Opinion: 8 reasons why the Samsung Galaxy S8 is the best smartphone, ever

Time to trade in your iPhone?

Samsung has just unveiled the Galaxy S8, and we’re very excited about it. It's faster, smarter and sexier than any Samsung before it.

Here are eight reasons we think Samsung’s new flagship is the best smartphone, like, ever.

1. Well, just look at it

The Galaxy S8 is by far the most attractive smartphone Samsung has ever created (especially in Midnight Black). It’s sleek, futuristic, and functional.

This year Samsung has dropped the ‘flat’ model, and released the ‘Edge’ in two different sizes. The Infinity display is one of Samsung’s iconic designs, so we’re really happy to see it’s now standard across Samsung’s flagship phones.

The bezels around the screen have been minimised. That allows for a larger display in a phone of the same size. Which leads us to...

2. That screen

Samsung has always used the most colourful, vivid, and sharp screens on its flagship smartphone, so we’re expecting this to be another class leader.

The Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch Quad HD+ display. That’s a resolution of 2960x1440, and a pixel density of 570 ppi.

The larger model has a 6.2-inch screen, with the same resolution, giving a pixel density of 529.

The new display does have a slightly weird aspect ratio of 18.5:9, so we’re expecting some apps will need some optimisation.

It's also the world's first mobile device to be certified by the UHD Alliance as Mobile HDR Premium, so you'll be able to watch HDR Netflix content right on your smartphone.

3. An improved camera

Again, the Samsung Galaxy S7 was no slouch in the camera department, but Samsung claims the S8 will have an improved camera.

The Galaxy S8 is equipped with an 8MP F/1.7 Smart autofocus front-facing camera and a 12MP F/1.7 Dual Pixel rear camera, which should capture excellent images in low-light, non-crappy digital zoom and less blurry photos thanks to enhanced image processing.

We're really looking forward to testing this one out.

4. Iris scanning

Using your fingerprint to unlock a phone is so 2000 and late. We want a smartphone to unlock as soon as we look at it. 

We'll get a little glimpse of that future with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and iris scanning.

5. Say hello to Bixby

Bixby is Samsung's new virtual assistant, and promises to be more powerful than any other before it.

With the new Bixby button, you will be able to access Bixby and navigate through services and apps with simple voice commands. 

At launch, Bixby’s Voice function will integrate with several Samsung native apps and features including Camera, Contacts, Gallery, Messages and Settings, with the plan to expand its capabilities to include more Samsung and third-party apps in the near future. 

6. Audio by AKG

The S8 will come with earphones tuned by AKG, offering better sound quality than previous boxed-buds. These earphones will have a hybrid canal fit for better noise cancellation and will be made from anti-tangle metal-fabric material.

They'll also be available separately for $99.

7. USB-C

The Samsung Galaxy S8 features USB-C, which is, like, so hot right now. It's the port of the future, so we're glad Samsung has finally adopted it.

8. New Gear VR headset, Gear 360 and DeX

Samsung didn't just announce a new smartphone this evening, the company has also announced a new Gear VR headset adapted for the new smartphone, a smaller more ergonomic Gear 360, and DeX, a dock which turns your new S8 into a basic desktop computer.

For more information about the Samsung Galaxy S8, check out these links below:

Spencer Hart
Style and Travel Editor

As the Style and Travel Editor at T3, Spencer covers everything from clothes to cars and watches to hotels. Everything that's cool, stylish, and interesting, basically. He's been a part of T3 for over seven years, and in that time covered every industry event known to man, from CES and MWC to the Geneva Motorshow and Baselworld. When he's driving up and down the country in search of the greatest driving roads, he can be found messing around on an electric scooter, playing with luxury watches, or testing the latest fragrances.