Cryptocurrency mining is making some graphics cards stupidly expensive

Why it matters to you

Until graphics card stock gets under control, prices for midrange graphics cards are terrible for gamers. Be very careful if you’re looking to upgrade.

Almost a year on from our look into why graphics card prices often seem to be higher than their manufacturer suggested retail pricing (MSRP), it’s happening again in much more dramatic fashion. Once again availability and the ever-present fluctuations of supply and demand are the cause, but this time demand has skyrocketed because of graphics card-powered cryptocurrency mining.

It’s been years since graphics cards were used en masse for Bitcoin mining because the hardware arms race meant that specialized application-specific integrated chip (ASIC) mining hardware quickly overtook them. Ethereum mining, however, as with other digital currencies, doesn’t benefit in the same way from specialized hardware, so graphics cards are a great solution for mining them, and that’s leading to stock shortages and price hikes.

Here are a current list of graphics card prices at a few different retailers. These are the lowest prices we could find for these cards which are in stock and ready to ship, but many go for substantially more.

MSRP prices are for non-Founders Edition, stock cards.

MSRP
Newegg
Amazon
Tiger Direct
Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti
$700
$700
$700
$762
Nvidia GTX 1080
$550
$530
$500
$582
Nvidia GTX 1070
$380
$658
$700
$500
Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
$250
$400
$400
$375
Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB
$200
$357
$243
$230
AMD RX 580
$230
$600
$700
Out of Stock
AMD RX 570
$170
$500
$650
No listing
AMD RX 560
$100
$100
$110
$117

It’s important to point out that not all of the price rises you see are because of unscrupulous gouging. Supplies of base-model cards are almost nonexistent, so only the superclocked, water-cooled, fancy RGB lighting versions of these cards are still available. The cheapest GTX 1070 at Newegg, for example, was the MSI Sea Hawk version that ships from Canada. Other, much cheaper versions just weren’t in stock.

But these were still the cheapest versions we could find. Some stretched even further. We saw one GTX 1070 selling for as much as $850, which would be enough to buy you a far more powerful (for gaming) 1080 Ti and still save money. Miners have wrecked the pricing on the GTX 1060 too, making an extra $100 for the GTX 1080 seem like a far more reasonable purchase.

AMD’s cards were hit far worse, however. Following increased knowledge that they were some of the best cards for GPU mining, their prices have been steadily rising over the past few months, culminating in stock problems around the world. Those show no signs of abating, though we may have finally reached a point where people aren’t willing to pay three times the MSRP for them.

It’s reached such ridiculous heights that the current price for the RX 580 on Newegg is identical to the same card bundled with an AMD Ryzen 7 1700X CPU.

In some cases this price explosion has only been stopped by the cards being out of stock entirely. Tiger Direct has no AMD RX 580s available despite the cards only debuting a few months ago, and doesn’t even have a listing for the RX 570.

While this problem doesn’t appear to have extended to the very top-end cards, that’s more of a problem than it might seem, because most people can’t afford those cards. While it now seems like you can get a “better” deal by opting for a high-end graphics card than one of the more midrange options, that’s not how it’s supposed to be. The middle-of-the-road cards are supposed to offer the most bang for buck, but in a market accosted by mining rig builders, that’s no longer the case.

It’s not clear what can solve this problem, though increasing the number of cards manufactured would be a good place to start. Perhaps we’ll see purchasing limits introduced, as Nvidia does with some of its high-end graphics cards, but it would be a surprise to see either AMD or Nvidia look to clamp down on purchases. Ultimately, a sale is a sale, whether the cards are rendering pixels or crunching cryptocurrency algorithms.

The big rumor is that both companies are working on releasing mining-focused graphics cards which would ship with a slightly lower price tag and no video connectors. That would make them useless for running a gaming PC, but perfect for mining rigs, and could go some way to stem this tide of GPU purchasing that is leaving hardware enthusiasts and gamers with few options when it comes to their next upgrade.

Preview the look of golden hour in 3D with this Ephemeris photo app update

Why it matters to you

A popular photo app for planning how the light will look during a photo shoot now allows photographers to see just how those shadows will fall across the mountains too.

The Photographer’s Ephemeris is a popular tool that allows creatives to view just how the light will look at any scene at any given time — but now the tool is getting a modern refresh. The developer will launch a new tool that integrates lighting information with a 3D topographical map with The Photographer’s Ephemeris 3D, expected to launch worldwide on Tuesday, June 27.

Like the original app, the 3D version will allow photographers to preview how the sun, moon, and even the Milky Way will influence their shots by depicting their location in the sky, making the app a popular choice for landscapes or for photographing the moon. Unlike the original app, however, 3D topographical information will allow photographers to see just how the shadows will fall in the mountains, the adjusted sunset time in the valley, and when the moon or Milky Way will appear right next to that mountain peak.

The developer, Crookneck Consulting LLC, says that the app update capitalizes on recent advances in 3D content on mobile devices, including an iOS update that was a necessary prerequisite for such an app. Because 3D mapping is so data-heavy, most apps won’t allow users to look at the horizon. Adding in lighting details requires more data, which means other developers haven’t tried it yet because that means less terrain can actually load on a mobile device, the developer says.

“TPE 3D pushes the limits of what can be achieved currently with simulated lighting, due in part to the sheer scale of the model that we need to illuminate,” the developers wrote in a blog post. “The shadow of a large mountain extends for a great many miles around the time of sunrise and sunset, and so the lighting and shadow algorithms are stretched in this app.”

The new app mixes the lighting data from the original app with topographical information, allowing photographers to check how a non-flat scene will look at a particular time. Users can control how complex the scene is to choose between fast loads and more detail, such as switching to enhanced mode for more detail. While the app requires an internet connection, locations can be virtually scouted using the app well in advance, including the use of actual coordinates and both a daily and annual list of lunar events.

While the app includes data on the moon’s phases, information about solar and lunar eclipses is excluded. The topographical information is also limited to between 83 degrees north and 83 degrees south.

The company plans to continue refining the new app, including a possible premium subscription that would allow users to access the information without an internet connection. After launching in Ireland and New Zealand last week, the app is expected to launch worldwide on June 27. The 3D app will list for $20, with discounts available for users who already own the $9 original app.

Purism offers reassurance with expanded access to security-minded Librem laptops

Why it matters to you

Many PC users still don’t give enough consideration to their privacy and security, but specialized hardware like the Librem range could help remedy the situation.

More than ever before, it’s crucial for the average PC user to maintain their own digital security. The high profile Wannacry ransomware attack earlier this year was just one example of what can happen when hackers strike. With this in mind, privacy-minded laptop manufacturer Purism has announced an expansion to the availability of its Librem line.

Purism launched its first wave of Librem computers in 2015 via a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. The project raised $461,946 during its stint on CrowdSupply, a figure that has since swelled to over $2.5 million when subsequent donations and seed funding are taken into account.

For the last two years, Librem laptops have been available for purchase on a made-to-order basis, which often required customers to spend months on a waiting list. However, in response to continued demand for the hardware, Purism is now scaling up its production process so that it can fulfill orders within a matter of weeks.

Purism bills its Librem line as being built from the ground up with security in mind. This effort takes many forms, ranging from the fact that the laptops utilize chips that were selected specifically because they’re less susceptible to breaches of user privacy, to the implementation of the security-conscious PureOS.

One of the more unique features of the Librem line involves its physical hardware kill switches, which serve to replace the classic strategy of taping over a webcam lens. Users who are worried about being monitored via their webcam or microphone, or concerned about data being transferred wirelessly or via Bluetooth, can use these switches to give themselves some peace of mind.

“It’s an exciting turning point for Purism as we see our vision to create a security-focused laptop that everyone can enjoy using start to resonate with the greater public,” said the company’s CEO and founder, Todd Weaver. “Users are starting to realize that security features are no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity to protect their increasingly precious digital identity.”

Librem laptops are available to order now via Purism’s online store, with the 13-inch model starting at $1,699, and the 15-inch model starting at $1,999.

Windows 10 source code leak isn’t quite as big as originally thought

Why it matters to you

Big leaks can often lead to security concerns for users, but this one seems to be more embarrassing for Microsoft than anything else.

A small portion of the Windows 10 source code has been leaked. It contains files that are relevant to Windows USB, storage, and Wi-Fi drivers, though Microsoft has confirmed that the leak has come from its Shared Source initiative which is most commonly used by its partners and OEMs.

Microsoft has had to deal with several leaks of its operating system over the years and has at times been rather aggressive in defending it and chasing down those who leaked it. However, it has mitigated much of that with Windows 10 by opting for a regular release of new features and builds through its Insider program. But it’s not a foolproof system.

This latest leak appeared on the Beta Archive site, which hosts archived builds of Windows operating system for donating members. The site has now reportedly removed the leaked source code, though not because of Microsoft intervention in any way. It claimed that it had removed the file “under [its] own decision,” as per The Verge.

The leak totaled some 1.2GB of files and was said to be mostly made up of Windows 10 drivers. It did, however, also contain the Windows 10 Mobile Adaptation Kit, some Windows 10 Creators Update builds and some ARM-based versions of the operating system.

While leaks are always cause for concern for companies, this one will be more embarrassing for Microsoft than damaging, since it was code that was already available to partners and enterprises through its Shared Source initiative. No doubt Microsoft will still be keen to sniff out the source of the leak and make sure that they are unable to gain such access again, but it hasn’t commented on any measures it has put in place since the news broke.

Although far from a confirmed link, this leak appeared online a mere day after two men were arrested in the United Kingdom for allegedly hacking into Microsoft’s own network. Verge reports that they were said to be involved with accessing and collecting Windows 10 builds and one of them donated to the Beta Archive site.

In the past Microsoft has faced leaks from within. In 2012, a leak of a Windows 8 build came from one of its own employees.

WhatsApp is becoming an increasingly popular news source

Why it matters to you

While social media and messaging apps are increasingly popular sources of news and information, respondents say they don’t necessarily trust these sources either.

The burgeoning problem of fake news over the last several months has underscored the role that social media plays in our news consumption. And it doesn’t look like that role will be getting any smaller anytime soon. According to new data from Digital News Report, WhatsApp is becoming an increasingly popular source of news, and in some parts of the world, has overtaken its parent company Facebook as the go-to purveyor of information.

As per the new report (which was conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism), “the use of WhatsApp for news is starting to rival Facebook in a number of markets, including Malaysia (51 percent), Brazil (46 percent), and Spain (32 percent).” And while 47 percent of study respondents overall still check out Facebook to see what’s going on in the world, this figure has actually dropped in over 50 percent of countries surveyed when compared to 2016.

Taken as a whole, it doesn’t appear that WhatsApp is gaining much ground — after all, only 15 percent of overall respondents said that they used the messaging service to stay informed. But on a country-by-country basis, the picture begins to shift. In Brazil, the 46 percent of people who use WhatsApp as their top news source represents a 7-percentage-point growth over last year. In Spain, 32 percent rely on WhatsApp for news, a 6-point increase from last year, and in Turkey, the study found an 8-point increase.

So why the sudden uptick in popularity?

The Reuters Institute surmised that “more closed and private messaging … allows users to share without fear of embarrassment,” whether this content is comprised of photos or potentially contentious news articles. Moreover, price plays a part, as free WhatsApp is generally included in phone contracts (particularly enticing in developing markets). And finally, because WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, it is often viewed as a safe means of sharing sensitive information. As the Institute noted, “This is true in Hong Kong where WhatsApp, We Chat, and Facebook Messenger are popular and in Turkey where a quarter of our sample (25 percent) share news via WhatsApp.”

But even as these messaging services become more popular, they’re not necessarily viewed as more trustworthy. Less than a quarter of respondents said that social media is good at differentiating between fact and fiction. So keep looking for the truth, friends — although it may not be where you spend your social media time.

New Smart Mute feature on Pioneer Rayz switches off the mic when not in use

Why it matters to you

If you often find yourself pausing your music to charge your iPhone 7, these headphones will finally let you listen in peace.

Update: We’ve added information on the launch of the Rayz Plus’ new Smart Mute feature and Apple Store availability. 

When Apple released the iPhone 7 without a headphone jack, it was the end of an era. Like it or not, it’s doubtful the company will reintroduce the headphone jack in the future. Headphones with Lightning connectors are gaining in number, but many introduce another problem in that you cannot charge and listen at the same time. With its new Rayz Plus earphones, Pioneer lets you do both.

Pioneer’s Rayz line consists of two models: The Rayz and Rayz Plus. The models are similar when it comes to most features, but only the Rayz Plus offer the built-in Lightning port that enables charging while listening. Even so, both models do make use of the Lightning connector on iOS devices.

Both the Rayz and Rayz Plus make use of Avnera’s LightX platform, which the company says allows them to use the least possible power from iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. The company doesn’t go so far as to say if this means more or less power draw than Apple’s own Lightning EarPods, but the LightX platform does enable features that Pioneer says isn’t possible with a standard 3.5mm jack.

Each mode features six embedded microphones for a feature Pioneer calls Smart Noise Cancellation, which is supposed to scan your ear and optimize the cancellation for your ears and environment. These microphones can also detect when you’re wearing the earphones and when you’re not, allowing for smart pausing of playback when you take them off and resuming playback when you put them back on. And Smart Mute, a relatively new feature, automatically mutes the microphone when you aren’t speaking and unmutes it when you begin speaking again.

These features cause the headphones to enter a low-power mode, saving you precious battery life.

A companion app, called Rayz by Pioneer, is available in the App Store and allows you to adjust the EQ as well as program the “smart button,” a feature available on both models. This button allows you to quickly and easy open apps without having to reach into your pocket for your phone.

The Pioneer Rayz are available in Onyx and Ice for $100, while the Rayz Plus come in graphite and bronze metallic finishes for $150. (The Rayz Plus is also available in black and rose gold exclusively at Apple.com and brick-and-mortar Apple stores.) For more information, see the company’s website.

Essential accessories for the OnePlus 5

Unsure of where to go to equip your OnePlus 5? Let us help you in your time of need with this list of worthy things.

Like its predecessors, the OnePlus 5 continues to be a worthy buy. It comes equipped with the same level hardware specifications as the rest of the flagship brood, in addition to 64GB of storage space, 6GB of RAM, and a bigger-than-the-average battery. The OnePlus 5 available for under $500, too, and you can use the rest of your savings to purchase some essential accessories.

• OnePlus Dash Type C Cable
• SEGMOI 4-pack Universal Smartphone Ring Grip
• UE ROLL 2 Volcano
• AUKEY 5000mAh USB-C Universal Power Bank

OnePlus Dash Type C Cable

Don’t get caught out of the house without a trusty, official Type C cable from OnePlus. This Dash charger cable is a mere $10 and worth purchasing in bulk to ensure you have a couple of backups around the house. This cable is compatible with the Dash charger that comes equipped with your OnePlus 5. It enables you to charge up to 60 percent battery power in a mere 30 minutes. The cable is red and white, too, to match the OnePlus’s company colors, and it’s wrapped in sturdy silicone, so you don’t have to worry about it fraying.

Also, if you’d like a backup of the OnePlus Dash-enabled charging brick, you can buy one here.

See at Amazon

SEGMOI 4-pack Universal Smartphone Ring Grip

If you purchased the OnePlus 5, you may find that the smartphone is a tad bit slippery. Covering the device in a case will certainly help prevent major damage from an accidental fall, but have you also considered a finger grip?

This helpful stick-on accessory sticks to both the back of the device chassis or an external case. The rear finger hook helps you effectively grip your phone, or you can orient it so that it props it up for playing music, gaming, or video chat. Best of all, this entry starts at $8 and comes in a pack of four, so you’ll already have a couple for backup.

See at Amazon

UE Roll 2 Volcano

This is one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. The UE Roll 2 features a maximum sound level of 85 decibels and it’s waterproof for up to half an hour under a meter of water. It hooks up to the OnePlus 5 via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio output — this phone has a headphone jack, after all — and you can pair up to seven other devices. The UE Roll 2 will also last up to nine hours out in the wild, so you can quite literally keep that dance party going all night long.

The UE Roll 2 starts at $65 and comes in a variety of colors, including a gray and red combo that matches the OnePlus 5.

See at Amazon

AUKEY 5000mAh USB-C Universal Power Bank

Don’t get stuck out there on the road without a battery pack. The Aukey 5000mAh power bank is a worthy buy to ensure that you’ve always got extra juice for the OnePlus 5’s 3300mAh battery. It’s small, too, so you can toss into your computer bag or purse without any added bulk. At $20, it comes with an included USB-C cable and features a two-year warranty.

See at Amazon

What did you buy for your OnePlus 5?

The OnePlus 5 will launch officially this summer. When you get yours, tell us below what you’ve bought for your new unlocked flagship device.

OnePlus 5

• Complete OnePlus 5 review
• Reviewing our first OnePlus 5 photos
• OnePlus 5 specs
• Which OnePlus 5 model should you buy?
• Camera comparison: OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8
• The latest OnePlus 5 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus

Samsung to bring ‘rose pink’ Galaxy S8+ to Taiwan for a limited time

Taiwan is getting a limited editing ‘rose pink’ Galaxy S8+ next month.

Samsung is known for adding colors to its flagship retinue in the months following a Galaxy launch, and we’re seeing the first signs of that strategy unfold.

Starting in July, Samsung Taiwan plans to sell a ‘rose pink’ version of the Galaxy S8+ on its online store for a limited time, since artificial scarcity is the hallmark of a shrewd marketing campaign. It will cost TW 27,900, which is roughly $920 USD at today’s exchange rate.

SamMobile reports that Taiwan prepped for the launch by rebranding its three existing Galaxy S8 colors to Ice Lake Blue, Smoked Purple Grey and Quicksand Gold from Coral Blue, Orchid Grey and Maple Gold, the last of which isn’t available in North America.

What Galaxy S8 color should I buy?

Your unlimited plan is probably ripping you off: How much data Americans actually use

The numbers are in and you probably don’t need an expensive unlimited data plan.

Unlimited data plans are back. Here’s some insight into why that happened as well as a look at how much data we really use every month.

We’ve recently seen all four major U.S. carriers introduce or revamp their unlimited LTE data plans. Multiple times. For some of us, this is great news: The folks who use upwards of 10GB of data on a line they pay for themselves found plenty of creative ways to hold on to older unlimited data plans, and sometimes that could be a hassle. Now they are available with a click of the mouse.

Unlimited plans coming back to AT&T and Verizon are a direct result of tough competition in the industry.

This wasn’t unexpected, really. Companies like T-Mobile and StraightTalk made people notice the cost vs. value proposition of a cell phone data plan. AT&T and Verizon enjoyed a consumer mindset that they offered something superior when for many, alternatives could be just as good. When people started to take notice of that, it was time for a small shake-up.

People who will utilize an unlimited data plan and get their money’s worth are outliers. Everyone can have a month where they are traveling or otherwise away from Wi-Fi and use a good chunk of data, but when you look at the numbers telling how much data is used per person on average, you see that most people would be better served with a cheaper plan that offers a capped data allotment.

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The numbers back this up. According to NPD Connected Intelligence, one of the groups that your carrier and the people who made your phone use for insight into growth and planning, in 2015 the average amount of data used per person per month was about 3.5GB. During the same time period, customers on T-Mobile used an average of 5GB per month and Sprint customers used about 4GB per month; and both carriers offered unlimited data plans to any post-paid customer.

T-Mobile and Sprint factor into these numbers in an important way: people with unlimited data plans still used just a moderate amount of data.

Why this is important

These are average numbers. That means that some people will be wildly outside the average on both ends: You might use 100GB of data per month but someone who uses 0.1GB per month offsets your input towards the average. An average can’t predict the highest amounts of data being used (or the lowest) but it is a great way to determine how much data the average person uses each month. There’s a lot of ways this data can be used and of course multiple ways it can be interpreted. For example, the average data a customer with access to an unlimited data plan uses isn’t dramatically different from the amount someone without access to unlimited data is using.

People talking about new unlimited data plans means that they are doing what they were meant to do: Hype.

This means that the average person, regardless of network, doesn’t need to pay for an expensive unlimited data plan. Unlimited plans are hypefests that get everyone talking about something as mundane and boring as a cellular provider. The hope is that you’ll decide you need to sign up for one even though you don’t need one. Sure, you might use a little more each month knowing that you have an unlimited plan, but generally, people who weren’t using a large amount of data before aren’t going to be using a lot of data after they switch. Old habits and all that.

None of this matters to the phone company. It has one goal: to make money. That’s how business work. Every decision, every promotion, every marketing campaign and everything else is a way to try and make more money. A company won’t be around for long if they aren’t trying to bank a profit. And sometimes, how that profit can be shown on a quarterly earnings report matters as much as the amount that goes into the bank.

The ARPU

ARPU (Average Revenue Per Unit or User) is the total revenue coming in from the service divided by the number of subscribers. It’s also a pretty big deal in shareholder’s reports and earning’s calls.

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ARPU is a number that translates into the amount of money a single line of service brings in over a set time. There can be a monthly ARPU or quarterly or yearly. This number includes all the money you pay to your carrier minus tax and regulatory fees. That means things like extras you may be paying for (international calling or live TV for mobile devices) are included as well as your normal contract or monthly price. The ARPU is an easy way for a company to track its income and growth over time, and each customer who pays for an expensive unlimited data plan brings this average up in a way that’s statistically significant.

There is more than one way to count money.

Your carrier wants you to be excited about, and ultimately sign up for, an unlimited data plan because of how it affects the bottom line as well as how much.

Another way your phone company looks at their finances is with an eye towards profit instead of just income. The profit from a customer can be more important than the overall income generated from one. A company can be healthy and profitable even with a low customer count, or vice versa. We see this in action when companies give earnings results.

Income and profit are always two different numbers.

Consider a hypothetical that’s not too far removed from actuality. T-Mobile keeps pulling more and more customers away from Verizon. But Verizon is making more money and has a higher value. That means Verizon is making more profit per customer than T-Mobile.

Calculating profit is pretty simple. The service an account uses is tallied then compared to the amount of income that account generates each month. If you sign up for an unlimited data plan and still only use 3-5GB of data per month, you help improve profit margins. All accounts are profitable, but some will be more profitable than others.

Don’t hate the players

We’re not trying to say your carrier is bad or unethical here. This is just how business works when it comes to a service provider.

Your phone company is supposed to make money if everyone is doing their job.

They need to offer you something that you feel is worth the monthly cost. If that means an unlimited data plan sounds like a good idea to you, one is available for you. With the U.S. telco market becoming more and more competitive it was a given that all companies would offer a fixed service that included unlimited data for a fixed cost. Users who needed such a plan would sign on and help improve that income per customer metric and users who didn’t need an unlimited plan but signed up for other reasons helped improve the profit per user metric. This is how smart business works and the people in charge at your carrier are smart business persons. It’s great that carriers now offer unlimited data plans for people who need them. It’s also great if you can save money and not sign up for one if you don’t.

The one thing to take away here is to ask yourself how much data you need every month. No one answer fits everyone, but there is an answer that fits you. Compare how much you need to how much you’re paying for, and then check out what’s available. A final metric that’s harder to measure is how happy a customer is because happy customers are loyal customers. Make sure you’re using a service that works best for you and makes you be that happy customer.

Updated June 2017: Edited some confusing language and made sure the information is as current as it can be.

Should you buy a Galaxy S8+ or wait for the Galaxy Note 8?

You can always wait for the next phone to come out — but should you?

For those who loved the Galaxy Note 7, there’s been a void in their pocket since late 2016. Many Note fans think of the phone as more than just another big-screened device — it’s a special kind of device that can only be replaced by a newer, better Note. So without a Galaxy Note available, what do you use instead?

Since we’re still a couple months away from the release of the Galaxy Note 8, the next-best thing right now is the Galaxy S8+. Here’s what Note fans should know about choosing to go with a Galaxy S8+ today, or potentially waiting to see what the Galaxy Note 8 offers.

What the Galaxy S8+ offers that Note fans will like

Since the Galaxy Note 8 isn’t out yet, we have to look at what we do have: the Galaxy S8+. Since the Galaxy S6 edge+, Samsung has offered a larger version of its leading Galaxy S device that works as a stepping stone between the mainstream Galaxy S and the all-in power-user Galaxy Note — and the Galaxy S8+ is once again just that.

Those who bought a Galaxy Note in the past for its big screen and big battery won’t be disappointed with the Galaxy S8+ in many respects. The super-tall 18.5:9 aspect ratio and tiny bezels let Samsung fit a really big 6.2-inch display in the GS8+, as well as a hefty 3500mAh battery. The GS8+ also has many of the physical design elements that actually debuted on the Note 7, like the more subtly curved display glass and symmetrical feel.

Coming from a previous Galaxy Note, you’ll also feel right at home in the Galaxy S8+’s software — there won’t be much of a learning curve in the interface, apps or services.

More: Where to buy the Galaxy S8+ in the U.S.

What the Galaxy Note 8 could do to make you wait

The tough part about this question is that we only have a limited set of leaked information and speculation to work off of right now. But based on the lineage of the Galaxy Note name and a handful of rumors, we can start to construct what a Galaxy Note 8 could be. Looking at the Galaxy S8 and S8+, there’s a great chance that the Galaxy Note 8 will have the same tall, narrow and near-bezel-free “Infinity Display” of the Galaxy S8 — but there’s a chance it may be even larger and perhaps a tad wider in proportion to give Note power users even more room to work and write.

Each year the Galaxy Note launch offers Samsung a chance to iterate on its hardware design in other ways, too. There’s a good chance we’ll see 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage offered in the Note 8. Rumors are swirling that the extra room in the Note 8’s body will also let Samsung put dual cameras on the back, opening up possibilities for lossless zooming and depth of field effects.

As the one phone a year from Samsung with an S Pen stylus, we could be in store for new capabilities there as well. There’s a good shout that Samsung could reduce the latency and increase pressure sensitivity this year, as it has done several times as its technology progresses. The S Pen-focused software will likely get a facelift, too, but we haven’t seen any leaks of new features on the software front.

Is it worth waiting?

This is a personal question, of course. You can always wait and see a newer, more exciting phone in the future — whether you’re looking for a Galaxy Note 8 or any other phone. But that comes at the cost of actually having a phone in the time you’d be waiting.

If history is any indication, the Galaxy Note 8 should offer a bigger screen, improved internal specs and a few new software features when compared to the Galaxy S8+. It will of course have an S Pen, too — something no other phone can match, even from Samsung itself.

If you’re a Note fan and you don’t need a phone right this minute, I’d say you should wait and at least see what the Galaxy Note 8 has to offer. The announcement of the phone is only a few months away at this point — expected in August or September — and when we get there you can see if it’s right for you. If the Galaxy Note 8 doesn’t do it for you at that time, the Galaxy S8+ will still be on sale, and probably at a discount as well.