Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is on the way and the rumour mill is spinning up fast enough to grind rocks into powder already. New information on the display, the fingerprint sensor and the S8’s camera has come to light and Samsung have also confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will be getting its very own digital assistant. It looks as though their new flagship will be a very big deal indeed.
Smarter than the average Samsung
Samsung has reportedly confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will arrive with its very own digital assistant. That’s unsurprising, as they have put a lot of cash towards Viv Labs — the group that originally came up with Apple’s Siri. The AI system doesn’t have an official name but might go with Viv (in keeping with the Siri and Cortana female assistants seen in Apple and Microsoft devices) or perhaps Bixby, if alternate reports are to be believed. What is certain is that we’re going to see the system, whatever it winds up being named, in Samsung’s Galaxy S8. The next question is: When will we see it?
Galaxy S8 possible delay
It’s possible that Samsung might be delaying the launch of the Galaxy S8 lineup. A Wall Street Journal report suggests that we could be looking at an April launch date for the handset. Reasons for the possible delay haven’t been explored but Samsung would, if they opt for an April launch instead of earlier in 2017, most likely want to make sure that there’s no replay of the Note 7 launch and recall. And that means more testing. The WSJ report also claims that Samsung’s Galaxy S8 will feature a dedicated button for the new AI system. Which would be nice.
Screening process
Reports out of China, being spread through the Weibo social media platform, claim that Samsung will be opting for a 2K (2,560 x 1,440) Super AMOLED display for the Galaxy S8. That’s not a whole lot of a surprise as Samsung sure does like its top-end smartphone screens but the same source also claims that Samsung might be leaving off the physical Home button, meaning that the S8 could arrive packing an all-glass front and some interesting fingerprint sensor tech.
Looking at fingerprints
Speaking of which, Samsung could be looking at introducing an optical fingerprint sensor, which would be a world first. It would also mean that Samsung would be able to execute that all-glass front with ease. The reports claim that the sensor would live under the glass, allowing scanning without needing a recess or even physical contact between fingerprint and sensor. There is a chance that this is more of a forward-looking rumour than the rest, as components are apparently not quite as readily available as the rest of Samsung’s usual bits. Yet. So we would see an optical fingerprint sensor in a later model of phone instead.
A better-looking camera
Samsung has spilled a few beans of their own, however. The company’s Lee Jae-yong, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, has said that the S8 will feature a “slick design” and also said that the new flagship would feature an improved camera. How it’s been improved isn’t expounded on but previous Samsung rumours have a few ideas in that direction. A dual-camera system is practically a given, what with Apple’s move in that direction.
As usual, we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground and we’ll update with any new info, as and when we get it. Stay tuned.
