The official specification sheet for the Samsung Galaxy S8+ has been leaked online – and it’s going to be a monster. According to the reports, the next flagship from Samsung will boast a 6.2-inch screen. To put that in perspective, the monolithic Samsung Galaxy Note7’s display was 5.7 inches. They say size matters, but is there such a thing as “too big”?
We don’t normally report on tech rumours on Lifehacker – our friends at Gizmodo already have that beat stitched up – but the below spec sheet leaked by mobile reporter Evan Blass is considered rock-solid.
Samsung Galaxy S8+ spec sheet. Impress your friends, confound your enemies…with knowledge. pic.twitter.com/lHrHge8BUa
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 22, 2017
As you can see, the Galaxy S8+ will reportedly boast a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display which is frankly ludicrous. Phone manufacturers have stopped trying to make customers say “phablet” but if ever a product deserved that moniker it’s this one.
Other noteworthy specs include a Quad HD+ display that trumps Samsung’s existing AMOLED panels on paper, AKG-tuned headphones and the welcome return of microSD support. (Samsung disastrously removed external storage from the S6, only to sheepishly reinstate it in the S7.) If Blass can be believed, the phone will also be the first to ship with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip.
Otherwise, this looks to be a gentle evolution of the S7 and Note7: samey features include a 12-megapixel camera, a dust- and waterproof chassis, wireless charging and Samsung Pay support. One thing the leaked spec sheet does not mention is battery, which we’re keen to find out about. Given Samsung’s recent, spectacular troubles with battery technologies, it will be interesting to see whether the S8’s engineers push the envelope or play it safe.
It looks good on paper, but we can’t stop looking at those sprawling dimensions. Does the world really need a 6.2-inch phone screen? Will you still be able to slip it in your pocket and text with one hand?
I remember the days when a mobile phone’s worth was determined by how small it was, leading to impractically tiny units that looked like doll’s toys. Today, we have the opposite problem.
To make this new phone a winner with the mainstream, Samsung will need to keep the dimensions roughly in line with the Note7. This could be achieved by shaving millimeters off the bezel. Of course, the trade-off to this solution is a phone you can’t hold without leaving ugly fingerprints on the screen.
We’ll reserve judgement until we see the Samsung Galaxy S8+ in the flesh. All is likely to be revealed at Mobile World Congress starting on 27 February.
We’re keen to hear what you guys think: is a 6.2-inch phone screen going too far, or do you love the idea of a miniature tablet that you sometimes talk into? How much bigger do you think phones can get? Share your opinions in the comments!
Comments
5 responses to “Is Samsung’s Galaxy S8+ Going To Be Too Big?”
Well there is a reason there is the normal puny hands one.
Not all people have tiny hands (or think a tablet PC is heavy). Looking forward to a unit this size. My pockets won’t have a problem.
My wife has tiny hands but she will be upgrading from Note 4 to this asap.
She actually wanted a 7in+ but cannot find a decent one.
phnarr phnarr
The bigger phones, the better phones for Samsung.
P.S. Because Samsung has been trying to make slimmer phones and squeezing batteries which led them to burn those batteries into fires.