Galaxy s8 front camera flash. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus - review of new products from the South Korean developer
Quite recently, two fresh “space” flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its slightly larger version, the Galaxy S8+, appeared on the mobile device market. It would seem that there is nothing else to chase, what other improvements can be placed in these small devices. Apparently, Samsung, which was bound to happen sooner or later, also asked similar questions. Since after the breakthrough Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in many ways, it has become pointless to technically improve gadgets, then where to go next? The South Korean developer has directed the development of its flagships along a new path. Namely, design and ease of use. Instead of trying to outplay their biggest competitor - the IPhone - developers from the country of Morning Freshness paid attention to the comfort of their own customers.
Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
In terms of technical features, the S8 and S8+ rightfully occupy a leading position not only among their own representatives, but also among the flagships of other brands. They outperform their younger predecessors quite a bit - S7 and S7 Edge. However, Samsung representatives themselves pay much more attention to the design of the phone and the various “tricks” that appeared here. So let's take a look at what's here.
Housing materials
The phone body, like most modern Samsungs, is made of glass and metal. The frame that frames the perimeter is metal, and the front and back panels are completely hidden under the glass. By the way, the S8 has Gorilla Glass 4, but the “baby” S8+ is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Both have an oleophobic coating, which means that the phones are protected from minor scratches, dust and do not glare in the sun. And at the same time extremely easily soiled. It’s better to immediately purchase a case for your new gadget, otherwise you risk going crazy trying to get rid of instantly appearing and omnipresent fingerprints on the case.
The phone is very pleasant to hold in your hand, but it gets dirty at the speed of light
Design
The materials of the S8/S8+ are not much different from their predecessors, but there have been dramatic changes in design. Now the working screen occupies almost the entire surface of the front panel - as much as 84% of its area. The speaker, retinal scanner, proximity sensor, front camera and light sensor remain in place. Do you understand what this means? No mechanical Home button or the famous Samsung logo above the display. The “Home” button, as well as the touch “Return” and “Running applications” are now part of the screen. These “managers” retained their functions. The virtual Home key is located in its usual place and is always available to the user. The feeling of pressing it is exactly the same as pressing the previous physical version - you can feel a kind of click both when you press the key and when you release it. If you press this sensor with great force, it will vibrate and instantly take you to the main screen. For those who are concerned about the availability of the key while running various full-screen programs, for example, games, let us clarify that Home is always available.
The fingerprint scanner had to be moved to the back panel, because there was simply no room left in front
On the back side, along with the camera and flash, the developers placed a fingerprint scanner. Not all users were satisfied with this solution, however, you must admit, the creators simply had no alternatives.
Sizes and colors
The dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy S8 are 148.9 x 68.1 mm, and the height is 8 mm, while the weight is 152 g. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is slightly larger than its counterpart: length and height - 159.5 x 73.4 mm, thickness - 8.1 mm, and weight - 173 g.
The dimensions of the phones, in general, do not feel too capacious or inconvenient. The devices fit perfectly in the hand. True, small flaws are revealed when trying to reach the S8+ fingerprint scanner. If in the S8 the sensor button can be found without much difficulty, then in the Plus model this becomes a significant task. Otherwise, the ergonomics of the devices perform well.
Despite their rather large size, both phones fit perfectly in the hand. But trying to reach the opposite upper corner is in vain
The phones have five colors, but only three are available for Russia: yellow topaz (gold), black diamond and mystical amethyst (silver).
Screen
The screen is the most remarkable part of the phone, because it takes up almost the entire space of the front panel. The diagonal size of the regular version is 5.8 inches with a pixel density of 570 ppi, while the plus model is 6.2 inches with a pixel density of 529 ppi. The screen resolution is 2960 x 1440 pixels, i.e. Quad HD+. The screen, of course, has curved edges, just like the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge. However, this time the developers tried to make the display “limitless” and they really succeeded.
Due to the fact that the side frames in the front plane of the screen have disappeared, and the upper edges on both sides of the display are extremely narrow, an unusual feeling is created as if you are immersed in the image. In addition to this, the slightly elongated proportions of the screen add originality to the phone. It uses an 18.5:9 ratio instead of the usual 16:9. Surprisingly, such an innovation does not cause any discomfort. Quite the contrary. Now the screen can accommodate much more information, which is certainly convenient. And such an unusual display of the picture only adds to its uniqueness.
Both versions of the phone use the same type of SuperAMOLED screen. If you have already used mid- and high-end Samsung phones, then you know about all the advantages of this type of screen. You still have access to various detailed settings - color mode, calibration, blue filter, contrast, brightness, etc. The screen performs well both indoors and on a brightly lit street. Among other things, in the screen settings you can set the desired resolution and the list of applications that will be used in full screen mode.
Photo gallery: smartphone display testing
The intelligent assistant still needs improvement - at least in the Russian version
Biometric phone security
Facial recognition and an iris scanner have been added to the available data protection tools. In the first case, you need to take into account many different nuances. In good lighting, the sensor works perfectly and without failures. But if the light is dim or practically non-existent, don’t be surprised if your own phone suddenly doesn’t recognize you. Also, recognition may not work if, for example, you are trying to unlock your phone while lying down or your current appearance is somehow different from the one that was originally captured. In addition, many note that it is easy to deceive the scanner by simply showing it a photo of the owner. In the second case, recognition takes a little longer, but the method is much more reliable.
The retinal scanner may act up if you are wearing sunglasses. The rest - including ordinary glasses - is not a hindrance to him
AKG headset
Samsung acquired Harman last year. This developer is famous for having previously created various audio products for brands such as Harman Kardon and Bowers & Wilkins. This time, Harman started collaborating with Samsung. The result of their work was in-ear headphones with a remote control, designed and released specifically for the S8 and S8+. We must pay tribute, the sound in them is really good. However, this is only at mid frequencies. Avid connoisseurs of good sound will clearly notice that the bass in these headphones is not very powerful, and there is no immersion effect or sound depth either. And the volume of the AKG headset is very low. Maybe it's the phones themselves, you ask. But no. If you replace the included headset with any other more or less high-quality headphones, the sound will improve significantly. “Space” new products produce a simply gorgeous range of sound waves, but AKGs are definitely not suitable for revealing it.
Camera Features
Both phones inherited the camera from their top-end ancestor, the Galaxy S7. The resolution of the main lens is 12 megapixels, and the aperture is f/1.7. The front camera is a little worse - only 8 megapixels with an aperture value of the same f/1.7. The focal length is 26 mm, there is optical stabilization. In terms of technical strength, the camera is really no different from its predecessor. So what's new?
And the fact is that Samsung has focused on the software part of its cameras. Shooting in low light conditions has improved. The developers turned to Dual Pixel technology, which accelerated autofocus, as well as continuous shooting.
Daytime shooting (+photo examples)
When shooting during the day, there are no complaints about the camera. The pictures come out clear, highly detailed, without blur, even if the subject was in motion. The picture itself is rich, sometimes even too rich, but these are the features of all Samsung mobile equipment. The white balance is adjusted perfectly, the color gamut pleases with its maximum plausibility.
The phone adjusts the white balance very sensitively, with virtually no mistakes. There are no complaints about macro photography.
In addition to other modes, the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ has the ability to manually adjust focus. You can independently choose which view your phone should focus on
By the way, you can shoot in two modes - auto and manual. Manual mode allows you to adjust exposure, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. In addition, the S8/S8+ offers several preset modes to choose from. However, even without them the camera behaves quite decently.
Shooting in low light (photo)
We are already accustomed to the fact that in poor lighting conditions, when it begins to get dark outside or you enter a room with your camera, the quality of shooting deteriorates sharply, the picture acquires a lot of noise, blurriness appears and saturation disappears. This does not happen in the case of the Galaxy S8/S8+. The phone takes excellent pictures even in dim light.
The picture was taken during the evening - there is no noise, and the detail is as high as during daytime shooting. As you can see for yourself, the camera on the new Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ is not inferior, but also superior to some DSLRs
Front-camera
8 megapixels allow the front camera to take pictures with quality no worse than the main lens. It supports autofocus mode and auto face retouching. The camera does not have its own flash, but the screen backlight is a good substitute.
Even in dim light, the sculpture’s selfie came out detailed and rich.
Video
The maximum available resolution in which the S8/S8+ can shoot is 4K, i.e. 3840 x 2160 pixels, frame speed reaches 30fps. In the lower FullHD resolution, the frame rate increases to 60 fps. For video shooting, optical stabilization is available, which instantly straightens the frame. The phones produce an excellent picture - a decent level of saturation, brightness and detail even in the dark. The sound recording is also of high quality - there are no strange interferences or noises, the audio track is clear and loud.
The South Korean developer realized in time that it’s not a matter of pixels at all and “bigger” does not mean “better.” The camera on the S8/S8+ is not superior to the camera on the same S7, but the difference in shooting quality is noticeable.
During the testing process, a number of comparative tests were carried out in various conditions and modes.
In contact with
What's the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7 Plus cameras?
iPhone 7 Plus has a dual main camera with a wide-angle (ƒ/1.8 aperture) and a telephoto lens (ƒ/2.8 aperture). This solution allows you to receive and also use 10x digital zoom. Both cameras have a 12-megapixel sensor. A 7-megapixel sensor (ƒ/2.2 aperture) is responsible for taking selfies (front camera).
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 12-megapixel main camera (ƒ/1.7 aperture) and an 8 MP front camera (ƒ/1.7 aperture).
The main camera housing of the Samsung Galaxy S8 does not protrude beyond the rear panel of the smartphone, like the iPhone.
Taking photos with Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7 Plus cameras
Color rendition
When it comes to taking photos, both flagships show excellent quality of mobile photography, and the final result largely depends on the scene and the software settings of the camera.
In most cases, the image of the Galaxy S8 is more contrasty, bright and saturated, while the 7 Plus is softened, true to reality and natural.
The HDR mode is definitely better on the Galaxy S8. For those unaware, a smartphone with HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology takes multiple photos at different exposures and then combines the best features of the two photos to create a single image.
In most cases, in the test, the iPhone's picture turned out to be too dark, while the Samsung flagship's photos turned out to be lighter and more contrasty.
Zoom and portrait photography
But in portrait photography, the iPhone 7 Plus is the leader. Thanks to the second camera with a telephoto lens, there is a 2x optical zoom, which will allow you to zoom in on the image without loss of quality, while the Galaxy S8 only has digital zoom. Also, thanks to the dual camera, the iPhone has the ability to capture images with the “Bokeh” effect (a clear figure remains in focus, and the background becomes blurred, just like in DSLR cameras). However, here you need to get the hang of it: the exposure does not always allow you to achieve the desired effect, the edges are not always clear, and the light and distance must be maintained. Also, do not forget that the “Portrait” mode is a software feature of iOS.
Taking photos in motion
When the subject moves intensely, both cameras capture excellent images. Of course, flaws may appear in both representatives, and here a lot depends on the time you press the “shutter”.
Photos in low light conditions
In low-light conditions, the iPhone 7 Plus lags behind the South Korean flagship “thanks” to more noise.
Photo on the front camera
The front camera of the Galaxy S8 is slightly blurry and overly softens the image when taking a selfie. But the main advantage of the “galaxy” is a wider viewing angle of the lens, which allows you to capture more space with a minimum distance from the smartphone.
But in low light conditions, selfies from the Galaxy S8 turned out to be brighter and more detailed. But don’t forget that in the iPhone 7 Plus the display can act as a flash, so this nuance is partially compensated.
Shooting video with the main camera of Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7 Plus
Color rendition
In practice, when shooting video, the picture in the Galaxy S8 turned out to have more contrast, although less clear (slightly blurred), but this moment very much depends on the available exposure and lighting. The Galaxy lens has a slightly larger viewing angle for the main camera.
In turn, the seven with the Plus prefix suffers from gray tones and dark areas. Despite this, color rendition when recording video on the 7 Plus is more pleasant, although not always realistic.
Optical stabilization
The image stabilization of the Galaxy S8 works in a slightly better way than in the top-end “seven”. In low light conditions, detail is better on the flagship of the South Korean giant. In good lighting, you won't notice much of a difference.
Autofocus speed
In terms of autofocus during dynamic zoom and zoom, the iPhone definitely wins. The S8's autofocusing process is slower. But when an object suddenly appears in the frame (for example, on the right or left side of the smartphone), the opposite is true - the Samsung Galaxy S8 copes with this task faster.
Shooting video in low light conditions
In low light conditions, the image is more detailed in the S8. There is also slightly less noise in the Samsung, and a larger number of minimally illuminated objects are included in the image. But in dynamic scenes, autofocus works better on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Underwater photography
Underwater shooting in poor conditions with muddy water without various accessories showed that the Samsung camera copes with this task better. Images are clearer and sharper.
In good lighting conditions and clear water, the image is equally good for both flagships.
Slow Motion Mode
Slow Motion mode is also good on both smartphones.
Macro photography
When shooting macro, the 7 Plus can focus closer to the subject.
Front camera video
If when comparing the main camera of two flagships, not everything is so clear and the result largely depends on the scene, then with the front camera everything is much more obvious. iPhone 7 Plus records richer, brighter images. The downside is a large number of dark areas. The iPhone focuses at a shorter distance, but the autofocus speed itself is higher in the Galaxy S8.
Bottom line
The cameras in both smartphones are really good. Every year, manufacturers take small steps to bring the resulting quality of mobile images to a new level. In terms of video shooting, it’s difficult to single out any of the flagships and you obviously won’t notice any obvious differences.
But when it comes to photos, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is clearly the leader. The images are of higher quality. The camera in the Galaxy works faster. There is access to RAW out of the box, while the iPhone only has access to . The front camera has higher resolution and slightly better stabilization and the ability to shoot in low light.
So, if we discard the features with portrait photography with the dual camera of the iPhone 7 Plus, then we give preference in taking photos to the Galaxy S8. Let's hope that in September Apple will rehabilitate itself and demonstrate a new technology milestone, but that will be a completely different story.
This year, Samsung decided that size really does matter, so the new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have larger screens of 5.8 and 6.2 inches, respectively. Other companies have already tried to make devices with the largest possible displays, but the Koreans have really reached a new, unprecedented level in this regard. How convenient it is to use the new “galaxies” - read the translation of the review from YugaTech on Trashbox.
It is noteworthy that even the simple version of the Galaxy S8 has a larger screen diagonally than the unsuccessful Galaxy Note 7 phablet, not to mention the “plus”. What will the eighth Galaxy Note be like then? Will its screen be larger than 6.2 inches? It’s very interesting what Samsung will come up with for fans of the stylus and large display, but for now let’s look at the eighth Galaxy.
Characteristics
- Screen: 5.8 / 6.2 inches, Super AMOLED, 2960x1440 pixels, 570 / 529 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protective glass.
- Operating system: Android 7.1 Nougat, Samsung Experience 8.1 shell.
- Processor: Exynos 8895, eight-core (4×Cortex-A53 at 1.7 GHz and 4×2.3 GHz at 2.3 GHz), 10 nm.
- GPU: Mali G71-MP20.
- RAM: 4 GB (LPDDR4).
- Storage: 64 GB (UFS 2.1) with support for microSD cards up to 256 GB.
- Main camera: 12 megapixels (Sony IMX333 + S5K2L2 ISOCELL), Dual Pixel, f/1.7 aperture, optical stabilization (OIS), video recording 1080p×60FPS, 4K×30FPS.
- Front camera: 8 megapixels, wide-angle sensor, f/1.7 aperture.
- Battery: 3,000 / 3,500 mAh, lithium-ion, fast charging from 0 to 100% in 75 minutes.
- Dimensions (mm): 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 (Galaxy S8), 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 (Galaxy S8+).
- Weight (grams): 155 / 173.
- Slots for SIM cards: one nanoSIM, the second - combined.
- Connectivity: 4G/LTE (up to category 16), Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, 3.5 mm audio jack, dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ GLONASS/Galileo.
- Sensors: fingerprint scanner, pressure sensor, accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, heart rate sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor.
- Water protection: IP68.
- Available colors: in Russia so far only black, golden and mystical (pink-gray).
- Price: 54,990 / 59,990 rubles.
Appearance and design
The flagship Galaxy S line has undergone a major redesign this year. The general concept has not changed, but the approach is completely different. Both versions of the smartphone received a curved screen at the edges, and the frames at the top and bottom were greatly reduced. Like the LG G6, the corners of the display panel are rounded. This is not only beautiful, but also practical in terms of the strength of the case. In case of a fall or other external influences, there is less chance that the matrix with rounded corners will be damaged.
Hardware control buttons and the Samsung logo, which was previously usually located on the top frame, have been removed from the front panel. This freed up space for the display. Only some sensors and the front camera remain. We have already seen this in the Xiaomi Mi MIX, which has nothing on the front side of the body except a display, a camera and a pair of sensors.
The bottom edge is strewn with a 3.5 mm port, universal USB Type-C and a speaker grid. Unfortunately, Samsung isn't dabbling in two separate stereo speakers just yet.
The top edge is equipped with a tray for nanoSIM cards. There is also an additional hybrid slot for microSD cards up to 256 GB. It can be used for an additional nanoSIM.
The rear panel contains a camera sensor that does not protrude from the body with a two-tone LED flash on the left and a fingerprint scanner on the right. The position of the fingerprint sensor is at least strange, but more on that later. The back of the device is covered with protective glass. Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It is slightly curved along the edges, which creates a pleasant visual effect, but also thanks to this the phone fits perfectly in the hand.
The case is protected from water and dust according to the standard IP68. The smartphone can be immersed in water to a depth of 1.5 meters for no more than 30 minutes.
Overall, there are no issues with Samsung in terms of the appearance and design of the Galaxy S8. The phone looks impressive and feels good in the hand.
Screen
Samsung is doing the right thing by making the screen the main feature of its smartphones. They are allowed to do this, because their own panels Super AMOLED- almost the best on the market. The Galaxy S8 has the largest screen in the South Korean manufacturer's flagship line. 5.8 inches is even larger than the typical diagonal of phablets (5.5-5.7 inches). This is a big improvement, especially considering the dimensions are almost identical to the previous generation.
This diagonal was achieved by removing the hardware buttons and fingerprint scanner on the rear panel. The Samsung inscription was also moved there. The frames were reduced to a minimum - there was only room for the front camera, a pair of sensors and an iris scanner.
The edges of the display are curved, as you would expect from a Samsung flagship smartphone. Let us remember that this “trick” first appeared in the Galaxy Note edge, and then migrated to the Galaxy S line. Now there is no division into the regular and edge versions - both “galaxies” have a curved screen.
Screen resolution - 2960x1440 pixels(WQHD+). Thus, the pixel density is 570 ppi. The firmware of smartphones provides a function that automatically or manually changes the screen resolution to save energy. By default, the indicator is set to Full HD+ (2280x1080). The lowest level is HD+ (1480×720). The latter is used when the energy saving mode is turned on.
From left to right: selecting resolution, picture mode and other settings
The aspect ratio of this screen is quite strange - 18.5:9. Not the best option for watching videos and pictures in games. But the firmware provides a function for adapting content to the display.
As for the matrix itself, these are top quality Super AMOLED panels. Color rendition, detail and contrast are at a high level. Under the rays of the sun, the display behaves perfectly - readability is maintained. The Galaxy S8 firmware has a function to reduce blue radiation at night - reducing eye strain.
Camera
Samsung pays a lot of attention to the camera in its flagship smartphones. The eighth generation of the Galaxy is no exception - the devices take excellent photos and videos. Galaxy S8 uses the new Sony IMX333 sensor and S5K2L2 ISOCELL sensor with resolution 12 megapixels(the same number was in S7).
Sample photos from Galaxy S8 (images are highly compressed)
The main camera supports optical image stabilization (OIS). The videos are very high quality, but it is clear that Samsung programmers have not yet completed the camera software. When making sharp turns, the picture is slightly blurred. Perhaps this will be fixed with the final update before the start of sales. Video recording in 4K×30FPS or 1080p×60FPS resolution is supported. The frame rate for slow motion video is limited to 240FPS at 720p resolution.
The front camera has received a big improvement - from 5 to 8 megapixels. There is a wide-angle sensor with a good aperture ratio - f/1.7. Your selfies will definitely look good even in poor lighting conditions.
The camera application interface has been greatly redesigned. Now it looks like some kind of social network like Snapchat. We added many interesting functions and features. For knowledgeable users, a professional shooting mode is provided. In it you can manually adjust the ISO value (50−800), shutter speed (1/2400 to 10 seconds), white balance and picture profile.
In the Galaxy S7, many people liked the function of launching the camera by double pressing the Home button. Since it was removed, this “trick” moved to the unlock button.
operating system
The new products run on the Android 7.0 Nougat platform, on top of which proprietary firmware is installed Samsung Experience(formerly TouchWiz). As is always the case with Samsung, several applications are preinstalled: Samsung Notes, proprietary Browser, Secure Folder and others. But it's still not as bad as it was in the 2014−2015 versions of TouchWiz.
Since the hardware control buttons were removed, Samsung decided to slightly level out this loss. Now there are almost always virtual Recent, Home and Back buttons at the bottom. Sometimes two disappear, and only Home remains. The central button has pleasant feedback and adjustable sensitivity. There is no separate button on the desktop to call up the application menu - a universal gesture from bottom to top or vice versa is responsible for this.
There is special software for curved screen edges: App Edge, People Edge, Clipboard Edge and more. All this interacts to one degree or another with the curved screen. For example, you can bring up the favorites panel by swiping on this area. There is also a utility for creating a screenshot or even a GIF animation.
Security features include a fingerprint sensor and an iris scanner. The finger sensor was moved to the back cover and placed next to the camera. Thus, you can only reach it with a normal grip with your right hand and index finger. But the fingers themselves must also be long enough. The sensor itself works quickly and stores up to four fingerprints.
Another innovation in the firmware and design of the smartphone is the Bixby voice assistant. It can be called up in any application using the button on the left side of the case. Bixby is a mixture of a traditional voice assistant, learning artificial intelligence, and a recommendation engine. Wherever you call Bixby, it will understand the context and find exactly what you need. However, in test samples the assistant practically does not work.
Overall, Samsung's new Android skin is very pleasant to use. Smooth animations and cute icons are pleasing to the eye, and thoughtful features turn ordinary interaction with a smartphone into a real pleasure. For those who do not like the standard interface, themes are available in the company catalog - there you can find a shell to suit your taste.
The 64 GB test sample was free 53.98 GB. Thus, more than 10 GB is occupied by the firmware.
Iron
The guys from YugaTech.com tested a smartphone in a version with a processor Exynos 8895 Samsung's own production. It is this chipset that is equipped with the Galaxy S8 for Europe and the CIS. This is the ninth generation of Exynos processors. And they can compete with solutions from Qualcomm, Huawei and other companies.
The Exynos 8895 is built on a 4+4 architecture: four ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.7 GHz) are responsible for simple tasks, and four custom Exynos M1 cores (2.3 GHz) are included when processing heavy processes like games. But the main difference between the 8895 and the previous generation is the graphics accelerator. The new product uses the Mali G71-MP20 video chip. The big increase in productivity is precisely his merit.
Despite the fact that Samsung abandoned the new Cortex-A73 cores (Snapdragon 835 and Kirin 960), its own Exynos M1 cores show approximately the same power.
Test results Galaxy S8 in benchmarks:
- AnTuTu: 174,155.
- Quadrant Standard: 43,185.
- PCMark: 5,371 (Work 2.0), 6,034 (Work 1.0).
- PCMark Storage: 4,421.
- 3DMark: 3,159.
- Vellamo: 7,269 (Browser), 3,324 (Metal Graphics), 3,621 (multi-core test).
- Geekbench 4.0: 1,974 (single-core), 6,339 (multi-core).
Calls, communication and battery
The new Samsung flagship is equipped with all modern communication standards, including 4G / LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0(for the first time in a smartphone) and NFC. The voice quality in calls is ideal. It's nice that Samsung still pays a lot of attention to the most important function of the phone - calls. Bluetooth receiver version 5 allows you to connect two pairs of headphones or other audio accessories to one Galaxy S8.
Having increased the screen diagonal, Samsung, unfortunately, decided not to do the same with the battery. A regular Galaxy has a non-removable battery with a capacity 3,000 mAh, and in the Plus version - 3,500 mAh. However, the manufacturer claims that the operating time will remain the same.
In the PC Mark Battery Test benchmark, which emulates an intensive load, the smartphone worked for 10 hours 43 minutes. At the same time, the brightness was set to 50%, the sound was turned off, and the phone was also switched to airplane mode. To be honest, the result is controversial. The same Galaxy S7 lasted longer in the same benchmark.
Galaxy S8 in video playback worked 10 hours 45 minutes at the same brightness, volume and networks turned off. And this is also less than in the Galaxy S7 - about 1 hour.
Galaxy S8 wireless charging stand
As they say, here you decide for yourself what is more important to you - a cool and large screen, or a little longer battery life. The battery charges via the USB Type-C connector in approximately 75 minutes from 0 to 100%. Wireless charging is supported. And yes - it does not explode when charging.
Results
Samsung tried to make a truly new smartphone, original and innovative. Although we have already seen the LG G6 and Xiaomi Mi MIX, the eighth Galaxy is a completely different smartphone. Koreans are getting closer to the moment when we will simply carry a large panel with a display without frames and a bulky case.
In the Galaxy S8 you can find the best screen, powerful processor, beautiful body design, quality materials and a good camera.
Of course, art requires sacrifice, so there was a fly in the ointment. Among the shortcomings, we can note the poor ergonomics of the fingerprint scanner. In addition, the price has increased, although for Russia this is not particularly noticeable - the price tags for the new Galaxy S8 are approximately at the same level as the Galaxy S7 at the start of sales.
Fine:
- Stylish design.
- Great screen.
- Powerful processor and plenty of memory.
- Good camera.
- Iris scanner.
- A well-developed shell for Android.
- Opening hours could have been better.
- The price has increased.
- The fingerprint scanner is inconvenient.
Sony has been putting excellent IPS displays in smartphones for a very long time, so choosing between the XZ Premium and S8+ based on image quality will be a matter of taste. In comparison with Samsung, the fingerprint scanner of the Japanese flagship can already be used without swearing, and based on the quality of the photos, one can preliminarily determine that Sony takes slightly less bright, but clearer pictures with natural color rendition, while Samsung blurs the frame more, but produces a wider dynamic range . And, judging by preliminary comparisons with the iPhone 7 Plus, Sony still saddled its photo algorithms properly. It is high time!
Otherwise - no, excuse my English, know-how: no voice assistants, no exotic camera modes, no edges, etc. But this is not important - the main thing is that the smartphone has a high-quality camera, display, sound and does not have problems with autonomy and operating speed. Because we can’t talk about it reliably yet - due to a shortage of supplies of the Snapdragon 835 and some bureaucracy, the XZ Premium will go on sale only in the summer, a few months after the start of sales of the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8.
conclusions
Most of the complaints about the S8/S8+ relate to ergonomics. Samsung didn't remove the fingerprint scanner like Apple removed the audio jack, but it did make the scanner awkward to use. And so that Bixby, into which the Koreans have sunk a lot of money, does not “sink”, it was “nailed” to a separate key and the volume down buttons were put in place. Whether you like it or not, you will use it periodically.
I repeat once again: Galaxy S8/S8+ is not an S7 “with a new sauce”, it is, in some way, a return to origins. Because five years ago, passers-by were just as likely to turn their necks at the “huge” 4.7-inch HD display inside the glossy, sleek body of the Galaxy S3. In the same model, Samsung for the first time introduced the stupid, as time has shown, voice assistant S-Voice and multi-windows to resemble a computer (and in the S8 it “reinvented” Windows Continuum). And even “childhood illnesses” with the display were also typical for the S3 and S8.
I don't like the soapy body design of the Galaxy S8+, and Not I like the way of avoiding inconveniences for old methods of use in order to courageously overcome them with new ones (be it a voice assistant or a face/iris scanner). I don’t like the “fresh” sound in the headphones and last year’s rear camera. I don’t like the battery life under load compared to the S7 edge. Logically, now I should say “for the same money it’s better to buy %smartphone_name%!”... but there is no such smartphone.
The Sony flagship will appear only in the “bright future” and it is not known whether it will be better in all respects; LG is offering a relatively slow smartphone for an amount comparable to the S8, which has a worse screen, optical stabilization, and a worse front camera. Huawei also didn’t come close either in performance or in the ratio of display diagonal to body dimensions, and even in terms of camera quality it almost “jumped” to last year’s Samsung camera.
The “godlike” Xiaomi, as practice has shown, is not strong enough to compete with the flagships of 2017. So the Chinese simply wrapped the Snapdragon 835 in an inexpensive case and installed cameras “slightly better than the iPhone 7 Plus.” Everyone was waiting for a miracle, but what they got was another powerful “Chinese”.
What kind of miracle is it when no one (not even LG, the giant producing OLED matrices) is still able to build a display that is as bright, colorful and correctly calibrated, even if it’s not curved? How did it happen that Samsung, which before the S7 edge even molded the cores for hardware according to a ready-made recipe, built the most powerful processor in the world, cooler than the “craft” chip of the most experienced Qualcomm?
Galaxy S8: camera test, comparison with the Galaxy S7 camera, post-processing algorithms. Is the Galaxy S8 worth buying for the camera?
Samsung abandoned the dual camera, improvements and changes in the technical characteristics of the camera. The module, based on Dual Pixel technology, is already used in the third generation of smartphones: Galaxy S7/S7 Edge, recalled Galaxy Note 7, Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+. Note that both versions of the flagships received the same cameras. And this is a rational decision. and camera comparisons prove that Dual Pixel technology provides top photo quality.
From a technical point of view, the Galaxy S8+ camera has not changed at all. We see the same f/1.7 aperture, 26mm lens, optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, and LED flash.
However, to say that the camera has remained the same is completely wrong. Because the developer has significantly changed the software algorithms for image processing. At the presentation of the Galaxy S8, a Samsung representative mentioned that photo processing algorithms have improved, and the quality of pictures in low-light conditions has also improved.
The first noticeable change in the Galaxy S8+ camera software is frame alignment. Officially called "Multi-Frame Image Processing", the feature works on the same principle as HDR+ in the Google Pixel XL, which proves that the right software processing matters as much as the technical capabilities of the camera.
Unlike Pixel, where HDR+ must be manually activated, the Galaxy S8+ has the feature enabled by default. At the time of shooting, the smartphone takes not one, but several frames. Samsung representatives do not specify how this option works.
GSMArena experts suggest that the Galaxy S8+ takes pictures continuously while the camera is active, and then selects the last 10 taken before the shutter was released. The smartphone then layers/combines the frames with each other to ensure maximum detail and quality of the final photo. This is possible by comparing images pixel by pixel, thus reducing the noise level, the amount of distortion in the frame, and increasing sharpness. All this happens in the background when the user is just taking a photo. Processing speed and minimal latency are ensured by the latest chipset.
The Galaxy S8+ camera test shows that if you start randomly and very quickly taking photo after photo, there is some delay.
Modes and additional features
The Galaxy S8+ camera offers the user a selection of filters to choose from, as well as stickers and Snapchat filters. Face recognition and filter application work perfectly, everything is applied accurately.
The camera interface is simple, and switching to the front camera mode occurs by simply swiping across the screen; there is no dedicated button. The front camera offers several additional modes in addition to skin color correction: big eyes and thin face. For a more dramatic effect, you can use a spotlight effect that will appear on one side of the photo. Correction of facial features is also available to smooth out defects.
The Galaxy S8+ camera has not received any new shooting modes. Selective Focus takes multiple shots with both the near and far in focus. Three versions are saved in the gallery, and the user can choose a general plan photo, with focus on the foreground, and with focus on the background.
Pro mode amazes with the choice of settings, offering detailed step-by-step adjustment of each of the parameters: ISO, white balance, shutter speed, exposure, focus.
Galaxy S8+ photo quality
In most cases, the Galaxy S8's camera takes the same pictures as last year's flagship S7. The S8's 12MP camera takes photos with a resolution of 4032 x 3024 pixels, which means that the default photo format is 3:4. The user can manually set the format to 16:9, but as practice shows, it is better not to do this. The bottom line is that the S8 camera is not capable of taking photos in the new 18.5:9 format. This means that when viewing photos on the screen, you will always see black frames. The same applies to the video being shot.
By default, photos are saved in JPG format; RAW format is available in the settings (only for Pro mode). There's also a floating shutter button. This improves the ease of use of the camera, especially with one hand, especially given the new unusually elongated format of the smartphone.
In bright daylight, the S8+ produces really high-quality, detailed images. The colors are natural, although the photo shows that post-processing was used. There is some smoothing in the corners, but not critical.
Photos with HDR
HDR mode can work in automatic mode (applied at the discretion of the smartphone), it can be activated (applied to all frames) or disabled (not applied to any frames) manually. Note that in automatic mode, the smartphone copes with the task at 5+, choosing the right moments to improve the photo. Although we admit that photographs taken with automatic HDR, with active HDR and with HDR disabled are not much different. Compare:
- 1 photo- automatic HDR mode
- 2 photos- with HDR
- 3 photos- without HDR
And one more couple of pictures:
- 1 photo- with HDR
- 2 photos- without HDR
The Galaxy S8+'s camera photos are identical to those of the S7. Considering that the cost of the S7 is rapidly falling, and the smartphone is powerful enough to run the coolest applications for at least another 2 years, the choice is not obvious.
Photo quality in low light conditions
The main difference between the Galaxy S8+ camera (as well as the S8) is shooting in low light/night conditions. The photos are clear, with sufficient detail. To demonstrate the difference, we suggest comparing photos from the Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S7:
- 1 photo-Galaxy S8+
- 2 photos-Galaxy S7
- 1 photo-Galaxy S8+
- 2 photos-Galaxy S7
- 1 photo-Galaxy S8+
- 2 photos-Galaxy S7
Conclusions:
Technically, the Galaxy S8+ camera remains the same as we see in its predecessor, the Galaxy S7. Only the software algorithms for photo post-processing have changed. The image processing speed is high, thanks to the powerful processor.
The difference in photo quality becomes obvious only in night/evening shooting conditions. Otherwise, it is almost impossible to distinguish between photos from the Galaxy S7 and S8.
The elongated smartphone screen is inconvenient to use with one hand. For this purpose, a floating shutter button is created to place it within easy reach.
You shouldn't expect anything supernatural from the S8+ camera, as well as from the S8. If the camera is one of the deciding factors for you to upgrade to a new smart phone, then the S8 doesn't offer enough objective improvements.