There are no ideal things. I have never held a perfect smartphone in my hands. Yes, the concept of "ideal" is different for everyone. But there are parameters that are important for almost everyone. This year, Samsung showed a smartphone that for the first time in many years came close to being the best smartphone for everyone. The company was able to make a device that will suit both a fashionista, a geek, and an ordinary user. But not everything in the Galaxy S8 is implemented perfectly.

Most of the jambs of the smartphone appear only after a couple of months of use. The Galaxy S8 has been my main smartphone for three months. I'll tell you what's wrong with this device.

1. Body wear

In a review of the older model Galaxy S8 +, I praised the case materials. Since then, nothing has changed - S8 is great in the hand: the glossy metal of the side faces is pleasant to the touch, the glass front and back looks wonderful (except that the smartphone is instantly covered with fingerprints), the assembly is perfect.

But there is one "but". Despite the use of the latest generation of Gorilla Glass 5 in the production of the device, the Galaxy S8 scratches very easily, scuffs appear on the screen, as if it were not glass, but protective plastic. I’ll make a reservation right away, I use a smartphone without a case and films - I don’t want to hide this beauty under layers of protection. I use my smartphone very carefully: I don’t throw it away, I don’t carry it in a bag with change and keys: only an empty pocket of jeans or shorts. With the same use, my old Galaxy S6 kept a perfect appearance more than a year and a half with minor scratches from rare falls on the parquet at home.

So the low resistance to external physical influences is the first obvious minus of the Galaxy S8.

2. Weak autonomy

Samsung, after troubles with exploding batteries of the Galaxy Note 7, clearly decided to take the path of minimizing risks and put modest batteries in the S8 line. In the case of the regular S8 in question, this is 3000 mAh. Due to the use of a new technological process for the production of a chipset, in theory, a smartphone with an increase in performance should consume either less or the same amount of energy as a device of the previous generation. Apparently this is true, the smartphone lives as long as the Galaxy S7. Achievement? I wouldn't say. In my case, this means that during the day you need to recharge your smartphone in order to make it through the evening. It seems unacceptable to me that a device that is also designed for a business audience, for whom it is important to stay in touch during the day, does not survive until the evening. S8 + in this regard looks like a slightly more rational choice for those who care about autonomy. One more thing before moving on to the next point. S8 is not always stable in terms of battery life. It happens when the charge leaves right before your eyes, but sometimes, on the contrary, you rejoice that the smartphone "holds the blow". And to identify what this difference in the behavior of the battery depends on, I have not been able so far.

And the S8 is very gluttonous in an inactive state. Leaving a smartphone at night with 100% charge and getting a device with 87% in the morning is not a problem. Xiaomi Mi6 () under the same conditions, in the same network, in the same place lost only 1% of the charge.

3. Work instability

Don't misunderstand me. The Galaxy S8 is one of the fastest smartphones on the market. But there is one "but". Or even two. Launching built-in apps like dialer, settings or messages takes forever compared to the competition. At the same time, these same applications are the first to be unloaded from RAM, almost every time they are loaded again. This negatively affects the experience of using a smartphone. This is especially disappointing when, for example, the much more budget Huawei Nova 2 loads system applications faster and keeps them in memory for days. Sad.

The second "but" - after a couple of days of active use, the smartphone starts to slow down: scrolling on Facebook or Instagram comes with obvious jerks, the transition between applications freezes the device for a fraction of a second. This is not a problem if you regularly restart your smartphone. But be honest, how often do you do it? That's what we're talking about.

But what about the pluses?

Galaxy S8 with all its cons will remain my main smartphone after this article. There are several good reasons for this.

1. Camera

You can complain for a long time about the lack of a second camera module in the S8 (the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 should fix this "flaw"), but it would be foolish to deny that the camera in the S8 shoots great. 64 gigabytes of expandable memory provokes more frequent launch of the camera. And at the same time take both photos and videos. And the video on the S8, especially in FullHD mode, 60 frames per second, turns out to be excellent - the stabilization works effectively and the stereo sound recording is good (hello, iPhone with its mono recording). It is pleasant to watch photos and videos not only from the screen of a smartphone, but also from a computer: the quality is at its best. See for yourself in our photo gallery.

By the way, together with the Galaxy S8, I started testing a convenient external flash drive with USB Type-C. I got the San Disk Dual USB Drive Type-C 32 GB model. A convenient thing, especially when so many smartphones with USB Type-C pass through you: insert a USB flash drive, throw off test shots, immediately upload it to a computer or main smartphone (the flash drive slides out in two directions: on one USB Type-C, on the other, a regular input for computer: Type-A). Very comfortably. Colleagues are already interested in a similar solution for smartphones with micro-USB. But the owners of the iPhone with 16 GB of memory on board were most interested.

2. Screen

Until you try the screen with the new 18:9 ratio (in the case of the S8 18.5:9), you will not understand all the charms of the stretched format. All content in the browser, in Instagram feeds, Facebook received a significant increase in height: much more information is simply placed on the screen. This is especially noticeable in comparison. You take a smartphone with a classic aspect ratio and you understand how those extra millimeters of the screen are missing. There is a picture in the gallery that fully demonstrates the difference using the Galaxy S8 and HTC U11 as an example. You can write a whole story about the brightness and saturation of the Galaxy S8 display, I have already said that from this point of view, the Samsung display is unrivaled. I especially want to note the behavior in the sun. All information on the screen is readable, the colors are distinguishable even in the brightest light, with a direct hit of the rays on the display. Impressive.

3. Sound and headphones

As a person who is very impressed with high-quality sound, it has always been important for me that the device that is always at hand (for many years it has been a smartphone that replaced the Sony player) can play music well. And that is why the complete headphones from smartphones have always remained sealed in the box. But with the advent of the Galaxy S8, the situation has changed. Not only does the smartphone play music two heads better than the previous generations of the flagship Galaxy, but the bundled headphones put my favorite Sennheiser plugs on the shelf gathering dust. Clear balanced sound, clear bass: a pleasure to listen to any genre. And the heavier tracks (which I mainly listen to) do not turn into mush at any volume. Thanks to Samsung and their cooperation with Harman for great sound!

conclusions

There is no perfect smartphone, but there are attempts by manufacturers to create such a device. Manufacturers improve their flagships every year, and Samsung made the strongest claim this year with the S8. Is this the best smartphone on the market? On the basis of properties, perhaps yes. Is it possible to find an analogue, but cheaper? You can - examples of LG G6, One Plus 5, HTC U11, Xiaomi Mi6 confirm this. Another question is, what do users compare these smartphones with? The answer is simple - with the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7. And this indicates the undisputed leadership of Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market (at least today). Let's see what these leaders will bring us in the coming months. We are waiting for the Galaxy Note 8 and the new iPhone.

Characteristics

OS Version: Android 7.0, Samsung Experience Version 8.1

Dimensions (WxHxD): 73.4x159.5x8.1mm

Screen:

AMOLED, touch, multi-touch, capacitive

Diagonal: 5.8 inches, curved screen, rounded edges

Resolution: 2960x1440

Number of pixels per inch (PPI): 531

Cameras:

Main camera:

12 MP, LED flash, autofocus, OIS, F/1.7 aperture, Dual Pixel technology, RAW support

Max. video resolution: 3840x2160

Max. Video frame rate: 30fps or 60fps when shooting FullHD

Front-camera:

8 MP, autofocus

Connection:

SIM card type: 2 nano SIM, alternate work

GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A Cat. 16 VoLTE

Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB, ANT+, NFC

Satellite navigation: GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou

Performance:

Processor: Exynos 8895

Built-in memory: 64 GB + micro-SD up to 256 GB (instead of the 2nd SIM card)

RAM: 4 GB

Battery:

Battery capacity: 3000 mAh

Charging connector type: USB Type-C

Wireless charging function

Quick charge function

Sensors:

Light, proximity, hall, gyroscope, compass, barometer, fingerprint reader, iris scanner

Peculiarities:

Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front and back

Moisture and dust protection according to IP68 standard

Support for Samsung Pay (NFC+MST)

Audio - UHQ 32-bit &DSD support

3.5 mm headphone jack

Samsung turned out to be a good product that attracts the attention of not only Android fans, but also fans of apple products. It was this model that helped the Korean company to gain a foothold at the top of the smartphone market, pushing Apple even further, and forcing the latter to stir in creating its frameless smartphone.

But with the Galaxy S8, not everything is as straightforward as it might seem. Therefore, now we will understand why buying a Galaxy S8 is a bad idea.

The Galaxy S8 is the most user-friendly smartphone Samsung has ever made

• It is noticeably cheaper and the choice in its favor is more optimal in terms of price / opportunity ratio. The difference with the S8 + is an average of 4000-6000 rubles.
• It has exactly the same features and specifications, including support for the DeX docking station and Gear VR virtual reality helmets.
• Much more comfortable in everyday use than the S8+.

As for the ergonomics of the Galaxy S8, I want to tell you more. Unlike the big Galaxy S8+, the regular S8 is much more comfortable in actual use. You understand this already on the fifth pulling the phone out of your pocket. There is no feeling that the phone can be easily dropped.

Galaxy S8, despite the large screen, has a very narrow body, probably the narrowest among all the current flagships in 2017. After a short workout, it can even be used with one hand.

And the location of the fingerprint scanner is not annoying in the small Galaxy S8, it is easy to reach it. Unlike, which I especially scolded for the inability to use the sensor, everything is fine in the Galaxy S8. I used the Galaxy S8 for several days and didn’t even think to turn on this vile iris sensor, but there were no problems with the fingerprint scanner.

Galaxy S8 is one of the best camera phones

You can talk about the camera and generally shooting on the Galaxy S8 for a long time. I will touch on the quality of the Galaxy S8 camera in the camera comparison, which has already been filmed and is being prepared for publication (there will be Galaxy S8 vs HTC U11 vs Xperia XZ1).

Here I want to talk about the convenience of using the Galaxy S8 as a camera phone. This is what struck me the most when testing the Galaxy S8 camera and comparing it to the HTC U11, .

Taking pictures on the Galaxy S8 is faster than on other tested smartphones. It is convenient to get it out of clothes, it is quickly activated, and you can activate the camera from the locked state in different ways. For example, I liked this scheme - we turn on the unlocking of the smartphone using the virtual Home key - we press hard twice on the bottom edge of the screen and immediately get into the camera application. Or you can press the power key twice quickly - the result will be the same.

Due to the extremely ergonomic body, taking pictures on the Galaxy S8 is very pleasant. Plus the camera app is also responsive and intuitive. I can’t call it the best - for me, the standard is the camera application in Huawei flagships (), but in the Galaxy S8 with the camera interface, everything is not bad, no worse than the one I use now on an ongoing basis.

What's wrong with the Galaxy S8 and why you shouldn't buy it

If the Galaxy S8 is so cool and comfortable, and even a great camera phone, then why don't I buy it for myself?

Everything is extremely simple. The TouchWiz launcher (yes, that's still what it's called) and the Samsung Experience skin can piss anyone off. The Galaxy S8 is horribly loaded with dubious enhancements and other "important" features that Google didn't include in stock Android. And they did the right thing, unlike Samsung.

The settings menu on the Galaxy S8 is a pain in itself. The settings are so cluttered with features and illogical names that I could only find something I needed using the hints that pop up at the bottom of each settings window. And this is me - an active Android user with 7 years of experience!

I wonder how ordinary users feel when they first tried to curb the software power of Samsung smartphones? Fear? Anger? Doom? Or all at once? 🙂

About the Bixby button and the voice assistant itself, only an autistic fan of Samsung (Murtazin?) did not say, but I still note that this is a complete failure. To create a service that works only in the US or South Korea, but force all users to use it - isn't this the height of cynicism in relation to your customers? Like, you'll get used to it, and someday we will make it really useful. Maybe, probably.

Users are told that Bixby will soon work everywhere, but now it does not really work anywhere, but the user has already paid for it, because the cost of software development is included in the final price of the Galaxy S8. Even Apple does not allow itself such impudence in relation to adherents.

Conclusion

Generally, samsung galaxy The S8 is a very tempting option to buy towards the end of 2017. Hardware-wise, the device was ahead of the market by almost a year, because even at the end of December it looks dignified and even futuristic. It is very difficult to find fault with the phone in this regard - the screen, camera, body and ergonomics in the Galaxy S8 deserve all praise.

But the controversial shell, unnecessary bells and whistles and useless Bixby negate all the hardware advantages of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Still, the user does not buy a set of chips and modules, but a smartphone in which everything should interact organically.

So it turns out that in everyday use it is much more convenient for me to walk with HTC U11, where there is almost stock Android 8.0 Oreo, than the Galaxy S8, which is heaped up with whistles, which, although more ergonomic when wearing and taking pictures, but pisses me off with its software and lack of updates. I don’t want to wait until February-March for the arrival of Android 8.0 Oreo on the S8.

As you can see, there are only compromises around, but if the ergonomics of the piece of hardware is more important to you, and you don’t care about the firmware, then you can look aside for the Galaxy S8. Now is the time for this, because prices for it have dropped to a psychologically pleasant mark of 35k rubles.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 model appeared in Russian stores and specialized points of sale around the world about 2 years ago. Many wanted to get a novelty, but not everyone could afford such an expensive smartphone.

During recent weeks The Samsung Galaxy S8, which quickly became popular, has dropped significantly in price. Now it has become available to many Russians.

How much has the Samsung Galaxy S8 fallen in price

AKKet.com experts have studied the cost of the flagship in various electronics stores throughout the Russian Federation. It turns out that today the Samsung Galaxy S8 has become cheaper by 28,000 rubles. If its initial price was 54,990 rubles earlier, now it is 26,700 rubles. The gadget has fallen in price almost 2 times.

Samsung Galaxy S8 is still offered in 5 shades - gold, black, red, purple, blue. It has an IP68 waterproof housing. The model has a PS Google Pay, support for Always-On Display. It has a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2960x1440 px.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is powered by an octa-core Exynos 8895 processor and has a Mali-G71 graphics system. The amount of RAM and storage memory is 4 GB and 64 GB, respectively. Sufficiently high quality cameras - 12 MP main and 8 MP front - provide good images. The smartphone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The 300 mAh battery can be quickly charged thanks to the Fast Charge function.

Samsung Galaxy S8 parameters:

148.9 mm - body length;
68.1 mm - body width;
8 mm - body thickness.

The mass of the flagship equipped with Android 9.0 Pie OS is 155 grams.

Not so long ago, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was the leading flagship of the Korean company, almost the quintessence of technology and innovation in the world of smartphones. But in this world, time flies rapidly, prices are falling, and factories are producing new devices, more and more powerful and perfect.

However, it is precisely because of the fall in prices that many users are looking at the flagships of past years: for these users, 2 years is not such a long time, and the functions they need are also present in older devices.

What is interesting Galaxy S8?

The Korean flagship of 2017 still boasts an excellent screen, a good camera, an elegant design devoid of all sorts of cutouts that only the lazy did not write about, and a full set of Samsung features, including Samsung Pay, wireless charging and the presence of a headphone jack. Yes, in 2019 the presence of a 3.5mm jack already has to be considered an indisputable plus, because the vast majority of flagships are already deprived of this connector. The sound is good both in headphones and through an external speaker, the quality of communication is at an excellent level, in general, the flagship, even two years ago, at first glance, is still very personal. Well, the reduced price tag adds interest.

Houston, we're in trouble

"Almost" new

The main trouble with the Samsung Galaxy S8 is that it really new apparatus you need to look, as they say, "in the afternoon with fire", and in stores they almost always sell the so-called "REF" (Refurbished) - devices that have undergone warranty service and were subsequently reassembled at official factories. Of course, there is one more option - to buy a smartphone from official dealers, but in this case, the cost of the device becomes completely unattractive. On the one hand, taking into account the reduced cost, there is nothing wrong with the REF version: the warranty is valid, and problems with such smartphones do not occur much more often than with completely new ones, but on the other hand, assembly errors and undetected marriage of other parts did not cancel. In any case, it is more pleasant to buy a completely new device than a "Frankenstein's monster", and at its full cost, the device, unfortunately, is uncompetitive.

General obsolescence

The Galaxy S8 has a number of parameters that are almost hopelessly outdated by 2019.

For example, a camera. Yes, the photos are very worthy, the videos are also, but one camera?.. But what about the wide-angle lens, and at least the second module for portrait shooting with bokeh effect? Samsung now even installs 2-3 cameras in state employees, so one camera in the ex-flagship already looks somehow not very solid and this is felt in the result.

Support for software updates is also in question. The Korean company rarely releases updates for two-year-old devices, so there is no need to wait for new chips, as well as improvements in the operation of the same camera, autonomy and other little things that usually come out not immediately, but a little later.

The processor is also not happy. Exynos chips have never broken records in terms of performance, and two years later, even more so. In addition, these processors degrade over time much more significantly than the same Snapdragon, which further reduces the relevance of this smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Alternatives in 2019

Even though the Samsung Galaxy S8 is still quite good, it has a lot of competitors this year that you should take a closer look at. Let's take a closer look at some of them. At the same time, the price tag for Samsung will have to take into account the one indicated by official chain stores, because otherwise there is a risk of buying a used device that is recessed and then reassembled from non-original spare parts - you definitely don’t need one.

Galaxy S8 VS Xiaomi Mi 9

Comparing the ex-flagship Samsung and the flagship Xiaomi, it should be noted that the Chinese device has almost all the advantages of the Korean, but significantly outperforms it in terms of processor power, RAM, autonomy and camera capabilities (more precisely, the presence of a main camera for 3 modules is allows you to take wide-angle shots, as well as shoot portraits with bokeh effect). In practice, all this is more than felt.

And Samsung has only two advantages over Xiaomi: the presence of a headphone jack and a higher screen resolution. And if you can really feel the presence or absence of a mini-jack (although in 2019 this is no longer such a problem), then you will not notice the difference in screen resolution. The Chinese also have a very good display, which in practice is in no way inferior to the old man.

Galaxy S8 VS OnePlus 7

Another flagship from the Middle Kingdom, capable of competing with the Korean without the slightest difficulty. This device shows much higher autonomy, having a 3700mAh battery, and also boasts a more powerful processor and a triple camera with optical stabilization (in addition to digital). Like Xiaomi Mi9, it is inferior only to a slightly lower screen resolution, the absence of the notorious headphone jack and wireless charging.

Samsung S8 VS Honor 20

Another curious Chinese competitor for the Korean "old man". At a comparable price, Honor has four main camera modules, a 32-megapixel front camera using artificial intelligence technologies, optical stabilization that allows you to shoot video no worse than Samsung s8 and good autonomy. The disadvantages include perhaps the lack of a headphone jack and an IPS screen, although some users still prefer IPS, so this minus is very relative.

Samsung S8 VS Samsung S10e

Some potential buyers of the Galaxy S8 are considering it precisely because it is still an A-brand, so the Galaxy S10e is perhaps the most interesting competitor for the Galaxy S8. The S10e is almost a full-fledged 2019 flagship that retains all the features of the S-series. It bypasses its predecessor on all counts: sound and video quality, processor, autonomy, design and much more, but at the same time, the new product is often sold at approximately the same price on the "gray" market.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a good device, not so long ago one of the best smartphones on the market. But times are changing, smartphones become obsolete almost faster than they come out, and 2 years is quite a respectable period.

For the money that is now being asked for the REF version of this device, you can choose a much more interesting option, if you are not afraid of Chinese manufacturers or unofficial sellers.