Review and testing of Samsung galaxy s8 plus. Review of Samsung Galaxy S8 reviews: beauty and a few “buts”. Battery: smaller is better, but safer

Hello. The week of intensive use of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ was fruitful. There is a lot to talk about, and I will talk about this smartphone, answering the most popular questions. Here's our plan.

Should I get the Galaxy S8 or S8+?
How is life with an 18.5:9 screen?
Which Galaxy S8 to buy: Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895?
What's wrong with the software on the Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2017?
Has the quality of photo and video shooting changed significantly?
What about battery life?
All the features: a new Home button, Bixby and a face and eye scanner.
Breakthrough or not breakthrough?

Should I get the Galaxy S8 or S8+?

In my opinion, you need to take the Galaxy S8+. With a stated screen diagonal of 6.2 inches, this smartphone has optimal dimensions. In terms of perception, it can be compared with old-style smartphones with a diagonal of 5.5 inches, only in the case of the Galaxy S8+, the smartphone body is neat and everyday tasks can be freely performed on it with one hand. As for the “classic” Galaxy S8, it seems to me that this is a very miniature device. If you are looking for a compact smartphone and want to get the most out of it, then yes, the regular S8 is your option. But considering that it was Samsung that developed our love for large screens and, to some extent, forced Apple to make smartphones with large screens, the choice towards the Galaxy S8+ will be obvious.

Many people are wondering why the company should release the Galaxy Note 8 now, when the Galaxy S8+ is so cool? This question has its own logic, but still Note is positioned differently and the continuation is worth waiting for.

How is life with an 18.5:9 screen?

Life is better than, for example, on the LG G6. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ immediately implemented adaptive images; they didn’t even have to wait for some software manufacturers. For example, YouTube, which cannot be adapted to a new format in the display settings, still programmatically very successfully stretches all the videos and it looks cool. This cannot be done on the LG G6 and you will have to wait for a response from Google.

Gaming will require some patience, although again, I didn't feel any discomfort with the new aspect ratio. You just need to keep in mind that the new Samsung screens with the stated 5.8″ and 6.2″ screens are not the same screens as before. Different proportions, different scales. In theory, this aspect ratio should have had a negative impact on the working area of ​​the screen, but Samsung did everything right. If the LG G6, compared to the iPhone 7 Plus, has approximately the same amount of content displayed on the screen, then the Samsung Galaxy S8+ fits significantly more information, even despite the presence of on-screen buttons that take up some space on the working area of ​​the screen.

Samsung screens are made using SuperAMOLED technology, they greatly embellish reality. Looking ahead, I want to say that when testing the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera, you should definitely look at the pictures not only on the screen of this smartphone, but also on the screen of other devices. There is a phrase, “look at the world without rose-colored glasses.” So, looking at photos from the screen of the Galaxy S8, you look at it wearing ten pairs of such glasses. This is neither bad nor good. Just a feature that many people like. People love rich colors and a riot of colors, Samsung gives you that.

Here's a real-life example: I post a photo on Instagram taken on a Galaxy S8 and it looks very juicy. Then I look at the same photo from the iPhone 7 Plus, and it doesn’t look so “juicy.” This doesn't mean the iPhone's screen is bad. You just need to keep this in mind and understand the difference. The iPhone screen is the golden mean in terms of color reproduction and white balance. Samsung has its own world in which they show you a picture in colors, and these colors are far from reality. Just go outside, take a photo with your Samsung, and on the smartphone screen the picture turns out much more beautiful than in reality. For people who want to see everything beautifully, do not process photos and do not require “honesty” from the smartphone screen - the Samsung Galaxy S8 is an ideal choice. The video on it is a pleasure to watch. Photo too. But don’t be surprised if the same content looks dull on some “designer” monitor with honest color reproduction.

The maximum stated screen resolution of the Galaxy S8 is 2960 x 1440 pixels, the so-called QHD+, but according to the standard, the smartphone operates in FHD+ resolution, which is 2220 x 1080 pixels.

This is done to save energy. There is a special “High Performance” option in the notification shade; in this mode, the screen resolution rises to QHD+, and the maximum brightness increases by another 10% above the possible maximum on automatic settings. This mode is recommended for use in games and when using a virtual reality helmet.

The curvature of the screen here is not as “extreme” as it was before, accidental clicks no longer occur, and the rear glass of the smartphone is made in the same way as in the Galaxy Note 7, it is also rounded. Due to this, tactilely the smartphone seems very thin.

Which Galaxy S8 to buy: Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895?

I had the opportunity to try both options. Let me say this, the Snapdragon 835 has no advantages. Samsung made its own Exynos 8895 the same in terms of energy efficiency and speed. Even faster in benchmarks. This is a bad sign for Qualcomm, they now have no clear advantages.

Exynos is doing well both in games and in the interface. I was playing Implosion, a pretty demanding game, and everything was literally flying. The remaining nuances that may arise in heavy video games are a matter of Android and optimization of a specific company.

The Galaxy's interface works noticeably faster than the Galaxy S7 Edge, the response has become faster, and switching between programs has also become faster. I tried to load the system with the maximum number of applications, and filled the device’s memory until it was untied.

To my surprise, I was unable to achieve noticeable brakes. And it was possible before. But I had a test sample of the Galaxy S8, not for sale, which will still have many updates and amendments.

Google Pixel and OnePlus 3T feel faster, but the issue here is the animation rendering; Samsung went crazy and created a lot of beautiful effects when moving the brightness and volume sliders. When opening programs, everything also happens beautifully, smoothly and imperceptibly.

What's wrong with the software on the Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2017?

I will not write about the software features of the Samsung shell in this material. There are many of them and they beg for a separate long text.

I talked with fellow hobbyists and we came to the conclusion that Samsung had finally brought their graphical shell to normal condition. Let me say it differently, if I kept the smartphone for myself, I would only change the keyboard. It’s just that Gboard, after all, is a classic. Otherwise, everything looks so laconic and “polished” that the eye is pleased when using it.

A very successful combination of elements of pure Android 7 and the Koreans’ own developments. Stylish, minimalistic and tasteful. If you are interested in a separate review of the Samsung Galaxy S8 GUI, write in the comments.

Has the quality of photo and video shooting changed significantly?

Now I’ll quickly explain what happened to the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera. The first days it seemed to me that there weren’t many changes. But the more you shoot, the more you notice the difference with the same Galaxy S7 Edge.

Separately, I will write a comparison of the SGS8 camera and the iPhone 7 Plus and describe why these smartphones cannot be pitted against each other in comparison.

For me, burst shooting has always been a very important parameter in a smartphone camera. It is very important. You pressed a button and made a series, and then you choose the best shot. Android smartphones have always had a problem with this and that is why I chose the iPhone.

Now Samsung Galaxy S8 is the leader in this matter. It shoots 16 frames per second with a maximum burst of 100 frames. The iPhone shoots 10 frames per second, with a maximum burst of 999 frames. In this matter, speed is more important than the maximum number of series. Yes, I would like to see Samsung have more photos in one pack, but in any case, 100 frames should be enough for you to shoot some kind of “action”.

Resharp. This topic has always worried amateur photographers. It was reduced to a minimum. I won’t go into details; I think the topic can be closed.

The quality of photos in the dark has increased noticeably. But things are still not going so smoothly for smartphones. The aperture is normal, detail is good, but color rendition is poor in places, and something is clearly wrong with the white balance of the test model. This should definitely be fixed in the final version. I'll check it again after sales start.

Video. If you want the highest quality video recording from your smartphone, then you have little choice. It's either an iPhone or a Galaxy. Valentin will have a video on his channel comparing the recording quality in different lighting conditions on the iPhone 7 Plus and Galaxy S8+. With the Galaxy, everything is much better in the dark, but autofocus is too sensitive to all kinds of movements in the frame, and if you want to shoot a long video, you will have to lock the focus on some object in advance, otherwise it will periodically “dance.” This is clearly visible in the hour-long video, which is compressed to 15 seconds in a time lapse.

Another interesting feature, while recording an hour-long video, I discovered that the Galaxy camera split the file into two parts. The first half an hour, and the second half an hour. This didn't happen before.

The Galaxy S8+ camera has a very cool energy saving rating. An hour of recording video in FullHD takes 27% from the battery. The iPhone 7 Plus battery will run out by 40-45%.

We reduced the distortion of the camera, but left the software correction of straight lines.

What about battery life?

My record is 5 hours 30 minutes of screen time. It works during the day, if you don’t “nightmare” the device with games. There is fast charging, it charges the smartphone to 50% in 30 minutes and up to 100% in another 50 minutes. By the way, wireless charging, which can be purchased in the kit, charges the smartphone from 0 to 100% in 2 hours. My iPhone 7 Plus takes more than 2 hours to charge via wire. Funny.

Features: new Home button, Bixby and face and eye scanner.

The new Home button located below the screen works well, but is slower than the iPhone button. There is a noticeable delay. The vibration feedback is different from what it used to be on Android smartphones, but has not yet reached the level of TapTic. But it’s not bad, very good.

Bixby... It's not mine, not mine at all. I consider the presence of a physical key on the case to be a hindrance. I always make random clicks. I want to turn up the volume, but my finger falls right on it. On the go, when the smartphone is in your hands, Bixby is always activated and it cannot be turned off. Anything you try to put on Bixby in front of a camera lens will certainly be compared to a Pinterest showcase. Now Bixby is a big special project of Samsung and Pinterst. Bixby takes a lot of time to understand, but it's worth it. Apple and Siri have been “suffering” for many years now, but Samsung has only just embarked on this path. It’s impossible to say right off the bat that this is a “breakthrough,” but time will tell.

Many people confuse the face scanner in the Samsung Galaxy S8 with the IRIS scanner. There is even a video online where a guy unlocks the Galaxy screen using his photo. So, a scanner that recognizes facial contours is simply the work of a selfie camera; it is what allows you to deceive the system 100 times with a photograph. The iris scanner is a different story, you can't fool it, but it works slower. You choose for yourself, if you want it quickly and less securely - lock your smartphone according to the outline of your face, you need it thoroughly, but more slowly - IRIS.

And the biggest inconvenience is the fingerprint scanner. It works quickly, but reaching it on the Galaxy S8+ is not an easy task. It's easier on a regular G8. Samsung even tried to add gestures to this scanner, like Huawei. For now, you can only pull out the notification shade. Perhaps in the future more functions will be added to it.

Samsung Galaxy S8 is a fresh take on the modern smartphone. It’s good that the company keeps this entire market in good shape and, to some extent, even gives everyone a kick. Now they will move. I wrote about why I won’t buy the Galaxy S8, despite the fact that I really liked it, be sure to read it. And yes, after the Infinity screen, looking at old smartphone screens is somehow unusual, as if it were a thing of the past.

Photos in the interior

Specifications

• Android 7, Samsung Experience 8.1
• S8 display - 5.8” (146.5mm) Quad HD+ (2960x1440), 570 ppi, automatic brightness control, SuperAMOLED, adaptive color and brightness adjustment, color correction, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Display S8+ - 6.2” (158.1 mm) Quad HD+ (2960x1440), 529 ppi, automatic brightness control, SuperAMOLED, adaptive color and brightness adjustment, color correction, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Exynos 8895 chipset, 8 cores (4 cores up to 2.35 GHz, 4 cores up to 1.9 GHz), 64 bit, 10 nm, in some markets models available with Snapdragon 835
• 4 GB RAM (LPDDR4), 64 GB internal (UFS 2.1), memory cards up to 256 GB, combo slot
• nanoSIM, up to two cards, one radio module
• Li-Ion battery 3000 mAh (S8), 3500 mAh (S8+), built-in wireless charging WPC/PMA, fast charging in 75 minutes to 100 percent
• Front camera, 8 megapixels, autofocus, f/1.7
• Main camera, 12 megapixels, DualPixel, f/1.7, OIS, LED flash, 4K video recording, multiframe
• Samsung Pay (NFC, MST)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM, Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC
• GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
• Fingerprint sensor (rear)
• Iris scanner, face scanner
• Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Pressure Sensor
• Two simultaneous connections of Bluetooth devices, the ability to simultaneously listen to sound from different programs on different accessories
• LTE cat.16 (depending on operator support)
• Water protection IP68
• Dimensions: S8 – 148.9x68.1x8 mm, weight 152 grams; S8+ – 159.5x73.4x8.1 mm, weight 173 grams

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone
• Fast charger with USB Type C cable
• SIM tray eject tool
• Wired stereo headset AKG
• OTG adapter for connecting external devices
• USB Type C to microUSB adapter
• Instructions

Positioning

Since the Galaxy S4, the most successful smartphones in the Galaxy line have been the S7/S7 EDGE, and in this they were unwittingly helped by the situation with the Note 7, which was removed from the market. At the end of 2016, instead of Note 7, all advertising campaigns were focused on the “old” S7/S7 EDGE, and unexpectedly it turned out that their potential was far from exhausted. Moreover, these devices are selling well today, while almost all over the world the S7 EDGE is selling better, the ratio to the regular, flat version is 2 to 1. In 2017, the S7/S7 EDGE will become the most popular devices in the entire history of the Galaxy line, this will most likely happen in the third or fourth quarters. What does this mean for S8|S8+? This means a simple thing: the new flagships will need to be separated from the previous generation, and this will be achieved primarily due to price. If in 2016 the difference in cost between the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 was typical, then in 2017 the S7 and S8 will differ much more noticeably. Samsung's pricing strategy is changing, formally the S8+ takes the place of the Note 7, and the regular S8 stands like the S7 EDGE a year ago.

Samsung considers this positioning justified, since there is no goal to achieve maximum sales for the S8|S8+ in the first two quarters, these devices will be in slight shortage (which does not mean that there will be no opportunity to buy them, just that the demand will be high from operators and distributors, there will be a fight for them, and it has already begun). All this suggests that officially delivered devices will not fall in price quickly, however, the Russian consumer was convinced of this by the example of the S7/S7 EDGE, that they remained at the same price level for an unusually long time, and only fell in price along with the change in the ruble exchange rate.

From a market point of view, Samsung has not changed the positioning of its flagships in any way; these are the most technologically advanced devices that can be found. Maximum possibilities for maximum cost. It should be noted that the eights are built on a completely new chassis, it was developed from scratch and takes into account all the latest developments of the company. Now most of the models will be released on this chassis, but the next bright device on it will be Note 8, other models will receive only part of the functions that are in the S8|S8+.

The emphasis in promoting these models is largely on design; it is emphasized more than the hardware of the devices and their capabilities. For some of the potential audience, this is important and seems justified. Let's figure out together what kind of flagship Samsung has turned out to be.

Design, dimensions, control elements

The first thing that catches your eye is the absence of the Samsung inscription on the front panel; there was simply no place for it. For those who were very worried about the fact that such an inscription exists, now there is freedom, the device does not have any identifying marks on the front. On the other hand, no model on the market looks like it in appearance, which already makes it stand out.

Since the eighth generation relies on the screen, which occupies most of the surface of the devices, we only see it, as well as small inserts at the top and bottom. The top insert contains the front camera, speaker, retinal scanner, light sensor and RGB color sensor. The bottom insert is empty, there are no controls in it, in particular, there is no fingerprint sensor; it was moved to the rear surface, placed next to the camera. Essentially, the lower insert was created to be symmetrical with the upper one, but nothing was placed in it, and what could be inserted here?

The curve of the screen resembles that of the Note 7; it is small, but the devices fit into the hand like a glove. Dimensions S8 – 148.9x68.1x8 mm, weight – 152 grams, S8+ – 159.5x73.4x8.1 mm, weight – 173 grams. The regular S8 doesn't feel big; it's more typical of models with 5-inch screens, being slightly elongated in height compared to them. With the S8+ the situation is approximately the same, but it is similar to models with 5.5-inch screens, for example, the dimensions of the iPhone 7 Plus are 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm, as you can see, they are very close. Since my main phone is S7 EDGE, I compared the new device with it, they are very similar in size.

I liked using the S8+ without a case; it becomes too bulky, uncomfortable, and makes it less easy to use. But simply without a case or with a silicone case that fits the body tightly, you will get a device that is compact for such a screen. The phone does not slip out of your hands, it is balanced, you can work with one hand in basic applications, for example, dialing a number, this is not difficult, plus you can change the interface to be controlled with one hand, then all the keys will be smaller and will be accessible. It’s impossible to reach the top edge of the S8+ with the fingers of one hand; you don’t even have to try, you’ll drop the device. But there is never a need for this, even on devices with a smaller diagonal; we carry out most of the operations on the screen, for example, during a game, with the fingers of both hands.

The absence of a mechanical key does not mean that there is no button as such, it is on the screen, and in the settings you can specify that it lights up in AlwaysOn Display mode, or turn it off completely. The beauty of this touch key is that it has a special pressure sensor, it is located under the screen. You press the button with your finger and it works, albeit with a slight delay. In the same iPhone, pressing the touch button and vibration response are configured differently, it seems that everything happens instantly, here the manufacturer should work on this point. On the other hand, there is no need for a central button in standby mode, since it is easiest to set up unlocking the device using face recognition. Since the keys are touch sensitive, they can be swapped; the Back button can be either to the left or to the right of the central key.

I was particularly concerned about the location of the button on the back surface of the camera. Having tried it, I can say that on the S8 this arrangement is comfortable, plus or minus, the finger finds the sensor (this is a touch pad with sides), but on the S8+ it’s difficult to reach it, in the case it turns into flour. Another thing is that you can set up facial recognition (do not confuse it with the iris scanner!), then the smartphone will unlock automatically when it sees you. As usual, I have some news, let's start with the good. Recognition works perfectly almost always in bright rooms; the quality depends on the initial settings. Unfortunately, you can only customize one face image. Why "Unfortunately? The answer lies in the fact that, for example, when you, swollen from sleep, try to look at the phone screen in a horizontal position, it does not work very well; it does not recognize its owner in you. Another problem is in the dark, here recognition does not always occur instantly, but even in a cap or other headdress the phone recognizes you.

In most cases, recognition occurs instantly, although, when compared with a fingerprint sensor, it must be said that it is safer and always works the same way, at the same speed. Here the unlocking speed may differ, which is noticeable, but it is always up to one second. Absolutists will be upset because they would like to get the same speed always and everywhere.

The first thing many people will try is to try to trick the face scanner. If you substitute a photograph for his face, it might work. Is this a security issue? Yes and no. For ordinary people, imagining that someone is hacking into your phone and putting your face in a photo is akin to thinking that someone has made your fingerprints, which is also not difficult to do today. I don't think anyone would bother with something like that. For those who are concerned about their safety, I can advise you to turn on the iris scanner, then recognition will take a little longer, but the level of protection will increase (it also works in complete darkness; for people wearing glasses, recognition takes a little longer). As always, it's a matter of choice and opportunity; a face scanner will be quite sufficient for most in everyday life.

The S8|S8+ (let's say, for simplicity, I won't repeat both model numbers, since they are the same, I'll say S8, meaning both devices) has several color options, and new colors have appeared. Will all colors be available in all markets? I think no, some colors will not be initially available in Russia.

Which color should I choose? I like regular black, it looks very nice in real life, however, light colors are also good, they play in the sun. The fact that Corning Gorilla Glass 5 glass panels were used here can be considered an advantage of the device. One of the complaints about the big screen and the reasons for absentee complaints was that, in the opinion of the mass unconscious, such phones would easily break. This is not the case, as proven by the same S7/S7 EDGE and previous models that survive falls from waist height. It is clear that everything depends on your luck, but all other things being equal, these devices behave better than the same iPhone, which is distinguished by increased fragility of glass upon impact.

Just like in previous devices, the 3.5 mm connector is retained here, but the main connector is USB Type C. Among other features, I would like to note IP68 water protection. The SIM card slot is a combo one, meaning you get either two SIM cards or one SIM card and a microSD memory card. SIM card format is nanoSIM.

The device has two microphones, they are located at the ends, the noise reduction system works perfectly, on a noisy street during the rain the interlocutor heard me well.

On the back surface we see the camera, it protrudes from the body, but now the bezel does not protrude so much, this is a noticeable difference. To the left of the camera is a heartbeat sensor, it has not disappeared anywhere.

On the front side above the screen you can see an 8-megapixel camera, as well as a 3.7-megapixel IRIS scanner and IR illuminator for illuminating the face. The resolution of the IRIS scanner has increased, as well as the accuracy and recognition speed compared to Note 7. A light sensor (also known as an RGB color sensor) is also located here.

On the right side surface there is an on/off key, on the left side there is a paired volume key, and just below there is a separate button to launch the Bixbi assistant, which we will talk about separately.

The metal chassis of the device is made of 7000 series aluminum, unlike the sevens, it has a glossy finish, and it is not clear how it will behave after some time. This moment confuses me, in the future I will try to simulate wear to see what happens and what scratches the case gets.

There is only one speaker in the device, on the bottom end, it is loud and clear, you can hear it well in all situations.

The bottom line is that I want to say the following - in terms of design and materials used, this is a flagship without any discounts, and it does not have many direct competitors, or rather, it has only one - the iPhone 8, which will appear in the fall, the current generation of iPhone is in many ways inferior and looks weaker .

Display

Samsung came up with a marketing term for the new vertically elongated screens - Infinity Display, or endless screen. It does not occupy the entire front surface, but the feeling from the first use and then is that you are moving from a small TV in the kitchen to a large, comfortable panel. Considering that the size of the devices has remained virtually unchanged, the larger size of the screens is very damaging to consciousness. With QHD+ resolution (2960x1440 pixels, 570/529 ppi), the screens are of high quality, no individual dots or other roughness. These are SuperAMOLED matrices of the latest generation, the technology has been improved compared to Note 7, it has become even more advanced. The algorithm for adjusting brightness depending on external lighting conditions has changed, the AlwaysOn Display operating mode has expanded - the devices have become even a little better in this aspect. On-screen buttons are hidden in applications; there is almost never a need for them. The younger device has a diagonal of 5.8 inches, the older one has a diagonal of 6.2 inches.

For S8|S8+ we used technologies that were first used in the company's TVs. In addition to the fact that the phone analyzes the picture on the screen, it has added not just a lighting indicator, but an RGB color indicator, which adjusts the picture to the external conditions. The devices also support the Mobile HDR Premium standard, which appeared only at the beginning of this year for 4K devices.

DisplayMate analyzed the screen in the S8 and once again considered that Samsung engineers did the impossible; this is the most technologically advanced screen in a mobile phone. The full study can be found at the link, below are the main points:

• In automatic mode, the maximum screen brightness is up to 1000 nits, it is readable in any sun;
• The DCI-P3 Color color gamut is used, which is also used in 4K TVs (in tests DCI-P3 coverage was 113%, which means displaying bright, colorful and realistic colors under any lighting conditions);
• A screen image enhancement function that turns content that did not have an HDR component into an HDR image;
• Two light sensors - both on the front and back of the phone, to better determine lighting conditions and adjust colors on the screen;
• Night mode with a blue filter, which allows you not to excite the psyche and improve sleep;
• A separate chip for controlling the AlwaysOn screen, which allows for lower power consumption;
• The automatic adjustment of the screen to personal preferences has been improved; your smartphone learns from examples how you like to watch movies, pages on the Internet, and what your preferences are in games.

This is only half of what is detailed in DisplayMate's test, and the screen is simply outstanding. As much as I liked the screen on the S7 Edge, it's so dull next to the S8, just look at how different the white color display is in the menus.

On the S7 EDGE, the white color turns yellow, but you only see this with a direct comparison. In real life, it seems that the 7s, as well as other smartphones, have no problems displaying colors. But this is only until you compare them with eights; they have luxurious screens by any standards.

The screen geometry is 18.5 to 9, which is unusual and raises questions about how the interface has changed. An additional row of icons has been added to the regular menu. Is it convenient? Of course, since more useful information fits on the screen.

When watching videos on YouTube, the picture adjusts to the screen, you can stretch it either to fill the entire screen or leave minor stripes on the sides, but there is no distortion of the picture.

There are no operating modes in which screen space is wasted; the large screen is comfortable for viewing maps, movies and any visual information. This is a big screen, and it’s stupid to deny its advantages.

In AlwaysOn Display mode, the screen can display a clock or a picture, notifications from applications, there are no special changes compared to previous models, this mode works well. Our competitors don't have anything like it yet.

And the last cherry on the cake, since the phone's chassis has been completely redesigned, the screen has been integrated more deeply with other components of the device (for example, it is a separate chip for controlling the AlwaysOn Display), as a result, power consumption has decreased. Look at how many mAh of battery the screen consumed, this is a record.

Just like in the sevens, it is possible to change the screen resolution, the default is FHD+, but the difference with QHD+ in everyday tasks is not noticeable. I advise you to install QHD+ for games or VR glasses.

In the sun, and in any conditions, the screen remains readable; if the brightness is automatically adjusted, then you are guaranteed to see a colorful picture, the colors remain unchanged. With glasses, everything also works great, you see a bright picture.

Battery

The built-in battery has a capacity of 3500 mAh, there is wireless charging built into the case, fast charging. Everything is typical for the company’s flagships; I’ll note the new energy-saving operating modes, in some ways they are more aggressive, which results in a slightly longer operating time. For example, video playback time is about 18-19 hours at maximum brightness. On average, the devices will work for one to two days, depending on your settings and what you use. There is no particular breakthrough, but certain improvements are observed.

In my case, the S8+ worked on average for a day and a half with 4 hours of screen operation (backlight at 60%, automatic brightness), a heavy data transfer load and also ran various tests, which heavily load the processor and eat up energy.

In normal mode, 5-8 hours of screen operation are easily achievable with two days of operation.

Chipset, memory, performance

RAM 4 GB (in the Chinese version 6 GB), internal memory 64 GB, and memory cards are supported up to 256 GB. For the American market, devices are coming out with Snapdragon 835, to some extent this is exclusive to Samsung; competitors based on this chipset will appear later. Worldwide, the S8 comes with Exynos 8895, which is one of the fastest processors. In synthetic tests it produces high numbers.

Synthetic tests do not show how fast the device is, but I note that even in comparison with the S7 EDGE or Note 7, which I never had any complaints about in terms of speed, the difference is noticeable, there is no gap between pressing and opening the application, the response is almost instantaneous. These devices are very, very fast. In Balanced Performance mode, the response is the same as on current flagships, which is already excellent.

From a memory perspective, we see a clear improvement with the move from UFS 2.0 to UFS 2.1. There are already a number of models on the market with UFS 2.1 (LG V20, Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design), they show very high speed on Android 7. Which in reality reduces the loading time of the smartphone, as well as the time of switching between applications. In the line from Samsung, it is the eights that become the first devices with UFS 2.1.

Every year I read with great interest tales about how Samsung’s flagships slow down in the interface and in everyday operations; unfortunately, these problems are almost never shown to me in practice. This stereotype is tenacious, but has nothing to do with the devices, rather a certain curvature of the hands of users who install a ton of left-field software or remove “unnecessary” system components, and then begin to experience problems.

Communication capabilities

USB 3.0 (Type C) is supported, Bluetooth 5.0 support appears for the first time in a smartphone, aptX and other audio codecs are available.

There is LTE cat. 13/16 depending on the chipset supplier, but frequency aggregation will only be supported with software updates for specific countries and operators. In the LTE Advanced network, it shows the maximum theoretically possible speed (2x2 MU-MIMO). On the Moscow MegaFon network, the actual speed that was achieved when downloading files was 430 Mbit/s (theoretical limit is 450 Mbit/s). Common tests are not suitable for demonstrating this speed; they are simply not designed for such networks and fail (even the size of the test file is so small that it is impossible to properly load it in such programs).

From the point of view of wireless interfaces, there are Wi-Fi improvements and new algorithms are used. As usual, Samsung adapted everything that appeared during this time. The WiFi repeater function has not disappeared; it is present in this device.

Among the features of the implementation of Bluetooth 5.0, I note the ability to simultaneously connect two headsets or other audio devices, that is, you can listen to the same music or watch a movie with another person. This is just a great feature that was definitely missing, although few will need it.

Another thing I liked was the ability to select apps and which connected Bluetooth devices play audio. That is, you can choose to have the sound from the video player broadcast to an external speaker, and messages read only in the headset. Cool? Definitely yes, but you will have to spend time setting everything up for yourself. Or this scenario: you give the phone to your child so that he can watch a movie and the sound comes through a wireless speaker or wireless headphones, while you listen to music or a podcast in other wireless headphones. This function works perfectly, and it is very convenient, I tried it in practice several times, I regret that it did not exist several years ago.

Cameras

The front camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels, as well as autofocus; it has a fast aperture (f/1.7), which allows you to take good pictures, including in dimly lit rooms. Just like for the main camera, there are different effects when you can attach inserts of bows, mustaches, and the like to your face. A good feature that diversifies the use of the camera.

At first glance, the main camera remains the same, that is, it is 12 megapixels, DualPixel technology. The supplier of the camera module is, as before, Samsung itself, as well as Sony (S5K2L2 and IMX333).

Due to the increased system performance and the fact that the camera module has its own memory, a comfortable Burst Mode has appeared, when you can take several dozen pictures in a row. The camera focuses on objects faster and handles complex scenes better compared to the Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE, which I was able to verify in practice. But it is impossible to say that this is a fundamentally different camera, it is comparable in most situations to the previous generation, it works better in difficult conditions, but most of these differences will not be noticed, they are insignificant. However, look at the comparison of pictures with the S7 EDGE, they were all taken in automatic mode. But before that, here's what the camera interface looks like.

And now a comparison of pictures from the Galaxy S7 EDGE.

Galaxy S8	Galaxy S7 EDGE

Take a look at the zoomed-in portions of the S7 Edge and S8 Plus photos to see the camera differences.

It feels like the pictures from the S7 are a little blurry, they are not so sharp. The explanation for this should be sought in the fact that the eights use multiframe technology for the first time, which is familiar to us from Google Pixel. The phone takes three frames, automatically selects the best one, and can also select parts of the frame that came out better in one of the pictures, and then stitches it all together into a single picture. The result is sharper and brighter than on the S7/S7 EDGE.

Over the past month, I have accumulated a lot of photos from the Galaxy S8/S8 Plus, so let me show you some of them, for example, photographs of flowers in the garden, as well as all living creatures, macro photography, pay attention to the blurring of the background and the accuracy of the details.

However, the camera also copes well with landscape shots.

In the dark, the camera works noticeably better than the S7 EDGE; it responds faster and handles scenes more correctly.

As for me, formally the camera on the S7 EDGE is the same, in fact, the new image processing algorithms turned out to be more interesting and better, plus the yield of usable photos is noticeably higher. The S8/S8 Plus has one of the best mobile cameras on the market today.

There are no complaints about video recording, there is support for 4K, in FullHD you can choose a frequency of 60 or 30 frames per second.

And a few more videos from the last trip.

DeX Desktop Mode - Similar to Microsoft's Continuum

For these devices, an accessory such as the DeX docking station appears; it has its own cooling and allows you to connect up to two USB devices, for example, a keyboard and mouse (USB 2.0). In some countries, this dock will be given as a gift with pre-orders of the S8|S8+. Separately, it will cost 149 euros.

In addition to the fact that you get the opportunity to connect your phone to an external monitor via HDMI and control it with a mouse and keyboard, DeX mode has appeared. This is not just a broadcast of the contents of the phone screen to an external monitor, but a redesigned interface, in particular, support for MS Office and Adobe mobile applications, for example, Adobe Lightroom Mobile, has been added here. These applications have been completely redesigned for large screens, and so far this is only available for flagships from Samsung, but I am sure that later it will appear on a bunch of other devices from different manufacturers. The most direct analogy is a similar mode from Microsoft that was on Windows Phone smartphones. But the death of the platform put an end to Continuum, and the fallen banner was picked up by DeX; Microsoft engineers took part in its development; it can be considered a kind of Continuum on Android.

First of all, this is a solution for corporate users; it is unlikely to be popular from the start, but this is an interesting direction for development. DeX has implemented support for remote access to your desktops; these are Citrix, VMware and Amazon Web Services, that is, nothing original and nothing new. In principle, you can already use these services on Android.

My impressions of DeX are mixed. On the one hand, this is definitely the future of mobile platforms, on the other hand, the current reincarnation clearly lacks the performance of phones, windows are drawn slowly, they twitch, in a word, everything is not as beautiful as on paper.

However, you already now get a full set of applications and all your data in the semblance of a desktop system, I think there will be technology lovers who will praise DeX, but the mass consumer will not rush to use it yet, everything works too slowly.

Bixby Assistant - ideology and practical implementation

The idea of ​​Bixby is directly borrowed from Google Now, it is an assistant that combines voice functions, such as voice recognition to perform commands (a legacy of S Voice), but at the same time it analyzes what is displayed on your screen, that is, it understands the context, in which you are talking about. With a separate key you call up Bixby cards (again an analogy with Google Now), you can edit them, add and remove applications and information from them. For example, the assistant knows that you usually call such and such a number at this time, and suggests doing so. The current functions of Bixby cannot be called intelligent; at the presentation it was cut down to the point of impossibility; for example, there is no voice input, it will appear only at the end of the month. And the prediction system is obviously stupid; in order to train it, you need millions of people to start using Bixby, in such systems it doesn’t happen otherwise - the more they use it, the better they become.

A full-fledged version of Bixby with voice commands, prompts, and more will be released only in December 2017, along with updating the device to Android 8. At the moment, instead of Bixby, we have its camera with image recognition, as well as software for planning the day.

Multimedia capabilities, software features

Samsung has redesigned the Clean UI a little more, now it has become even more airy, easier to perceive, the designations of the three touch keys have changed, the icons have changed, however, look at the picture. Also now in the settings you can see the version of Samsung Experience, in this device it is 8.1.

In general, I like the way Android 7 looks on the Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE; the interface here is a little different, but very simple and understandable, and most importantly, convenient. Although there is a whole cohort of people who, by default, do not like any add-ons over pure Android, and this seems nonsense to me - everything here is done wisely and is convenient for everyday life. For example, to scroll through large lists, a button has appeared that allows you to jump to the very beginning of the list.

Another interesting point is that you can take any kind of screenshots, record small GIF files from the screen, cut out not just rectangles, but also ovals, and immediately draw whatever you want with your finger. But what I liked the most is the ability to save the URL of the page when you take a screenshot in Chrome.

In terms of sound, we see approximately the same as in the Tab S3, there are improvements from AKG, plus AKG headphones are included. Models based on Snapdragon 835 have normal sound; they use the Aqstic sound DSP, which is designed for this chip. It is noticeably better than what is used in the Snapdragon 820/821, but worse than the DSP from Cirrus Logic, which is used in the Exynos version of the smartphone (Cirrus Logic SC43130). I was able to listen to both versions of the smartphone with AKG headphones; the volume margin on the Exynos was a little higher, and the sound seemed a little different. But the sound has definitely changed, it is very reminiscent of the way the HTC 10 plays, which has its own separate DSP (this is not a solution from Qualcomm, as is believed on the market). The changes in sound quality are noticeable compared to the sevens.

Finally, a nice little thing, AKG headphones separately will cost about a hundred dollars/euro, these are top-end earplugs. Having tried these headphones, I can say that the game is reaching a new level for flagships, I wonder how Apple will respond and whether they will change their standard earPods for the new iPhones. If they ignore it, it will be sad, since AKG tears them apart in quality, like Tuzik’s heating pad, these are just products from different price niches, and they differ very much.

There are a lot of “little things” in the software that greatly diversify your user experience; many of the functions were present on previous devices, but it wouldn’t hurt to briefly repeat the most noticeable ones. For example, this could be an emergency message (three presses on the power button), the phone sends an SOS message, also records a sound for 5 seconds and a photo from the front camera.

Comparison with Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE

Samsung has prepared an infographic that shows the differences between the models; everything in it is simple and clear, and most importantly, clearly.

But you can also watch a separate video in which I talk in detail about these devices based on my extensive experience.

Impression

There are no complaints about the sound quality and call volume of the device, the volume is above average, the melodies have been reworked, they have become more interesting, and you can recognize them in any situation. The vibration alert can be customized to suit you, which is important. The quality of the device’s operation in Russian networks is good, there are minor improvements compared to the sevens.

There are no issues with Samsung Pay; everything is exactly the same as in previous models.

Just as during the transition from S7 EDGE to Note 7, it was impossible to say that these were completely different devices technically, but in life they were perceived very differently, so here too - the eights turned out to be very worthy and interesting. In terms of the combination of characteristics and ease of use, I cannot name a single device that comes close to them. As before, these are the main flagships on the market; devices from Apple are interesting from an image point of view, but technically they are still catching up, although they have narrowed the gap in the seventh generation. Perhaps there are two direct competitors on the market, Apple and Samsung, all other companies are catching up.

The S8|S8+ has a lot of advantages compared to the seventh generation Apple:

• Face scanner, iris scanner
• In the same body size, screens with a much larger diagonal and resolution
• Fast battery charging, wireless charging
• Better sound, the included headphones are a cut above, as they were created by AKG
• 64 GB of internal memory plus memory cards - more than the standard storage capacity in an iPhone
• DeX mode, working on a large monitor (in case someone likes it)
• Support for VR glasses, which the iPhone does not have as a class

It would take a long time to list these “little things,” but in fact they are very different; Apple’s product is much inferior not only technologically, but also in perception, which was not so noticeable before. With the advent of eights, the perception of phones becomes different; they look head and shoulders above their closest competitors.

There is only one company on the Android device market that managed to prepare its answer, but it was somewhat hasty; of course, we are talking about the LG G6. This device is built on the Snapdragon 821 (previous generation chipset, not for a flagship), it has worse sound by default and worse headphones included in the package, it is quite awkward in the hand, it is not as easy to perceive as S8|S8+, but the main thing is that it is they want about the same as for the younger model from Samsung. For what?

The cost of S8 in Russia is 54,990 rubles, the older model costs 59,990 rubles. Considering that these prices are comparable to the current cost of the iPhone 7, which looks weaker in many aspects, and are also set at the level of the upcoming iPhone 8, which comes out in the fall, the price seems adequate to me. Those interested will be able to buy the Galaxy S8 in May-June on the gray market, the price will differ by 10-15% downwards (the younger model already costs about 42 thousand rubles with delivery from Germany). These smartphones belong to a new generation, and not only due to the numbers, these are devices ideologically redesigned from scratch, they have a large number of advantages - screen, operating time, performance, sound, security system, and so on. But for those who consider them exactly the same as the S7/S7 EDGE, the previous models will always remain; they have not lost their relevance, since they are noticeably cheaper and have become more accessible. I am sure that they will be able to exist in parallel for a long time. For the market, the release of S8|S8+ is a benchmark for the coming years; all companies will try to create similar solutions, including Apple. Another thing is that their capabilities for this are very limited, and the resulting “flagships” will resemble the story with the LG G6, one thing will be worse, then another, and the price will be comparable. In this aspect, the LG G6 is interesting only as the model closest in time to the S8, the one that the company calls the flagship, and it has a roughly comparable approach, which they could not fully implement.

In S8|S8+, what comes to the fore is that these devices are damn beautiful in appearance, although there are no comrades in taste and color, everyone has their own ideas of beauty. These models have already been a success; during pre-order in Russia, they sold more than 15,000 units worth a billion rubles. In the future, we can expect stable sales of eights, as they have high potential.

Among the childhood diseases of S8|S8+, I will note red screens, which is easy to check, just go to the settings menu, and the white color in them will turn red. The company will probably fix this with a software update, but I recommend checking the devices in the store to avoid the tedious exchange or return procedure. Moreover, it takes less than a minute, you just need to look at the screen. No other childhood ailments have been identified in the models yet; within a month, my devices showed their best performance.

Every year, when describing Samsung's flagships, I say standard phrases about how they have become even a little faster and have no direct competitors. And every year this is true, but with the release of S8|S8+ we can say that competitors, to put it mildly, are not just lagging behind, the gap between them and Samsung has just widened. Try these smartphones in real life, twirl them in a store to evaluate how good they are. I am sure that most will like them, and then the issue of accessibility comes into play due to cost.

As you understand, there are changes in the camera, but not of a revolutionary nature. Samsung has not yet installed a dual camera. Perhaps two lenses will appear in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, but until then we will have to wait another couple of months.

As always, at the beginning we set the camera to the simplest conditions for the device: daytime shooting on the street. Here the Galaxy S8 feels absolutely amazing, demonstrating high image quality, detail and excellent color reproduction.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/2072 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/447 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/128 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 50, F1.7, 1/500 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/1544 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/434 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/376 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

The fast lens (F1.7) of the Samsung Galaxy S8 copes well with macro photography and beautifully blurs the background. We also note the accurate autofocus performance. Focusing speed and accuracy is ensured by Dual Pixel technology.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/403 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/1836 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/424 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

The app does not have a dedicated HDR (High Dynamic Range) scene. By default, it is enabled automatically, it can be enabled or disabled forcibly. The result of this mode is quite noticeable. But still, the automation and processing algorithms of the Galaxy S8 focus on the too dark areas of the image, almost ignoring the too light areas.

Another mode that we used in daylight is “Panorama”. The Galaxy S8 confidently copes with gluing together a frame from many pieces obtained when holding a smartphone.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: F1.7, 26.0mm equiv.

Let's move on to shooting indoors. Here we looked at focus performance, color accuracy and the correct choice of color temperature. In artificial lighting conditions, the Galaxy S8 camera also works very accurately and produces high-quality results.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 160, F1.7, 1/50 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 200, F1.7, 1/25 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 80, F1.7, 1/50 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

The flash in the device is single, and for many years Samsung has been ignoring both the dual LED element and the flashlight mode. The quality of a flash photo is high: the image is not overexposed, and the subject stands out from the background of everything else.

There aren't many action scenes in the camera app. A couple for video (slow motion and time lapse) and a few for photography. We have already talked about “Panorama”, and now we will pay attention to the selective focus mode, which allows you to change the focus point, choosing between the foreground and background, after the shot has been taken. However, the excellent performance of the lens, which shows off the beautiful background blur, makes this scene less necessary.

Another mode is called “Food” and is suitable specifically for this genre of photography. After all, as you know, if you didn’t take a photo, you didn’t eat. In this scene, you can select a point with a radial blur, and also adjust the color temperature to make your food look as delicious as possible.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 160, F1.7, 1/50 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 100, F1.7, 1/50 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 160, F1.7, 1/50 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

Well, as always, for dessert - the most difficult conditions not only for smartphones, but also for many cameras: shooting at dusk, in the evening and at night, in low light conditions. And here again Samsung delivers its signature quality. Yes, you can complain about some over-design, but the smartphone camera does its job very well. Sometimes the automation increases the shutter speed, but the presence of optical image stabilization helps here. Colors remain natural, white balance is not confused, and the result is highly detailed images.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 160, F1.7, 1/36 sec., 26.0 mm eq.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 40, F1.7, 1/166 sec, 26.0 mm equiv.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 250, F1.7, 1/25 sec, 26.0 mm eq.

SM-G950F SETTINGS: ISO 125, F1.7, 1/30 sec, 26.0 mm eq.

And of course, we cannot help but note the presence of a “Pro” mode with completely manual settings. Here you can select ISO, shutter speed, white balance, manually adjust focus and even select its area (by a central point or by several points), as well as exposure metering. In addition, in manual mode you can take photographs in RAW. Files in the DNG extension are very flexible and allow a lot in post-processing.Canon PIXMA TS8040.

Until December 31, 2017, there is a unique discount on the white printer model using the promo code PROPHOTOS

It’s worth saying that we had no doubts about the quality of shooting on the Samsung Galaxy S8, but we still decided to start by printing pictures in a format of 10 by 15 centimeters on Photo Paper Pro Platinum paper. Excellent detail and colors - everything suggests that you need to get a different paper format.

We printed another pair of images in A4 size on the same type of paper and were again impressed by the quality of the smartphone camera and the printer's output. And when we accidentally placed the phone on a printed photo, we almost lost the device: the frameless design on one side and the highest quality of paper prints made themselves felt.

However, Samsung was noticed due to the slightly warm tone of the display (AMOLED Film mode), while the picture showed natural colors and magnificent details. The latter, of course, is the merit of not only the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera, but also the Canon PIXMA TS8040 printer.

We can't get past filming the video. The Galaxy S8 can record videos in 4K resolution, but image stabilization will not work in this case. You can also shoot spectacular time-lapses and slow-motion videos - the device does this very well. As an example, we suggest watching a video in Full HD format at 30 frames per second. Here you can clearly see how optical image stabilization works, how the device records sound and shoots in low light conditions.

I am writing this material for people who really want to know an explanation of the characteristics of the Galaxy S8, how they work in practice, and my personal opinion about this or that point in the device. And for this, just a 10-minute video and beautiful pictures are not enough. Therefore, if you are just such a reader, then get ready to spend 10 minutes of your life reading. If not, then I have selected for you under this material 10-minute video reviews of top bloggers on YouTube, which will tell you clearly, quickly and superficially.

So, let's begin! Samsung Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F) at the start of sales costs 55,000 RUB in Russia, 25,000 UAH in Ukraine, 1,800 BYN in Belarus, 301,000 KZT in Kazakhstan. For fun, I converted all these prices into dollars and summarized them in the chart below:

In this section I will tell you all the characteristics: from the body to the cameras.

Design, elements on the case, materials and dimensions of the smartphone

The design of the flagship is not similar to any other device, but the Samsung style is noticeable. Everything is very smooth and in your hands it feels like a piece of glass polished to perfection. I can’t find fault with the joints of the elements; everything fits very well and without gaps. I have a black version, but in our market you can still find gold and amethyst.

By thickness The smartphone is 8 mm, nothing protrudes in the planes. The metal frame on the left and right ends is only 3.5 mm wide, to which the front and rear windows are rounded off. Samsung calls this "Edge design". Width The S8 is quite narrow - 68 mm, which is one and a half millimeters narrower than the Galaxy S7. Samsung smartphones have always been distinguished by their compact size in terms of body/display ratio. By height the device is 6.5 mm taller than its predecessor and is 149 mm. Weight is 155 g, and as for me this is the optimal indicator that you want to feel in your hand.

Even though the S8's screen diagonal is quite large, I still want to call it a compact smartphone that will be convenient for people with small hands. When I hold it in my hand, I think that this is exactly how it should be and I don’t understand why smartphones were different before.

Ok Steve! In terms of design, I want the Galaxy S8.

On the front there is a large display, with very narrow frames at the top and bottom (each almost 7 mm). There's nothing on the bottom bezel, and part of me says, "So if the area is empty, then remove it entirely in favor of an EVEN larger display!" But the normal part of me (I think it’s normal) understands that before this there were no such screen-to-body ratios, and the engineers tried very hard to create what we have in front.

Above the screen in the center there is a neat earpiece, to the left of which there are two sensors (light and proximity), infrared illumination for recognizing the iris of the eye even in pitch darkness, followed by an indicator light (lit in blue or red). To the right of the speaker are the front camera and a sensor for scanning the iris of the eye. The front camera is not used for iris scanning.

On the back panel we have a protective glass that is scratch-resistant and does not have an oleophobic coating. Just above the center is the Samsung logo, which is not shiny chrome, but has a modest gray color. Above the logo in the center there is a camera, to the left of which is a heart rate sensor and a single-LED flash. I can’t say that the flash stands out in terms of brightness and has a warm tint. To the right of the camera there is a fingerprint scanner, which is inconvenient for me and I don’t use it.

At the top end there is a hybrid tray for two Nano SIM cards, or one card and a memory card. The tray is made of flexible plastic, which is a little disappointing, although this is not so important. The metal frame at the upper and lower ends is wider than the side edges, since the adjacent glass there is not rounded. On top we also have a microphone for noise reduction and two plastic dividers for antennas, which are practically invisible.


At the bottom end there is a USB Tape-C connector, a headphone jack, an external speaker, a conversational microphone and two more dividers for antennas.

On the left side there is a volume rocker and a button that calls up the interface of the Bixby virtual assistant, but more on that later.

On the right side, the power/lock button is located alone in a convenient place.

Chipset

The heart of the flagship SM-G950F is the top-of-the-line 2017 chipset of its own production, Exynos 8895 (analogue). It has 8 cores, 4 of which are low-power for light tasks and energy saving - ARM Cortex-A53 with a maximum frequency of 1690 MHz. The remaining 4 cores are manufactured using Samsung's own Exynos M1 (Mongoose) architecture. It handles complex tasks at a maximum frequency of 2314 MHz.

The biggest feature of the processor is its 10-nanometer (nm) manufacturing technology. Manufacturers have stopped increasing gigahertz and power, and are striving for energy efficiency and compactness. So that you understand, 10 nm is almost half the size of the already small 14 nm top-end Snapdragon 821 chip. At the same time, performance has not gone by the wayside, and energy costs are several times less.

See the comparison of chipset sizes in the picture:

Diagram from Intel presentation

In terms of performance, this is not the most powerful smartphone. In AnTuTu it scores 173 thousand points and gives way to the iPhone 7 Plus. At maximum graphics settings in tanks, the frames per second of the Galaxy S8 does not reach 60. On average it shows 50 frames per second. But this is not critical, since the human eye can capture a maximum of 30 frames per second.

In summer, when the weather is very hot, the smartphone gets a little warm and holding it in your hands is very uncomfortable. Heating was noticed not only in games under maximum load, but this problem can be much more noticeable in other smartphones with a similar powerful chip.

Considering that the chipset is made using the finest technical process, I don’t understand the heating. However, I have not previously heard about heating problems from other users, and I am almost sure that this point concerns my device, which is not commercial (sent for review by the manufacturer). Plus, given that the processor and core architecture are new, over time all games and programs will be better optimized for this solution.

Memory

The device has 4 GB of RAM. This is quite enough for all tasks and I did not feel any shortcomings. The AIDA64 application shows an honest 3.5 GB of RAM. 64 GB of permanent memory, and no other versions found. 54 GB available for use. It is possible to expand the memory using a MicroSD card up to 256 GB, and the card slot is separate from the SIM card.

Memory speed is excellent and reaches 787 MB/s when reading and 195 MB/s when transferring. This is the fastest indicator currently in smartphones.

Autonomy

I’ll say right away that autonomy is not the strong point of the Samsung S8. The battery capacity is 3000 mAh, and it shows average survivability. But if you take into account the display resolution and its diagonal, then everything is pretty good.

After an hour of playing, the battery drained by 20%, meaning you can play for 5 hours without interruption at maximum resolution. Plays video over Wi-Fi – 7.5 hours. But working with a GPS navigator with a rarely active display will drain the battery in 20 hours. Still, the high resolution of the display makes itself felt (by the way, it can be lowered, which will have a positive effect on autonomy).

The Korean flagship is infected from 0 to 100% in 1 hour 15 minutes. The included charger charged the battery from 0 to 50% in 40 minutes. This means that there is fast charging, but the S8 does not focus on quickly recharging the charge in the first minutes.

If you are not a hardcore multimedia user, then the smartphone will last 2 days under gentle loads. Especially if you lower the display resolution.

Display

But the screen here is quite interesting. It has an unusual aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and is made using Super Amoled technology. The screen diagonal, with such compact dimensions, is 5.8 inches. Compactness is achieved thanks to the same narrow frames mentioned earlier. This means that it is more elongated in length, and all this is due to the reduction of the upper and lower frames. The maximum display resolution is WQHD (2950x1440), but it can be reduced in the settings to FullHD or even HD. Reducing the resolution will have a positive effect on autonomy.

It is noticeable only when compared point-blank.

It’s hard to find fault with the display – it’s large, clear, frameless and very bright (1000 nits). However, there is a minus: with a white color, the picture turns a little red at a direct viewing angle. This moment is visible only if you put another smartphone next to it.

The company is already sending out an update that will correct this shortcoming, but at the time of review, this update had not yet reached my sample.

The screen has an "Always on Display" function, when when the device is locked, the display shows the clock and date, notifications and battery percentage.

Sound

I'm not a music lover, but with the Samsung S8 I wanted to become one. The sound in the headphones is simply stunning. Perhaps I just hadn’t heard high-quality sound before, but I downloaded the track in flac format and, in comparison with the Galaxy A5, I realized that the S8 sounds like a god. Complete immersion in music. My A-5, compared to the 2017 flagship, sounds like a leprechaun drowned in a toilet.

The external speaker of the flagship also plays well, but there are no stereo speakers. The sound comes from one speaker at the bottom end, it is loud and moderately rich, like for a smartphone. The volume reaches 70.3 dB.

Perhaps the sound was influenced by collaboration with the top audio device manufacturer Harman/Kardon. AKG branded headphones are included. They can be purchased separately for $100. At the presentation, Samsung said that the S8 has a 32-bit digital-to-analog converter.

I listen to the Samsung Galaxy S8 through headphones and I can’t remember what disadvantages I talked about earlier... I don’t know how I’ll live without such sound now.

The device supports two Nano-SIM cards. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, supports dual-channel data transmission at 5000 MHz. Bluetooth also has a surprise, it . This means you can play your favorite tracks through Bluetooth headphones and go to the other side of the house or even go out into the yard without a signal source. The range is increased 4 times compared to Bluetooth 4.2. You can also connect two headsets at once (two speakers or two pairs of headphones). These are not all the advantages of the fifth version of Bluetooth, but to use it you need a headset that supports this format.

GPS navigation works flawlessly.

Software

The Samsung S8 runs on the latest Android 7 operating system at the time of release, of course. The Samsung Experience shell is installed on top; I currently have version 8.1. Everything works quickly, but with a certain proprietary animation, which is similar to the effect of minimizing windows in Windows. The main desktop displays the clock, weather, and Google search bar by default, but by default, you can pinch to install widgets, app icons, and add screens that you can swipe right to. By swiping from bottom to top or vice versa, the “app drawer” is called up. If you swipe your finger from the right edge to the left, the EDGE panel will be called up with the ability to quickly access selected applications, contacts and various opportunities to take screenshots.

The GPU processes the interface without slowdowns at maximum frame rates. No lags were noticed in third-party applications either.

Bixby

By swiping from left to right on the main screen, as well as a separate button on the end, you can open the Bixby interface, in which you can find cards that you can configure yourself. I have an alarm clock, Gallery for today, the number of steps taken, the weather and a summary of the latest news. At the moment, the assistant's capabilities are limited. Apart from the listed capabilities, the assistant can’t do anything else; it doesn’t react to voices in any way (neither Russian, nor English, nor even Korean). It is unknown when the Russian-speaking audience will be able to fully use Bixby.

However, the intentions of his work were noticed; a recommendation appeared in the notification shade to listen to music in good quality with a link to a recommended site (I had previously downloaded music on another site). I look forward to all the capabilities of Bixby's artificial intelligence and his destruction of the human race the moment he acquires it.

For now, Bixby only has a name.

Camera

The main camera on the Galaxy S8 takes 12 MP photos. The aperture is widened to F/1.7, which allows the sensor to capture more light in low light conditions. This is the widest aperture in a smartphone in my memory. There is phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization. If the smartphone cannot focus (which happens very rarely when taking photos), for example when shooting video in 4K resolution, then tapping on the display sensor can help the camera. Autofocus works using technology, it is very fast and in most cases trouble-free.

The matrix in the main camera is manufactured by ISOCELL, model S5K2L2. I assume that the American and Korean versions use a Sony sensor, model IMX333 (or another name IMX260 Pro). They say that there is no difference in the quality of pictures of the Samsung S8 with different matrices. In the S7 there was a situation where the Sony sensor took photographs in warmer tones. The size of the S5K2L2 is quite large - 1/2.5". The pixel is also not small - 1.4 microns.

I would like to note that despite all the indicators, the camera does not protrude from the body.

The main camera of the Galaxy S8 is practically no different from the Galaxy S7 in photography. In the video I think the S8 dominates.

Below is an example of shooting on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7 in HDR modes. Last year's flagship did better.

For comparison, I’ll give another example of a photo taken under the same conditions on the Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi Note 4x to clearly show the quality of flagships and budget phones.

Below is a gorgeous shot with bokeh effect on the Galaxy S8. When taking photographs in good lighting, the smartphone focuses at lightning speed (I never tire of writing this).

Another macro shot:

Shooting in the blinding sun in automatic mode was not impressive. But there are many manual settings in the "Pro" mode: ISO adjustment, aperture effect, presets, manual focus, etc.

Night shot with and without flash. When using a flash, the algorithm works well, there are no highlights and in some cases it is difficult to tell that the photo was taken with a flash.

Selfie camera

The selfie camera, a first for smartphones, has autofocus. This is an 8 megapixel ISOCELL S5K3H1 matrix with an F/1.7 aperture. It takes excellent pictures for a selfie camera, nothing more to say.

Video shooting

Samsung shoots video in resolutions from VGA to 4K (UHD) resolution. When recording Full HD at 30 frames per second, video shooting in HDR mode is available. There is optical and electronic stabilization. I was amazed by the color reproduction, focusing and stabilization capabilities. You don’t need a lot of words here, you just have to see:

Youtube decided to cut the resolution down to 2k over time.

Peculiarities

Among the features of the smartphone is the ability to connect to a monitor using the DeX docking station. You can also connect a mouse and keyboard to it. The monitor displays Samsung's operating system based on Android, externally similar to Windows. Standard Microsoft applications and office solutions are designed for it. I was not able to use this gadget for a long time, but the reviews about it are not bad.

With DeX, you can open a browser, work in office applications, view and even edit photos. Applications open in full windows. Even Instagram and others are launching, but few applications have yet been adapted for this platform.

The second feature is the ability to unlock the device using the iris of the eye or face. They say that a face scanner can be fooled by a printed photo, but it’s not so simple and who would bother with this? If the options above do not always work quickly, especially if you are walking, then with the finger scanner everything happens at lightning speed, but it is not located in a very convenient place and does not recognize a wet finger.

The third feature I would like to note is the presence of a heartbeat scanner.

The fourth feature, which I did not mention earlier, is the presence of moisture and dust protection according to the IP68 standard.

Pros and cons of Samsung Galaxy S8

It's time to sum up all of the above.

pros

• thin frames around the display;
• clear, bright and elongated display, with the ability to adjust resolution;
• convenient design and well-assembled body;
• good cameras in all respects;
• user-friendly interface;
• support for the upcoming version of Bluetooth 5;
• great sound in headphones;
• loud external speaker;
• notification indicator;
• moisture and dust protection.

Minuses

• staining the rear glass, which is prone to scratches;
• the sharp edges of the USB connector rub your finger while playing;
• Due to such a premium design, the smartphone can be fragile, you need to wear a case;
• sometimes it gets quite hot under load (perhaps this is a problem with my sample or raw software, this should be fixed by updating and optimizing games for the new kernel);
• All unlocking means are inconvenient.

My review of the Galaxy S8

The smartphone scored 5 points. Many people talk about it as the emperor of smartphones. Personally, the camera is important to me, and here it is very decent. Is it the best? This is questionable, and when compared with the Galaxy S7, they are very similar. Although the Galaxy S8's video recording is impressive.

And so the question hung in my head: is it worth buying a Galaxy S8 for the photo capabilities of the camera, if the Galaxy S7 has the same level for more affordable money? I would consider buying a Galaxy S8 for the excellent sound in the headphones and cool display, for the sake of video recording and good design. Although the design is secondary, and I would rather show off cool photographs than the cool design of a glass rectangle (as you can see, the WOW effect from the design gradually faded away for me, you get used to good things very quickly).

Review of the thin metal smartphone Samsung Galaxy A5 A500H/DS Review of the second generation smartphone Samsung Galaxy A7 SM-A710F 2016
Review of the Huawei P10 Plus smartphone: a thin flagship phablet

Samsung's flagship smartphones have long moved into the category of the most anticipated of the year. Indeed, the interest in the Galaxy S8 turned out to be simply enormous, and it was also increased by the fact that this was the first top-end Samsung smartphone in seven months, released after the problematic Note 7. Therefore, the company understood perfectly well that they needed to release an excellent product that could overcome past failure. Let's see what Samsung has done by taking a closer look at the capabilities of the Galaxy S8.

Contents of delivery

In the box with the Samsung Galaxy S8, users will be able to find a compact charging brick, a USB to USB Type-C cable, a USB to USB Type-C adapter, and headphones created in collaboration with AKG.

Design, materials and ease of use

In the new smartphone, Samsung continues to use the design ideas inherent in the Galaxy S7 edge and Note 7. Already in these models, the company’s desire to move away from the use of large frames around the screen, creating the illusion of their complete absence, was evident. In the Galaxy S8, this has become the cornerstone of the entire smartphone design, the centerpiece of which is the “infinity display”, as Samsung calls it.

The company really managed to fit a 5.8-inch screen into a body measuring 148.9x68.1 mm. And since it occupies 84.26% of the front panel of the smartphone, and its side edges are slightly curved, it seems as if you are holding only the display in your hands.

But making thin frames is half the battle to create a really good design. Therefore, Samsung used rounded corners and edges to bring the appearance to a consistent style. So even the corners of the display on the Galaxy S8 are rounded to match the shape of the body. This approach allowed Samsung to get rid of the logo on the front panel without any doubts, because indeed, the Galaxy S8 is difficult not to recognize.

The back of the case is not as expressive as the front, but there is a certain style and symmetry here too. The camera block no longer protrudes from the body, but has a thin frame with a small protrusion. In line with the camera, on the right and left sides of it, there is an LED flash, a heart rate sensor, and a fingerprint scanner.

The main materials of the case: Gorilla Glass 5 covering the front and back panels, as well as an aluminum frame on the edges. The latter is now polished and painted in the color of the body, thanks to this, as well as the tight fit of all panels, it seems that the Galaxy S8 is cut from a single piece of glass.

The use of such materials gives a pleasant feeling from using the smartphone, but makes the case easily soiled. Therefore, and given the fact that glass is not the most durable material, when buying a Galaxy S8 you should also think about choosing a case. By the start of smartphone sales, Samsung promises to begin supplying a number of branded cases to Ukraine.

Despite the larger screen, the Galaxy S8's body is slightly smaller than the Galaxy S7 edge, and thanks to its rounded edges, it fits well in the hand. At the same time, the sides of the display in the S8 do not bend as much as in the S7 edge, so there are practically no accidental clicks here.

The controls in the S8 have also changed; the function keys are now virtual, however, they are convenient to use. The “Home” button even understands the degree of pressure, simulating it with vibration, so after a little getting used to it it’s easy to find it blindly. By the way, in the settings you can change the location of the control keys, choosing the standard one for Samsung or for “pure” Android.

The Galaxy S8 case is protected from water and dust according to the IP68 standard; it can be immersed in fresh water to a depth of 1 meter and for up to 30 minutes.

Display

As mentioned above, the Galaxy S8 display occupies almost the entire front panel, and its diagonal is 5.8 inches. Samsung traditionally used a Super AMOLED matrix, but with a non-standard resolution of 2960×1440 pixels and the same aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Because of the latter, the screen is smaller in width and larger in height when compared to traditional models with a 16:9 ratio. You quickly get used to this, at least in the Galaxy S8 it’s still convenient to reach the top edge of the display.

The S8's 5.8-inch screen area is 85.12 cm2 versus 92.16 cm2 for the model with the same diagonal but 16:9 aspect ratio. However, this is larger than the 5.5-inch display area of ​​the Galaxy S7 edge - 83.39 cm2. So, it's an achievement on Samsung's part in this regard that they've managed to fit a larger screen into a body that's smaller than the S7 edge.

It is important to note that the 18.5:9 aspect ratio has virtually no effect on the interface of Android applications; in most cases, they adapt perfectly to it. The user even has a choice: use the program with its standard aspect ratio or stretch it to fill the entire screen. To do this, there is a separate button in the multitasking menu, which is needed for older applications without the ability to scale.

As for games, everything is more complicated here, since in some of them, when adapting to the 18.5:9 ratio, the edges of the display are eaten away by the control keys. However, it’s not for nothing that Samsung used a black front panel for all body colors; thanks to it, if you don’t stretch the game across the entire screen of the S8, the black stripes along the edges of the image do not attract attention.

The situation is the same with videos, most of which are shot in 16:9. For example, YouTube has the ability to adapt the picture to the aspect ratio of the Galaxy S8 screen, but in this case it will be slightly cropped at the top and bottom.

The S8 display itself shows good color reproduction and viewing angles. In the settings, you can select one of the preset modes in which the screen changes the display of colors, making them colorful or more natural.

Our measurements showed generally good factory calibration with more than 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, a bias towards “warm” tones, an almost reference gamma and uniform backlighting.

Basic:

Movie:

For those who want to get a completely “warm” display, there is a “blue color filter” in the settings.

Another interesting item in the screen settings is the choice of resolution: HD+ (1480×720), Full HD+ (2220×1080) and WQHD+ (2960×1440).

At maximum resolution, the Galaxy S8 displays an image with a pixel density of 570 pixels per inch. This is more than enough to avoid seeing even a hint of grain on the display. But I can’t help but note that it’s not there with Full HD+, and even HD+. Moreover, each of these resolutions has its own impact on the autonomy of the smartphone, so the standard 2220×1080 pixels can be called optimal, while WQHD+ is only necessary for VR.

Like the S7 edge, the S8 can display useful information on the locked display, such as time, date, battery charge, calendar, an image of your choice, and alert icons. This feature is called Always on Display and works thanks to the Super AMOLED screen, in which each pixel is individually illuminated.

Unlike the previous version, it has become a little smarter, for example, when the phone is in your pocket, the display turns off completely to save battery power. In addition, the image brightness level in Always on Display mode is adjusted depending on the lighting.

The Edge function, which allows you to place a curtain on the edge of the display, which can be pulled out to gain access to various panels, has also not gone away. They help you quickly launch your favorite programs, access contacts, and display a variety of information in the form of widgets.

It includes four tools with which you can cut out an area of ​​the screen, recognize text on an image, make a GIF animation from a video fragment, and also cut out an area of ​​the screen and pin it on top of other programs. The latter is convenient, for example, if you need to rewrite some data, or you simply need it in front of your eyes.

Platform and performance

The Galaxy S8, which will be sold in Ukraine, is equipped with a 10-nanometer Samsung Exynos 8895 processor. This chip uses 4 energy-efficient ARM Cortex A53 cores operating at a frequency of 1.7 GHz, as well as 4 high-performance cores of Samsung’s own design, the frequency of which reaches 2.35 GHz. The top Mali-G71 MP20 accelerator is responsible for graphics processing; it is 40% faster than the Mali T880MP12 chip in the Galaxy S7 edge.

The smartphone also has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. At the same time, there is a slot for microSD memory cards, and it is hybrid, that is, you can install either two nano SIM cards, or one nano SIM and a memory card.

In real-life use, the Galaxy S8 shows a high level of performance, both in the interface and applications. At the same time, there is no dependence on the display resolution; the device works equally quickly.

If you look at the results of synthetic tests, the Galaxy S8 is one of the most productive smartphones in the world.

Fingerprint scanner, facial recognition and iris unlocking

The S8 has the ability to unlock using face, iris, and fingerprint recognition. All these methods have different levels of protection; for example, the facial recognition function can be deceived by placing a photo under the front camera. However, the iris scanner and fingerprint scanner are relatively reliable.

The fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S8 is located on the back of the case, next to the camera unit.

This is not the best placement, as your finger often ends up on the camera itself. There are rumors that Samsung wanted to use Synaptics technology in the S8, which allows you to place a fingerprint sensor under the display glass. But, as often happens, the new technology took more time to perfect, so we still had to find a place for a regular fingerprint scanner. It was found right next to the camera, and not under it, which would have been more logical. It is difficult to get used to this position of the scanner, but it is quite possible; on the third day of use, accidental clicks began to happen much less frequently. And then I tried carrying the Galaxy S8 in a case, and this problem almost disappeared.

The fact is that the scanner, like the camera unit, is flush with the body. In the case, it ends up in a separate niche, which is easy to blindly fall into with your finger. At the same time, the scanner works very quickly and understands touches from any angle.

The iris scanner is located on the front panel, next to the camera. It is infrared, so it works in both light and darkness. In general, it works well, the recognition speed is high. However, it may not work in very bright sun. If the user wears glasses, then everything will depend on the ambient lighting; glare on the glass will not allow the scanner to recognize the iris of the eyes, but if they are not there, then it will work through glasses.

Interface

Galaxy S8 runs Android 7.0 operating system with a slightly modified interface called Samsung Experience. We must give the company its due; it has done a good job of optimizing the OS for its hardware platform, and the interface logic itself is almost the same as in “pure” Android 7.0. Samsung designers have redrawn the icons, the notification shade with quick settings, as well as system applications.

In general, the interface has become visually easier and more pleasant to use, the animation in it works smoothly, without freezing or twitching. To access the menu there is no longer a separate button in the interface; you just need to make a gesture on the main screen from bottom to top or top to bottom.
During the first setup of your smartphone, you can choose whether to install a browser, mail, music and video player, as well as other applications from Samsung or not. Accordingly, if you are accustomed to applications from Google, then now the interface will not contain programs that duplicate their functionality.

The Briefing panel, which was one of the home screens in Samsung smartphones for several years and aggregated news from various sources, has been replaced by Bixby. Or rather, it was integrated into it in the form of a widget. The Bixby panel itself can also be removed from the desktop, but there is a separate key on the left side of the Galaxy S8 to launch this virtual assistant. Let's take a closer look at Bixby.

Bixby

Last May, Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, who worked on Siri, . It was based on the idea that third-party developers themselves could integrate their programs and services into the assistant. And Viv, in turn, would provide them with an intelligent voice input system. Already at the time of the demonstration, Viv supported integration with 50 programs. And this is really important because virtual assistants are generally closed systems. As a result, in October last year, Samsung bought the developers of Viv, and together with the presentation of the Galaxy S8, introduced its virtual assistant Bixby. The mechanism of its operation involves analyzing what programs the user uses and what information he needs. Thus, Bixby will gradually add functional widgets to its panel, which should save the user's time. For example, in the morning it can show the weather forecast, the day's schedule, and the cost of an Uber ride to work if you regularly use this service.

In addition, Bixby can create reminders; you can even add a separate application to the menu for this. Unfortunately, while Bixby can be called more of a beta version, it does not always launch quickly, it does not have voice input, and in general its functionality in Ukraine is still limited. Still, it's an interesting endeavor and interesting to see how it develops.

Camera

The main camera in the Galaxy S8 is 12 megapixels with an f/1.7 aperture, optical and digital stabilization, a 6-lens system and a sensor with fairly large 1.4μm pixels. As you can see, the camera characteristics have not changed compared to the S7 edge, however, the S8 uses a new revision of the camera module, as well as new processing algorithms. As a result, the camera began to work faster and the detail of images in low light increased slightly.

In addition, the camera can now by default save images simultaneously in JPEG and RAW, even in automatic mode.

And an interesting innovation has appeared in the interface: the shutter button can now be pulled up to zoom in on the image through digital zoom, as well as down to return the image to its original position. It is very comfortable.

In good lighting in automatic mode:

In good light with HDR:

In low light in automatic mode:

In low light with HDR:

In poor lighting with flash:

Macro:

Other examples of shots in good lighting:

In backlight:

In poor lighting:

The front camera in the Galaxy S8 is 8-megapixel with f/1.7 aperture. It has HDR support, the ability to stitch several pictures into one to increase the viewing angle, and also backlit the screen when shooting in low light.

In general, there are not very many changes in the main camera, but they are there, and today these characteristics are enough for the Galaxy S8 to be one of the best in terms of image quality.

Audio

The Galaxy S8 has one external speaker, but even despite the protective membrane against water, it sounds quite loud; if you wish, in a not very noisy environment you can watch videos without headphones or listen to music.

The included AKG in-ear headphones sound good, they convey the scene in detail, low, mid and high frequencies, but sags a little in the bass. Overall, these are the best set of headphones I've ever heard. By the way, separately they will cost as much as $100.

The Galaxy S8 itself performs at the level of other Samsung flagships of recent years, which is generally good, although given the purchase of Harman, I expected some significant innovations. Apparently, we will see them in the company’s new flagships. Fortunately, the sound settings in the S8 have not gone away; there is an equalizer and a proprietary Adapt Sound function, which allows you to adjust the sound in the headphones to your hearing.

Another option in the Galaxy S8 that can be classified as audio is the new Bluetooth 5.0 wireless data standard. Now it supports connecting two wireless headphones at once. There is support for the A2DP profile and aptX codec.

Autonomy

After problems with Note 7, Samsung had to change the approach to batteries in its smartphones. Firstly, they began to be tested more thoroughly, increasing the number of tests. And secondly, they stopped trying to fit a high-capacity battery into a compact case. It is for this reason that the S7 edge has a 3600 mAh battery, and the Galaxy S8 has a 3000 mAh battery. But the main question here is not the capacity of the battery, but what autonomy the smartphone has. I measured the S8 at a display brightness of 200 cd/m2 at all three resolutions in the PCMark Work 2.0 test. The following results were obtained:

With HD+ resolution (1480x720) - 8 hours 46 minutes

With Full HD+ resolution (2220x1080) - 7 hours 38 minutes

With WQHD+ resolution (2960x1440) - 6 hours 59 minutes

For a smartphone with a 3000 mAh battery, these are very good results. At the same time, as you can see, resolution significantly affects autonomy. I used the Galaxy S8 with Full HD+ resolution and this was enough for 1.5 days of work with 6 hours of active screen.

The smartphone is charged via the USB Type-C port. There is support for fast wired as well as wireless charging.

Compare prices