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| Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2017 for the Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8+ |
Last year was an exciting year for smartphones. Google debuted the Pixel 2. Samsung debuted the Galaxy S8, after an explosive affair with the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016. Samsung also debuted the Galaxy Note 8 in the second half of 2017. Last year even saw the rebirth of Blackberry and Nokia. There was even a new player, Andy Rubin's Essential. Last but not least, Apple debuted the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and what was rumored as the tenth anniversary iPhone aka the iPhone X. There were a great deal of other contenders on the market, but these were the big players in the market. While, there were a lot of good devices, there can only be one best smartphone for 2017.
There are many different ways to determine what makes a smartphone the best. The way we determine the best smartphone is one that is the easiest to use as a daily driver that also brings the best in productivity. We believe that smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy S8. The Samsung S8 has a good feel with a prefect size, a beautiful display, and all the software one needs practically to use it right out of the box. One of Samsung's best apps is Smart Switch. With the Smart Switch app, the user can transfer almost everything from their old phone into their new phone. It can also transfer from an iOS device, but as it is iOS and not Android, not everything can be transferred completely. So, if the user has an older Samsung or an Android device from another manufacturer, they can copy the old device to the new device and it would intuitive for the user since it's practically the same.
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| Samsung Galaxy S8 |
The Samsung Galaxy S8 debuted with a near bezel-less display, and does not have an awkward notch like the Apple iPhone X or the Essential Ph-1. We feel this was a good trade off as it might of increased the bezel on top, but it doesn't take away from the display and seem like a piece of the movie that is playing is missing. Like the Galaxy S6 and the S7 before that, the Galaxy S8 does not have a back plate or even a removable battery. The S8 does have a headphone jack. While some may agree with Apple that the headphone jack is ancient technology, choice is always good for the user. Aside from the near bezel-less display, the Galaxy S8's design is an evolution from the Galaxy S7, and the S6 before that. Samsung may have wanted consumers to feel that the S8 was a revolutionary design with their unboxing campaign, but is the S8 really that much different from the S7 or even the S6? The back of the device looks pretty much the same with the camera, flash, and heart beat sensor. The only addition is the fingerprint sensor right next to the camera. Speaking of the fingerprint sensor, Samsung really designed it in an awkward position. It is fairly easy to smudge the camera while trying to reach for the sensor. It's too bad Samsung was unable to debut the sensor beneath the display. If the rumors are true, it appears Samsung is unable to put the sensor beneath the display on the Galaxy S9 as well. While we can't give high marks to Samsung on the fingerprint sensor, we can give them high marks for the virtual pressure sensitive home button. We say virtual because the button is no longer a hardware button. The virtual home button is pressure sensitive, and even if it is not on the display, it will still act as a home button if you press firmly where the home button should be. The virtual navigation buttons so far has not given us trouble. Another feature that Samsung included is that it is possible to pin the navigation controls so it will not automatically hide them. In the US, the Galaxy S8 is powered by Qualcomm's 10nm Snapdragon 835 processor. The Galaxy S8 is fast and opening a bunch of apps does not seem to slow it down. Samsung has heard the complaints about bloatware and some of the apps that came pre-installed on Samsung smartphones now need to be downloaded from the Galaxy Apps store. The device comes pre-installed with the usual Google apps such as Google Maps, Chrome, Gmail, and others. It also comes with Samsung and service provider apps. We liked some of the pre-installed apps such as Smart Switch that we mentioned earlier, Secure Folder, Samsung Notes, and Email. We were impressed with Samsung's Email app. It was able to automatically configure server settings better than the Mail app in our experience. One of the most touted features for the Galaxy S8 was Bixby, but it wasn't very impressive. Bixby still was not available when the Galaxy S8 debuted, and even when it did, it had some issues to be ironed out. Bixby is much better now, but we still find ourselves preferring Google Assistant over Bixby.
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Bixby one of the most touted features wasn't the only thing on mind at Samsung. The Galaxy Note 7 was one of the biggest setbacks for Samsung Mobile. It was highly praised device, but ended up getting discontinued due to battery issues. Samsung did not want to repeat that mistake, and the Galaxy S8 did give Samsung some redemption, but will the Galaxy Note 8 finish the year for Samsung on a high note or will it go up in flames like the Galaxy Note 7? So far, the Galaxy Note 8 is another highly praised device and what brought down the Note 7 does not seem to be an issue for the Note 8. The big difference between the Galaxy S8 and the Note 8 is the features that the spectacular stylus adds to the device and the dual camera. Samsung has really improved the stylus so much that it really feels like the user is using a pen on the touchscreen device. Writing and signing notes and documents on the Note 8 feels like a using a paper and pen. If work requires you to be constantly on the go, the Note 8 should be on the top your list or least on your list. With Samsung's Write on PDF app and the S-pen, signing documents is easy as pen and paper. Everything is saved on the device. If you suddenly need to take notes, just take out the S-Pen and you can write notes without even having to unlock the device. Using Smart Select, you can add the number you just wrote to your contacts. You can also use Smart Select to write notes on images and send them to your coworkers to let them know what is wrong. Samsung's Galaxy Note series is the best smartphone for productivity, but we're giving it an honorable mention because of its size. While the bezel-less display does make it smaller, we prefer the smaller size of the Galaxy S8. If Samsung had come out with a Galaxy Note 8 mini that had all the features of the 6.3" Galaxy Note, we would of picked that as the smartphone of 2017. A big display is great for reading documents or watching videos, but in our minds, a smartphone should be easy to hold and do most things with only one hand. It should be able to fit in a pocket without feeling bulky. We shouldn't need to have to buy a holster because the smartphone will take up too much room in our pockets. We would welcome a 5.7" Galaxy Note with our pocketbooks.
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Speaking of pocketbooks, this list wouldn't be complete without mentioning Apple's iPhone X. It's the smartphone that most consumers were anticipating and takes the biggest chunk out of buyer's pocketbooks. With a price starting at $999 USD, it's the most expensive out of the three smartphones. Apple confessed that the iPhone X was originally slated to debut in 2018, but with Apple's impressive engineering teams they were actually able to make a debut in 2017. In our minds though, the iPhone and especially the iPhone X isn't really a smartphone. It's really a multi-media device. It's not really geared for productivity or tech geeks in our opinion. In a way, it's actually an evolutionary extension of the iPod. Unlike the Galaxy Note, the biggest feature of the iPhone X is actually its TrueDepth camera system. Yes, we're not considering the bezel-less display with a notch as one of its biggest features cause a lot of phones already have it. On a side note, the iPhone X's OLED display is by Samsung. The TrueDepth camera system is impressive and projects over 30,000 invisible dots to map a user's face. It allowed Apple to replace TouchID with FaceID. TrueDepth also allowed Apple to create what its calling Animojis.
The Poo Animoji
TrueDepth will scan the user's face and give Animojis the exact expression that is on a user's face. Animojis can also be recorded with sound. Isn't that a neat new feature? It is, but it doesn't improve a user's productivity. It's just for fun and that's one of the reasons why we think that the iPhone X is really a multi-media device. Apple has also had to make a lot of changes because the iPhone X is the first iPhone that does not have a home button of any kind. Our guess is that they don't want consumers to think the iPhone has become a copy of Android if they added virtual navigation buttons and another way to emphasize how easy iPhone to use is to eliminate even the home button as well. Due to the lack of a home button, users have had to learn the new way of doing things and it does take some getting use to. Also due to the lack of the home button, turning off the device is a two button process. It requires the power button and one of the volume buttons! Also, still need to swipe to shutdown the device like all the iPhones before it. It makes us wonder why didn't Apple make Siri a two button process since the user can already activate Siri by saying 'Hey Siri.' By the way, instead of holding the home button, the new way is to hold the power key. If the changes in navigation bother you, and you're not interested in Animojis, we recommend you consider the Apple iPhone 8 instead. It's got most of the improvements of the iPhone X, but without the TrueDepth or the new way to navigate that requires some time to get use to. Another interesting decision by Apple is that their response to features that Samsung has had for years is rather timid. It's great that they finally have wireless charging, but how come multi-window is still only on the iPad and not the iPhone?
Like last year, this year should prove to be an interesting year for smartphones. It'll be interesting to see what Samsung will come up with to counter Apple's iPhone X. Rumors going around the Internet is that Samsung will debut Galaxy S9 earlier to do battle with Apple's iPhone X. We disagree with this assumption. Instead we believe that the rumored Galaxy X is the unicorn that will battle the iPhone X. DJ Koh, Samsung's President of Mobile Communications Business has already stated in 2017 that Samsung is trying debut the Galaxy X in 2018. Rumors are saying that this may not happen due to complexity. However, we feel that the Galaxy X is the answer to Apple's iPhone X because the Galaxy S9 will be improved over the S8, but it'll be an evolutionary device. When Apple debuted the iPhone X, they not only touted that the new iPhone was technologically advanced, but it's the most innovative since the debut of the iPhone. Pictures of cases for the Samsung Galaxy 9 have started showing up on the Internet and they do not appear to be that much different from the Galaxy S8. This means that the Galaxy X will be more innovative than the Galaxy S8 because it will be the first foldable smartphone from a mainstream manufacturer. Later in year, Samsung as usual will debut the Galaxy Note 9 to join the Galaxy S9, and Apple will debut the next iPhone. The question is, will the next iPhone be the iPhone 9 or will it be the iPhone XI? The other question is will Apple debut a more inexpensive iPhone or will all designs forthcoming be an evolution of the iPhone X? The other is question is will the successor to the iPhone X be as exciting as the iPhone X when it debuted or will be another downer like the iPhone 7?
