Wednesday, 29 March 2017 | MYT 11:00 PM
Samsung supersizes the screen with the Galaxy S8 and S8+
Samsung says its homegrown AI assistant, Bixby, will allow you to interact with the S8 (left) and S8+ in a whole new way.
NEW YORK: There’s no denying that the global smartphone market has become ultra competitive. So how does one stay ahead of the pack, or in Samsung’s case, on top of the heap?
You reinvent the smartphone.
That’s precisely what Samsung is doing with its new Galaxy S8 and S8+ flagship smartphones.
“The Galaxy S8 ushers in a new era of smartphone design and new services, opening up new ways to experience the world,” said Samsung Electronics mobile communications business president DJ Koh.
Given the fact that most consumers seem to want ever bigger screens without having to contend with ginormously unwieldy phones, the South Korean electronics giant set about solving the conundrum and came up with a smaller form factor for its flagship that also has a bigger display.
The result is a 5.8in S8 and 6.2in S8+ that come with what Samsung calls an Infinity Display – a full 83% of the S8 is the screen, which the company says is larger than the screen of its biggest model thus far, the S7 Edge, while still managing to shrink the phone down to a smaller form factor than the S7. No small feat indeed, pun intended.
In addition, instead of the conventional 16:9 viewing display, the S8 models come with a 18.5:9 display that gives users 36% more video by eliminating the side bezels for a much more immersive viewing, even utilising Mobile HDR Premium to allow users to watch movies and shows with the same vibrant colours and contrasts as intended by filmmakers.
Perhaps the biggest change to the company’s flagship series is the addition of Samsung’s homegrown AI assistant, Bixby, which the company promises will be a whole new way to interact with the phones.
image: http://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2017/03/29/samsung-8/~/media/5772239717dd4df6af73671d6e53a1bb.ashx
The new flagship smartphones will no longer have a physical Home button.
With the new Bixby button, Samsung has envisioned a future where you can not just tap on apps but also launch them with voice commands, then continue with touch, vision and/or text commands seamlessly.
Say, for example, that you wanted to send your most recently taken photo to your friend Justin – after giving Bixby verbal instructions, it would then access your Photo Gallery to the most recent photo taken and, if you had more than one Justin in your Contacts list, ask you in return which Justin you want it sent to and how you’d like to have it sent, whether via e-mail or chat.
image: http://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2017/03/29/samsung-8/~/media/bd93e3ecefb04ba8a4326344ac6a7a30.ashx
The smartphones are expected to be available in five colours.
Such contextual awareness is what Samsung says will enable Bixby to offer increasingly personalised help based on what it continuously learns about the user’s interests, situation and location.
You could also point the phone’s camera at an object and have Bixby either identify it via its image recognition technology or have it tell you where you can buy it, or display image search results for something similar.
Bixby is also capable of translating 52 different languages, reminding or prompting you to do things based on your schedule or habits – if, say, you were in the habit of calling your wife on the drive home every day from work and you didn’t one day, it might ask you if you’d like to make that call when you are on your way back. (No word on whether it will know to send flowers if you got into a tiff with your wife!)
Users who place a premium on device security and data privacy will be happy to note that on top of the usual biometric security measures such as fingerprint and iris scanners, the S8 will also boast facial recognition, which will kick in as soon as a user taps on the Home button.
The camera on the S8 will then look at you and unlock the device as soon as it recognises you. And as it is all built on Samsung Knox, a defence-grade security platform, you can be assured that no one will get into your phone that isn’t supposed to.
“The S8 is our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what’s possible in safety,” said Koh.
Performance wise, the S8 also comes with an industry first 10 nanometer processor for increased speed and productivity, as well as improved “best-in-class” cameras, with an 8-megapixel f/1.7 smart autofocus front camera that intelligently takes into account more faces for the increasingly ubiquitous wefie, and a 12-megapixel f/1.7 Dual Pixel rear camera.
Other specs include a 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh battery for the S8 and S8+, respectively, and Quad HD+ (2,960 x 1,440) displays for both.
Combined with 4GB RAM, 64GB onboard memory and microSD support of up to 256GB, both gigabit LTE- and gigabit WiFi-readiness so you can quickly download files regardless of its size, you know that the S8 is quite literally a workhorse.
image: http://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2017/03/29/samsung-8/~/media/aca6b043d0544a15b729b25955a10229.ashx
The new Samsung Dex is the company's attempt to eliminate the need to carry multiple devices while working on the go.
Speaking of work, Samsung also launched an intriguing solution called the Samsung Dex to simplify the lives of all mobile workers everywhere. With the tagline “Leave your PC behind”, the circular device connects to the S8, turning it into a mobile workstation so you can hook up compatible monitors, keyboards and mice.
Users will be able to easily access, display and edit data from their phone while utilising a secure desktop setup, making working from a smartphone a much more attractive proposition than before.
image: http://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2017/03/29/samsung-8/~/media/7e788fa86f40481eb6c7691f9f1aa174.ashx
The Gear VR now comes with a Controller that acts as a touchpad and remote controller.
The S8’s not all work and no play though – the phone also pairs with the new Gear VR (with controller) to enable one-handed gaming control and navigation, as well as connect to the new Gear 360 camera to capture 4K 360° videos and 15-megapixel photos.
The Gear 360 also now has an iOS app for iPhone 6S (and newer) so Apple fans can also get in on the fun.
The Galaxy S8/S8+ will be available starting April 21 in five colours, including Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold. Local pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Pre-orders for the S8 and S8+ are expected to start from April 11 to 13.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2017/03/29/samsung-8/#LVrY1Y8Rmj84MDMk.99
