A recent leak, apparently published by a manufacturer of screen protectors, has revealed some of the hardware details of the as-of-yet unannounced Samsung Galaxy S8. The short, five-second long video, uploaded to YouTube on March 5th, seems to provide little information at first glance but on closer inspection provides details about the upcoming flagship’s design and features. Additionally, the new leak provides visual confirmation of previous leaks concerning the phone’s various characteristics.
Among the most significant of the recent revelations is the confirmation of a so-called “infinity display,” visible in the video, that covers nearly the entire front side of the phone, as the phone’s bezels are remarkably small. Although the top and bottom ends of the phone contain a bezel which contains the front-facing camera, speaker, and microphone, the phone’s curved edges allow the screen to fill nearly the entire space between the left and right edges of the phone. This huge screen, relative to the overall size of the phone, should provide a more immersive experience for media consumption and content creation. Samsung has experience with creating curved displays, as evidenced by the company’s Edge series of phones, so it’s reasonable that they would introduce the impressive and aesthetically-pleasing feature to their primary line of flagship devices.
Other features that have previously been leaked, and now have been confirmed, include an iris scanner, with which users can unlock the phone simply by looking at it, and the removal of a physical home button in favor of a software button that is rendered on the screen which, thanks to an OLED display, is always-on. As Forbes reports, the video also confirms the presence of a secondary microphone, likely intended to pick up and cancel out ambient noise, the SIM card tray, a USB-C port, and a headphone jack.
Other leaks suggest that Samsung’s newest flagship will come in two variants, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, the former of which will be 5.7 inches in diameter and the latter of which will be 6.2 inches. Samsung plans to officially unveil the phone on March 29 in New York City. The company also teased the Galaxy S8 at a recent press conference, but provided little information except for a general outline of the phone’s design.
In addition to the leaks about the phone’s visual characteristics, which are now supported by video evidence, previous leaks have also detailed the phone’s specifications, which Samsung has yet to officially announce. According to TechAdvisor, both sizes of the phone will have similar specifications, sporting Quad HD SuperAMOLED displays, 4 GB of RAM, the new Snapdragon 835 processor, wireless charging, MicroSD card support, and a 12 megapixel camera. The standard size of the phone is expected to have 32 GB of storage and a 3,000 mAh battery, whereas the Plus-sized version is expected to have twice the storage capacity and a 3,500 mAh battery.
Other leaks have suggested that Samsung is working on providing software features exclusive to the S8 as well. Rumors suggest that the company is actively developing its own voice-activated AI system, called Bixby, to rival Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant, and that the company is continuing to iterate on its TouchWiz UI, which modifies the standard Android experience extensively. Another, less probable, rumor claims that the Galaxy S8 will be able to dual-boot Android and Windows – it would certainly be a surprise if this turned out to be the case.
Although Samsung has yet to announce a release date, the company is expected to release the phone on April 28, 2017, roughly a month after its official unveiling. The phone is rumored to cost roughly $845 for the standard version and $950 for the Plus edition, which certainly puts the phone at the higher end of the pricing scale, even for flagship smartphones.
Featured image via Wikimedia
