Galaxy S8 to get ‘infinity’ display, iris scanner and April launch – report
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 will feature an ‘infinity’ display and an iris scanner, according to a new report.
The release date for Samsung’s next phone may have been pushed back, but it seems that time is being spent wisely. The Guardian has revealed new and tantalising details about the Galaxy S8, suggesting that Samsung plans to introduce sweeping changes to the phone’s design.
The report claims that we’ll see two different versions of the phone, both of which will have curved ‘Edge’ style displays and corner-to-corner measurements of between five and six inches.
The handsets, which are said to be codenamed Dream and Dream 2, will also have an ‘Infinity Display’ that will see the screen-to-body ratio skyrocket. The report states:
“The so-called ‘infinity display’ will cover the majority of the front of the device, with very little body on the top and bottom of the screen not dedicated to the display. Two sources said there wasn’t even room to put a logo or brand name on the front of the device.”
As a result, Samsung is believed to have moved the fingerprint scanner to the back of the device, making it much easier to reduce the size of the bezel.
Another feature reported to be incoming is an iris scanner (to unlock your phone, and authenticate purchases), which would be a first for the Galaxy S-series. Samsung already introduced the technology on last year’s Galaxy Note 7, but most people will now remember that phone for its fiery death, rather than eye-scanning.
Other rumoured features include a new processor, which the Guardian suggests may be Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835, as well as 64GB of storage, USB-C connectivity, and a dual-pixel camera that’s capable of object recognition.
Samsung is reportedly planning to launch new versions of the Gear VR headset and Gear 360 camera to land alongside the Galaxy S8, and hopes to debut its new ‘Bixby’ digital assistant on the phone. The Guardian’s sources also confirmed that the following is a “good representation” of what the phone will look like:
https://twitter.com/statuses/821819365280649216
Earlier this week, Samsung confirmed that it wouldn’t be launching the Galaxy S8 at February’s MWC 2017 tradeshow in Barcelona – breaking precedent. The Guardian says that the phone will instead be announced in late March, with a release date “on or around” April 21. This is due to more stringent quality control measures in the wake of last year’s Galaxy Note 7 recall.
Related: iPhone 7S
Watch: Samsung Galaxy S8 – What to expect
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