Samsung Galaxy S8 Specs: Battery, Awkward Fingerprint Scanner Location And More

Numerous details about the Samsung Galaxy S8 specs have emerged, painting a clearer picture of what to expect upon its release. Aside from internal hardware upgrades, the company is supposedly revamping its design and switching to another battery manufacturer.

After a lengthy investigation confirmed that the problem indeed lies on the Note 7’s batteries, the South Korean electronics company’s solution is apparently replacing its secondary manufacturer with a Japanese supplier. The Note 7’s batteries were mainly supplied by the company’s affiliate, Samsung SDI Co Ltd. But the one who will take the blow is Amperex Technology Ltd, which the tech giant blamed for its inadequacy to deliver a solid battery.

Now, Samsung is looking to Murata Manufacturing to equip the Galaxy S8 with a safer and better battery, Nikkei reports. Should a deal materialize between the two companies, the latter may replace the Chinese manufacturer Amperex.

The smartphone maker’s interest with Murata comes from the Kyoto-based manufacturer’s acquisition of Sony’s battery business, which mainly provided for smartphones and power stations. Apparently, Sony’s lithium-ion batteries have piqued the interest of Samsung.

This would mean that we may soon see the Galaxy S8 having the same batteries as in Sony’s smartphones. Is this a good thing? Well, the Japanese giant was responsible for introducing lithium-ion batteries. Although the company was not without issues, we would assume that they have more data and experience, which Murata can hopefully expand on.

On a related note, the awkward placement of the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S8, which we saw previously in a supposed leak, may have just been confirmed. According to Forbes, citing CNet Korea, the report from a credible witness corroborates the previous leaks.

The Galaxy S8 design renders show the fingerprint scanner on the backside of the device. Although many other smartphones have taken this path, Samsung gives its own flair that may not be practical: It positioned the scanner awkwardly right next to the camera.

Samsung Galaxy S8 (2017) with “Infinity” Display, Bixby button and fingerprint scanner on the back. Coming March 29th. #GalaxyS8 pic.twitter.com/7aYgNkqkHr

— Benjamin Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) January 28, 2017

Traditionally, the fingerprint scanner, when placed in the rear, maintains a safe distance at the bottom of the camera. Other devices put it in the home button. Either way, it can be easily accessed when holding the smartphone naturally. But the same cannot be said of the odd location of the Galaxy S8’s sensor.

Samsung’s attempt at being different with the Galaxy S8 may turn off potential buyers even at the prospect of an all-new battery and improved features. First of all, people with small hands will have a harder time reaching for the fingerprint scanner. What was supposed to be a seamless unlocking feature will turn out to be cumbersome.

Moreover, the Galaxy S8’s camera will have to be fingerprint proof, otherwise, it will suffer from many a misplaced finger. There are other ways this could go wrong, but luckily, this is all just a rumor for now. We can only hope that the rumors and leaks are not true.

What we’re hoping to be true, on the other hand, are the Galaxy S8 specs that include a Snapdragon 835 processor paired with either a 4GB RAM/64GB storage or 6GB RAM/128GB storage. We may also see a “Beast Mode” feature, which has not been detailed yet, that will presumably raise the smartphone’s performance.

Other Samsung Galaxy S8 expected features include a pressure-sensitive screen like that of the iPhone 6s’ and iPhone 7’s 3D touch capabilities, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port. There might also be two variants, but both will have curved screens similar to the Edge version of past flagships. The difference between the Galaxy S8’s two versions will be the display sizes with one having a 5.8-inch screen and the other with 6.2 inches.

BTW, lest the 5.8/6.2? figures deter you: the aspect ratio means the S8/S8+ phones will be no wider at all than the S7/S7 edge. Exact match.

— David Ruddock (@RDR0b11) January 26, 2017

As for its release date, reports indicate that it will be officially unveiled at a March 29 event, then launched on April 21, which will be the time the Samsung Galaxy S8’s specs will be confirmed. A teaser in the form of a one-minute video is possible at the Barcelona press conference on February 26, but it’s not yet confirmed.

[Featured Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images]