The Ultimate Samsung Galaxy S8 Review

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S8 boasts a premium and well-built design that exudes elegance and sophistication, making it a standout in the smartphone market.

Display

The phone's display seamlessly melts over the sides, creating a visually stunning effect that enhances the overall aesthetic appeal.

Modern Design

This year's trend towards taller displays and thin bezels has resulted in a shift towards sleek, candy bar-shaped phones, reflecting a modern and futuristic approach to smartphone design.

Ergonomics

The super thin bezels contribute to a significantly reduced footprint, making the 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch displays on the S8 and S8 Plus respectively feel more manageable and ergonomic, despite their large screen sizes.

Fingerprint Sensor

The placement of the fingerprint sensor next to the camera, although visually appealing, may pose challenges in terms of reachability and functionality, especially for users with smaller hands. The positioning may require a period of adjustment for optimal usability.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S8 features a stunning display that sets it apart from its competitors, offering an unparalleled visual experience for users.

Display Quality

The Galaxy S8 boasts the best display on any smartphone, with its OLED technology delivering vibrant colors, exceptional contrast ratios, and an impressive dynamic range. The high resolution of 2960 by 1440 ensures a superior visual experience for media consumption, web browsing, and social media interactions.

Brightness and Visibility

The display's exceptional brightness makes it easily visible outdoors and in various lighting conditions, ensuring an optimal viewing experience at all times. This feature enhances the usability of the phone in different environments, providing users with a versatile and reliable display.

Aspect Ratio and App Support

The Galaxy S8's unique aspect ratio may result in black bars when using certain apps or watching videos that are not optimized for this display. While Samsung's software seamlessly supports the display, some third-party apps and videos may require updates to fully utilize the screen's capabilities.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is powered by high-end specs, showcasing a Snapdragon 835 processor, Adreno 540 GPU, and a robust 4 gigabytes of RAM. With at least 64 gigabytes of storage, expandable options, and the pioneering Bluetooth 5.0, the phone's performance is top-notch. Its seamless speed and animations out of the box ensure a smooth and responsive user experience, setting a new standard for flagship smartphones.

Software

The Samsung Galaxy S8 runs on Samsung's custom software, built on top of the Android 7.0 operating system. This software brings a mix of familiar Samsung features and some notable new additions, offering a unique user experience for consumers.

Interface and User Experience

The software is adapted to resemble Android Nougat, featuring a swiping app drawer and a cleaner overall look, particularly in the settings app. However, it still retains Samsung's signature colorful interface, along with some distinctive quirks such as the paginated app drawer and additional animations. While these elements add character, they may not necessarily enhance the user experience significantly.

Edge Screen Enhancements

The edge screen functionality has seen improvements, introducing features like Smart Select and the GIF maker, borrowed from the Note series. Users can now create animations by selecting parts of the screen and take round screenshots, offering new and creative ways to interact with the device. Additionally, the extended screenshot feature allows users to capture and scroll down to extend the screenshot as needed, enhancing usability.

Bixby Virtual Assistant

A major addition to the Galaxy S8's software is the introduction of Bixby, Samsung's virtual assistant. While similar to Google Assistant in functionality, Bixby has its own dedicated button on the side of the phone for quick access. However, the decision to include a dedicated button received mixed reactions from users, leading to the development of third-party solutions to remap the button's functionality. Samsung later addressed this by providing a patch to address the remapping issue, aiming to streamline the user experience.

Camera

One of the key features of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is its camera, which offers impressive capabilities and innovative functionalities for users.

Camera Software Features

The camera app of the Galaxy S8 introduces a unique feature with a dedicated Bixby button in the viewfinder. This button allows users to recognize images and search for them, whether it's products or text, providing added convenience and functionality directly within the camera interface.

Image Recognition and Search

Through the Bixby integration, the camera can identify images and products in the viewfinder, offering the option to conduct searches, such as Amazon searches for products. This feature enhances the overall user experience by seamlessly integrating image recognition and search capabilities into the camera app.

Performance and Image Quality

The camera on the Samsung Galaxy S8 utilizes a highly updated sensor with improved optics, resulting in enhanced image processing and image quality. The 12-megapixel camera with an F 1.7 aperture, dual pixel autofocus, and optical image stabilization delivers exceptional detail, contrast, color, and sharpness in both photos and 4K videos. Additionally, the aggressive auto HDR modes ensure a wide dynamic range and minimal highlight blowouts, further elevating the overall image quality.

Battery Life

When it comes to battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S8 leaves something to be desired. With its 3000 milliamp hour battery, heavy usage throughout the day often left the device with only about 10% battery remaining by the end. This includes activities such as extensive screen time, video watching, and frequent picture taking.

Fast Charging

On the bright side, the Galaxy S8 features remarkably fast charging capabilities. In one instance, the phone went from 22% to a full 100% charge in just about an hour, providing a quick and efficient solution to low battery concerns.

Despite the relatively average battery life, the phone's rapid charging feature offers a convenient solution for users needing a quick power boost to keep up with their day.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is undeniably a standout smartphone, offering an exceptional combination of design, display, performance, and innovative features. Despite minor drawbacks such as unmappable buttons and software quirks, the overall package is undeniably impressive. The sleek and modern design, unparalleled display quality, top-notch performance, and innovative camera functionalities make it a highly recommended device for users seeking a premium smartphone experience. While the battery life may leave something to be desired, the rapid charging feature provides a convenient solution for users on the go. In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy S8 lives up to its reputation as a top-tier smartphone, delivering on both style and substance.