Well, Samsung went right ahead and announced the Galaxy S8 last night. It's the newest in the South Korean firm's range of smartphones, and it's got a few new features that gamers are definitely going to be interested in. And a few potential problems too.
Now I know we usually just cover iOS on AppSpy, but I thought that this well well worth a look all the same. After all, as the saying goes, know your enemy. Therefore I have created some list-based content for your eyes.
We're also going to have a ponder about whether the phone might replace your trusty iPhone as your go-to gaming device. So, without further me typing out an intro, here's everything that gamers need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S8.
The Screen
This is the biggest change in the new S8. After last generation's experiment with extra screen space with the S7 Edge, Samsung has gone one step further. Now the screen wraps around both sides of the device, giving you a lot of shiny pixel real-estate.
It's also got a new aspect ratio too. Rather than 16:9, the phone stretches out to 18.5:9. It's HDR enabled as well, although apparently that's something you need to enable yourself. It'll ship at just regular HD resolution.
There are two versions of the phone, as is common nowadays, the S8 and the S8 Plus. The S8 has a 5.8 inch screen, while the Plus has a slightly bigger 6.2 inch screen. Both of them are pretty darn big, all told.
Of course, there is a slight problem with that new aspect ratio - some games are going to run with bars around them. It's not the end of the world, but it does mean Android developers now have another thing to take into consideration when they're optimising titles.
The Battery
Interestingly, the S8 runs on the same battery as its predecessor. That means it's packing a 3000 mAh juice supplier (or a 3500 if you're wielding the massive-er S8 Plus).
Considering the phone has a bigger screen, and a more powerful processor, it's going to be interesting to see how that slightly underpowered battery actually manages to keep up.
Processor and RAM
Yet again Samsung has split its devices between different parts of the world. It's likely that the US versions of the phones will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 in the US, and the Exynos 8895 in the rest of the world.
The Exynos is the more powerful of the two, so if you're in the US you're going to have a slightly (like, very slightly) underpowered version of the phone. Expect lots of bragging from your friends in Europe.
RAM-wise the phone boasts 4GB, which is a perfectly acceptable amount. There are rumblings that Asian versions of the phone will be getting more though. Basically, the S8 is a bit of a beast, but there are more some versions that are most beastly than others.
OS
The S8 will ship with Android Nougat, which is the newest version of the Google OS. It'll also have the TouchWiz UI. Which means that I won't be getting one, because quite frankly the TouchWiz UI is horrible. And no amount of refining it is going to change my mind about that.
Overall
Well, it's an interesting one. The new form factor is certainly interesting, but from a purely gaming point of view, it could well cause more problems than it solves in the first few months of the S8 being out in the wild.
There's no doubting the raw power of Samsung's new blower, but I don't think that alone is going to be enough to sway iOS gamers over. After all, like it or not, the App Store is still the home of gaming on the go.
So what do you think? Will you be picking up a Galaxy S8 when it hits stores later in the year? Or are you sticking to the tried and tested iPhone you're probably reading this on? Let us know in the comments below - you know you want to.
