Samsung Galaxy 8 specs and pre-order

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has finally been launched and… well, it's entirely as we expected thanks to the myriad leaks that sprung up all over the internet in the preceding months.

But the good news is that

it's a rather nifty phone, and you can check it out in some rather sumptuous depth in our hands-on: Samsung Galaxy S8 review to get all the information you could want on Samsung's new flagship.

Love big gadgets? You might want to try the
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

What the Galaxy S8 will do is impress you with the large display, faster innards and all-round improvements throughout the user interface – so if you're not going to check out our thorough and filled-with-beautiful-photos Samsung Galaxy S8 hands-on (the plugs will only get more shameless) we've rounded up all the salient information here.

Samsung Galaxy S8 specs

Dimensions: 148.9 x 68 x 8mm
Screen size: 5.8 inches
Resolution: 1440 x 2960 (QHD+)
Processor: Exynos 8895
RAM : 4GB
Storage : 64GB
Rear camera : 12MP
Front camera: 8MP
Battery: 3,000mAh (inbuilt)
- Rear fingerprint scanner
- Water- and dust-resistant (IP68)
- No physical home button
- Iris scanner
- Bixby AI assistant
- Headphone jack

Galaxy S8 release date US: April 21
Galaxy S8 release date UK: April 28

Samsung has now confirmed the Galaxy S8 release date: April 21 for the US, and April 28 for the rest of the world (including the UK) - although it hasn't given specific information on territories such as Australia.

You can pre-order the phone already and if you do so before April 19 you'll get the Samsung Galaxy S8 delivered to your door as soon as the April 20 if you're in the UK

Pricing and availability

You can preorder the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus on March 30. The phone will sell globally, starting April 21 in the US and other major regions. In the UK, the S8 has been priced at £689 . In Australia, it will cost AU$1,199.

You also get a pair of AKG earbuds in the box, valued at $99 (Samsung finalized its sale of AKG parent company Harman last month). Everyone who buys a new S8 will receive Samsung Rewards Platinum level with bonus points, if they register for the program by May 14.

If you preorder the S8, you get:

Gear VR (2017) and Controller
Oculus game pack

A limited edition bundle for an extra $99 gets you:

AKG over-ear Bluetooth headphones (as well as the earbuds)
256GB memory card

Important hardware features

Software changes from Galaxy S7

New camera tricks
Double-press power button to launch (worked well)
Autofocus on front-facing camera (8 megapixels)
Easy-access filters and image decorations
Floating shutter button (optional)

Unlocking the phone with your face
This is not the same as iris scanning, which is a biometric tool you can use for mobile payments (you can't use face unlock for this)
It's fast and it worked in my demo, even in indoor lighting
You have to hold the phone level with your eyes; you can't unlock by looking down into the phone
I couldn't trick it with a life-size color photo of my face
Samsung says this is more convenient than it is secure. "If you need strong [security] technology, you can use the iris or fingerprint," said Kim Gae-youn , vice president of Samsung's smartphone product planning and product manager for the Galaxy S8.

Woooow