Hi guys, it's MTG here, and today I am going to be talking about the Galaxy S8 plus.
Initially, I was blown away by it's unique, almost bezel-less design, but having used
it for 4 months now, is it still the phone to buy?
Should you wait for the iPhone 8 or Note 8?
Well hopefully this video will help you answer those questions.
This is my Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Review: After the hype.
Phones are a major purchase nowadays.
You are probably locked in for around two years if you buy the phone on contract.
What this means is that you have to be sure that what you choose will pass the test of
time.
Hopefully, this video will help you make a decision on whether to pull the trigger on
the now aging Galaxy S8.
This phone is just as eye-catching as it was the first day I got it.
The 6.2 inch WQHD+ display makes anything on the screen appear fantastic.
The bright, super AMOLED panel makes the screen visible even on the sunniest of days.
Although there isn't much content shot in the 21:9 aspect ratio, the seamless transition
from bezel to screen doesn't make 16 by 9 content appear out of place.
And if you actually come across those videos that have the 21:9 aspect ratio, the content
simply pops and looks amazing.
I do not think there will be a phone released anytime soon that will make the S8's screen
look old or outdated the way the S8's screen did to the other manufacturer's screens.
Aside from the screen quality, the phone got through everything that I have thrown at it
so far without hiccups.
Samsung's skin, Touchwiz, is also leaps and bounds better than it has been on previous
Galaxy phones.
I haven't had to install a separate launcher because of how clean the new user interface
looks, and Touchwiz is no longer one of the drawbacks of owning a Samsung phone.
I'm not going to sit here and say that the Galaxy S8's camera is hands down the best
camera on a phone to date because there are many factors that go into that and different
camera sensors have different pluses and drawbacks.
When it comes to the S8's on board cameras, the pictures produced simply look fantastic.
The 12 megapixel shooter on the back is the same as the previous galaxy phones, but the
sensor was inarguably one of the best of 2016, and continues to be one of the best cameras
on a phone to date.
The 8 megapixel front camera is improved from the previous generation in terms of its ability
to capture pretty good pictures even in low light.
The S8's camera competes with the best of the best of smartphone cameras to date, and
in my opinion you'll still be very satisfied with the on board camera sensor two years
from now.
The battery life has been decent.
My phone will make it through a long day of moderate to heavy use leaving me with about
10-15% charge in the late afternoon.
But the main plusses in regards to the phone's battery, are its charging features.
I have the Samsung fast wireless charging stand, and can sit it there when I'm doing
work, and it keeps my phone charged while the Always on Display shows my notifications.
When I don’t use the wireless charging, the fast charging technology will let me comfortably
make It through the rest of the day with just thirty minutes of charging.
Water and dust resistance, to me, is a must have feature on any flagship phone in the
future.
It's cool that I'm able to wash my phone off when it gets dirty, and it gives me piece
of mind when taking my phone near the pool or to the beach.
Water and dust resistance is one of those features that you didn't know you needed until
an accident happens and your phone dies for good.
Another feature that I see as a must have for future flagships is expandable storage.
The S8s have micro-sd card slots that live in the same tray as the sim card and could
potentially increase the onboard storage of 64 gigabytes by another 256 gigs.
So their isn't any worry about reaching your phone's maximum storage.
Yes, I still stand by my claim that the 21:9 aspect ratio, along with the almost no bezel
design, looks amazing.
However, there frankly isn't enough content out yet that takes advantage of such an aspect
ratio.
Yes, more content will show on a facebook, twitter, or instagram feed and that’s great,
but pictures and videos simply do not use this aspect ratio.
Most pictures are shot in the 4 by 3 aspect ratio, and virtually every video is shot in
16 by 9.
So yes, the screen looks really nice, but their isn't really much functional use to
it.
Also, I have pretty big hands, and I still have trouble reaching the top of the screen,
and find myself using multiple hands to press menu buttons (youtube/bleacher report)
The speaker on the phone is not placed well, and is not very loud at all.
It doesn't take much to completely mute the phone just by holding it in a very natural
way.
For such a big, high resolution screen, it's unfortunate that it's impossible to get quality
audio from the phone.
The fingerprint sensor placement has gotten a lot of attention, and rightfully so.
I can reach it, and have gotten used to it, but I can see how someone with smaller hands
will get frustrated reaching for that sensor every time.
Also, Samsung has made the phone very streamlined by eliminating the camera hump, but this has
made it almost impossible to distinguish between the heart rate sensor, camera, and fingerprint
sensor when trying to unlock the phone without a case.
There may have been a technical reason as to why Samsung put the sensor so high, but
I just wish there could have been a better placement.
This phone still has the most unique design of any phone made to date, but it is definitely
not perfect.
Whether I'd recommend this phone for purchase depends on how much you value having the best
flagship features, and how much you value having a phone that continues to turn heads
when you pull it out.
If you don't care about these things, there are other great phones out there for less
money that would still be great buys.
But if you do value those top of the line features, and love having the latest and greatest,
this phone is the phone to buy.
At the time of this video, Best Buy, Amazon and Samsung are giving great discounts of
up to $300 off, making this phone an excellent purchase even if you choose a two year contract.
Yes, the Note 8 is right around the corner, but an S8 that will cost you about one to
three or even four hundred dollars less may be the more realistic choice.
The S8 is a phone that looks beautiful, but also packs all of the features you'd want
to have in a future flagship:
If you liked the video, please give this video a thumbs up. I''m working on a lot of new stuff right now, so to stay updated, click the logo down below to subscribe
If you want a behind the scenes look at what I'm up to, check the description for a link to my Twitter account.
And again, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video