At long last, the anticipation of what is said to be the dawn of a new era of mobile phones has been culminated in the majestic reveal of Samsung’s latest models at Lincoln Centre last night.
After the explosive troubles of last year with the Note 7, the brand’s phone fortunes are riding high on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ releases, which finally arrived amid much speculation and fanfare. Millions around the globe got onto their mobile devices to stream the live action all the way from New York. However, for those of you who missed out, here are the highlights of the Unpacked 2017.
The S8 shows off the curved glass screen only Samsung can pull off, and the 5.8 inch display fills 83% of the phone’s front side. The Infinity Display and bezel-less design form a smooth, continuous surface with no buttons or harsh angles, fitting more screen into a smaller body.
The result is a truly immersive viewing experience without distractions and makes multi-tasking more convenient. The Galaxy S8’s compact design enables comfortable one-handed operation and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 on both the front and back for durability and a high-quality finish.
The main camera on the back of the phone is largely unchanged from the S7, which is a bit disappointing. However the S8’s camera is still the best in any Android phone particularly with the on-board optical image stabilisation feature.
The two features which look promising are the new personal assistant, Bixby, Samsung Gear 360 and DeX, the desktop adaptor that could turn the S8 into a desktop PC experience.
Bixby is an intelligent interface that will help users get more out of their phone. With the new Bixby button, users will be able to conveniently access Bixby and navigate through services and apps with simple voice, touch, vision and text commands. In short, it’s pretty much what Siri is.
Compatible with the Galaxy S8, Samsung DeX provides an Android-based desktop-like experience that enables users to seamlessly access apps, edit documents, reply to messages and more, directly from the smartphone on a larger display, keyboard and mouse. As for the new Samsung Gear 360, it is now offered as a 4K resolution-capable 360-degree camera with a refined design for easier use.
Fans who were dealt a blow after the Galaxy Note 7 explosion debacle, can now breathe a sigh of relief as the new models are available for preorder on March 30th and will be shipped out to owners on April 21st. For additional product information, please visit Samsung Galaxy.