Why YOU might NOT be able to use Samsung Galaxy S8’s coolest new feature

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 expected to launch next month, according to a recent leaked that revealed the release date and price.

The highly-anticipated new smartphone is rumoured to ship with a bezel-less dual-curved display, iris scanner for additional security and larger capacity battery.

When the Galaxy S8 launches on March 29th, it will be more than two years since Samsung's flagship phone underwent a substantial facelift – after all, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were more of a subtle refinement of the design debuted with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, instead of a dramatic overhaul. But all that is set to change with the Samsung Galaxy S8.

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 arrive 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.

Alongside the dramatic hardware refresh, Samsung is rumoured to introduce some new flagship software features, most notably, its AI assistant Bixby.

However the latest whispers around Bixby could leave some people disappointed.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumoured to have a dedicated button for Bixby on the side of the device

Bixby has been created 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.

There have already been a number of leaks around the Bixby assistant, including one source which claims the assistant will be able to use the rear camera on the Galaxy S8 to scan your surroundings, surfacing useful information about whatever it is pointed at. This will not only allow the Galaxy S8 to identify objects – but it will also direct you to online retailers where you can buy the item.

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.

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

This has a number of useful applications – not least being able to quickly copy-and-paste from real-world menus, signs, and more.

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

And now a new leak claims Bixby will only support eight different languages at launch.

According to South Korean publication ETNews, the talkative assistant will get support for more languages over time, but in the meantime, it could leave some Galaxy S8 customers unable to test-out the awesome new feature.

Like Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa, Bixby will be able to answer your general knowledge questions, maths questions, make calendar appointments, get the latest headlines and weather reports, and more.

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Apple SVP Phil Schiller demos Siri, originally built by Viv Labs, on-stage at a media event

For comparison, when Google Assistant launched last year, it only supported a handful of languages, including English, Hindi, German, and Portuguese (only in messaging app, Allo).

Meanwhile, Apple's Siri assistant has support for more than 30 languages.

For the Galaxy S8, 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.

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