Review: Samsung Galaxy S8+

Big-screened flagship makes most other flagships feel nothing short of dated

THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 AND S8+ are finally official and are exactly what we were all expecting thanks to the huge number of leaks and rumours building up to the launch. 

We've rounded up everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, and will update this article as soon as we hear more.

The Galaxy S8+ comes in at 6.2in, dwarfing the 5.7in LG G6.

In fact, based purely on numbers, this is the biggest smartphone screen on the market right now in the UK. Get it in your hand though and you'll soon realise, it's actually not that big.

Indeed, its about on-par with the 5.5in iPhone 7 Plus when it comes to in-hand comfort. Yep, you read that right. Samsung has made the 0.7in difference in screen size between this and an iPhone 7 Plus feel negligible and it's a beautiful thing.

By removing the home button and fingerprint scanner combination and including a curved screen, the Galaxy S8 series has a better screen to bezel ratio than any other mainstream device at 84 per cent.

At 8.1mm thin, with curved Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, combined with a metal frame, the Galaxy S8+ also feels sleek and expensive.

Couple the design with IP68-standard water and dust resistance as well as the usual array of ports, including a USB-C and the all-important 3.5mm headphone jack, and it's clear Samsung hasn't had to make any major sacrifices to achieve this ground-breaking design.

The fingerprint scanner placement is now to the right of the camera surround. With both scanner and camera feeling virtually identical when you slide your finger over the smooth glass back, trying to unlock the Samsung Galaxy S8+ with a fingerprint is now a bad user experience.

Given how integral biometric security is to phones today, poor fingerprint scanner placement could be a deal breaker for many, and as responsive as it is, thanks to the illogical position, using it is a bit rubbish.

As a result, the Samsung Galaxy S8+'s design is second to none in terms of fit and finish, but this one design shortcoming is also the phone's Achilles heel.

Display
The 18.5:9 screen measures 6.2in, making it instantly striking. This is one very big, very long display.

Adding to the impact is the AMOLED technology inside, paired with the wide quad HD resolution of 1440x2960. The Samsung Galaxy S8+ screen is punchy, deep and very sharp, all at the same time, showing off everything from the user interface through to apps, games and movies to perfection.

With a curved display, it has much of the same wow-factor as the S7 Edge, only this time, adding rounded corners to the mix too.

The S8+ supports advanced screen features, such as a blue light filter for eye protection and colour balance controls, ensuring you can fine-tune the look and feel to suit you.