Samsung Announces Galaxy S8 (and S8+)

Samsung took the wraps off Galaxy S8/S8+ smartphones at an Unpacked event today. The South Korean electronics chaebol, currently staging a recovery from a string of complaints about its exploding handsets and washing machines, notwithstanding the arrest of its heir in a corruption scandal earlier this year, is betting big by going big with a massive phone that sports a 5.8 inch (or 6.2" for S8+) near bezel-less display. It's a "screen without limits," Samsung proudly says on its website, with a footnote that adds "in comparison to Samsung Galaxy devices great(er) than 5.5". Exclu(d)ing the Galaxy Mega." The Galaxy Mega, for the uninitiated, has an even bigger 6.3-inch display.

The Galaxy S8 smartphone (Image courtesy: Samsung)

Also gone is the familiar squircular home button housing the fingerprint scanner, which now sits in the back in what's a clunky placement beside the camera. Here are some other key specs before you decide and make the jump as pre-orders open on March 30 i.e. tomorrow -

• OS: Android 7.0 with TouchWiz and Bixby voice assistant
• Processor: Samsung Exynos Octa core/Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa core (U.S.)
• RAM/Storage: 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage with expandable SD card slot
• Camera: 12MP f/1.7 rear, 8MP f/1.7 front
• Battery: 3,000 mAh (S8) or 3,500 mAh (S8+) battery with lower performance degradation
• Others: NFC and MST for Samsung Pay, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, Wireless charging, Bluetooth 5.0 with ability to stream to two devices at once, Ultrafast LTE capable of gigabit speeds
• High performance earphones tuned by Harman's AKG brand, the U.S. audio company it acquired last year