Samsung has been maintaining utmost secrecy on its upcoming flagship, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 edge but so much has been leaked months ahead of its release. The device has attracted lots of interest following the debacle of Samsung's ambitious device, the Galaxy Note 7, and it is yet to be seen if it will meet the expectations of the people.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 edge are expected to come with several feature upgrades over their predecessors but people, who are on a look out for a new device, will be confused whether to wait for the upcoming next-generation handsets or buy the 2016 flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
[READ: Samsung Galaxy S8 - most powerful Android smartphone in the making?]
Well, we may not have to wait for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 edge for too long. The handsets may not arrive at the Mobile World Conference (MWC) like in the past but reports have claimed that they will come either in March or April. Interestingly, Twitter user @Ricciolo1 has even claimed that the devices would be offcially announced on March 29 and made available for purchase in week 17 of this year. He also went on to claim that that the handset would come with a price tag of $849 (around Rs 57847 / £680).
This means the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 edge are not far away, and propspective buyers have to wait for just a little more than two months before laying a land on it. Moreover, they are expected to have a significant upgrades, including unique features over their predecessors.
If reports are anything to go by, the upcoming flagship could have artificial intelligence (AI) assistant service, many see the company's acquisation of Viv Labs Inc, a startup founded by the creators of Apple's Siri, as a move towards that.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to come in two variants – one with a 5.1-inch curved Super AMOLED screen with 2K resolution, and the other with a 5.5-inch display and 4K screen resolution (806 ppi pixel density). Both the variants are expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, a 12MP S5K2L2 sensor and 13MP sensor main camera made by Sony, an 8MP front-snapper with autofocus feature, a 256GB internal memory, and a 6GB RAM. It is also reported that the device will come in two models, one with a 5.7-inch display and the other with a 6.2-inch screen.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 1,440x2,560 pixels (577 ppi pixel density), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, an Android 6.0 Marshmallow (upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat), a 32/64GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB via microSD card), and a 4GB RAM. It features a 12MP main camera with f/1.7 aperture, 26mm lens, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash, 1/2.5" sensor size and 1.4 µm pixel size, a 5MP front-snapper with f/1.7 aperture and 22mm lens, and a 3,600mAh battery.
The Galaxy S7 edge sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 1,440x2,560 pixels (534 ppi pixel density), and comes packed with a 32/64/128GB internal memory (expandable up to 256GB) and a 4GB RAM. The device shares other features like processor, operating system, camera and battery with its smaller sibling Galaxy S7.
So, should you buy the Galaxy S7/ S7 edge or wait for the Galaxy S8 and S8 edge?
Considering the time one has to wait for the release of the upcoming flagship (more than two months) and the kind of feature upgrades it is expected to have over its predecessors, it will be advisable to wait for the next big thing. But that doesn't mean the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are not worth its money. The fact is they are one of the best smartphones currently available in the market, and those who can't wait for two months should go for one of the variants without a second thought.
