Samsung Galaxy S8 release date and price LEAKS (and you should probably start saving now)

Samsung Galaxy S8 – Leaked photos, concept images, and renders Sun, January 1, 2017

Samsung Galaxy S8 looks set to be the smartphone to beat this year. Following a swathe of rumours from the Chinese supply chain, a number of graphic designers have cooked-up high-resolution renders of what the smartphone could look like, when it launches in the UK in April 2017

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Samsung Galaxy S8 will get a dramatic new design, with no buttons, and an edge-to-edge display

Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year.

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it's going to be cheap.

The successor to the award-winning Galaxy S7 is rumoured to sport a dual-curved, bezel-less display, iris scanner for additional security, and larger battery cell.

Samsung is expected to pull-out all the stops for its upcoming flagship phone, which was subject to a number of delays following the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7 last year.

According to the latest whispers, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will ship in two models – both with a dual-curved, edge-to-edge display.

The Galaxy S8 will ship with a large 5.8-inch Quad HD display and a 3,250mAh battery, but maintain the same footprint as the Galaxy S7.

There is also expected to be a 6.2-inch QHD AMOLED display model, with a hefty 3,750mAh cell, marketed as the Galaxy S8 Plus.

For comparison, those display sizes and battery capacities are both larger than the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge last year.

According to CNET Korea, Samsung will accommodate these larger displays by ditching all physical buttons from the front of the phone, replacing their functionality with on-screen navigation keys.

But all of this new technology comes at a price. And now we have an idea of what that price might be.

TWITTER • VENYAGESKIN1

These renders, based on the latest leaks, show a dedicated Bixby button on the phone

According to a Chinese tipster, who has released a slew of information around the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus over the last few weeks, those who opt for the top-of-the-range model won't get much change from $1,000 – some £800 converted.

The leakster, who uses the online pseudonym @mmddj_china, has also claimed Samsung will release a Galaxy S8 model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage exclusive to the South Korean market.

In other markets around the world, Samsung is expected to release a Galaxy S8 model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

According to the tipster, the Galaxy S8 with 64GB of storage will retail for CNY 6,088 (roughly $885 or £710) while the maxed-out 128GB variant will sell for CNY 6,488 (roughly $945 or £755).

The pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S8 model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB was not revealed by the source.

For comparison, Samsung sells its Galaxy S7 for £569, and the Galaxy S7 Edge for £639. Both ship with 32GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM.

EVAN BLASS • TWITTER

Renown leaker Evan Blass published this photo, believed to be of the finalised Samsung Galaxy S8

Last month, prolific leaker Evan Blass predicted both models of the Samsung Galaxy S8 would retail for €100 more than their predecessors.

If that's accurate, then you can expect the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 to set you back €699 (some £600) and €799 (some £700) for the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus.

Alongside pricing, the Chinese tipster also shared an image of the Samsung Galaxy S8.

As shown in the alleged image, Samsung has included three physical buttons on the left of the device.

That tallies with earlier reports that Samsung will include a new button for its virtual assistant Bixby.

The clever AI assistant is believed to have been built by Viv Labs, the team that created Siri before it was acquired by Apple for use in the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Samsung acquired the company back in October 2016.

Bixby will reportedly be able to use the cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S8 to scan your surroundings, surfacing useful information about what it is looking at.

This will allow the Samsung Galaxy S8 to identify the objects it is pointed at – and will be able to direct you to online retailers where you can buy the item.

CNET KOREA

These high-resolution renders are based on eye-witness accounts, and created by CNET Korea

The search functionality will reportedly be closely tied with Samsung Pay.

Amazon's first smartphone – the Fire Phone – had a very similar feature, which let customers use the camera to instantly find listings online.

Elsewhere, the Bixby-powered camera app on the Galaxy S8 will also be able to read text, SamMobile has claimed.

Point the camera at text and the clever assistant will be able to scan it and transform it into a digital format. This has a number of useful applications – not least being able to quickly copy-and-paste from real-world menus, signs, and more.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in pictures Wed, February 24, 2016

Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, in pictures below.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge – A camera view of the new Samsung

It could also allow the Bixby assistant to translate restaurant menus and more, like the standalone Google app does on Android and iOS.

Samsung is rumoured to have relocated the fingerprint sensor, which has previously been embedded inside the physical home button, to the rear of the phone.

This appears to have been confirmed by the latest leaked image.

CNET Korea says the relocated fingerprint sensor isn't in the centre of the rear panel under the camera, like on rival devices from Huawei and LG, because most people will use the device with their right hand.

When holding the Galaxy S8 one-handed with your right hand, the index finger will naturally fall on the precise location of the fingerprint scanner, CNET Korea claims.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will carry a USB-C port for charging and syncing, as well as a 3.5mm headphone port.

Other rumours have suggested the larger Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will sport a dual-camera set-up, like the iPhone 7 Plus.

Both models are expected to be powered by the power-efficient new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

Samsung Galaxy S8 is widely-tipped to launch on March 29th 2017, with the smartphone becoming available in online and retail stores worldwide on April 21st.

However, Samsung is expected to offer a sneak peak of the hotly-anticipated smartphone this month.

Original Article