Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is set to unveil its 2017 flagship in less than two weeks. After a rocky 2016 with the exploding Galaxy Note 7 scandal, Samsung will be looking to impress with the Galaxy S8.

As the launch date approaches, the rumor mill is in overdrive with some impressive features. Galaxy S8 rumors from last year include the inclusion of an artificial intelligence assistant called Bixby, bezel-less display, increase in storage, wireless charging and more.

Here’s a look at the latest rumors making the rounds:

Launch date

Samsung has announced the launch date for its Galaxy S8 lineup, which takes place on Mar. 29 in New York City. The launch kicks off at 11 a.m. ET and the company will live stream its Unpacked event on its website.

Rumors coming out of Korea suggest Samsung has moved its pre-order date for the Galaxy S8 forward a few days to Apr. 7, but it’s not clear whether this will be available globally or just in Korea.

Rumor roundup for the Galaxy S8

Video recording at 1,000fps

The latest rumor to make the rounds about the Galaxy S8 is that it will be able to record videos at 1,000 frames per second. If the rumor proves correct, it will put Samsung’s device way ahead of the other flagships on the market.

The current iPhone 7 is able to record slow-motion 1080p video at 120fps and 720p video at 240fps. While Sony Corp.’s new Xperia XZ Premium shoots slow-motion video at a max of 960fps.

Mobile payments using facial recognition

It is rumored that the new Galaxy S8 will contain facial recognition technology that will not only be used to unlock the device, but could also be used for mobile payments. Bloomberg reports Samsung’s latest flagship will combine facial recognition with fingerprint and new iris scanners to verify users for a variety of mobile services including Samsung Pay.

According to “people familiar with the matter” the functionality won’t be ready in time for the Galaxy S8’s launch on Mar. 29, but will be available a few months later.

Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

The two devices set to launch on Mar. 29 are being referred to as the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus (or the S8 Edge). It is rumored that Samsung will do away with the “Edge” line and both devices will have curved sides like the Galaxy S7 Edge.

The Galaxy S8 is rumored to have a 5.8-inch display while the larger model will have a 6.2-inch display. Both devices are rumored to have extremely thin or no bezels at all.

Renders of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus via @OnLeaks

If rumors are to believed, Samsung is expecting big sale numbers for its upcoming flagship. The company is rumored to have 10 million Galaxy S8 units available for its first batch of sales and an addition six million units of the Galaxy S8 Plus.

As the Galaxy S8 will have a reduced bezel, rumors suggest the fingerprint scanner will move to the back of the device and virtual navigation buttons will be incorporated into the display. The virtual home button will reportedly come with pressure sensitivity.

Variety of new colors

Leaked photos and mockups have appeared that indicate the Galaxy S8 will come in a variety of different colors including black, white, blue, gold and silver, according to TechDroider.

A fresh leak this week suggests Samsung will also introduce a glossy, jet black color option, just like Apple Inc. did with the launch of the iPhone 7 last year.

Dual rear cameras and improved selfie camera

Reports out of Korea suggest the Galaxy S8 will follow in the footsteps of the iPhone 7 Plus, LG V20 and Huawei P9 and sport 12MP dual rear cameras. The device could also have an 8-megapixel selfie camera and a second 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera used for unlocking the device with the iris scanner.

Bigger batteries

If rumors are to believed the Galaxy S8 will come with a 3,250mAh battery while the bigger S8 Plus will have a 3,750mAh battery.

Samsung could be dropping one of the battery companies that made the ill-fated batteries for the Note 7. The batteries that will be used in Galaxy S8 could come from Japanese manufacturer Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and Sony instead.

Rumors for and against the headphone jack

Some rumors suggest that Samsung will follow in Apple’s footsteps and lose the headphone jack in its latest flagship. However, leaked images of a case supposedly for the Galaxy S8 suggests the device will still have a headphone jack.

Display resolution

Contradictory rumors also persist with the Galaxy S8’s display resolution. Some rumors suggest the new device will retain the 2K display (2,560 x 1,440 resolution) used in the Galaxy S7, but will be upgraded to new version of the AMOLED display material.  

Other rumors suggest an upgraded display to a 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels.

Source: Cnet

Image: Samsung