The Galaxy S7 was considered by many people to be a return to form from Samsung, with numerous improvements leading the device to be one of the most powerful and stylish that the corporation has ever released. Yet the smartphone marketplace doesn’t stand still for very long, so the Korean corporation will be expected to significantly improve on the Galaxy S7 when the Galaxy S8 is released next year.
So what can we conceivably expect from this smartphone competitor? Here is a rundown of possible features that could be included.
Galaxy S8 Storage
Samsung is renowned for delivering smartphones with outstanding specs, but the quantity of storage included in its devices has been one area where it has lagged behind Apple. This is perhaps a little surprising considering that the Galaxy S7 outperforms and outranks the iPhone in virtually every other area.
But despite the inclusion of micro SD in the Galaxy S7, many Android fans would love to see more native storage included in the Galaxy S8, with perhaps a 256GB version as standard.
Fingerprints removed
Although the Galaxy S7 is a very attractive device, one of the difficulties with the smartphone is that it rapidly attracts fingerprints from its users. This can be something of an annoyance, and the Galaxy S8 could make strides forward over the existing version of the series by including some form of finger-repellent coating.
Battery life
Perhaps this particular wish for the Galaxy S8 could be considered somewhat pedantic, as the Galaxy S7 is generally considered to outperform the iPhone 6S in this department. But consumers always want handsets to be improved and made more convenient, and there is nothing that makes a mobile more usable than a longer battery life.
It has also been stated that the Galaxy S7 does not outperform some of the more affordable Android variants in this area, and thus hopefully the Korean corporation will upgrade the battery significantly when the Galaxy S8 is released.
Pricing
Although Samsung tends to be relatively fair in terms of the pricing of its devices, there is still a good argument for reducing the price of the Galaxy S8. While some would argue that the existing handset justifies its premium pricing, there are numerous Android devices available at lower price points that deliver similar features and quality to the existing Galaxy S7.
Of course, we can’t expect the price of what is the flagship unit of Samsung to be slashed, but the corporation could surely afford to shave the price down to $600, particularly as its sales have picked up over the last couple of quarters.
Speaker improvement
The Galaxy S7 delivers a decent standard of sound quality, but the solitary speaker positioned in the bottom edge of the device means that there is room for improvement with the audio of this smartphone. Apple has recently updated the speaker systems in some of its devices, and HTC is also notable for delivering outstanding audio quality in its smartphones, so there is absolutely no reason whySamsung couldn’t follow suit with the Galaxy S8.
Camera
Samsung introduced the dual-pixel system with the Galaxy S7, but there is always room for improvement with smartphone photography. One disappointing aspect of the snapper included in the Galaxy S7 is that Samsung also downgraded the megapixel rating from the 16-megapixels included in the Galaxy S6.
Thus, the Galaxy S8 could receive a welcome boost in this department, with the handset once again being restored to the 16-megapixel spec, or possibly even upgraded to 20-megapixels. Samsung could also include the optical image stabilization system that is being touted for the Galaxy Note 6, which is been described as super optical image stabilization in some quarters.
Display upgrade
Is it feasible that the Galaxy S8 could include a 4K resolution display? This is not beyond the realm of possibility, although it will depend on whether or not this increasingly important resolution is included in the forthcoming Galaxy Note 6.
But with Samsung putting its faith in the Gear VR virtual reality technology some extra resolution would be extremely beneficial for its most mainstream smartphone, and this would suggest that the Korean corporation is probably toying with the idea of 4K resolution for its flagship as we speak.
TouchWiz improvements
TouchWiz has been improved in recent iterations of the Samsung flagship, but still is considered something of a headache by those who are less enthusiastic about the Samsung smartphone. It remains unlikely that the Korean corporation will ever agree to a stock Android version of the Galaxy S series, but it seems likely that the next version of TouchWiz will be pared down, more lightweight, and feature fewer pre-installed applications in particular.
USB Type-C
The Galaxy S7 did not feature the USB Type-C system which offers massive flexibility to consumers. It would be nice if Samsung includes this in the Galaxy S8, and this would be a simple and tangible way that the corporation could improve the physical build of its device.
More curved emphasis
If we are 100% honest, the curved versions of Samsung smartphones have been superior to the flatscreen variants since the concept was first introduced. Samsung could place increased emphasis on this curved element of its smartphone when the Galaxy S8 is released, and make a curved version of the smartphone the mainstream market-targeted unit.
New features
There is no doubt whatsoever that the Samsung Galaxy S7 is an extremely competent smartphone, but it wasn’t a revolutionary step forward over the previous year’s Galaxy S6. Thus, if the Galaxy S8 is to stand out in an increasingly crowded smartphone marketplace, it is essential for the device to deliver something out of the ordinary.
Perhaps Samsung could include the proposed dual-functionality laptop feature from the Galaxy Note 6, integrate an iris scanner or a projector, or even consider arming the smartphone with 3D capabilities. Samsung needs to include something that will really make consumers sit up and take notice, and the potential is certainly there to deliver this with 10-11 months until the release of the smartphone.
