Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the company’s first flagship phones since the Note 7 debacle in 2016 threatened to sink its brand in the eyes of the public.
The new phones’ most eye-catching feature is an almost completely bezel-free display, running the full width of the device, even curving around the edge (akin to the screen on Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge), and shrinking the chin and forehead of the front screen to tiny slivers. Samsung’s calls this the “infinity display”, and even the home button has been removed, replaced with a pressure-sensitive section at the bottom of the screen.
aunching on 28 April (though pre-order customers will receive theirs a week early), the Galaxy S8 will retail at $750 and the S8+ at $900. Those prices are $20 and $50 cheaper than the respective iPhone models Samsung is competing with, but leave the S8 $120 more than the S7 and the S8+ $150 more expensive than the S7 Edge. Two colours will hit Britain, “Midnight Black” and “Orchid Grey”, and Samsung is still decided whether to launch a third colour, “Arctic Silver”.
The release comes at a crucial time for Samsung. Following the Note 7 disaster, which saw devices recalled after a number spontaneously caught fire, the company embarked on a period of retrenchment, releasing adverts trumpeting its reputation for safety and attempting to limit the wider damage to its brand.
