galaxy S8 Plus to retail for $824.99. Best Buy and other retailers promise to start sales on May 9th. Previously, the smartphone was only available for pre-order.

Design

« DisplayInfinity” maximizes the area of an almost decorative screen;
Its dimensions remain reasonable for a large smartphone;
Rated Water and Dust ResistantIP68;

The design of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is exactly what we've wanted for years - almost. We asked for a large screen, but on a phone that would remain small enough for simple hand manipulation.

Its 6.2-inch display adds little to the physical size of the phone.

Samsung achieved this balance through the bezel and its reduction on the front panel. The company is making the left and right borders of the screen even smaller with a smoothly curved screen, but now Samsung is practically erasing the top and bottom bezels.

This is a very neat trick. You get an entire smartphone screen - or what Samsung calls "Display Infinity" - giving you more screen real estate without noticeably increasing the size of the device.

It measures 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm and weighs 173 grams. That's more than the Galaxy S7 Edge and even the Note 7, but not by much. For example, the iPhone 7 Plus, with its smaller 5.5-inch screen, is just a millimeter shorter and is actually wider and heavier than the S8 Plus.

In fact, the smartphone is about the same size asS7Edge (medium) andiPhone 7Plus (right).

Reaching the top corners of the screen requires two hands or skillful one-handed juggling of the R60,000 phone. Switching to a smartphone will not be easy for users of 4.7-inch or 5.1-inch devices.

The entire design of the Galaxy S8 Plus seems designed to highlight the star of the show, the 6.2-inch screen. The smartphone comes in muted colors Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, and Arctic Silver. There's also Maple Gold and Coral Blue, but they won't be available everywhere.

The same goes for the subtle design of the main camera and the SAMSUNG logo that adorns the top of the screen, staring at you every second you're not using the smartphone. The logo is now on the back, making the whole design a little cleaner.

Samsung got rid of the ugly rear camera bump by including a flat lens with a tiny lip for protection. We approve of this decision - the protective camera bump can save the optics if you drop your smartphone. We have already seen what happens to unprotected lenses; the Google Pixel XL camera, for example, is easily covered with cobwebs if a piece of glass on the back panel is chipped, which makes the main camera of the smartphone useless.

You are again protected from the effects of weather conditions. The Samsung smartphone offers an IP68 rating for protection against water and dust. It can survive immersion in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. You can probably sink it deeper, but we don't recommend pushing your luck or guarantee.

The bottom edge of the phone offers something new, something old and something ancient: Samsung is finally moving to fully reversible USB-C for charging and data transfer, replacing the irreversible MicroUSB port. Now you can connect your smartphone to charge even in the dark.

Samsung continues to use the old-fashioned 3.5mm headphone jack, refuting early rumors that the new smartphone will ditch it in favor of USB-C audio. The company also includes AKG branded headphones in the high-end package for the best flagship sound experience.

The mono speaker on the bottom becomes antique, and we are disappointed with this decision. You can easily accidentally cover the speaker grill while watching a YouTube video in landscape mode. In fact, when Apple offers iPhone 7 audio, the problem becomes obvious.

About the sore point: Fingerprint scanner

The fingerprint scanner is awkwardly placed on the back;
The scanner is next to the camera lens, which you will get dirty;
Facial recognition is imprecise, the iris scanner isn't that bad;

The biggest change for longtime Samsung users is the Home button. Gone is the oval-shaped physical button, along with the Recent and Back buttons, which were capacitive. Samsung has finally switched to on-screen keys, including a pressure-sensitive Home button.

Of course, on-screen buttons are of great importance not only for Samsung smartphone users. They have been used by LG, Google and Motorola over the years, to name just a few manufacturers. On the bright side, you can now swap the Back and Recent buttons if you want. You'll get used to them disappearing and appearing while watching a movie that takes up the entire screen.

However, Samsung fans - and everyone else, really - will stumble over the oddly placed fingerprint scanner. It's now on the back of the smartphone, and not in the center as you might think, it's located to the side of the camera lens. Getting to the scanner is difficult; often you will be poking your finger at the camera lens instead of the sensor. The prints will remain on the lens instead of the scanner, and you will wonder: “Why are my photos so blurry?”

The biggest mistake Samsung made is placing the scanner to the right of the camera lens, meaning most right-handed people who hold the smartphone in their non-dominant left hand (to perform other actions, like opening a door, for example) will have trouble unlocking the smartphone.

Samsung seems to have no shortage of other ways to unlock your phone: passwords, PINs, patterns, iris scanner and facial recognition. Sounds promising, doesn't it?

Face recognition is enabled by default, you'll see it on the initial setup screen, and while the technology may work, it doesn't recognize faces half the time, requiring you to use a backup authorization scheme. Half the attempts fail, an incredibly problematic rate. Don't worry about your smartphone getting hacked, even you won't be able to access it.

Don't worry about someone hacking your phone - even you have a hard time accessing it.

We found that the iris scanner is borrowed from the Note 7, but is more accurate and could one day replace the traditional fingerprint scanner. It does not work with glasses, you will also have to raise the smartphone to the same level as your eyes, you will also have to manually switch to this unlocking method. Scanning is quite fast, the function works in the dark, there are funny animated masks that appear on the preview screen (you see how the smartphone sees you, recognizing your eyes).

And all this becomes a problem when even incredibly cheap Android smartphones debut with fingerprint sensors that work correctly about 100% of the time. There's no easy explanation for the hard-to-find fingerprint scanner, and Samsung's advertised method, FaceUnlock, doesn't even work in the dark.

The situation will probably improve with or. The company was reportedly close to embedding a fingerprint scanner in the display bezel in place of the home button, but backed out at the last minute. Right now, however, it's this problem that's holding the Galaxy S8 Plus back from a 10-star rating.

Cases and warranties

Official and third-party cases are recommended for this size phone;
Samsung Premium Care decent extended warranty plan;

Given its huge size and fragile glass design, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus needs protection, which comes in two forms, the first, as usual, being a protective case for the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Of course, even the best cases for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus add bulk and strip the smartphone of some of its most unique design features - this year you have an alternative.

This year, Samsung is offering a Premium Care program for its flagships, which has a single flat rate per month, allowing you to replace a broken smartphone once a year for 13,000 rubles. It is expected that other insurance companies will be able to offer a similar guarantee plan.

We prefer a lightweight case, but it's nice to see a variety of solutions when the phone launches. This is a big smartphone that deserves some protection.

Display

6.2-inch screen withHDR format 18.5:9;
The best smartphone screen, even ifHDR is not yet available;
AMOLED display is limitedQuadHD, default 1080p;

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus offers the world's best mobile display for several reasons, including the large number of extra pixels we're not even considering.

It is the new 18.5:9 format that is responsible for the elongated smartphone screen, which offers you more working area. You'll be able to see two or three posts on a social network instead of scrolling through them one at a time.

This is all thanks to the Infinity's impressive 88% screen-to-body ratio. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge offered what we thought was a high screen-to-body ratio (76%), while the iPhone 7 Plus can only offer 68%.

Reading, of course, becomes easier, and split-screen multitasking is not so cramped, and thanks to the difference from the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, the smartphone almost completely eliminates black bars when playing video. Movies look especially great thanks to the black edges on the front of the S8, regardless of color.

Samsung is also bringing back some familiar features that you might have seen with the first HD smartphones. For example, you can use Smart Cropping mode, which fills the entire extra-wide phone screen (some content is cropped at the top and bottom), or you can remove black bars to fit the screen.

Switching between Smart Crop and Fit to Screen modes is tedious - apps don't remember our preferences, and we don't always remember them. Nothing is perfect, but there's no doubt when it comes to video immersion on this gorgeous 6.2-inch screen. It will be interesting to see how Samsung and LG position the extended format going forward, as they own the 4K TV market.

Samsung is again pushing HDR on mobile, offering improvements in accuracy, brightness and contrast, as it did with the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy Tab S3. This option has earned the premium Mobile HDR label on the S8 and S8 Plus. Here's the (literally) invisible problem: no HDR video content from streaming video providers for mobile devices, only for 4K TVs.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus features a future-proof HDR display. However, the smartphone does not offer 4K resolution in the palm of your hand. It's still limited to Quad HD resolution like last year and, frankly, we're quite happy with that. We even agree with the unfair Full HD (1080p) to save battery. Quad HD is best suited for virtual reality when the smartphone screen is five centimeters from your face, but even at 2K resolution you can make out individual pixels.

We hope that Samsung, purely for the sake of VR, will offer 4K with the new Galaxy Note 8 or Galaxy S9 later this year/early next year. For everyday use, Full HD actually looks good; most people won't notice the difference. You could even tell them it's 4K, easy to believe.

Samsung's curved Super AMOLED display makes it appear as if app and menu tiles are falling off the sides of the screen as you scroll through your home screens. It's a very neat and attractive effect that's sure to attract attention, and the soft curve of the panel promises a comfortable use - we were less likely to accidentally open the Edge's panels compared to the S7 Edge. So, if this was your problem with previous devices, consider it solved.

The Always-on Display function left a good impression. The screen constantly displays the time and date, battery life, and tiny notification icons (which you can double-tap to open immediately after you unlock the phone). There is also a setting to display world time, calendar and a small image. That's right, you can set wallpaper for your lock screen, home screen, and now Always-On Display.

Interface and applications

Stop hatingTouchWiz. The interface has become better and the name has changed;
The interface looks cleaner, has new gestures for working with shortcuts and menus;
The default keyboard can useEmoji.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is as powerful as any flagship. It debuted with the best features and the most attractive interface among its competitors.

You can stop hating on Samsung's TouchWiz UI right now, even though it's no longer TouchWiz. Samsung renamed it "Samsung Experience" and it works great.

The interface is based on the Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, becomes more reliable, and is able to scale everything to provide a clean and optimal look. It logically selects menu settings and gives helpful tips when you can't find what you want. Search is now everywhere.

New this year is the ability to swipe up or down anywhere on the Home screen to bring up the built-in search box and app tray. This handy action replaces the virtual app tray button on the home screen, since it's no longer needed. And we love the fact that you can use home screens similar to iOS 10.

Now you access apps faster with less movement. You can now long press an app's tile to open its advanced options, similar to the right mouse button on a computer or the 3D Touch mechanic on an iPhone. From here, you can delete or select multiple apps, making it easy to move the shortcuts you want to another phone screen. Remember when you had to do it one shortcut at a time? Small touches allow Samsung's interface to stand out.

Samsung's notification panel and customizable Quick Settings tray are easy to read, thanks to the correct white and blue color scheme (remember the neon green color scheme from three years ago?). iOS 10 still does a better job with messaging, and we're also missing out on Apple's smart keyboard app with tons of emoji, but otherwise Samsung has everything you need, including a blue light filter that's better than the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL.

Google's Android 7.0 Nougat update also means notifications are now grouped together, and while split-screen multitasking is new to other phones, Samsung owners have been enjoying the feature for several iterations now. Android O promises a notification icon on top of individual app tiles, but Samsung has already implemented this feature in its interface. Suddenly, Samsung and vanilla Android are no different.

AssistantBixby

BixbyVoice doesn't work yet, butGoogleAssistant on board;
Home, Reminders andVision is pre-loaded, but is of little use;
Physical buttonBixby only interferes with volume adjustments;

This is where the new stuff hits the fan. Samsung's promising intelligent assistant Bixby is an analogue of Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant; it is a current replacement for S Voice.

But instead of offering us artificial intelligence, it is simply artificial. Bixby is not yet a voice assistant; the function is promised in the USA by the end of spring, and in Russia by the end of the year. Bixby Voice is the core of Samsung's virtual assistant, and we're left with features like Bixby Home, Bixby Reminders, and Bixby Vision.

Bixby Home is the leftmost screen, adopting Google Now's features of presenting contextual information such as local weather, schedules, and activities. It also pulls up news you might read, but it's less attractive than the graphical Flipboard that took its place before.

Lemon. That's how we would describe Bixby right now.

Bixby Vision can identify an object using the camera and suggest similar photos from Pinterest, or can direct you to a store where you can buy the item... something we've seen before. This may be useful for getting information about a bottle of good wine, but in everyday life it is extremely difficult to put this feature to good use.

Much more confusing is the dedicated Bixby button, located directly below the dual volume rocker on the left side of the smartphone. Double tap and it will instantly take you to the Bixby Home screen.

The button constantly gets confused when you want to lower the volume of the smartphone, and also interferes with taking screenshots (longtime Samsung users will be annoyed because taking a screenshot used to be possible by holding the Home button and the power button - now it's the power button and volume down). The Bixby button is in the way.

Plus, Google Assistant is loaded into the phone from the start, meaning Samsung will (eventually) get a rival assistant on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Launching Google Assistant is easy. It's activated by a long press of the Home button—no need to reinvent the Bixby button, Samsung.

Features and Performance

The best chipset we've tested, even with 4 GB of RAM;
Performance headroom for the next generationSamsungGearVR;
64 GB of internal memory and card slotMicroSD;
Streaming audio for two pairsBluetooth headphones;

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is the fastest and most powerful smartphone we've tested. It comes with 6GB of RAM in most countries, but that's overkill.

It has enough performance. With 4GB of RAM combined with either the fast Qualcomm 835 (USA) or the fastest Samsung Exynos 8895 (Russia), the chipset exceeded all benchmarks.

It is these small 10nm chipsets that make the flagship smartphone more powerful and also consume less power than last year's 14nm chips. Samsung Exynos chips have always been a little more powerful, but Qualcom Snapdragon also promises high performance to its users.

Geekbench benchmark scores for the Exynos chipset showed a multi-core score of 6630, while the Qualcomm chipset averaged 6000 points. More importantly, we didn't experience any lag under any load, including Bixby animations.

This is great news for those who want to step into the future of mobile VR with a new headset, or just avoid the performance hit of the next 2-3 years. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have very capable chipsets to support next-gen VR gaming, so you can count on the new flagship as your gaming station.

Both chipsets are equipped with Gigabit LTE and Gigabit Wi-Fi modems, making your smartphone faster at home and on the go. Right now, you can take advantage of Bluetooth Dual Audio, which outputs audio to two pairs of Bluetooth headphones simultaneously.

Samsung charges a high price tag for its new flagships, but it offers better value for money when it comes to internal storage. There's only one option: 64GB, down from 32GB on the entry-level S7 Edge. You won't have to choose between 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models this year.

What if you want more space? Thankfully, the MicroSD card slot returns, offering expandable storage capacity (up to 256GB). The Apple iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL don't support MicroSD cards, so this is a useful addition.

Camera

12 megapixel camera, the best among mobile cameras;
Improved photography in low light conditions;
Optical image stabilization (OIS) is better than last year;
The camera app allows you to shoot faster;
The camera launch shortcut has been moved to a less convenient position;

If you're looking for the best camera on a smartphone, you should buy the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus right now. Samsung's competitors are tightening their belts and preparing for a difficult period.

On the surface, nothing seems to have changed with the Galaxy S7 Edge: the main camera features a 12MP sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus, a fast f/1.7 aperture and larger pixels.

Everything is identical to the camera of last year's flagships, isn't it? Not really. And while the sensor size is the same, the new chip and advanced technologies offer better photography in low light conditions, thanks to multi-frame processing.

Multi-Frame image processing works in a similar way to the Google Pixel and its HDR+. The Samsung phone selects the best of three photos and uses the other two photos to reduce blur. It's similar to burst shooting, but everything works behind the scenes.

Side by side, the Galaxy S8 Plus photos performed better than similar Galaxy S7 Edge shots in good and low light. The new flagship showed less chromatic aberration and grain in the dark; That's not to say we didn't see blur in dim bar lighting when people move their hands mid-shot, but the post-processing is top-notch for a smartphone.

The front camera of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus has received even more updates, which is reflected in the specifications sheet and the overall performance of the device.

There is a slight difference in selfie shots. S8 Plus stands up to brighter tones and captures the sparkle of the eyes. Everything looks better without the need to use Beauty modes.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus also includes wacky new effects for photos and videos in real time, a sort of mask for overlaying footage. Move over, Facebook. This is Samsung's attempt to clone Snapchat.

The Galaxy S8 Plus camera does well indoors in low light conditions - better than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and any other Android smartphone. It still has a long way to go before it compares to DSLRs, mirrorless cameras or compact cameras with a 1-inch sensor, but the development is noticeable.

All your selfies are sharper, thanks to an upgrade from last year's 5-megapixel sensor to this year's 8-megapixel with auto focus and face detection. You'll love that sparkle in the eye that the camera is able to capture, compensating for any foreground detail.

You also benefit from robust and logical software that debuted on the Galaxy Note 7 and later on the S7 and S7 Edge with the Android Nougat update.

You can zoom in and out of a photo with one finger by sliding the shutter button left or right. Pinch zoom can still be used, but with a phone this big, one-finger control is more useful.

Swiping left brings up a menu of filters, stickers, and new masks—fun, but essentially pointless. This is nothing more than stealing Snapchat's idea.

Swiping to the right opens all shooting modes: Auto, PRO (manual), Panorama, Selective Focus, Slow-Motion, Hyperlapse (single-frame), Food and Virtual Shot.

You can download several other modes from the Samsung Galaxy Apps store, including Sports Shot, Animated GIF and Dual Camera (a photo mode with an overlay of the front camera image). What we liked most during the review is that you can add any of these modes like Hyperlapse to your home screen as a shortcut. No one has gone that far, Samsung offers top-notch camera software.

The video is another example where the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus doesn't advertise new features beyond 4K resolution, but in real-world testing, the quality has improved. Videos are noticeably brighter than on the Galaxy S7 Edge, and optical image stabilization is smoother.

Using a regular tripod to compare side-by-side smartphones while walking on the beach, we found the S8 Plus's stabilization to be much better, with an effect reminiscent of stabilizing tripods, while the S7 Edge looks like you're jumping on a trampoline while walking (we didn't). did!).

Even with all the additional steps - from processing photos over several frames to improved optical stabilization - the shutter speed of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus did not become any worse. The problem is the Quick Launch shortcut, which has moved from double-clicking the now-defunct physical Home button to the power button on the side. You may miss an important point until you relearn muscle memory, and you'll also have to find a case that doesn't interfere with pressing the side button.

Battery life

Battery capacity 3500mAh, safe route afterNote 7;
More than a day of battery life thanks to advanced battery saving;
Just 1 hour and 11 minutes to fully charge;
Fast and wireless charging thanks toUSBC;

Here's a trick from Samsung: the Galaxy S8 Plus is big enough to accommodate a monstrous battery, but after the Note 7's exploding batteries, the manufacturer is playing coy.

Instead, we have a 3,500 mAh battery - the exact same size as the one on the Note 7, in fact the battery is 100 milliamps smaller than the one on the Galaxy S7 Edge. All this looks very conservative compared to the recent ASUS ZenFone Max with a 5000 mAh battery.

Don't let these numbers fool you. The Galaxy S8 Plus is a very energy efficient phone, capable of offering up to a day and a half of battery life. We had no battery issues in the middle of the day, even after active photography or video.

This is partly due to smaller and less power-hungry 10nm chipsets, partly due to the switch to Full HD display by default, which looks almost as good as the maximum Quad HD resolution. These two indicators make the difference.

We played a 90-minute Full HD video on the phone with a 100% charge, and when playback was complete the phone was down to 11% in Quad HD, leaving us with 89% charge. We switch the screen to Full HD, scroll through the video again and lose only 8%, maintaining 92% of the charge.

Samsung also provides the S8 Plus with software tools to optimize the battery, which means the smartphone uses power more slowly when the battery charge drops below 15%. And the software really sticks to the numbers, calculating the exact time until the power goes out (and while the numbers have never been exactly right, it's useful to have a rough estimate).

The Galaxy S8 Plus retains its strengths, including fast charging and wireless charging. The simplified USB-C connection means wireless charging offers only minor convenience, but it's a nice feature to see.

Summing up

This is Samsung's latest sci-fi smartphone, and its newest trick maximizes screen real estate by reducing bezels. This allows a monstrous 6.2-inch curved display to be built into an affordable phone that's virtually identical to last year's Galaxy S7 Edge.

That's not all that's impressive. It offers the best display, chipset and camera phone available today. In other words, it has the best design, a lot of power and an extremely high-quality camera. It's water- and dust-resistant, so you won't have to wait for the Galaxy S8 Active, which offers 64GB of internal storage and a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion. It's all yours if you're willing to pay big money.

Battery life is decent (but doesn't blow up benchmarks), the phone will be able to showcase the next generation of mobile VR games, and its software will rival vanilla Android. Besides Bixby, Samsung has done a great job on its software. Remember the terrible TouchWiz interface? If it was your problem, you should give the new phone a chance.

Everything looks and feels futuristic, except for the illogically placed fingerprint scanner and missing Bixby voice features. Facial recognition doesn't work well enough to be used regularly; the iris scanner is better, but it's not perfect either. Problems with unlocking such an expensive phone prevent the Galaxy S8 Plus from being flawless.

You can't find a great smartphone better than this. Minor gripes aside, the 6.2-inch display and big performance gains with efficiency easily merit a recommendation for those willing to invest that kind of money on a phone.

Who is it for?

This is the smartphone for you if you have big hands, an equally big wallet, and you really care about becoming a user. And while the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 is just as good and slightly cheaper, the Plus version offers the largest 6.2-inch screen size and extra battery life. If you're coming from 4.7-inch and 5-inch screens, it's worth sticking with the smaller size.

Worth buying?

If you want a smartphone with the biggest screen and picture quality, the Galaxy S8 Plus is worth the money. In addition to the screen, you get great bonuses, including the best camera on the market and the latest chipset.

The Galaxy S8 Plus is the Android smartphone you'll want if you like big, tall handsets. It features a massive 6.2-inch screen that barely increases the phone's physical size from its predecessor. Samsung's trick is to remove the physical home button and its surrounding bezel, and while that means the fingerprint scanner is annoyingly placed on the back, the amazing display, great camera and slick software should make you forget about this flaw, and Bixby's voice assistant won't. star of the show overnight.

Wonderful!