Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ launch: Hits and fails of the new smartphone

The Galaxy Unpacked 2017 event in New York on Wednesday saw the launch of the new flagship Samsung GalaxyS8, S8+. Here are some of the hits and misses in terms of features and specifications of the phone.

Korean electronics giant Samsung launched its latest Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones on Wednesday and claimed that the new phone would bring back lost customers post the Note 7 fiasco.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, which will be available from April 21 at a staring price of $720 in the US, comes with a new digital assistant called Bixby and iris scanner.

Here are some of the top hits and fails of the smartphone in terms of specifications and feature:

The Home Button is gone

Yes, the Home Button has disappeared to make more space for the screen. Samsung has put the Home Button underneath the screen and has also put the navigation controls there too.

Assistant and the assistant button

Samsung also launched a new digital assistant called the Bixby with the Galaxy S8, S8+. There is a button on the side of the phone to bring up the assistant anytime

Iris scanner, facial recognition and the fingerprint scanner

Samsung has brought in a new technology to make the Galaxy S8 one of the most secure phones available in the market. Emulating Windows Hello, the phone can first take scans of a user's iris and later that can be used as password to unlock the phone. All a user has to do is to stare at his device. However, it has still retained the fingerprint scanner at the back.

(Samsung)

(Samsung)

Adaptive fast charging

Samsung has taken care to see that the S8 has enough juice to run throughout the day and hence it supports adaptive fast charging.

Infinity and near bezel-less display

In order to make the display better and bigger than ever, Samsung has launched a continious display which has dual curve at the edges.

Bluetooth module 5.0

Samsung Galaxy S8 is the first phone to come with Bluetooth module 5.0 and this means that the phone can stream or connect to two devices at the same time.

Samsung DeX

Samsung has launched a new dock that allows the S8 to turn into a PC by connecting to a monitor, mouse and keyboard just like Windows Continuum.

Samsung Galaxy S8 misses

Top end processor but for few

Samsung Galaxy S8 in the US comes with the Snapdragon 835 but other countries will get the phone with the Exynos processor. This means that most consumers will not be able to see the power of the 835 chipset.

(Samsung)

(Samsung)

No dual rear camera

The dual rear camera setup has become the industry standard now since the launch of Huawei P9 and Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Samsung S8 on the other hand uses a single camera with a 12-megapixel sensor. This means your need to bid adieu to Bokeh effect photos on the S8 and S8+.