Samsung is all set to release their latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S8. Rumour mills have started piling across the Internet and most of these might come true. From a better display to better cameras and much more, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is all set to be the best Galaxy phone of all time. (Like every year).
If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past few months, you might already know what to expect from Samsung’s new flagship. It may come loaded with a plethora of features but will miss out on some interesting ones, in my opinion. Here is a list of 8 things that the Samsung Galaxy S8 might not have.
1. FM radio and transmitter
If you live in a metropolitan city, you might be surprised to know the amount of FM channels that broadcast content for free all day long. As age-old as this technology might be, it is free and quite enjoyable for most Indians.
Firstly, it does not consume as much battery as your music streaming app over data. Secondly, it features many layers of user interaction and updates than a normal music application. Thirdly, it caters the surprise element we miss in our lives.
With the advancements in technology, FM has not only turned stereo but also improved many folds when it comes to audio quality. Going with the history of Galaxy devices, Samsung’s latest Galaxy S8 will not have an FM radio. More specifically, it will have a radio but won’t be accessible.
Likewise, an FM transmitter was a brilliant feature available in Nokia and other feature phones a few years ago. One could select a transmission channel and transmit music over his/her phone to anyone logged into that particular band. Sharing music was redefined with this feature. Sadly, not a single phone today has an FM transmitter and nor will the Galaxy S8.
2. Snapdragon 835 might give India a miss
Qualcomm teased the Snapdragon 835 and everyone is aware of the immense feature list this chipset brings along with it. If you are reading this in India, prepare to take this news with a pinch of salt. Samsung Galaxy S8 will not feature this SoC in India and most eastern countries. As seen before, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature an Exynos chipset for India.
Do not be disheartened, though. Samsung’s Exynos chipset are quite capable when it comes to performance and features. If the Indian Galaxy S8 does not feature the Snapdragon SoC, it will also miss a few features this chipset brings to the table.
3. No EIS 3.0
EIS is electronic image stabilisation. This feature allows phones to stabilise video via software optimisation, enabling a smooth video recording experience. Apparently, EIS 3.0 is capable enough to produce a smooth video despite being shot in an earthquake.
Sadly, this feature is available on Snapdragon 835 SoC and will not be available on most India bound Samsung Galaxy S8. Samsung will surely tackle this with their in-house DIS (Digital Image Stabilisation) and OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), but how well will these tackle video recording stability is still a mystery.
4. No Quick Charge 4.0
One of the most prominent features of the Snapdragon 835 chipset is its support for Quick Charge 4.0. Users can charge their phones for 5 minutes to get 5 hours of usage. Samsung Galaxy S8 will not be featuring the latest Quick Charge 4.0 on their devices in India and its neighbouring countries.
They may introduce a fast charging technology like Dash charge by OnePlus. Samsung cannot afford to miss out this feature on international models. Also, whatever Samsung chooses to charge their latest flagship, it is assured to be safe with Samsung’s improved quality checks.
5. TouchWiz UI
If rumours are to be believed, Samsung will be parting away with their infamous TouchWiz UI and replace it with “Samsung Experience”. For people unfamiliar with Android, TouchWiz is Samsung’s own UI which runs atop Android OS. TouchWiz went on a diet since the past couple of years, featuring lesser bloatware than before. What will Samsung Experience do better than TouchWiz is what we all are waiting to experience.
6. Project Tango
Google’s project Tango was seen on a few phones from Lenovo and ASUS. Samsung Galaxy S8 might give Project Tango a miss as Samsung would not experiment with a software in its Beta stage on their flagship devices. Project Tango allows users to scan their surroundings for depth and 3D renders.
7. Dual cameras on a normal Galaxy S8
Like the iPhones, Samsung may not feature a dual camera setup for their smaller Galaxy S8. This feature will be exclusive to Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge. What other features will dual camera setup bring, is yet to be seen. But from what is known, this is another way to push customers towards a premium purchase.
8. 3.5mm headphone jack
Yes, you read it right. Apple is known to push boundaries when it comes to technological advancements and if history has taught us something, every other manufacturer follows them. Samsung might follow Apple’s footstep and part ways with the headphone jack. Rumours also state that Samsung will ship the Galaxy S8 with a pair of specialised wireless earbuds.
Samsung Galaxy S8 will still sell
When Samsung released the S7 and S7 Edge, they set a benchmark for every other phone in the flagship category. Although it was an incremental update to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, their flagships were one of the best sellers worldwide. With the Samsung Galaxy S8 right around the corner, Samsung will look to bury the ghost of the Note7 and go all out with their marketing efforts with the S8.
It may or may not have the features we mentioned. Yet, it would not be false to say that Samsung’s latest flagship will set a new benchmark which will be hard to beat. Every other manufacturer better look at the list above if they really want to compete against the Galaxy S8.
