Samsung Galaxy S8 Vs iPhone 8: The Latest Specs And Release Rumors

Rumors and leaks about the Samsung Galaxy S8’s specs are continuously showing up online since the release of Galaxy S7 early this year. And now that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus from Apple have been out on the market for a month, tech fans can anticipate an increasing number of leaks and speculations for the iPhone 8. The Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 are the presumptive upcoming flagship devices from Samsung and Apple, respectively, set to compete in the market in 2017.

According to the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 rumors, one of the possible specs that will be featured by the smartphone is an optical fingerprint scanner. Although it is an old and bulkier technology compared to newer ones like the capacitive and ultrasonic solutions, GSM Arena shared that this could be Samsung’s solution to embed the fingerprint sensor under the Galaxy S8’s display, allowing them to design a full-screen and bezel-less smartphone.

“Samsung may have found a way to use high-res optical sensor under its smartphone displays, and in the meantime, shrink the needed pieces to fit the Galaxy S8 shell.”

A previous report from the Inquisitr noted that Samsung will offer a standard 5.2-inch Galaxy S8 and a 5.5-inch “Plus” model. Purported specs noted that the 5.2-inch variant may be equipped with a Super AMOLED display with 2K resolution. On the other hand, the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy S8 will reportedly sport a 4K display. Possible under-the-hood specs for the S8 include a 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 processor for the global variant. Specific markets may offer the Galaxy S8 with Samsung’s in-house Exynos 8895 chipset, reports revealed.

As for the release of Samsung Galaxy S8, a Samsung executive recently revealed that it is still on track, amidst reports that it may arrive earlier than originally planned to compensate the loss incurred from the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. “Currently we do not have any plans to release Galaxy S8 early,” the source shared.

There were also release rumors noting that the Samsung Galaxy S8 may possibly be launched late. Accordingly, its development has been delayed by two weeks “as engineers work to get to the bottom of the Note 7’s overheating problem,” reported by Wall Street Journal, citing a member of the Galaxy S8 development team.

Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to take the spotlight on February 26, 2017, during the company’s tech event called Unpacked, scheduled to happen before Mobile World Congress officially kicks off.

Meanwhile, the latest iPhone 8 specs rumor mill has recently churned out the possibility that the 2017 Apple smartphone will come in three sizes. Reportedly, there will be a 4.7-inch model, a five-inch, and a 5.5-inch iPhone 8.

Moreover, the iPhone 8 is expected to have a major design overhaul given that it is poised to be the Cupertino-based tech titan’s offering for the tenth anniversary of iPhone next year. Supporting these speculations, Nikkei Asian Review mentioned in their post that these three iPhone 8 variants will drop the metal casings and will instead use glass backs supplied by Biel Crystal Manufactory and Lens Technology. Nikkei’s unnamed source said the following.

“Apple has tentatively decided that all the 5.5-inch, five-inch and 4.7-inch models will have glass backs, departing from metal casings adopted by current iPhones, and Biel and Lens are likely to be providing all the glass backs for the new iPhones next year.”

A metal frame will allegedly be used for the iPhone 8’s front and back glass panels to hold them together. Although the specific material for the frame has not been disclosed yet, folks from GSM Arena are assuming that aluminum or stainless steel could be used for it.

Moreover, specs rumors on the iPhone 8 Plus (5.5-inch model) noted that Samsung will supply its dual-curved Super AMOLED touchscreen display. And similar to the standard iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus’ display specs, the two remaining iPhone 8 variants (4.7-inch and five-inch) will be equipped with LTPS LCD panels. Latest specs reports also noted that the iPhone 8 will support wireless charging.

There have been no official words yet regarding the specs and release date of Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 from their respective tech firms. Thus, everyone is advised to take all the speculations emerging on the net with a pinch of salt.

[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]