Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus preview: 6-inches plus, but perfectly manageable

Samsung is probably the most watched of the smartphone manufacturers. Arguably, for right or wrong, the company probably took more headlines for its tumultuous 2016 that Apple did with the iPhone. The Galaxy S7 edge won awards while the Galaxy Note 7 was a disaster. 

The Samsung Galaxy S8, then, is more than just another phone. It not only needs to be the phoenix that rises, it needs to stamp out the flames of the Note 7 and establish the company’s position as a smartphone powerhouse.

Fortunately, Samsung is approaching this as only Samsung can: the Galaxy S8 is going bigger, it’s going better and from what we’ve seen so far, it’s pretty bold too.

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Samsung Galaxy S8+: Design 

• Dual-edge 18.5:9 aspect Infinity Display
• 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1mm, 173g
• IP68 waterproofing

While the transition from Galaxy S6 edge+ to Galaxy S7 edge had some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it changes, the Galaxy S8 looks to catapult this phone into the future. There’s a sweeping run of changes to this phone, but it’s distinctly Galaxy. Dual curved edges, sculpted sides and a glass back is all familiar territory, as is the IP68 protection. 

There’s a big change on the front that would be unique had Korean rivals LG not pipped Samsung to the post with the launch of the LG G6. The big shift is the reduction of bezels top and bottom, shifting the aspect to 18.5:9. That’s fractionally different to the LG, but the motivations are the same.

• LG G6 review: The first truly great flagship phone for 2017

The aim is to increase the screen to body ratio and give you more display without resulting in a bigger overall phone. The Samsung Galaxy S8+ has a huge 6.2-inch display, but it’s only 73.4mm wide. That’s narrower than the iPhone 7 Plus, while only being fractionally taller – but giving you over half an inch more display.

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Of course, changing the aspect results in that display increase: it’s taller rather than wider, so although that diagonal is larger you don’t get the same display area as you would from a 6.2-inch 16:9 phone. 

Essentially, Samsung has expanded the display into sections of the phone that used to be top and bottom bezel, shifting the controls onto the display and amongst other things, ditching that logo bar at the top. Moving the controls onto the display is something that Samsung has avoided for many years, but it now necessitates moving the fingerprint scanner to the rear. It has also lead to a pressure sensitive home button under the display, but more on that later.

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 embraces innovation: there’s a newness to the design while retaining the more eye-catching features of the Galaxy S7 edge. The result is a beautifully updated handset that makes its rivals look tired and boring.

Samsung Galaxy S8+: Specs and battery 

• Samsung Exynos 8895, 4GB RAM
• 64GB storage + microSD
• 3500mAh battery, USB Type-C, wireless charging
• Gigabit LTE

Outside of design, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ comes with a fully-updated internals. For the geeks, this phone is the first to be powered by a 10nm chipset. Sure, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium will too, but Samsung will be the first to market. 

We’re yet to really see how the new Exynos chipset will perform, but Samsung is saying that the efficiencies will lead to a more powerful CPU, and a 20 per cent boost to the GPU. One thing is clear though: Samsung sees this as much more than just a phone, as the announcement of the Samsung DeX (desktop experience), sees this phone able to act like a desktop when docked.

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Samsung hasn’t detailed exactly who is getting what chipset where: we expect to get Exynos in the UK, while some other territories will likely get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. We’ll update as we learn more. There’s 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, with microSD card for expansion and of course, there’s a lot still to learn about how this phone performs under load in the real world.

Those with eagle eyes will have spotted the USB Type-C on the bottom for charging the 3500mAh battery: this is where the larger S8+ is likely to trounce the smaller model, as it has a larger battery. There’s no telling how long it last, again, something we’ll test when we fully review the phone. There’s wireless charging support, as before, too. 

Samsung Galaxy S8+: Display 

• 6.2-inch 2960 x 1440 pixels, 529ppi
• AMOLED Infinity Display with dual edges, 18.5:9 aspect
• Mobile HDR Premium certification 

When it comes to displays, Samsung has a reputation. We’ve seen luscious AMOLED after luscious AMOLED and we’ve never failed to be impressed. They might not have the colour balance or realism that some others strive to achieve, but they deliver the brightness and the punch to make everything look fantastic, indoors and out.

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Samsung is in new territory with the Galaxy S8+, pushing for a taller display with that 18.5:9 aspect. That means you have more space if you want to multi-task, splitting the display to have different apps top and bottom. That’s something that Samsung has offered for some time and if natively supported by Android Nougat, but it’s more effective on this type of display.

There’s a shift in resolution to 2960 x 1440 pixels, resulting in 529ppi, which is pretty close to the Google Pixel XL (535ppi). That means incredible detail from this display. First impressions are that it’s every bit as capable as the S7 edge and that’s a very good thing, as it looks fantastic.

One of the interesting details is the confirmation certified by the Ultra HD Alliance. Samsung said it was the first display to get this certification for Mobile HDR Premium – there was no mention at the launch of the Galaxy Tab S3 launch. For those who don’t know, the Ultra HD Alliance certifies that TVs reach a particular standard in terms of quality to carry the Premium badging, with this new Mobile HDR Premium established for the best mobile devices.

• Mobile HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Mobile HDR Premium explained

Undoubtedly, this is a move to oppose the LG move to offer the first mobile Dolby Vision device, as these two rivals battle it out in the mobile HDR space. The good news for consumers is that there’s likely to be more content as companies provide the hardware to view it on – watch out for Netflix and Amazon HDR content coming to a phone near you.

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Returning to the aspect ratio, the one-handed aim is achieved to a certain extent, because you can more easily reach across the width of the phone one-handed. That means that things like keyboard entry is easier. The top of the phone, however, is a little further away, so some might find that reaching for the notifications area is a little more of a stretch than it was before. 

If there’s one detail we’re not totally sold on, it’s the rounded corners to the display area. Having been using the S7 edge, it is essentially a squared display in the corners, so this is a change that might take some time to get used to. Whether it results in the notifications and system icons getting a little squashed across the top, time will tell. 

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ has a display that will blow others away. There’s loads of space in a device that’s not excessively large, it’s packed with detail, dripping in saturation and pushing those HDR skills. 

Samsung Galaxy S8+: Fingerprint scanner and home button 

• Iris scanner
• Rear fingerprint scanner
• “Force Touch” home button

The elephant in the room is the rearrangement of that home button, which is linked to the fingerprint scanner and the iris scanning skills. But let’s rewind a little. The original Samsung Galaxy S had a physical home button at launch in 2010. Every Galaxy S model has followed suit, as Samsung avoided the temptation to go for on-screen controls.

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That’s now all changed. Shifting the display size and removing the bezel top and bottom means there’s no space for buttons. The fingerprint scanner is now on the rear, sitting next to the camera lens. That’s not an uncommon position and those who have used Huawei or Pixel devices will know it presents no problem at all – but Samsung’s almost seamless framing and positioning will likely mean that many put fingerprints on the camera. This will take time to get used to. 

That’s the reason that Samsung is now talking up the alternative biometric unlocking option it offers – iris scanning. You can have the iris scanner unlock the phone when you look at it and Samsung says this is now a much more advanced system. That should hopefully easy away any barriers to unlocking, but we can see that having offered a seamless home button unlocking experience, this change is a big one for serial Galaxy S users. We’ll find out when we fully review the phone.

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But let’s talk about that new home button. With the navigation controls on the display (and customisable) you now have the option of firm pressing button centre to act as the home button. There’s haptic feedback when you do (also adjustable) so that you know it’s worked. Having used plenty of phones with on-screen controls (Pixel XL, LG, Huawei, for example), it feels like a normal Android experience. Again, it’s something we’ll have to explore in more detail in the future.

Samsung Galaxy S users should embrace the change: it’s different, but it’s not bad. 

Samsung Galaxy S8+ cameras 

• Rear 12-megapixel f/1.7
• Front 8-megapixel f/1.7
• Multi-frame image processing
• Bixby integration

The last Galaxy S had a great camera and a year on, we still think it’s one of the best cameras you’ll find on a mobile device. There are no gimmicks, no dual lens, it just gets on with the job and returns great results. 

Before we get into the details, let’s talk about quick launch. Obviously there’s no home button to double press, so you can quick launch the camera with a double press of the standby button – standard Android stuff, and just as easy.

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The rear camera is 12-megapixels with a rear aperture of f/1.7, which is the same as the S7. The front moves up to 8-megapixels, which seems to be becoming the norm. The software appears to very much reflect the Nougat experience of the S7, but with the addition of AR and stickers. Hey, it’s 2017, deal with it. 

One of the new elements aiming to boost performance is something that Samsung is calling  “multi frame image processing”. Basically it takes three photos and uses the information to produce one better image. It’s a useful addition but not a new technology. This type of bracketing has been used in cameras and other phones before.

The camera also has Bixby integration, meaning you can basically use Bixby vision to identify things and return results, very much like Google Googles or the Amazon shopping app.

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From the time we’ve spend with the S8+, we can’t judge how well the cameras perform in all conditions. We’d expect it to be excellent as the last camera was, but of course we’ll be testing it extensively and reporting back. 

Samsung Galaxy S8+ software and Bixby

• Android Nougat with TouchWiz
• Bixby AI for US English and Korean
• Google Assistant

Finally turning to the software experience of the Galaxy S8+, it very much reflects the updated Nougat software of the S7. This refines the software experience of the original S7, adds in some of the tweaks from the Note 7, pulls in the natively supported parts of Android Nougat and spits out a very complete and friendly UX.

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It’s a complete reworking of Android, however, as far away from the Google Pixel as you can get. But if you’re using a recent Galaxy device, you’ll find it familiar, except that missing apps tray button. On the S8, you’ll swipe up to access your apps, rather like Google’s Pixel Launcher.

It’s packed with features and functions, which we won’t dwell on here, but there’s connectivity to help you with home control, there’s integration with Samsung TVs, there’s a full range of Samsung apps, some of which you might not really want – the browser or gallery, for example. 

But the big new thing is Bixby. Samsung announced this prior to launch as an AI system designed to be integrated with apps and have a level of intelligence to make your device easier to use. Bixby also gets its own launch button on the side of the device. 

Here’s the bad news: Bixby will only be launching with support for Korean and US English at launch, with no details on when it’s coming to other territories. It will come to Europe, but there’s no confirmation of when.

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For those who don’t get the full Bixby option, the Bixby button will just take you to and area called Bixby Home. This combines the existing Upday news aggregation feature with information cards very much like Google Now. You’ll get the weather and other details.

Bixby is very much a rival to Google Assistant (which you also get through Google Search). But Bixby aims to control your device as well as find other information.

• What is Bixby? Everything you need to know about Samsung’s assistant

We’ll not dwell too much on Bixby here, as we’ve written about it separately, but it’s a little disappointing that those in the UK won’t get this full experience from launch day. On the flip side, Bixby looks very capable and brings another string to Samsung’s S8 bow.

First Impressions

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ is a demonstration that Samsung isn’t standing still with its smartphones. There’s no sense of playing it safe, instead embracing a push in new directions. The S8 show the biggest rethinking of device interaction that we’ve seen in the history of Samsung Galaxy and we love it.

It’s a change, sure, and we expect Samsung fans will approach it with trepidation. You’re looking at a new display shape, a new home button experience, a new method for device control through voice. These are bold moves for Samsung’s new flagship, moving into previously uncharted territory. 

The result is that the Samsung Galaxy S8+ succeeds in making its rivals look old. This is a phone has been worth waiting for and we can’t wait to test it to the extreme.

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ price is £799 and pre-orders will run from 29 March to 19 April. The general release date for the Galaxy S8+ is 28 April.