The two most talked about smartphones of 2017 so far are the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy S8, even though neither has been officially announced. Since it’s the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, many are predicting a groundbreaking device from Apple. Forbes talks about an iPhone 8 feature that hasn’t been mentioned yet.
“According to a report from the usually reliable Korea Herald, ‘multiple sources’ can ‘confirm’ the 2017 iPhones (currently both iPhone 7S and iPhone 8 models are expected) will have upgraded IP68 water and dust resistance ratings. This means the phones could withstand full submersion in up to 1.5 of water for up to 30 minutes.”
The current iPhone 7 Plus isn’t a huge upgrade from the previous version. [Image by Daryl Deino]
However, there is more to look forward to. Even though the iPhone 7 series wasn’t a big upgrade from the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the iPhone 8 series upgrade is going to be huge. According to 9to5Mac, we may see 4.7-inch to 5.8-inch curved OLED displays, an all-glass design with new colors, wireless charging, an embedded (into the screen) home button, and something that has to do with augmented reality.
BGR describes how Apple may incorporate augmented reality with their next smartphone in 2017.
“The way Apple envisions implementing augmented reality into the iPhone is multi-faceted. For instance, Apple envisions iPhone users being able to point their cameras at any number of objects and have the device itself recognize what’s in frame,” says columnist Yoni Heisler.
The article adds that as another example, Apple could build functionality that would allow the iPhone camera to completely manipulate faces. This has caused a lot of excitement in the smartphone world.
Apple will have a lot of competition from Samsung, who will get the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Edge to the market in April — that’s five months before Apple usually releases the new iPhone. According to Forbes, Samsung has leaked its own Galaxy S8 video.
“In a pair of new promotional videos for display division, Samsung has shown off new AMOLED panels which are widely expected to be used in the Galaxy S8. But more than this, it ends both commercials by showing the panels morph into an unnamed smartphone with very slim top and bottom bezels.”
The article adds that the proportions and missing physical home button line up with the leaked renders of the Galaxy S8.
According to Tech Radar, the Galaxy S8 is shaping up to be a huge upgrade from the S7 and S7 Edge.
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge was a huge hit. [Image by Daryl Deino]
“Likely highlights include a 4K screen, a Snapdragon 830 processor, 6GB of RAM and a massively improved camera. There’s even a chance that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have an iris scanner or a foldable screen, though the latter is somewhat less likely.”
The article adds that there could be two different versions of the S8, and both will come with curved screens. One could be a 5.7-inch regular version, and the other, the one that would have the 4K screen, will be 6.1 inches. The S8 could also have a 30MP dual-lens rear camera, an 8MP front camera, and a 4200mAh battery.
Previous rumors had the Galaxy S8 shaving off the headphone jack just like Apple did with the recent iPhone. However, according to XDA Developers, the renders of the Galaxy S8 show that there is a headphone jack. In addition, it looks like Samsung will finally include stereo speakers on a Galaxy S smartphone — something customers have requested for years.
2016 may have been a boring year for smartphones, but with the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8, 2017 looks to show innovation that hasn’t been seen in the smartphone world for several years.
[Featured Image by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]
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