Samsung’s answer to iPhone 7 lands March 29

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Galaxy-S8-invite
Galaxy S8 will be one of the hottest handsets of 2017. (But hopefully not too hot.)
Photo: Cult of Mac

Samsung has issued invites to a press event in New York City on March 29 where it will unveil the much-anticipated Galaxy S8 series.

Fans are expecting two devices, both of which will attempt to outshine the iPhone 7 with curved glass designs, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processor, and features like iris recognition.

Thanks to the Galaxy Note 7’s premature demise, it’s been just over a year since Samsung announced a flagship smartphone. The Galaxy S7 series announced last February has been desperately trying to compete with iPhone 7 and 7 Plus despite being six months older.

To give the Galaxy S7 a fighting chance, Samsung has introduced generous discounts, enticing new color options, and offered free Gear Fit2 watches. But it has been careful about not rushing out the Galaxy S8 and risking yet another severe design issue.

In fact, Samsung was expected to launch the Galaxy S8 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, but it pushed back the unveiling to spend more time on quality control. The South Korean firm has now confirmed a press event on March 29 in New York City.

Alongside the Galaxy S8, which will reportedly offer a 5.6-inch display, Samsung is likely to announce a Galaxy S8 Plus with a 5.8-inch screen. It’s thought the company will overhaul its design and dramatically reduce the size of its bezels to ensure the handsets themselves are no bigger than last year’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Both devices are said to feature the latest Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM, with 64GB of storage as standard. They will be IP68-rated for dust- and water-resistance just like their predecessors, and they will pack improved 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras.

Other features, according to recent leaks, will include an iris scanner, wireless charging, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and bundled headphones tuned by AKG.

Samsung will have gone all-out on the Galaxy S8 to make up for the losses it had to swallow on the Galaxy Note 7 recall, so whether or not you’re a fan of Android, this is one event you’ll want to keep an eye on. It could well shape the future of smartphones.

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