Galaxy S8 Leak Shows April 18 Release Date, Bixby Vision, Removable Battery

Several new leaks about the Samsung Galaxy S8 have emerged recently, and fans of the flagship device are more hyped than ever. While rumors about the flagship device have been emerging since the release of its predecessor, the new batch of leaks are unique in such a way that they appear to confirm a number of rumored features for the powerhouse smartphone. If the leaks are accurate, the Galaxy S8 already has a final release date, an A.I. feature for its camera, and a very nifty trick to prevent it from meeting the same fate as the Galaxy Note 7, its acclaimed yet ill-fated brethren.

A new report from South Korean website Naver News declared that the tech giant has declared April 18 to be the official release date of the Galaxy S8. Citing an unnamed industry official, the report from the South Korean publication further stated that the upcoming flagship device would be announced sometime at the end of March or early April, around two weeks before the April 18 launch. With this in mind, it appears that recent rumors stating that Samsung would be foregoing its chance to unveil its newest halo device at the Mobile World Congress this coming February are accurate.

The Galaxy S8 is one of the most hyped devices of 2017. — [Image by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

The Galaxy S8 seems set to enter the market with a very formidable set of specs. While the specifics of the device have not been unveiled by Samsung as of date, speculations are high that the 2017 flagship would be the tech giant’s most powerful device yet. According to rumors, the Galaxy S8 would be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, 6GB of RAM, a 4K screen, and a revolutionary camera system. A new design featuring an embedded home button and a fingerprint sensor are also rumored for the device.

New information reported by Samsung-themed website SAM Mobile stated that the Galaxy S8 would be coming with a never-before-seen A.I. system called Bixby. While Bixby has been long rumored for the device, the SAM Mobile report teased a pretty revolutionary capability for the A.I. system. Dubbed as Bixby Vision, the feature would allow the Galaxy S8 to perform visual searches through its front and rear cameras. Considering that Samsung is rumored to make Bixby compatible with third-party applications, the possibilities of the new Bixby leak are quite interesting.

A particular aspect of the Galaxy S8 that is making waves in the rumor mill is the device’s battery. Numerous rumors about the upcoming device’s battery are abounding, with some stating that the Galaxy S8 would be equipped with a massive 4200mAh battery that is capable of wireless and fast charging. Inasmuch as a huge battery for the device would be very interesting, however, a Tech Radar report stated that the chances of Samsung taking the leap from the 3000mAh battery in the Galaxy S7 to a 4200mAh battery for the Galaxy S8 are rather slim. Instead, the tech-themed website stated that Samsung would most likely just make the power consumption of the upcoming device more efficient.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumored to be equipped with new battery safety features in order to prevent it from meeting the same fate as the Note 7. — [Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]

One of the most interesting rumors about the Galaxy S8 would be the safety features of the device’s battery. The battery has been central to the now-infamous Galaxy Note 7 disaster. Thus, it is imperative for Samsung to ensure that the Galaxy S8 would have numerous new safety features, including a recently-leaked “8-point safety check” for the device’s power supply. With this in mind, rumors have emerged that Samsung might actually take a step back and release a removable battery for its flagship devices once more. After all, even the grave design flaws in the Galaxy Note 7 would have been easily addressed had the device been equipped with a removable battery.

Lastly, recent design leaks for the Samsung Galaxy S8 point to the flagship device being equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The removal of the headphone jack has been long rumored for the 2017 flagship, considering that the iPhone 7, the Galaxy S7’s biggest rival in 2016, has effectively ditched the classic port. According to design leaks from case-makers, however, it appears that Samsung would be keeping the headphone jack in the Galaxy S8 after all. This news has been received very well by fans of the device, with many lauding Samsung for listening to how consumers have reacted to the headphone jack’s removal in the iPhone 7.

The Galaxy S8 is Samsung’s most important flagship to date, with the smartphone being the first halo device of the tech giant since the Galaxy Note 7 fizzled out during its peak last year. If rumors are to be believed, however, it would seem like the Galaxy S8 would not only be on par with last year’s Note 7, it would completely blow its discontinued brethren out of the water. With this in mind, April 18 could not come any sooner.