The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the highly-anticipated next smartphone offering from the Korean tech conglomerate after officially ending the life of the (exploding) Galaxy Note 7 due to its faulty batteries. Because of the phablet’s worldwide recall debacle, expectations for the upcoming Galaxy S8 went even higher as the tech world roots for it to save Samsung’s tainted smartphone brand. And with the anticipated release of the Samsung Galaxy S8 quickly approaching, the rumor mill for the phone continues to churn out more of its plausible specs and features — with some of them possibly to be adopted from the canned Note 7.
The latest talk about the Galaxy S8’s specs noted that it will feature the iris recognition technology that debuted on the Galaxy Note 7. But according to Sam Mobile, citing a local Korean news website Naver, its iris recognition sensor will be faster than the one used by the phablet and will allow the Galaxy phone maker to launch Samsung Pass again, a feature also introduced first with the Note 7.
“Once the Galaxy S8 is launched with iris recognition technology, Samsung is said to re-engage with banks and financial institutions to launch the Samsung Pass service once again.”
The same report also mentioned that instead of a fingerprint sensor embedded under the Galaxy S8’s display (as previously rumored), the 2017 flag bearer is now expected to have a fingerprint scanner placed on its back.
“The reason cited is that in initial testing of the fingerprint sensor embedded in the display has proven inaccurate, and a dedicated sensor is still needed,” GSM Arena explained. If this specs rumor pans out, it would look similar to Google’s design for its Pixel smartphones where its fingerprint sensor technology is rear-mounted.
Samsung Galaxy S8’s display could also be similar to the one found on the Note 7. Earlier this week, Korean news site, ET News, revealed that the specs sheet for Samsung Galaxy S8 could also be equipped with the Note 7’s Y-OCTA display technology, which, according to Android Headlines, helped Samsung to “produce a thinner device and lower production costs.”
Aside from having a thinner phone, the Y-OCTA display technology could also allow for more advanced technologies to coexist in the smartphone. For instance, instead of using touch-sensitive films mostly used in a more conventional touchscreen displays, the Y-OCTA technology are integrating touch sensors. Describing the technology further, a separate report from GSM Arena noted the following.
“The Y-OCTA is a new manufacturing process that allows Samsung to cut display costs and thickness by embedding the touch sensors within the screen panel itself, instead of putting a touch layer between the panel and the protective glass. This way Samsung isn’t relying on another manufacturer to make the touch layer and the final display is thinner and produced entirely by Samsung.”
The Y-OCTA display could specifically head to the smaller variant of the Galaxy S8, as also mentioned in the report from GSM Arena . It noted that the 5.7-inch version of the 2017 flagship may feature Note 7’s display specs, which include not only the Y-OCTA technology but also the Super AMOLED panels with Quad HD resolution. Meanwhile, the purported bezel-less 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S8 model could showcase the formerly reported full RGB AMOLED panel as one of its specs highlights.
All these tidbits about the Galaxy S8 specs will continue to remain as rumors until the tech industry finally hears from Samsung or officially sees the device, which could happen early next year. Following Samsung’s release pattern for the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S8 is expected to have its grand debut in time for the Mobile World Congress 2017. Specific release details are currently pointing to a February 26 launch for the smartphone during an Unpacked event scheduled a day before MWC officially kicks off in Barcelona, Spain.
To further intensify your anticipation for the Galaxy S8’s release, below is a recent concept trailer posted on YouTube by Concept Creator .
[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]