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Samsung's big launch is done and the
Galaxy S8 is official
.But where are Galaxy S6 owners coming to the end of their two-year contracts? Is the Galaxy S8 a worthy upgrade, or all style and no substance?
Here's the full breakdown:
Galaxy S8 (left) vs Galaxy S6 (right) - no comparison in terms of style
Samsung
Display - Big is better
Let's get down to business: The main reason why the Galaxy S8 catches your eye is its stunning display:
Galaxy S8 - 5.8-inch Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2960 pixels (570 ppi pixel density), 83.6% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Galaxy S6 - 5.1-inch Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2560 pixels (577 ppi pixel density), 70.7% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Yes, the standard Galaxy S8 now has a display that's larger than the Galaxy S6 Edge+ "phablet," which is a statement of intent. On top of that, the incredible 83.6% screen-to-body ratio means that this is not an oversized monster (more later).
In addition, the Galaxy S8 has the best smartphone screen ever and is the first Mobile HDR Premium certificate thanks to improved brightness and contrast ratios. If you drop it, the Galaxy S8's Gorilla Glass 5 also survives drops better than the Gorilla Glass 4 of the Galaxy S6 (although it doesn't contain much).
The Galaxy S8 playing high quality full resolution videos is a stunning sight
Gordon Kelly
It's worth noting that Samsung ships the Galaxy S8 with a lower resolution of 2220 x 1080 by default. It'll still look good (and you can change it), but the reasons for this downgrade have implications for battery life.
Design - compact and more practical
And this is where the Galaxy S8's screen-to-body ratio should really grab your attention:
Galaxy S8 – 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm (5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 in), 155 g (5.36 oz)
Galaxy S6 – 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm (5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 in), 138 g (4.87 oz)
Yes, you're looking at a device with a 5.8-inch display that's only 17g (0.59oz) heavier than the Galaxy S8, while actually being slightly narrower. This is achieved by reducing the top and bottom bezels drastically reduced and the side bezels completely eliminated in favor of curved edges. Samsung calls this the 'Infinity Display' and for once the marketing isn't over the top.
Galaxy S8 frames are incredibly slim
Gordon Kelly
Despite this beauty, the Galaxy S8 also has practicalities that make it a very appealing upgrade: it's IP68 dust and water resistant, withstanding 30 minutes of full immersion in water up to 1.5 meters, plus there's an expandable microSD -Memory (cards supported) up to 256GB). These features were sorely missed on the Galaxy S6 and their return since the Galaxy S7 is very welcome.
A potential downside is that Galaxy S6 owners will have to get used to not having a home button as there simply wasn't room for one on the Galaxy S8. On-screen buttons now get the job done, but a side benefit is that Samsung moved the fingerprint sensor and it's (bizarrely) moved to the right side of the rear camera. This makes it hard to reach and you'll likely smudge your camera lens every time.
The Galaxy S8's fingerprint sensor is poorly positioned
Gordon Kelly
To compensate, Samsung has given the Galaxy S8 iris (great) and face (junk) recognition, which work quickly, but since you have to point your phone at your face, it's a flashy way to unlock.
Cameras - Incremental vs Game Change
The Galaxy S6 camera was a game changer, with Samsung eclipsing Apple's iPhone for the time. Samsung has maintained that lead ever since, but the Galaxy S7 and now the Galaxy S8 are just incremental improvements to this smartphone legend.
As such, you'll find a virtually identical 12-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture rear shooter as the Galaxy S7 with optical image stabilization (OIS) and 4K video recording versus the 16-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 4K capable module of the Galaxy S6. In good conditions, the higher resolution of the Galaxy S6 can actually produce more detail, but the Galaxy S8 is faster and better in low light.
The Galaxy S8's camera is just a small upgrade from the Galaxy S7
Gordon Kelly
However, where the Galaxy S8 has a more distinct advantage is on the front with a brand new 8MP camera with f/1.7 aperture, which is an improvement over the 5MP, f/1.9 and f/1.8 modules of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 respectively. If you are a selfie fan, this is big news.
But will the Galaxy S8 reclaim its top-of-the-class position from the 2016 champion?
Google pixels
?Based on the early evidence from the comparison shot below, I'm not convinced:
Galaxy S8 (left) vs Google Pixel XL (right) shows the latter comes out on top, but more testing is needed
... [+]
necessary
Gordon Kelly
Performance - On paper vs. in practice
While the Galaxy S8 isn't a huge step up from the Galaxy S7 (10% faster CPU, 21% faster GPU), it does when you consider that the Galaxy S7 had a 30% faster CPU and 64% faster GPU than the Galaxy S6. There's also an extra gigabyte of RAM (4GB vs 3GB), making Samsung's new flagship a solid upgrade.
On the other hand, in the heavily customized TouchWiz UI, you'll still find Samsung software's familiar bugs of occasional lag and dropped animation frames. At this point, this is entirely due to coding inefficiency. Stock Android runs like silk on the Google Pixel older hardware and there's no good reason why Samsung can't get its game together by 2017. We hope software updates will fix the bugs I found on a pre-production model.
In terms of connectivity, however, the Galaxy S8 has a lot to offer. The result is the Micro-USB 2.0 power connector of the Galaxy S6, Bluetooth 4.1 and 450 Mbit modem for USB 3.1 Type-C, Bluetooth 5.0 (2x speed, 4x range) and a future-proof one -Gigabit modem. That's a lot to like.
Read More - Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy S8 Plus: What's the Difference?
Software - Exclusives that stay exclusive?
Samsung hasn't given any details yet on whether all of the new software features on the Galaxy S8 will be coming to the Galaxy S6, but there's a good chance they'll be arriving on the Galaxy S7. Nevertheless, for now, find the following big differences/Google-Look- a Likes:
bixby
- a Google Now/Google Assistant/Google Goggles hybrid that displays contextually relevant information (commute time, flights, news, etc.) with a right swipe on the home screen or via a dedicated (and non-remapping) button below the volume rocker.
Bixby's information screen is a clear copy of Google Now
Gordon Kelly
Samsung Connect
- a Google Home/Apple Home alternative to control your IoT devices
dex
- You'll need a $150 dock to access it, but pair it with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and you've got a barebones PC running a desktop-friendly customized version of Android, running Android apps, Amazon Workspaces and Citrix Receiver running. Whether or not you need a barebones PC is up to you.
Coupled with the DeX dock, the Galaxy S8 can create a simple multi-window desktop environment
... [+]
running Android apps
Gordon Kelly
But you can still find the usual bloatware: two app stores, two computers, two web browsers, two email clients, two mobile payment services, two watches, etc. If you want Samsung hardware, you have to accept Samsung software - for better or for worse bad.
Note: The Galaxy S8 only ships with Android 7.0, although Android 7.1 is a) a major upgrade and b) almost six months old. But you'll likely get that upgrade before Samsung releases it for the Galaxy S6.
Battery Life - Hitting a low bar
Samsung took a gamble with the Galaxy S8: it packed the same 3000mAh battery as the Galaxy S7, despite the big step up in screen size. So whether it can match the staying power of its predecessor remains to be seen. On the other hand, if If you own a Galaxy S6, you know that battery life was the biggest Achilles' heel, as the 2550mAh battery just didn't get the job done - especially compared to the Galaxy S5.
The Galaxy S8 is very thin, but should it have been thicker with a bigger battery?
Gordon Kelly
And where the Galaxy S6 excels, the Galaxy S8 beats: charging. Fast wired charging is even faster, and there's fast wireless charging, while the Galaxy S6 took forever to charge using this method.
Thanks to Samsung's new "8-point quality check" and improved cycle life, the battery in the Galaxy S8 should only lose 5% of its capacity even after a year. Samsung claims that previous Galaxy phones lose almost 20% of their battery capacity in the first year could.
Price and storage space - increases all around
Needless to say, upgrading to the Galaxy S8 won't come cheap, but you might be surprised that it's about $100 more than you paid for the Galaxy S6 at launch:
Galaxy S8 – 64GB – $750 / €799 / £689
There's another disappointment: while the Galaxy S6 was available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, the Galaxy S8 only comes in at 64GB. The microSD slot partially fixes this, but the internal storage is significantly faster ( especially the UFS 2.1 storage in the Galaxy S8). So it's frustrating to see Samsung going down this route - especially since it's also a memory maker.
The Galaxy S8 will win customers based on looks alone, but it's not as different from the Galaxy S7 as it is
... [+]
you might expect
Gordon Kelly
Early Verdict
If your Galaxy S6 contract is about to expire, there's no doubt that the Galaxy S8 is a very strong upgrade option. Yes, the well-known software weaknesses still exist compared to stock Android (and that fingerprint sensor position is ridiculous), but You get a remarkable design, a stunning display, and two generations of performance and connectivity upgrades.
So the only question is whether you'd rather get the Galaxy S7, which, apart from the screen, is quite similar to the Galaxy S8 and is available at a bargain price these days, or splurge your wallet for the 2017 stunner.
If you can afford it I suggest you go for the Galaxy S8 as it will make you smile every time you light up that display. But for the budget conscious there is no doubt that the Galaxy S7 is a better value -Value for money offers.
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