If the latest rumors are correct (which they mostly are nowadays!), then the Galaxy S8 will be up for pre-order from April 10. Of course the only official info that we have on its release date is that the S8 and the S8+ will be unveiled at a Samsung exclusive event, which will be held simultaneously in New York City and London on March 29. The unofficial word is that both phones will be available for purchase from April 21 and not from April 15, as was thought previously. We will find out which is the right date soon enough.
While all of this is quite exciting, we are a bit disappointed by the fact that all reports and leaks are indicating that the Galaxy S8 may feature just 4GB of RAM. Now, let it be clear that 4GB of RAM is mostly enough for even the avid multitasker and the S8 series of smartphones should be able handle anything you throw at them thanks to the SD 835/Exynos 8895 SoC that they will be packing. However, it still feels a bit odd that Samsung would opt for 4 gigs of RAM for their flagship devices when the Galaxy C9 Pro already features 6GB of RAM. We will have to wait a while to find out for sure though.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
It was confirmed during the Mobile World Congress earlier, when Rick Osterloh, SVP of Goggle hardware said "There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it," This more or less can be paraphrased into, 'yes, we are going to release a newer and better version of the Pixel this year, just like all the other major OEMs.'
Just like you, we were also wondering if he would give us a date or at least a rough timeline regarding the next Pixel's launch. However, it was not to be so, as he had this to say; "You can count on a successor this year, even if you don't hear a date from me now."
While the Pixel did already come with the latest processor, Google Assistant, the latest Nougat OS, a Quad HD AMOLED display (XL) and a fantastic set of cameras, what we would have really appreciated was a bigger battery. Hopefully, the Pixel 2 series of smartphones will offer better battery life, along with all the other upgraded bells and whistles. In spite of it being too early to predict anything, what we can say for sure is that the Google phones will sport the latest version of the Android OS (Android v8.0 possibly), as well as the minimum of a Snapdragon 835 SoC.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
It always feels good to see an old device getting support from the OEM and although Samsung wasn't previously famous for doing that, 2016 - 17 has seen that scenario change. Reports have now confirmed that the Galaxy S5 is indeed receiving an update in Europe. The 127 MB file contains the February security patch but that's not all. It contains some of Samsung's own little tweaks for improving the performance of its flagship device from 2014. Post the update, the firmware version on the S5 will change to G900FXXS1CQB5.We do not have info about carrier locked versions yet.
If you are still using the 3 year old device, you should be prompted to download the update anytime now, provided you are in the initial release zone. Even if you are not in Europe, don't worry because it is very likely that all versions of the S5 will be getting the February security patch. Nevertheless, depending on your location, you might have to wait a bit more than others. In the meanwhile, head over to our firmware section to find all the latest available updates for your Samsung smartphone.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
Several voices both inside and outside the smartphone industry have been quoted saying that handsets have reached the pinnacle of their evolution in their current form. Today, smartphones are more powerful than the average desktop PC was a few years ago, millions of times faster than the computers used to send a man to the moon. At the same time, statistics have shown that the majority of smartphone owners don't even use a fraction of their handsets' processing power. The majority of smartphone owners use them to play games, known to be the most demanding type of smartphone apps, but most of the time these games are simple, casual titles, mobile pokie games, word games, and their likes, hardly a challenge for even a two-year-old handset.
Considering the lack of exciting news on the smartphone market, and the release of a great variety of high-performance and affordable smartphone models, it seems safe to say that we should reconsider our future smartphone purchases and focus on accessibility rather than hype.
Samsung Galaxy S7, the best example
Samsung's Galaxy S7 was surrounded by a lot of excitement before its release in February 2017. When it hit the shelves, though, users couldn't hide their disappointment with the handset. Compared to the previous year's flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S6, the S7 failed to produce any significantly new and exciting features. It had the same size screen with the same resolution and pixel density, it had a slightly faster system-on-a-chip, a newer GPU, it had 1GB of extra RAM and a slightly improved performance. In short, nothing that would've justified switching from the Galaxy S6 to the Galaxy S7.
Now let's take a look at another Samsung model released in 2016, the J7. Compared to the same Galaxy S6, it brought forth several improvements, including a newer chipset, a larger screen, a dedicated MicroSD slot (the S6 didn't have one), FM radio (something many of us still appreciate today), a larger battery with longer battery life, and a price tag that made it much more affordable at the time than the previous year's flagship model. In short, a phone with enough performance to be a perfect choice for everyday use, without the need to sell an arm and a leg to buy it.
The performance gap
The performance gap between "affordable" and "flagship" handsets becomes narrower every year. One of this year's more affordable smartphone models, the Galaxy A7 (2017), has a price tag almost $300 lower than any of last year's Samsung flagships, coupled with a performance that's not too different compared to these models. An average user will surely not notice the difference in performance between the two but welcome the price difference nonetheless.
Considering all of the above, I think it's safe to say that we shouldn't focus on flagship models anymore. They might be the ones surrounded by the biggest hype in the press but this doesn't make them the right ones for us - and they shouldn't be the models we desire the most.
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