Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date, Specs Update: New ROM Reportedly Being Tested In South Korea, US, Europe & More

With the Galaxy Note 7 officially discontinued, it seems only natural for the tech industry to look forward even more to what Samsung will offer next, thus reports about the Samsung Galaxy S8 specs and release date continue to swirl online. Although not officially announced yet, Samsung Galaxy S8 is currently anticipated as the “next big thing” from Samsung and the presumptive 2017 flagship device. Latest news suggests that the South Korean tech conglomerate is already working on the smartphone’s firmware.

Android Headlines reported that the new software for the Samsung Galaxy S8 is currently in development, with the firm “constantly trying to improve it” prior to the launch of the smartphone. Moreover, the report from Sam Mobile reads below.

“At present, the ROM is being developed for use in China, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States.”

The report also said that more countries will follow as soon as the first stable Galaxy S8 ROM build has been made and can be successfully adapted for use in other regions.

However, those very eager for the Galaxy S8 release should not take this news as a definitive sign that the smartphone will be introduced early. Although previous speculations revealed the possibility of Samsung Galaxy S8 getting an earlier release date, especially after the Note 7 fiasco, it seems like it will still follow the company’s launch pattern for its flagship devices.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were officially unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress that was held back in February. And following this release schedule, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will reportedly be in the spotlight during the tech giant’s Unpacked event in 2017, slated for February 26, a day earlier than the official starting date of MWC 2017.

Mobile World Congress is “the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry,” its official website described. Next year’s event will kick off on February 27 and will run until March 2 in Barcelona, Spain.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S8 specs, BGR reported that it will have two major variants – there’s going to be the standard 5.2-inch model and a bigger model, a “Plus” phablet with a 5.5-inch size. With news that the Note 7 disaster could end the now tainted reputation of Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, speculations pointed out that “Plus” model could be the Galaxy Note 8’s replacement.

Aside from the size difference of the standard and “Plus” variants of Galaxy S8, the camera specs of these purported models will also be distinct from each other. PC Advisor reported that the regular Samsung Galaxy S8 might be equipped with a single rear shooter while the Plus model will have a dual-camera system, the same setup found in Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus. Another possible feature coming to the Galaxy S8 is Viv, a next-generation AI assistant that was recently purchased by Samsung.

Moreover, the 5.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S8 is reportedly getting a curved Super AMOLED display that comes with 2K resolution. On the other hand, the rumored 5.5-inch will feature a 4K panel. Under the hood, the Galaxy S8 is “expected to be powered by the 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor globally, but will sport Samsung’s in-house Exynos 8895 CPU in some markets,” Sam Mobile added.

A previous report from The Inquisitr also noted that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have a full and bezel-less display, and its physical home button will be embedded underneath the screen. These features, according to reports, will also be applied by Apple for its 2017 iPhone offering.

It is recommended to take all these emerging Samsung Galaxy S8 specs and features with a pinch of salt as we wait for an official announcement from the tech giant.

[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]