Compare Samsung Galaxy S8 deals and contracts

Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus on March 29th with both devices being officially released on April 21st. Here we round up everything you need to know.

The screens of both devices are relatively large. The Galaxy S8 has a 5.7” screen, whereas the S8 Plus has a massive 6.2” screen. This is a substantial increase compared to the S7 and S7 edge, which have 5.1” and 5.5” screens respectively. These edge-to-edge screens are being referred to by Samsung as ‘Infinity Displays’. This new display is the centrepiece of the S8, and the focus of Samsung's marketing

Even though the screen sizes are a lot bigger compared to previous flagship models, the phones themselves are not, which means they are relatively comfortable to hold. This image from SlashLeaks shows the Galaxy S8 in the middle compared with the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

Samsung have achieved this by doing three things:

• The screens are longer: most modern smartphone and TV screens have a 18:9 aspect ratio. The S8 and S8 Plus will both have a slightly longer 18.5:9 ratio, which means more of the front of the phone is covered by the screen.
• For both the S8 and the S8 Plus, the screens are completely edge-to-edge
• There are no physical buttons on the bottom of the phone, which means that the position of the fingerprint reader has had to change. You can see the sensor on the right hand side of the rear camera.
• The physical home button is replaced with an on-screen icon. A pressure sensor and vibration module have been built into the space behind the on-screen button to provide haptic feedback.

In terms of hardware, both phones are best in class, as you would expect:

• Processor: Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos (depending on country)
• Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera, 8-megapixel f/1.7 front camera
• Battery: 3000mAh (Galaxy S8), 3500mAh (Galaxy S8 Plus)
• Storage: 64GB, with microSD expansion slot
• Memory: 4GB
• Other: Headphone jack, USB Type-C, water resistance
  
  

As well as having a fingerprint reader, the S8 and S8 Plus will use a combination of facial recognition and iris scanning to unlock the device.

The S8 and S8 Plus also has a Samsung-made smart assistant called Bixby, with a dedicated physical button to launch it. Bixby is meant to be used a little differently compared to the likes of Siri and Google Assistant - its focus is to help you use, navigate, and control the phone, rather than search for information online. It is "context-aware", which means users can ask follow-up questions and assume it is aware of what is currently displayed. Users will be able to jump between voice and touch commands to get things done. Bixby can also be used to recognise nearby objects and show where they are on sale, or provide local information (such as restaurants nearby).

Samsung is also offering a new dock called DeX that connects the S8 and S8+ to a monitor, letting users use their Galaxy S8 as they would a desktop. Given that you need an extra hub to connect your phone to the monitor, and that it's likely that app support will be relatively limited, it will be interesting to see if this takes off. Microsoft has tried this in the past to little success.

Like the S7 and S7 edge, the S8 and S8 Plus are both IP68 certified, which means that they are water resistant to a depth of up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes, and are protected from dirt, dust, and sand.

What the critics say (scores are out of 100)

100	Expert Reviews | Nathan Spendelow, Jonathan Bray Yes, the cameras aren't quite as nifty, and the phone is a little slower, but the bottom line is that this is a phone that still goes toe to toe with the best of them, over two years after its initial release. Read full review
100	IT PRO | Clare Hopping, Adam Shepherd The Samsung Galaxy S8's appeal hasn't dimmed with age. It's still one of the most attractive and powerful phones out there, and even manages to match its successor in most categories... a better-value option than the S9. Read full review
100	TheEffect.Net | John Reilly In the end, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the best phones we've ever tested. It's obviously not without its flaws but when you consider just how much it can do and how extremely well-built it is, Samsung really has created the smartphone to beat right now. Read full review
100	The Independent | David Phelan Breathe easy, Samsung execs. From its looks to its performance, stunning screen to subtle innovations, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is a dazzling smartphone. No surprise that this is Samsung's best phone yet, and the slickest Android phone ever. Read full review
100	Alphr | Jonathan Bray and Alan Martin The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the best of the best of the best – but it comes at a price. The question is: do you need this much phone? For most people, probably not – the price is very high, and the gap between what budget and top-end smartphones can do is shrinking by the month. Read full review
100	What Hi-Fi? The world's most beautiful smartphone is also one of the best. The S8 is Samsung's comeback king. Read full review
100	Pocket-lint | Mike Lowe The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the flagship to rule all flagships. In short: the Samsung Galaxy S8 is a masterpiece; one with a few brush-strokes out of place, but a masterpiece nonetheless. Read full review
100	Ubergizmo | Hubert Nguyen The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have officially arrived, and everything indicates that it was worth the wait. The Galaxy S8/S8+ is a technological marvel inside an amazing industrial design. Read full review
100	Stuff | Elissa Loi The S8 is close to perfect, from its gorgeous, slim bezel design to its superb camera. What you're left with here is a brilliant smartphone experience, wrapped in one of the sleekest designs ever. If you're looking for a smartphone that nails every aspect of everything you could want in the palm of your hand, this is it. Read full review
100	Phone Scoop | Eric M. Zeman If you're ready to upgrade from an older Galaxy phone the S8 is The One you've been waiting for. Yes, it's that good. Go buy this phone now. Read full review
100	S21 The Galaxy S8 is the best-looking and arguably the best-equipped phone on the market in 2017, but it has a price to match. Read full review
100	Recombu | Alex Todd There's something special about the S8, enough so that it perhaps justifies its high price tag more readily than Apple or even LG does with their current top dogs. Read full review
100	Trusted Reviews | Max Parker Easily the best phone around right now. The Galaxy S8 feels like the future. Read full review
100	The Telegraph | James Titcomb Samsung has been ambitious with the Galaxy S8. After the nightmare that was the Note 7, it had to be. The result is a brilliantly-designed phone that sets a new standard for what phones should look like in 2017. Unless you're a Google purist, I'm minded to recommend the S8 over the Pixel, and call it the best Android phone you can buy. Read full review
100	The Mirror | Sophie Curtis All in all, the Galaxy S8 is hard to fault. It looks great, it's a powerhouse of a device, and it offers every type of biometric authentication going - from fingerprints to iris scanning and facial recognition. The best Android smartphone of 2017 so far. Read full review
94	Pickr | Leigh Stark that Samsung's Galaxy S8 still ticks an expensive price box, but given what's included, it's hard to argue against a solid value conclusion, especially when the storage sits at 64GB and can be upgraded with a microSD card...Seriously, the more I use this phone, the more I love it. Highly recommended. Read full review
93	TechDissected | Cliff Wade I'd have to say the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ is a device worth owning and it's a device that a ton of people will indeed purchase. Read full review
93	Techdissected | Cliff Wade I feel it's totally worth it as far as what you are getting. The device itself is amazing and just feels natural in the hand and something that I feel other OEM's should try to mimic if at all possible. Read full review
92	What Mobile | Thomas Wellburn The Samsung Galaxy S8+ is a masterpiece of design and just about the best flagship smartphone that money can buy right now. Read full review
92	NotebookCheck | Marcus Herbrich, Daniel Schmidt Samsung has managed to upgrade its premium smartphone very well with its Galaxy S8. Nevertheless, Samsung's Galaxy S8 has to accept some criticism, although it is an outstanding smartphone. Read full review
91	Engadget | Chris Velazco For the most part, Samsung's Galaxy S8 is a slam dunk. That's all most people will need, and our gripes are minor. It's too bad Bixby is still incomplete. Long story short, if you're looking for a new phone, this should be at the top of your list. Read full review
90	Ars Technica | Ron Amedeo A slim-bezel design finally brings a more modern design to the Galaxy line...Samsung's always-on hard-press home button is an awesome and innovative feature. Samsung Pay combination of NFC and MST still makes it the best and most-compatible smartphone payment system...Samsung takes five to seven months to deliver a major OS update. After the initial launch period, expect to be perpetually one to two versions behind the latest Android release. Read full review
90	AndroidPit | Camilla Rinaldi The S8 makes it possible to have it all, but you'll have to charge the device at least twice to make it through your day. Having fast charging eases the pain of this, but only so much. Read full review
90	Techweez | Kiruti Itimu Samsung has a winner here. The Galaxy S8 is a phone that will make you feel special thanks to the futuristic design and one of the best cameras in its class. Read full review
90	Firstpost | Sheldon Pinto Keeping Apple's skyrocketing price tags in mind, Samsung sure has a winner here. It offers something new with both hardware and design and the camera is fantastic. Those looking to upgrade from a Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 edge should give the Galaxy S8 a look. Read full review
90	Toronto Sun | Adam Swimmer Recently, I had the chance to test the S8 and was quite pleased with the results. Read full review
90	SlashGear | Damien McFerran Samsung needed something pretty special to come back from the fiery debacle that was the canned Note 7, and the Galaxy S8 is indeed a very special phone. It's a shame then that the false-start of the Bixby assistant and the rather weak battery take the shine off proceedings. Read full review
90	Quartz | Mike Murphy The Samsung Galaxy S8 will probably make you forget about the exploding Note 7. If you care about screen size, then this will be that phone for you. If you're in the market for a high-powered Android phone, this is probably the phone to choose, but it's a pretty close two-horse race between the S8 and the Google Pixel. Read full review
90	AVForums | David Phelan Aside from the fingerprint sensor this is one of the best phones we've ever seen. This phone is not cheap but you really do get a lot for your money. Read full review
90	phoneArena | Ray S. The GS8+ doesn't have to be the best phone in order to be a great phone. The point is this: if you want an Android phablet that screams premium, offers almost every possible feature there is, and handles every task with an impressive degree of excellence, you don't need to look elsewhere, because the Galaxy S8+ is right here, and it gives you all that. Read full review
90	PCWorld | Jason Cross The Galaxy S8 is every bit as great as its plus-sized brother. It's just smaller, and less expensive. No phone is perfect, and the Galaxy S8 is no exception. But it's better than the best Samsung has ever made in almost every way. Read full review
90	ZDNet | Jason Cipriani The Note line has long been designed for creative and business users, and the Note 8 is the epitome of both. Still, it's tough to justify spending that much on a phone. Read full review
90	AnandTech | Matt Humrick If you're upgrading from a previous Android or Galaxy phone, especially one that predates the S7, the Galaxy S8's performance and battery life will not disappoint, no matter which SoC is used. Between these two, however, across all of the tests I've run, the S835 model is certainly the better of the two in terms of those metrics. Read full review
90	Neowin | Robbie Khan For now, the Galaxy S8+ stands on its own if you want the best display experience of any phone currently available. It is not perfect, but it is the closest a Galaxy has ever been. Read full review
90	YourTechExplained | Jason England Regardless of how expensive the price tag you are getting more features than any other phone on the market. No phone is perfect and there are always things to love and hate about each one. Despite any flaws, it is a fantastic phone and it is one that will please most people. Read full review
90	pocketnow | Jaime Rivera This smartphone is unlike any other, and a true showcase for what technology can do in 2017. Like all products, this device is not perfect, and at times also ahead of its time. I applaud Samsung for doing a great job in nailing the basics, and hope that the software fixes needed will be ironed out by the time we re-visit this phone for our After The Buzz. Read full review
90	The Inquirer | Basil Kronfli It looks incredible, it performs like a dream. The fact that, by comparison, most other flagships feel nothing short of dated next to the S8+ is perhaps the biggest reason to pick it up. Read full review
90	PC Mag | Sascha Segan The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a gorgeous big-screen phone with a comfortable single-handed feel. And it's packed with top-notch components and promising new software. Read full review
90	news.com.au | Matthew Dunn SHOULD YOU BUY IT Short answer: Duck yes! Read full review
90	NDTV Gadgets | Jamshed Avari Performance is phenomenal, and the cameras are right up there with the iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL, if not better. This is how you stand out in 2017, and this is what you need to feel like you're on top of the world. Read full review
90	Android Headlines | Nick Sutrich This is truly the cornerstone of future smartphones, and the synergy of hardware and software design we see here shows the love and care Samsung has put into every tiny little corner of the device. Simply put, if you're in the market for a device right now, it's almost impossible not to love what Samsung has crafted. Read full review
90	PC Advisor | Chris Martin Samsung has taken the best phone around and made it even better with an impressive screen and design. It ticks a shed load of boxes you'd want a flagship to do. It's the best phone of 2017 so far but it is expensive and the biometrics are a let down. Read full review
90	Forbes | Gordon Kelly Make no mistake, the Galaxy S8 is probably the best smartphone on the market (the height of the Galaxy S8 Plus will polarise opinion) but with looks like this it should've won by a mile… Just look at it. Read full review
90	TechnoBuffalo | Brandon Russell Despite its few shortcomings, it's hard not to love the Galaxy S8. I can't help but marvel every time I pick it up. The closest thing to perfect. Read full review
90	T3 | Dan Grabham The S7 Edge evolves into the S8 to create a sublime smartphone, even if there are one or two compromises. A truly wonderful phone that you'll want to own, but the fingerprint reader frustrates. Read full review
90	TechRadar | Gareth Beavis Apart from the irritating performance of the biometrics and the high price, the Galaxy S8 is a phone that offers an exceptional experience for any user. It commands a premium price, but make no mistake: this is a truly premium phone. Read full review
90	International Business Times | Alistair Charlton The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a landmark moment for the smartphone. Samsung has created a handset which finally breaks the smartphone mould and ends years of design stagnation. Read full review
90	V3 | Carly Page The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the only smartphone to have ever made us look at our iPhone's Retina display with disgust. Yes, it's expensive, but it's also undoubtedly the best smartphone on the market right now. Assuming it isn't prone to bursting into flames, Samsung's onto a winner, and Apple should be pretty worried about it. Read full review
90	Wired UK | Mark Walton In spite of its numerous flaws, such as the launch version of the Bixby AI assistant, Samsung has somehow produced the best phone on the market right now. Read full review
90	CNET UK | Jessica Dolcourt The Samsung Galaxy S8's fast speeds and fantastic curved screen make it a top phone for 2017, but the annoying fingerprint reader could sour your experience. Read full review
90	Android Central | Daniel Bader The Galaxy S8 isn't quite as revolutionary as its Infinity Display lets on, but the phone, and its larger Galaxy S8+ counterpart, is a definitive statement of Samsung's dominance in the mobile space. In either size, the Galaxy S8 is probably the best Android phone you can buy right now. Read full review
90	Mobile Syrup | Patrick O'Rourke Samsung's S8 and S8+ feel like phones from the future. The smartphone is, however, not without faults. Read full review
90	The Verge | Dan Seifert Luckily for Samsung, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are excellent devices to begin the work of rehabilitating its image. They are the best Android phones you can buy right now, with stunning displays, beautiful design, and great performance. Read full review
89	Android Authority | Nirave Gondhia Samsung's latest flagship has all the hallmarks of being one of the best phones of 2017, with its excellent design and outstanding display. However, its voice assistant needs a lot of polish to leave its current beta state. It might not be the absolute best phone, but as with previous years, it's likely to be the best phone for most users. Read full review
88	Coolsmartphone | Leigh Geary Yet another Samsung barnstormer that totally erases any memories of exploding phones. Sexy, powerful, well-equipped. Pricey though, and with a questionable fingerprint sensor. Read full review
80	GadgetSpeak | paul_smart If you are someone whose life revolves round a phone why not have that extra screen size that you get here. Read full review
80	Eurogamer | Damien McFerran Samsung needed something pretty special to come back from the fiery debacle that was the canned Note 7, and the Galaxy S8 is indeed a very special phone. It's a shame then that the false-start of the Bixby assistant and the rather weak battery take the shine off proceedings. Read full review
80	Tom's Guide | Caitlin McGarry The Galaxy S8 goes rugged with a water-resistant body and a screen that won't crack. Read full review
80	The Guardian | Samuel Gibbs There are two reasons to buy the Galaxy S8+ – an epic screen and solid battery life. Everything else is pretty much the same as the smaller S8, but it's more awkward to hold and carry. The S8+ is the king of massive phones, but it's just not quite the best smartphone available. Read full review
80	Digital Trends | Julian Chokkatu Samsung's Galaxy S8 is mesmerizingly close to perfection with its fantastic display, useful interface, and eye-catching design. It will drain your wallet, but it's worth every penny. Read full review
80	GSMArena What's the most troubling bit about the S8s, big or small, is that they're not all that different compared to last year's models. If the sexy new design isn't top on your priorities list, the Galaxy S7 will do just as well 95% of the time, and you can even treat yourself to some curves with the S7 edge, while saving some cash either way. Read full review
65	VentureBeat | Ken Yeung As a personal aside, when I first laid eyes on the Galaxy S8, I thought that it would be the next phone I get based on what Samsung was putting into it, but after a week using it, I'm a tad more apprehensive about purchasing it. Read full review

Compare Samsung Galaxy S8 specs side-by-side with other phones COMPARE SPECS

Dimensions & Form	Form factor: Touchscreen bar Dimensions 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm (5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 in) Weight: 155 g (5.47 oz)
Screen	Size: 5.8 inches diagonal Resolution: 2960 x 1440 pixels Screen Density: 568 ppi Screen-to-Body Ratio: 84.2 % Display Type: Super AMOLED
Runs
Performance	Chipset: Exynos 8895 Octa CPU: Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz & 4x1.7 GHz) GPU: Mali-G71 MP20 RAM: 4GB
Camera	Main Camera: 12 megapixels with LED flash Secondary Camera: 8 megapixels
Storage	Built-in Storage: 64GB Expandable Storage: Micro SD
Battery & Charging	Capacity: 3000 mAh Removable Battery: No Wireless Charging: Yes Quick Charge: Yes (v2)
SIM standard	Nano SIM Compare SIM Only deals
Water & Dust Resistance	IP68 Rating: Protection from contact with harmful dust, and protection from immersion in water up to a depth of 30m for up to 30 minutes
Fingerprint Reader	Rear
References & More info	Official website GSMArena specs page

Photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy S8

We've used Flickr to find a selection of pictures taken by the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera. Here is a selection of photos taken by users from around the world so you can see what kind of picture quality you can expect from real-world use of the Samsung Galaxy S8.

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All images shown are used under the rights and terms specified by the Creative Commons.