Samsung Galaxy s8 - My Mini Review.

[BandOfBrothers]

Samsung Galaxy s8.

S8 Model: SM-G950F. CsC:BTU.

Midnight Black Colour. 

Security Patch - 1st April 2017.

Image courtesy of Google. 

It's base storage is 64gb , minus space taken for the Firmware is an improvement on the s7 phones which were 32gb again minus space taken for the firmware and the Sd Card option  upto 256gb remains in place. 

4 GB RAM.

IP68 ratings still apply. 
The Battery capacity which is 3000mAH is less than my previous phone the Samsung Galaxy s7 edge, but the new Exynos Chipset { Exynos 8895 Octa } does a fantastic job of optimising the phones power management so with the same usage pattern I still get 1.5 days with plenty battery left over.
The finger print sensor placement on the s8 models has been a hot topic in various places on the internet, but I can say it's easy for me to reach it. The s8+ on the other hand would prove some difficulty for me.
The iris scanner is responsive and I've had no problems unlocking that way. However I personally prefer Facial Recognition and Finger Print Sensor options. 
Some have commented that when the Always On Display is activated then the new home button is always lit up too with a worry that Screen Burn could occur. 
The time and date move around a few millimetres at intervals to stop screen burn in and so does the Home Button.

A tip for those concerned at this is that in the AOD is a setting to stop the Home Button always been lit up, but rest assured this does not stop it from working.
The dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy s8 is just that little bit more comfortable to hold as it's not as wide as the s7 edge.
I'm still torn as to Samsung's decision to add a dedicated Bixby Button. I do use assistants quite often so I'll reserve final judgement when it's fully Activated.. There was an option to re map the Bixby Button but Samsung have currently blocked that route. Time will tell if one of the clever developers can provide another workaround.
The curved screen edges on the s8 are less severe than the s7 edge. Kind of not as deep if that's making sense.
This makes the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 at 5.8 inches s8 infinitely display a better user experience in my opinion. Smaller top and bottom bezels. This phone like others that are predominantly glass back and front are not easy to grip all the time. This is why I'm going to add a skin and have an inexpensive tpu type case to hand. 
Far fewer accidental palm touches than on the s7 edge although that said I used an official Samsung Black Leather Case on the s7 edge that both protected the back and edges which also acted to help stop accidental touches.

I'm no photographer but the camera takes crisp pictures in my opinion and is more than adequate for me as an occasional picture taker.

Accessories Purchased for the Samsung Galaxy s8.

Official Samsung Screen Protector.  (film variant)

dbrand  - Black Dragon Skin. 

Tpu Clear case.

RhinoShield CrashGuard Bumper.

Black Dragon Skin Back Skin which adds Grip too. 

[SKYMAN513]

Thanks for initial thoughs .I hope  you'll update as you get familiar with it and put it through it's paces.

I was expecting it to be a super charged 7edge but it sounds on another levelI

I've had this 2 months now and apart from individual issues and accidental touches which I have learnt in last couple of days is how sensitive the 7 edge really is  is to accidental touches.so much so I'm having to retrain my hands to hold it differently. I am surprised that you seem more impressed your self. So it must be good.

And to be honest I thought you would of held out a little longer but glad you seem to have got it with no problems.

Am I jealous. You bet but this 7 edge will be  perfect for me once issues out and but I will be envious till I get one which be soon. 

Good luck

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @SKYMAN513

I was going to wait to see what the Note 8 was like but imo it's going to be even longer in length than the s8+ variant, which are both out of my comfort zone for usability. 

The s8 is a little longer than my previous s7 edge but it's a tad narrower which makes it more comfortable to hold. 

You hit the nail on the head when comparing the s7 edge to the s8 it is indeed on another level. A lot like how the s7 edge was on a different level to the Samsung s6 phones. 

I ended up putting my s7 edge in an official Samsung Black Leather Case {the one I talked about in my Samsung s7 edge review } to combat the accidental touches especially when typing on its keyboard. I also ended up using the smaller Samsung keyboard and placed it on the left hand side of the screen which helped for me.  

[Stevie1]

Hi BandOfBrothers,

Thanks for the review of the S8 much appreciated, l am still deciding to get one or wait until the note 8 comes out.

If your looking into revamping the bixby button a few people on XDA have used an app called all in one gestures from the play store, some have set it up as a dedicated camera button others have used it for Google assistant. Once Samsung release the full version of bixby you can easily reset the button back to normal and use bixby.

[Sukhi]

@BandOfBrothers - Great review, I'm sure it will help others decide whether they should get one too