Samsung’s latest Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus flagships are presently ruling the airwaves not because they bear the Samsung brand but because of the sleek design and the powerful processors they feature, especially the Snapdragon 835 SoC. Samsung isn’t the only one that would use the Qualcomm latest chipset as Xiaomi had earlier been tipped to be the first Chinese domestic brand that would use the next generation SoC. Now, OnePlus is also rumoured to use the Snapdragon 835 on their upcoming flagship.
A new leak has come up which tend to give some credibility to earlier rumours that the OnePlus5 flagship will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip. The leak also revealed that the Snapdragon 835 would come with 8GB of RAM, as well as a Quad HD (2K) display. The flagship will also sport a 5.5-inch display, 3,000mAh battery, 23MP rear camera with OIS, and others.
The renders of the OnePlus 5 were also leaked alongside the specifications and they reveal the likelihood of a full-screen display with a high screen-to-body ratio. We can’t be so sure about that but it is just logical for OnePlus to go along with the trend and make their next flagship come with a high screen-to-body ratio. Already LG G6 launched with such design and now the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus and more are likely to follow. The display is likely going to be a curved display with a virtual home button.
In addition, the leaked renders show that the OnePlus 5 may likely come with a dual camera setup at the rear which is aligned in the vertical plane. Also, there is a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor which could be as a result of the absence of a front home button under which the fingerprint could have been embedded. Nothing is certain yet, so we’ll still take this one with a pinch of salt.
When Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 4X last month, it was only available with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Xiaomi however teased that there would be a 4GB RAM variant with 64GB ROM. The rumor back then was that it was also going to have a different Snapdragon processor, most likely the Snapdragon 653. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Xiaomi has decided to power the Redmi Note 4X with a Helio X20 chip instead. Yes, that’s the deca-core chip we saw in the TENAA listing earlier today.
The info comes from Xiaomi’s official website where the details of the new variant have already been uploaded. The high-end version will have the Mali T880MP4 GPU clocked at 700MHz 4GB RAM.It will also support SD cards of up to 128GB in size. The remaining specifications are the same as the 3GB RAM version.
Brian White is an analyst for Drexel Hamilton and he thinks there will soon be a change of power in the smartphone world. According to him, Samsung’s days of being the Android king are coming to an end and the new king will be Chinese manufacturer, Huawei.
“I do expect the Chinese to knock off Samsung and that’s probably going to be Huawei. I see it as a Huawei-Apple fight in the future, Samsung and probably some smaller competitors underneath them.” Mr White is quoted as saying in an interview with Squawk Alley.
Actually, his prediction may turn out to be true. In the fourth quarter of 2016, an IDC report says Apple and Samsung’s share of the smartphone market were almost tied at 18% each. Huawei almost snagged 11% of the market.
Both Huawei and Samsung have announced their flagships for 2017 and both devices are very impressive. It remains to see how many units they are able to sell by the end of the year.
It appears that the speculation of Samsung’s reign coming to an end is one that is not only shared by Brian White. Hans Tung, a venture investor and managing partner at GGV says he is skeptical about Samsung’s long term chances against Apple. He says the market is saturated and “it is very difficult to come up with a phone that will wow customers greatly”.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones are now available on pre-orders with color options like Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Arctic Silver in the U.S. Customers who pre-order the S8 or S8+ can avail a free Gear VR with Controller as well as Oculus Bonus Content. Pre-orders across AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular will begin on March 30 at 12:01 AM ET and last until April 21.
Unlocked Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+
The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ would be available for purchase through Best Buy in the U.S. with a respective pricing of $724.99 and $824.99. The unlocked models are cheaper than carrier counterparts. The shipments of the unlocked units will begin from May 9.
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AT&T
Galaxy S8 full retail price – $750, Availability at AT&T Stores – April 24
AT&T Next – $25 monthly payments for 30 months
AT&T Next Every Year – $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.
Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $850, Availability at AT&T Stores – April 21
AT&T Next – $28.34 monthly payments for 30 months
AT&T Next Every Year – $35.42 monthly payments for 24 months.
Promotional Offers:
Apart from the usual freebies like Gear VR with Controller as well as Oculus Bonus Content, the following promotional offers are available with AT&T:
$750 as credits for another Galaxy S8 or S8+
$49 for Samsung Gear S3 with two-year service agreement
99 cents for Samsung Tab E or Samsung Gear S2 with two-year service agreement.
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T-Mobile
Galaxy S8 full retail price – $750, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21
$30 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months
Jump on Demand – $0 down payment, $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.
Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $850, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21
$130 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months
Jump on Demand – $130 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months.
Promotional Offers:
Apart from Gear VR with Controller and Oculus Bonus Content freebies, customers who pre-order at T-Mobile store s will get a DeX desktop docking station for free.
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Verizon
Galaxy S8 full retail price – $720, Availability at Verizon stores – April 21
$30 monthly payments for 24 months
Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $840, Availability at Verizon stores – April 21
$35 monthly payments for 24 months
Promotional Offers:
Apart from the usual pre-order freebies, users can spend $99 more for Experience Box that consists of Gear VR with Controller, Hardon Kardon earphones and 256 GB microSD card from Samsung.
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Sprint
Galaxy S8 full retail price – $744, Availability at Sprint stores – April 21
18 months lease plan with $25 down payment and $29.62 monthly payments
$31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.
Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $844, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21
18 months lease plan with $25 down payment and $33.78 monthly payments
$35.42 monthly payments for 24 months.
Promotion Offers:
Besides the Gear VR and Oculus bundle, Sprint is also providing another offer for $99 which includes Gear VR with Controller, Hardon Kardon earphones and 256 GB microSD card from Samsung.
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US Cellular
US Cellular has not announced the full retail pricing of Galaxy S8 and S8+. It is an offering an trade-in offer that allows customers to either trade an eligible smartphone (iPhone 5S or later; Galaxy S6 or later) to avail the Galaxy S8 for free whereas the S8 will come for $3.64 monthly payments for 30 months. If there is no phone available for the trade-in offer, the carrier will provide $100 promotional gift card. However, customers need to avail Total Plan or Shared Connect plan and also subscribe for Device Protection + program.
Galaxy S8, S8+ UK Pre-orders, Pricing
In the U.K, the pre-orders have started from March 29 until April 19 on the official UK website of Samsung and operators like Carphone Warehouse, EE, Sky Mobile and Tesco Mobile. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones will be respectively available for £689 and £779 and will come in color options like Midnight Black and Orchid Grey. The Arctic Silver color be made available soon.
LG could be said to be among the pioneers of dual camera phones as we know it today. Even though HTC holds the title of having the first real dual camera phone, LG ‘s name still pops up each time the history of dual camera phones is being discussed. The Korea company looks set to take the bar a tad higher once again by releasing a phone with dual cameras at the front and rear a the same time.
This kind of setup will likely be on the LG V30 whose front panel leaked on Slashleaks recently. Although only the front panel was leaked showing there would be dual cameras up front, the LG V30 may likely follow the trend of the V10 and V20 which had dual cameras at their rear aspects. Also, the panel reveals another shocking detail, which is the likely cancellation of the secondary display which has been the hallmark of previous LG V-series smartphones.
The tipster is credited with some high level of credibility so, the leak is likely that of the V30. Besides, we had already started getting rumours that the V30 would pack the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as well as 6GB of RAM. We hope to see more leaks as time progresses.
For the next couple of days or even weeks, Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be the most talked about device. Following its launch yesterday, there have been an endless stream of Galaxy S8 news on the internet. So expect it to continue today.
The new flagship from Samsung comes in two variants,the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. Both have 2K displays, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. They also have the same 12MP rear camera and 8MP autofocus front facing camera. Samsung has pre-installed Android 7.0 Nougat on both phones and has included a multitude of ways to keep your phone secure. There is an iris scanner, a fingerprint scanner, face unlock, pin, pattern, and password.
All these features are the standard across all regions except for China. It turns out that the Galaxy S8+ will be launched with 6GB of RAM and 128GB in the Asian country. This should not come as a surprise as this has been rumored before. Last year, Samsung’s first 6GB RAM phone, the Galaxy C9 Pro was also first released in China.
Xiaomi has announced an upgrade to the 12.5-inch version of its first laptop, the Mi Notebook Air. The Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 12.5 was announced last year along with a bigger 13.3-inch version, both using different processors. While the 13.3-inch version packs an Intel Core i5 processor, the 12.5-inch version comes with an Intel core M3 (6th generation) processor.
Now, Xiaomi has given the Mi Notebook Air 12.5 a processor upgrade and this it announced via the official Mi Notebook Weibo account. The upgrade now sees the Notebook Air 12.5 featuring a seventh generation Intel Core M3 processor which brings a 12% improvement in performance over the previous generation. The 12.5-inch Mi Notebook also now comes in an additional 256GB storage version in addition to the initial one with 128GB storage. Both storage options still retain their ability to be expanded further.
The new Mi Notebook Air 12.5 retains the same configurations as the previous version. It sports same ultra-slim build just 12.9mm thick, all-metal body and weighed just 1.07kg. There is 4GB of RAM supporting the processor and the laptop is reputed as able to offer up to 11.5 hours of use. It also comes with fast charge support.
The new Xiaomi M Notebook Air 12.5 would be up for registration on March 30 by 10 AM on Mi.com. The price has not been announced but the original version starts at 3,499 Yuan (~$507). Perhaps, this new version with its upgrades may start a little higher than that.
According to the details revealed by AnTuTu, the HTC CBP sports a 2K display, has 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and is powered by the Snapdragon 835 CPU and Adreno 540 GPU. For optics, there is a 12MP camera on the rear and a 16MP up front. Some folks say the sensors are the Sony IMX362 and IMX351 respectively. The HTC CBP runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat and is reported to have scored about 170,000 points on AnTuTu.
This is a flagship phone in all ways. Some say the HTC CBP is actually the HTC U, the third device in the U series. It is also said to be the device codenamed HTC Ocean.
Xiaomi has launched its 72nd crowdfunded product and it is yet another Smart home product, a body scale. The product is the Yunmao Good light Mini 2 smart body scale. It could be mistaking for a weighing scale but it does more than just checking your weight.
The product is one which helps monitor several physical data such as weight, body fat, muscle, bone mass, internal organ fat, basal metabolic rate, Body Mass Index (BMI), body age, protein and water level. The scale uses a BIA chip and also uses a multi-frequency AC electrical impedance for the measurement of biological tissues which is more accurate than the traditional DC grease.
On the design aspect, the Smart body scale uses an ultra-white tempered glass panel which was given an anti-skid treatment. Te scale is square-shaped with well-chamfered edges which are curved on all four sides. The Smart scale is also equipped with high-definition LED display, electrode sensing film with 304 stainless steel. The steel ihas anti-rust properties so you wouldn’t have to be scared of stepping on the scale with wet feet.
Further, the Yunmao Good light Mini 2 smart body scale uses a low-power Bluetooth 4.0 protocol which turns off automatically when not in use. The scale is powered using three AA batteries whcih can last up to a year wihout dying.
The Yunmao Good light Mini 2 can access the Mi App, so you can check the fitness or measured data from your smartphone. The device is priced at 89 Yuan ($13) and is already open for funding via the Mi home Crowdfunding platform. The product wil start shipping from May 11. The shipping will be done by the Shenzhen YunMai Technology Co., Ltd. who will also provide after-sales services.
Samsung has announced a couple of cases and covers for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship phones. Both phones are aesthetically beautiful as they feature a widescreen with super-slim bezels and their rear sides are flanked with glass panel. The various cases that have been announced for Galaxy S8 duo such as Clear View Standing Cover, Alcantra Cover, and Keyboard Cover do not hamper their beauty, but the only word that can be best used to describe the Galaxy S8 2Piece Cover is – Ugly.
The 2Piece Cover is rumored to be priced around $20. It features two clip-on parts, one for the top and the other one for the bottom. It comes in multiple colors. As it can be seen in the image of the 2Piiece Cover, a major portion of the glass back of Galaxy S8/S8+ remains exposed. Also, there is a risk of getting those pieces detached instantly when the handset is dropped. It is interesting to note that the 2Piece Cover was internally called as “bikini case.”
This is how Samsung advertises the 2Piece Cover for Galaxy S8 and S8+ on its official site, “Liven up your phone with colorful shapes. The complementary hues of each cover add a unique geometric vibe that enhances Galaxy S8 and S8+’s design while the suction pads make the pieces attach and detach with ease.” On the contrary, the image showing the Galaxy S8 and S8+ wearing the 2Piece Cover show how ugly they appear. It can be easily assumed that the $20 2Piece Cover will do no good in protecting a $749 priced Galaxy S8 flagship phone when it drops.
The 2Piece Cover is already receiving poor reception from the audience. Cases and covers are meant to protect and amplify the beauty of the phone. However, the 2Piece Cover for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ seems to fail in both aspects. Hence, we wonder whether it will attract many buyers. What about the rest of the Galaxy S8 accessories? Well, they all seem to appear fine.
What do you think about the Galaxy S8 2Piece Cover? Will you buy it for you Galaxy S8? Do let us know your thoughts by posting your comments below.
A new Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X version that looks like a higher version has appeared on China’s Telecom regulatory agency’s (TENAA) website after it was certified by the agency. This is coming barely two months after the device was quietly released by Xiaomi in China.
The new version of the Redmi Note 4X, which comes with the model number MBT6A5, is obviously a higher version of the smartphone considering it is listed as having 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Another proof that it is a higher version is the deca-core 2.0GHz processor it is listed with. The earlier Redmi Note 4X model comes sporting an octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset clocked at 2.0GHz.
Other specs listed with the new TENAA certified Redmi Note 4X include, a 5.5-inch TFT display with Full HD resolution, a large 4,000mAh battery, 13MP rear camera sensor and 5MP front camera. The device also comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
As stated, the device is listed wit a deca-core chip and MedaiTek is the one known for using deca-core processors but there isn’t a MediaTek SoC clocked at 2.0GHz. The Helio X20 has a clock frequency of 2.1GHz so, it is likely there is an error or the chip is indeed an Helio X20 with a slightly reduced frequency.
Another striking thing of note on the specs list is the number of colour options the device will come in. A total of ten colour variants are listed and they include Gold, Gray, Silver, White, Black, Pink, Champagne Gold, Matte Black, Dark Gray, Cherry Blossom. Since the cost of using a MediaTek chip is lower than a Qualcomm variant, we really don’t expect a steep price increase on this version when it is launched.
Google had launched the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones in October 2016. Even though these phones were launched six months ago, they are not easily available for purchase. The search engine giant has not yet revealed the number of Pixel units that it has sold so far. However, a report that has surfaced today provides an answer on it.
The Pixel and Pixel XL phones are advertised as “made by Google” devices, but tech enthusiasts know it well that HTC has manufactured them. A report that has emerged from Commercial Times, a Chinese media, states that HTC has shipped 2.1 million units of both smartphones since fall 2016. The number do appear impressive, but it does not seem to be a major threat for the smartphone market leaders like Apple and Samsung.
The Pixel and Pixel XL phones are not available in numerous markets. Since they are available in fewer markets, Google could only reach 2 million sales mark for these phones. Since the Taiwanese tech company has already won a two-year contract, it will be collaborating with Google once again to build the next generation Pixel phones this year.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are speculated to be codenamed as Muskie and Walleye. Both phones are rumored to be driven by Snapdragon 835 SoC and are likely to feature an enhanced rear-facing camera for advanced low light photography.
The report further states that there is stiff competition on the company that will manufacture Pixel 3 phones that will release in 2018. LG, TCL and Coolpad the three companies battling it out to win a contract with Google to build the 2018 Pixel phones. It seems that LG may successfully clinch the deal and market pundits have predicted that Google will sell around 5 million Pixel 3 phones in 2018.
We advise our readers to take this report with a grain of NaCl since Google has not released an official sales report for its Pixel and Pixel XL phones. The current shortage of Pixel phones is such that customers have to wait around 4-5 weeks to receive their order. Hence, the search giant company needs to improve the shipments of its Pixel phones that would help them reach a better sales number.
After hundreds of leaks and rumors, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is finally official. This is one of the most important phones in the history of the South Korean company, given that it’s the first major flagship after the huge debacle with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. So far, the company seems to have done a very good job with the S8, at least on paper, and that’s why let’s check out Samsung Galaxy S8 versus its most direct rival, the LG G6. Both phones are different in multiple aspects but the Galaxy S8 vs LG G6 comparison will highlight where they are similar as well.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: Design
Design-wise, the Samsung Galaxy S8 looks like the winner. The LG G6 and the Galaxy S8 have very similar basic design and it’s clear that both the companies are trying to limit the front bezels as much as possible. But the S8 comes with dual curved display, which limits its bezels as well as makes the phone look better than the G6.
Coming to the back, the Galaxy S8 comes with a glass body, much like the LG G6. So, both should attract a bit of fingerprint. But in my personal opinion, the back of the Galaxy S8 looks a bit messy, especially because of its weird fingerprint placement. The LG G6 looks much better in this regard with a bit of symmetry thanks to the dual cameras at the back.
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In case you noticed, both phones have onscreen buttons to minimize the bezels on board.
The dimensions are almost the same, including the thickness. However, the S8 is lighter in terms of weight.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: Display
The display is one of the highlights of both the models. The bezels are limited, which means you get more real estate in a relatively small body.
Galaxy S8
LG G6
The screen on the S8 is an inch larger, featuring a 5.8-inch display (2960 x 1440p) as opposed to the 5.7-inch one on the LG G6 (2880 x 1440p). Both have slightly different screen resolutions and their aspect ratios are also different. The aspect ratio on the S8 is a bit weird:- 18.5:9. The LG G6 has an 18:9 screen.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: Specs
This is really where the S8 blows LG G6 away. First of all, the phone boasts of the brand new 10nm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3GHz / Exynos 9 @ 2.3GHz CPU options, both of which are the two best Android processors in the market right now. On the other hand, the LG G6 features the capable yet old Snapdragon 821.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S8
LG G6
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155 grams
148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm, 163 grams
DISPLAY
5.8-inch 2960 x 1440p (570 ppi)
OLED
5.7-inch 2880 x 1440p (564 ppi)
GG3
CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 @ 2.35GHz
MEMORY
4GB + 64GB
MicroSD: Yes
4GB + 32GB / 64GB
MicroSD: Yes
CAMERA
12MP f/1.7 OIS
8MP f/1.7 Front Camera
Dual 13MP f/1.8, PDAF, 1/3" sensor
5MP Front f/2.2
BATTERY
3000mAh
Fast Charging
Wireless Charging
3300mAh
OS
Android 7 Nougat
Android 7 Nougat, LG 6.0 UI
SPECIAL FEATURES
IP68 Certification
IP68 Certification
COLORS
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
Black, White, Titanium
PRICE
$750 (Expected)
$720
Both phones have 4GB + 64GB memory options with MicroSD expansion. However, it’s very likely that the S8 comes with a 6GB RAM version in China, which is still unannounced officially.
The battery on board the Galaxy S8 is smaller at 3000mAh. It’s one of the areas where the S8 lacks the punch on paper. To compensate, there’s fast charging as well as wireless charging. The LG G6 has a slightly larger 3300mAh battery with fast charging. Only after a real world test can we decide which one has the better battery life.
Other features on the S8 include IP68 certification, the brand new Bixby assistant, face recognition and Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE support (only in certain models). On the other hand, the LG G6 has IP68 certification as well as Google Assistant.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: Camera
For some reason, the Galaxy S8 retains the same capable camera as in the S7 Edge. Now, the S7 Edge had one of the best cameras of its time — a 12MP f/1.7 OIS setup. But the Google Pixel managed to top that after its launch. Samsung has promised faster and better performance with the same setup through software optimizations, but we can’t say how much better it is, as compared to the already powerful S7 Edge’s camera setup. In comparison, the LG G6 takes a leap in the camera department as compared to G5, its predecessor, with a dual 13MP f/1.8 setup. The photos from the setup come out pretty good. But only a real life camera comparison would give us better insight on who’s better.
Galaxy S8 Camera App
LG G6 Camera App
Up front, the S8 has a capable 8MP f/1.7 camera while the LG G6 features a 5MP f/2.2 setup.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: Price
Galaxy S series has always been one of the priciest of Galaxy models in the market. The same continues with the S8, as the expected starting price is around $750. If this is the case, the LG G6 should be a bit cheaper, coming at around $720.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: Conclusion
If you are obsessed about the specs, the Galaxy S8 is definitely the phone for you. In fact, considering the specs, features, infinity display and the small price difference between the S8 and the G6, the former seems to offer better value for your money.
Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy S8 Plus today which could actually be called a Galaxy S8 with a large display and battery. The flagship lives up to its name, coming with a plus-size build. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus packs similar design and hardware like the S8 save for a few differences in the battery capacity and display size.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus features a superior 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels and 529ppi. On the Galaxy S8 Plus, Samsung is also offering two versions which would be sold separately in specific regions. There is a Snapdragon 835-powered version which comes with an octa-core processor clocked at 2.35GHz. There is also an Exynos 8895-powered version equally clocked at 2.35GHz. Both the Snapdragon and Exynos versions come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD.
The camera configuration is the same as on the Galaxy S8 sporting a 12MP rear sensor with optical image stabilisation (IOS), LED flash and a f/1.7 aperture. Up front, users get an ample 8MP frot-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture and autofocus. There is an iris scanner at the top bezel up front and the device equally has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor which also unlocks the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus packs a larger 3,500mAh battery under its hood. The flagship comes with a larger dimension measuring 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm. Since it packs a larger battery, it is a little weightier at 173g. You also get such stunning features like an IP68 water and dust resistance, Wireless charging support, LTE Cat.16, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, MST for Samsung Pay, USB Type-C port and lots more. Samsung still retained the 3.5mm audio jack on the Galaxy S8 Plus. The Galaxy S8 Plus runs on Android 7.0 Nougat as well.
Pricing & Availability
Samsung also did not announce the official price of the Galaxy S8 Plus but the plus-size flagship will join its sibling in going up for pre-order tomorrow, March 30. It will also be available in Black, Gray, Silver, Blue and Gold variants. If you’re buying the Galaxy S8 Plus, you equally qualify to get a free Gear VR headset with a controller and a set of games. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be available in stores from April 21.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S8
Galaxy S8 Plus
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155 grams
159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173g grams
DISPLAY
5.8-inch 2960 x 1440p (570 ppi)
OLED
6.2-inch 2960 x 1440p (529 ppi)
OLED
CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3
MEMORY
4GB + 64GB
MicroSD: Yes
4GB + 64GB
MicroSD: Yes
CAMERA
12MP f/1.7 OIS
8MP f/1.7 Front Camera
12MP f/1.7 OIS
8MP f/1.7 Front Camera
BATTERY
3000mAh
Fast Charging
Wireless Charging
3500mAh
Fast Charging
Wireless Charging
OS
Android 7 Nougat
Android 7 Nougat
SPECIAL FEATURES
IP68 Certification
IP68 Certification
COLORS
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
After tons of leaks, Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones. For better user experience on the new Galaxy S8 duo, the South Korean company has included the all new Bixby AI assistant.
Here is what Samsung has to say about the new virtual assistant, “Bixby is not an ordinary voice assistant, but rather an intuitive and comprehensive interface that leverages contextual awareness to learn users’ habits and respond accordingly.” It seems it is indeed a new way to interact with the phone.
The other existing virtual assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and Cortana fetch information on the web and then answer the query of the user. Bixby is different as it is not a search engine. It is an assistant and it is aimed towards simplifying the user experience while using the phone, apps and services.
It is built to assist users in almost everything they do on the device such as cropping an image or sharing a captured image on social site. Bixby can be launched through the dedicated button present below the volume rockers and users can simply call “Bixby” to launch it. Bixby provides users with four main features:
Bixby has the ability to understand natural language, Through voice commands, Bixby can perform various tasks with Samsung apps like phone, SMS, contacts, reminders, gallery, settings, and camera. If Bixby is unable to understand the language of the user, it will prompt user to provide more information to finish the task. At the beginning, Bixby will carry support for languages like U.S. English and Korean. Bixby is expected to support Chinese and U.S. Spanish in the near future.
Bixby Vision
Bixby Vision make use of the augmented reality camera to identify the objects users are looking at in real time and then provide relevant information to the user. It can be launched within the camera app or through the Bixby Home. It can also translate text, scan QR codes and identify locations all inside the camera app. Bixby Vison can be used by pointing the camera at an object and wait for the information it provides.
Bixby Reminder
Based on the routine and location of the user, Bixby is smart enough to provide contextual reminders. Users can create task alerts at specified time, place or circumstance. It can also create place marker in content like books or videos and remind users where they left off.
Bixby Home
Bixby Home is a common place in the form a single screen to see all the contextually relevant apps and services. Every time it is accessed, it arranges information on the basis of the schedule, routine and personality of the user.
Bixby is an ambitious effort from Samsung, but it currently works with around 10 Android apps from Samsung. At the Samsung Galaxy S8 Unpacked event, the company claimed that Bixby would work with third party apps as well as Samsung Connect smart home devices.
After much speculations, rumours and leaks, South Korean tech giant Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S8 along with the Galaxy S8 Plus in a ceremony today. The Samsung Galaxy S8 launch is the biggest event the tech giant is hosting since the Galaxy Note 7 saga so, the event was a highly anticipated one. As you already know, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus were billed to be the first smartphones to pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset and indeed they were launched with the powerful flagship chip. But whether you’ll get to buy the Snapdragon 835-powered version of the S8 or S8 Plus will depend on where you live.
Design & Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy S8 features a design which isn’t entirely different from its predecessors but it comes with an unusually high screen-to-body ratio. A large display ensured the traditional home button which sits at the front of the screen under the display was absent. Instead, the Galaxy S8 features a virtual home button. The bezels are thin and the display is a curved one.
On the specifications, the Galaxy S8 sports a 5.8-ich Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels and 570ppi. The processor is an octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset clocked at 2.35GHz on some version while there is another version powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 chip also clocked at 2.35GHz. The United States will get the Snapdragon 835-powered version while other international countries would get the Exynos 8895-powered version. China is said to also get the Qualcomm-powered version but there is no official word on that yet. Both versions are backed by 4GB of RAM while there is 64GB of storage onboard which is expandable via a microSD slot.
Camera, Battery
On the camera aspect, the Galaxy S8 packs a 12MP rear camera with a f/1.7 aperture, OIS and LED flash and at the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera with a f/1.7 aperture and autofocus. We are yet to see camera samples of theGalaxy S8’s camera but we believe it would be a very powerful setup. Keeping the lights on is a generous 3000mAh battery which should do a good job in that regard.
Connectivity, Other Features
Other features include a USB Type-C port, NFC and MST for Samsung Pay, IP68 water and dust resistance and yes, it still packs a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a wireless charging support as well as Cat. 16 LTE. Others include Bluetooth 5.0 which is capable of streaming to two devices at the same time and Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac. The Galaxy S8 isn’t too wide despite its large size, packing a dimension of 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm and it weighs just 155g. The device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and also comes with Samsung’s new Bixby Assistant which is launched by pressing a dedicated physical button located on the side of the phone.
Pricing & Availability
As for the pricing, Samsung left that out unfortunately but the Galaxy S8 is expected to start at around $750. Both the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be up for pre-order as from tomorrow, March 30 while they will be officially released in the US on April 21. Each pre-order qualifies you to get a free Gear VR headset with a controller and a set of games. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be available in black, gray, and silver in the US while Gold and blue are the options on the international edition.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S8
Galaxy S8 Plus
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155 grams
159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173g grams
DISPLAY
5.8-inch 2960 x 1440p (570 ppi)
OLED
6.2-inch 2960 x 1440p (529 ppi)
OLED
CPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3
MEMORY
4GB + 64GB
MicroSD: Yes
4GB + 64GB
MicroSD: Yes
CAMERA
12MP f/1.7 OIS
8MP f/1.7 Front Camera
12MP f/1.7 OIS
8MP f/1.7 Front Camera
BATTERY
3000mAh
Fast Charging
Wireless Charging
3500mAh
Fast Charging
Wireless Charging
OS
Android 7 Nougat
Android 7 Nougat
SPECIAL FEATURES
IP68 Certification
IP68 Certification
COLORS
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
After years of accelerated growth, China’s economy started showing signs of decline in the past two or three years. In order to reboot the economy, a new model known as Internet Plus was formulated in 2015. China’s Internet Plus model involves the integration of mobile Internet, cloud computing big data, and the Internet of Things with modern manufacturing, to encourage the healthy development of e-commerce, industrial networks, and Internet banking, and to get Internet-based companies to increase their presence in the international market.
Lei Jun – File Photo
One company which has successfully adopted this business model is Xiaomi, offering the best product at affordable prices. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun believes startups in emerging markets like India who are enterprising enough to offer the best products at low prices would beat off competition easily. Lei Jun made this statement while speaking at the Global Business Summit in New Dehli, India on Monday.
Xiaomi was one of the first companies to have adopted the model to help improve its earnings and it has been a successful story all the way. The innovative tech company started in the traditional way, creating awareness through word-of-mouth marketing and later they adopted an internet -based sales model which effectively ensured the pricing was in the hands of the company. The internet marking model ensured middlemen were removed from the mix in arriving at the final price which would then be a little higher than the production cost.
The success of the innovative Chinese brand in India is a pointer to the effectiveness of the Internet Plus model in emerging economies. In India alone, Xiaomi achieved an annual revenue of over $1 billion in 2016 and emerged as the top selling smartphone brands online as well as the second largest smartphone brand in India in the fourth quarter of last year. The company even has two factories in the fast-growing Asian country of which the first was opened in 2015 and the second last year. The phones sold in India and some other countries where Xiaomi has got some presence were manufactured in its India factories. The company is even eyeing control of 50% share of the local offline market in addition to its successful online model.
The success has benefitted the local populace as Xiaomi has presently created up to 7500 jobs in the country and Lei Jun projects that figure will rise to 20,000 jobs in the next three years. The Chinese tech czar enjoins enterprises in emerging market to stay committed to innovation, focus on user experience and never sacrifice quality or efficiency.
“Companies in emerging markets need to offer their consumers a compelling vision so that they not only solve problems today, but even address problems on the horizon,” Lei added.
Instant cameras used to be really popular before the word “selfie” came into existence. Now we have smartphones with cameras that can compete with some DSLRs and tons of image sharing sites. So you’d think instant cameras are dead and buried, right? Turns out Fujifilm, one of the biggest names in photography at a time thinks there is still a market for them. The Japanese corporation recently announced the Instax Mini 9, its latest instant camera.
The Instax Mini 9 is an upgrade to the well-received Instax Mini 8 released back in November 2012. Both cameras actually share the same design. The new model brings new features such as High Key Mode which lets you take brighter images; a selfie mirror; and a detachable close-up lens.
While those upgrades sound pretty nice, what may get people to buy the Instax Mini 9 are the cute colors options it has. There is Cobalt Blue, Flamingo Pink, Smokey White, Ice Blue, and Lime Green. When it goes on sale on April 9, the Cobalt Blue and Smokey White variants won’t be available for purchase. You will have to wait till June to get your hands on them.
The competition just keeps getting keener and more interesting by the day. Smartphone manufacturers are daily experimenting with different ways they could outwit each other in the race to the top. The competition is now on all fronts; RAM size, processor, display size and type, design and now the smartphone color options consumers get to choose from are ever increasing.
Basically, statistics have shown that the most popular smartphone color around is black and that is followed by white color. Apart from these two smartphone colours, which have been regulars, the past year saw a number of new colors emerging which left the norm and surprisingly they’ve been receiving widespread acceptance. The new color options we have seen the past one year are quite many but basically, we’ll be looking at those used on smartphones with the all-metal body, particularly the flagships. During this period we have seen smartphones in green, blue, red, rose gold colors and there was also the Mocha brown variant we saw on the Huawei Mate 9 but that wasn’t popular per se.
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BLUE
Blue has been one stand out color option during this period under review. A couple of years back, we would have thought colors like blue were only reserved for low-end and mid-range smartphones with a plastic body but flagships like the Honor 8 sported a blue variant and that didn’t make it look less premium. Calling it Sapphire blue only added some flavor to the name. Google Pixel and Pixel XL also came with a bright, vivid blue variant. Samsung also added a Coral Blue variant to the Galaxy S7 Edge lineup recently and it added more sleekness to the flagship.
RED
One of the smartphone colors that has become trendy within the last one year is red and this is a popular one. Just recently, Apple introduced a red variant to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and the response was tremendous. OPPO also gave the OPPO R9 and R9 Plus a red paint job that looks very attractive. Earlier on, HTC had released the HTC 10 and Desire 830 with one of the available color options being red on both models. Perhaps the most defining smartphone which made red phones a lot more special is the red variant of the Huawei P9 which received lots of positive appraisals. Huawei chose to continue the same trend on the P10 by including a red variant to its range. Red seems to be hot in 2017 and expect a few more models in this shade in the coming months. If you missed, even the local manufacturer UMi has a Red UMI Z variant.
GREEN
Another popular color which was found on smartphones this last year was Green. There seems to be an ongoing green revolution presently. Huawei also included a green color variant on the P10 which was also done on the P9. Just days back, OPPO added a new green variant to the R9 and R9 Plus. At CES 2017, Xiaomi unveiled three new color variants for the Mi Note 2 and one of them was a green but all three are yet to be available commercially. So, it won’t be surprising if we see more green colored smartphone in 2017.
We could go on and on, there are colors aplenty which stood out during the last one year. Remember Xiaomi also unveiled a purple variant of the Mi Note 2 at CES as well as a pink variant? Rose gold is another shade of gold which is more like pink and has become a regular option on smartphones in the past couple of years. The Mi Note 2, Meizu Pro 6, iPhone 7, OPPO R9 and R9 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and several other high-end smartphones featured a rose gold variant in their lineup. This trend will continue in 2017 as well.
We look forward to several more unique color options in the upcoming smartphones. Already, there are rumors presently that Xiaomi is planning to make the Mi 6 available in a range of color options and we really can’t wait to see that happen. Perhaps, you too can tell us in the comment section, the color option that catches your fancy presently.
The last may not have been heard about the ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7 which was subjected to a global recall following the battery defect that resulted in several recorded explosion cases. It was reported recently that Samsung had confirmed plans to sell refurbished units of the Galaxy Note 7 in select markets around the world. The Korean giant did not reveal specifics as to when the device will ship or the price and regions where it would be sold.
A new report has, however, revealed some details about the proposed launch and its likely price. According to the report aired on China’s CNTV, the refurbished Note 7 would hit the market by June this year and the product will sell in emerging markets like India, Vietnam, Africa and so on where customer place more emphasis on price than any other consideration. That is not to say safety would not be a priority, Samsung has added an extra level of security to forestall any mishap in the future.
The report also gave some insight on the likely price tag of the Galaxy Note 7 and it is expected to be 3 to 5% cheaper than the original price. For a refurbished smartphone, the price may still be too high but that may not play a big role in the long run. However, the figure may be inaccurate, we hope it would be available for up to half the initial price.
While some may be wondering why Samsung chose to use the Note 7 again, the report also revealed that they were compelled by Korean environmental law. Under Korean laws, the metal components used on smartphones must be recycled and used twice. So, if Samsung had crushed all the recalled units as some would have wanted, the company could face a huge fine. We are talking about over 4 million units here.
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