It seems that the many leaks that we picked up and reported in Display Daily (Galaxy S8 To Support External Displays?) were quite accurate in setting out the details of the new Samsung S8 and S8+. As expected, they have 5.8″ and 6.2″ 18.5:9 AMOLEDs that curve around the sides of the phones and mean that almost all the front is a display, with both front and back protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The fingerprint detector has been moved to the back of the display by the camera. The camera has been only slightly upgraded from last year’s model (it is still 12 megapixels) and the european version has an Exynos 8895 AP, while the US will get a Qualcomm 835. Batteries are 3000 and 3500 mAh and memory on both models is 4GB/64GB.
Samsung said that the phone is certified as supporting the UHD Alliance Mobile HDR Premium peformance criteria. Games will support the low level Vulkan API.
The phone will also have IP68 water and dust support and up to 256GB of add-on storage. It will include support for Bixby. Unlike Apple, Samsung has not abandoned the 3.5mm jack this time and its headphones are now ‘tuned by AKG’ – unsurprising as AKG is a Hardman brand, and Hardman is a Samsung subsidiary.
Shipments will start in the second half of April and the S8 will cost $720, €799, £689 and the S8+ is $850, €899, £779.
Samsung also confirmed the DeX Station, which will allow the phone to be connected to an HDMI monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. We have been reporting rumours of support of DisplayPort over the USB Type-C and Samsung has confirmed that the output can support UltraHD at 60fps using the internal connector. Samsung said that video out to TVs is supported via HDMI, which suggests to us that HDCP is supported.
Samsung said that Adobe and, perhaps more surprisingly, Microsoft had helped the cmpany to ensure compatibility and the phone can be used as a virtual display to a remote desktop using Citrix, VMware and Amazon Web Services, among others. A new UI for Android has been developed for better use with a keyboard and mouse and supporting multiple resizable windows, contextual menus and a desktop version Web browser.
Of course, it’s ‘about the platforms’ these days, so Samsung announce a new VR content service and VR library. There is a new app and it has 8,000 videos and 2,000 ‘premium experiences’ at launch with more local content to come. There will be a new ‘made-for-VR’ series including Invisible, a supernatural drama which follows a mysterious American family, directed by Doug Liman, the director behind The Bourne Identity. Samsung announced an update to the Gear VR headsets last month at MWC, but there is a new Gear 360 camera.
The new Gear 360 captures 4096 x 2160 resolution at 24fps and with support for livestreaming of 2K content to Facebook and YouTube. The sensors are based on 8.4 megapixel CMOS devices and aperture of the lenses is F2.2. Stills can be captured at up to 5472 x 2736 using both lenses, or 2304 x 1296 using one. Recording time is up to 130 minutes at 2560 x 1280 30fps. The camera is designed to be used with a smartphone and video is managed through the Samsung Gear 360 app, allowing the camera to change views and apply multiple modes on the fly.
Analyst Comment
I think the use of the S8 as a PC might be the biggest story for the long term, depending on how good the experience is. I have long believed that because the smartphone is an essential carrying item, so can store your ‘stuff’. Our SME already does a lot in the cloud and with VMs. Frankly, this kind of set up could have been used by many of our staff for several years. I’m looking forward to try it out. (BR)
