Galaxy S8 UK release date, price, spec rumours: Launching 29 March at £679

Galaxy S8 UK release date, price and specification

It will have an S Pen. It won't have an S Pen. It will have USB-C. It won't have USB-C. It will ditch the headphone jack. It won't ditch the headphone jack. It will launch at MWC 2017. It won't launch at MWC 2017.

Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphone has always been the subject of a huge amount of rumours and leaks, but until 2017 those whispers have always been at least reasonably consistent. Now just two months from the Galaxy S8's unveiling we finally have what at least appear to be some facts from reliable sources (thank you VentureBeat and The Guardian).

The Galaxy S8 will launch at a Samsung Unpacked event on 29 March (that's right, not at MWC 2017 in February), and go on sale on 21 April. It will have a 5.8in dual-curved-edge "infinity display" that covers 83 percent of the front of the device, while there will also be a 6.2in Plus model. There will be a Snapdragon 835 chip inside, there will be a USB-C charging port and there will be a headphone jack. Both the home button and logo have been removed from the front of the device (there just isn't room), but you'll still find a fingerprint scanner on the rear.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 are also said to cost €100 more than was originally thought, coming in at €799 (£679) and €899 (£749).

Oh, and here's a picture of the Galaxy S8:

The S Pen is unconfirmed by this picture, and may be just out of sight on the above image. Also unconfirmed is the dual-camera, though this may be a feature unique to the Galaxy S8 Plus. We still expect the new Bixby assistant to feature, though this is clearly not visible in the image.

Read on below for more Galaxy S8 rumours and leaks.

---

For the past two years we've awarded Samsung's Galaxy S-series the crown for best smartphone. It was doing so well until the *cough* Note 7, but the company will pull out all the stops in 2017 to reverse its fortunes. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will be announced in early 2017. Here are the facts you need to know, as we round up the best S8 rumours, speculating on the Samsung S8 UK release date, price and specifications. 

With speculation that Samsung will make standard the dual-curved-edge screen previously used only for its edge models, it's unlikely that the company will continue to distinguish between its Galaxy S-series models in this manner. Since the key differences will now be the size, battery capacity and potentially the camera, we think Samsung might choose to go down the Apple route and call what would be the Galaxy S8 edge the Galaxy S8 Plus.

And we're not the only ones who think this. Our theory has been backed up by a report in the Korean Herald, which says Samsung has hinted at removing the standard flat-screen version and replacing it with the edge model.

Samsung trademarked the Galaxy S8 in mid-January, but unfortunately there was no separate listing for Galaxy S8 Plus or edge. So we'll just have to wait and see.

Samsung Galaxy S8 UK release date rumours: When is the Galaxy S8 coming out?

Samsung Galaxy S8 UK release date: 29 March 2017 (TBC)
Samsung Galaxy S8 UK on sale date: 21 April 2017 (TBC)

It's now been confirmed by Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin that the Galaxy S8 will not be present at MWC 2017, which annoyingly for its rivals means they won't be able to unveil any flagship phones toting the Snapdragon 835 chip at the show either. This is because Samsung, which is helping Qualcomm make the new 10nm chip, has the exclusive: no other phone using the processor can launch before its Galaxy S8. Those phones will instead either have to use the Snapdragon 821 (which both LG and HTC are rumoured to do with their upcoming flagships), or launch the device later in the year (hello OnePlus 4).

Even before we found this out, though, there was speculation that Samsung would instead hold its own Unpacked event in March. Evan Blass (aka @evleaks), writing for VentureBeat, suggests this will take place on 29 March. Blass is well-respected for his leaks, the vast majority of which turn out to be true. He says the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will then go on sale on 21 April.

The on sale date is in line from what we've heard from other sources. Many have suggested 18 April, while The Guardian cites 21 April, ETNews 15 April, and Forbes 14 April.

That Samsung wouldn't launch its Galaxy S8 at MWC 2017 was surprising, given that it has always held an Unpacked event the day before the tradeshow kicks off to launch its latest Galaxy. However, perhaps we shouldn't have been so surprised: it shunned IFA 2016 for the ill-fated Note 7, launching the handset earlier in August, and following its discontinuation (which cost Samsung a bomb) it's only natural that it wants more time to make absolutely sure it gets the Galaxy S8 right. The fact it will weaken its rivals too is possibly the icing on the cake.

We discussed the Galaxy S8 in our podcast. Listen here:

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: Should I buy Galaxy S7 or wait for Galaxy S8?

The Galaxy S8 is set to be a fantastic phone by all accounts, but it's not available yet and the Galaxy S7 is. Samsung's current flagship is now available at a more reasonable price than its initial £569 RRP, and can be bought for around £450 SIM-free at Amazon UK. The Galaxy S7 edge, meanwhile, has gone down from its original £639 RRP to around £517 SIM-free (also at Amazon UK).

These are the two very best phones on the market today, and we thoroughly recommend them even with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus on the horizon. Unless a rival manufacturer surprises us with a completely unexpected new model in the meantime, nothing will come along and throw them off their perch at the top of our chart until the new models are announced in March and released in April. So, can you wait another four or five months to upgrade your phone?

If you hold on, headline features in the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus include some incredibly powerful hardware that will make the phones capable of mobile VR, a dual camera, a new type of fingerprint scanner and Samsung's own AI assistant. If these aren't deal-breakers you can save yourself some money and buy the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge today. 

Samsung Galaxy S8 UK price rumours: How much will the Galaxy S8 cost?

Samsung Galaxy S8 UK price: €799/£679 (TBC)

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus UK price: €899/£749 (TBC)

It's no surprise that early rumours are often based on pure speculation. So on one hand you have people saying the Galaxy S8 will cost more than the Galaxy S7 as Samsung looks to recoup its profits, and on the other you have people saying it will cost the same as the Galaxy S7. So what is the truth? 

If prices remain consistent with the 2016 S-series, the Galaxy S8 will start at £569 for the 32GB model and the Galaxy S8 Plus will start at £639 for the 32GB model. Ideally, we think Samsung would hope to keep its prices the same. However, it has lost a lot of money over the Note 7. It wouldn't be unreasonable for the company to raise its prices. 

That theory is in line with the first actual rumour we've heard of the Galaxy S8 price. According to a Weibo post (albeit with no evidence to back up the claim), the Galaxy S8 will cost $850, which converts to around £673 at the time of writing. Although it wasn't mentioned, we'd expect to pay a £70 premium for the Galaxy S8 Plus, putting its price at around £669.

According to Evan Blass at VentureBeat this is still some way off the mark, and you can expect to pay £679 for the Galaxy S8 and £749 for the Galaxy S8 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S8 specification rumours: Specs summary

• 5.8in Quad-HD SuperAMOLED Always-On bezel-less "infinity" display with dual-curved edge and Force Touch feature; 6.2in for Galaxy S8 Plus
• Android 7.1 Nougat with TouchWiz and Viv AI assistant
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895 (may as previously be region-specific)
• Adreno 540/ARM Mali-G71 GPU
• 6GB/8GB of RAM
• 12Mp, f1.7 rear camera; potentially a dual-camera on the Plus model
• 8Mp, f1.7 selfie camera with autofocus
• Harman Kardon stereo speakers
• Rear fingerprint scanner integrated (physical Home button removed)
• Iris scanner
• USB-C
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Potentially S Pen stylus
• 3,000mAh (standard), 3,500mAh (Plus) batteries
• 140.14x72.20x7.30mm (S8); 152.38x78.51x7.94mm (S8 Plus)

Samsung Galaxy S8: Design

Below we discuss various Galaxy S8 design rumours that come from case- and accessory makers, which are briefed on the design before the launch, as well as concept designs. But this one comes straight from the horse's mouth.

Samsung Display, which manufactures the displays on Samsung's phones, has published to YouTube two adverts that reveal an unknown smartphone with a design very much like the one we're anticipating for the Galaxy S8. Check them out for yourself below: 

Every so often a rumour comes along that is so out there it has the potential to actually be true. And that rumour for the Galaxy S8 is that Samsung will not only ditch the headphone jack, a la iPhone 7, but it will ditch Micro-USB/USB-C too. It couldn't possibly, could it?

We'd say probably not, and so would the most recent Galaxy S8 leaks. But technically it actually could. The Galaxy S series supports fast wireless charging, so you wouldn't need the USB-C port for charging, and you could always use a pair of wireless headphones with it - Apple's AirPods have proved very popular since their launch. For data transfer there's online services and Bluetooth, and any manual software updates could be applied via microSD. There's just one problem with all this: it would really piss off fans.

Content continues below

The theory comes via an assortment of Galaxy S8 cases that don't appear to show any ports, for example the Ghostek Galaxy S8 case renders sent in by MobileFun:

Other case renders show cutouts, but it's not entirely clear what for. The SlashLeaks example below shows what could be stereo speaker cutouts (one at top and one at bottom), a space that doesn't look quite right for a USB port but could be for an S Pen stylus, and a smaller circular hole that will either be for a headphone jack or a mic.

Both it and the Olixar for Galaxy S8 Plus/edge (via MobileFun) below reveal the fact there is no home button, and that the power and volume buttons to be on the left side of the phone. This Olixar also reveals the Galaxy S8 Plus lock screen, and you can just about make out the same three holes at the bottom of the case.

Further confirmation that the Galaxy S8 and S8 edge could feature an S Pen stylus come from new case images sent to us by MobileFun. The cutouts, from left to right, are for a speaker, mic and stylus. There is no USB-C slot, again suggesting that the Galaxy S8 could charge wirelessly.

 

Assuming the leaked case designs are correct, reader Chris sent in the following concept image to Sammobile suggesting what the Galaxy S8 might look like:

On 20 January MobileFun sent us new case images that don't appear to tally with those previously. They do appear to show a USB port on the bottom, plus space for either a headphone jack or stylus beside it. But we're more interested in the single button on the opposite side of the case to the volume rocker and power button. Is it a Bixby button? Is it a fingerprint scanner? Is it a camera shutter? Unfortunately the images aren't of particularly good quality.

With all the case leaks that have surfaced for the Galaxy S8 it's difficult to keep track. MobileFun has rounded up some of the best Galaxy S8 case leaks in the below video, which also makes it very easy to see the difference in size between the new models.

There is also talk the S8 could come with an iris scanner, and images of the front panels have leaked via Pocket-Lint that do indeed appear to show this may be the case:

Samsung seems to be on a winner with its metal frame and glass-covered front and rear combo, and we've heard nothing to suggest it will change this design for the Galaxy S8, which does unfortunately mean we aren't holding out hope for a removable battery. However, the new phones will look different to the Galaxy S7 family, with both models tipped to come with larger dual-curved-edge screens and to lose their physical Home buttons.

Originally we thought we would see the Micro-USB port and headphone jack swapped out for a digital audio-supporting USB-C connection, and that probably still is the case, though there is a lot of talk that it will ditch USB and headphone ports altogether.

The first photo of what is said to be the Galaxy S8 was leaked via Weibo, and if it's to be believed the home button is indeed gone. The phone also features curved edges on both sides of the screen, along with thinner bezels - though we don't know which version of the Galaxy S8 we are looking at here. 

The dimensions of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have also leaked (via GSMArena), with the Galaxy S8 shorter, thinner, but a little wider than the Galaxy S7 at 140.14x72.20x7.30mm, which is thanks to a larger 5.7in edge-to-edge curved screen. The Galaxy S8 Plus is thought to have a huge 6.2in screen and measure 152.38x78.51x7.94mm, making it taller and wider than the Galaxy S7 edge.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Screen

The screen is expected to get a serious upgrade in the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, which is perhaps not surprising given the growing interest in mobile VR. Not only are both models said to get dual-curved-edge screens, but they are expected to increase in size with no physical home button sitting below the display (the fingerprint scanner is tipped to instead be integrated to the screen). They could even be bezel-less on the bottom edge, as well as the left and right sides. According to the Guardian the screen will cover 83 percent of the front of the device, and there are rumours they will support a Force Touch feature.

Previously 5.1in for the Galaxy S7 and 5.7in for the Galaxy S7 edge, the Galaxy S8 is tipped to get a 5.8in screen and the Galaxy S8 Plus a 6.2in panel. With the loss of the Home button the size of the handsets wouldn't need to expand too much to accommodate such a change.

Arguably as interesting as the screen size is its resolution, and particularly so with VR in mind. While it's probable that the standard Galaxy S8 will continue to house a Quad-HD SuperAMOLED display, the Galaxy S8 Plus could feature a 4K or Ultra-HD display. This would help combat the problem of pixelation when the image resolution is halved for each eye - instead of a full-HD picture you would see a Quad-HD image when viewed in a VR headset. 

It's not gone unnoticed that Samsung has already shown off a 5.5in screen with an Ultra-HD resolution and awe-inspiring pixel density of 806ppi specifically for virtual reality devices. No-one has said it will be used for the Galaxy S8, but equally no-one has said that it won't.

Sammobile is doubtful, however, and says that the Galaxy S8 will likely come with a 2K/Quad-HD screen, but that this will be a new screen of higher quality.

Bloomberg suggests that the Galaxy S8 will follow in the footsteps of the Xiaomi Mi Mixconcept phone with a bezel-less display on the bottom, left and right edges.

"The bezel-less displays will provide more viewing real estate while a virtual home button will be buried in the glass in the the lower section, the people [with direct knowledge of the matter] said, asking not to be identified because the details haven't been released. The new phones will only come with wraparound displays using organic light-emitting diode technology, the people said," it reports.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Stylus

For the first time the Note family's S Pen stylus is said to be available for the Galaxy S8, although it's not yet clear as to whether it will be sold as an optional extra or will come in the box, or even whether this is true. Several case leaks reveal a slot for the S Pen (see the Design section), but others appear to suggest there isn't one.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Fingerprint scanner

Samsung was said to be working on placing an optical fingerprint scanner under the Galaxy S8's display, which means the phone won't need the lower bezel to house the Home button that previously integrated the fingerprint scanner, but the most recent photos suggest it has gone for the easier option and placed it on the rear next to the camera.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Processor

While everyone was expecting the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus to feature the Snapdragon 830, Qualcomm has confirmed to PC Advisor that Samsung was working with it not on the Snapdragon 830 but on the Snapdragon 835. This chip is manufactured using the 10nm process and integrates the Adreno 540 GPU. With a release date of early 2017 it's very likely that this is the processor the Galaxy S8 will receive.

It’s the first Qualcomm processor to be made with a 10nm process, which will bring various improvements including performance (up to 27 percent higher) and efficiency (up to 40 percent lower power consumption) and lead to better battery life for devices. Read more about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor here.

Content continues below

According to Evan Blass, the Galaxy S8 will be "11 percent faster than the Galaxy S7 overall, with 23 percent faster graphics processing, but still 20 percent more energy efficient".

Modems aren't particularly exciting to most people, but the Galaxy S8 will come with Qualcomm's X16 via the Snapdragon 835. It's significantly quicker than the S7's X12 modem and can support up to 1Gbps download speeds - that's Cat 16 LTE. When we have the networks to support it, you'll be able to theoretically stream a VR event live or download films in a matter of seconds.

It's worth pointing out, though, that in the past Samsung has sold two versions of its Galaxy S-series flagships with different processors in different territories. It's possible that some countries will get the Snapdragon 835 with Adreno 540, while others will get a Samsung Exynos chip with ARM Mali GPU. Some names we've heard thrown around include the Exynos 8895 and ARM Mali-G71 GPU. This is one of the most powerful graphics chips on the market, and paired with the aforementioned 4K screen rumours it's becoming apparent that Samsung has VR firmly in mind.

Samsung Galaxy S8: RAM

The majority of early leaks about the Galaxy S8 point to it having 6GB of RAM, which would be in line with the likes of the OnePlus 3T. However, for the first time up to 8GB of RAM will be available to mobile devices. Samsung has said it is introducing a new generation of DRAM that can support this amount in order that devices are better equipped to deal with mobile VR, dual-cameras and 4K video. So what better device to kick off with than the Galaxy S8?

According to Evan Blass, however, the Galaxy S8 will stick with just 4GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Storage

We're expecting to see 64GB of storage as standard on the Galaxy S8, along with microSD support up to 256GB.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Cameras

Following the LG G5, Huawei P9, iPhone 7 Plus and others, dual-cameras are becoming a standard feature of flagship smartphones. It's possible that the Galaxy S8 will also get a dual camera, although this could be only in the Plus model.

A report on wccf tech says the Galaxy S8 will feature dual-camera lens modules likely to be manufactured by Samsung Motors (Semco). However, a Weibo tipster says only the S8 Plus will get a dual-camera, while the standard S8 will stick with a single camera at the rear.

Since then, Sammobile has reported on a patent application filed in September that shows a camera interface with improved zoom control (shown below).

Evan Blass, writing for VentureBeat, says the cameras will continue to be rated at 12Mp, f1.7 and 8Mp, f1.7, though they will have some tweaks with support for iris scanning and visual search through Bixby. The selfie camera could also get an autofocus.

Samsung has merely commented that the Galaxy S8 will have an "improved camera".

Samsung Galaxy S8: Audio

Samsung is acquiring car audio maker Harman for $8bn with its eyes firmly on the connected car market. However, the brand is best known by consumers for its Harman Kardon audio label, which could spell very nice things for the upcoming Galaxy S8. Samsung says it will utilise Harman's audio brands, which also include the likes of AKG and JBL, to "deliver enhanced customer benefits and elevate user experiences across Samsung's complete portfolio of consumer and professional products and systems." (Via Android Central.)

But while we think the new stereo speakers that appear to sit at top and bottom according to case leaks may hail from Harman Kardon, it's now looking likely that rather than following Apple down the USB-C audio route Samsung will go completely wireless.

Originally it was said to be  "actively and aggressively exploring the possibility of releasing a proprietary headphone jack of its own, one that would be largely incompatible with newer iPhone devices", according to Digital Music News. Sammobile also reports that the S8 will ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Battery

Following its woes with the Note 7's batteries catching fire, The Korean Herald alleges that Samsung is considering tapping up LG Chem to supply batteries for the upcoming Galaxy S8. We do not yet know what capacity they will have, although it is highly likely that they will not be removable but will support fast wireless charging. If Samsung opts for the Snapdragon 835 we could see Quick Charge 4 support, otherwise no doubt there will be Samsung's own fast adaptive charging solution.

More recent rumours have suggested that Samsung won't start using LG batteries until the second half of 2017, so a more likely candidate is the Galaxy Note 8.

The batteries are rumoured to be rated at 3,000mAh for the Standard and 3,500mAh for the Plus

Samsung Galaxy S8: USB-C

So far Samsung has opted against the newer version of USB on its phones with the Galaxy S7 employing Micro-USB 2.0. It seems about time for Type-C to make an appearance on the Galaxy S8, but we're actually not holding out any hope.

Like Apple's Lightning port, USB Type- C is reversible so you can plug the cable in either way round. It also offers faster charging as it's able to supply more power. The only reason we can think of for Samsung to stick with Micro-USB is to ensure the S8 is compatible with the Gear VR, but we feel like a new version of the VR headset is likely to arrive before or with the new flagship phone.

The CES 2017 launch of three new mid-range Galaxy A handsets all sporting USB-C points to the idea that this is Samsung's plan going forward.

What doesn't point to the implementation of USB-C is the now numerous case leaks that do not include a cutout for any type of charging/data transfer slot. The Galaxy S7 already supports wireless charging, and with the Galaxy S8 Samsung could be going completely wireless.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Software

The Galaxy S8 will come running Android 7.1 Nougat with the TouchWiz UI and Samsung's usual customisations. Samsung has also confirmed that it will integrate Viv's AI assistant in "Galaxy smartphones and expand voice-assistant services to home appliances and wearable technology devices," starting with the Galaxy S8.

"Developers can attach and upload services to our agent. Even if Samsung doesn't do anything on its own, the more services that get attached the smarter this agent will get, learn more new services and provide them to end-users with ease," said executive VP Rhee Injong.

The Samsung AI Assistant is thought to be called Bixby. According to Sammobile the company has filed for a trademark in South Korea that "seeks protection of the word 'Bixby', the application details that this brand will be used for 'computer software for personal information management', 'computer application software for smartphones, mobile telephones, portable computers and tablet computers. Namely, software used to operate voice recognition system' and 'computer software for enabling hands-free use of a mobile phone through voice recognition'."

However, according to Edison Investment Research analyst Richard Windsor (via The Register), a 2014 patent-sharing settlement with Google prevents the company from offering services that compete with Google’s own. Because Google already equips Android with the Google Assistant, this could mean it is unable to use Viv to differentiate itself in the market. Samsung has not responded to this claim.

New details have been emerging about Bixby, primarily via Sammobile, and we now know that it might be available in female and male versions (potentially Kestra and Bixby, both of which may be fun references to Star Trek given the Galaxy in the S8's name), and that it can conduct mobile payments, control native apps and perform image search and OCR using the camera.

Android Central has been playing with the Android 7.0 Nougat beta on the Galaxy S7 and reveals a few changes we will see in the Galaxy S8: a new, lighter UI, resolution scaling for a 4K display, more intelligent UI, more control over performance and battery, and the ability to search from any part of the UI.  

We've also heard some rumours that the Galaxy S8 might dual-boot Android and Windows, although we think it unlikely - at least in the standard model. That’s what a patent from last year suggests Samsung might be cooking up (via SamMobile).

Tags: 

Galaxy S8 UK release date , samsung galaxy s8, galaxy s8 , s8 , samsung s8 , galaxy s8 , samsung galaxy price , samsung galaxy s 8 , samsung s 8 , s8 samsung , samsung galaxy s8 release date , galaxy s 8 , samsung galaxy s8 price , samsung s8 price , samsung galaxy upcoming phones , galaxy s8 release date , galaxy samsung price , samsung s8 release date , samsung galaxy s7 plus release date , the newest samsung galaxy phone , price of samsung galaxy , samsung s8 mobile , samsung galaxy s series price , s8 price , samsung galaxy on price , samsung galaxy s8 phone , samsung, galaxy 8 price , newest samsung galaxy phone , samsung galaxy s9 release date , s8 galaxy , samsung specs , galaxy price , samsung launch , samsung galaxy s7 specs and features , samsung galaxy release date , what's the, newest samsung galaxy , samsung 8 phone ,  celular samsung galaxy s7 , samsung phone release dates , samsung galaxy s8 mobile , s8 phone , samsung release date , samsung galaxy s5 , upcoming galaxy phones , latest samsung phone release , samsung mobile s8 , upcoming samsung galaxy phones , s8 release date , samsung galaxy price and features , samsung release , samsung galaxy s8 4 price , samsung galaxy view release date , s 8 , latest samsung galaxy , galaxy samsung , samsung galaxy s8 review , galaxy s8 price , samsung price and features , new samsung, phones coming out , samsung galaxy s9 price , samsung 8

• Tweet
• Share
• Share
• Share
• Share