Gigabit LTE Is Galaxy S8's Most Underrated Feature
Between the new Bixby assistant and sexy Infinity Display, the Galaxy S8 provides some pretty tempting reasons to upgrade your phone. But the most compelling new feature could be under the hood.
The Galaxy S8's Gigabit LTE support could make it the fastest phone yet. Credit: Sam Rutherford/Tom's Guide
Whether you want to surf the web faster, stream Netflix movies with less stuttering or download apps in the blink of an eye, the Galaxy S8's Gigabit LTE support should let you do just that.
Galaxy S8 and S8+ Specs
Galaxy S8 | Galaxy S8+ | |
Price | $720-$750 | $840-$850 |
Display (pixels) | 5.8 inches (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED | 6.2 inches (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED |
Aspect ratio | 18.5:9 | 18.5:9 |
Pixels per inch | 570 ppi | 529 ppi |
Camera (Back) | 12 MP/f 1.7 aperture | 12 MP/f 1.7 aperture |
Pixel Size | 1.4 µm | 1.4 µm |
Zoom | 8x digital | 8x digital |
Camera (Front) | 8-MP/f 1.7 aperture | 8-MP/1.7 aperture |
Pixel Size | 1.22µm | 1.22µm |
Video recording | 4K video at 30 fps | 4K video at 30 fps |
Slow motion video | 720p at 240 fps | 720p at 240 fps |
Biometric Scanning | Facial recognition, iris scanner, fingerprint reader | Facial recognition, iris scanner, fingerprint reader |
CPU | Snapdragon 835 | Snapdragon 835 |
RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
Storage | 64GB | 64GB |
microSD | up to 256GB | up to 256GB |
Battery | 3,000 mAh | 3,500 mAh |
Rated Battery Life (Talk Time/Video Playback/4G) | 20/16/12 hours | 24/18/15 hours |
Size | 5.9 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches | 6.3 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches |
Weight | 5.5 ounces | 6.1 ounces |
Water and Dust Resistantce | IP68 | IP68 |
Colors | Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, | Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, |
Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
Android Version | 7.0 Nougat | 7.0 Nougat |
Charging | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
Wireless Charging | WPC and PMA | WPC and PMA |
Thanks to the Snapdragon 835 processor inside the S8, you'll be able to tap into Gigabit LTE speeds that are starting to be offering by U.S. carriers. According to CNET, we're talking about data rates as high as 300 megabits per second, or 18 times better than the latest OpenSignal results.
MORE: 7 Reasons Not to Get a Galaxy S8 Right Now
A precursor to 5G, CNET also says Gigabit LTE will enable such services as live 360-degree video streaming for virtual reality and provide a smoother Google Instant Apps exerpience, which lets you try a given app in real time before you decide to download it.
T-Mobile should be first out of the gate with Gigabit LTE. In a recent press release, T-Mobile CEO John Legere claimed that "anyone upgrading to the Galaxy S8 can see up to double their current LTE speeds in nearly 300 cities nationwide!"
As an example of what you can do with that kind of throughput, T-Mobile says that you could download a 2-hour movie in just 15 seconds.
AT&T and Sprint are also rolling out support for Gigabit LTE, as is Verizon. We will be testing the network speeds of the Galaxy S8 on every major provider and will let you know just how fast this phone is.
Editors' Note: This article was originally posted April 3. We've updated it with a specs chart for the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
See also : The Best New Features of the Galaxy S8
