10 Galaxy S8 Features to Help Samsung Restore Its Mobile Market Cred

2016 was a tough year for Samsung, as it struggles to rebound from faulty hardware issues causing devices to explode. Can the Galaxy S8 help it move forward?

Samsung is expected to deliver a high-resolution, quad-HD screen in the Galaxy S8. In addition, rumors suggest that Samsung wants to boost its screen sizes for two Galaxy S8 models. The first would measure 5.5 inches, while the other could be as large as 6.2 inches. That would be a notable jump from the 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 models Samsung currently offers.

Samsung hopes to offer the most power of any company on the market next year, according to reports. The Galaxy S8 is likely to come with a top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon chip in some markets. In others, the company will offer its top Exynos chip, rumors suggest. Either way, the Galaxy S8 likely will be far more powerful than any smartphone available now.

Although Samsung will be offering big changes under the hood, there aren’t too many modifications to its design expected. Rather, Samsung is expected to deliver a similar look and feel to the current Galaxy S7 line, including a curved screen in its edge model. Since the Galaxy S7’s design was generally well-received, that’s probably a good move.

Now that Samsung owns Viv Labs, the company is reportedly planning to include an artificial intelligence (AI) button on the side of the Galaxy S8. When users tap that button, they’ll be given direct access to a virtual personal assistant powered by the Viv Labs technology. It’s unknown how the assistant might work; however, Viv’s technology is highly regarded in the AI market.

The Galaxy S8’s Home Button might be in a different spot than previous Samsung models, representing the single notable design change in the device. If that happens, look for the Home Button to be placed under the screen’s glass. Users would interact with it by pressing on the device’s display. It’s a feature that reportedly is also coming to the next iPhone, which also is expected to be released next year.

Samsung is said to have big plans for the Galaxy S8’s cameras. On the back, the company likely will deliver a dual-lens camera that could offer up to 30 megapixels with improved aperture and zoom performance. On the front, Samsung is planning an update that reports say would make it an ideal device for taking “selfie” photographs. Ultimately, Samsung is hoping to top Google and deliver the smartphone market’s best camera, according to reports.

No surprise here, but look for Samsung’s Galaxy S8 to come with Nougat, the latest version of Android. While the operating system will deliver all the security productivity fixes users will find in a standard Nougat build, Samsung also will offer an improvement to its Android skin and bundle some of its own applications, rumors say.

Samsung is said to be investing heavily in virtual reality (VR) and will support it in full with the Galaxy S8. Out of the box, the device almost undoubtedly will work with the company’s Gear VR and all the VR apps one would expect to find on an Android device. More recently, rumors have suggested that the smartphone also might support Google’s Daydream VR platform. It would be one of the few handsets so far that supports Google’s service.

Although it’s the battery that got the Galaxy Note 7 in trouble, Samsung won’t back down with the Galaxy S8, according to reports. Instead, Samsung reportedly will offer a 4200mAh battery in the device, which could make the Galaxy S8 last much longer than a day on a single charge. The device also is expected to offer USB-C for faster charging.

Samsung will likely announce the new Galaxy S8 in April and start selling the handset soon after. While pricing has not been announced, several rumors suggest the device could be exceedingly expensive—a little less than $1,000 for the higher-end models.