Leaks and rumors about Samsung’s next-gen flagship Galaxy S8 have been overflowing. After the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung is counting on the S8 to regain consumer faith and make a strong comeback. The upcoming phone is widely expected to feature Samsung’s own AI assistant called Bixby, which comes from the Korean company’s acquisition of Viv Labs.
Bixby to support more languages than Google Assistant
Now sources familiar with the matter have told Korean publication ETNews that Bixby would support 7-8 languages right out of the box. They include English, Chinese, and Korean. It would put Bixby ahead of the Google Assistant, which supports English, German, Hindi, Japanese, and Portuguese. Apple’s Siri will remain the leader, at least for a while, with support for more than 20 different languages.
Bixby is said to be one of the biggest highlights of the Galaxy S8. ETNews added that the phone would be unveiled on March 29 and hit the store shelves “around April 20.” It corroborates other reports claiming that the handset would be announced in late March in New York, and go on sale in select markets on April 21st. A Samsung executive confirmed in November that the Galaxy S8 would come with the company’s own voice assistant to differentiate it from competitors.
Bixby to work with third-party apps
Samsung’s Bixby is going to be more powerful and advanced than Siri. It would be compatible with all the native apps on Galaxy S8. Customers will also be able to use Bixby with third-party apps. Samsung will reportedly add a dedicated button for the AI assistant on S8 for quick access.
The voice assistant will reportedly allow users to conduct visual searches using the phone’s camera. It will be capable of recognizing the objects the phone’s camera is pointed at, and looking for them online. The feature will make it easy for you to buy products. It would also be able to scan text documents. A few reports claim that the AI assistant could also be called Bix or Kestra.
Korea version of Galaxy S8 to have 6GB RAM
The Galaxy S8 is said to be available in two screen sizes: 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch. They both would feature an edge-to-edge Quad HD Super AMOLED display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Though the device will ditch the physical home button, it is expected to retain the 3.5mm headphone jack. The fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back of the handset, which may disappoint some users. The Chinese and Korean versions are rumored to have 6GB RAM, while other markets would get the 4GB version.
Samsung eventually plans to extend Bixby to its other products such as smart TVs, washing machines, refrigerators, smartwatches, and other connected devices. The voice assistant market is gaining momentum with the launch of Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google Assistant. Apple is also planning to give Siri a much-needed AI makeover to ensure that it stays ahead of the competition.
