Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Galaxy S8 Preorders Were Samsung's 'Best Ever'
Samsung's trouble with the Galaxy Note 7, which notably caused several fires due to battery troubles and led to a full recall, hasn't affected demand for its newly launched Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.
According to a statement released this morning by Samsung (via VentureBeat), Samsung saw 30 percent year-over-year growth in preorders compared to the Galaxy S7. While Samsung did not give specific sales numbers, the company said it saw its "best ever" preorder period.
Samsung's smartphone is, however, launching without one of its key features -- support for Bixby, Samsung's new virtual assistant built on Viv technology acquired from the original developers behind Siri. Bixby's English-language launch has been delayed due to performance issues, leaving one of the buttons on the Galaxy S8 non-functional.
Despite the missing functionality, the S8 and S8+ have received largely positive reviews. The AMOLED display is said to be "wonderfully vibrant and sharp," while the phone itself has been described as "slimmer and more attractive" than the iPhone 7 Plus but with a bigger screen.
Camera reviews suggest the low-light camera performance of the S8 beats the performance of the iPhone 7 Plus, but that's comparing a new device to a previous-generation device. Rumors suggest a major camera overhaul is coming with the iPhone 8, which appears to feature a dual-lens vertical camera that could result in both better images and augmented reality functionality.
Apple's iPhone 8 won't be coming until September, and even then, rumors suggest the higher-end OLED model could be constrained until late 2017 or early 2018.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8+ went on sale on April 21 in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 starts at $750, while the larger 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+ starts at $850.
According to a statement released this morning by Samsung (via VentureBeat), Samsung saw 30 percent year-over-year growth in preorders compared to the Galaxy S7. While Samsung did not give specific sales numbers, the company said it saw its "best ever" preorder period.
"We are delighted to see the response to the Galaxy S8 and S8+," remarked Samsung Electronics America president Tim Baxter. "The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are a result of that recommitment and the market has responded -- with a more than 30 percent year-over-year growth in pre-orders versus the record pre-orders we had with Galaxy S7, making it our best ever. The response is humbling, energizing and points to a great launch week. We aim to push the boundaries of what's possible in the name of a better, smarter, more exciting experience for our consumers."The Galaxy S8 shares many features that could potentially be coming in Apple's 2017 OLED iPhone, including an edge-to-edge OLED display, iris scanning, a rear fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, IP68 water resistance, and camera improvements, though it does not feature a dual-lens setup as the iPhone 8 will.
Samsung's smartphone is, however, launching without one of its key features -- support for Bixby, Samsung's new virtual assistant built on Viv technology acquired from the original developers behind Siri. Bixby's English-language launch has been delayed due to performance issues, leaving one of the buttons on the Galaxy S8 non-functional.
Despite the missing functionality, the S8 and S8+ have received largely positive reviews. The AMOLED display is said to be "wonderfully vibrant and sharp," while the phone itself has been described as "slimmer and more attractive" than the iPhone 7 Plus but with a bigger screen.
Camera reviews suggest the low-light camera performance of the S8 beats the performance of the iPhone 7 Plus, but that's comparing a new device to a previous-generation device. Rumors suggest a major camera overhaul is coming with the iPhone 8, which appears to feature a dual-lens vertical camera that could result in both better images and augmented reality functionality.
Apple's iPhone 8 won't be coming until September, and even then, rumors suggest the higher-end OLED model could be constrained until late 2017 or early 2018.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8+ went on sale on April 21 in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 starts at $750, while the larger 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+ starts at $850.
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Top Rated Comments
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28 months ago
Will be interesting to see how the iPhone 8 stacks up against this phone. I don't have high hopes as I don't think Apple has released anything particularly innovative since Cook took over. But this is a good chance to prove me wrong!
It takes years for stuff like the Apple Watch, the Airpods... and the iPod to be acknowledged as the game changers they actually are.
Time is a gentleman (Italian saying).
28 months ago
Looking at that edge-to-edge screen, all I can say is this as far as mobile phone evolution can go? Before I am accused of bashing Samsung and not Apple, the same applies to the rumours about the next iPhone. I honestly don't care about edge-to-edge screens, curved glass etc. What I do care about is battery life, signal reception, robustness, construction quality, and getting things done with my phone.
28 months ago
You really can't believe Samsung releases at face value anyway. They are notorious for their marketing games.
PLEASE tell me you’re joking. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the Apple marketing department is truly military grade. Truly, I mean the best there is. If their products were as accomplished as the marketing there would be no downsides.
28 months ago
Bixby's English-language launch has been delayed ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/11/samsung-delays-us-bixby-launch/') due to performance issues, leaving one of the buttons on the Galaxy S8 non-functional.
At launch, Bixby doesn't speak, but the button and the service does actually function (well, except for Verizon who turned off the shopping-via-camera feature ('https://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s8-bixby-will-help-you-shop-except-if-youre-with-verizon/')).
I was getting thoroughly bored with my iPhone 7 Plus that felt even less incremental of an upgrade from my iPhone 6s Plus, and even more miffed about iOS' restrictions and lack of robustness in many of its features, so thanks to T-Mobile's JUMP! on Demand program, I turned it in and got an S8 Plus in its place.
It really does have that wow factor and many of the things I wished iOS could do has been here even before Android OS 7.0 Nougat.
28 months ago
Don't know why some on here have such a hard time giving Samsung props for coming out with a legit game changer in design. The S8 is absolutely stunning and it does indeed make my iPhone look old as hell, with the over sized bezels, dated resolution, and a phone design that's 3yrs old. Instead of giving Sammy props, there's the usual "well Samsung is only doing good b/c..." "The S8 is only popular b/c...." excuses.
Both Apple and Samsung make great devices. I own products from both companies and can recognize that they both make excellent devices. But Samsung is killing it with the S8. Absolutely gorgeous device. And it deserves all the praise it gets. The only thing about the S8 that I don't like is the fingerprint sensor. Other than that, solid 10s across the board. I'm hoping the Samsung's excellent device will push Apple to come out with a solid iPhone this fall. I want Samsung to push Apple and Apple to push Samsung. It's great for us consumers
Both Apple and Samsung make great devices. I own products from both companies and can recognize that they both make excellent devices. But Samsung is killing it with the S8. Absolutely gorgeous device. And it deserves all the praise it gets. The only thing about the S8 that I don't like is the fingerprint sensor. Other than that, solid 10s across the board. I'm hoping the Samsung's excellent device will push Apple to come out with a solid iPhone this fall. I want Samsung to push Apple and Apple to push Samsung. It's great for us consumers
28 months ago
You really can't believe Samsung releases at face value anyway. They are notorious for their marketing games.
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