8.9.2017

It goes without saying that the gap between phones is getting smaller and smaller. Years ago, phones would either dominate the market, or just simply be forever in the "cheap and acceptable" area for performance and quality etc.I used to work for Vodafone, so got a lot of experience working with mobile phones and I have to be honest, I used to absolutely hate Samsung phones. However, that has all changed. This genuinely has completely changed my perspective on their handsets and I am sincerely impressed with what I have purchased. I have had several phones, including Sony Xperia z2, Xperia z5, Huawei p9, OnePlus 3T and recently I had a OnePlus 5 which I returned as faulty and instead for this Samsung S8.Allow me to break it down below into a few areas to give you a little insight with it.Speed and performance:I have to be honest, the performance on this handset is flawless. It is super quick, responsive and hasn't yet lagged at all or dipped in performance in the slightest. I can open the camera quickly (something that other phones struggle with if you're coming from an app), can take a photo and then go back to the app that I was in without any issues at all. Easily on par with the OnePlus handsets if I am honest.Battery:This is my only negative. I have the s8 meaning I have the 3000mah battery within the handset. I am pretty heavy on my phone, and forever checking emails and texting my girlfriend (gotta make her feel loved like haha) so always using it. After starting work at around 9am and finishing at 5, I am usually down to around 20% if I am in Quad HD Mode. I can put the resolution down to 1080p and will then with the same usage, be down to around 38% roughly on average, so it does make a difference. I don't find that things such as the camera have such a hard effect on the battery, unless you're filming in 4k, then you start to notice a metaphorical leak so to speak.Screen:My goodness... this is my favourite part. I always thought this bezeless, or at least small bezel thing was a bit of a gimmick, but oh no. I could never go back to a phone that doesn't have this kind of display ever again. This handset, is smaller than other smart phones, but has a bigger screen. Weird, huh? Well, because the screen practically covers the entire phone size, you get a beautiful view and great clarity that is simply gorgeous. I mentioned previously about Quad HD, which in my opinion is of equal sharpness to retina if I am honest. It does dip into the battery life, though, and to be honest, for normal viewing angles you will find 1080p perfect. 2k would be good for the VR experience. Honestly though, the screen is beautiful, I am being very serious when I say that this is the most beautiful screen I have seen on a phone before, and it has completely changed my opinion on how phones should be designed from now on.Camera:The camera is good. It offers good colour reproduction and produces sharp images. I am led to believe they have used the Samsung s7 camera in this. It has OIS, which is nice and definitely makes a difference. I find the video modes are good, and there are modes such as Pro Modes meaning you can take control of various controls on your camera. It's a shame that there isn't a dual camera setup, considering that a lot of phones are going that way, but let's be honest, if you're truly wanting to get into photography, then you're going to get yourself a DSLR. This phones camera performs excellently taking nice images and will suit the needs of the majority if not all of the people that use it. Video low light performance is a little bit average, but in well lit environments the colours are beautiful and are exceptionally well complemented by the gorgeous display.Bixby:Have to be honest, I don't like Bixby. Samsung have incorporated a physical button on the left hand side of the phone. I downloaded an app and disabled bixby in the system, so I don't have to content with that anymore. I would appreciate an update from Samsung allowing users to modify the rooting of that button, to complement their own wishes such as Google Now, or flashlight etc. Google Assistant is moving far faster, evolving in a much more advanced method, and works flawlessly 99% of the time. I had to repeat 3 times to Bixby to get the weather in Birmingham in the UK. Despite constantly saying "What's the weather like in Birmingham, UK?" it still kept referring to the sunny weather in Birmingham, Alabama... not the much wetter, much greyer weather here in the West Midlands.Overall:Look, this handset in my opinion is fantastic. Like I said, I used to hate Samsung and found their handsets overpriced and underspec. But I genuinely think this is a change. You can get a great deal and pay under the RRP if you look around well enough. The time researching for a better price is definitely worth it. The handset offers a beautiful, and I really do mean a beautiful design and great performance meeting many criterias and expectations. I love this phone. Honestly. I am usually so critical of phones and find it hard to settle with one, but so far, this handset is proving to be the best phone I have ever purchased. I would definitely recommend.One final note, the s8+? Yes, it has a bigger battery... but if you have an average sized hand (male), stick with the regular s8. Ladies, if you've got smaller hands, definitely stay with the S8... I am a man and use the normal one, because the plus size would require some serious hand gymnastics to reach the back button top left.If you found this useful, give me a helpful vote if you don't mind! Then I know that I have helped someone somewhere in the Amazon world.Take care

14.5.2017

Screen -This 2k screen is very good. I have been a long-time fan of vivid displays by Samsung, and this display is just about vibrant. The maximum brightness level is very good. Makes it legible in sunlight. Its dual edge screen on both sides now. Screen resolution can be reduced to 1080P if you want to save power.The size of screen is 5.8 inches for S8 and 6.2 inches for S8+ diagonally.Build Quality-Very good. In par with The IPhone 7 and Google Pixel phone. Non removable back. Has a Corning Gorilla 5 glass back and this is one of the best..Sound-Loud and clear. No issues, specially for a phone. Not as powerful as the dual speakers of say the Axon 7.But then its in par with the Samsung S7 series.Has a headphone jack, unlike IPhone 7. The S8 also come with AKG headphones which hare brilliant.Responsiveness-Very good, no lag at all. Have not had any issues so far with sluggishness or re-starts etc. However, some android phones get marginally slower after about 6 months of use.Added features-Micro SD slot is available to expand memory. But inbuilt 64GB storage is just adequate for photos etc, as well as some movies if you fancy.This phone is water resistant.Cameras-Very good 12MP single lens back camera.Very good photos in good daylight. Very good low light photos, and this is the same as the Samsung Galaxy S7 series. The front camera is good, but could have been better.Good for a quick selfie but nothing compared to the back camera. Although lots of phones now tend to have dual cameras, this still has very good photo quality.Guarantee-Samsung has 2 year manufacturer's warranty on the phone, and they are pretty good. But then it has to be bought through an authorised reseller.However, if it's fulfilled by Amazon, you would still have 1 year warranty from Amazon.Battery-Very good 3000 mAH battery. There is a quick charge function. But you may notice that all phones which have quick charge, are relatively faster at discharge too. You could easily make one day of use on this, if you are a casual user.Operating System-Runs Android 7.0 out of the box, and Samsung have tweaked the Touchwiz now, and it looks much better than when it originally did in the S7 series. The OS is very much customizable.Bixby-A useful virtual assistant, but not upto its full potential right now. Would need to give about a year for it to develop properly.Security features-Iris recognition is better than in the Note 7, but still not as smooth as the fingerprint sensor.Facial recognition- Not as accurate as it can be.Fingerprint sensor- very accurate, but positioned in an awkward way for right handers, and this could tend to smudge the camera lens (since they are situated adjacent to each other). Ideal if you are a left hander.Differences from S7 edge-S7 edge has Corning Gorilla 4 back panel (compared to Corning Gorilla 5 in S8)Micro USB in S7 edge while S8 has USB C for charging and data transferIncreased screen size from 5.5 to 5.8 in S8No physical home button in S8 (Its built onscreen and has 3D touch capabilities)Front camera on S8 is 8MP while its 5MP on S7 EdgeBluetooth 5.0 on S8 compared to 4.2 on S7 edgeComes with single 64GB storage while S7 edge came in 32/64/128GBNow, S7 edge would be about £150 cheaper than S8.Price-The recommended retail price at present is £689, which is quite steep. But this is in par with all other modern phones like G6, iPhone 7, Sony Xperia XZ premium.Should you buy S8 or S8+ ?If you can handle the slightly increased size, go for the S8+ for MORE screen real estate.Apart from screen size, phones are identical in other ways.When buying through third parties look at the following-Is it new or used?Are they locked/unlocked?Has it got a decent warrantyDo you get all original accessories with box

3.7.2017

I've been an Android user for a long time, and I've had a lot of phones over the past five years. The Galaxy S8 is a brilliant piece of engineering, with its sleek beautiful design, gorgeous Super AMOLED display and almost non-existent bezels. Let's start with the basics.The device feels very solid in the hand, very premium and as if a lot of effort has gone into designing the ergonomics. The device can be slippery and picks up fingerprints like there's no tomorrow, so a case or skin is essential. The phone is very light compared to other devices I have used in the past, however it does not feel even remotely cheap.Call audio quality is fantastic, from both the recipient and the caller,and this is something they have gotten spot on this time around. The bottom facing speaker however, is not so fantastic, and sounds very tinny/muted. It can be easily covered with one finger, making the projected sound almost silent. Audio quality from the 3.5mm headphone jack is very clear, and although not the best on the market, is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of users.The new standard in USB connection standards, USB C, is a very nice addition, with the ability to plug the USB cable into the phone regardless of the orientation. I would recommend picking up a spare however as they are still relatively new and somewhat difficult to come by.The display is fantastic, it's one of the best displays I've ever seen on a smartphone. Colors are extremely accurate, images are extremely sharp & media consumption on this device is an absolute dream. Something that may take some users some time to get used to is the larger 18:9 aspect ratio, this means the display is exactly twice as tall as it is wide, making the top of the device pretty hard to reach without using two hands.The software is a bit of a love-hate relationship for me. Although the device is fast to start with, performance seems to degrade over time. I'm not a huge fan of Samsung's custom Android skin, and often find it more of an annoyance than actually useful - and although Samsung have gradually been removing more and more bloat over the years, it would still benefit greatly by having a bit more of the fat trimmed off. We can only hope Samsung will improve the software experience over time.Bixby is a feature that feels largely incomplete. When it works, it works well, but it often seems to get things wrong, and I regularly end up pressing the Bixby button, mistaking it for the volume switch. Personally I don't have a use for personal assistants, although this is objective and purely down to the user.The rear camera on this phone is simply phenomenal. I really can't describe it in any other way. The images it takes are comparable to my DSLR at nearly twice the price, & although images often appear a little over-saturated, it still blows the competition out of the water. Quite simply put, it's the best smartphone camera I have ever used, by far. I have included a few images taken on the Galaxy s8 for the purpose of review.Battery life has been fantastic, despite the phone not having the largest battery in the world. I can easily get through a full days use on a single charge, and on occasion can get most of the way into the second.Water resistance is a nice addition, and while I wouldn't recommend going swimming with your phone in your pocket, you should be covered if you get caught out in the rain or drop your phone in a puddle.I hope you found this review helpful / informative.-Alex

16.9.2017

I've been using the phone for about 3 weeks now and I can only praise it! If you're in the market for a serious, flagship phone, then this is what you need and want! Does this phone feel worse now the IPhone X has been released? No, definitely not. The s8 is a credible rival to the IPhone X, so the Iphone X is no reason to not buy this phone.Let's talk about design. I adore it! Typing on the phone is a joy, the glass on the screen is silky smooth and the curved edges are sensational-and in some cases the edge panels have proven quite useful. This phone looks and feels incredible, and will still look modern 12 months from now.What about everyday use? First of all, be prepared to get noticed,if I had a pound for every time someone walked up to me and said "Hey, can I hold your phone?" the I would be very rich! I have the regular S8, not the S8 plus, and for me bsttery life has been fine. It's not stellar, but it's certainly enough to get you through the day and it's by no means a deal breaker- in some cases though it has lasted me for a very long time.Now, the fingerprint scanner. Well, it really isn't has awful as the reviews say it is. Yes, without a case it is hard to find but with any case it is easy to find and distinguish from the camera, and for me muscle memory took over quickly. Also, the scanner itself is very quick and reliable.Software. No problems whatsoever. I think some people say that the processor in the international models is better than the US models, but from my use (UK), I have had no lag, and multitasking is easy with the split screen feature. I've installed a lot of apps, taken a lot of photos and eaten through the storage and the phone shows no sign of slowing down. Ignore reviews that talk of Apple's better optimisation, this is a lightning quick phoneThe actual software is a leap forward from touchwiz of previous galaxy phones. It looks so much cleaner, much more simple and mature than previous Samsung phones. The software has some very useful multotaski features as Well, so if you're looking for a phone that you will use heavily for work (documents, intensive multitasking) than this phone will happily fit the bill.Last but not least, the camera. What can I say, this is one good snapper. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but with its many modes and features, you will love taking photos and video with this phone. My friend, who has an Iphone 7 plus, commented on how photos taken on the S8 have visibly more detail and vibrant colours. Yes, photos sometimes come out a little saturated, but most of the time they look incredibleVerdict: Get this phone! Software updates to Android 8.0 will be coming before the year's end, so nothing to worry about with updates.

5.4.2018

I bought this about a month ago. I decided to replace my iPhone, and made the decision to leave behind Apple and move to Android. I had an Android phone about five years ago - when the Galaxy s3 was out. I use a mac instead of a PC, and had a constant battle with getting the mac and the phone to talk to each other. iPhone and mac work beautifully together.So I was a little nervous. But as soon as the s8 came out, it made all iphones look old fashioned. Just like that. Do we need the screen to curve round the edges? No, of course not, but it sure is a beautiful device. Gorgeous to hold. Yes, the iPhone X came out a few months later, but that is north of a thousand pounds. That's crazy.

25.6.2018

You can read all of the technical specifications all over the web, so I won't repeat those here. Instead, I'll just list some of the features that I am really enjoying about this phone:SCREENFirst of all, the screen is huge and gorgeous. The bezels are a lot smaller than on my previous phone, so it does feel like I'm just holding onto a massive slab of screen. The resolution is also beautifully clear. I read online that it's possible to reduce the screen resolution in order to extend the battery life - I did this and in fact can't really tell the difference. So even in so-called "reduced" screen resolution mode, the phone still has a stunning screen.BIOMETRICSI played around with the various biometric options and these seem to work well.

14.6.2017

I think we reached peak smartphone use about three years ago, apart from better screens, faster use and more storage, there isn't really anything new to add. While this latest Samsung is undoubtedly great, the changes they have made to this model are confusing.My last phone was an S6, it famously did not have a memory card slot, which Samsung have put back in, fine. But other modifications to their latest flagship feel unnecessary.1. Removing the home button and the "Samsung" logo.At first I thought, "good idea, more screen" - we only need one physical action button: the on/off button on the side wakes the screen up from standby, so this is all we need. Now one week in, I am looking at my phone sometimes and going,

31.1.2019

I was looking for my first Android phone after years using Windows phones (which I loved) and chose a Samsung S8.I wanted a new UK spec one at a good price but retaining genuine accessories and Samsung 2 year warranty. The user reviews were not supplier specific and many complained of poor substitutes, refurbished good phones but with limited warranties etc. so it was hard to choose a good supplier from the reviews.Before ordering I contacted a number of sellers asking specific questions to confirm the phone was New, Samsung warrantied, Unlocked, Had all UK accessories just to be sure. This also enabled me to identify which suppliers responded quickly and clearly.

17.10.2017

This has to be the best phone I have ever owned and I have owned quite a few. I change my phones very often and have absolutely no brand loyalty whatsoever, if I like the look of it then I'll get it. I have had phones that most people wouldn't consider, Honor, Huawei, OnePlus to name a few but this is by far the best. The size of the phone is great and the screen is by far it's stand out feature. The phones curves, which makes holding the phone a pleasure with no sharp or square edges at all, it really does feel like a smooth pebble in hand. There are things that I love and things that I am not so keen on but this is my honest "user" review.

14.12.2017

I've been having this phone for little over 3 months and I do have to say a couple of things about it.First, the pros:The phone is beautifully made and really well designed being that it's one of the most gorgeous devices you can find for this amount of money. The screen is very good (it's samsung, ofcourse) having really good contrast tones and really deep blacks due to the amoled display (if you're not used to it, you'll think that your phone is locked every time you load something).Touch Wiz has been refined quite a lot, I do love Stock Android and this comes close to it. It does indeed come with some bloatware including the Microsoft apps which are quite usefull and perfect copies of other Google services (you can disable them).Battery will last you for a day with moderate usage.

21.6.2017

I like it. It's slightly less wide than my last phone - iPhone 6s plus, but much better. I missed androids ergonomic thoughtfulness in how easy they make life. A phone ringer that actually rings this time is a bonus, but also the intuitive auto fill, rather than a battle with the iPhone to get it to recall that sentence I write thirty times a day. Not many good ring tones and harder to import the song you want to use. I think they want you to buy theirs.I don't love the position of the finger print touch button on this one, at the back, which I think is proving less reliable or accessible, or the shiny case, which I have covered as it gathers prints and looks grubby.Most of the set up of apps and banking etc was easy.

1.3.2020

At 67 yrs old this is my first ever internet phone having had a little text and call only Nokia for 15 yrs. Yes, I'm a late starter and I never wanted to change but I've moved ahead with the times over the last 6 yrs since retirement with a laptop, digital camera and kindle, and I thought it was high time to move on to a modern phone. I chose this model because it's the same one as my friend has had for the last 2 yrs and I knew it was easy to use and the camera is fantastic. I also knew she could help me to set it up ready for use. I must say that, for a first time user, I would really have struggled to set it up without help as that was far more intensive than I thought,

30.9.2019

I've owned S3, S4, S5, & S7 over a period of 8 years now. Got this one coz my last one screen cracked.The finger print being at the back is very unusual and stupid to me. I understand they probably couldn't copy the iPhones idea lol, but sometime it doesn't even work straight away and I just end up doing the pattern on this phone (writing the review). Especially if you have a big fingers, you can forget that feature. Ideally it's meant for the left index finger.Haven't used face recognition so I can't say anything about that & not fussed either.Since I've owned so many Samsung phones over the years, I've been use to having a home button which seems super weird to me now as well as not having the back keypad.

13.2.2018

Upfront this phone does everything you can do on the new iPhone X at almost half the price! At this price the S8 really is a bargain.The first thing you'll notice is how much more freedom you have compared with Apple products. Thr home screen is hugely customisable with apps and widgets. You can also install other apps which increase the customisation even further. Nova Launcher being a prime example. Of course if this is your first Android it'll take some getting used too.I do believe the autocorrect keyboard on the iphone is better than the S8 however. I find myself making far more corrections to the text on the S8.At first i found the large screen scary, but i soon came to love it,

17.10.2017

ok you guys, i barely ever leave comments but i just have to. After reading the bad reviews i got a bit nervous and worried, i didn't even know if i could trust the good reviews because some guy said they pay ppl to leave good reviews and the guys that leave those review have only reviewed one product, this one, u can now see how convincing that argument was. The phone arrived today and everything was intact, i payed for the express so it came on tuesday (ordered on saturday). Seal not broken, contained usb C, the cable, usb adapter and the nice AKG earphones. Comes with warranty and the phone is unlocked. I even watched youtube videos on how to spot fakes and this passed,

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