Samsung is about to kick off the Galaxy S8 event in New York, officially taking the wraps off the highly anticipated smartphone for all the world to see.
To be exact, the unveiling will take place at 11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT, 4 p.m. BST, and 2 a.m. AEDT on March 29, but before then, here's what to expect from the South Korean brand's show and how to watch the live stream.
How To Watch The Galaxy S8 Event Live Stream
As mentioned earlier, you'll have to tune in at the times listed above depending on where you live.
Now that the "when" is answered, let's jump to the "how" and "where."
Coming straight from the horse's mouth, there are three ways to watch the Galaxy S8 event unfold.
First, you can head to either one of Samsung's official websites — the news website or Galaxy landing page.
Second, you can go to Samsung's official Facebook pages — Samsung Mobile or Samsung Electronics.
Last but not least, you can simply download the Unpacked 2017 app on your Android or iOS device.
What To Expect From The Galaxy S8 Event
Of course, the Galaxy S8 will be in the spotlight at the whole event, and according to rumors and leaks, it's going to be one heck of a smartphone.
Aside from the Galaxy S8 itself, though, there are a lot more others that may partly steal the show, including the virtual assistant Bixby, a new Gear VR headset, a dock named DeX, and a successor of the Gear 360 camera.
Galaxy S8 Specs And Features
The Galaxy S8 is said to be available in a standard variant with a 5.8-inch display and a Galaxy S8 Plus version with a larger 6.2-inch screen. Both will push out a 2,960 x 2,400 resolution. Straying from Samsung's previous options — one edge, one standard with a flat screen — the two Galaxy S8 models are expected to both have edge-to-edge curved Super AMOLED displays.
What's more, bezels have seemingly become the enemy of most modern smartphones nowadays, and the Galaxy S8 is no exception. It's going to sport a new design with little or no bezels, making the most out of the rounded corners to have as much screen space as it can in a form factor similar to the Galaxy S7.
However, Samsung's decision when it comes to bezels and screen size does entail some compromises, particularly the absence of physical Home button and capacitive Recent and Back keys on the front.
As for the rest of the specs courtesy of the rumor mill, the Galaxy S8 will have either a Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 under the hood and retain the IP68 certification for water and dust resistance and 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is presumably good news for fans everywhere.
The two will also have 4 GB worth of RAM and 64 GB of native storage that's expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card. More than that, they'll also sport a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8-meapixel front snapper, stereo speakers, and a USB Type-C port.
Apart from an iris scanner for added security, it's keeping the fingerprint sensor, but the thing is, it's been placed beside the rear camera since the physical Home button was removed, after all.
As usual, the larger Plus variant will have a bigger 3,500 mAh battery compared to the standard's 3,000 mAh cell.
Color options for the Galaxy S8 are pretty impressive, as it's going to be available in Black Sky, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, and a gold variant that hasn't been given a name just yet.
Regarding the Galaxy S8's price and release date, the word in town is that the standard variant will be set at €799, while the Plus version at €899. These may translate to either $799 or $849 and $899 or $949 respectively.
Bixby
Samsung officially announced Bixby, introducing it as the "fundamentally different" virtual assistant. It's still unclear just how it'll be distinct from the others in the current brood, though, but everything will soon be cleared up at the Galaxy S8 event.
Gear VR
Just like the case with the Galaxy S7, Samsung is going to launch a new Gear VR with the Galaxy S8 too. Other than having the right fit for the new smartphones' larger screens, it's believed to come with a controller (think Google Daydream's controller) to boot.
DeX
DeX is a dock that's designed to turn the Galaxy S8 into a full-fledged computer, which is reminiscent of Microsoft's Continuum for the HP Elite x3.
If rumors turn out to be true, then the system will be able to deliver a 4K viewing experience at 30 fps, featuring an Ethernet and HDMI port and two USB 2.0 ports.
Pricing isn't exactly clear, but it's expected to hold back customers in Europe by €150, which could mean $161 in the United States.
Gear 360
Not much to hash out about the Gear 360, but considering that it's been over a year since it went official, Samsung might just show off a better version on stage.
Are you excited for Samsung's big Galaxy S8 event? If so, drop by our comments section below and let us know.
