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5 Reasons the Galaxy S8, S8+ Are Worth Buying

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galaxy s8 s8+ vs s9 s9+

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The latest smartphones from Samsung have a lot going for them. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have the high-end specs you’d expect in 2017, amazing designs, and a feature-packed OS that actually looks and behaves pretty darn good.

Below, we’ve rounded up 5 reasons why we think the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are worth buying. Whether it be the overall design, awesome camera experience, or the fact that is has a headphone jack, we don’t think you can go wrong with either of these phones.

Here are 5 reasons the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ are worth buying. 

galaxy s8 pre-order

1. Design

Not everyone will agree, but damn, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are hot. That’s my opinion, yes, but from all of the compliments I have received already from my time with the Galaxy S8, I can’t be the only one who feels this way. The Infinity display that subtly slides over the edges and this all-glass design – it’s a very sexy smartphone. While I would suggest many of you use a case for this device, if you think you are in a safe spot to take it out and admire its beauty, go for it. If you don’t use a case, I tip my hat to you, good sir.

Along with this design are fantastic specifications. On the S8 you have a 5.8″ Infinity QHD+ display, while on the S8+ you have a 6.2″ Infinity QHD+ display. Both phones have a Snapdragon 835 processor (the best Qualcomm currently offers). 4GB RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC + MST (Android Pay and Samsung Pay), and Android 7.0+ “Nougat.”

Back to the design, this is the first time Samsung has incorporated on-screen buttons and removed the dedicated home button on a flagship device. Smartphone God, praise you. While Samsung’s placement of the fingerprint reader is not ideal and I dive into that later in this post, I don’t think you could ask for a better feeling device in-hand. If you haven’t tried it yourself, head into a store that has it and check it out. I think you’ll really enjoy it.

2. 64GB Storage

While Apple is still selling a base of 32GB storage and charging $100 for each step up in capacity, Samsung is taking a much easier route, one that I think benefits customers well. Instead of deciding which storage option you need, everyone gets 64GB and can then upgrade that size via expandable storage. If you take a lot of 4K video or pictures, you can simply slap another 64GB SD card in the phone (up to 256GB is supported), which are ridiculously cheap on Amazon these days. With an iPhone 7, a 64GB option isn’t even available and of course there’s no expandable storage.

For most consumers, I’d argue that 64GB is the sweet spot with regard to how much storage you’ll need. With 32GB, the system and associated files take up a good chunk of that, leaving you with not too much room for app downloads, etc. This problem was compounded greatly when these flagship devices were sold with 16GB of storage. That made life very hard. Point being, 64GB, even with the OS and system files, leaves owners with plenty of space for apps, video recording, photos, files, and whatever else you may need. To top it off, you’ve got the option for expandable storage, so it’s a win-win on the Galaxy S8.

3. Samsung Isn’t Trying to be User Hostile

You can’t hide the fact that it would be just as easy to create a list of reasons why someone maybe shouldn’t buy the Galaxy S8. It has a terribly placed fingerprint reader, a dedicated hardware button for something no one wants to use at the moment, and Samsung’s dedication to bringing major Android updates to flagship devices seems rather lax as of late. I could counter most of these positions, but the fact is, I don’t think Samsung is actively trying to be hostile towards users.

Once voice services for Bixby are made available in the US, it’s quite possible many will enjoy it. I mean, it is just like Google Assistant, and Google is even working with Samsung to make the service more useful for owners. Another major point, if you’ll recall, was an early report that said Samsung was going to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack on the Galaxy S8. As we can see, that’s not the case and Samsung is saving a lot of face by leaving it there. Now, for the fingerprint reader placement, there’s no excuse for that – it could be better, but there’s nothing we can do about it besides complain and hope for the best on the Galaxy Note 8.

While this may seem like an odd section for a “5 Reasons” post, my point is, at least Samsung is trying. With Bixby, it will likely get better once it has voice services active. At that point, the dedicated hardware button may come in handy. For the fingerprint reader, while the placement is subpar, at least the phone has one. And again, it has a headphone jack when literally no one would have been surprised if Samsung axed it. Let’s count our blessings, folks.

4. Size Options

Instead of offering an Edge variant like we saw with the Galaxy S7, we have the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Both phones are completely identical, with exception to the display size, battery size, and name. For someone in the market, this is fantastic. If the S8 is too small, get the S8+. If the S8+ is too big, get the S8. It’s much like you have with the iPhone, but Samsung has been offering something similar to this for years now with the standard Galaxy S phone and then the slightly larger S Edge variants.

Even better, getting the S8+ over the S8 shouldn’t break the bank, either. Since there is only a 64GB model offered, there’s only a $100 difference between the two devices. If you opt to go on a payment plan, you’re looking at just a few extra dollars a month for the S8+. That’s not bad at all. If you buy your phones outright, $100 extra in the grand scheme is not too bad.

For me personally, the in-hand feel is much better with the S8, but there’s no denying that the extra display size is not appealing on the S8+. For gaming, the S8+ is very immersive, and watching movies or TV on it looks fantastic. With the Infinity display, though, all of the aforementioned looks great on both devices, so whichever you end up choosing will look great.

5. Camera

We have already posted up a complete camera comparison between the Galaxy S8, Pixel, and LG G6. What we found is pretty much what we expected – all of these phones take great photos. On the Galaxy S8 and S8+, you’ll find a 12MP Dual Pixel shooter, capable of shooting UHD 4K video, FHD video at 60FPS, and slo-mo video at 240FPS. It’s a very versatile shooter, excelling in landscape and macro shots.

For the software, Samsung is not excessively bloating the device, which I greatly appreciate. If you need to switch to a selfie mode, simply flick the display and the camera will switch. If you need to capture a video, you don’t slide to a different mode, there’s just a dedicated button for it at all times. Additionally, the Pro mode will allow shooters to manually tweak select settings, such as your aperture, ISO, tint, contrast, temperature, and exposure.

Basically, if you take smartphone photography seriously or just need a phone that has incredibly fast focus speeds for your next Instagram post, the Galaxy S8 won’t let you down.

Camera Samples

 

Buy the Galaxy S8

Considering another phone? Feel free to take a look back at 5 reasons to buy other phones, like the LG G6, Pixel, or Moto Z in previous installments of this ongoing series.

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