Well, if you needed more proof that Samsung’s Galaxy S8 announcement will be a dud as far as surprises are concerned, look no further than a newly leaked video that shows the company’s upcoming flagship in action. This video is the first time we’re seeing the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy S8 being used, reiterating that the sensor is placed next to the camera.
With the S8 and S8+ to feature 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch displays, everyone has rightly been worried about how accessible the fingerprint sensor will be (despite the compact overall size of the devices). Samsung is perhaps the first OEM to be using such a placement for a fingerprint scanner on the back of a smartphone. It’s clear from the video that consumers would need to re-position their hand to use the phone after unlocking it with their fingerprint, and it’s all the more reason for Samsung to make that iris scanner work well.
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But let’s focus on the positive: The Galaxy S8 looks stunning, with that edge-to-edge AMOLED display looking as crisp as any other AMOLED display on Samsung’s recent flagship. The lack of any hardware buttons at the front might turn off existing Samsung consumers, but it certainly adds to the beauty of the device.
The Galaxy S8 (and Galaxy S8+) will be made official on March 29th. The devices are expected to feature the Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895 SoC, 4GB of RAM, Quad HD+ displays, 64GB of internal storage, a 12-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, a USB Type-C port, and 3,000/3,500 mAh batteries with fast wired/wireless charging support.
The Galaxy S8 will launch with Samsung’s new Bixby virtual assistant, with a dedicated button for the same placed below the volume buttons on the left of the device. It will also come with earphones tuned by AKG, following the company’s recent acquisition of Harman.
