Samsung Unveils Galaxy S8 and S8+ With Iris and Facial Recognition, No Home Button

[dantroline]

Beautiful phone, but I just wonder if the hidden home button will prove to be a pain for users. I tried a bunch of phones and took the Sony because picking it up in the hand it unlocked right away without needing to reach for a home button - the fingerprint sensor is on the side. And the phone is a bit smaller so it fits in the hand comfortably and is harder to drop accidentally. Screen is a bit underdone but I don't know about you but battery life is really important to me - that's where Apple devices have usually been at the forefront.

 

[Glideslope]

Watch your AAPL closely as we get closer to the date. Be ready to move quickly.

 

[The Game 161]

bixby looks rather good and i like how you can use it on any samsung product going forward

 

[AppleFan360]

... and my boycott of Samsung devices continue. Every since they basically ripped off the Apple design from the start, they will never get my money for a phone or any other electronics for that matter. Suck it Samsung!

 

[Mac 128]

Other than the fingerprint sensor placement, Jesus Christ.

If any carrier has a trade in deal for this phone my 6S is ready and willing.

Finger print sensor will only be an issue if the iris/face recognition software turns out to be unreliable, or not secure enough -- otherwise, it's a smart move to push customers to a technology that allows them to free up space on the phone in the future.

 

[Mr. Dee]

There are people on this thread talking about Apple like they are a battle worn underdog and happy to see Samsung get glory. You do realize neither company is poor, right? You on the other hand will be $1,000 dollars poorer buying either just to do the same thing: selfie, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.

 

[Steve121178]

Genuinely can't see what Apple are going to do that is better than this and I have been an iPhone user for many years.

Software & user experience.

Android is horrible.

 

[cult hero]

I'm curious to see what happens with the home button on Apple's phone. I'm not a fan of the sensor on the back. It always feels awkward (although that might simply be because I only use phones like that occasionally).

Too big for my tastes too, but something around the size of the 6 with this screen would be cool (I think).

 

[wigby]

Beautiful phone! The issue with Samsung phones is that they reduplicate all of Google's efforts. Now you will have two "assistants" on the phone to go with your two email clients, your two web browsers, your two calendars, etc.

Is that a real issue for anyone though? Isn't it just a matter of picking your apps and digital assistant of choice and then that taps into the OS or is it limited by Google.

 

[The Game 161]

Software & user experience.

Android is horrible.

It really isn't. Android is alot better now and most surveys have said how it's more dependable OS than even IOS. Not sure it is but it's pretty damn close. Performance wise it doesn't seem to be much in it to be fair. Is IOS smoother? yeah maybe so but there isn't much difference at all anymore.

you aren't going to spend 900-1,000 on just performance alone. It needs to fit a needs a smart phone should.

 

[Dirtfarmer]

What's your point? Marketshare is meaningless to individual users. What do I care if there's 1000 or 100,000 other people using the same phone as me? What matters is the experience, reliability and security in my own space. And iOS still has that in leaps and bounds over the competition. And third parties fill in the gap.

iOS is not going to be smothered by Android, no matter how much of the market is held by each.

Marketshare = developer support and link

What's your point? Marketshare is meaningless to individual users. What do I care if there's 1000 or 100,000 other people using the same phone as me? What matters is the experience, reliability and security in my own space. And iOS still has that in leaps and bounds over the competition. And third parties fill in the gap.

iOS is not going to be smothered by Android, no matter how much of the market is held by each.

Visionary dies RIP
Company inherited by accountant
Company's hardware and software become proprietary also-rans in a segment that they invented

Come to think of it, I suppose that there is no downside to that strategy. Thank you for correcting me.

PS anyone know when the next update to Blackberry OS comes out?

 

[WestonHarvey1]

So is this your standard "no home button" Android phone, or did they come up with some kind of replacement for it?

Having to use the power button and enter a passcode over and over again really sucks it.

 

[MrX8503]

The stock is up because investors expect Apple to pay out even more dividend. It has nothing to do with Apple releasing new or better products to satisfy its customers needs. It's only money. Cook rather pays more dividends than pay more tax. That the stock is up, is based on greed.

No.

A higher dividend wouldn't have taken APPL from record lows for a year to record highs in the past month.

APPL has been undervalued and now it's being valued at what it should have been. No amount of negativity from the media or bears is able to stop what is truth. The truth is Apple will continue to be a highly profitable company for the foreseeable future. Opinions can only hold a stock down for so long against what is reality.

 

[MacRazySwe]

If only this ran iOS!

Such a nice phone. 5.8" and barely bigger than the normal iPhone 7. This is what we've all been asking for.

Apple REALLY has to bring out the big guns this year. Still, I doubt Apple's ability to actually deliver these days. iPhone 7, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Apple Watch have all been disappointments for me. Not sure if this will change under Tim Cook.

 

[diddl14]

Should be easy to top. Not really a special design. Back looks awfull.

 

[megagene]

Hey guys, I'm late to this thread party. How many people have made exploding battery jokes thinking that they're hilarious and original?

 

[Dirtfarmer]

Haha who cares? Buy one get one sales the day of launch works wonders for Samsung.

Yes it does.

Note the chart posted above.

Apple created this segment when they were run by a visionary.

Now they are run by an accountant and they gave up almost everything they used to dominate to the copycats.

Nobody sees any downside to that?

Where can I get some reality distortion kool aid. That stuff really seems to work!

 

[v0lume4]

Yeah, while paying 33% more. Samsung just took a lot of pricing wind out of Apple's rumored $1k price tag. Knowing what Samsung has done as a slightly higher cost than 7/7+, I think many will find it hard to shell out $250 more than an S8 for an iPhone 8.

My thoughts exactly.
[doublepost=1490818342][/doublepost]

Hey guys, I'm late to this thread party. How many people have made exploding battery jokes thinking that they're hilarious and original?

Plenty of them, my friend. Plenty of them.

 

[Rustus Maximus]

...You on the other hand will be $1,000 dollars poorer buying either just to do the same thing: selfie, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.

Mr. Dee won the thread.

Shut it down.

 

[gim]

Way too expensive for not more than 2 years of software support/OS updates.

 

[Dirtfarmer]

Android is too fragmented, inconsistent, and the majority are stuck with the software that was shipped with the box unable to upgrade to the latest OS. It seems like Android OEMs drop support after a year in my personal experience.

Your information is half a decade old. And at least half fabricated. And half wishful thinking. But otherwise, spot-on.

 

[mazz0]

What's this about an always-on screen, and why is it just mentioned in a throwaway comment as if it's not big deal?! Sounds far more interesting than smaller bezels, to me.

 

[v0lume4]

Software & user experience.

Android is horrible.

To be quite honest with you, as someone that has used iPhones and Android devices (currently using an Android phone as my daily driver), I am almost inclined to believe that I had more bugs with my iPhone than I do my Android phone. This is NOT the same Android that existed five years ago (take it from me -- I owned an Android device five years ago. Android used to suck).

 

[Tycho24]

But is still does have a home button, just on the back of the phone? That DEX looks supremely awesome though...Didn't Microsoft do the same thing with one of their devices though? Didn't seem to catch on even though it is an awesome idea...

Beautiful design as well...Apple definitely has their work cut out for them and do need to wow with their next release this fall!

Yeah; running Android as a "full-blown" PC operating system is about as nice as you'd think... it's the complaint of iPads not being more full featured, but amplified- as you realize that mouse & keyboard, on the skeleton of a desktop OS isn't really that great of an experience.
Not worth the hardware cost, imo.
That's the other major issue- when I tried this a few years back on a Motorola, the hardware (dock) was expensive & proprietary to a single model. As such, it was a completely sunk cost... almost zero residual value a year later, when you get a new phone.

 

[bozzykid]

What's this about an always-on screen, and why is it just mentioned in a throwaway comment as if it's not big deal?! Sounds far more interesting than smaller bezels, to me.

Because always-on screens are not new. When you have an amoled screen, it is easy to show the clock and/or notifications on the screen without turning the whole screen on (and without hurting battery life).