Washington - It is a critical launch for
Samsung not only because they are the firm's newest flagship phones, but they
also may help erase the bad memory of the recalled, overheating and exploding Galaxy
Note 7.
I spent some time with a review unit of the Galaxy S8 Plus,
which Samsung provided to The Washington Post. Given my experience with it,
Samsung's given itself a clear shot at bouncing back, thanks to innovative
design and strong performance. Here's what I learned;
The first thing anyone will mention after looking at this
phone is its screen. The Galaxy S8 Plus the larger of the two phones boasts a
6.2 inch screen rather than the S8's 5.8 inches. Samsung removed any buttons
from the front of the screen and pushed the display to its limits. The S8 and
S8 Plus both sport the "infinity screen," which curves over the edges
of the phone. This display has rich colours occasionally a bit too rich, particularly
with reds. Overall, it's visually stunning and the extra screen space makes a
noticeable difference.
I was initially worried that the screen's proportions might
annoy me over time, it's a little taller
and thinner than you might expect for the phone's width. And, to be honest, the
taller phone always felt like it was about to fall out of my (admittedly small)
hand. For those whose thumbs can't quite reach those upper corners, Samsung has
put in a "one-handed" mode that will shrink the display down to a
more manageable size temporarily. The screen's quality, however, overrode the
proportional weirdness for me.
Usability
The phone was snappy and responsive; it was a breeze to
switch between apps and to run them at the same time. I had no problems playing
games or doing work on the phone. I occasionally got a stutter in video when
running two apps at the same time. YouTube, for example, while also browsing
Chrome but it wasn't that frequent or severe.
Several other features of the phone worked without a hitch.
The retina scanner was able to read my eyes whether I was wearing contacts or
glasses. (Not sunglasses, however, which is perhaps to be expected.) The
rear-mounted fingerprint reader was a little awkward to hold, but it worked
well. The Galaxy S8Plus survived a dunk in my sink, without missing a frame of
the video it was playing. And calls, remember those? were very clear.
Camera
Samsung has also improved the camera on these phones, and
those improvements stood out, particularly with lowlight photos. For other
shots, colours on the screen of the S8 Plus were also more vivid than the
iPhone 7, though that didn't always translate in the photos or videos
themselves.
The company also tweaked its front-facing camera (a.k.a.,
the selfie camera) to autofocus on its subject, making for crisp and
well-composed selfies.
Battery
life
Samsung didn't push the boundaries with the battery in these
phones, for obvious reasons but managed with software to ensure that its
increased screen size doesn't drain the battery away. I had no problems with
overheating. Of course, it's impossible for me to assure anyone that this phone
won't have the same problem as the Galaxy Note 7.
But I can say that I had no problems with the phone I was
provided. It never seemed under stress or alarmingly warm to the touch even
while watching video in sunlight.
Overall, I was impressed with the battery life. In practical
terms, I could easily get through a day without having to recharge the phone. I
even once forgot to plug it in overnight and still managed to get a morning's
use out of it. The phone charges quickly, either with a USB-C cord or using
Samsung's wireless charger.
Ten minutes of charging would generally bring the phone back
to a point where I wasn't panicked that it was going to die on me. I had one
gripe though, the battery drained very quickly while I was testing the phone's
extremes, dropping 25 percent in 20 minutes. While that wasn't my general
experience in using it like a normal person, it may be a hint to frequent
gamers and video streamers to keep a cord handy.
Read also: Samsung to scrap physical home button
Bixby
Samsung made some big promises at its launch event about
Bixby, the company's voice assistant, which provides a chance for the company
to show it can really play with Apple and Google when it comes to phone voice
assistants.
Except, Bixby isn't launching in all its glory along with
the phone. Samsung announced earlier this month that Bixby's voice features
will be delayed. Talk about the air going out of the balloon.
Still, other Bixby features do work. Samsung has a
centralized hub for its assistant - accessible though a dedicated button. It
also has Bixby Vision, a feature that allows users to use the camera to scan
objects and get more information about them, such as where to buy them.
Samsung's partnered with companies including Foursquare and
wine app Vivino to provide these services, but you don't have to download those
apps to use the services.
The feature doesn't always work that well, however. For
example, I scanned a particular pair of wireless headphones, expecting to see
results for that product, and instead got very general listings for headphones even
some with wires.
Ultimately, I found these features to be more gimmick than
genuinely useful, the thought of passing someone on the street and trying to
scan their shoes doesn't really appeal to me. That said, the features generally
work as promised and provide a glimpse into how an augmented reality future
could be useful, if they are further refined.
Conclusion
Overall, Samsung has made an impressive, solid phone that
shows that the company is still trying to move ahead, though with perhaps a bit
more caution than before. That's all right, though, this is a phone that
balances a careful polish with a few features that still push the envelope. Upgrading
from the Galaxy S6, users would notice a marked improvement in speed, as well
as enjoying that beautiful screen. Even Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge users may want to
think about going for the newer model, if the thought of a buttonless front
appeals to them.
Still, those on the fence about picking up the S8 or the S8
Plus or the upcoming iPhone expected out in the fall may consider waiting.
Apple, after all, is rumoured to be including some of the same features as the
S8 line in its next phone, including a buttonless screen.
In a vacuum, Samsung's made a pair of phones that give it a
real shot at redemption. In the real world? Most users will probably want to
see what the competition has to offer.