Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus pre-orders seem to be going strong. Tim Baxter, president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America, has today announced that pre-orders for the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are 30-percent up year-over-year compared to the Galaxy S7. Essentially, indicating that the Galaxy S8 series is the company’s most popular launch ever. Of course, the real test will be in sustaining new orders and sales after the device has been out for a while. During the announcement, Baxter said that Samsung feels “privileged” to make a product that millions will enjoy using, while explaining that Samsung has rededicated itself to being more innovative.
It is no wonder that the Samsung Galaxy S8 is more popular than its predecessor, the Galaxy S7. While not taking anything away from the Galaxy S7, which was arguably the best smartphone of 2016, the Galaxy S8s offer significantly more to consumers – more in design and more in specifications. The included ‘Infinity Display’ allows Samsung to provide a much larger display for both smartphones, while still offering a near same-size physical area, compared to last year’s models. Using the 18.5:9 screen ratio makes the display just a little taller and narrower, but gives a better viewing experience when watching movies, as well as more space to multitask with. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor and new 540 Adreno GPU are included and look to offer enough power to cope with any tasks or graphics thrown at them.
The always-on display, 4GB of DDR4 RAM, 64GB of expandable RAM, and a 3,000/3,500 mAh non-removable battery (with rapid charge and wireless charging), all add to the package. As does the added security – as there is not only a fingerprint sensor on the back, but also an iris scanning and facial recognition software thrown in for good measure. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus also have an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, the new Samsung Bixby functionality, Samsung Health (which replaces S-Health), and Samsung Connect. As well as Samsung DeX which allows the user to hook up a display and keyboard for more of a desktop experience. This is before the more mundane and typical aspects (like the cameras) are even discussed.