Samsung Galaxy S8: Everything you need to know, all in one place

Samsung Galaxy S8

The release of the latest Galaxy S phone is always a major event, and with good reason. Samsung’s premium flagship practically defines our expectations for high-end, high-price Android phones for the year to come. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ deliver a smorgasbord of features, top-tier hardware, a great camera, and bleeding-edge design. This, together with Samsung’s marketing muscle, make them the most popular premium Android phones. 

Specs

Size

Galaxy S8: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155 g
Galaxy S8+: 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173 g

Display

Galaxy S8: 5.8-inch Super AMOLED, 2960x1440, 570ppi
Galaxy S8: 6.2-inch Super AMOLED, 2960x1440, 529ppi
Screen aspect ratio 18.5:9
Screen-to-body ratio 83.6%

System on Chip

U.S. market has 10nm Snapdragon 835
Other markets have 10nm Exynos 8895 Octa
Up to 2.35GHz (Snapdragon) or 2.3GHz (Exynos)
4GB RAM
Adreno 540 GPU (Snapdragon 540 model)
Mali G-71 MP20 (Exynos model)

Storage

64GB UFS 2.1 storage
microSD card support

Connectivity and Networking

LTE Cat.16
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz),VHT80 MU-MIMO,1024QAM
Bluetooth 5
USB Type-C
NFC
Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou)

Battery

Galaxy S8: 3,000 mAh
Galaxy S8+: 3,500 mAh

Camera

Rear camera: 12 megapixels, dual pixel autofocus, f/1.7 aperture, optical image stabilization, 1.4 micron pixels, 1/2.55-inch sensor size
Front camera: 8 megapixel, autofocus, f/1.7 aperture, 1.22 micron pixels, 1/3.6-inch sensor size
4K video at 30fps, 1080p up to 60fps, 720p up to 240fps

Other features

Fingerprint sensor
Iris scanner
32-bit DAC
Miracast up to 1080p at 30fps
IP68 water and dust resistance
Fast wireless charging (PMA and WPC)
NFC
Samsung Pay with MST support
Bixby AI assistant
Always-on display
Edge panels and lighting

Price and release date

The phones were released on April 21st, 2017.
Prices start at around $720 for the Galaxy S8, and $850 for the Galaxy S8+.
Currently, the Galaxy S8 is only available in the U.S. through carriers, though we have been told an unlocked carrier-free version will be available in the future. As such, pricing varies by carrier, and every carrier has its own little incentives and deals. Some of these carry a lot of fine print; you may be required to surrender your current phone, transfer a line, or be locked into a particular service for several years.

Reviews

Outside of their physical size and battery capacity, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are identical. Our general consensus is that, despite a few annoyances, these are currently the finest premium-tier phones you can buy. There’s a lot to say about these phones, so be sure to read our full reviews.