Samsung unveils replacement for the exploding Note 7s: Galaxy S8 comes with Bixby personal assistant and a massive 5.8-inch curved 'infinity' screen that unlocks just by looking at it

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After months of leaks and countless rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has been officially unveiled. 

Samsung hopes the phone will help it make a comeback after its Note 7 exploding phone fiasco last year, which cost it $3 billion (£2.4 million) in lost profit.

The eagerly-awaited iPhone rival features a radical redesign to allow a massive 5.8-inch screen to be squeezed in to a device with a relatively small footprint.

The device is one of two new phones with the S8 landing alongside the even larger 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S8+.

Both feature facial recognition technology that allows users to unlock the phone with their face, and a Bixby 'personal assistant' button.

They are available for preorder on March 30th and will be shipping on April 21st, with full retail prices starting from $750 (£689) for the S8 and $850 (£779) for the S8+.

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Samsung's eagerly anticipated iPhone rival the Galaxy S8 (left) and Samsung Galaxy S8+ (right) were launched at joint events in New York and London today. Both devices are sure to turn heads thanks to their curved edged displays 

Both devices have a curved edged display that dominates the face of the phone.

The screen extends up and down to cover nearly the entire face of the phone, curving around the left and right edges to form what Samsung is calling the 'infinity display'.

They have also moved to longer, more film-friendly 18.5:9 aspect ratios.

They feature sharp 2960 x 1440 pixel resolutions enhanced by high dynamic range content support - described by Samsung as 'the next big thing in video technology.'

This highlights the contrast between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks. 

Given the size difference, the smaller S8 offers a slightly sharper image, with its 570 pixels-per-inch image density lining up marginally crisper than the S8+'s 529ppi display.

The S8+'s 6.2-inch screen is fit into a body no bigger than Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

'For the last 10 years phones have been constrained and confined by their dimension and design,' said Rory O'Neill, Samsung's Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing.

'We as consumers have looked for more content, for gaming, for viewing content, for browsing, and as manufacturers, the only solution for that was to make bigger and bigger devices, because if you make a bigger screen, you make a bigger device.'

Speaking to MailOnline, he added: 'What we wanted to do with the phones we're announcing, is challenge that philosophy of if you have to make a bigger screen, you have to make a bigger device.

THE EXPLODING PHONE FIASCO 

Samsung was forced to abandon its premium Galaxy Note 7, originally intended to compete with Apple's iPhone, after a chaotic recall that saw replacement devices also catching fire.

The debacle cost the South Korean company billions of dollars in lost profit and hammered its global reputation and credibility, during a torrid period when it has also been embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Its vice-chairman Lee Jae-Yong, heir to the parent Samsung group, has since been arrested and indicted for bribery, along with four other senior executives, in connection with a graft scandal that saw ex-president Park Geun-Hye impeached.

Samsung blamed the Galaxy Note 7 crisis on faulty batteries from two different suppliers after numerous handsets caught fire.

The company apologised to consumers for causing concern and was forced to postpone the S8 launch.

In total 3.1 million smartphones were recalled as authorities in the US and elsewhere banned them from use on planes and even from being placed in checked luggage.

The company later embarked on a campaign to restore its battered reputation, issuing repeated apologies and putting full-page advertisements in US newspapers, admitting it 'fell short' on its promises.

Samsung says it has also come up with elaborate step-by-step safety verification procedures for future products to prevent similar disasters. 

 

Samsung was forced to abandon its premium Galaxy Note 7, originally intended to compete with Apple's iPhone, after a chaotic recall that saw replacement devices also catching fire 

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The phone's screen extends up and down to cover nearly the entire face of the phone, curving around the left and right edges to form what Samsung is calling the 'infinity display'

For the security conscious, Samsung has fitted the S8 with impressive face tracking technology. Holding the phone's front camera up to see you will let it determine whether or not you're an authorised user and unlock without having to press a button or enter a pin code

SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 SPECS

Samsung is hoping that it's new high spec flagship can take on the iPhone

Processor: Exynos Octa core (2.3GHz quad + 1.7GHz quad) 10nm SoC

Screen: 5.8-inch Quad HD+, 2960 x 1440p, 570ppi

Wireless: LTE Cat 16

Primary Camera: 12-megapixel, f/1.7, OIS

Front-facing Camera: 8-megapixel, f/1.7, AF

Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM

Storage: 64GB, microSD expansion to 256GB

Battery: 3,000mAh

Dimensions: 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0mm, 155g

OS: Android 7.0

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, NFC, GPS, Galileo, Glonass 

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'The Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch screen, but when you hold it, you'll see it doesn't feel anywhere near as big as that.

'That's because we've actually pushed the screen to the very edge of the phone's design.'

As well as a more screen-heavy look, the 8.0mm thick Galaxy S8 features a design that is IP68 certified, meaning its water and dust resistant.

The phone, which is capable of surviving being submerged in 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.

With the phones having lost the physical home buttons of their predecessors, Samsung has fitted a pressure sensitive home button under the lower portion of the screen.

The device's fingerprint scanner has been relocated to the back.

The phone features a new 8-megapixel front-facing camera (left) that will be perfect for selfie lovers and the main camera on the rear (right) has been enhanced by multi-frame image processing

For the security conscious, Samsung has also fitted the S8 with impressive face tracking technology.

Holding the phone's front camera up to see you will let it determine whether or not you're an authorised user and, if you are, automatically unlock without you having to press a button or enter a pin code.

The phone's camera scans the user's irises - the coloured part of their eye - to unlock the phone. Samsung says that no two irises have the same pattern.

And this isn't the only camera trick the S8 has up its sleeve.

The phone's camera scans the user's irises - the coloured part of their eye - to unlock the phone. Samsung says that no two irises have the same pattern

The phone features the same 12-megapixel camera as last year's Galaxy S7, with a low-light specialising f/1.7 aperture lens.

This year, however, the camera - which features optical image stabilisation for smoother shots - has been enhanced by multi-frame image processing.

Taking three images for every one photo added to your picture gallery, this feature uses the additional two images to reduce blurring and enhance the clarity and sharpness of the main shot.

Beneath the surface, the phone is powered by the world's first 10nm mobile chipset, an octa-core Exynos offering

It's backed up by a new 8-megapixel front-facing camera ideal for selfie lovers thanks to its own integrated auto focus and an f/1.7 aperture lens that should offer impressive results in low light.

Beneath the surface, the phone is powered by the world's first 10 nanometre mobile chipset, an octa-core Exynos offering.

This is enhanced by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded via microSD card up to 256GB.

Powered by Google's latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS, the Galaxy S8 is finished with a new, sleeker Samsung user interface.

Samsung claims that the S8's new digital assistant Bixby can help with shopping and other tasks. Users can simply point the camera at an item they want to search for

This new software skin plays host to the company's new Siri-rivalling digital assistant, Bixby.

The voice assistant, which is triggered by pressing a dedicated button on the phone's left side, is a contextually aware AI service designed to make using your phone easier to use.

It can allow users to perform tasks, such as creating image galleries, making searches or activating certain settings using nothing but their voice.

'One of the most common things you do on your phone is call someone, but it takes four or five steps,' a Samsung spokesperson said.

HANDS ON WITH THE GALAXY S8 

Reporter Luke Johnson got his hands on a pre-release handset, courtesy of Samsung, and put the device through its paces

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the most eagerly awaited gadgets of all time.

Having recently spent a couple of hours with the iPhone rival ahead of launch, it's clear to see why. 

On first use, the Galaxy S8 isn't just one of the best phones in the world right now, it's one of the best phones of all time.

Its minimalist design and near edge-to-edge display are a futuristic joy and will likely pave the way for the next generation of smartphones. 

The S8 is about a whole lot more than a look though.

It's a device that perfectly blends together the best of everything. 

A camera that's unrivalled in low-light, a processor with more power than you're ever likely to need and a new UX that's finally ready to rival the iPhone.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 isn't smartphone, it's a superphone, and we can't wait to spend more time with it.

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Powered by Google's latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS, the Galaxy S8 is finished with a new, sleeker Samsung user interface

'Using facial recognition and the Bixby button, you can hold your phone up and say 'call such and such', and that's it.'

Disappointingly, Bixby will not be fully supported in the UK at launch, with Samsung instead bringing day one support to users in the US and its native South Korea.

UK compatibility is on the cards though, with the feature to be added soon according to the manufacturer.

'I can't tell you when, but we're making it a priority for the future,' a Samsung spokesperson told us.

With other languages supported at launch, they added: 'If you have pronunciation like an American, you should be able to use it.'

Both the S8 and S8+ have moved to longer, more film-friendly 18.5:9 aspect ratios, and feature sharp 2960 x 1440 resolution

Screen size aside, the only difference between the Galaxy S8 and the S8+, is the capacity of their batteries.

While the Galaxy S8 plays host to a 3,000mAh battery that should see the phone cruise through a full day's use, the S8+ runs a larger 3,500mAh power supply.

These batteries support both wireless and quick charging abilities when paired with the relevant charging accessories.

Other accessories available for the new phone include the new Samsung Dex docking station.

This innovative device lets you connect the phone to a computer monitor as well as a wireless keyboard and mouse to use it as a PC replacement.

Once docked, it transforms your Android OS into a desktop software, with the phone even capable of powering a Windows 10 remote work platform through Amazon Services.

Accessories available for the new phone include the new Samsung Dex docking station. This innovative device lets you connect the phone to a computer monitor as well as a wireless keyboard and mouse to use it as a PC replacement

Samsung will be hoping that these batteries avoid the same catastrophic faults as those that caused last year's Galaxy Note 7 to burst into flames.

The fault resulted in not one, but two global recalls of the phone and damaged the Korean manufacturer's reputation.

However, despite the formal confirmation, it's believed that you should be able to expect the phone to hit retailers' shelves within a matter of weeks.

When it does launch, the phone will be available in a variety of colours, with Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, and Arctic Silver models.

Although the S8 took pride of place during Samsung's Unpacked event, it wasn't the only new device on display.

The new Samsung Gear 360 camera lets you capture 360-degree videos that can then be played back in immersive glory using a virtual reality headset

The Korean manufacturer also unveiled a brand new, S8-friendly Gear VR headset that will come equipped with its own handheld controller.

This was followed up by a new Samsung Gear 360 camera.

As its name suggests, this compact camera lets you capture 360-degree videos that can then be played back in immersive glory using a virtual reality headset.

Building on last year's original model, the new Gear 360 offers Real 4K 360 video recording for the first time.

The device, which is smaller, slimmer and easier to hold than the original, is also capable of capturing social 360 live broadcasts. 

Samsung's Gear VR and Gear 360 will often users multiple ways to change how they use their phone. The phone will slip directly into the VR headset (centre right), which comes with its own handheld controller (right)