Samsung Galaxy S8 review: Essence distilled

21 April 2017
When 5 inches is the de-facto standard for a compact Android handset, yet you want to prove that more is always better, what do you do? If you're Samsung, you make a 5.8-inch phone that's as compact as a 5-incher.

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  • A
  • AlienNextDoor
  • JK1
  • 21 Apr 2017

RaghavaZ, 21 Apr 2017GSMA had concluded the other way around regarding one-hande... moreThey can conclude all they want, like every media outlet afraid to be critical.

The fact is, even 5.1 inch is on the large side when it comes to one handed use. Anything above is terrible. 4.3 to 4.7 is the sweet spot. It's not just the width but height as well. If you can't reach the top of the screen with your thumb without any hand gimnastics it's a fail.

    AlienNextDoor, 21 Apr 2017Even if the phone actually were much better than the s7 and... moreGSMA had concluded the other way around regarding one-handed usage and this S8 is actually more compact than the screen size suggests.

      • A
      • AlienNextDoor
      • JK1
      • 21 Apr 2017

      Even if the phone actually were much better than the s7 and had actually twice the battery life and cpu power AND someone wanted to trade it with me for my S7 I still wouldn't.

      NOTHING is more important than one-handed use and this phone fails hard on that test.

      Add to that the fact it has worse battery life, annoying edge screens, terrible FPS placement and no camera improvement...you really have to be thick as Saturn to buy this crap.

        Anonymous, 21 Apr 2017You really need to take another look at the lowlights tedio... moreRead the conclusion of GSMArena themselves LOL. And that's with Pixel's HDR Auto, not HDR On, so yeah thanks.

          • H
          • Hoffmann
          • Srh
          • 21 Apr 2017

          Meh... I'll skip Samsung this year. The S7 Edge is better

            • n
            • n99
            • UD{
            • 21 Apr 2017

            The Pixel is an ugly duckling that's not turning into a swan anytime soon

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • v6J
              • 21 Apr 2017

              ithehappy, 21 Apr 2017So worst position of fingerprint scanner. One of the worst ... moreYou really need to take another look at the lowlights tedious pics. The S8 blows away all other phones. Hate all you want but you can't deny this.

              http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=8161&idPhone2=8345&idPhone3=8064

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • swf
                • 21 Apr 2017

                "but a newer 10nm chipset next to the S7's 14nm silicon, so things should mostly even out"

                No,no, no . The screen is culpable for anywhere between 50-70% of total battery consumption (as far as components go), the SoC is rarely more than 30% ... so no things won't even out.

                Also the new screen (according to displaymate) uses 25% more power, the new SoC only saves about 15% battery (as far as the Exynos version goes). So according to this view -too- things don't even out either.

                As your S8+ review showed you should expect *less* battery. S8+ had 10 hours less despite only checking 16:9 videos on the 18.5:9 screen of S8+ (actually it would be closer to 15 hours less). So S8 should be -in total- with less autonomy as well. Please *be* critical of companies trying to cut corners.

                The lower battery was uncalled for and the consumers certainly don't want it (they'd prefer a 0.4 mm thicker phone if they were to keep the same autonomy). Please GSMarena try to be more hard on your reviews.

                  • D
                  • AnonD-425519
                  • Y78
                  • 21 Apr 2017

                  I didn't think Samsung could do it but they did. The Camera now reaches a whole new level of oil painting xD.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • swf
                    • 21 Apr 2017

                    Anonymous, 21 Apr 2017Good phone - time to move to Android Possibly the worst reason to do so though. There are much better android phones out there. It's the most overrated by far.

                      So worst position of fingerprint scanner. One of the worst android skin. Weird and completely unneeded Bixby stuffs. Weird aspect ratio. Camera no better than Pixel's! And this is a good achievement from Samsung I am sure. Well done, kudos.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-510098
                        • 9xr
                        • 21 Apr 2017

                        Huawei Mate 9 is way better. It beats it in areas that matter and is also cheaper...

                          • D
                          • AnonD-603795
                          • vx2
                          • 21 Apr 2017

                          Got an Iphone 7, S7 and Honor 8 at this moment.
                          Not much upgrade from my S7. Lame.
                          Gonna pass on this.

                            • G
                            • G4M3R
                            • utK
                            • 21 Apr 2017

                            Finally the 808 is dethroned in sunlight legibility test. But it took almost five years...

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • w9x
                              • 21 Apr 2017

                              Good phone - time to move to Android

                                • D
                                • Duke1
                                • wv$
                                • 21 Apr 2017

                                I think the S8 is closer to the S7 Edge than the S7 in terms of overall size.

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