A media preview of the new Galaxy S8 was held today in Sydney and Australian Business Traveller was invited for a hands-on preview of the highly anticipated handset. We’ve distilled some of the top features and enhancements you’ll appreciate if you travel with the S8.
Screen
Easily the most futuristic-looking handset on the market, the S8 and S8+ defy what we have come to expect about how a handset should look. The front is almost entirely occupied by the curved display with a resolution of 3840x1600, amongst the highest in the market. In person, it looks stunning.
Pictured here side by side, the standard Galaxy S8 with its 5.8" screen will set you back $1,199, while it's larger 6.2" screened sibling is priced at $1,349.
Camera
Although Samsung has stuck to a relatively low 12-megapixel resolution, the new camera setup in the S8 is a dual pixel sensor that is designed to better handle photography in night and day conditions. It’s also faster to focus and sits flush with the back of the phone.
Security
For a truly James Bond-style experience, you can now unlock the S8 with an iris scan or face scan, or stick to the more traditional fingerprint scanner on the back. Also handy is the Samsung Knox functionality that keeps your private data in a secure folder.
DeX
Business travellers will appreciate that the Galaxy S8 also features Samsung's new DeX 'desktop experience' for Android.
Park the S8 on the compact $199 DeX Station dock (the connection is made via the S8's USB-C port) and you'll be able to plug in a keyboard, mouse and monitor to turn your phone into an Android-based computer. Currently Samsung has confirmed partnerships with Microsoft, Adobe, VMware and Citrix to produce DeX compatible apps, but more developers should be following soon.
Performance and storage
Fitted with Samsung’s own 8-core processor, the S8 models are fast enough to handle multiple complex apps at once. That extra power also means they can process download speeds of up to 1 gigabit-per-second on Telstra’s 4G network. There’s also double the on-board storage – 64GB now – and a switch from the common micro-USB charging standard to USB-C.
Initial impressions are good for the S8 models and we’ll be bringing you a detailed review in the next couple of weeks. The highly anticipated Galaxy S8 will start shipping pre-orders from April 21, 2017 and will then be available for general sale from April 28, 2017. In the meantime, check out our previous in-depth coverage of what to expect from the new Samsung S8.
James has been interested in aviation ever since his first flight. When he’s not travelling, he’s still on the road indulging his motoring hobby, or trying a new whisky.
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