Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date Set For April 15: Latest Specs, Rumors, And Killer Features

The Samsung Galaxy S8 would most likely be one of the best phones on the market this year. As the first flagship handset from the South Korean tech giant since the demise of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 phablet, the Galaxy S8 has to set the bar extremely high. From what recent rumors indicate, however, it appears that Samsung is up for the challenge, with its upcoming flagship being equipped with groundbreaking features and scheduled for release within the next three months.

A report from South Korean publication ET News has stated that Samsung would be releasing the Galaxy S8 on April 15, 2017, during the tech giant’s Unpacked Event. This means that Samsung would be skipping a massive event this coming March, the Mobile World Congress 2017, in favor of revealing its flagship in a standalone launch. In a lot of ways, this does make sense, especially since MWC 2017 is speculated to host the unveiling of some of the Galaxy S8’s most persistent rivals, including the formidable LG G6.

While an April 15 release date would require Samsung fans to wait a bit more for the tech giant’s flagship smartphone, holding out on the device’s release date is an appropriate gamble considering what is at stake. After all, all eyes would be focused on the Galaxy S8 during the Unpacked Event in April, whereas it would have to share the limelight with other notable handsets in the MWC 2017. Considering the Galaxy S8’s rumored features, it would seem that a longer wait would be absolutely justifiable.

Rumors about the device have been abounding since the previous year, with numerous leaks and speculations referencing various aspects of the device. For one, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumored to ditch its flat model, being released exclusively as an Edge device instead. This makes a lot of sense for Samsung, especially since the Edge models have been very successful ever since their debut two years ago with the Galaxy S6 Edge. According to speculations, the Galaxy S8 would simply be released in two sizes, with one having a 5.1-inch screen and another having with a 5.5-inch display.

A report from The Express maintained that while the two Galaxy S8 variants would feature large displays, the footprint of the devices would be practically the same as their predecessors, mainly as a result of the devices’ rumored bezel-less design, which is speculated to enable Samsung to embed the Home button and fingerprint scanner on the smartphones’ screen. This would make the S8 far more attractive than one of its main rivals, the iPhone 7 Plus, a flagship which still carries a three-year-old design.

What is rather interesting, however, is the notion that Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone would not feature a dual-camera system. As stated by ET News, one of the most notable features of the device would be its front-facing camera, which would be equipped with an AF actuator and an 8MP dual pixel sensor. If the Galaxy S8 does include such a feature, the flagship would most likely become one of the most formidable selfie snappers in the market.

Other rumors about the device are equally encouraging. According to latest speculations, the Galaxy S8 would be equipped with the Snapdragon 835, a mobile chipset that was developed jointly by Qualcomm and Samsung. The Galaxy S8 is also rumored to sport at least 6GB of RAM, a force-sensitive panel, water and dust resistance, a USB Type-C port, an iris scanner, and wireless charging. While the price of the handsets has not be revealed or even teased by the South Korean tech giant, speculations are high that the upcoming flagship would be priced similarly as its predecessor, which would place the devices in the $670 to $780 range.

The Galaxy S8 is a device that has caused waves in the smartphone market since the previous year. With details about the smartphone emerging from the rumor mill at an unprecedented pace, the hype surrounding the device has gone consistently up. As the Galaxy S8’s April 15 release date approaches, fans of the device could rest assure that once the smartphone launches in Samsung’s Unpacked Event, they would have in their hands what might possibly the best handset of 2017.

[Featured Image by Ivan Garcia/Shutterstock]