the
Samsung Galaxy S8
is finally here and we've tested it enough to give it a full review. But how does it compare to last year's best phone?
It's got a big screen, plenty of power, and a slick design, among other things, enough to top that
Samsung Galaxy S7
.But is it really that much better?
We've answered that below, with a full rundown of the similarities and differences between Samsung's new flagship and its old across all key categories, from design and screen to camera, performance, battery life and more.
So read on whether you should invest in a glittering new Galaxy S8 or stick with the cheaper Galaxy S7.
Here is
Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S8
draft
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is not much different from the Galaxy S7 as both phones feature a metal frame and glass back.
But the S8 is longer than - though not quite as wide as - the Galaxy S7, measuring 148.90 x 68 x 8mm versus the Samsung Galaxy S7's 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 also looks very different from the front, since unlike the S7 it doesn't have a home button under the screen, instead the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back where it sits next to the camera.
The S8 also has tiny bezels above and below the screen to give it an "all-screen" look than the S7.
However, what hasn't changed is the water and dust resistance. Both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7 are IP68 rated, which means they can withstand submersion to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.
So overall the Galaxy S8 has an impressive design, especially when viewed from the front, but one that's recognizable as an evolution of the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Screen
(Almost) everything changes here: The Galaxy S8 swaps the 5.1-inch flat screen of the S7 for a curved 5.8-inch screen.
But despite the significantly larger screen, the overall footprint of the S8 is only slightly larger, with the fingerprint scanner moved to the rear and the bezels almost gone.
That means the S8 feels more like a regular phone than a phablet, despite the huge screen.
The resolution of the S8's screen has also been improved, with a resolution of 1,440 x 2,960 QHD+ instead of the 1,440 x 2,560 QHD option of the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Given the extra width over its predecessor, the S8's screen isn't much sharper, but it does stand out in other respects with a super-wide 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to that of the
LG G6
.
It also follows in
Note 7
's strides in supporting HDR content that the Samsung Galaxy S7 doesn't. The only thing that has stayed the same is the technology used, with both phones sporting Super AMOLED displays capable of punchy, vibrant colours .
Operating System and Performance
Both phones run Android, of course, and while the Galaxy S8 launches with Android Nougat, the Galaxy S7 can now be upgraded to it. So there's not much of a difference on the OS front.
As far as performance goes, there's a significant upgrade there, but no more than the typical yearly performance gains you'd expect.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with 4GB of RAM and either an octa-core Exynos 8890 chipset (in Europe) or a quad-core Snapdragon 820 chipset (in the US), both of which were among the most powerful mobile chipsets in 2016.
The Samsung Galaxy S8, on the other hand, sticks with 4GB of RAM and features an octa-core chipset clocked at up to 2.35GHz. Samsung hasn't confirmed which chip it's using, but we're expecting an Exynos 8895 chip in Europe and a Snapdragon 835 in the US, each of which is the next generation of the chips that the S7 uses.
Given that the Galaxy S7 already offers near-impeccable snappy performance, these probably won't make much of a difference, especially since they have a larger screen, but we wouldn't be surprised if app load times are a bit faster, screen response time below that Fingers better and games look a little better - we'll tell you in our detailed Galaxy S8 test.
These chips are also more energy efficient, which could help the battery last longer.
camera
The S8's camera is one of the smallest upgrades over the S7, as it only has a single-lens 12-megapixel snapper - just like the Samsung Galaxy S7.
The aperture has not changed either and is back to f/1.7. However, the software (and thus the potential image quality) is better this time, as we found out in camera tests in our test.
It has better video OIS, brighter low-light photos, and sharper selfies than last year's all-around best smartphone. It's a leap, but not a leap in quality.
The front camera has at least received an update on the S8, with an 8MP sensor instead of the 5MP sensor found on the Samsung Galaxy S7.
This change is welcome as the Samsung Galaxy S7's front camera is solid but not exceptional.
battery
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 3,000mAh battery. That's exactly the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and a bit worrying as it has to support a much larger screen with more pixels.
On the other hand, the chipsets used by the Samsung Galaxy S8 are more energy efficient, so there's a chance it will balance out, but that's one thing you'll definitely want to check out once we've pulled off the S8 for a full review.
Fast charging is at least included, but it is also available on the Samsung Galaxy S7.
However, the S8 has made the switch to USB Type-C, so while you may need to invest in new cables, you can at least plug them in either way.
Price
Samsung costs more than you actually want to pay, but that's what you get as an early adopter. This time it's $729, £689 and AU$1,199.
The 2016 Galaxy S7 started at £569 / AU$1149 (around $750) without a SIM card and is now available from around £450 / $670 / AU$900.
Bring away
On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S8 sounds like a huge improvement over the Samsung Galaxy S7 in a few areas, with the real highlight being the screen.
It's a lot bigger without making the phone itself massive, and with a new aspect ratio and HDR support, it's a really different experience.
Elsewhere the design has been refined and the Galaxy S8 has significantly more power.
On the downside, the camera hasn't changed much and the battery doesn't see much of an improvement at 14 months. Also, not everyone likely will like the fact that the fingerprint scanner has been moved to the rear - although you do get another security option with an iris scanner.
Still, the S8 sounds like a real crowd pleaser overall, but if you're looking to save some cash the Galaxy S7 is still a top phone too.
Want something bigger?Visit the
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
.
James Rogerson
James is a freelance writer and editor for phones, tablets and wearables at TechRadar. He loves everything "smart" from watches to lights and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps .
View more cell phone news
Prev: Chigo
