Why Samsung's Forthcoming Galaxy S8 Could Be a Mixed Bag

Hot on the heels of its literally explosive predecessor, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 has generated serious buzz. Although these devices won't become publicly available until late March 2017, the hype machine was already in full swing by the end of January when people got a sneak peek thanks to famed leaker Evan Blass.

The Key Features

With the S8, Samsung appears to have doubled down on some of the Galaxy Note 7's hallmarks that weren't able to get much publicity after that model's combustion-prone batteries took the spotlight. For instance, the new version incorporates iris-scanning identification and fingerprint sensors that aren't exactly anything novel.

What really makes the S8 stand out is its inclusion of an upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Said to boost CPU performance by around 11 percent and increase graphics processing by some 23 percent, this should be a welcome addition in an increasingly demanding app ecosystem.

Potential Downsides?

With two versions and larger screens in the same S7-sized footprint, you'd think that people would be going crazy about the S8's bezel-free profiles and edge displays. Unfortunately, early indicators suggest that the top of the screen will permanently display the Samsung logo. As of yet, it remains unclear whether the phone will operate this way when users watch fullscreen videos and similar content.

In addition to taking issue with the fact that the manufacturer seems to be blatantly prioritizing branding over usability, some reviewers feel like the device's design could use some refinement. For instance, early photos depicted the phone's fingerprint scanner in an ill-advised position right next to the rear camera lens, which could lend itself to regular smudging on top of making the phone trickier to unlock.

Of course, although the leaked photos and specs came from a trusted source, it could be too early to say what the S8 holds at this point. Samsung may take the hubbub to heart and tweak the device even further in the coming months. At the very least, we can hope that the company has learned from the past and is ready to make the Note line worth owning again

Recommended stories

More stories

Super Mario Run: Review or reject?

Super Mario Run is the first mobile phone game ever released by Nintendo. At the moment, it is exclusively for the iPhone but there are future plans for it to b...

What Is Sling TV, and Can It Replace Your Cable Subscription?

If you’ve ever toyed around with the idea of moving to a online streaming cable replacement, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Sling TV. But it can be kind of confusing to figure out if Sling is a good fit for your lifestyle. Fear not, would-be cord-cutter—we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you want