For the first time in years Samsung has finally done away with the front mounted fingerprint sensor in favor of a rear placement. That’s not to say I love everything about the Galaxy S8’s design. The Galaxy S8 is easily one of the most premium feeling smartphones I’ve had the pleasure of holding and a testament of how far Samsung has come in terms of design and build quality. This now means the Edge screen doesn’t actually bend over the sides as much and Samsung has done a great job and preventing accidental screen taps even when your sausage fingers begin to encroach on the display. Samsung has finally given up on trying to make it seem useful by curving it over the sides (it never offered any benefit over a flat display) and confirmed what we’ve known all along: the edge screen is only there for looks. Speaking of the Edge screen, it’s now much more subtle than it was on previous Galaxies. Sounds like a small detail but this combined with the stainless steel metal finish - as opposed to that Teflon coating they used in the past - makes for a phone that feels absolutely wonderful in the hand.Įven so, the sides of the phone are still extremely small and can be tough to get a firm grip on, but Samsung has done a bang up job at preventing accidental screen taps even when your sausage fingers inevitably begin to encroach on the sides of the display. It’s been completely flattened out and gives your fingers more surface area to hold onto. Like some of you, I was ready to dismiss the S8 based purely on the Edge screen, but changed my tune after finally getting a chance to hold it.įirst off, the metal frame surrounding the Galaxy S8 is much less pronounced than it was with the S7 Edge. Quite literally the furthest thing from ergonomic, but a lot has changed since then. Sure they looked cool, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they were painfully awkward to hold. That being said, I was never big on Samsung’s previous Edge smartphones.
This thing looks just as good IRL as it does in photos (with the exception of Samsung’s ads which falsely hide the side bezels to further emphasize the phone’s curved edges). I would say photos don’t do it justice, but they do. Love it or hate it, this is the future Samsung has envisioned and simply put - it looks amazing. It was, after all, the only model Samsung showed in their advertisements and for good reason: it was different.įast forward to today where Samsung has officially dropped the “Edge” name entirely, introducing nothing but curved AMOLED displays for their flagship line. Since the Galaxy S6 Edge, the future of Samsung’s flagship line was always going to be curved displays. It’s quite simply, a feat of mobile engineering. Where most smartphones these days are little more than boring slabs with huge, thick bezels, the Galaxy S8 smashes previous conventions with a phone that’s slim, has no camera hump, features small bezels, has a big display, and yet is still somehow easy to hold with one hand. It’s easily one of the best looking smartphones in the world and although it’s not exactly functional, Samsung’s curved “Infinity Display” plays a large role in that. There’s little to be said about that Galaxy S8’s design that you can’t already tell by looking at it. Start here: 14 first things to do with the Galaxy S8 | 65+ Tips & Tricks Design & Build quality The good Bixby is useless and Samsung wont let you remap its hardware button.Display issues (red tint inconsistencies, burn-in, grayscale banding).We’ve spent an extended amount of time with the Galaxy S8 and are ready to bring your our unabashed and brutally honest review. Their latest entry into the crowded smartphone market is the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, two devices that come equipped with beautiful curved displays and more hardware/software features than you can shake a stick at.
The LG G6 ( check out our full review here) and HTC U11 are the best smartphones we’ve seen from their respective manufacturers, and with a completely redesigned iPhone 8 just around the corner - Samsung really needs to bring their “A” game this year. Samsung is also facing some pretty stiff competition this year. After the failed launch of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung now has to convince the world they still have what it takes to build a quality smartphone, one that is capable of capturing the hearts - and wallets - of consumers the world over.
As the biggest Android manufacturer in the world, Samsung typically doesn’t have much to worry about when it comes time to launch their new flagship.