Galaxy S8 - one week in

[red-beard]

I'm a week in to using my new Samsung Galaxy S8 and here are my comments:

Wow, the battery life is amazing. It dropped to 71% after 12 hours. At this rate, I should have over 40 hours. And I made calls, checked mail, etc, all day long today.

Screen is amazing. The color rage is outstanding. OLED is definitely the way to go. The edge to edge screen is excellent. The shape seemed different, but I'm used to it just fine. The only issue, in screen "off" mode, you have to tap the icon twice to get the screen to turn back on.

I like the screen off mode which shows the time and basic indicators.

Touchwiz - probably the least intrusive version so far. It is the same as my S6, after it updated to Nougat. A few applications are different.

The curved "edge" screen. It takes a little getting used to. I have not yet setup anything for the edges.

CPU is fast! No delay on any operations.

Bixby - Not sure why people are saying bad things about it. So far, it works better than Google Voice and S-Voice.

Camera - It is much better than the S6, which was excellent.

USB - C - I love it! A USB 3 connector and the thing is reversible! No plugging it in the wrong way. On the other hand, I've had to order a bunch of USB-C cables for the car, table charger, etc.

Wireless charger - it works with the one I had for my S6. I understand, the newer version it charges much faster.

Speaking of charging, the new standard cable charger is FAST. If you buy an extra, spend the bucks and get one direct from Samsung. Everything on Amazon and Ebay are fake!

[Jims5543]

Samsung makes a remarkable phone.

Over the years I went from a S3 to an S5 Active to now an S7 active and as of right now, have no desire to upgrade at all. I love the S7 Active and I have dropped it, gotten it soaked, generally beat the crap out of it and it keeps on going like new.

Good to know the S8 is another step in the right direction. I do not have battery life like that, I can go 18 hours off charger on a typical day and still have 30-40% battery when I plug it in at night. I am a heavy user though. Maps, weather and email get used a lot all day long.

Thanks for the review. again, glad to know they improved them further.

[red-beard]

Between my Gear S2 and the S8, I see where they are going. Watch (or some small wearable) with voice response for 70-80% of what you need. Then a "pad" for everything else. If the watch had a private mode, they would be there.

[sc_rufctr]

I've had a Galaxy S8 for about 6 weeks and so far it's been great. Before that I had an iPhone 6+ that didn't skip a beat in two years.
My son now has the 6+ and the battery still holds a decent charge.

[WPOZZZ]

I miss my Note 7. And I still have not received my credit from Samsung.

[red-beard]

Part of the reason for up grading was battery life. My S6 was getting only about 12 to 16 hours.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

I miss my Note 7. And I still have not received my credit from Samsung.

They are supposed to be refurbishing the note 7.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I really like the Samsung hardware, and they are more innovative than Apple. But damn I hate the Android OS....

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I really like the Samsung hardware, and they are more innovative than Apple. But damn I hate the Android OS....

For me, I can't stand Apple's iOS. I need access to the file system and network drives.

I went iphone 7 plus last fall from a string of droids. Wish to hell I had it to do over.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

I went iphone 7 plus last fall from a string of droids. Wish to hell I had it to do over.

I did that with the iPhone 4S. I ended up giving it to my sister in-law and bought a Galaxy S4.

[rusnak]

My problem is that Samsung always has sort of an anime look to the graphics, like the packaging for Japanese candy.

[red-beard]

Three weeks in:

Battery life is EXCELLENT. It calculates more than 36 hours with normal usage. Since this morning, 9.5 hours and the battery is at 75%.

Bixby: It sucks! It cannot understand O'Brien. It thinks the O is a middle initial...Google Voice works much better.

"edge" screen: I'm still not using it for anything, doesn't do anything for me. I could do without it. I bought a screen protector and because of the edge screen, it didn't actually fit that well and made the touch screen not operable in the corners.

Bluetooth: seems a little weaker than the S6. OTOH, it friggen works with the BMW, which the S6 with Nougat would not. Wife wants an upgrade, since BMW is hers...

Overall, very happy with decision.

[Baz]

Don't mean to hijack your thread, James, but for all you smart phone users.....I have an LG K3 android and when I am checking my voice mail...right about the time it asks me to press a number....the screen goes dark....I have to tap on it a few times to get the screen back so I can press a number (1 to get my voice mail, 7 to delete, 9 to save message, etc.). Damn thing always goes dark on me. I have the screen time set for 15 minutes so it can't be that setting. I have also calibrated the screen several times (when you set it down laying flat). Looked through all the settings and can't find anything to adjust. Crazy and frustrating. Any thoughts are welcome!

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I really like the Samsung hardware, and they are more innovative than Apple. But damn I hate the Android OS....

Exactly. I had an android phone for about 6 months for work, and while o made peace with it, I never liked it. As soon as an iPhone was an option, I jumped on it.

[red-beard]

And Sid, I'm the exact opposite. I can't stand the restrictions of iOS.

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Three weeks in:

Battery life is EXCELLENT. It calculates more than 36 hours with normal usage. Since this morning, 9.5 hours and the battery is at 75%.

Bixby: It sucks! It cannot understand O'Brien. It thinks the O is a middle initial...Google Voice works much better.

"edge" screen: I'm still not using it for anything, doesn't do anything for me. I could do without it. I bought a screen protector and because of the edge screen, it didn't actually fit that well and made the touch screen not operable in the corners.

Bluetooth: seems a little weaker than the S6. OTOH, it friggen works with the BMW, which the S6 with Nougat would not. Wife wants an upgrade, since BMW is hers...

Overall, very happy with decision.

I use the edge screens for notifications, and if you lay it down on its face, when you have a call come in, the edge lights up to notify you.

[red-beard]

I wear a Gear S2, so that feature is not needed.

[rattlsnak]

I like Apple products because of the inter connectivity of all their devices. For example, I can open a web page on my phone and then lay it down and pick up my iPad and pick up right where I left off, or picture sharing, calendars, etc.. But i cannot stand MacBooks and need a PC/Laptop to do most of my work so i understand some of your points on the differences between the two products, but why is it everytime I interact with someone who has a Galaxy and youre standing right in front of them that it always takes them {10} minutes longer to do a task than it does with someone on an iPhone? Send me a text......., Send me a contact.... Show me a picture..... Always takes what seems to be 10x longer !!! The iPhones are definitely more user friendly!!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by red-beard

And Sid, I'm the exact opposite. I can't stand the restrictions of iOS.

I think that's the point of demarcation. I don't care to tinker or change, I just want the damn thing to work. Some like the flexibility of Android, some like the simplicity of iOS.