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Johannesburg - It is safe to say that South Korean company Samsung has redeemed itself with its first smartphone launch since the fire-prone Note7 saga in late 2017.
The S8 device was launched globally on Wednesday night, with Samsung reimaging the design of a smartphone.
While companies like have Xiaomi have pushed the envelope in releasing smartphones with borderless displays, Samsung has proved once again why it has dominated the market with one of the most outstanding features of the device – the display.
The S8 comes fitted not only with an infinity display, but also a screen which is essentially curved at the ends like the older Samsung Edge devices.
With the S8, every device has the ‘Edge’ which at the same time offers a truly seamless, bezel-less wall-to-wall display.
The screen of the device also offers a never-before-seen aspect ratio: whereas HD TVs offer viewers a 16:9 ratio, the S8 delivers a 18:5:9 aspect ratio, adopting the format dimensions of a cinema display.
The infinity display also makes the smartphone the first ever to be HDR certified.
The S8 now offers various forms of security and unlocking options. Aside from the fingerprint scanner, Samsung has introduced an iris scanner and facial recognition.
The S8 also sees major upgrades to its front and rear camera from its predecessor.
Samsung launched the new Gear 360 camera alongside the S8 for capturing imagery in virtual reality, which can be shared from the device.
Full desktop capacity
The company has also turned this smartphone into a PC with a full desktop experience.
Anyone who has worked off a tablet will understand the frustrations in trying to be productive, when used to the desktop style of working.
The Samsung Dex can turn the smartphone into a PC that functions like a desktop.
From a first interaction with the device, the S8 is undoubtedly beautifully designed and according to its specification sheet, will outperform most smartphones on the market today.
Pre-orders for the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S8 began on Thursday. The device will cost R15 499 and the larger S8+ R17 499, with availability in the country from the end of April.
The last Samsung smartphone sold in SA was the S7. It is safe to assume the Note 7 won’t affect sales of the S8 - a truly well-crafted device to be excited about.
