Samsung Galaxy S8 Launch Event

On Wednesday May 10th 2017, Samsung officially launched the 8th generation of its popular Galaxy line of Smartphones, the S8 and S8+.

The event took place at the fancy OCIEL Dbayeh, an open air by the sea venue, where the exclusive list of invitees got the chance to have an up-close and personal relation with the devices, in addition to a variety of other products and accessories made available by Samsung alongside the S8, like the new Gear VR, DeX and the latest Gear 360 Camera.

Ociel Dbayeh

The new smartphones are chic, elegant and definitely forward thinking, with a design so futuristic, that any other smartphone on the market right now would feel so outdated in comparison.

The Galaxy S8+ is simply awesome

Gear 360 Camera

The new Wireless Charger

The glamour of the S8 series doesn't stop at its immaculate fit and finish, but goes an extra mile to prove that these smartphones are true powerhouses, equipped with the latest processor, display, iris scanner and others, strongly positioning this Galaxy as one of the most compelling smartphones the market offers.

The fingerprint scanner found a new home on the back of the device

Can I Take a selfie with you?!

The hands-on was followed by a seated dinner, during which several speakers introduced the new S8, among whom were John An, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics Levant Lebanon branch, Eddy Cherfane, CEO of AC Holding, as well as several renowned speakers highlighting the advantages and features of these new bad boys.

At the end of this spectacular event, Samsung made sure that all the invitees left with an extra smile by receiving their Level U and Level U pro earphones as giveaways, for that casual taste of high quality wireless audio.

Level U Pro

The night was among the most refined and well organized events for a smartphone launch in Lebanon to date, marking the beginning of a new exciting era of devices from non other than the biggest global smartphone manufacturer, Samsung!

Samsung, we can't wait for what's next!

The Galaxy is brightest at "8"

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review

Mobile phones have drastically advanced over the past few years from using them to just make calls, into mini mobile computers having great high resolution screens, speedy processors and high speed connectivity. They simply transformed into what we now know as "Smartphones".

Being one of the leading manufacturers in the mobile industry, Samsung has pioneered one product line after the other, from the Galaxy S series to the Note series and with great success..

To date, Samsung have reached the 7th generation of their Galaxy S smartphone and the S7 Edge variant promises a smooth Android experience, Edge screen features, great battery life and water & dust resistance capabilities.. But does it deliver?

Let's find out.. 




Screen

The S7 Edge features a very bright 5.7 inch Amoled display. It's crisp, colors pop and scores high in outdoor screen visibility.

The edge display, despite making the phone better looking and almost bezel free, drove me crazy at times as I accidentally started those edge features that Samsung cooked into the software.. 

I was very excited about these edge features, yet eventually ended up turning them off. As for the curved edges, they won't affect the screen's ease of use in any sort in case you're wondering.

Battery

Battery life is sufficient, I never ran out of juice all day. To be honest, I have Samsung's wireless charger at the office, so my phone is constantly charged at my desk.. At home, I need the battery to hold through the rest of the night after a day of heavy use; therefore, I plug it into the fast charger, giving me the additional battery percentage I need within 30 minutes. If you're not a heavy user, one charge per day shall keep you on safe grounds.

Build Quality

The device definitely feels premium with two sheets of glass bonded together by the aluminium edges, but you feel like it's a drop away from total destruction.. Sorry Samsung but I'd rather have an all metal Galaxy S phone (ehem S8).

I went with the black model, so slick, and the phone feels good.. the only drawbacks are the smudges and slipperiness.. But you can easily evade this by throwing a case on.. Problem Solved!! 

Speed & UI

I've been using the phone since May 2016, it was super fast and smooth back then.. Today, it's still a fast phone but not as it felt during the first 2 months.. It could be the 128 GB SD card I'm putting inside the phone to fit all the pictures I have!! As for the look of the skin on top of Android, I still prefer Google now launcher over Samsung's Touchwiz UI (if they still call it like that), so I have it installed along with a basic theme making it look as close to vanilla Android as possible.

Camera

I'm sure you heard great things about the camera and yeah it's true.. It's the best camera on a smartphone.. Photography is a HUGE and imperative  factor for me when deciding on my next phone upgrade, especially that I use my phone very often for my food photography, scenery shooting and the casual snaps.. 
I was holding the latest generation iPhone prior to the S7 Edge, and the pictures used to be fine, and with some editing, they turned out great..

But with the Edge's new 12 MP camera, pictures are great as snapped, and with some very light editing, they become awesome.

Water resistance

To be honest, I just don't have the heart to submerge the phone in water.. I know the phone is IP68 certified, but I would never ever get it close to water..

If you do use yours for underwater photography, please share your feedback with me, maybe someday I'll harden my heart and do it... Or maybe not!

Conclusion

To wrap it up, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a great phone.. It's fast, battery is fine, camera is awesome and the screen is excellent.

Indeed some of the features that Samsung included in this phone might not be very useful to you, but might be someone else's cup of tea, just like wireless charging has become so important for me, it might never add a letter to your book of interest.

Do you want the latest and greatest, and like to be on the EDGE of what technology has to offer, and by chance happen to have $600.00+ USD to spare? If yes, then this is amongst your top picks!!