The S8 contains upgraded hardware and major design changes over its predecessors, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, including larger screens with a taller aspect ratio and curved sides on both the smaller and larger models, iris and face recognition, a new suite of virtual assistant features known as Bixby, and a docking station accessory that allows the phones to be used with a personal computer-styled desktop interface with keyboard and mouse input support.
The S8 received mostly positive reviews. Its design and form factor received praise, while critics also liked the updated software and camera optimizations. It received criticism for duplicate software apps, lackluster Bixby features at launch, for the placement of the fingerprint sensor on the rear next to the camera and for poor biometric options for unlocking the phone. A video published shortly after the phone’s unveiling proved that the device’s facial recognition scanner could be fooled by showing it a photo of the user.
The S8 broke sales records for Samsung, with more than a million units booked in South Korea during the pre-order period, and overall sales numbers being 30% higher than the Galaxy S7.