Yesterday, Samsung launched the gorgeous Galaxy S8 and S8+ at an event in New York. The two smartphones are design marvels, and the world is looking at them as the flagbearers of the Android battleship until another phone takes the crown. Let's examine how they stack up against other flagship smartphones.
We have taken last year's Galaxy S7 and S7 edge; iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus; Google Pixel and Pixel XL; OnePlus 3T; and this year's LG G6 into consideration.
Galaxy S8 wins in the screen department simply because of the extra space it has gained through the removal of the front button. Now, it has a taller screen with great resolution and a 18.5:9 aspect ratio.
The S8 uses the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor whereas last year's phones mostly either use Snapdragon 820 or 821. How well the new Galaxy phone processors perform compared to Apple's A10 chip will be keenly watched. With 6 GB of RAM, OnePlus 3T still wins in the RAM department as Samsung has decided to stick with 4 GB in the new phones.
The rear camera sensor specs are same as those found in S7 and S7 Edge last year, Samsung's claims of an improved sensor notwithstanding. In the front, Samsung has upgraded the specs with an 8 MP autofocus camera that has an f/1.7 aperture.
The battery in S8 remains the same whereas it has stripped down by 100 mAh to 3500 mAh in Galaxy S8+. Clearly, after the Note7 debacle, the company is not taking any chances.
The S8 and S8+ come with an IP68 rating, which means that they are waterproof at a depth of 1.5 metre for up to 30 minutes. Samsung has also made the user interface better, with less TouchWiz-y features and a better focus on design. The phonemaker is also making a big bet on its AI assistant bot, Bixby. So much so, that Bixby has a dedicated button on the phone.
On the sheet, S8 and S8+ look solid. Even though there aren't any major innovations in the package besides the AI assistant and improved IRIS scanning, the phones are on the right track so to speak.