Phones Samsung Galaxy S8

[spinedoc77]

I know this year Verizon disabled the built in spam call detection on the S8 but will allow you to purchase it through them.

That's horrendous, seriously. Spam call detection is like the number one thing I wish my phones had. Plus I used Verizon's caller ID service at a monthly charge and thought it was kind of useless for the most part.

This is probably my biggest ongoing complaint with Samsung, and yes I'm singling out Samsung. As the largest Android oem in the world they really should have more balls in pushing that their phones be unsullied by any carrier. I'm sure they have a TON of clout seeing as how a carriers walls have so many Samsung phones on them. It's bad enough that OS updates take 8+ months to reach a Samsung phone, but to make it worse now the carrier can do anything they want to that OS. That's why Apple or Google will most likely get my money going forward.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Don't mind me asking a silly question. Did you look for auto restart in General Management -Reset sub level?

I didn't see this option initially as I only look in the top level.

Yes, I also used the Search feature to look for it. When I couldn't find it I Googled and found others also complaining about it not being there for Verizon customers.

My guess is that Verizon was concerned about people calling for support wanting to know why their phone was automatically rebooting, so they nixed it. But since it is an opt-in feature I don't see why that would be an issue.

 

[epicrayban]

That's horrendous, seriously. Spam call detection is like the number one thing I wish my phones had. Plus I used Verizon's caller ID service at a monthly charge and thought it was kind of useless for the most part.

This is probably my biggest ongoing complaint with Samsung, and yes I'm singling out Samsung. As the largest Android oem in the world they really should have more balls in pushing that their phones be unsullied by any carrier. I'm sure they have a TON of clout seeing as how a carriers walls have so many Samsung phones on them. It's bad enough that OS updates take 8+ months to reach a Samsung phone, but to make it worse now the carrier can do anything they want to that OS. That's why Apple or Google will most likely get my money going forward.

Strongly agree. As Apple and Google catch up on hardware/software features over the next year or two, Samsung will have to catch up in these departments for themselves, especially for the carrier versions.

 

[cmoore49]

That's horrendous, seriously. Spam call detection is like the number one thing I wish my phones had. Plus I used Verizon's caller ID service at a monthly charge and thought it was kind of useless for the most part.

This is probably my biggest ongoing complaint with Samsung, and yes I'm singling out Samsung. As the largest Android oem in the world they really should have more balls in pushing that their phones be unsullied by any carrier. I'm sure they have a TON of clout seeing as how a carriers walls have so many Samsung phones on them. It's bad enough that OS updates take 8+ months to reach a Samsung phone, but to make it worse now the carrier can do anything they want to that OS. That's why Apple or Google will most likely get my money going forward.

[doublepost=1501097199][/doublepost]If you are looking for spam control on calls just download truecaller. You can block any caller. Calls that are spam will show up red and you can either block or accept

 

[Phil A.]

I know this year Verizon disabled the built in spam call detection on the S8 but will allow you to purchase it through them.

That's outrageous! If my carrier pulled a stunt like that, they wouldn't be my carrier for much longer...

 

[JaySoul]

That is unbelievable!!

 

[spinedoc77]

[doublepost=1501097199][/doublepost]If you are looking for spam control on calls just download truecaller. You can block any caller. Calls that are spam will show up red and you can either block or accept

Hell no! That's a shady app that pulls all your contact info and who knows what else and makes it public.

 

[noobinator]

I also don't know why Verizon would opt to get rid of device management? I know clearing up RAM isn't really needed but what harm is there in allowing a device maintenance option?

 

[epicrayban]

I also don't know why Verizon would opt to get rid of device management? I know clearing up RAM isn't really needed but what harm is there in allowing a device maintenance option?

With Verizon, it's not a stretch to say it's probably about money.

Something along the line of, if devices have issues, they get brought in and serviced.

$$$$$$

 

[mib1800]

Yes, I also used the Search feature to look for it. When I couldn't find it I Googled and found others also complaining about it not being there for Verizon customers.

My guess is that Verizon was concerned about people calling for support wanting to know why their phone was automatically rebooting, so they nixed it. But since it is an opt-in feature I don't see why that would be an issue.

Maybe you can try this.

Get a shortcut maker app like QuickShortCut.
Find the Auto Restart activity in Settings. Create a shortcut to it. You should be able to open that auto restart screen directly.

 

[JaySoul]

Couple of points as my restlessness for new phones is creeping in:

1) Price on eBay UK is dropping incredibly fast, some people aren't even getting £450 for their used S8!

2) Playing around with other phones makes me realise Samsung nailed the ergonomics for S8. The size is practically perfect, love the narrowness of it. OnePlus 5 and iPhone 7 Plus feel too wide for me! Funny how quickly things change.

3) Playing with an S8+ made me realise it may just big too big for me, meaning Note 8 obviously would too. But that could change.

 

[Sounds Good]

2) Playing around with other phones makes me realise Samsung nailed the ergonomics for S8. The size is practically perfect, love the narrowness of it. OnePlus 5 and iPhone 7 Plus feel too wide for me! Funny how quickly things change.

3) Playing with an S8+ made me realise it may just big too big for me, meaning Note 8 obviously would too. But that could change.

I felt the exact same way when comparing the S8 to the S8+ (and other phones too). FOR ME, the size of the S8 is "just right." Any wider and it's not as comfortable (for me) to hold. Any taller and it's not as comfortable (for me) to keep in my pocket.

 

[kirky29]

So months in to the S8, do you think it's worth it still? I'm on an iPhone 7 Plus running the iOS 11 beta. iOS 11 still just isn't fantastic personally. I'm not sure if to move to the Galaxy or not?

 

[jamezr]

Samsung's record profits continue on the back of strong Galaxy S8 and DRAM sales

Strong sales of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ allowed the mobile unit to post revenues of $26 billion (30.01 trillion won) and an operating profit of $4 billion (4.6 trillion won). Samsung mentioned that its 2017 flagships outsold last year's Galaxy S7 in "almost all regions," with the larger Galaxy S8+ netting over 50% of the sales.

https://www.androidcentral.com/sams...mpaign=Feed:+androidcentral+(Android+Central)

 

[spinedoc77]

I felt the exact same way when comparing the S8 to the S8+ (and other phones too). FOR ME, the size of the S8 is "just right." Any wider and it's not as comfortable (for me) to hold. Any taller and it's not as comfortable (for me) to keep in my pocket.

It's funny what we get used to. While personally I hate the more narrow phones, I do love that they are substantially smaller also because of the smaller bezels. So now the past few years we've become accustomed to larger phablets and those feel "normal" Now we are going to be accustomed to having phablet sized screens in smaller phones. Who wants to bet that in several years we are going to have 7-8" phablets with no bezels that we will also get used to.
[doublepost=1501159690][/doublepost]

Samsung's record profits continue on the back of strong Galaxy S8 and DRAM sales


https://www.androidcentral.com/samsungs-record-profits-continue-back-strong-galaxy-s8-sales?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+androidcentral+(Android+Central)

They must have a really high profit margin on the hardware, which makes sense seeing how they produce so much of it in house. So many BOGO's, sales and free accessories, no way a company with slim profit margins can do that. But it does explain how some companies can sell flagship type phones for half the price. Price gouging at its best, but if the consumers line up to buy the product then we can't blame anyone but ourselves.

 

[JaySoul]

So months in to the S8, do you think it's worth it still? I'm on an iPhone 7 Plus running the iOS 11 beta. iOS 11 still just isn't fantastic personally. I'm not sure if to move to the Galaxy or not?

Tbh there are countless threads on such matters with lots of valuable opinions! Better to check those out first, maybe?

 

[jamezr]

It's funny what we get used to. While personally I hate the more narrow phones, I do love that they are substantially smaller also because of the smaller bezels. So now the past few years we've become accustomed to larger phablets and those feel "normal" Now we are going to be accustomed to having phablet sized screens in smaller phones. Who wants to bet that in several years we are going to have 7-8" phablets with no bezels that we will also get used to.
[doublepost=1501159690][/doublepost]

They must have a really high profit margin on the hardware, which makes sense seeing how they produce so much of it in house. So many BOGO's, sales and free accessories, no way a company with slim profit margins can do that. But it does explain how some companies can sell flagship type phones for half the price. Price gouging at its best, but if the consumers line up to buy the product then we can't blame anyone but ourselves.

I think Samsung is in a very unique position. They make most of the hardware in their phones from the ram to the hard drives. Heck they even make the SD835 SoC for Snapdragon . They can charge market prices and then offer great deals after release to spur sales.

 

[epicrayban]

Couple of points as my restlessness for new phones is creeping in:

1) Price on eBay UK is dropping incredibly fast, some people aren't even getting £450 for their used S8!

2) Playing around with other phones makes me realise Samsung nailed the ergonomics for S8. The size is practically perfect, love the narrowness of it. OnePlus 5 and iPhone 7 Plus feel too wide for me! Funny how quickly things change.

3) Playing with an S8+ made me realise it may just big too big for me, meaning Note 8 obviously would too. But that could change.

Regarding point #2, I couldn't agree more. I love the form factor of the s8. Easy and comfortable to use one handed.

Samsung has really cornered the market on ergonomic phablets. To me, this is the true value of their screen technology.
[doublepost=1501162632][/doublepost]

It's funny what we get used to. While personally I hate the more narrow phones, I do love that they are substantially smaller also because of the smaller bezels. So now the past few years we've become accustomed to larger phablets and those feel "normal" Now we are going to be accustomed to having phablet sized screens in smaller phones. Who wants to bet that in several years we are going to have 7-8" phablets with no bezels that we will also get used to.
[doublepost=1501159690][/doublepost]

They must have a really high profit margin on the hardware, which makes sense seeing how they produce so much of it in house. So many BOGO's, sales and free accessories, no way a company with slim profit margins can do that. But it does explain how some companies can sell flagship type phones for half the price. Price gouging at its best, but if the consumers line up to buy the product then we can't blame anyone but ourselves.

Hope they don't get too comfortable in the coming years.

 

[Zaft]

Regarding point #2, I couldn't agree more. I love the form factor of the s8. Easy and comfortable to use one handed.

Samsung has really cornered the market on ergonomic phablets. To me, this is the true value of their screen technology.
[doublepost=1501162632][/doublepost]

Hope they don't get too comfortable in the coming years.

Playing around with the S8+ made me feel like I was in the year 2030. Full screen in the palm of your hand.

 

[5105973]

So months in to the S8, do you think it's worth it still? I'm on an iPhone 7 Plus running the iOS 11 beta. iOS 11 still just isn't fantastic personally. I'm not sure if to move to the Galaxy or not?

At some of the discounts and deals you can get, I think it is a good buy if you want to try an Android phone that has a bit of an ecosystem supporting it. You can branch out and get the Gear S3 watch which is a nice smart watch, for example.

My experience isn't perfectly rosy though, owning the phone itself. I have some horrible animation stutters that make scrolling through my home screens to select apps a nausea inducing experience on the stock launcher. I thought I got rid of it but it's back and worse than ever. At some point I am going to have to scratch the phone and start over again. If that fails then I'll try other launchers.

I don't like the edges. I will hold out to see if the Note 8 edges are more acceptable to me, if not, I'm going to see what the word is on the S8 Active.

Another thing I don't like is my audio actually takes a few steps back in quality from what I was used to on my S7 and S7 Edge. I got better stereo audio recording quality and better sound quality (less crackling and static) on calls on those older phones, which I still own.

I don't think my experiences are universal across all S8+ ownership experiences. From reading around, I think I might have gotten one of the middling specimens among the production run. I have noticed for Samsungs there's a pretty wide variance in quality even among the same exact model in any given sample size. My husband and I owned 4 Note 7's between us and they were surprisingly different from each other. I owned two S7's and one was a constantly malfunctioning overheating mess while my second one is stable and overheats in a predictable way for that processor. (My Snapdragons 835 in my S8+ runs nice and cool even compared to my iPhone 7 Plus).

I get really good battery life on my S8+. iOS 10.3.3 seems to be a battery hog on my iPhone 7 Plus and my iPad mini 4. How's iOS 11 beta in that regard?

Sorry as I write this I realize this post is a bit of a ramble. I probably shouldn't have even tried to contribute. If I knew the answer myself I wouldn't insist on using both my iPhone 7 Plus and my S8+ throughout the day.

I used to complain about carrying around the big iPhone 6 Plus and now I carry around two huge phones without batting an eyelash. I keep my iPhone 7 Plus on me more, though, because it's aluminum and I don't really like sticking a glass sandwich in my pocket. That's another reason I'm contemplating the S8 Active.

 

[torana355]

So months in to the S8, do you think it's worth it still? I'm on an iPhone 7 Plus running the iOS 11 beta. iOS 11 still just isn't fantastic personally. I'm not sure if to move to the Galaxy or not?

It depends who you ask really. I personally think the S8 Plus is a brilliant phone. Finally the dreaded touchwiz lag is gone for me, my phone is just butter smooth and it is something i am OCD about. The micro stutters on my S7 used to annoy me but the added features balanced it out. The screen is amazing, the size and shape are ergonomically fantastic, the long shape is also perfect for scrollable content, the Battery life is awesome, The samsung software is now useful without the large amount of bloat of previous galaxy phones. The only downside is the phone is fragile, you don't want to drop it thats for sure.

 

[5105973]

It depends who you ask really. I personally think the S8 Plus is a brilliant phone. Finally the dreaded touchwiz lag is gone for me, my phone is just butter smooth and it is something i am OCD about. The micro stutters on my S7 used to annoy me but the added features balanced it out. The screen is amazing, the size and shape are ergonomically fantastic, the long shape is also perfect for scrollable content, the Battery life is awesome, The samsung software is now useful without the large amount of bloat of previous galaxy phones. The only downside is the phone is fragile, you don't want to drop it thats for sure.

The OS has been very stable for me. I had some lag in some apps that got cleared up with a reboot and camera lag that seems to have been cleared up somehow, perhaps with the most recent update. Mostly what I struggle with is this weird animation lag that I already described. Some people on XDA have it, too, and posted a video of it. I have no idea what causes it.

But unlike my situation with the iPhone and iOS, I don't have any crashes to the home screen.

I'm interested in the S8 Active and here's a page with a video about it for anyone on AT&T who cares to take a look and shares my wish for a Galaxy with a flat display: http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/0...eak-show-off-familiar-design-4000mah-battery/

It's mildly fugly but I'll stick a skin or case on it anyway. Probably a skin. If I get it.

 

[torana355]

The OS has been very stable for me. I had some lag in some apps that got cleared up with a reboot and camera lag that seems to have been cleared up somehow, perhaps with the most recent update. Mostly what I struggle with is this weird animation lag that I already described. Some people on XDA have it, too, and posted a video of it. I have no idea what causes it.

But unlike my situation with the iPhone and iOS, I don't have any crashes to the home screen.

I'm interested in the S8 Active and here's a page with a video about it for anyone on AT&T who cares to take a look and shares my wish for a Galaxy with a flat display: http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/0...eak-show-off-familiar-design-4000mah-battery/

It's mildly fugly but I'll stick a skin or case on it anyway. Probably a skin. If I get it.

Nothing is perfect but the S8 is a pretty good phone. Sure the iPhone may be a little smoother but you are giving up some customisation options. I think the phones coming out in the next year will all be pretty damn good, its just a matter of personal preference now.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

I haven't seen anyone mention it yet, but Verizon has started rolling out the update with Daydream support and updated nav bar settings. I got the update on Wednesday, but I don't have a Daydream View to test it. Others are saying it doesn't work, though.

 

[noobinator]

Got the July update on my US unlocked this morning with the nav bar hiding option.