Samsung Galaxy S8 launch: Samsung reveals its long-awaited iPhone killer
Samsung has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, the Korean giant's latest attempt to take on the iPhone.
The launch of the device is seen as a crucial moment for Samsung coming after the scandal that saw it forced to recall and cease production of the Galaxy Note 7, its previous top-end phone.
The new device comes in two sizes, the 5.8-inch S8 and the 6.2-inch S8+. They feature a new design in which the "infinity display" wraps around the device, meaning that the large screen takes up almost all the front of the phone.
The S8 can also be unlocked using facial recognition, and will feature a new voice-controlled virtual assistant Bixby, later this year.
It is Samsung’s first major phone launch since the doomed Note 7, which plunged the group into crisis when dozens of the models were found to overheat and burst into flames. Samsung has also been enveloped in a corporate nightmare, with its de facto head charged with bribery and embezzlement in a national corruption scandal.
Samsung’s UK head Conor Pierce said the Note 7 scandal had been a “really hard learning experience” but said it had not affected the Samsung brand too significantly, claiming the company’s share of the high-end smartphone market in the UK had risen in recent months.
“This is a great opportunity to breathe new life into the brand,” he said, adding that Samsung had introduced stringent battery checks since last year.
The phones were unveiled at packed events in New York and London, at which Samsung also unveiled a new version of its virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, and DeX, a dock that allows the S8 to turn into a desktop computer.
The S8 and S8+ are due to go on sale on April 28 and will cost £689 and £779 respectively. Read our hands on with the S8 here.
Key specs | Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+
That's everything
We'll have more on the S8, including a no-holds-barred review, in the coming weeks. Thanks for tuning in.
What you need to know about buying one
Here's everything you need to know if you want to pick up an S8, including on where to get them from.
What do the experts think?
Here's Geoff Blaber, VP Research, Americas, CCS Insight:
In a market where consumers are becoming increasingly numb to indistinguishable smartphone launches, Samsung is redefining expectations with the Galaxy S8 and S8+
The Galaxy S8 is arguably the most important launch of the last 10 years for Samsung and every aspect will be under the microscope following the Note 7 recall. TheS8 is a unquestionably a strong product but Samsung must now deliver a faultless launch to move on from the difficulties of 2017. If this happens it will emerge in an even stronger position.
With the Samsung Galaxy S8 breaking design boundaries and with high expectations for a significant upgrade to the iPhone to mark the product’s 10th anniversary, 2017 could be the year that sees smartphones emerge from an innovation slumber
We've wrapped up
That's all from Samsung, which in its true inimitable fashion ended the event with a video of ostriches wearing virtual reality headsets set to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer".
Virtual reality is normal and not for tech weirdos and ostriches pic.twitter.com/1Orr4woVHb
— James Titcomb (@jamestitcomb) March 29, 2017
Samsung DeX can turn your phone into a computer
The announcements are coming thick and fast. Samsung has a phone dock called DeX that turns it into a desktop PC when you plug it into a keyboard, screen and mouse.
It's a very impressive demo, and a cool idea, but personally, it's just hard to see catching on.
...and a new Gear 360
Samsung's 360-degree camera, the Geart 360, has had a refresh. It can now take videos in 4K resolution, which is a lot easier on those virtual reality viewers, and it can also livestream 360 videos, instead of just recording them for later.
New Gear VR
There's a new version of Samsung's virtual reality headset, the Gear VR.
This one comes with a touch-sensitive controller, which was a big empty space in previous versions when compared to Google's Daydream headset.
Samsung Gear VR with controller hands-on #Unpacked2017#UnboxYourPhonepic.twitter.com/1Ymzlif0Xf
— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo) March 29, 2017
Bixby
The most interesting software feature of the S8 is Bixby, Samsung's new intelligent assistant. Samsung's claiming it's a cut above Siri because it better interacts with what you're doing on your phone - understanding what's on your screen.
For example, you can send a screenshot to someone by saying "capture this and send it to Cindy". It can also recognise images and control smart home devices. Samsung expects to expand Bixby to other devices like fridges and washing machines in future.
Bixby's not going to be out in the UK until later this year - it's only in Korean at launch. We got a short demo of it last week and it looked pretty impressive, but Siri also looks good on stage and I almost never use it.
I like the name though. Apparently it was taken from a bridge in California, but I like to think it was named after the beanie baby.
Underwater phone
The S8 is water and dust resistant to the IP68 standard - which means it can endure being underwater for about half an hour.
The following isn't really recommended though.
IP68 certified for water & dust resistant. #GalaxyUnpackedpic.twitter.com/bE2T272dUb
— Juan Manalo (@amboymanalo) March 29, 2017
Selfies get a mention
Guess how many selfies we take in a lifetime? About 25,000, according to Samsung. While that seems wildly vain, at least the S8 has an improved 8-megapixel selfie camera.
This guy says some people will take 25,000 selfies in their lifetime. Who the hell are these people #GalaxyS8#Unpacked2017
— Henry Burrell (@hrburrell) March 29, 2017
Invisible home button
Because there's so much screen there's no room for a home button on the phone. But don't worry home button fans, it's only invisible - the screen is pressure sensitive so you can press it down to get that sweet home button feeling.
Photos!
We had a hands on with the S8 earlier this week: Here are some pics
Big promises...
DJ Koh setting expectations high. He says the S8 is:
"Beyond the limits of what you have known before and bring you close to the things you love. A gateway to a galaxy of possibilities"
Now, I like phones as much as the next tech journalist, but this seems a bit much.
We're getting started
Samsung's mobile device DJ Koh is on stage in New York introducing the S8 with a lengthy preamble. He promises that the phone will herald "a new era of smartphone design... an era without edges or limits"
He says it "extends our heritage of great innovation and stunning design".
We're beginning
A questionable cover of Across The Universe is blaring out to an opening video of Samsung's new products
A new type of phone?
Samsung has been pitching the S8 as the next evolution in phones, removing the "bezels" - the edges of the phone - for the first time. It's likely that many will follow - Apple for example is expected to be working on a bezel-free design.
2017 will be the year of the bezel less phone, and Samsung made this cute animation of how we got here pic.twitter.com/JNy7TdFelK
— Owen ⚡️ (@ow) March 29, 2017
What to expect
If you can't wait 15 little minutes, plenty has been leaked about the S8 in the last few months. Even Samsung itself has been talking about Bixby, the new personal assistant that will feature on the phone.
Check out our roundup here.
The event's filling up
All set for Samsung's S8 launch in London at Olympic Park. Already filling up fast. #unpacked#Unpacked2017pic.twitter.com/Qp52Wg99I4
— Ben Wood (@benwood) March 29, 2017
Will there be fireworks or will Samsung go down in flames?
If you don't remember, Samsung had a pretty rough time last year, when its Galaxy Note 7 phones ended up overheating and then catching fire. Which wasn't great for something you carry around in your pocket and hold up to your face.
Now, we have no burning desire to remind everyone of this inflammatory episode, but it was a period of heated tension for the company. Let's hope Samsung can extinguish all memory of it today.
Crowds are arriving
I'm in the beast pic.twitter.com/iC4eKdjJOq
— Chris Hall (@christhall) March 29, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S8 #Unpacked2017#UnboxYourPhonepic.twitter.com/No1ACTHibQ
— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo) March 29, 2017
What you need to know
Here's the lowdown on what's going on
When is the launch?
Samsung will kick off the launch at 4pm UK time on Wednesday March 29. It announced the date at Mobile World Congress last month.
Where is it taking place?
Samsung is holding simultaneous events in London's Olympic Park and New York's Lincoln Center, although only press, analysts and other guests are invited.
How do I watch it?
Samsung will be livestreaming the event on its website, which will be available here. You can also follow live coverage on the Telegraph website.
What can we expect?
The Galaxy S8 is expected to feature:
An edge-to-edge "infinity display" that will mean almost the whole front of the device taken up by its screen, with no buttons on the front.
Two sizes - a 5.8 inch and 6.2 inch screen. The latter will be called the S8 Plus.
Bixby, Samsung's personal intelligent assistant and a rival to Siri and Google Assistant
A headphone jack, unlike Apple's iPhone 7
Android 7.0, the latest version of Google's operating system
Read our roundup for the full details on what to expect.
I think this is what you've been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/FvYfsLOy0R
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 1, 2017
When will it actually be released?
Rumours suggest the phone will go on sale towards the end of April, perhaps April 28.
How much will it cost?
There's little information on pricing but it won't be cheap. Its predecessors, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, cost £569 and £639 respectively. The new designs as well as recent drops in the pound mean the S8 is expected to be pricier.
Why is it important?
Samsung is Apple's biggest challenger, but has had a difficult few months. Last year it was forced to recall the Galaxy Note 7 due to faults that meant the phone's battery would overheat and burst into flames.
When it re-released the phone, several continued to be faulty and it was ultimately forced to stop selling them. Samsung subsequently saw its mobile phone sales fall to the lowest level in five years and it lost its crown as the world's biggest smartphone seller to Apple.
With Google's Pixel now challenging the Galaxy phones as a high-end Android device, the S8 is seen as a potential make or break moment for Samsung.
Good afternoon
Samsung is set to take the lid off the S8, its latest top-of-the-line smartphone, this afternoon.
Join us for live coverage in about an hour and 20 minutes