Galaxy S8 Latest Rumors: What Specs Will Samsung's New 2017 Phone Offer?

Samsung is shifting its attention towards releasing its next generation S series flagship phone, the Galaxy S8 which is coming out in 2017. According to TechCrunch reports, the 2016 Galaxy Note 7 phablet’s double recall has the South Korean electronics giant looking for a turnaround in finances. Samsung has a lot of pressure on its shoulders at the moment as it scrambles retain its loyal customers following one of the biggest consumer electronics PR disasters of this era. This, as Samsung is still trying to pinpoint the exact cause of its Galaxy Note 7’s random spontaneous combustions.

Meanwhile, Samsung is collaborating with U.S. wireless carriers to persuade stubborn Note series loyalists to trade in their Note 7 for a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Samsung vice president, Lee Kyeong-tae confirms that the next S series flagship will feature loads of enhancements. Not only will the forthcoming handset boast an all new design, it will also have a better camera as well as what Lee calls “an enhanced artificial intelligence service.” Speculation is that Samsung’s recent acquisition of AI and assistant system, Viv which was cofounded by the maker of Apple’s Siri could be linked to this new feature. If so, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be a major contender against Google’s Pixel phone which is also equipped with its own virtual helper, Google Assistant.

Rumors and leaks surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S8 suggest that the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature some major hardware changes. SamMobile reports that the new Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship phone is expected to feature an optical fingerprint scanner. This tidbit of information comes from the Chinese microblog Weibo and if true will be the first of its kind to debut this kind of technology.

This state-of-the art security enhancement feature will incorporate an all new design that will bring faster and more accurate fingerprint recognition. Traditionally, Samsung places the fingerprint scanner under the home button of the phone, as found in its current Galaxy S7 flagship phone. If Samsung employs an optical fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S8, it will eliminate the under the home button location method. The alleged new design will require the S8 owner to place their finger on the phone’s glass display for recognition.

Another bit of tea that’s keeping the timbers in the rumor mill burning are reports out of China that claim the Galaxy S8 will feature a new Ultra HD display design. For a true full screen user experience, potential Galaxy S8 owners could be looking at a screen with curves along top and bottom edges. Could this rumor be true, it would come as no surprise since Sammy’s screen edges have been getting curvier since the Galaxy S6.

Other interesting Galaxy S8 rumors making rounds is the possible return of a removable battery as well as the removal of a physical home button. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S7, the S8 is expected to be offered in two 4K display models, one sporting a 5.1-inch screen, the other --a 5.5-incher. Powering both phones will likely be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 830 chip in the US and Samsung's own Exynos 8895 processor across other regions of the globe.

So when is the Samsung Galaxy S8 coming out? As far as an official Galaxy S8 release date goes, that remains a mystery. Samsung already shot down rumors that it plans on launching the device earlier than originally scheduled. Should Samsung follow tradition, it’s likely that the new phone will be announced on February 26 just ahead of the upcoming Mobile World Congress event, MWC17.