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Samsung's redesigned One UI will come to Galaxy S8 and Note 8
When Samsung unveiled its cleaner, easier-to-use One UI, it initially promised a beta for Galaxy S9 and Note 9 owners. But what if you're toting an older phone? You might be set. Android Authority has learned that One UI will also be available for Samsung's 2017 flagships, the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. It's not certain when it will show up, but it's likely to appear sometime after the planned early 2019 release of One UI itself.
Samsung resumes Android O update for Galaxy S8
Well, that didn't take long. After pausing the Android Oreo rollout on Galaxy S8s over a reboot glitch, Samsung has restarted the process in Europe. As SamMobile reports, it's an altogether different firmware version. The rollout has resumed in Germany and it shouldn't be long before the update starts appearing domestically -- just in time for Samsung to reveal the Galaxy S9 at Mobile World Congress in Spain this week! Curious if you've already gotten it? Look for firmware versions G950FXXU1CRB7 or G955XXU1CRB7 on your S8 or S8+.
The iPhone 8 goes up against the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Before you start throwing down cash for new phones like a Grinch post heart-expansion, watch our video to directly compare more factors than just name brand and price on two of the most popular phones. The iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are both less than $1000 (no thanks, iPhone X) but still expensive, beginning at $699 and $825, respectively.
The best smartphones and tablets to give as gifts
Let's be real: Smartphones are pricey and as far as gifts go, they're hard to keep a surprise. But there's also a good chance someone in your life is due for an upgrade, and as the holiday season approaches, you're likely to spot some good deals. For Engadget's 2017 holiday gift guide, we recommend four phones: the iPhone 8/8 Plus, the Google Pixel 2 and 2XL, the older-but-still-good Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, and the Moto G5 Plus, for the budget conscious. We also threw in some tablets for good measure: the basic iPad for Apple fans and the Galaxy Tab S3 for Android users. Certain folks requiring more power might be better served by the 10.5-inch iPad Pro or Microsoft's Surface Pro, but unless your giftee also needs a laptop replacement, you can easily get by with something less expensive.
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ now support Daydream View VR
With thousands of apps and Oculus behind it, Samsung's Gear VR is already a great virtual reality headset for Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners, and comes with a new controller to boot. It's always good to have more choice, though, and users of Samsung's flagship smartphones can now use Google's Daydream View, too. On a Google+ post, the search giant confirmed that "the Daydream-ready update is rolling out now to Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+" smartphones.
The best smartphones and mobile gear for students
Some of us here at Engadget can remember a time when cellphones on college campuses were strictly "for emergencies" (read: calls home to Mom and Dad). By now, of course, things have changed: Our handsets come with us everywhere, and most of us don't have to worry about pissing off our parents by exceeding our minutes allotment. We imagine many of today's college freshmen already have phones, but for those of you who've earned an upgrade, we crammed five into our back-to-school guide, including some budget options. Not in the market yet for a new phone? You might still want an external battery pack, a fast microSDXC card or, heaven forbid, a "selfie case," which is definitely a thing.
Samsung's Bixby voice assistant is ready to help in the US
The voice component of Samsung's Bixby assistant has been a long time in coming. The company was quick to boast about its AI helper at the Galaxy S8 launch, but revealed that the signature voice feature wouldn't arrive until later in the spring... and even then, it only had a full launch in South Korea. Americans had to make do with a preview. At last, though, it's becoming widely available: Samsung is officially rolling out Bixby's voice assistance to S8 and S8 Plus owners in the US. Every American with one of the flagship phones will get to talk to Bixby once an update arrives "tonight." There have been a few tweaks to this official release, too.
WSJ: Bixby Voice won't debut on Galaxy S8 until late June
To hear Samsung's Galaxy S8 ad campaign tell it, the company's Bixby digital assistant was already fully featured and ready to go at the handset's launch. The reality is quite a bit different, however. Bixby Voice, the would-be competitor to Siri and Google Assistant apparently won't be available until late next month, somewhat narrowing the "later this spring" timeframe from April. Wall Street Journal reports that the cause for tardiness has to do with how the assistant comprehends English syntax and grammar. To be fair, that's a sore spot for pretty much every artificial intelligence system at the moment.
Samsung DeX review: The impressive, unnecessary, phone-powered PC
My family's first computer was a boxy, squat Tatung with an AMD K2, a handful of RAM and a 4GB hard drive. It was ugly and slow, even by 1998 standards, but it (somehow) got the job done. The decade and change that followed brought staggering leaps in performance and huge reductions in size. I'm writing this on a Galaxy S8 Plus -- a metal-and-glass slab I just pulled out of my pocket -- connected to a monitor, keyboard and mouse with Samsung's new DeX dock. The kicker: It's far better than I dared expect. Ten-year-old me would be losing it if he saw this. In fact, the me from three or four years ago would've done the same. After all, this isn't a new idea. Companies have tried -- and mostly failed -- to make smartphones work like PCs for years now. Just look at Motorola's Atrix or Microsoft's Continuum or any of the startups languishing on Kickstarter. And yet, here we are — the Galaxy S8 doubles as a surprisingly respectable PC. The real question now isn't about how feasible the idea is, it's whether anyone should bother. Unfortunately, as impressive as DeX can be, the answer for most people is a big ol' "no."
Samsung sold over 5 million Galaxy S8 phones
Samsung was quick to crow about Galaxy S8 pre-orders, but it was easy to be skeptical without real numbers to back up the bragging. Flash forward a few weeks, though, and it's a different story. The company now reports that it has sold 5 million Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus devices worldwide since its April 21st debut -- not bad for less than a month on the market, and only in a limited number of countries. It's not certain which model was the most popular, though the regular S8's lower price helps its chances.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Samsung Galaxy S8+ and Spigen cases!
Samsung's latest phones seems to be a hit, with pre-orders reaching record levels for the company. Both the S8 and the S8+ have a smooth elongated exterior for easier gripping, but that's not to say these handsets don't obey the laws of gravity. To help keep Samsung's latest safe from harm, case maker Spigen has provided a variety of protective shells for every eventuality, from light weight to heavy duty for both the S8 and S8+. This includes the company's popular Neo Hybrid with a subtle herringbone pattern on the back, as well as clear and even sparkly cases for those with a little flare. This week, Spigen has provided us with a powerful Samsung Galaxy S8+ (for AT&T), along with an assortment of cases and screen protectors for one lucky winner. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning one of Samsung's latest smartphones and a Spigen safety package to keep it protected. Winner: Congratulations to Hugh D. of Dublin, CA!
Where to buy Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in the UK
It's that time of the year again -- one of the most important dates in the smartphone launch calendar. Today, the UK gets its hands on Samsung's new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, and whichever size you're eyeing up, you won't be disappointed. They are easily two of the best handsets on the market right now, with the lack of bezel around their gorgeous "Infinity" displays a particularly striking feature. Though Samsung's Bixby assistant still needs some training, they are both blazing fast with batteries big enough to get you through two days of normal use. And if you didn't pre-order one right away, these are all the places you can pick one up from today.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 hits sales records despite the Note 7's flameout
As Samsung was readying the Galaxy S8, everyone wondered if the company would be able to recover from the disastrous, exploding Note 7. From a pure quality of hardware perspective, the S8 appears to be a home run -- as long as nothing unexpected happens. The other question is whether customers would reject Samsung after the hit it took last year, but it sounds like that hasn't happened: Samsung says that pre-orders for the S8 and S8+ were the best it has ever seen.
Verizon's Galaxy S8 won't help you shop on Amazon
Samsung already gave a heads-up that Bixby wouldn't be complete when the Galaxy S8 launched, but Verizon customers will have to make do with less than most... for a while, anyway. The American carrier has confirmed to CNET that its version of the S8 doesn't currently let you use Bixby Vision to find products on Amazon just by pointing your camera. You can find images of that book you're looking for, but you can't shop for it. A Verizon spokesperson didn't explain why the feature wasn't available right away (Amazon and Samsung didn't say either), but did promise that the network was "working with Amazon" to provide it in the future.
With the Galaxy S8, Samsung grabs the smartphone design crown
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit my bias right up front: I have never liked Samsung's smartphones. The Galaxy and Note series have both been wildly successful -- so much so that they basically cemented Samsung's status as Apple's equal in the smartphone war, at least here in the US. But the cheap plastic design and overwrought software found in early Galaxy devices turned me off, to the point that I thought I'd never take their phones seriously. When a few colleagues started talking up the Galaxy S8 after an early preview, I remained skeptical. Yes, the company had been taking big steps forward in industrial design over the past two years, but I just couldn't imagine how something with screens this large could be comfortable. (We all remember the tragedy that was the massive Nexus 6.)
The Engadget Podcast Ep 37: Modern Things
On this episode senior editor Chris Velazco and social media manager Evan Rodgers join host Terrence O'Brien for the last ever video edition of The Engadget Podcast. From here on out the show is going audio only, which will allow the show to bring you a wider variety of guests from all over the country and the globe. But those aren't the only changes at the site. Engadget has a new editor chief and a renewed focus on doing what it does best: Bringing you the best and most important stories in tech. For example, on this week's show the panel discusses Facebook's ongoing problem with violent videos and livestreamed crimes. They'll even try to figure out who, ultimately, should be responsible for policing such content, if anyone. Then they'll dig deep... real deep on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. TL;DR: They're amazing phones that should be on your shortlist and might even make you forget about the Note 7 debacle.
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus review: Redemption is here
Last year's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were excellent phones, and so was the Galaxy Note 7... until it started bursting into flames. While some within Samsung were tasked with figuring out what happened and how to prevent it from happening again, others were trying to build a phone that would make people move on. Meet the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. The Note 7 won't disappear so easily from our collective memory, but I have to hand it to Samsung: The S8 siblings are impeccably built, thoughtfully designed devices. It's not hard to look at these smartphones as the first steps on a road to redemption, and after a week of testing, I can confidently say these are two of the best smartphones money can buy. I just wish its virtual assistant wasn't so half-baked.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 launch will happen without Bixby Voice
We're just days away from the launch of Samsung's latest flagship phones, but now the company says we'll have to wait for one of the highlight features of the Galaxy S8 / S8 Plus. While some features of its Bixby AI assistant, like Vision, Home and Reminder will be ready on April 21st, the company said in a statement that Bixby Voice will launch in the US "later this spring."
Here's the Galaxy S8+ you really want (but can't have)
It's only been one week since Samsung unveiled its new flagship phones, the Galaxy S8 and S8+, but there's already a beefier and better version on the way. A more powerful variant of the S8+ will offer 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, ETNews reports, but there's a catch -- it will only be available in South Korea and China (for now, anyway), and it will probably cost over one thousand dollars.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 34: Intergalactic
On this special all Samsung edition of the Engadget Podcast host Terrence O'Brien is joined by executive editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Chris Velazco. First all three will debate some of the most burning questions surrounding South Korea's biggest phone manufacturer. Should Samsung be using resources to build yet another virtual assistant? Is there anyone who wants to use their phone as a desktop? And, most importantly, can the Galaxy S8 save Samsung from itself? Then Chris Velazco will paint a picture of the event on the ground, before the crew dives deep on the finer point of the S8's design, interface and audio pedigree. Then, on The Wind Down, we discover that Dana failed to do her homework and Chris is contemplating picking up Dungeons & Dragons.
