I think many of you have seen ads and news about the brand new Samsung Galaxy S8+. Everywhere I go, I’ll see something related to the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. If Samsung is this confident with the Galaxy S8+, then it ought to be something great – but just how great is great?
One quick note – both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ has the exact same specs, except for its physical screen size, dimensions, weight, and battery. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same.
Let’s find out in our full review here.
Unboxing
Frankly speaking, I don’t have the box at all. However, I’ve gotten help from a friend of mine and get you pictures of the phone’s box and contents.
In some ways, I feel like the Galaxy S8+’s box is a lot sleeker and subtle. I actually love the new box aesthetics more than the previous Galaxy S7/S7edge’s design.
Opening up the box reveals the bunch of accessories that come with it. It’s similar to what was found in the Galaxy S7, but this time the main highlight is the AKG earphones – which I don’t have it with my review unit of the Galaxy S8+, so I can’t give you any of my impressions on it.
By the way, that hard shell case was given for free as a part of Samsung’s complimentary gift. It is not included in the box itself.
One thing I need to highlight here – the included USB-C cable is actually strengthened. You know that point where USB cables start to fray? Samsung has strengthened it on the S8/S8+’s included USB-C cable.
[nextpage title=”Display”]
Alright, let’s shake things up by rearranging our usual review’s structure because I’m just way too excited about the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’s display. It’s an engineering marvel, and Samsung did a fantastic job in marrying both function and form to create such a beautiful smartphone. I’m going to have a hard time using other smartphones after this.
The display itself is the main highlight here. #UnboxYourPhone is their mantra for the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. With its new 18.5:9 aspect ratio, media consumption on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ has been redefined – but some time is needed for proper adoption, but you’ll definitely be spoiled by its beauty after using the Galaxy S8/S8+’s Infinity Display.
I’m going to have a hard time using other smartphones after this
Watching videos
Let me show you what I mean. Watching 16:9 videos on the 18.5:9 aspect ratio will definitely create black bars left and right. Using Samsung’s built-in video player, there is an option to either fit, stretch, or fill the screen, but the latter will create either distortion or cropping. Only a small part at the top and bottom are cropped, though.
What if I’m watching a 21:9 movie on the Galaxy S8+? Actually while using the fit-to-screen option, it looks absolutely fantastic! The video spans the entire length of the phone, but I’m certainly not a big fan of watching 21:9 movies on the Galaxy S8+ under fill-screen mode, as it crops way too many parts of the video.
But how about wallpapers? I’ve highlighted this before, and it’s certainly something that Samsung has thought about. You can take your own breathtaking pictures and make them your wallpaper instead!
Under picture size option in the Camera app’s settings, you can select it to take pictures in 18.5:9 aspect ratio at 4032px x 1960px. This is a truly immersive image-taking experience. More on this later.
On a side note, Samsung has provided the option to set the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’s resolution to either 720p, 1080p, or 1440p. Why is this important? One major reason – battery. More on this later, too.
[nextpage title=”Design”]
The Galaxy S8+ takes a few design cues from their previous flagships. In some ways, its silhouette is similar than its predecessors.
The Galaxy S8+’s general aesthetics didn’t change much if you ask me. The power button and volume rocker are still placed at the same positions, but this time around, there’s an additional Bixby button.
That additional Bixby button got me confused for quite a long time – especially since I hold phones with my left hand exclusively. Each time I try to take a screenshot by holding power and volume down, I’ll be pressing power and Bixby button instead. In some ways, I do wish that Samsung would find another place for the Bixby button, or add textures on it to differentiate the volume rockers from that dedicated Bixby button.
the screen-to-body ratio has been increased to an impressive 84%
By the way, Samsung has permanently removed the ability to remap the function of the Bixby button as the time of writing this review. There are some messy hacks available right now, but they’re just not as good as a direct remap.
At the front of the Galaxy S8+ is where the magic happens – the screen-to-body ratio has been increased to an impressive 84%! Currently, no other smartphones have achieved this, and I’m glad that Samsung is pushing the limits… but there are prices to pay.
To accommodate the new Infinity Display…
They have made quite a lot of sacrifices, just make space.
Firstly, the removal of their physical navigation keys. I am never a fan of them, especially since Samsung places the back button on the right side. Since everything is moved inside the beautiful screen, the back button can be placed on the left side – which is a big plus (pun intended) for left-handed users like me.
The second sacrifice they have to make is to reposition the fingerprint sensor. Samsung chose to place it beside the camera, which is a rather awkward location. I will stand by my original stance about the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’s fingerprint sensor placement. It’s just awful and doesn’t offer the friendly ergonomic grip at all.
But hey – I have to say, at least Samsung implemented the “swipe down for notifications” gesture features on their rear-positioned fingerprint sensor. There is no such feature on front-positioned fingerprint sensors like the Huawei P10, so this is a clear upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, albeit at a weird position.
[nextpage title=”Connectivity”]
It goes without saying that a flagship device only deserves the best in connectivity. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ offers more than that.
the first smartphone to use Bluetooth 5.0
Then comes the usual connectivity hardware like NFC, Samsung Pay, a slew of GPS support, iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor, SpO2 monitor, ANT+, fast charging, and wireless charging – yadda yadda. You get the point. Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ is having no compromises when it comes to connectivity – but is that enough?
Samsung has highlighted one big leap on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ compared all other smartphones in the world – and that’s the first smartphone to use Bluetooth 5.0. It’s a much-needed upgrade for Bluetooth, and Samsung is spearheading it.
I personally don’t have the DeX to try out now, but that’s another review for another time anyway.
What about the Bluetooth 5.0 & Dual Audio Mode?
Before I move on, I want to highlight on the Bluetooth 5.0 again – because I think Samsung created a smartphone that caters those who wants a decent multimedia experience on the go. This brand new technology that Samsung is calling it as Dual Audio Mode does just that.
It’s easy to setup. Since I have a few Bluetooth (no BT 5.0) speakers lying around, I just grabbed two to try out with. I have the Edifier MP233 with me, and also the Sony SRS-BTV5. I chose these two speakers for two reasons – NFC connection. A brief swipe prompted the pairing message on the Galaxy S8+, tap to pair with the MP233. I repeated the same for the SRS-BTV5, and I’m connected to both speakers at once.
By default, Dual Audio Mode is turned off. Once I turned it on, everything worked seamlessly. You can actually share your movies with a friend – all you need are two pairs of wireless Bluetooth headphones or earphones and one Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. Then, you both can share enjoy some tunes or videos together!
it’s easy to setup
The experience is magnificent, and I don’t have to be tied on to any weird proprietary multi-speaker ecosystem like SONOS or UE Boom has. Just the Galaxy S8 or S8+ with its Bluetooth 5.0, and all is good.
[nextpage title=”Camera”]
Wow. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’s rear-facing camera is the one aspect of the smartphone that people are genuinely worried about. Alright, so here’s the deal. It’s still using the same 12MP sensor with a f/1.7 aperture and 26mm focal length with phase-detection autofocus and OIS.
Of course, everyone’s saying “OMG did Samsung forget about the rear-facing camera?“, I’d just like to say no. They did not, and spec sheets don’t tell the complete story.
There’s a new option to capture pictures in its eccentric 18.5:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 7.9MP. Take a look at how different it is compared to the usual 12MP images with 4:3 aspect ratio.
Camera picture quality
Anyway, picture quality. Here’s the full album of images taken with the Samsung Galaxy S8+. Remember, both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ have the exact same camera, by the way. Is the camera any good? You tell me.
Else you can click here for the full album over at Flickr here too.
I have to say, the camera is already fantastic on its own. Sure, there is a personal preference when it comes to the look and feel of images produced by a camera, but the images here are just fantastic. In our camera test between the S8+, P10, and ZenFone 3 Zoom, the S8+’s camera really flexes its muscles prominently. The amount of detail that it captures is brilliant – especially the ice-cream photo where its colors just pop! That’s taken in a dimly-lit place, by the way. When viewed in full crop, the noise level is barely noticeable.
We did explain that dual-camera smartphones aren’t exactly better too and single-camera smartphones can outperform them. Read more about it here, and vote for that camera shootout too!
I’ve thrown in a few selfies there too, but the most prominent of all selfie pictures that I’ve taken is this one right here – my eye. You’ll have to click on here to see that since I don’t want everyone to get shocked by a super-massive picture of my eye.
Samsung has upgraded the selfie camera to have an auto-focusing lens
I mean, seriously – I just turned on my table lamp and tried taking a picture of my eye using the selfie camera. Of course, it’s going to be a little awkward and difficult to get the proper aim. The amount of detail is amazing and it even showed my nose’s blackheads prominently! That’s because Samsung has upgraded the selfie camera to have an auto-focusing lens! Pictures are really sharp!
[nextpage title=”Software”]
To adapt to its new humongous screen, Samsung did quite a lot of tweaks to ensure its user experience is top notch. I took a liking into the entire user experience, as they’ve stayed true to the “Infinity Display” mantra for the Galaxy S8/S8+ since the “show all apps” button on the home screen is gone.
No, Samsung didn’t take the iOS route and place all the apps on the home screen itself, but adopted a “swipe up or down to show all apps” approach. This is a refreshing experience indeed and given that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are really long phones.
App scaling
Given the unconventional aspect ratio and resolution that the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ has, incompatibility is bound to happen. Samsung has implemented this menu to adjust which application to be scaled up to its 18.5:9 aspect ratio, and which app to stay in its standard 16:9 size.
I’m not sure what magic happens behind, but I’m pretty damn surprised how well the scaling worked out. Epic Citadel scaled up perfectly fine. Even the in-game gameplay of Hyper Heroes was scaled up properly, but some background assets in the main menu didn’t.
This will certainly take time for apps to update and support this resolution natively, and it’s only going to get better.
Samsung’s Clear View Standing Cover
Then there are Samsung’s official accessories. These are like an “extended limb” for the Galaxy S8/S8+, and they work really well too. Take this case as an example. The Galaxy S8+ that I have for review sits in nicely, then a message pops up saying that it has detected the case and recommends me some themes that match the case itself. It might not be a big deal, but it’s clearly something to improve the user experience.
Also, there are options to tell the case what to do when I flip the cover over. For me, I’ve just set it to scan my irises so I just have to look at the screen when I open the case, and it’ll unlock.
Also, I do recommend you to use a case with the Galaxy S8 or the Galaxy S8+. The reason isn’t because the glass sandwich build is fragile, but because how it outlines the fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor for you. I spent my time with the Clear View Standing Cover since Samsung provided it for me, and I have to say – it made both those sensors findable in the dark.
Speaking of unlocking the phone by opening the flip case…
That iris scanner
How does it work? How well does it work?
This is not a straightforward question, but I’ll try to summarize it. It unlocks really quickly.
Firstly, there’s an infrared blaster so that the iris scanner can work unhindered in the dark. Then there’s the iris scanner itself. It’s on the right side of the front-facing camera, by the way.
I didn’t have to stare at the screen to let the iris scanner read my eyes. Just looking somewhere around the screen is okay, but there are two minor learning curves with the iris scanner. Firstly is the distance of the scanner itself from the user’s eyes. Secondly is where the user’s eyes are staring on the phone itself. It took a little getting used to at first, but once that’s out of the way, I find it pretty simple to unlock instantaneously with the iris scanner.
The iris scanner unlocks really quickly
Actually, Samsung did implement a “swipe down to show notifications” gesture on its fingerprint sensor. Like I’ve said before, the awkward position makes it way too uncomfortable to use. There’s a “tap the heart rate monitor to take a picture” feature too, but there is tactile feedback on where the heart rate monitor is. There is no rim around it or any sort of texture – just beneath the flat slab of glass.
[nextpage title=”Performance”]
Sure, this is the one thing that everyone is drooling over about. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are both using the Exynos 8895 Octa chipset that has is manufactured on the breathtaking 10nm process. Learn more about why it matters here. It features an octa-core processor, Mali-G71 MP20 graphics, 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage – but just how well does it perform?
First off, Epic Citadel. I maximized the resolution, but that proves to be a menial task for a flagship smartphone of this caliber. Scores 60FPS on its full 2960×1440 resolution without a hiccup. Still feels surreal to have a game like this filling up the entire screen with no issues and scores a stable 60FPS.
But what about Vellamo? There was an issue. Through Google Play, the Galaxy S8+ isn’t compatible with Vellamo. I’m not sure why’s this, as this is the first time I’m seeing such an issue. I couldn’t run any tests on this, but for all I can tell you – the Exynos 8895-powered Samsung Galaxy S8+ that I have for review is using UFS 2.1 storage chip and LPDDR4 RAM. Temperatures were well below 55℃ too!
Playing other high-end games like Modern Combat 5, Breakneck, Real Racing 3, and Asphalt 8 had zero issues playing on the Galaxy S8+ at high frame rates. Some of the games like Asphalt 8 Modern Combat 5 already supports Samsung’s 18.5:9 aspect ratio out of the box, so there’s no need to set it to run in full screen.
That’s top notch performance.
[nextpage title=”Battery”]
Alright – here’s the briefest summary I can give you. The Samsung Galaxy S8+ has a 3,500mAh battery – slightly smaller than the one found in its predecessor, but thanks to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+’s new Exynos 8895 chipset that’s manufactured using the latest 10nm FinFET process, its battery life can be better than its predecessors.
Running PC Mark for Android’s battery life test on its full 2960×1440 resolution shows that it can run for 10 hours. Compared to other smartphones available in the market, it’s pretty good, to be honest. When it comes to the 2220×1080 resolution test, its battery life was improved.
In my daily usage though, the Galaxy S8+ manages to keep up with my usage and still retain about 22% before I go to bed. Nothing too spectacular, but at least there is some extra juice left in case I need it.
Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charger
Samsung might not be focusing on this aspect right now because it’s already good enough. They’ve retained charger from before, and it still outputs 9V at 1.67A max, totaling up to about 15W. This not an issue at all, as Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging is already great enough.
Why did I say it’s already great enough? Because it can charge from about 14% to a 100% at about an hour and a half – which is about the same as the Huawei P10’s 22.5W Super Charger. Remember – Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging is only rated at a maximum of 15W.
However, it did take Samsung’s charger a little longer to reach the 90% mark – about 1 hour and 15 minutes, compared to an hour on the Huawei P10. Still, they’re separated by quite a tiny margin.
[nextpage title=”Wrapping up the Samsung Galaxy S8+ review”]
In most ways, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ is really similar to the Galaxy S8. The only main differences here are the physical size, screen size, and battery size – everything else is pretty much the same.
So here are the final words I can give you on the new Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+: if you have the bucks to spend on a grandiose smartphone, then the Galaxy S8 or the S8+ is definitely for you – there’s no need to look at other premium flagship-wannabes that cost >RM3k.
The only mistake you’ll be making is not choosing the S8 when you’re going beyond the RM3k price point.
The question then evolves to this – should you get the S8 or the S8+? It’s just a matter of size. If you like a smaller smartphone, get the S8. If you want a larger one, get the S8+. Personally speaking, I’d get the S8+. My perception changed after I first laid my hands on it, and felt how tiny the entire phone really is. The Galaxy S8+ is only slightly wider than the Huawei P10 – a smartphone with a 5.1-inch 1080p 16:9 display.
Both S8 and S8+ offer a completely new user experience. It’s one that’s refreshing and seriously improves the user experience by magnitudes. It will take some time for other apps and content creators to adapt to this aspect ratio and resolution. Like I said earlier, it’ll only get better from now on.
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