Galaxy S8 and S8+ Final Specs: Here's What You Get

From its Bixby assistant and nearly bezel-free design to a dock that transforms the phone into a PC, the Galaxy S8 is a phone that's trying to go beyond specs, as we detail in our review of Samsung's latest phones.

The Galaxy S8 has a smaller 3,000 mAh battery.

The Galaxy S8 has a smaller 3,000 mAh battery.

But the specs on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still important, including the screen size and resolution, the weight, the processor, storage and more. It's also important to know how the Galaxy S8 and S8+ differ. Here's a quick breakdown of what you're getting.

Galaxy S8 and S8+ Specs

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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 µm1.4 µm
Zoom
8x digital
8x digital
Camera (Front)
8-MP/f 1.7 aperture
8-MP/1.7 aperture
Pixel Size
1.22µm1.22µm
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
Tested Battery Life (Hrs:Mins)
10:39
11:04
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,
Arctic Silver
Midnight Black, Orchid Gray,
Arctic Silver
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

Screen Size and Resolution

The Galaxy S8 has a fairly large 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display, but the S8+ kicks that up to 6.2 inches. Both have the same resolution at 2960 x 1440 pixels, but the picture on the S8 may appear sharper because it packs in more pixels per inch. It offers 570 ppi versus 529 ppi on the S8+.

The Galaxy S8+ has a 6.2-inch display.

The Galaxy S8+ has a 6.2-inch display.

It's also worth noting that both the S8 and S8+ support HDR, which means you should expect a wider color gamut when viewing HDR content.

MORE: Galaxy S8 Pricing Revealed: What It Costs From Every Carrier

Design and Colors

Given their large screens, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are pretty slim and light. The S8 measures 5.9 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces, and the S8+ measures 6.3 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches and weighs 6.1 ounces. To put that in perspective, the iPhone 7 weighs 4.8 ounces (lighter than the S8) and the iPhone 7 Plus is heavier than the S8+'s 6.6 ounces.

The back of the S8 is made of Gorilla Glass.

The back of the S8 is made of Gorilla Glass.

The good news is that the Galaxy S8 comes in three colors in the U.S.: Colors: Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Arctic Silver. The bad news is that Samsung isn't making the two more exciting hues available stateside — Coral Blue, Maple Gold — at least for now.

MORE: Galaxy S8 vs. S7: What's New, and Should You Upgrade?

Cameras

On paper, the back camera on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ isn't very different, as it has the same 12-MP resolution. However, Samsung says it has made some enhancements, especially when it comes to low-light performance. Early indications from people who've gotten their hands on the phone suggest that these improvements to image processing are producing better photos.

Samsung says the S8's rear camera offers better low-light performance.

Samsung says the S8's rear camera offers better low-light performance.

A bigger upgrade comes from the front camera, which now has a 8-MP resolution (up from 5-MP). Plus, you get auto-focus, which will make it easier to take selfies. The wide selfie feature will make sure you fit everyone in the frame. However, you don't get dual cameras on this phone, which is one of the biggest missing features.

Despite rumors that the S8 would record slo-mo video at 1000 frames per second, it supports 720p at 240 fps. It shoots 4K video at 30 fps when in regular mode.

CPU, RAM and Storage

The Galaxy S8 is the first phone in the U.S. to be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor, which impressed us by its first benchmark results. The chip also promises to be more efficient, which should result in longer battery life.

The Galaxy S8 comes with 64GB of storage, but you can expand it.

The Galaxy S8 comes with 64GB of storage, but you can expand it.

The 4GB of RAM is pretty standard for a high-end phone these days, but it is nice to see the 64GB of storage now standard. It was 32GB for the Galaxy S7. You can also expand the storage via a microSD card up to 256GB.

Battery Life and Charging

The Galaxy S8 features a 3,000 mAh battery, while the S8+ has a larger battery (3,500 mAh) to go with its larger screen size.

Now that we've had a chance to test the two phones, we can say that both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ offer much improved battery life over their predecessors. In fact, the S8+ lasted 11 hours, 4 minutes on our Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous surfing over T-Mobile's LTE network. That was good enough for the S8+ to land on our list of the longest lasting phones. With a battery test result of 10:39, the Galaxy S8 is no slouch either when it comes to going all day without needing a charge.

Photo Credits: Sam Rutherford/Tom's Guide

Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.