How to manage who gets notified when you stream your Gear VR to Facebook

For now, everyone is going to know when you are livestreaming to Facebook.

The update which brought the ability to livestream your Gear VR adventures directly to Facebook. While this feature allows you to easily share many of the games, apps, and experiences on your Gear VR. There is one small issue. That being that when you livestream, everyone that you are connected to gets a notification. While there is a way around this, it definitely isn’t ideal, and won’t let your friends watch while you play.

Read more at VRHeads.com

Moto X returns in Motorola’s leaked 2017 phone lineup

Motorola is going to have a very busy 2017, if you believe tipsters. Well-known leaker Evan Blass has obtained a presentation photo that purports to show the Lenovo brand’s phone roadmap for the year, and there will be no less than nine devices by the time it’s all said and done. Most notably, the Moto X (apparently called the Moto X4) is finally slated to return after a long absence. This image doesn’t reveal much beyond the 5.2-inch “3D glass” display and a “SmartCam,” but details gleaned from a video hint that it’s an upper mid-range phone with the shiny new Snapdragon 660 processor, a hefty 3,800mAh battery, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage and a fingerprint reader.

Other parts of the roster are a little more familiar. There will be new Z Play and Z Force phones at the top, complete with mods and (on the Z Force) gigabit LTE data. We’ve already seen a leak for the just-the-basics Moto C line, too. However, the middle is more interesting: the roadmap suggests there will be an upgraded Moto G (yes, despite the G5 launch) with a dual rear camera on the Plus version. There would also be two Moto E phones, including an E Plus with a 5.5-inch display and a massive 5,000mAh battery.

There’s no timetable explaining when each new device will appear. If this slate is accurate, though, it’s not exactly a simple lineup — we can see some customers struggling to decide between a larger screen or a faster processor. Still, this at least shows that Motorola has some room to flourish under Lenovo’s wing.

Via: Pocket-lint, SlashGear

Source: Evan Blass (Twitter 1), (2), Reddit

Airbnb tries its hand at tour-guiding

Airbnb has always wanted to be more than just the app you use to rent someone’s spare bedroom for a night on the other side of the world. That’s why the company is beefing up its Trips feature to help you get the most out of your excursions. Specifically, Airbnb is changing the way its For You tab works in order to ensure that you know what’s going to be hot when you land.

Historically, For You just recommended things for you to do based on your current location, showing you what was good. Now, the service will highlight activities that you should plan in advance of arriving, like a super-cool bus tour that’s sold out months ahead of time. In addition, you’ll be able to try out curated experiences that are based around a theme.

The new features are rolling out today, although only for English-language users in a handful of cities, including Cape Town, Florence, LA, Miami, Paris and Tokyo. In addition, those going to Barcelona or SF can find whole trips suggested for you, based on your particular interests. So, for instance, if you’re a foodie, you’ll be shown a potential schedule that’ll let you get through as many well-rated eateries as possible.

Source: Airbnb Blog

The ridiculous Not Hotdog app from ‘Silicon Valley’ is real

Our long national nightmare is over: Thanks to HBO and Silicon Valley there’s finally an app that will tell you if the object you pointed your phone’s camera at is a hot dog or not. For fans of the show, it’s a cute joke, but everyone else might be a little puzzled. As a brief bit of background, T.J. Miller’s character Erlich Bachman accidentally invested in an app he thought had something to do with Oculus, when, in actuality, it was an application with recipes for preparing octopus rather than anything to do with virtual reality. A common mistake, to be sure.

That led to pivoting the app to become the “Shazam of food.” In practice, the app is actually a lot more useful than Shazam. It correctly identified that my Zippo lighter wasn’t a hotdog the first time. Same goes for when I pointed my camera at an acorn squash. I didn’t have any hotdogs in my apartment this morning, though, so I tried the next best thing: pre-cooked bratwurst.

The app successfully determined that even though they look similar — I even angled my sausage to how it appears in the app — that my brats were in fact not hotdogs. It’s incredible. I’ve had more success identifying food with the app in 20 minutes than I have had tagging and identifying songs with Shazam in the past two years. I’m trying my best to feign surprise here.

Anywho, if you want to judge the app’s efficacy for yourself, it’s a free download on iOS. As per usual with the show, HBO has blurred the lines between fiction and reality by crafting a listing page for the app on Product Hunt (Not Hotdog creator Jian-Yang even jumped into the comments) and there’s a video interview with Jian-Yang on Bloomberg, too.

If this doesn’t put a smile on your face and acid reflux in your throat on Monday morning, I’m not sure what will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bratwurst and pile of salt and vinegar chips to get back to.

WATCH: @EmilyChangTV chats w/ Jian-Yang about his “Not Hotdog” app.

Download it today (really): https://t.co/7N6a1Asfge #SiliconValleyHBO pic.twitter.com/99TBhaiHYk

— Tech At Bloomberg (@TechAtBloomberg) May 15, 2017

Via: Mashable

Source: iTunes, Product Hunt

Delta will test face-scanning for checked baggage this summer

This summer, Delta will test a facial recognition system for checking luggage. The airline says that the move is an effort to save customers time and further streamline the pre-flight process. “One machine will be equipped to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification,” the press release says.

The $600,000 pilot program’s four machines will reside at the sprawling Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The news comes after recent word that domestic airports would start using biometrics for registering travelers when they leave the US and return.

However, when Customs and Border Protection used facial recognition to try catching imposters a few years ago, it said that photos would be deleted once its experiment concluded. Earlier this year, Australia said it wanted to use biometrics to make international travel easy enough that you’d no longer need to talk to anyone or even show your passport upon arrival, which suggests long-term storage.

There’s no word of how long the photos will be stored here, or what types of privacy safeguards are in place, so we’ve reached out to Delta for more information. The idea of your luggage being used to up-sell you on a new suitcase or some sort of frequent flyer mile promo would be annoying at best, but it isn’t hard to see how this type of data could be used for nefarious purposes too.

Source: PR Newswire

Decor as dystopia at a Singapore robotics training center

What you’re looking at is not an art installation or set from the next Tron movie. It’s the new RACE Robotics Lab in Singapore, used to display the latest industrial robots and train engineers working on automated assembly lines. According to architect Ministry of Design, the aim was to create “an engaging and future-forward spatial experience that denotes the idea of industrial automation and precision.”

The design team succeeded in that goal. The experience starts in the minimalist, all-black lobby that features just the lab signage (also created by Ministry of Design) and LEDs running at various crazy angles. A door leads to the highly unusual lab’s black interior that’s clad with a “second skin” of aluminum tubes and custom LED strips, also set at random-seeming angles.

There is a method to the madness, beyond just wowing potential clients. The lab required a continuous interior with small hands-on training clusters, so the open-space plan is divided into smaller, multi-faceted interiors.

At the same time, the panels also “cloak the necessary but unsightly mechanical and electrical services while allowing ease of access for operation,” says Ministry of Design. As such, each work cluster has separate access hatches, allowing easy access to the services hidden behind.

RACE Robotics is a collaboration between Nanyang Technical University (NTU) and PBA Group, a Singapore-based firm specializing in contract manufacturing. The lab started running in January, offering novice and advanced training sessions in robotics and automation. It’s working with industrial robotics giants, including Delta Electronics, Universal Robots and Kawasaki.

We’re not sure what it’s like to work and learn in such a dizzying interior, but if there’s any place that justifies such a design, it’s a robotics lab. “Overall, the space provides a suitable future-forward backdrop to usher in an age of automation and robotics,” says Ministry of Design. Hopefully, its clients agree.

Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Available in Adelaide, Australia

Apple Maps has been updated with comprehensive transit data in Adelaide, Australia, enabling iPhone users in the city to navigate with public transportation, primarily including Adelaide Metro buses and commuter trains.

Apple Maps gained a Transit tab in iOS 9. The feature lags several years behind Google Maps, but Apple’s public transportation support is exhaustive, mapping all station entrances and listing departure times.

At launch, the feature was limited to Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and over 300 cities in China. Since then, Apple has been working to expand support for public transportation to other cities around the world.

Newer additions include Atlanta, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City, Manchester, Melbourne, Miami, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Montréal, New Orleans, Paris, Portland, Pittsburgh, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver, B.C.

A complete list of cities that support Transit in Apple Maps is available on the iOS Feature Availability page of Apple’s website.

(Thanks, Bernd!)

Tags: Australia, Apple Maps, transit
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Philips Hue Announces New White Ambience Table Lamps and Light Fixtures

Philips today announced a new line of fixtures and table lamps for its Philips Hue White Ambience bulbs, which are specifically designed to provide users with various hues of white light that can be dimmed or brightened throughout the day. Like with all Philips Hue products, the new fixtures and lamps will be HomeKit-compatible, allowing users to control the lights with an iPhone, iPad, or Siri.

The new products include the Philips Hue White Ambiance Being Flushmount and the Philips Hue White Ambiance Fair fixture, which both have a White Ambience bulb built-in with light output of up to 3,000 lumens. The Fair fixture can be purchased in three different styles including flushmount, semi-flushmount, and suspension, all of which are attached to a ceiling.

The Philips Hue White Ambience Wellness Table Lamp
A few new free-standing table lamps have also been announced, called the Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellner and Wellness table lamps. These come with White Ambience bulbs capable of outputting light at 800 lumens and will fit “with any interior,” according to Philips.

Enjoy decorating your kitchen, dining room or bedrooms with the brushed aluminum Philips Hue White Ambiance Being Flushmount or three different styles of the Philips Hue White Ambiance Fair fixture (Flushmount, Semi-flushmount and Suspension). The products have the Philips Hue White Ambiance connected lighting technology built-in and feature powerful light output (up to 3000 lumens).

The Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellner and Wellness table lamps are smartly designed to fit with any interior. They come with a Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 light bulb (800 lumens) for customizable white light to support your daily activities.

After announcing a candle bulb for its main Philips Hue line earlier this year, Philips Hue White Ambience is now also gaining a 40W-equivalent candle bulb with 450 lumens of brightness. Philips said that the candle bulbs are built for ceiling fans, chandeliers, and decorative table lamps, and the new bulb will join the White Ambience line that already includes the A19 bulb, GU10 spot light, and BR30 downlight.

Starting today, anyone interested can pre-order the Philips Hue White Ambience Being Flushmount ($199.99), the Wellness table lamp ($99.99), and the Wellner table lamp ($99.99). The full range of products is expected to begin shipping mid-June, while the candle bulb will be up for pre-order in June and launch in July for $29.99.

Tag: Philips Hue
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Lighthouse home security camera intelligently recognises family members and pets

Smart home security cameras are nothing new, they’re able to detect motion inside or outside your home and send you a notification. The new Lighthouse security wants to take that further by intelligently recognising different people and even pets, using 3D-sensing technology.

• Nest Cam Outdoor review

The project has been backed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, so it really does mean business. You can set up commands to send to the camera, such as asking it to let you know when the kids get home from school. The camera will then recognise the kids when they walk through the door – it uses facial recognition to store images of each family member – and send you an image as proof.

To set up these kind of commands is simple too, as the Lighthouse camera can understand natural language. It means you can literally say “tell me when the kids are home from school”, and it will understand.

The Lighthouse camera can even identify pets, so you can ask the companion app to let you know if the dog went outside while you were away, and you’ll get all dog-related activity, specifically near the door, for the day.

And if the camera detects movement from an unidentified person, it will let you know through the app and gives you quick-access options to sound a siren, call the police or to talk through the camera to politely tell the intruder to go away.

• Logitech Circle review: The portable home security camera
• Nest Cam review: The next step in home security?

As with some other home security cameras, you can also talk through the Lighthouse camera using the app. It will even recognise hand gestures, so your kids could wave to it to get your attention, you’ll get a notification on the app and then you can speak to them to ask them how their day was. Of course, this is only really useful if you’re away from the home, and not just sitting in the other room.

Lighthouse

Lighthouse says all camera footage and data stored on the camera is encrypted, and footage is automatically deleted after 30 days.

You can now pre-order the Lighthouse security camera in the US for $399 with a year of Lighthouse Intelligence software, but you can increase this to four years for $499 or five years for $599. Once your subscription has run out, you can pay $10/month to keep it running.

Samsung Galaxy S8 review: A mobile masterpiece

With many phones looking like clones, or brands nonchalantly pushing out the same old design year-on-year, Samsung is in that favourable position of offering something exciting in the Galaxy S8. It’s a phone that defines flagship design with its visually arresting dual curved edges. Its innards epitomise flagship specification. And its 18.5:9 ratio screen aims its sights at delivering best-in-class entertainment.

But the S8 is quite a departure for Samsung: it moves the fingerprint scanner from the once staple physical home key position on the front – which has been removed to make way for that unconventional screen – to the rear of the device, launches with a quick-access Bixby button but minus the voice-controlled assistant being properly functional, and costs a small fortune too. Do these points get in the way of what otherwise looks like the perfect flagship Android phone?

Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Design

• Dual curved edges
• Rear-positioned fingerprint scanner
• IP68 water/dust resistance
• 68.1 x 148.9 x 8mm; 155g

Samsung has opted for “Unbox your phone” as the slogan for S8 promo and, well, it’s hardly a catchy line. However, upon unboxing the S8 it’s immediately eye-catching – even before switching it on – given its shape, shine and meticulous finish. This is as good-looking as phones get. A key reason for that are those curved edges, which appear high-end and give the phone a greater sense of depth, plus added comfort when holding. This is a show-off phone, that’s for sure.

Pocket-lint

The S8 might have a similar screen ratio to the LG G6, but Samsung delivers an altogether more integrated design in our view, as if you are holding the screen and almost nothing besides. As we touched upon, the S8’s screen-centric design means there’s no longer a physical home button, as there has been in Galaxy S devices for years.

That’s a big change for long-term Samsung users: unlocking the device now means reaching around to the rear to locate a slither of fingerprint scanner… a slither that’s been placed too high up the phone’s rear and foolishly to the side of the camera, so you’ll all too often smear that with some fingertip marks. Even after a week of use, we’ve rarely used the fingerprint scanner to unlock the device, as its response is weak – maybe 70 per cent success rate, compared to 99 per cent of the older Galaxy devices – instead opting only for finance and banking apps as its method of use. Muscle memory might help, but it needs a positional rethink for the S9.

But moving that fingerprint scanner away from front and centre is a big part of how Samsung has made a phone that’s dominated by the screen itself, not surrounding bezels and buttons. A trio of Android soft keys – current apps, home and back (in that order, left-to-right, not “backwards” as per previous Samsung devices) – sit on the screen, ready to be hidden away when content demands it, for an all-encompassing view. And it looks brilliant.

Pocket-lint

The S8 isn’t bereft of buttons, though, with a lone power key to the right-hand side, with volume up/down and a dedicated Bixby button featuring on the opposite edge. Given the placement of this Bixby button – which, at the time of writing, is a pointless addition, as it doesn’t do anything and isn’t programmable – we’ve often picked the phone up back-to-front, that’s how reversible those dual curved edges and black-out AMOLED screen make the phone seem when handling it blindly.

Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Display

• 5.8-inch 2960 x 1440 Super AMOLED
• 18.5:9 aspect ratio Infinity Display
• Mobile HDR (high dynamic range) capable

Display wise there’s one point to clear out of the way: the Galaxy S8 has a bigger brother, the S8+, which is a larger-screen version (with a slightly more capacious battery to match). As that all-important plus symbol in the name suggests, its purpose in life is to go large, expanding upon the S8’s 5.8-inch screen with a massive-sounding (but surprisingly manageable) 6.2-inch panel. Otherwise the experience between both S8 devices in one and the same: the same spec, same resolution, same software, same hardware features. It’s merely a choice in size, without really complicating things further.

Pocket-lint

In the S8 that actually means you get the more pixel-packed display than the Plus, as the same number of organic LEDs are spread over a slightly smaller surface area. There’s a whole heap of them, too, with the WQHD+ resolution equating to 4.2-million of the blighters (for perspective, that’s about half of a 4K TV panel in the palm of your hand). Interestingly, these pixels aren’t always used without activating a Performance Mode to save on battery. But when they are, and with the right content, the S8’s display looks simply fantastic.

It’s not quite perfect, though. That dual edge design is definitely eye-catching, but it also brings a slight issue to colour towards the edges. Where the glass curves, so too does the presentation of colour, with an aberration of purple-green mildly visible if you’re really looking for it. Such edges can sometimes make handling far-edge icons on screen a little trickier to interact with, too.

The other big point is the 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which is roughly 1:2. That’s far more elongated than many current smartphones, which makes the S8 fit neatly in the hand while offering nigh-on perfect space for watching, say, Netflix Originals series, like Stranger Things, which are shot in the same format. No black edges to worry about in such scenarios. Conversely, of course, non-2:1 content will add black bars top and bottom, which is what many apps need to do, negating some of the elongated screen’s necessity. Still, if you’re a boxset buff, this is the way to go.

Pocket-lint

The last point of note is that the S8 – just like the Galaxy Tab S3 – is capable of HDR (high dynamic range) to not only display brighter whites, but a wider colour palette. Great in theory, but, again, there’s no compatible material at the time of writing. We know that Netflix is imminent, but until then the S8 is actually ahead of the curve – in the same way as the LG G6 (which is penned as the first to get Netflix HDR).

In summary: detail, brightness, deep blacks, a richness to colours, Mobile HDR Premium certification – there’s little you can do to hide from the magnificence of the Galaxy S8’s display.

Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Performance and battery

• Iris recognition, face recognition
• Samsung Exynos 8895, 4GB RAM
• 64GB storage + microSD
• 3,000mAh battery, USB Type-C, wireless charging

Before we get into the nitty gritty spec detail, some further points about the S8’s unlock processes, as it affects performance to some degree given it’s the barrier between unlocking and using your phone. Having all but given up with the rear fingerprint scanner due to its placement, the phone also offers iris recognition and face recognition. The latter has been criticised for its ability to be fooled with a photo, but if that security issue concerns you then simply don’t use the feature (we find it hit-and-miss anyway). Iris recognition is far more secure. Problem is, it struggles in low light and struggles in direct sunlight – but get it lined up and it’ll unlock in a near instant, just as good as it was on the (now dead) Galaxy Note 7.

Once you’re into the device, you’re free to do your worst with the S8’s heavyweight spec load-out. In the UK that means an Exynos chip rather than Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 as you’ll find in some other regions, but both are the latest 10nm chipsets and as muscular as things get right now. Pair that with 4GB RAM and the S8 is a smooth operator.

The only issues we’ve found in operation arise from connectivity: when Wi-Fi hunting, for example, smooth-flowing animations can become temporarily stuttery, which is an inherent Android issue for some devices that we’ve seen, but something that shouldn’t happen for a device of this ilk. That aside, however, and expect top-end games and apps to run at high settings without issue or over-heating. We’ve been chopping and changing between apps without issue at speed.

Just because there’s lots of power doesn’t mean you have to use it all of the time either. To ensure the battery lasts as best as possible Samsung has implemented the aforementioned Performance Mode within the menu – accessed by swiping down the shade. It can be switched on for Game, Entertainment and High Performance optimisation if you need that extra boost for certain tasks. It’s a savvy move, because everything runs well without the mode on, ensuring all-day battery life is a norm (we’ve often been going to bed with 35 per cent remaining after 15-hours of use).

If you do opt for all the performance then the battery will drain faster, of course, but with a quick-charge USB Type-C port or wireless charging – neither we can test, as there’s no wireless charging or appropriate UK plug in the box – ensure rapid top-ups are never far away.

Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Software

• Android Nougat with TouchWiz
• Bixby isn’t complete, adds duplication
• Google Assistant

Software is something Samsung used to deliver a little heavy-handed, but in the S8 there’s a far more deft touch with the company’s TouchWiz skin over the top of Android 7.1. That means a largely familiar Android experience, including full Google Assistant voice-control, heaps of customisation and good-looking near-circular icons.

It’s a good job that Google Assistant is on board – something that lacks from plenty of other phones outside of Google’s own circle – as one of Samsung’s premier features, Bixby, is hindered from the launch of the S8 in the UK. Bixby is the would-be Samsung voice-controlled assistant, but right now there’s no voice, only Bixby Home which is a sort-of mixture of Upday/Flipboard highlights, serving news and personal reminders – but not really being all that necessary.

So, by and large, we’ve ignored Bixby for the time being. But the S8’s user experience hasn’t left us disappointed, as the software is otherwise clean and the edge-swipe quick-access apps are really handy too. The only real downside is the menu layouts are a little odd, which has left us going around in circular navigation loops to find some settings. Data roaming is hidden behind a host of clicks, for example.

Pocket-lint

The other interesting thing about Samsung’s updated software is that it quietly introduces various optimisation features. Almost taking a leaf out of Huawei’s EMUI book, the S8 will prompt you about apps which have been idle but are draining battery life and give you the option to force them shut. It’s not as invasive or frequent as Huawei’s implementation, however, so feels more user friendly.

The second notable one is Video Enhancer, which will auto-prompt when you open a compatible app – including Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer and more – and offer a software-based visual enhancement designed to give a better balanced image (it’s off by default avoid unnecessary battery drain). This isn’t HDR in full effect, simply a software solution to make the most of that screen.

Pocket-lint

In addition to there’s a heap of customisation options. From headphone tuning, to always-on display customisation, edge screen functions and the ability to push apps to run in full-screen, the software experience runs deep. There’s even the option to not install Samsung bloat upon initial startup, which is a confident and user-focused approach indeed.

Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Camera

• Rear 12-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture with optical stabilisation
• Front 8-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture
• 4K video at 30fps

The last major piece of the S8 puzzle is its cameras. The earlier S7 set the bar high in this regard, so while the S8 has a lot of pressure to get things right, it certainly doesn’t fail to impress.

Pocket-lint

Interestingly there’s no dual camera gimmickry here – a la iPhone 7 Plus or Huawei P10 Plus – it’s a simple rear camera and front camera operation instead. And it works perfectly well.

Well, better than well: switch the camera to Pro mode via a quick swipe to raise the quick menu and it’s got a super-fast autofocus system that’s always looking for the most apparent subjects within the frame; tap on screen to focus and the camera can track a subject even if you recompose the shot. It’s a nifty setup, plus offers controls for ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, white balance, manual focus, exposure compensation and filters. Pro camera always exists when closing the camera, however, which is a shame.

Pocket-lint

Quality-wise the S8 is up there with the best of best. In bright conditions there’s heaps of colour and detail, while low-light will increase the ISO sensitivity and diminish the detail – but not excessively, thanks to the f/1.7 aperture allowing lots of light in, along with optical stabilisation helping keep thing sharp. It’s possible to shoot raw files if you want even fuller control in post-production, angling this camera as one for the discerning snapper.

There’s also been a bump in hardware around the front with a higher-resolution 8-megapixel camera. Looking to capture your best angle, the front camera now uses autofocus too, meaning selfies are generally sharper. It also means you can have more control over the focus in selfies, with the ubiquitous blurring options that come with that.

The only real complaint is the addition of AI stickers – “dog face” might be fun, but that’s already in Snapchat, so why repeat? – and Bixby Vision, which all add some unnecessary clutter to the app. And there’s no way to remove these. Otherwise the single rear camera approach is a solid one.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the flagship to rule all flagships. From a design perspective it’s an unbridled head-turner, delivering design that’s a step above any of the competition out there. The 18.5:1 screen ratio is central to a focus on entertainment and will only get better with HDR-compatible apps.

But as much as the S8 is the amalgamation of Samsung’s good ideas, it has necessitated some poor choices too: the rear-positioned fingerprint scanner is the weakest in any flagship, by position and by responsiveness; while Bixby doesn’t really warrant being a selling point just yet, as it’s roughly non-existent and the dedicated button ought to be programmable.

But those points become somewhat moot when considering the iris-scan unlock and the presence of Google Assistant. Add to that the excellent camera experience (which is delivered without too many gimmicks), Samsung’s most battery-conscious and customisable software rework to date, and what we have here is the best Android phone of 2017.

In short: the Samsung Galaxy S8 is a masterpiece; one with a few brush-strokes out of place, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

Alternatives to consider…

Pocket-lint

Samsung Galaxy S8+

Want to go super-sized? Well, the Plus model ought to be right up your street. With a 6.2-inch screen, the S8+ doesn’t feel too large thanks to that near-2:1 aspect ratio screen. The larger scale means a larger battery capacity too. Oh, and a larger price point too.

Read the full article: Samsung S8+ review

Pocket-lint

LG G6

First out of the gate with this new 2:1 aspect ratio display with HDR was the LG G6. It might have pipped Samsung to the post in announcing its phone, but the Samsung betters the design in our view.

Read the full article: LG G6 review

Pocket-lint

Google Pixel XL

If you want a big-screen phone without the 2:1 aspect ratio, the Pixel XL is the mac-daddy of Android phones. It’s pure, enhanced Android with all of Google’s latest tricks packed in to a fast, powerful device with a brilliant camera and exemplary battery life. The design isn’t as exciting or eye-catching, though.

Read the full article: Google Pixel XL review

Pocket-lint

iPhone 7 Plus

If you want it all but without the Android part, the 7 Plus is your current best bet. It feels much fatter in the hand, but iPhones have long offered a consistently good experience. It’s excellently built, has a great camera system, lasts more than a day per charge and offers the best apps available anywhere. The design does look dated, though.

Read the full article: Apple iPhone 7 Plus review

Samsung Galaxy S8 pre-order deals

– You can get the Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB in orchid grey or black: £79.99 up front, £45.99 per month on EE for 24 months, 5GB data, unlimited minutes and texts – get it here

– Those looking to go with Vodafone, can get the Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB in orchid grey or black: £100 up front, £42 per month on Vodafone for 24 months, 24GB data, unlimited minutes and texts – get it here

– If you prefer O2, the Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB is available in orchid grey or black. You pay £100 up front, and then £44 per month on O2 for 24 months, 5GB data, unlimited minutes and texts – get it here

Samsung Galaxy S8+ pre-order deals

– If you want to get the bigger of the two new Samsung flagship devices EE has the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus 64GB in orchid grey or black. You’ll pay £149.99 up front and then £45.99 per month on EE for 24 months, 5GB data, unlimited minutes and texts – get it here

– The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus 64GB is available on Vodafone in orchid grey or black for £169.99 up front, and then £42 per month on Vodafone for 24 months, 24GB data, unlimited minutes and texts – get it here

– The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus 64GB is available from O2 in orchid grey or black for £150 up front, and then £44 per month on O2 for 24 months, 5GB data, unlimited minutes and texts – get it here