What we know so far about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8
• Editor's Note: This story was updated on March 16 with more details.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will be one of the hottest phones of the year, and it's a critical one for Samsung. With the Galaxy Note 7 being pulled from the market (and many people confusing the Note 7 with the non-exploding Galaxy S7), Samsung needs the Galaxy S8 (and the larger Galaxy S8+) to bring back its sales and cement its position.
Rumors are flying, and sometimes they contradict each other. The Galaxy S8 will obviously be a large, slab-style Android 7.0 Nougat phone. But beyond that, everything's up for grabs. Here's what we've been hearing around the web about the Galaxy S8 so far.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung said that the Galaxy S8 will be announced at an event in New York City on March 29. Currently, the best bet for the sale date is April 28.
We don't anticipate any surprises with pricing and carrier options for the Galaxy S8. It'll probably cost the same as the Galaxy S7 did, around $650-$700 for the base model, and $750-$800 if there is a larger model. It will initially be announced in locked versions for each US carrier, with an unlocked version to follow.
A report from SamMobile says that the prices in Ukraine will be $950 and $1,050. However, phones are somewhat more expensive in Ukraine than they are in the US. For instance, the 32GB iPhone 7 costs $869 there, while it costs $649 here. So that $950/$1,050 in Ukraine could easily be $750/$850 in the US.
Fresh images of the Galaxy S8 have been bouncing around the Web for the past week. You can take your pick. Here's a good one from veteran leaker Evan Blass:
I think this is what you've been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/FvYfsLOy0R
Twitter user OnLeaks posted a set of renders showing how the size of the phones will compare to the Galaxy S7 and the Note series. It looks like the S8+ will be pretty big:
I guess this is our closest look at what #Samsung#GalaxyS8 might look like... Dat Damn Sexy Beast!... ?? pic.twitter.com/v6m4fsovlz
There's also now a five-second YouTube video of someone handling the phone:
A report on BGR goes into more detail, confirming other leaks we've seen in the past. The Galaxy S8 will come in two models, the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+. They both have curved sides and a curved back, and the side bezels are extremely narrow to keep the phones from getting too wide. The most controversial design change is on the back, where the fingerprint sensor has moved to be next to the 12-megapixel main camera. The phones will have both USB-C ports and 3.5mm headphone jacks. All models will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, plus a MicroSD card slot.
SlashGear says the phone will have facial recognition. Plus, Bloomberg's sources say the phone will use facial recognition for mobile payments. The technology would allow someone to verify their identity with their face when making mobile payments.
The phones will come in two models each: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835-powered unit for the US, and a Samsung Exynos-powered model for the rest of the world. (This is historically because the Exynos-powered devices can't connect as easily to Sprint's or Verizon's cellular networks.) Slashgear shows the first Geekbench performance results from the Galaxy S8+, and they're certainly impressive. The single-core score outmatches any phone other than the iPhone 7, and the multi-core score outmatches any phone on the market.
The US version will be compatible with all the major US and Canadian carriers, according to a test report at the FCC. It will include the new LTE Band 66, being used by T-Mobile and Freedom Mobile, but oddly the test results don't show any data using 256QAM, which would speed up phones on Sprint and T-Mobile.
The phone also won't explode. Samsung posted a YouTube video (above) emphasizing how heavily it's testing this phone. The Wall Street Journal also reports that Samsung may be going to Sony batteries, although the battery manufacturer probably won't matter from a consumer perspective.
More specs from Evan Blass at VentureBeat:
This is the Samsung Galaxy S8, launching March 29
The Guardian had some rumors to contribute:
The device is also likely to be IP68 water resistant and to have a non-removable battery, like the Galaxy S7. The Next Web also points to Twitter user DforDesign, who tipped a curved display. pic.twitter.com/KXKfn6t9GO
Bixby is what the internet is calling Samsung's new voice assistant service. Samsung has had a little-used, poorly reviewed voice assistant called S Voice on its phones for a few years now, but Bixby will apparently be a major change. It may be based on technology from Viv Labs, an artificial intelligence company founded by some of the creators of Siri which Samsung bought last year.
SamMobile says Bixby will be able to manipulate local apps, process payments, and conduct visual searches, a feature it calls "Bixby Vision."
Samsung will also offer a dock that goes with the S8 and S8+ to turn the handset into an Android-powered desktop computer, something Android Police says the company calls "Dex." While Samsung already has an app called SideSync that lets you mirror your phone onto your PC, Dex would work without a separate PC.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.