When the Samsung Galaxy S8 was unveiled last month, the tech world got excited.
From its stunning 5.8-inch curved, near edge-to-edge display to its sleek, minimalist, home button-free design via its mass of high-end features, the S8 is a phone that seemingly has it all.
With the announcement of Bixby, it also has an answer to the Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri digital PA. Well, assuming you live in certain markets that is.
Despite making a big deal about its voice-recognising, feature-enhancing digital assistant at launch, Samsung later confirmed the majority of Bixby features will be exclusive to its native Korea and the US at launch.
While Samsung has remained cagey on when the service will come up to speed in broader markets, new reports have suggested its European arrival could be further away than you’d hoped.
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According to GalaxyClub, Bixby will be introduced to German users sometime during 2017’s fourth quarter, a three month window that runs between October 1 and December 31.
There’s currently no word on a UK release, but given Bixby already supports American English, it’s hoped that the service will hit Britain earlier as an entirely new language doesn’t need to be supported.
As well as letting users make function-based vocal commands such as “Text mum” or “Play songs by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis,” Bixby is designed to get the most out of your phone’s mass of high-end features.
Rather than mere speculation, Bixby’s Q4 German arrival was reportedly teased by the manufacturer itself while fielding questions on the errant software via its official support pages.
Bixby aside, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is shaping up as one of the phones of 2017.
Its powerful octa-core processor is paired with 4GB of RAM, Google’s Android 7.0 Nougat OS and a stunning QHD display.
The phone will go on sale in the UK on April 28 alongside a lofty £689 asking price.
WATCH: Samsung Galaxy S8
Does the UK’s missing Bixby support put you off buying the S8? Let us know below.
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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.
