110 Takeaways From My Early Use of Samsung’s Galaxy S8
As a longtime iPhone owner, I didn’t know what to expect when my new Samsung Galaxy S8+ arrived at my doorstep. I’m a longtime user of Apple products and have come to rely on the company’s hardware and software. Still, I found the Galaxy S8+’s appeal strong and its slate of features attractive. So, I preordered the device and it arrived days before its official April 21 launch date. Since then, I’ve been using the Galaxy S8+ and have been impressed. The handset’s design is outstanding, its screen is top-notch and battery life easily tops my iPhone’s. But there are still some annoyances and flaws I can’t quite get over. Thus, I’m not sure it’s a good value for everyone. Read on to learn about my good and bad experiences with the Samsung’s Galaxy S8.
2It Has a Design Like No Other
3The Beautiful Screen
4Bixby Is Neat
The lack of voice command support in Bixby is a disappointment, but not a deal breaker for me. When I aim my camera at a water bottle, Bixby helps me find it and order it on Amazon. And if I want to learn more about a bottle of wine, Bixby schools me. It’s not perfect—there are cases when it didn’t work—but in general, Bixby is an effective virtual personal assistant.
5The Software Is Quite Good
6What’s With All the Bloatware?
7Invest in a Case
8Battery Life Is Superb
9The Camera Is Quite Good
10Performance Is Outstanding
Samsung made a big deal about the Galaxy S8 and S8+ using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Now I understand why: The processor is exceedingly powerful and doesn’t suffer any slowdown when running resource-intensive apps. I compared app performance in the Galaxy S8+ with the iPhone 7 Plus, and Samsung won hands down.
11The Price Is Still Steep
The Galaxy S8+ is one of the better smartphones I’ve ever used. It has an outstanding design and impressive performance, and can handle even the most demanding apps. But at $850, it’s pricey. Most customers likely will get the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and save $100. Let’s hope next year Samsung brings prices down.