When you look at the 2015 Samsung Galaxy S6 in comparison to the 2014 Galaxy S5, you’ll agree that the former was indeed the beginning of a new era – an era that has given birth to the latest Samsung Galaxy S8.
When the Galaxy S6 came to life, many were quick to note that Samsung had become the serious contender in the smartphone industry that some were previously thinking it already was. For years, Apple had dominated the American smartphone market, but ever since the Korean tech giant changed its approach to design beginning with the S6 series, things have been a little bit rougher for Cupertino. In short, the S6 not only represented a complete departure from the designs that Samsung had been using on its previous flagships, but it also kicked off an era that has seen the tech giant become the leader in terms of innovative smartphone designs.
Just in case you didn’t know, Samsung Galaxy S6 came in three different variants. There was a flat version and a curved edge version of the 5.1-inch model and a bigger Galaxy S6 Edge+ with a 5.7-inch display screen, same as the Galaxy Note 5. In the same Galaxy S6 Edge and S6 Edge+, the company had the first dual-edge curved display phones on the market. From the results, it showed that many Sammy fans preferred the Edge variants to the flat variant.
Since this was only the first attempt, the company did another test with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, where the latter also outsold the former. With these satisfying results, the Korean tech giant finally decided to ditch the flatscreen version in favor of dual-edge curved display panels on both variants of the Galaxy S8.
While the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were not major upgrades over the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in terms of design, the same cannot be said about the move from the Galaxy S6 to the Galaxy S8. After a long period with the Galaxy S6 Edge as my daily driver, I’d say the new S8 is something else compared to this 2015 beauty. Of course, the S6 Edge is still a perfect phone as a daily driver, but the S8 takes the whole experience to a new level.
From the word go, your eyes will enjoy the sight of the Galaxy S8. The phone is a real beauty to look at and this feeling is further elevated when you hold the phone in your hand. It’s one thing seeing the Galaxy S8 in photos and videos and it’s totally a different thing having it in your hand. The phone might look big in photos, but in real life, handling it is really comfortable.
For anyone moving from a Samsung Galaxy S6, you’ll feel the real change when you move to the Galaxy S8. The phone feels more premium and a lot more comfortable than I’d imagine, especially with its monstrous 5.8-inch display screen (yes, am not a fan of big screens due to the physical size, but you’ll love what Samsung did to the S8’s design). The Infinity Display on the Galaxy S8 makes the phone a real beast and basically unbeatable in this department.
Other than the massive display that in itself is just as beautiful as the entire phone, you’ll fall in love with the curves on the phone’s edges. Unlike the metal frame on the Galaxy S6 that can easily be felt, the metallic frame on the S8 runs smoothly around the phone, making it feel as comfortable as possible when holding in your hand, even for a long time. In short, the Galaxy S8 has the best design that you can think of when looking at premium smartphones and it’ll be hard to beat, even beyond this year.
Being two years apart, the Galaxy S8 is obviously more powerful, faster, more power efficient, has a better camera and runs on much smoother software than the Galaxy S6. There are newer security features on the phone and in terms of browsing speeds, Bluetooth connectivity and productivity; you’ll enjoy the Galaxy S8 more than the S6 or even the S7. But for all these new design, features and specs, you’ll also have to pay a premium price of about $750 for the unlocked version.
From this side of the table, the Galaxy S8 is the best phone that Samsung has made so far. When you look at the design changes that have come in from the time the Galaxy S6 set foot into the world, you’ll agree that the Korean tech giant is more mature in this game than any other smartphone OEM. If anything, Samsung has just set new standards in the premium smartphone world, especially on matters of design.
Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments section below.