Samsung Galaxy S8 review roundup – A great phone that won’t blow up in your pocket

The Samsung Galaxy series of phones has been, arguably, the platform to utilize the Android software to its fullest. It’s also the phone most consumers think of when Android is brought up. And not to beat a dead horse, it’s now infamously compared to military-grade explosives.

Overused jokes aside, Samsung’s latest “Next Big Thing,” the Galaxy S8 is arriving on store shelves on Friday. Surprisingly, several reviewers are praising the phone, despite the negativity surrounding the previous model. Publications are taking note of the phone’s attractive look, its camera and several other aspects.

Here’s what the tech review world think of the Galaxy S8.

The Verge

Image: The Verge

Reviewing both the S8 and S8+ models, The Verge compliments Samsung’s newest phone on its fresh design. However, the Verge’s Dan Seifert writes about how Samsung’s product manager said “People aren’t excited about smartphones anymore,” and this phone changes that statement.

“That court of public opinion is extremely important to Samsung, as it tries to move out of Apple’s shadow and stand out on its own. Luckily for Samsung, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are excellent devices to begin the work of rehabilitating its image. They are the best Android phones you can buy right now, with stunning displays, beautiful design, and great performance.”

USA Today

Image: USA Today

USA Today makes a bold statement in their review title; “Why iPhone owners will envy the Galaxy S8.” The review goes in-depth with the phone’s AI, Bixby. To those unfamiliar with Bixby, think Siri but for a Samsung phone. The rest of the review touches upon similar praises, including the S8’s design.

“What sold me after using the S8+ for several days was an engineering feat that’s resulted in a very simple but powerful solution for users: a wide display that stretches from one curved edge of the relatively narrow body to the other. This “bezel-lite” display gives users a lot of app real estate without the bulk, and ends up meaning more to our enjoyment of a phone than we probably realize.”

CNBC

Image: CNBC

Todd Haselton from CNBC takes a crack at the Galaxy S8. In his review, he praises the phone as a massive improvement when not only compared to the Note 7 and the other Galaxy phones. Haselton even goes into detail about the phone’s camera as well.

“If there’s one thing you should take away from this review, it’s that the Galaxy S8 is a fantastic smartphone that’s well worth the cost. Will it blow up? I hope not, but I also think that there’s enough here to draw Samsung fans back to the brand, and to help Samsung replant itself as one of the leaders in the smartphone market.” 

Business Insider

Image: Business Insider

Steve Kovach of Business Insider makes a quick joke about how the Galaxy S8 will not blow up anytime soon. However, he does give the phone a glowing review throughout; he praises the S8’s performance and hardware.

“The Galaxy S8 is the kind of phone I’ve been dreaming of: a massive screen on a compact, well-designed body. It’s about as close to perfect as you can get. But because the software isn’t as refined as the hardware, I found myself pining for a phone like this either running the clean version of Android or even iOS.”

CNET

Image: CNET

CNET’s Jessica Dolcourt is one of the few reviewers who touched (pun intended) upon the finger print scanner of the Galaxy S8. She also displays a well-organized chart and compares the phone to other major smartphones on the market.

“The S8 is right up there with other top-tier phones (full specs below), and it comes with AKG in-ear headphones worth $100, so that helps offset some of the cost. I’d also start looking for deals around major holidays. In testing, the camera’s image quality is very high, and overall evenly matched (except for the portrait effect).”

TechCrunch

Image: TechCrunch

Finally, the ever-popular TechCrunch gives their two cents on Samsung’s newest phone. TechCrunch is also displaying a dual review for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and offers heaps of praise on the phone. In their video review, the display is on full force for viewers to see how great the phone looks.

“The Samsung Galaxy S8’s beautiful hardware deserves a more unified software experience. At $725 for the S8 and $825 for the S8+, the device is, as ever, a premium product with a premium price tag. Indeed, with the Infinity display, next-gen processor and already solid camera experience, there’s plenty to like, keeping Samsung toward the front of the Android handset race.”