Samsung Galaxy S8+
Phone Scoop Review
Apr 18, 2017 by Eric M. Zeman
The Samsung Galaxy S8+ is a heavy-hitter that trounces much of the competition. This Android flagship from the world leader in smartphones struts its stuff with pride, despite several pain points that hold it back. The Galaxy S8+ is the bigger brother to Samsung's Galaxy S8 and impresses in nearly every way. Here is Phone Scoop's in-depth review of the Galaxy S8+. read review ›
User Reviews
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Not so great
Carrier: AT&T
Pros - looks pretty, the screen is huge, video can be filmed at 60fps, accepts a micro SD card.
Cons - fragile, tempered glass screen protector falls off due to curved infinity display, randomly freezes when charging overnight, Bixby activates by itself.
I bought this phone the first week it was available. Admittedly I am a fan of Galaxy S' Active models because I need a rugged phone due to my occupation and lifestyle. When I "upgraded" to this phone, it was because I was told by AT&T employees that Samsung had no intention of releasing an S8 Active model. Having a phone with a glass front and back makes it particularly fragile. To counter that fragility I put a tempered glass screen protector on the screen and put a silicone case on the phone. The screen protectors popped off. I tried 4 different brands and all of them were designed to stick to the top, bottom and edges of the curved screen instead of the entire screen. I learned that you can either use one or the other because it is near impossible to use both together. The phone would freeze while charging at night which means the alarms would not go off in the morning. I could tell the phone was still on because the LED would blink but no combination of screen and button presses shy of a soft reset, would allow it to function. Not ideal when you rely on your alarms to wake you up! Also, Bixby is a little overly ambitious in thinking that you are speaking to it. There were approximately 15 - 20 times I would hear Bixby talk to me when I had the phone in my pocket. This is obnoxious, especially during a meeting when my phone was set to be silent. Eventually I deactivated Bixby all together.
The phone is pretty and flashy, but I disappointed with the overall quality of this phone. I do not recommend buying it if you have an Active lifestyle.
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Samsung Galaxy S8 +
Carrier: AT&T
Have had great response from this phone. Camera is top notch. Samsung has stepped up their game on the battery, only have to charge 1 time during the day if used for Netflix binge. Speaker is one of the loudest and clearest i have seen. Highly recommend this phone
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Great Phone
Carrier: Verizon
Have only have had the phone a couple days and Love it
Had a Samsung 6 s and Upgraded to the 8 plus so much stuff on it
Very fast with every thing
Motor City
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Best Phone by FAR!
Carrier: AT&T
Great phone! No issues. Fast, smooth, and reliable. Feels comfortable in the hand. Calls are crispy clear. Amazing internet speed. Camera....omg, beautiful pics...and video (GREAT QUALITY) I can't complain! The BEST that I've EVER OWNED!
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Samsung is back in a big bad way, kind of.
Carrier: Verizon
So I've been using the S8+ for about 8 weeks now and this phone is a beast.
Here's the bad thing about the device: Android Nougat sucks. If you can get past the goofy version of Android however, you're in for a treat.
My last Samsung device was the S6 Edge Plus, which was probably the best phone Samsung ever developed.
However, in the post Note 7 Apocalypse landscape we now inhabit, the S8+ is about as good as it's going to get.
It wields the same 4gb of ram as before, but with 64gb of flash memory and an expandable memory option, the S8+ is a good way to future proof yourself for a good 2-3 years, should you desire.
Samsung has all but abandon any trace of bezel opting for a gigantic 6.2 inch "infinity" display which is perfect for couch surfing and binging Netflix with a beer riding shotgun all the live the long day.
In terms of battery, I charge the thing on a fast Qi charger for about an hour each morning, whilst I prepare for the day, that's it, no overnight charging required.
I will say that most of the tech in this phone is not necessary for the average Joe, but I like it.
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Best Samsung phone ever made.
Carrier: AT&T
The title says it all. This is without a doubt the best Samsung has ever made. They took everything that was right about the tragic Note 7 and blew it up ( pun intended ). It feels great in the hand has the same excellent rounded sides. I don't know how they did it but you almost can't tell that there's an aluminum band between the two glass halves. It's almost perfectly seamless.
The screen, what is there to say? It's the best screen on a smartphone to date. The size they fit ( 6.2 inches ) into the footprint of this phone is amazing. This phone is as tall as an iPhone 7 plus and less wide, yet has .7 inches more screen. And the quality of the display is amazing. It looks beautiful and crisp.
Also, I DO NOT have an issue with the fingerprint reader being where it's at. After about two days of using this phone my hand knows exactly where to land to hit the reader every time without issue. I have normal size hands too. If you have tiny Donald Trump hands maybeââ¹ just maybe you'll have an issue.
The battery I thought may be an issue is not. I use my phone a great deal and I make it through a day fine with usually 15-20% to spare. This is usually from 8am till 12:30am-1am when I go to bed. Does it last as long as my OnePlus 3T? No. But it's more than adequate, and I can understand why they didn't try to cram a 4000 Mah battery inside.
About the only thing that I can say I'm even slightly disappointed in is that they used the same excellent camera module as on the S7 edge and Note 7. I wish they would have gone a little better on that. That being said, it's still one of the best cameras on any phone.