Front camera s8. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus - a review of new products from a South Korean developer. Sample photos of Samsung Galaxy S8
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are the first big news from Samsung since the failure of the Galaxy Note 7. It was already clear from pre-orders that the Galaxy S8 would be one of the best-selling smartphones of 2017, even though it costs $100 more than the S7.
Cool smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8 — Reviews
The Galaxy S7 Edge also has some impressive features and costs $400 (22,500 rubles). Do I have to pay $750 (42.200) for new Galaxy S8? I think so - not only because of the best screen, but also high build quality, stylish design with powerful performance. Let's take a closer look at Samsung's new flagship.
The surface of the Galaxy S8 smartphone is smooth and soft to the touch, thanks to the use of glass in the design, there is no gap between the back and front panels.
The screens of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have a resolution of 2960×1440 pixels, the image is very clear. The Super AMOLED display features high brightness, and color accuracy is guaranteed by HDR Premium certification. This is the best screen we've ever seen on a smartphone. The edges of the display are rounded, the top and bottom bezels are minimal. The screen occupies 83% of the front panel.
Diagonal Galaxy S8 Plus - 6.2 inches, S8 - 5.8 inches. On large screens, even use is convenient email, but the frameless design takes some getting used to - while testing the S8 Plus, I initially constantly activated the screen when I picked up the smartphone.
The full glass construction makes the Galaxy S8 smartphones slippery, brittle and easily covered with fingerprints. You have to keep a microfiber cloth handy at all times for cleaning.
The power button is located on the right side of the device, while the dual volume rocker and Bixby voice assistant button are on the left. For the first time, Samsung hasn't added a Home button to the front.
The headphone jack is located at the bottom, to the left of USB port Type-C. Also, at the bottom is the only speaker, which has the same problem as the Google Pixel and LG G6 - it is closed by hand when using the smartphone in landscape mode. The sound quality is good, but the iPhone 7 is louder.
The back is not as impressive as the front and is almost indistinguishable from the Galaxy S7. The camera sits next to the flash, heart rate sensor, and fingerprint scanner. Both versions are thin, pleasant to the touch, and with excellent build quality, although the S8 is more compact, making it more comfortable to hold in your hand.
Functions and features
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are powered by an Exynos 8895 processor with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded with a microSD card slot.
I came across a Galaxy S8 that was constantly freezing, especially when opening the notification tray and the recent apps section. Resetting to factory settings fixed the problem and everything worked as it should, but everyone should be prepared for this.
Asphalt Xtreme and FIFA Mobile have never crashed, although Dawn of Titans lags at some points, but this rarely happens. Applications launch quickly and easily, and multitasking allows you to use several programs at the same time.
In the benchmark, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus outperformed the Google Pixel in performance, and in some respects were better iPhone 7 plus.
While the initial issues have gone and we have enjoyed the smooth performance of the Galaxy S8, Samsung obviously won't be able to roll out updates and optimize the performance of its new smartphones as quickly as Google and Apple do.
operating system
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is stylish and comfortable user interface, the icons are evenly spaced and the fonts are easy to read.
The lack of a physical home button gives the smartphone a more modern look. In its place is an area of the screen, when pressed and held, it will take you to the home screen from any application. The navigation icons can be swapped with the Back button on the left and Recent Apps on the right. This is how they are located on most Android smartphones.
There are many possibilities for changing the interface: adjust the screen resolution, turn on and off the use of edges, change the position of the brightness slider on the notification panel, activate the LED indicator, and so on. The Galaxy S8 has many useful features for every taste. For example, Smart Stay allows you to keep the screen backlit only when you look at it.
Multitasking is better represented here than on any other Android phone - using the split screen, you can move the windows of applications as you like, or launch Picture in Picture mode and place one on top of the other.
Galaxy S8 is the first smartphone to use Bluetooth 5 with 4x the range of Bluetooth 4.2 and 8x zoom bandwidth(2 times the data rate). This means that you can move away (with line of sight) up to 200 meters from your smartphone and continue to listen to music through Bluetooth headphones. In addition, you can now stream music to 2 different Bluetooth devices at the same time.
Samsung's face recognition technology doesn't work 100% of the time, especially in low light, but it's still faster and more reliable than the fingerprint sensor. An iris scanner is also available on the Galaxy S8, although it's not as efficient.
Worst of all was the fingerprint sensor in new series S8. The scanner is hard to reach on the Galaxy S8 Plus, and you won't be able to use it to control your smartphone, as it is now fashionable to do. The Samsung Galaxy S8 sensor is located close to the camera, so users will often get confused and touch it by mistake. Samsung is aware of this issue and advises cleaning the camera frequently, but this could have been avoided by simply placing the fingerprint scanner below, as is done on almost all other smartphones.
The main 12-megapixel camera hasn't changed much from the S7. When there is enough light, the Galaxy S8 captures images with high quality and accurate colors. If there is not enough light, clarity sometimes decreases, but as a rule, even in the dark, photos are of high quality.
Unfortunately, Samsung has not added anything new to the regular camera, such as a second lens. There are still several modes to choose from, including Selective Focus and Panorama. In Pro mode, you can change the shutter speed, focus, and ISO.
More impressed with the 8-megapixel front-camera, which has many fun filters and masks, just like in Snapchat. By turning the camera around in Wide Selfie mode, you can “stitch” the pictures into one, taking a panoramic selfie.
Samsung Voice Assistant
Samsung's new digital assistant is disappointing, even recognition is not available in the first version voice commands. Of the functions, there are only Bixby Home, Reminder and Vision.
The Home displays various information, such as the current pedometer reading, the next events on the calendar, the weather forecast, and popular Twitter notes. But, in practice, it's easier and faster to look into the relevant applications separately, since the Bixby button is too slow and unreliable.
Reminders - analogue of reminders in Google Inbox or Google Assistant. Assistant can still be used by pressing and holding the on-screen Home button.
The most useful feature is Vision. Augmented reality technology allows you to receive information about different objects in real time. For example, you can point the camera at a pair of shoes and see how much they cost on Amazon.
Samsung promised a lot, but this moment Bixby is an unfinished service.
Samsung Galaxy S8 battery
The Galaxy S8 Plus uses a 3,500 mAh battery, while the Galaxy S8 uses a 3,000 mAh battery. Both smartphones by the end of the day with intensive use (watching streaming video, listening to music, shooting video, etc.) will be discharged up to 25%. With a normal load, they are discharged up to 40% by the evening.
Supports fast wireless charging via connector USB Type-C- a new standard, to which not everyone has had time to get used to.
Outcome
Samsung Galaxy S8 is a smartphone with high build quality, excellent screen and camera. The battery is standard, designed for 1 day of work. Voice assistant Bixby is terrible so far, but you can turn it off and use Google Assistant.
There are plenty of decent smartphones out there that cost less than the S8 and S8 Plus — the Google Pixel, the LG G6, and the iPhone 7 — but none come with such a high-quality display. Buying the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus is worth considering when you're aiming for the top-end smartphones and are willing to pay $750 (42,200 rubles) and more.
Advantages
- Great display
- High quality assembly
- Interesting Features
- Improved user interface
- Waterproof
I have been using the Samsung Galaxy S8 as my main smartphone for two weeks now. In addition to a bunch of new chips in it, they have updated the front camera.
And they updated it very much - so much so that it is worthy of a separate article.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and its awesome front camera
The front camera in the Samsung Galaxy S8 evolved from the Samsung Galaxy S7 camera: it was good, it became just great. But first, about what has not changed.
used wide angle lens, which seems to move you away from the camera and makes it easier to take group selfies than on an iPhone. The aperture, as before, is f/1.7 instead of f/2.2 in the iPhone 7 Plus, which means that much more light is passed into the sensor.
Because of this, pictures in the dark come out clear, noticeably less noise and artifacts. See for yourself.
Well, now to the upgrades.
In the front of the Galaxy S8 added pixels - 8 MP versus 5 megapixels in the Galaxy S7. Purely technically, this gives sharper pictures in the same conditions, and also allows you to crop the photo more strongly, keeping its quality high.
Portraits Samsung Galaxy S8 makes cool, agree. Even if you do not believe me, the pictures will say everything for me. The complexion is natural, the teeth are white, the hair is well worked out - there is no emphasis on the yellowness that the iPhone loves so much. The pictures are rich and sharp, the latter can be adjusted: for example, soften the skin tone!
Photo taken on Samsung Galaxy S8
But the main trump card of the Samsung Galaxy S8 front camera is autofocus .
It works just as fast as on the main camera. Automatically focuses on all faces in the frame, so you almost never need to press the display.
It's straight bomb. Autofocus, oh, how lacking on the iPhone, because of this, almost all selfies are blurry from a more or less close distance. I think that optical stabilization will appear in the next generation - and happiness will come.
The selfie camera in the Samsung Galaxy S8 has more to offer.
For example, you can take pictures using a heart rate monitor. Just turn on the camera and touch the sensor with your finger - it is located on the back, not far from the camera. This is if it is inconvenient to poke at the screen. The method has one minus - the finger gets on the camera and stains it. You will have to wipe it periodically.
As on the iPhone, I do not advise taking pictures with the volume button - the pictures often come out blurry.
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Photo taken on Samsung Galaxy S8
In addition, all selfies are retouched right at the time of shooting. Before you take a picture, you can “photoshop” yourself in advance: for the sake of a joke, make huge eyes, and, well, correct the tone of the face.
Photo taken on Samsung Galaxy S8
There is a super-wide mode here, a la panorama. While shooting, you tilt your smartphone left and right, you get a panoramic self-portrait. With selective focus, you can take a selfie with cool bokeh - the equivalent of "Portrait Mode" on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Well, the last. Appeared mask stickers: animated, with and without sound. You can overlay text, filters, effects on the picture.
Publication from website (@site) May 30, 2017 at 9:46 PDT
We naturally checked out. But, alas, we are not so beautiful. Although they tried very hard.
Stickers really rule, especially in the hands of other people. You give them a Samsung Galaxy S8, they click themselves with funny faces, then all this is stored in memory. And you, of course, do not post it on your instagram, tagging them so that it would be discourteous;))
Total. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a front camera that:
- Shoots brighter and clearer than iPhone 7
- shoots great even in the dark
- super-wide selfies rule, especially with a crowd
- mask stickers blow up any party)
Now the iPhone 7 Plus. And his 3 year old camera
The front camera on the iPhone 7 Plus hasn't changed much from previous generations. The angle of the lens is still small, you look close in the photo. You either have to have long arms or carry a selfie stick. Especially if you decide to take a joint photo with friends.
The number of megapixels in the iPhone 7 Plus has increased from 5 to 7 megapixels. At the same time, the aperture remained the same - f / 2.2. In good lighting, the pictures are not bad, but in the evening noises come out, the background turns into a mess.
This is no longer an outstanding result, and its lacks in any restaurant: fashionable now yellow decorative lamps and subdued light from a pretty photo turn into a set of pixels, each of which can be counted on the fingers.
Photo taken on iPhone 7 PlusTo somehow smooth out this jamb, Apple offered a flash Retina Flash. It adjusts to ambient light to convey natural skin tones. With it, the photos are bright, maybe a little blurry. Well, not everyone loves the flash itself.
Reality: Selfies on the iPhone 7 Plus are not far from the 6s Plus and merge as such in the Samsung Galaxy S8.
The pictures are clearer, but the problems of the predecessor remain. It's strange that Apple scores on the front camera. But while they are thinking, Samsung is doing it. And other competitors are not asleep.
Rumor has it that in the iPhone 8 she is waiting for dramatic changes, but it seems that she will simply catch up with her competitor.
What is the result. Stop, you already know everything
I'll have to confess. If you are in the subject of modern mobile cameras, then knew the result of this article in advance. Apple has remained on the sidelines of progress in the quality of its cameras, and another example is above.
Long, bezel-less, great camera and top performance
Recently, Samsung officially introduced its long-awaited flagship smartphones Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 + in Russia. Despite major setbacks in the recent past, Samsung's flagship phones not only continue to be the main competition Apple iPhones, but are also among the most technically advanced Android smartphones. Compared to the previous (seventh) generation, a lot has changed here, from the design as a whole to the arrangement of individual elements in particular, not to mention the improved hardware and updated software stuffing. Not all changes are for the better, but there are so many that we can say that Samsung decided to start from scratch. It is worth noting that, to the delight of many, the difference between the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 + models is only in size, almost everything else is the same. There are no various modifications with a variable amount of built-in memory or RAM, different performance, the presence or absence of certain elements. The user does not need to suffer with the choice, just decide on the preferred size of the device. The technical characteristics of both models are almost identical, and we will begin this review by listing them, choosing the Galaxy S8 + model as a sample.
Main Features of Samsung Galaxy S8+ (Model SM-G955F)
- SoC Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa, 8 cores: [email protected].3 GHz (Exynos M1) + [email protected].7 GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
(another modification of the smartphone is based on SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 835) - GPU Mali-G71
- operating room android system 7.0
- Touchscreen Super AMOLED 6.2″, 2960 × 1440, 529 ppi
- RAM(RAM) 4 GB, inner memory 64 GB
- Support Nano-SIM (2 pcs.)
- microSD support up to 256 GB
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
- FDD LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 66 networks
- TD LTE Band 38-41 networks
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) MIMO
- Bluetooth 5.0LE
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
- USB Type-C, USB OTG
- Main camera 12 MP (f/1.7), autofocus, 4K video
- Front camera 8 MP (f / 1.7), autofocus
- Waterproof IP68
- Proximity sensor, lighting, heart rate, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer
- Iris scanner, fingerprint scanner
- Battery 3500 mAh, fast charging
- Wireless charger(WPC, PMA)
- Dimensions 160×73×8.1 mm
- Weight 173 g
Contents of delivery
The Samsung Galaxy S8+ received a stylishly designed matte black cardboard box with a concise design as a package. The lid is not completely removed, it leans back in the manner of a box. The contents are neatly packaged in individual cells.
The set, in the best traditions of Samsung, turned out to be extensive. The smartphone package includes a USB Type-C connection cable, a network adapter with a variable output current and voltage of 5/9 V 1.67/2 A, an unusually shaped key for ejecting cards, a Micro-USB to USB Type-C adapter, a second USB adapter— USB Type-C.
The company also included high-quality AKG wired two-driver stereo headphones with a set of interchangeable in-ear eartips.
Appearance and usability
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ turned out to be unusual and attractive. The streamlined body is completely made of metal and glass, there is no plastic here. A metal frame rounded on all sides, symmetrically tapering on the sides and expanding at the top and bottom ends, connects two glass panels - front and back. Gorilla Glass 5 is used as a coating, the glasses have noticeable roundings on the sides. The frame in the front plane of the screen is completely hidden behind the curve of the glass, so here we can talk about a truly frameless version.
The body of the Samsung Galaxy S8 + is absolutely symmetrical, the back side is also completely covered with Gorilla Glass 5 with curved edges. The edges of the glasses are rounded so strongly that they almost seamlessly (except for the frame) pass from one to another, creating a complete shape without a single sharp corner and straight edge. For this form, Samsung marketers dubbed their new brainchild "smartphone without borders."
The Samsung Galaxy S8+ looks very attractive. And although such a design may seem too "licked" and "coddled", but these are modern realities, the vast majority of users liked it.
Due to the unusual aspect ratio of the display (not 16:9, but 18.5:9), the body turned out to be very elongated in height. At the same time, the lack of a frame on the sides of the screen in the front plane made it possible to make the case so narrow that it is quite comfortable to hold it in your hand even with a screen diagonal of 6.2 inches. True, the device is rather slippery due to its glass panels, smooth frame and streamlined shape.
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The curved edges of the front glass work in conjunction with the corresponding software in the same way as in previous models of the series Galaxy Edge. Above the screen, you can find a full set of elements, including an LED event indicator and even an iris scanner.
The scanner works tolerably, but the process of setting the blocking and permanent recognition is rather tedious, because this system only works in certain light conditions and at a certain distance from the eyes. It is much easier and faster to use the fingerprint scanner, although its location here is somewhat bewildering.
There are no more control buttons below the screen, only on the screen itself. This is not typical for Samsung, it has Galaxy smartphones a hardware key always flaunted in front (in the latest models - with an inscribed fingerprint sensor). Now its place has been taken by a virtual button on the screen, but it is also not quite ordinary. In order for the static button, which is constantly illuminated in the Always On Display mode, not to cause pixel burn-in, it was made movable. Thus, the seemingly static central button on the screen is in fact constantly shifting imperceptibly in various directions.
The fingerprint scanner has been moved to the back. At the same time, it is strongly shifted from the center to the right, so that it is inconvenient for a left-hander to reach for it with a finger. In addition, the tactile platform of the fingerprint sensor does not differ from neighboring elements, it is difficult to find it blindly, you need to get used to it. In general, this is perhaps the most unusual and inconvenient option for the location of this element from all of us previously encountered, Samsung again overdid it with a fingerprint sensor.
Next to the scanner, you can find a camera module with a flash, as well as a heart rate sensor familiar to Samsung smartphones. None of the elements protrude beyond the surface, so the smartphone is stable on the table, does not sway when you touch the screen. The flash is as bright as possible.
There are no complaints about the operation of the fingerprint scanner itself, it works quickly, clearly and accurately. But, as already mentioned, reaching out to him, holding a smartphone in his left hand, is very inconvenient.
The slot for installing cards is placed on the upper end. The cover of the removable sled on which the cards fit has a rubber gasket, since the Samsung Galaxy S8 +, like the LG G6, meets the IP68 protection category, that is, the case is completely protected from dust and allows immersion in water to a depth of 1.5 m for 30 minutes. True, the developers did not go further: the design here is not designed for harsh operating conditions, like the LG G6, so the hero of the review does not have military standard certification.
Uses a standard hybrid slot that accepts either two Nano-SIMs or one SIM and one card microSD memory. The sled is made of flexible plastic, the device itself reports the need to tightly close the connector cover to protect it from water.
The volume control button has been moved to the left side face, here it is adjacent to a separate key for calling the Bixby smart assistant, with which you can work with available services and applications via the touch screen, voice or text commands. The power key remained on the right side face. The buttons are not very large, but handling them is quite comfortable, the keys are easy to grope blindly.
All other interface elements are located on the bottom end. A USB Type-C connector is installed here, supporting the connection external devices in USB OTG mode, the main speaker is displayed here, as well as a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microphone hole. Surprisingly, the developers could not install any of the elements exactly, each of them turned out to be offset relative to the longitudinal axis of the end, which slightly spoils the impression.
After examining the structure of the body of the Galaxy S8 +, we compare it with the previous model Galaxy S7 Edge. It can be seen with the naked eye that the width of these smartphones is almost identical.
However, the Galaxy S8+ has a more elongated screen with a non-standard aspect ratio, which allowed more surface area to be given to the screen. As a result, the 6.2″ Galaxy S8+ fits in the palm of your hand just as comfortably as the 5.5″ Galaxy S7 Edge.
In addition, the sidewalls of the body of the hero of the review have become less slippery due to the increased width of the metal frame: the curved edges of the screen on the Galaxy S8 + are reduced, the frame is now exactly in the middle between the front and rear panels. So, in general, the changes went to the novelty only for the benefit.
Samsung Galaxy S8+ is presented on the Russian market in three colors: black (Black Diamond), gray (Mystic Amethyst) and golden (Yellow Topaz).
Screen
The Samsung Galaxy S8+ features a Super AMOLED display with protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with heavily rounded edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are approximately 70×142 mm with a diagonal of 6.2 inches, that is, the aspect ratio is 18.5:9. The screen resolution is 2960×1440, the dot density is about 529 ppi. The corner parts of the screen, like the LG G6, are rounded, there are no side frames, as such, in the front plane of the screen, the upper and lower segments surrounding the screen measure only about 8.5 mm in height.
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Display brightness can be adjusted manually or set automatic settings based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. HDR10 mode supported. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multitouch touches. There is an eye protection mode (preventing eye fatigue). In Always-on mode, the off screen displays information about the current time and date, as well as about missed events.
In the screen settings section, you can choose the resolution and applications that should be used in full screen proportions. It seems that the developers first made a screen with an unusual aspect ratio, just to make it “not like everyone else”, and then added various “crutches” to the software so that the programs would work normally with such a screen.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Samsung Galaxy S8 +, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen on the Samsung Galaxy S8+ is slightly darker (brightness in photos is 107 versus 115 on the Nexus 7) and doesn't have a pronounced tint. The ghosting of reflected objects on the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ screen, there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, better than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
When the white field is displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 370 cd/m² under normal conditions and rises to 580 cd/m² in very bright light. You also need to take into account the fact that in this case the smaller the white area on the screen, the lighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when displaying a white field on half of the screen and black on the other half, we obtained values of 460 cd/m² and 725 cd/m² for the above conditions. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a good level. The minimum value is 1.6 cd/m². The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device without any problems even in complete darkness. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider, with which the user can try to set the desired brightness level in the current conditions. If the brightness slider is set to the maximum in office conditions, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 6.4 cd / m² (darkish), in an office lit by artificial light (approximately 550 lux) it sets it to 340 cd / m² (excessively bright) , in a very bright environment (corresponding to a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) increases to 545 cd/m² (sufficient). If in complete darkness and in office conditions the slider sets the brightness a little more and less, then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 13, 180, 545 cd / m² (ideal combination). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. At any level of brightness there is a significant modulation with a frequency of approximately 60 or 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:
It can be seen that at maximum and close to it, the modulation amplitude is not very large, as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, when the brightness is lowered, modulation with a large relative amplitude appears, its presence can already be seen in the test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, such flickering can cause increased fatigue.
This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light emitting diodes. A full color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphoto:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
On the fragment above, you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), while repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without gaps and overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer considers the screen resolution based on green subpixels, on the other two it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this variant is close to the screen case of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer ones. Samsung devices(and not only) with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some uneven contrasting borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to very high definition they only minimally affect image quality.
The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color remains just black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S8 + (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant, the same images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K.
White field:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and hue of the white field (with the exception of a slight darkening and a change in hue towards the curled edges).
And a test picture (profile Basic):
The color reproduction is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens is slightly different. Recall that the photo can not serve as a reliable source of information about color quality and is provided for illustrative purposes only. In particular, a pronounced reddish tint of white and gray fields, which is present in the photographs of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ screen, is visually absent when viewed perpendicularly, which is confirmed by hardware tests using a spectrophotometer. The reason is that the spectral sensitivity of the camera matrix does not exactly match this characteristic of human vision. Note that in this case, the picture occupies the height (with this screen orientation) of the entire area available for displaying the image and goes to the curved edges of the screen, which leads to darkening and color distortion. Also, in the light, these areas almost always glare, which makes it even more difficult to view images displayed in full screen. And even the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16:9 comes to bends, which greatly interferes with watching movies.
The photo above was obtained after choosing a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:
Profile adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment of color reproduction to the type of output image and environmental conditions:
Saturation and color contrast are greatly increased, it looks terrible. What happens when you select the two remaining profiles is shown below.
AMOLED movie:
Saturation and color contrast are also increased, but not as much.
Photo AMOLED:
The saturation is slightly lower, but the color contrast is slightly higher than in the case of AMOLED movie.
Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Basic).
White field:
The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (in order to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed is increased compared to previous photos), but in the case of Samsung, the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness samsung screen Galaxy S8+ visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), as the screen mobile device often have to look at least at a slight angle.
And a test picture:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of Samsung smartphone noticeably higher angle. Switching the state of the elements of the matrix is \u200b\u200balmost instantaneous, but there may be a step at the front of the switch-on width of about 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, the dependence of brightness on time looks like this when moving from black to white and vice versa:
In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some “twitchy” movements.
The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray showed that there is no significant blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.09, which is slightly less than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:
Recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for images that are generally bright. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely does not correspond slightly to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential grayscale output almost on the entire screen.
Color gamut in profile case adaptive display very wide:
In profile AMOLED movie coverage is a bit narrower:
When choosing a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is pressed to the borders of Adobe RGB:
When choosing a profile Basic coverage is compressed to sRGB borders:
Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:
In the case of a profile Basic with the maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:
Note that on screens with a wide color gamut without proper color correction, normal images optimized for sRGB devices look unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photos and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile AMOLED movie, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is good. The color temperature is close to 6500 K, while this parameter does not change very much in a significant part of the gray scale, which improves the visual perception of the color balance. The deviation from the black body spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units for most of the gray scale, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device:
(The darkest areas of the gray scale in most cases can be ignored, since there the color balance does not matter much, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
For some reason, only when choosing a profile adaptive display it becomes possible to adjust the color balance with three adjustments of the intensity of the primary colors, but due to the too wide color gamut just in this profile, it makes no sense to correct the balance.
Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and a good color balance. At the same time, let's recall the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected on the screen), a noticeably smaller drop in image brightness when viewed from an angle than an LCD. The disadvantages include modulation of the screen brightness. Users who are particularly sensitive to flicker may experience fatigue as a result. However, overall the screen quality is very high. Separately, we note that from the point of view of image quality, curved edges are only harmful, since this design find introduces very noticeable color tone distortion and reduces brightness at the edges of the picture, and in ambient light conditions leads to inevitable glare at least along one long side of the screen.
Camera
The front 8-megapixel camera did not receive its own flash, but it has a fast f / 1.7 lens and even supports intelligent autofocus with face detection. As a front flash, you can use a "fill" bright backlight on the screen right at the time of shooting. Naturally, there is a selfie photo retouching mode. The front camera shoots well for its level, there are no particular complaints about detailing and sharpness, but it’s hard to say that this camera is somehow better than Huawei’s counterparts, for example. Not bad, but nothing more.
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The main camera uses a 12-megapixel sensor with a 1.4 µm pixel size, as well as a fast f/1.7 lens, an optical stabilization system, and Dual Pixel technology, which is designed to provide autofocus so fast that you can capture even the most jerky movements in low light conditions. There is a very bright LED flash.
The camera shoots in automatic or manual mode. In mode manual settings you can adjust the shutter speed (from 1/24000 to 10 s), ISO (up to ISO 800), white balance and exposure compensation. There is the possibility of retouching images, support for HDR auto and a selective focus mode for changing the depth of field in the finished image. The camera is also connected to the Bixby smart assistant, which should recognize subjects, find places and translate texts from the screen.
Using the Camera2 API, you can transfer control of the camera to third-party applications. It is also possible to save pictures in RAW.
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The camera can shoot video in 4K resolution (3840×2160), but only at 30 fps, while 60 fps is only available in Full HD (1920×1080). There is also a shooting mode in an intermediate resolution of 2560 × 1440, also at 30 fps. There is an optical stabilization feature that really makes handheld shooting on the go extremely smooth. In any of the resolutions with video recording, the camera copes very well: sharpness, color reproduction and detailing are normal, there is enough brightness, artifacts and slowdowns are out of the question. There are no complaints about sound recording either: the sensitivity of the microphones is high, the sound is clear, loud, the noise reduction system adequately copes with wind noise.
- Video #1 (87 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
- Video #2 (33 MB, 2560× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
- Movie #3 (28 MB, 1920× [email protected] 0 fps, H.264, AAC)
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Good sharpness across the frame. |
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Good detail in the background. |
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For indoor shooting, the detail is excellent. |
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The camera does a good job of handling small and complex details. |
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Good detail when shooting at dusk. |
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The text is well done. |
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The camera does a good job with macro photography. |
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Good sharpness across the field of the frame and according to the plans. |
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With the removal of the plan, the sharpness falls slowly and smoothly. |
We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench according to our methodology.
| JPEG | RAW |
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Lighting ≈3200 lux. |
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Lighting ≈1400 lux. |
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Lighting ≈130 lux. |
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Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. |
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Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. |
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Samsung continues to work on the quality of its cameras. The race of megapixels, fortunately, has been forgotten, and now the manufacturer pays more attention to the little things. Even in complex scenes, the camera does not forget small details, so images look good even in low light. Soapiness is gradually fading away, which means that the algorithms of the program have improved. The program has practically ceased to “eat up” details, and sharping is almost invisible. Of course, if you look closely, you can find both, but these are already nit-picking.
The laboratory test confirms that the camera has not changed much from the previous generation. However, there are differences, they just lie in the little things that are difficult for the stand to reflect. For those who like to tinker with photo processing, the manufacturer made a very good RAW, which in some situations really allows you to get a better result than the in-camera JPEG.
In general, the camera turned out to be quite flagship and will perfectly cope with many different scenes.
Telephone part and communications
The communication capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ include support for advanced LTE Cat.16 technology, all three interesting LTE FDD frequency bands (Band 3, 7, 20) are supported, and there is also support for four TDD LTE bands (Band 38-41). Dual Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) are supported, there is Bluetooth 5.0 LE, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The developers claim that thanks to support for Wi-Fi 1204-QAM and LTE Cat.16 standards, download speeds are increased by 20% compared to previous flagships Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge both over Wi-Fi and mobile Internet. In the urban area of the Moscow region, the device behaves confidently, the quality of signal reception does not cause any complaints, the device demonstrates high speeds in the usual test places, quickly restores communication after a break.
There is an NFC module in the device, but it does not support work with electronic travel cards. The USB Type-C connector supports the connection of external devices in USB OTG mode, the corresponding adapter is included in the accessory kit. The data transfer rate between a computer and a smartphone via a cable connected in the case of a PC to USB 3.1 Type-C ports is about 26 MB / s.
The navigation module works with GPS (with A-GPS), with domestic Glonass and with Chinese Beidou. The first satellites during a cold start are detected within the first seconds, positioning clarity is maximum. There is a built-in magnetic compass.
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The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is also carried out immediately by the first letters in contacts. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor is well recognizable, there are no extraneous noises, the sound is natural, clear, there is enough volume reserve. Vibrating alert power is much higher than the average level, its intensity can be changed manually.
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Software and multimedia
As a software platform, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ uses Android version 7.0 Nougat with its own proprietary shell. There is a convenient opportunity to quickly transfer all data from an old smartphone to a new Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 + using the OTG adapter that is included in the package.
First of all, it should be noted that the enlarged display with a modified aspect ratio and high resolution provides more space for any information, text or graphics, so a lot of attention is paid to the two-window mode. Not every application here can be made to work in a small window; for this, each has a corresponding icon displayed in the menu of recently opened programs. That is, you must first launch and minimize the application in order to understand if it has the ability to work in two-window mode, and then find the second one of the same. Not a very simple and intuitive option, but you can get used to it. In addition, the size of such windows can be changed. There is also the possibility of reducing the entire working area of the screen for ease of control with the fingers of one hand. We cannot say that this functionality is convenient in practice, since all the elements on the screen become too small, especially the buttons on the virtual keyboard, but there is such a possibility.
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Due to the non-standard aspect ratio of the screen, the video in the player is displayed with black stripes on the sides, but using scaling, the image can be stretched to the very edges of the screen. Some games have reported potential display issues, but overall we haven't encountered any unresolved issues.
Another feature of the Samsung Galaxy S8 + screen is the ability to use its curved sides, available for interaction with fingers due to the lack of frames. There is nothing new here: as before, you can display a highlighted virtual strip on the side of the screen, when pressed, a menu is opened that is responsible for quick contacts and instant access to the most used applications. Also here it is possible to select and save any part of the screen with further text recognition.
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But of course, the main feature of the software of new Korean smartphones was the emergence of Samsung's voice assistant Bixby, which is a direct competitor to both Siri and Google Assistant, which, by the way, has remained in place. As planned by the developers, Bixby will be able not only to answer questions by collecting information on the Web, but also to identify a product using a camera and search for it on Amazon, translate texts in real time, and recognize sights. But the functions that will allow you to fully control your smartphone through voice commands are not yet available and will appear later.
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As already mentioned, the smartphone's camera is connected to the Bixby intelligent assistant, which must recognize subjects, find places and translate texts from the screen. True, in practice, for Russian realities, he still manages to do all this with difficulty. Even if the main language of the device is Russian, the program will stubbornly offer to translate from any other language, but not from Russian. Attractions assistant, too, until he learns far from everything. At the same time, there were no problems with the translation from English into Russian.
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There are very few additional programs, and those that are are represented mainly by a set of Microsoft applications. Of particular note is Game Launcher, a handy game aggregator that automatically collects all installed game applications in one place, as well as provides additional functions related to this. For example, it is possible to start recording the gameplay from the screen right during the game, with its further broadcast on the network. You can also use the Game Launcher to improve system performance when launching selected games to improve your gaming experience.
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To listen to music, only the regular Google Play Music player is provided, complemented by a powerful set of manual settings and equalizer presets, as well as Adapt sound technology for headphones. The smartphone comes with two-driver AKG headphones with very good sound quality for its level. But if everything is fine with the sound in the headphones, then the main speaker of the smartphone is not so impressive. It produces a rather monotonous and flat sound, without noticeable depth and saturation, although there are no complaints about purity and volume reserve.
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Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S8+ hardware platform is built on the Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa SoC with 8 cores in two clusters: 4 Exynos M1 cores up to 2.3 GHz and 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores up to 1.7 GHz. This SoC is made using the latest 10nm process technology. The Mali-G71 video accelerator with support for the Vulkan graphics API is responsible for graphics processing. The amount of RAM is 4 GB, and the internal memory is 64 GB, of which about 1.6 GB of RAM and 52.5 GB of ROM are initially free.
It is worth noting that, traditionally for Samsung, Galaxy devices can be based on different SoCs: in this case, it is Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895. As always, the supply of one or another modification will depend on the region. The smartphone we received for tests worked on the Samsung Exynos 8895 platform.
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According to the results of all tests without exception, the Samsung Exynos 8895 SoC showed the maximum results, this is the most powerful mobile platform we have tested so far. Accordingly, the Samsung Galaxy S8 + is one of the most powerful modern smartphones, it has a significant headroom for future updates. The smartphone confidently copes with any tasks in real scenarios, and thanks to a powerful video accelerator, it behaves perfectly even in the most demanding games. These Modern Combat 5 and Mortal Kombat X gameplay footage was recorded internally on the smartphone itself using the Game Launcher app.
Testing in comprehensive AnTuTu and GeekBench tests:
For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from various segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
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Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).
| Samsung Galaxy S8+ (Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa) |
LG G6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821) |
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe (Qualcomm Snapdragon 820) |
Honor 8 Pro (HiSilicon Kirin 960) |
Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa) |
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| 3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot ES 3.1 (more is better) |
2628 | 2409 | 2676 | 1417 | 1869 |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (Onscreen, fps) | 19 | 12 | 31 | 18 | 13 |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (1080p Offscreen, fps) | 36 | 24 | 32 | 21 | 24 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (Onscreen, fps) | 57 | 38 | 59 | 46 | 52 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen, fps) | 103 | 61 | 92 | 57 | 71 |
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
| Samsung Galaxy S8+ (Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa) |
LG G6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821) |
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe (Qualcomm Snapdragon 820) |
Honor 8 Pro (HiSilicon Kirin 960) |
Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa) |
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| Mozilla Kraken (ms, less is better) |
2535 | 2494 | 2931 | 3139 | 13047 |
| Google Octane 2 (more is better) |
9905 | 10036 | 9287 | 10155 | 3116 |
| sunspider (ms, less is better) |
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Testing has traditionally been conducted at normal power levels without power saving features. In the settings of the Samsung Galaxy S8 +, you can find operating modes from high-performance to economical, the choice of which will affect everything, up to the brightness and even the screen resolution.
Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) with auto scrolling lasted until the battery was completely discharged for 21.5 hours, and with continuous viewing of video in high quality (720p ) at the same brightness level through your home Wi-Fi network, the unit operates up to 14.5 hours. In 3D game mode, the smartphone can work for more than 5 hours.
The smartphone must support fast charging, but we were not able to test this, because at the time of writing the review, there was no network adapter included with the test instance. However, from a conventional charger (5 V 2 A), the device charges quite quickly, within about an hour and a half with a current of 1.75 A at a voltage of 5 V. Wireless charging is also supported (WPC and PMA).
Outcome
Prices for the Russian market are as follows: On April 28, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones went on sale in Russia at a suggested retail price of 54,990 and 59,990, respectively. It is not entirely clear why the difference in the cost of devices that are identical in functionality with a slight difference only in the size of the display and battery is as much as 5 thousand. Be that as it may, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S8 + for 60 thousand, the manufacturer offers one of the best smartphones in many respects, including camera quality, hardware platform performance and very advanced communication capabilities, in an attractive and very unusual case, as well as a lot of additional functions, many of which, however, were available in previous models of the series.
At the same time, it cannot be said that the smartphone has become some kind of breakthrough, a new word in the creation of mobile devices and is completely devoid of cons. A single main camera, although it is one of the best on the market, still looks rather strange against the backdrop of a general movement towards increasing the number of modules. Also, the sound of the main speaker cannot be praised: in terms of sound, the device is clearly inferior to the flagship smartphones from Apple and Huawei. The decision to move the fingerprint scanner to the back side, and even to such an unfortunately chosen place, was also very doubtful. Well, one cannot help but recall the recent problems with the ignition of the batteries of Samsung mobile devices, against which users can now beware of paying the very high price that the manufacturer has requested for their mobile novelties. And yet, interest in the flagship devices of the Korean company has not weakened, it can be seen. Even those who were not going to shell out 60 thousand rubles for a smartphone are now discussing with fervor its capabilities on the Internet. However, something in the testing process remained undisclosed for us, since not the final commercial sample was in our hands. Most likely, we are still waiting for, at least, a meeting with the Bixby assistant brought to mind, as well as with camera firmware updates that may well expand its already remarkable capabilities.
In conclusion, we suggest watching our video review of the Samsung Galaxy S8 + smartphone:
We also offer you to watch our video review comparing Samsung Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones:
Smartphones in recent years have shown themselves well in terms of photography. Previously, the South Korean manufacturer provided too many unnecessary functionality, but recently the pre-installed Camera app provides interesting, convenient and useful options. The flagships of this year are equipped with a high-quality camera, which in capable hands can work wonders.
New camera app
Application Camera on the Galaxy S8 not much changed compared to previous devices, but still it has been updated to be more convenient to use. The new layout option puts the camera's most requested features at the center. For example, you can now zoom when taking a photo simply by moving the shutter button from left to right. Thus, with one finger, you can shoot and resize the image.
What each camera mode can do
A swipe to the right in the camera interface allows you to open various shooting modes. Among them are available the following:
Bixby Assistant in the Camera app
Along with these smartphones, Samsung has introduced a new digital assistant called Bixby, which is not yet quite ready to go. However, it is with the camera that the assistant is already working, we are talking about a function called Bixby Vision.
You need to press the Bixby button on the case. Point the camera at an object or landscape and the assistant will display related images and purchase links for those items. Bixby Vision works with a variety of items, including cosmetics with stickers and electronics from well-known brands. Sometimes the assistant gets things mixed up.
Bixby is bundled with the camera app, motivating users to use it often, just like a physical button on the body motivates them to frequently voice requests. If you find her work useful for comparing what you see in stores with your own eyes with what you can find on the Internet, you can activate the “Quick Launch” option in the camera settings.
Using focus manually
Do you want to master the bokeh effect on ? Open manual settings by swiping left next to the camera shutter button and select the Pro shooting mode. Here, click on the "Manual focus" option and move the cursor until you achieve the desired effect. You will see green lines in the viewfinder that indicate what the camera is focusing on. After that, you can take photos.
Quick launch activation
By default, fast startup is enabled initially. You need to quickly press the power button on the right side of the case twice quickly to launch the camera app. You can use this option even when the screen is off. If you accidentally disabled this feature, you can turn it back on in the camera settings.
Galaxy S8 smartphones have received larger screens compared to the devices of the previous generation, so reaching the farthest edges is not easy. For this reason, the floating shutter button on the screen enhances the convenience of photographing. You can enable it in the camera settings, it is two lines below the quick launch of the camera. When enabled, the camera interface will show a floating button that can be placed anywhere in the Camera app.
Shooting a video before taking a photo
Turn on Motion photo in the camera app settings to record a short video before taking a photo.Quick switching between cameras
The button for switching between cameras is located at the top of the application interface. You can also switch with a simple gesture up in the viewfinder, which is convenient to do with one hand.
Use photo filters
At the bottom of the camera interface, where the shutter button is, swipe left to open the effects. It can also be accessed from the Face Masks menu. There are many different filters available here, some of them are suitable for landscape photos, others for selfies.Face Smoothing
The resolution of the front camera of the Galaxy S8 is 8 megapixels, which is quite a lot. The aperture is f / 1.7, there is autofocus, so you can safely use this camera to photograph yourself and your friends. If you are not completely confident in your beauty, you can use the beautification modes that are built into the camera app to hide imperfections. Click on the icon that looks like a person with long hair to open different beautification options, such as smoothing the skin, adding artificial lighting, or brightening the eyes.
Wide angle selfies
To take wide-angle photos on the front camera, you need to swipe to the right in the area near the shutter in front camera mode, just like opening the filter on the rear camera. The wide-angle selfie mode is similar to taking panoramic shots in the rear camera, you need to swipe the viewfinder from left to right to take a photo.Use face masks
Samsung built a feature called "Face Masks" into the Galaxy S8's camera; it's not the same as Snapchat's filters, although it works almost identically. You can use them in the front camera on yourself or on the back camera with other people. Unfortunately, they cannot be used together with other effects, only one filter can be applied at a time.At the spring presentation, the Samsung Galaxy S8 camera received very little attention - technically it is almost the same as in the previous generation of the smartphone. Unless they updated the exterior, drowning the module in the back. However, image processing and software have been improved, and another flagship is back with one of the most advanced cameras on the market. What S8 shows in practice - further with photo examples.
Samsung Galaxy S8
Camera Specifications
Shooting quality
Positioning on the official website and reality coincide: thanks to the combination of a 12 megapixel matrix with enlarged 1.4 micron pixels and a fast F / 1.7 lens, pictures are clear and detailed even in low light.
Focus plays an important role in this. Like the S7, Dual Pixel hybrid autofocus technology is supported, in which each pixel is equipped with focus sensors. The DxOMark edition recognized the autofocus of our ward as one of the fastest among those tested, and they test all hype smartphones. And those who compared the Galaxy S8 with the iPhone 7 Plus note the unconditional surrender of the latter to the work of AF.
Photos are well exposed, accurate white balance and low noise in any light. Thanks to powerful noise reduction, the skin in the photo is smoother, but there is a downside. Small details can be blurred, frames come out less sharp than we would like.
As a feature of the camera, multi-frame shooting is presented, combining several frames into one. There is auto HDR, but with a slight nuance: in this mode, the pictures are slightly overexposed and with insufficient contrast in dark areas.
Video can be commended for color reproduction, improved stabilization, and tenacious tracking focus, but noise is noticeable in poor lighting.
In general, everything is cool, but not without a fly in the ointment.
Modes
There are only eight preset modes: Auto, Pro, Panorama, Selective focus, Slow motion, Hyperlapse, Food, Virtual shooting. But you can download several additional add-ons from the company's app store.
As a camera chip, a selective focus mode is positioned, in which you can save a frame with near, far or panoramic focus. However, according to reviews, it does not always work correctly, the blurring of the background sometimes turns out to be unnatural.
But, using the manual focus setting in Pro mode, you can take great shots with a shallow depth of field. Here, everything is in order with blur - the frames are obtained with gorgeous bokeh and a clear object in focus.
To effectively blur the background around a beautiful dish shot close up, the Food mode is highlighted separately. In it, culinary masterpieces are clearer and brighter than in Auto.
From the unusual, in comparison with the cameras of smartphones of other brands, the list of modes includes Virtual shooting. The object is captured from all sides, and then it can be viewed by scrolling the resulting image. Like a circular panorama, but in reverse - not around itself, but around the object.
The movie shooting mode is rich in settings, including the ability to manually set the shutter speed and ISO value. But some functions are limited: when shooting at Full HD resolution of 60 fps and above, HDR and focus tracking are not available. Not all resolutions work digital stabilization and parallel photography.
Camera app interface
The application starts instantly: it is convenient that the camera is turned on by double pressing the power button on the case. It is very easy to use - everything is intuitive, nothing more. To switch to the front camera, just swipe up the screen. Swipe left for shooting modes, swipe right for filters and new cartoony stickers.
One of the main features of the interface is that by moving the shutter button you can zoom in or out on the subject. True, in practice, this option does not seem convenient to everyone. But what is definitely convenient is the ability to release the shutter with your voice and drag the shutter button across the screen in some modes.
In full resolution, the frame is obtained with an aspect ratio of 4:3 and on an oblong 18.5:9 screen it is obtained with thick black frames on the sides. Therefore, a 16:9 ratio or a frame according to the format of the display itself appeared to be chosen, which are achieved by cropping the frame and, accordingly, reducing the resolution.
Another feature is the integration of the camera with a smart assistant or the Bixby Vision function. By pointing the camera at an object, it finds similar images on the Web, but so far it does not work better than issuing similar images in a Google image search. The assistant finds a mass of nonsense that matches in color and shape with what the camera sees
A little about the front camera
The front camera has been more seriously updated compared to the S7. Instead of 5 megapixels, there is now an 8 megapixel matrix, there is intelligent autofocus with face recognition. What's more: Uses a wide f/1.7 aperture lens, supports wide-angle panorama selfies and masks like Snapchat.
The quality of shooting on the front camera can be described as normal: no complaints, no enthusiasm.
Total
Samsung has made its strengths where competitors are weak: fast and tenacious autofocus, bokeh (even without an additional module), excellent photo quality with minimal noise in poor light. The main thing you can find fault with the Samsung Galaxy S8's camera is that compared to last year's model, it has improved slightly. You will find a comparison of S7 and S8. But, despite this and minor shortcomings, the device can be considered one of the best in 2017 for shooting in any light.
