samsung galaxy s8 : all you need to know

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S8

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is coming in 2017, and it’s going to be massive. Here’s what we already know about the next Samsung flagship smartphone, including the Galaxy S8 release date, specs, features, and price.

Update (17 October 2016): Samsung has kicked off the production of 10nm chips, which could usher in massive performance and battery life improvements for next year's smartphones – the Galaxy S8 included. Read on to find out more.

Samsung has had a mixed year, with the resounding success of the Galaxy S7, and the utter disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung is no longer manufacturing the Note 7, and is telling users to keep their phones turned off, so many customers will be keen to bag themselves a Samsung Galaxy S8 next year.

That said, we’re still months away from the expected February/March launch of the Galaxy S8, so there’s a limit to what we can say for certain about the new phone. Fortunately, the phone market is relatively easy to predict, so we have a good idea of what sort of processors, modems, and camera technology will be available for Samsung to utilise ahead of the phone’s debut.

Some of the likeliest Galaxy S8 features include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 830 chip or Samsung’s Exynos 8995, both of which are unannounced, as well as a 4K display and an Edge-style screen.

Here’s a round-up of what you can expect from the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Related: iPhone 7

LATEST GALAXY S8 NEWS:

When does the Galaxy S8 come out? February/March 2017

What’s new about the Galaxy S8? Rumoured: 4K screen, SD830 chip, USB-C

How much will the Galaxy S8 cost? Best guess: £599

Watch Now: Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8

GALAXY S8 RELEASE DATE UK & US – WHEN WILL THE NEW GALAXY S8 COME OUT?

The Galaxy S8 release date is likely to be in either March or April, based on recent history. Here’s a quick look back at previous Galaxy phone launches:

• Galaxy S7 release date – March 11, 2016
• Galaxy S6 release date – April 20, 2015
• Galaxy S5 release date – April 11, 2014
• Galaxy S4 release date – April 27, 2013
• Galaxy S3 release date – May 29, 2012
• Galaxy S2 release date – May 2, 2011
• Galaxy S release date – June 4, 2010

As is evident by the launch pattern, April has tended to be the most popular month for release. However, the Galaxy S7 arrived a little earlier in 2016. That was because the phone was actually announced in February at Mobile World Congress, an event that’s usually held in March. However, MWC’s timing this year meant that the Galaxy S7 was forced to land sooner than expected.

It could be the same situation this year too, as MWC 2017 is set to run between February 27 and March 2 – which suggests we'll see the Galaxy S8 announced a day before, on February 26. One leaker certainly thinks that's the case:

A number of analysts have suggested that Samsung will rush its next flagship smartphone out in a bid to reduce the fallout from the ongoing Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, as reported by the Korea Herald. Samsung typically releases its flagship Galaxy S- devices at the end of the first quarter of a year – around March or April, as we mentioned earlier. In one report, Kim Sang-pyo, an analyst at KB Investment & Securities, said:

“Smartphone demands have polarised; advanced and emerging markets, and premium and budget phones. If Samsung’s flagship smartphone launch is delayed to the end of the first quarter of next year, the probability of the mobile business division could be worsened next year.”

Samsung recently halted sales of the Galaxy Note 7, announcing a global recall of the phone on September 2. It was in response to user reports of the phone bursting into flames, melting, and even exploding. An internal investigation uncovered a battery manufacturing issue with the handsets, which Samsung hopes to resolve. Sales of new phones will resume in the UK on October 28.

But Kim added: “Regardless of the sales resumption, an earlier launch of a new quality flagship model seems to be the most realistic solution to dealing with the current recall crisis."

A separate analyst report by Mirae Asset Securities also suggested that Samsung could minimise the damage of the Note 7 recall by launching a new flagship phone – i.e. the Galaxy S8 – rather than by trying to boost Note 7 sales.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e1d/270a/samsung-galaxy-4.jpg

GALAXY S8 FEATURES – WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE GALAXY S8?

The Galaxy S8 is expected to be one of next year’s most exciting smartphones, so it’s likely to have seriously top-end specs. While nothing is certain this early on in the Galaxy S8’s development timeline, we have a very good idea about much of what the phone will feature.

Here’s what you can expect to see in terms of Galaxy S8 features...

GALAXY S8 DESIGN – MAJOR OVERHAUL?

Samsung might be planning a major design overhaul for next year’s Galaxy S8.

A report out of Korea published in October says the Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature a number of notable design changes compared to the Galaxy S7, including the removal of the home button. ETNews reports that Samsung wants to ditch the button, instead integrating the functionality – including fingerprint scanning – inside of the display. This will allow Samsung “to fill all of the front of the galaxy S8 with just screen”. The report goes on to say that Samsung is “planning to eliminate even top and bottom edges of display for Galaxy S8”.

Back in September, a NYT report suggested that Apple was also planning to implement a full-screen front by removing the home button, instead embedding the functionality in the display. It’s expected that both the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 will used OLED screens built by Samsung’s display manufacturing arm.

And if all that isn't enough for you, check this out. The video below, which comes from Android blog Techdroider, shows a Galaxy S8 render based on rumours that the phone will have an edge-to-edge screen and no home button:

GALAXY S8 AND S8 EDGE SCREEN – WILL SAMSUNG USE A 4K DISPLAY?

The first question is how big could Samsung’s Galaxy S8 be? Here are the screen sizes for past Samsung flagship phones:

• Galaxy S7 – 5.1-inch
• Galaxy S7 Edge – 5.5-inch
• Galaxy S6 – 5.1-inch
• Galaxy S6 Edge – 5.1-inch
• Galaxy S5 – 5.1-inch

There’s a clear trend of 5.1-inch panels here – it’s a decent middle ground between the lowly 4-inch iPhone SE and the gargantuan 6-inch Nexus 6, and will suit most users. While there haven’t been any rumours about the Galaxy S8 screen, we’d expect the Galaxy S8 to feature a 5.1-inch display, and the Galaxy S8 Edge to feature a 5.5-inch screen. That lets Samsung better compete with Apple’s 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones.

Next up is display resolution – will the Galaxy S8 finally debut a 4K display? The Galaxy S5 featured a Full HD display, but Samsung switched to QHD panels (1,440 x 2,560 pixels) with the Galaxy S6. This resolution was retained for the Galaxy S7 too, despite rumours of a 4K panel.

Well, according to a tip on China’s leading social media platform Weibo (via specialist blog Sammobile), the Galaxy S8 will feature either:

• (1) A 5.1-inch display with a QHD resolution
• (2) A 5.5-inch display with a 4K resolution

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e1a/0f3c/samsung-galaxy-1.jpg

That's no surprise, because there’s a key difference between 2016 and 2017 – and that’s the proliferation of virtual reality. In 2016, VR is still finding its feet, and Samsung played to the trend with its early-to-market Gear VR headset. In 2017, however, it’s expected that VR will be well and truly mainstream – IDC predicts that nine million VR headsets will be sold next year. If there’s a single argument for Samsung adopting a 4K display on its next flagship, it’s virtual reality.

When you don a Gear VR today, the screen you’re looking at is a QHD panel. But it’s pixelated, and that’s not ideal. That’s partly because you’re not actually seeing a QHD picture. The screen is running in stereoscopic mode, which means the panel is split into two identical halves, each at Full HD resolution.

If Samsung were to use a 4K display, each image (or half of the screen) would be running at a QHD resolution, which means the Gear VR would look twice as good. If Samsung really wants to back VR – and all evidence suggests it does – then we’ll see a 4K screen on the Galaxy S8.

It’s also worth noting that the Snapdragon 820, the processor that powers a good chunk of Galaxy S7 devices, already supports native 4K display at 60fps. The Galaxy S8 will be using an even newer processor, which means there’s no risk of the chip not supporting the UHD screen.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e1b/4aec/samsung-galaxy-2.jpg

The good news is that it might actually happen. A report by the Korea Herald on June 8 cites predictions by industry analysts at UBI Research that the Galaxy S8 will feature a 4K display. According to the market experts, there's plenty of evidence to support the theory. Researchers at the firm were quoted as saying:

“Samsung Display showcased a 5.5 ultra-high definition 4K display with a pixel density of 806ppi for virtual reality devices at the Society for Information Display, a display trade show, in California in March. Considering various factors including the production yield rate for the next-generation display expected to improve in the coming months, the 5.5-inch AMOLED will be deployed in the next Galaxy smartphone, presumably, named the S8.”

Of course, the word of industry analysts isn't gospel – they often get things wrong. But still, it's more evidence that a move to 4K displays is a sensible (and likely) one.

The other key question is whether or not the Galaxy S8 will be available with a curved, dual-edge display, just like the Galaxy S7 Edge. Well, there's a chance it might only be available with a curved display, after a senior Samsung executive recently hinted that future Samsung Galaxy S- smartphones may not feature flat screens.

Speaking to the Korea Herald, Samsung Mobile boss Koh Dong-jin said:

"Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone line-up if the company can provide consumers differentiated user experience through software and user-friendly functions (for the curved screen)."

The move wouldn't exactly be unprecedented. After all, the Galaxy Note 7 was – for the first time ever – only available in the 'Edge' design, suggesting an increased fondness for the aesthetic at Samsung HQ. Speaking to the Herald, a market analyst said:

"Samsung will not likely get rid of the flat-screen Galaxy S smartphone model right away, but if the market response is positive with the Note 7, it would surely serve as a cue for Samsung to focus only on the Edge model."

Things have progressed since then however, as a report published by the Korea Herald on September 9 claimed that Samsung is now actively considering whether to ditch flat screens for good, citing "industry sources" who are familiar with the matter.

Apparently, the decision is borne out of the success of the Galaxy S7 Edge, which has outpaced the flat-screened Galaxy S7 in terms of sales. And the Galaxy Note 7, which was only available in a curved-screen variant, also saw great success, despite ditching flat screens.

According to the Herald's sources, Samsung has begun procuring curved displays in 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch variants, courtesy of the company's own Samsung Display division. That's no surprise, as Samsung Display is currently the only product of this type of screen in the world.

It's important to note that although the Galaxy S8 may be curved-only, it doesn't mean there'll be only one model. It's still expected that we'll see a big version and a small version, as in previous years. Lending credence to that theory is a new report from Sammobile that claims the new models are referred to as Dream and Dream2 within the company, and have been assigned model numbers SM-G950 and SMG955 respectively.

That's interesting because the Galaxy S7's model number was SM-G930, and Samsung usually just adds 10 to the number when a new phone launches. But this time Samsung has added 20 to both, and it's being put down to tetraphobia – a fear of the number four.

Apparently, tetraphobia is quite widespread in South Korea. In some buildings, the letter 'F' is used in place of the number four to denote a fourth floor in a building. Samsung has fallen foul of the superstition before in the case of the Galaxy S4's model number, which jumped from GT-I9300 on the S3 to GT-I9500 on the S4.

GALAXY S8 SPECS – HOW POWERFUL WILL IT BE?

New 10nm processor? – Next year’s mobile chips haven’t been announced yet but, like smartphones, their releases are cyclical, and thus easy to predict.

The Galaxy S7 runs on one of two chips: a Snapdragon 820, built by US chip maker Qualcomm, or an Exynos 8890, built by Samsung’s own semiconductor division. The Galaxy S6 used an Exynos processor, and the Galaxy S5 used a Snapdragon processor.

We’d say the likeliest scenario is that the Galaxy S8 will use both Samsung and Qualcomm chips once again. Splitting the manufacturing strain between two companies means you can order more chips, and get them in a timely fashion. While we don’t know much about the Snapdragon 830 – yet to be announced – or the next Exynos chip, there are some clues.

Earlier this year, a leaked ARM presentation showed that the company is working on reference designs for CPUs built on a highly-efficient 10nm manufacturing process. Both Qualcomm and Samsung use ARM’s reference designs. Then, on October 17, 2016, Samsung began manufacturing the industry’s first chips built using a 10nm FinFET manufacturing process. This means the transistors are far smaller than those built onto the 14nm and 16nm chips that appeared in last year’s Galaxy S7. As a result, we’d expect that a 10nm chip would be much less power-hungry, and potentially more powerful, than a chip built using a less efficient manufacturing process.

According to Samsung, the new transistor design will mean that transistors can be placed on a chip in with 30% greater area efficiency. The company also claims that the end result will be 27% higher performance or 40% lower power consumption. That’s good news for smartphone owners everywhere.

So when will customers get these souped-up smartphones? Well if the manufacturing kicks off today, then we’d expect to see handsets debuting with 10nm chips on board early next year. And Samsung has already vowed to start mass-producing a second-generation version of its 10nm chips as soon as the second half of 2017.

Samsung hasn’t actually announced any partners yet, but earlier this month, South Korea’s Electronic Times reported that Samsung would be the sole manufacturer for Qualcomm’s rumoured Snapdragon 830 chip. That’s the US chipmaker’s still-unannounced flagship chip, which should power the most powerful smartphones of 2017. Most importantly, Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is sure to use a 10nm chip, although it’s not clear whether it will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 830, a Samsung-branded Exynos chip, or both (depending on your region). If Samsung doesn't build the Qualcomm or Samsung chips, they may be built by Taiwan's TSMC instead, which has pledged to produce 10nm chips by the end of 2016.

For context, the Galaxy S7’s Snapdragon 820 and Exynos 8890 chips are both built using a 14nm FinFET process, which is less efficient. Moving to 10nm means the new chips will be more powerful and less power-hungry.

Qualcomm also recently announced a new Snapdragon 821 chip, poised as an upgrade to the Snapdragon 820. It's built on the same 14nm process, so it's not a great leap upwards, but it does offer a respectable 10% speed boost compared to the 820. The Snapdragon 821 has already appeared on a few smartphones, including the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, but we'd say it's unlikely the Galaxy S8 will run on the chip – the rumoured Snapdragon 830 is a far more likely candidate. At the very least, the Snapdragon 821 tells us that the Snapdragon 830 will be at least 10% faster than the Snapdragon 820, and probably a whole lot more.

Interestingly, a mysterious new Exynos chip turned on up Zauba – an Indian import/export web tracker – in late July, under the name Exynos 8895. That's not a chip we're familiar with, and it's never been formally announced. The most likely scenario is that the Exynos 8895 is just a boosted version of the Exynos 8890, just like the Snapdragon 821 offered a minor upgrade from the Snapdragon 820. That means it probably won't feature in the Galaxy S8. But if it really is Samsung's first 10nm chip then there's a very good chance the Galaxy S8 will run on this new processor.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000031a2e/6383_orh616w616/exynos7chip.jpeg

But the Exynos 8895 rumour train doesn't stop there: A well-known China-based mobile leaker has claimed that Samsung has begun trials of its next-generation Exynos chip. Weibo user IceUniverse says the system-on-a-chip – dubbed the Exynos 8895 – has been built on a 10nm manufacturing process, which would be a first for Samsung chipsets.

Excitingly, Samsung has reportedly achieved peak clock-rates of 4GHz with the Exynos 8895. It’s likely that the chip will be throttled at launch however, as is generally the case with processors. Still, it’s a 30% increase in clock-rate over the peak trial speeds for the Exynos 8890, which capped out at 3GHz (and launched with a throttled 2.6GHz cap).

Some websites are reporting that this means we’ll see a 30% performance increase, but that’s not necessarily what a 30% faster clock-rate necessarily means. Here’s a brief (and very simplified) explainer:

Clock-rates explained:

The clock-rate is the frequency – or speed, basically – that the processor is running at, and is measured in clock cycles per second, i.e. Hertz. So if a processor runs at 4Hz, it’s running 4,000 clock cycles per second. So the higher the clock-rate, the more processing cycles a CPU achieves in a given time.

But a higher clock-rate doesn’t mean you’re getting a better deal. That’s because another important aspect of a processor’s performance is instructions per cycle. That’s how many instructions (read: tasks) that a processor can resolve per clock cycle.

For instance, the first general-purpose computer was the ENIAC, which had a 100kHz clock rate. But each instruction took around 20 cycles to complete, leaving it with an instruction rate of just 5kHz.

So manufacturers tend to create processors that feature either (1) a low clock rate and a high number of instructions per cycle, or (2) a high clock rate and a low number of instructions per cycle. The jury is still out on which one is better, but the consensus leans towards the former. That’s one of the reasons why Intel, for example, has seen recent success compared to rival AMD, because of the high instructions per cycle that Intel chips achieve.

A separate report published in September by WCCFTech (based on ever-sketchy Weibo leaks) claimed that the Exynos 8895 will power the Galaxy S8, will be built on a 10nm process, and will be clocked at 3GHz. It also alleges that we’ll see a low 5W power consumption, as well as a 60-70% improvement to image processing.

Mali, Adreno, or Nvidia GPU? – A recent report by specialist blog Sammobile suggested that Samsung is courting both Nvidia and AMD to give Galaxy smartphones a leg up in the graphics department.

According to Sammobile, Samsung is "in talks" with the two computing giants in a bid to license their GPU technologies. It's said that Samsung hopes to use GPU technologies from one of the two firms inside its own Exynos chips. Currently, Samsung uses British semiconductor giant ARM's Mali line of GPUs in the Exynos chips.

It's no surprise that Nvidia is in the running, considering the strong performance and reception of this year's Pascal architecture (read: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080). However, AMD has also successfully landed a deal with Sony to provide its Polaris architecture for the upcoming PS4 Pro, so either firm could woo Samsung.

So will the Galaxy S8 feature an Nvidia-inspired, Samsung-built GPU? We're not entirely convinced. While Samsung is highly likely to be trying to wrest more control over its mobile hardware, we're only six months away from the launch of the Galaxy S8. It would be tough for Samsung to turn around a deal with Nvidia, design a GPU, integrate it into Exynos, and get in manufactured, all in advance of March 2016. It's far more likely we'll see this sort of arrangement appear in 2018's Galaxy S9.

Then, on September 25, Sammobile published another report that suggested Samsung may be planning to use ARM’s new Mali-G71 GPU in the Galaxy S8. That would give the phone significant performance enhancements over the Galaxy S7.

According to the blog, this GPU will be built into the Exynos 8895 system-on-a-chip that's reportedly going to power Samsung's next flagship smartphone. The Mali-G71 is ARM's top-end mobile GPU, and is built on the British company's new Bifrost architecture. It's a 16nm chip clocked at 850MHz and, according to ARM, offers a 40% performance improvement while being 20% more efficient than the Mali-T880 – that's the Galaxy S7's GPU.

Here's what ARM says about its latest GPU:

“The Mali family enables stunning visuals for UHD content and the superior power and scalability of the Mali-G71 makes it the perfect GPU for next generation, high-end use cases like premium gaming and mobile VR.”

It’s also worth noting that the Mali-G71 was developed to meet the needs of Vulkan, which is the powerful, cross-platform API built by Khronos. Samsung already added support for Vulkan in the Galaxy S7, so it’d be surprising if the same wasn’t true for the Galaxy S8.

Super-fast modem – What’s also probable is that the Snapdragon 830 – and the Galaxy S8, by extension – will come with a Snapdragon X16 built-in.

The Snapdragon X16 is Qualcomm’s latest modem built on a 14nm manufacturing process, and supports “fibre-like” LTE Cat. 16 download speeds. That’s significantly superior to the X12 modem built into the Snapdragon 820 chip – as used on the Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e1f/fd56/samsung-galaxy-6.jpg

Related: How to install Android N

The Snapdragon X12 modem supports 600Mbps download speeds. But the Snapdragon X16 can handle incredible downlink speeds of up to 1Gbps.

That means a 4K movie – estimated at 100GB average file size – could be downloaded in just over 13 minutes. And a Blu-ray movie, which averages at around 20GB, could arrive in a quarter of that time.

Qualcomm has already revealed that manufacturers are currently sampling the Snapdragon X16, and the first products that feature the chip are expected in the second half of this year. As such, it would be very surprising if the Galaxy S8 didn’t use the Snapdragon X16.

Unfortunately, while the Snapdragon X16 can support high-speed connections, it doesn’t guarantee them. Fast speeds also depend on your phone network, and no cellular networks in the UK currently offer 1Gbps speeds. Qualcomm predicts that 1Gbps speeds may be offered in the UK within two years, however.

USB-C, finally? – The Galaxy S7 was rumoured to feature a USB-C port, but that didn’t happen. Now the Galaxy S8 is expected to debut the technology instead.

USB Type-C is a USB specification that should eventually replace the Micro USB ports that you’ll find on the majority of smartphones today. It’s already been used on plenty of devices in 2016, perhaps most prominently with Apple’s 12-inch MacBook.

USB Type-C is a reversible connection – you can stick it in upside down, basically – just like the Apple Lightning port. It also supports different “protocols”. That’s a fancy way of saying that you can have adapters that can output other types of connections – HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, etc. – from a single USB-C port. That’s why Apple’s 12-inch MacBook only needs one port.

USB-C is also capable of supplying much more power (up to 100W) compared to a conventional USB 2.0 connection (2.5W).

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e21/6eb9/samsung-galaxy-8.jpg

All this means that USB-C is a worthy upgrade over Micro USB, and it would seem very curious if that Galaxy S8 didn’t make the switch. Perhaps the only downside to upgrading would be that the Galaxy S8 wouldn’t be compatible with existing Gear VR headsets, which use Micro USB connections.

Perhaps the best evidence of a USB-C Galaxy S8 is that the Galaxy Note 7 featured the technology. What's more, Samsung also built a new Gear VR that supports USB-C for the Note 7, so it makes sense that the Galaxy S8 would follow suit.

GALAXY S8 CAMERA – EVEN BETTER THAN THE S7 CAMERA?

Samsung’s flagship phones have long been known for their impressive cameras. Why should the Galaxy S8 be any different? After all, the Galaxy S7 has one of the most innovative and impressive phone cameras we’ve ever seen, better even than the well-received Galaxy S6.

That might seem curious at first, because Samsung dropped from 16 megapixels on the Galaxy S6 camera to a mere 12-megapixel sensor for the Galaxy S7. But despite the smaller number of pixels, the Galaxy S7 camera was actually more competent.

That’s thanks to the ‘Dual Pixel’ technology built into the camera. Every pixel on the Galaxy S7’s image sensor has two photodiodes instead of one. One of the biggest advantages of this increased pixel count is faster focus. When you’re taking a photo with an iPhone, between 5% and 10% of the pixels are used for focusing. But with the Galaxy S7, every single pixel is able to take part.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e23/1fa1/samsung-galaxy-10.jpg

More excitingly, the Galaxy S7 was the first smartphone in the world to debut the technology. So it seems probable that the Galaxy S8 will retain this feature.

But it gets better. The Galaxy S7 also features a large f/1.7 lens aperture and a 1/2.6-inch sensor. But we already know that Samsung is hard at work developing a 1/1.7-inch sensor fit for use in smartphones, and there are rumours that there’s also a lens with a faster f/1.4 aperture in the works too. Both could feature in the Galaxy S8.

Unfortunately, recent reports seem to suggest that neither innovation will be ready for the Galaxy S8 launch, for that matter. Instead, it seems more likely that the Galaxy S8 will tout a very similar camera module to the Galaxy S7, at least until we hear otherwise.

One key upgrade could come in the form of a dual-lens camera module. Huawei used the technology in its recently launched Huawei P9, and Apple followed suit with the iPhone 7 Plus. A smattering of such rumours regarding the Galaxy S8 have been posted to Chinese social media site Weibo – most recently by tipster I Ice Universe – but it’s too early to believe such reports.

Perhaps the best evidence of a camera upgrade so far is a recent Samsung patent filing in South Korea. The patent describes a newly improved zoom function for smartphones. This had led to speculation that Samsung plans to mimic the iPhone 7 Plus, and add a dual-camera module with a telephoto zoom lens.

In any case, we’d be very surprised if Samsung didn’t follow Apple with a dual-lens camera.

Related: Android Pay vs Apple Pay

GALAXY S8 BATTERY LIFE – WILL IT HAVE A BIGGER BATTERY?

The matter of Galaxy S8 battery life is tricky, because how long a phone lasts on a single charge depends on so many factors.

The first is the size of the actual cell. Here’s a brief history of battery capacities for recent Samsung flagships:

• Galaxy S7 – 3,000mAh
• Galaxy S7 Edge – 3,600mAh
• Galaxy S6 – 2,550mAh
• Galaxy S6 Edge – 2,600mAh

As you can see, the Edge variants tend to have slightly bigger batteries. But the screens tend on those phones are a little bigger – moreso on the S7 Edge than the S6 Edge – which explains the added capacity. If there are two variants of the Galaxy S8, we’d expect this trend to continue.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e24/6940/samsung-galaxy-11.jpg

But cell size isn’t the only factor that affects battery life. Google’s Android N – the software expected to feature on the Galaxy S8 – offers battery life improvements. Then there’s the likely 10nm processor, which will be less power-hungry than the current 14nm processor on the Galaxy S7. However, if Samsung does finally move to a 4K display with the Galaxy S8, you can count on that putting a serious damper on battery life too.

In any case, battery life is hugely important to phone buyers these days, so we’d be surprised if Samsung was willing to ship the Galaxy S8 if it could manage less than a single day’s use.

GALAXY S8 WATERPROOF – WILL IT BE IP68 CERTIFIED?

One of the best features of the Samsung Galaxy S7 was its waterproof chassis. So we’re hoping the Galaxy S8 follows suit with an IP68-certified body – but what does that actually mean?

IP stands for ‘Ingress Protection’, and it’s a rating system put forward by the International Electrotechnical Commission to let consumers know how (1) waterproof, and (2) dustproof, a device is. If a handset is IP68-certified, it can be submerged in water at a depth of 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes. By contrast, an IP67-certified phone – like the Samsung Galaxy S5 – is only rated to depths of one metre.

So how likely is it that the Galaxy S8 will be waterproof? Well, while the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S7 were aqua-friendly, the Galaxy S6 was not, which shows Samsung is willing to skip over water-proofing for design purposes. However, the waterproof Galaxy S8 was extremely well-received, so it seems unlikely that Samsung will tamper with its winning formula too much.

• Samsung Galaxy S7 – IP68
• Samsung Galaxy S6 – N/A
• Samsung Galaxy S5 – IP67
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Active – IP67
• Samsung Galaxy S4 – N/A
• Samsung Galaxy S3 – N/A

Unfortunately, there haven’t been any rumours specifically regarding a waterproof Samsung Galaxy S8 just yet, so stay tuned.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000038e1e/32e6/samsung-galaxy-5.jpg

GALAXY S8 HEADPHONE JACK – NO MORE 3.5MM AUDIO PORT?

Samsung could also follow Apple’s suit and ditch the headphone jack on the Galaxy S8 – à la the iPhone 7. The USB Implementers Forum recently published its Audio Device Class 3.0 specification, which details a standard for phone makers that allows audio to be transmitted via USB-C. The new standard is a clear bid to incentivise Android phone manufacturers to abandon the age-old 3.5mm audio jack for greener, USB-C shaped pastures.

“USB is the simplest and most pervasive connector available today, making USB Type-C the logical choice for the future of digital audio,” said Jeff Ravencraft, President of the USB-IF. “We encourage companies interested in adopting USB specifications to take advantage of USB-IF resources to reduce time-to-market and deliver reliable USB products.”

The organisation’s new specification talks about how OEMs should remove the 3.5mm jack to shave “up to a millimetre off product designs and [reduce] the number of connectors”. It adds: “Fewer connectors will open the door for innovation in countless ways and make it easier to design waterproof or water-resistant devices."

Now that Apple has paved the way (with great controversy), it's much easier for other phone makers like Samsung to make a similar move.

GALAXY S8 SOFTWARE – ANDROID NOUGAT OR ANDROID...OREO?

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 will probably launch before the next version of Android (Oreo, maybe?) is announced. Instead, we’re far likelier to see Android 7.0 Nougat on board.

Nougat is Google’s flagship mobile OS for 2016, and is the debut software for the new Google Pixel smartphone. Probably the biggest improvement with the software is the addition of split-screen mode. However, Samsung already offers this feature with its own TouchWiz skin – the software Samsung overlays onto Google’s Android OS. But there are other new perks, like notification stacking, a flatter ‘material design’ aesthetic, and battery life improvements.

And given the support for Android Pay, it seems very likely that the Galaxy S8 will retain NFC for contactless payments.

You can read all about the entire update in our Android Nougat review.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/0000380b5/ed56_orh616w616/android-n-15.jpg

^{Android N's new split-screen feature}

Related: Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S

SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 ACCESSORIES – CASES, CAMERAS, AND MORE?

Samsung is plotting a new 360-degree camera to launch alongside the Galaxy S8 next year, apparently.

A new report by specialist blog Sammobile says that Samsung is currently developing a ‘Gear 360 Pro’, a 360-degree camera that will succeed this year’s Gear 360. It’s supposedly set to launch at the same time as the Galaxy S8, which we’re currently expecting to arrive between February and April next year.

Samsung announced its first consumer-grade 360-degree camera – the Gear 360 – at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress earlier this year. It launched alongside the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but has only been shipped in a limited number of markets. We’re guessing Samsung was simply testing the waters with this device.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00003add4/5de5/samsung-gear-360.jpg

^{Samsung's Gear 360, pictured alongside a Galaxy S7 Edge and a Gear VR}

But if the ‘Gear 360 Pro’ does launch next year, it will be a sign that Samsung had reasonable success with the Gear 360. Here’s what we can expect, according to today’s report:

“The Gear 360 could bring improved image and video quality as well as more features, but we are not sure about its aspects as of now. The South Korean smartphone giant is also working on the Gear 360 Manager app for the iOS platform, bringing iOS support for its 360-degree cameras. However, we don’t think iOS support will be released any time soon.”

Samsung is currently beta-testing the Gear Manager app for iPhones, which adds iOS support for Samsung’s smartwatches and fitness trackers. So it’s no surprise that company may be hoping to extend this support to its Gear 360 camera too.

SAMSUNG PATENTS – THE FUTURE FOR GALAXY S8?

Samsung has a huge (and ever-growing) patent portfolio, which makes for excellent future-gazing. Will any of these features make it to the Galaxy S8?

New home button

Samsung could be preparing to swap out its signature lozenge-shaped home button for something a little more iPhone-like. A recently published Samsung patent depicts a handset with circular home button sensors, just like the iPhone. And another patent positioned the sensor on the back of the phone, just like the LG G5.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000039b9f/4334_orh616w616/samsung-patent.jpg

Better Selfies?

It was recently reported that Samsung was planning to introduce a new alternative to Android's notification light, dubbed 'Smart Glow'. Since then, tech blog Sammobile released what it claims is accurate information about the feature.

According to the report, Smart Glow is an illuminated ring around the camera lens on the back of Samsung Galaxy smartphones. This ring lights up for notifications, and will be customisable, i.e. users can change the colour depending on the type of alert.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000039ba0/8142/smart-glow-1.jpg

The report also notes that Smart Glow won't just be used for replacing the notification LED, however. It might also help impprove your selfie game significantly:

"It's also going to help users take pictures of themselves with the rear camera. Since that can prove to be a bit tricky as opposed to taking a selfie with a front camera, the Smart Glow ring will illuminate when it detects the face and the photo will then be taken in a few seconds."

Samsung is expected to show off Smart Glow initially with the upcoming Galaxy J2, rumoured for an imminent Indian launch. If the feature is a hit, there's a good chance the Galaxy S8 will also boast Smart Glow.

Dual Display

Smartphone makers have struggled to innovate in recent years, but a recent patent filing from Samsung shows one of the ways in which handsets, such as the Galaxy S8, could get a lot more interesting in the future. The company has submitted designs for a new high-end that features two screens on either side of a 'built-in cover'.

This latest submission seems to be a developed version of a previously submitted patent application for a smartphone with a very small seam between two screens. It now seems Samsung has ditched the idea of having the dual-screen setup make one larger display in favour of a new design which, as Patently Mobile reports, looks like "a professional notebook aimed at executives, sales pros and students".

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/000039d0d/ebad/fig.jpg

The new design consists of a cover that folds open to reveal two screens, one of which will be a 'functional unit' containing input devices, sensors, antenna devices, and charging pads. Also revealed in the patent filing are pen and ultrasonic input, a projector and biometric scanner, and sensors to track grip, gestures, and UV.

Patently Mobile notes the removal of a traditional hinge design, which has allowed Samsung to reduce the weight and thickness of the phone itself. Also highlighted in the report is a passage from the patent submission itself, which mentions a "processing device (e.g., a GPU) for supporting a mobile TV".

Samsung submitted the patent application in November 2015 in the US but, as always, there's no guarantee we'll ever see the design put into production.

GALAXY S8 PRICE – HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

We can only guess at the Galaxy S8 price at this stage. To help, here’s a look-back at recent Galaxy phone mark-ups:

• Galaxy S7 – £569
• Galaxy S6 – £599
• Galaxy S7 Edge – £639
• Galaxy S6 Edge – £695

Unsurprisingly, the Edge-variant Galaxy phones tend to cost between 5% and 10% more than their more traditional counterparts. If we take the average price of the S7 and S6, and assume that the Galaxy S8 will cost about £599, then the Galaxy S8 Edge would probably retail at about £639.

However, we’ll have to wait for some leaks nearer to the Galaxy S8 release date before we can put our finger on the price with any degree of certainty.

Related: Best Android Apps 2016

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE GALAXY S8?

The Galaxy S8 is a long way off, so it may be unwise to batten down the hatches and wait for the 2017 flagship.

There are plenty of great phones on the market right now, not least the Galaxy S7, and Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL. But you’ll also find good value from the HTC 10 and, to a lesser extent, the LG G5. And if you’re not a die-hard Android nut, the iPhone 7 is a formidable handset.

But by the time the Galaxy S8 handset comes out, there’ll be even more phones available. We’d expect to see the LG G6 vying for your hard-earned cash, for instance.

And looking beyond that, you’ll have the HTC 11 (probably, anyway) shortly following the Galaxy S8, with the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8 assuredly in tow.

What phone are you most excited for in the coming year? Let us know in the comments.