Samsung might be planning a major design overhaul for next year’s Galaxy S8.
A new report out of Korea says the Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature a number of notable design changes compared to the Galaxy S7, including the removal of the home button. ETNews reports that Samsung wants to ditch the button, instead integrating the functionality – including fingerprint scanning – inside of the display. This will allow Samsung “to fill all of the front of the galaxy S8 with just screen”. The report goes on to say that Samsung is “planning to eliminate even top and bottom edges of display for Galaxy S8”.
Last month, a NYT report suggested that Apple was also planning to implement a full-screen front by removing the home button, instead embedding the functionality in the display. It’s expected that both the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 will used OLED screens built by Samsung’s display manufacturing arm.
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 was one of the company’s most popular phones to date
The ETnews report goes on to suggest that we’ll also see Samsung follow Apple’s suit and integrate a dual-camera module in the Galaxy S8, just like the iPhone 7 Plus. The article quotes a supply chain representative as saying:
“Currently, Samsung Electronics is deciding whether to use all-in-one dual-cameras or separated dual-cameras.
It’s also reported that the Galaxy S8 will feature Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 830 processor, which has yet to be officially confirmed by the US chipmaker. Rumour has it that the chip will be built in a significantly more efficient 10nm manufacturing process, which should result in substantial performance improvements.
Finally, the article also suggests that the Galaxy S8 will be released “earlier than usual”, to mitigate the fallout from last month’s Galaxy Note 7 debacle. On September 2, Samsung announced a global recall for the new phone after an internal investigation uncovered a serious battery flaw that was causing some users’ handsets to spontaneously catch fire. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard reports that Samsung is planning to bring forward the Galaxy S8 release – expect February or March 2017, perhaps.
As usual, take this report – and any other such leaks – with due caution. Samsung is, unsurprisingly, keeping tight-lipped about the Galaxy S8, so we’ll be in the dark about the phone for a while.
Related: Google Pixel
Watch: Samsung Galaxy S7 review
What would you like to see from the Galaxy S8? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
