Samsung Galaxy S8: release date and everything you should know

Improving on perfection

samsung might not be done with flat screens, while 3D Touch, a desktop mode, soft touch keys and an optional S Pen stylus could all be headed to the Samsung Galaxy S8, but you might have to wait until April to get it.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 was almost everything we hoped for, with improvements throughout leading it to be one of the most powerful, stylish and all round accomplished smartphones on the market.

But there's still room for improvement and it's low on innovation, so we have a wish list for what we want to see from the Samsung Galaxy S8. We'd also love to hear what you think, so let us know in the comments below and we'll furiously email them to Samsung.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Samsung's next flagship smartphone
• When is it out? Early 2017
• What will it cost? Maybe around $850 (roughly £655/AU$1120)

Samsung Galaxy S8 release date

Hottest leaks:

• A February 26 announcement
• ...or it could be delayed until April

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is certain to launch in early 2017, since the beginning of the year is typically when Samsung rolls out its new flagships.

The last couple of years the brand has shown off the phone the day before Mobile World Congress starts, with MWC 2017 set to kick off on 27 February... meaning a Galaxy S8 release date of February 26.

That exact date has now been rumored by @Ricciolo1, who accurately leaked the launch date of the Galaxy S7, so it's looking likely.

In terms of when you'll be able to fondle it for the first time, expect a two week wait - so March 13 is our best guess there. 

That's if it shows up at MWC, but it's looking ever more likely that the S8 will be delayed, and instead we'll have an April release date.

We've now heard more rumors of an April launch, and even a specific release date ofApril 18 (with an announcement apparently set for late March or early April).

There's also talk of delayed development while Samsung looked into the Note 7's flammable flaws. Though according to sources speaking to The Investor, full volume shipments of the S8 will start in February, meaning a February announcement and March arrival should still be possible.

There's even some analyst speculation that Samsung might actually bring the release forward, in order to minimize the impact of having to kill the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 - though that's looking unlikely.

Samsung Galaxy S8 news and rumors

The trickle of information on the Samsung Galaxy S8 is slowly growing into a stream, though we're still waiting for strong rumors on what actual components and design we might see - but we're able to take a very good guess.

We've divided our thoughts up into sections below, but likely highlights include a 4K screen, a Snapdragon 830 processor, 6GB of RAM and a massively improved camera.

There's even a chance that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have an iris scanner or a foldable screen, though the latter is somewhat less likely.

Samsung Galaxy S8 screen

Hottest leaks:

• No flat version
• A 4K display
• 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch sizes, or 5.7 and 6.2-inch sizes

Industry sources have reported Samsung may make two versions of the Galaxy S8 next year, but both will come with curved screens.

SamMobile is reporting the models are codenamed Dream and Dream 2. One with a 5.1-inch screen and another with a 5.5-inch display. 

Similar suggestions have been made more recently, along with claims that both will be curved and have an all-screen design, with a virtual home button rather than a physical one.

In fact all the keys could be going virtual, with customizable uses, according to a recent leak, which adds that Samsung might add a 3D Touch-like feature to the phone as well.

And those sizes have been rumored again, but apparently the smaller display will be QHD, while the larger one is 4K.

Samsung is making a big push into VR with its Gear VR headset and one thing it really needs to make the most of that is sharp screens on its phones.

QHD, as we have on the Samsung Galaxy S7, is more than sharp enough for using it as a phone, but it's not quite up to scratch for VR, so it makes sense for Samsung to push the resolution up for at least one version of the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Even without the lure of VR a sharper screen wouldn't be surprising, as a couple of generations of Galaxy devices have now had QHD ones, so Samsung is likely to want to improve the resolution further for the Galaxy S8 - and show it's MUCH more sharp than the 720p iPhone 7.

Credit: UploadVR

In fact, the company has already shown off a 5.5-inch 2160 x 3840 screen, which comes in at a pin sharp 806 pixels per inch. There's no guarantee the Samsung Galaxy S8 will get this screen, but it's clearly been designed for premium mobile devices and phones don't get much more premium than the S8.

Not only has Samsung developed such a screen, but according to Chinese sources speaking to WCCF Tech, the company specifically plans to equip the Galaxy S8 with a UHD display. They don't specify who the source is though, so take this with a pinch of salt.

We've also heard rumors from Weibo that the Samsung Galaxy S8 could have a 5.2-inch 2160 x 4096 screen.

All that said, other Weibo rumors suggest the S8 will have just a QHD screen, like the Galaxy S7, but add that "new materials" of some kind could be used, and that the home button will be removed - potentially meaning smaller bezels and maybe even a fingerprint scanner built into the screen.

Samsung is also putting a lot of work into curved screens, and a recent comment from Samsung Mobile President Dong-jin Koh claimed: "Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup."

So that sounds like we might not actually get the Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge at all, and the Galaxy S8 will be a single curved variant only.

More recently we've heard rumors that Samsung has started sourcing curved display panels, but that it will be making curved versions in both 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch sizes. Apparently whether or not there's also a flat screen model will come down to how many curved screens Samsung can source in time.

Though since then SamMobile has learned that there will apparently be both a flat and dual-edge curved version.

But the company might even go one further than curves and give us a foldable phone, especially as prototypes and patents for such a device already exist, including one very recent patent spotted by Patently Mobile.

In fact, it's rumored that Samsung will launch a folding phone in 2017, but it's unlikely to risk attaching the untested tech to its flagship - unless that's what the new S8 Edge becomes.

The screen size could also change. The 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 is one of the smaller flagships around right now and significantly smaller than even the 5.5-inchSamsung Galaxy S7 Edge which launched alongside it.

Given that Samsung recently showed off a 5.5-inch 4K display that could be the size the S8 comes in.

More recently, we've heard that Samsung could be making the phone in 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch sizes, to appeal to Note fans. But it would apparently do this without making the body any bigger, by removing the home button.

We're sceptical, but Samsung is working to shrink the bezels on its devices, with a Samsung Display employee claiming the company will launch a display with a 90% screen-to-body ratio in 2017, though there's no guarantee it will be attached to the S8.

There's also the Always On Display (AOD), a feature that debuted with the Galaxy Note 7. This feature has been hugely improved on the new Note, with more pictures added to the mix and a richer display hanging about on the phone when it's turned off.

Samsung Galaxy S8 camera and battery

Hottest leaks:

• A dual-lens camera
• A 30MP rear camera
• An 8MP front-facing snapper
• A 4200mAh battery

Samsung is said to be working on a new camera, which will be between 18 and 24MP and have a wide f/1.4 aperture, where the Samsung Galaxy S7 has a narrower f/1.7 one.

That extra width could allow more light in and the jump in megapixel count could allow for more detailed images, though while Samsung is apparently working on this camera it hasn't been specifically linked to the Galaxy S8 yet.

Another rumor, this time from Chinese sources speaking to WCCF Tech, points to a dual-lens camera. It's not clear what role the second lens would play, but the sources claim it's being built by Samsung Motors (Semco).

That rumor has popped up again, with a Weibo poster claiming that one lens will be 12MP, while the other is 13MP and that lens-crafting duties will be split between Samsung and Sony.

It's too early to say how accurate these rumors are, but with the Huawei P9, LG G5 and possibly the iPhone 7 Plus packing dual cameras it's seemingly the latest trend, so wouldn't be surprising.

There's also a suggestion that Samsung could include two cameras to help its parts suppliers make up for lost Note 7 earnings.

Samsung has also now registered trademarks for two camera technologies designed to enhance the brightness of images, which is often the role of a secondary lens, further suggesting a dual-lens could be in the works.

The front facing camera could also be in for a change, with the same Weibo source as above claiming that the Galaxy S8 will have an 8MP camera on the front, up from 5MP on the Galaxy S7.

That front-facing camera could also get an autofocus, which is a feature usually reserved for rear cameras, as they need to focus at various distances, but while possibly not that useful on the front it might help the S8 stand out.

On the other hand, another Weibo poster claims the S8 will have a 30MP rear camera with optical image stabilization and a 9MP front-facing one, but we'd be surprised if Samsung pushed the rear camera's megapixel count up that high.

We've also heard rumors that Samsung could stick a dual-lens camera on the 5.5-inch handset, but just a single-lens one on the 5.1-inch one, so you might have a choice of snappers.

Samsung has also built a 'Smart Glow' feature, which takes the form of a ring of LEDs around the rear camera, which can flash in different colors for different types of notifications and even light up when they detect your face, so you can more easily take a selfie with the main camera.

So far the feature is only available on the Samsung Galaxy J2, but there's a chance Samsung will use it in the Galaxy S8 as well.

Whatever the case, you can be sure the camera will be improved, in factSamsung's vice chairman has even said as much.

The only battery rumor so far suggests the Galaxy S8 will have a huge 4200mAh juice pack with support for both wireless and fast charging. We're not convinced Samsung will squeeze a battery that big in, but hopefully the company won't reverse the good work it's done on the S7, which has better life than the S6 before it.

The Galaxy S7 has a 3000mAh juice pack and with any luck the battery in the S8 will be even larger, or at least more efficient. It might need to be if Samsung pushes the screen resolution up.