Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

The South Korean handset maker, Samsung has now gone ahead and launched its much anticipated flagship device at a New York event. This smartphone was being touted as a make it or break it launch for Samsung since the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. However, now that it is out in the open, we can see that the brand has managed to launch a class-leading flagship yet again except for a slight niggle. While, this handset is perched on the very top of the high end segment, we are certain that this one would be the “it” to bring it home for Samsung. Here is a brief overview of the device that has been hyped beyond imagination and perfectly justified it as well.

New narrow bezel design: We have been seeing the leaked images and rumours around the handset that Galaxy S8 Pluswould be featuring a very sleek front fascia. This time around Samsung did get rid of its logo on the front as well as the fingerprint scanner slash home button. What this means is that the top and bottom bezel of the smartphone is very minimal just as we have seen in LG G6. Both these handsets are going to set the trend of bezel-less displays in 2017, that is for sure.

Infiniti Display: As a result of the slimmer bezel, the display real estate on Galaxy S8 Plus has increased drastically. Therefore, while it maintains the same sleek and slim profile, the display happens to be much larger than it looks. The 5.8 inch display on this handset boasts of 18:9 Aspect Ratio, which is second only to LG G6 and Quad-HD resolution. This time around, Samsung has incorporated the force touch in the dual curved display of the device, as well. The display also comes protected with the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Iris Scanner: This was one of the most anticipated and loved feature on the Galaxy Note 7, and when the handset failed it disappointed a lot of users. Therefore, Samsung had to bring it back in the Galaxy S8 Plus to make up to its dedicated user base. The Iris scanner on this handset is one of its kind since it can read your eyes even when you are wearing spectacles or shades. This is possible because of the fact that the sensor uses an Infrared sensor to work.

Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895: It is but natural for the best flagship in the handset market to come with the latest tech specs. Samsung did not disappoint on this front, as the regular variant of the handset will be coming with the newest and most powerful processor yet viz. Snapdragon 835. The Indian variant on the other hand would be equipped with Exynos 8895, which is as powerful, if not more, as Snapdragon 835 unit.

Bluetooth 5.0: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus happens to be a device with many firsts of its kind. One such feature is the latest Bluetooth 5.0 technology, which for now is commercially available only in the Galaxy S8 Plus. The newest data transfer feature has been rated to provide 2x speed and 4x range of Bluetooth 4.2.

Bixby: This is the newest addition to Samsung overhauled Touchwiz UI and South Korean brand's attempt at the AI. There is a dedicated physical button on the handset to launch Bixby conveniently. This is Samsung's version of Google Assistant and works in the same manner by learning user behavior over time. Bixby has also been integrated in Samsung native apps, can read onscreen content and listen to voice commands to perform tasks for you.

IP68 rating (Dust and Water Resistant): This is a standard feature now for all Samsung flagship device. Galaxy S8 Plus comes with IP68 rating, which means it is pretty sturdy and resistant to water as well as dust. So, users can go rough with their new handset if need be and be assured that a slight dip or splash would not kill their precious handset.

Odd positioning of fingerprint scanner: The new design of the flagship device meant that the fingerprint scanner had to be moved to the back panel of the device. But oddly, Samsung has placed the scanner right next to the camera on the left side. Which means that if you are a right handed user, your finger will be dragging all the way over the camera to reach fingerprint scanner and leave smudges on the camera lens. So either you would have to learn to love with a smudgy camera lens or keep cleaning the same.