8 reasons you should buy the Samsung Galaxy S8

1. Refined design

Yes, that Infinity Display: it's edge-to-edge, bezel-less and takes up to 80 per cent of the device's front screen - that means half-a-million pixels more to sharpen up your view.

And if you're wondering where the physical home button is, it's now "invisible", embedded beneath the screen, along with customisable recent and back soft keys.

Your colour options: Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver, Maple Gold and the new Orchid Gray.

2. A unified experience

Well, let's just say the user interface and user experience was tailored to maximise the Infinity Display's design; a new vertical swiping interface will allow seamless navigation between the home and app screens.

3. See more - lots more

For your viewing pleasure, the Corning Gorilla Glass 5-protected Infiinity Display means the Galaxy S8's screen is 18 per cent larger than the S7. And if you're watching something in landscape mode, a 21:9-ratio movie fills the 18.5:9 display (also perfect for gaming), with the black bars above and below minimised, boosting the viewing area by 36 per cent.

And with the device's high dynamic range capabilities, you see exactly what a film's creator wants you to see.

In addition, the S8's new Snap Window feature allows a user to pin a specific area from a recently-used app to the top of the screen, while continuing to use the space below.

4. Snappier camera

While retaining the S7's 12MP sensor, the S8's camera has a new multi-frame processing capabilities, which rapidly takes multiple shots, picks the best one and uses the rest to reduce blur. Samsung promises better image quality whether the object is moving, in low-light situations or while zoomed.

Meanwhile, the 8MP front camera now has better autofocus features for better selfies - plus one more important thing we'll get into in a little while.

5. Hey, Bixby!

Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa, take notice: there's a new AI kid on the block, and it's Bixby, Samsung's very own virtual toy that allows what Samsung says seamless and enhanced interaction.

With its multimodal functionality, Bixby's voice feature will let you take control of multiple apps at the same time using voice and touch interchangeably. Its vision interface, meanwhile, can detect what you're looking for and respond accordingly; for example, point it to some product and it will tell you where you can buy it. It also has a reminder feature, which you can set up so you won't forget to do anything.

And you can launch Bixby via its own dedicated button on the left side below the volume rocker, or just by simply saying "Bixby".

6. PC-worthy?

Is the S8 or S8+ too small? Don't worry; the Samsung DeX dock will allow you to connect to a PC monitor and use your phone as a computer in full glory. It's secure and works compatibly with Microsoft Office and Adobe apps.

7. All eyes on security

And about that front camera cliffhanger earlier, here it is: iris scanning and facial recognition is now part of Samsung's security suite. Just hold your phone in front of your face and it will unlock using either of the two.

And if you're wondering where the fingerprint scanner is, it's been relocated to the back, to the right of the camera lens.

8. It's your remote control

The pre-loaded Samsung Connect allows users to manage and control other smart devices at home. You can set up specific rules for certain devices; for example, a "Going Out Mode" may switch off all your appliances and let your robot vacuum cleaner do the "dirty" work".

Samsung Connect will also be able to support third-party devices with the SmartThings hub in the future.

UAE pre-orders start April 1; pricing announced

Samsung has announced that UAE customers can start pre-ordering its new Galaxy S8 and S8+ flagships between April 1 to 15.

The offer will be across the nation's major retailers and Samsung brand shops, as well as through samsung.com. However, stocks will be limited and it will be on a first-come-first-served basis, the company said in an e-mailed statement to Khaleej Times.

"We know that our customers are excited to get their hands on our latest flagship, which is why we are giving them the option of pre-ordering the device to ensure they are amongst the first to own it," Tarek Sabbagh, head of the IT and mobile division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said in the statement.

"However, we urge consumers to get down to their favourite retailer and pre-book the device sooner than later due to limited stocks."

The 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 will be priced at Dh2,799 while the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+ will go for Dh3,099.

alvin@khaleejtimes.com