Samsung Galaxy S8: On the fence? Here are 8 arguments to convince you to pick one up today

The problem with smartphones these days is that you don’t actually need to upgrade every year. We’ve reached that tipping point in terms of performance and features where there’s no real-world argument to dump your old device. Last night’s launch of the **Samsung Galaxy S8** certainly brings this conundrum to the fore. Why should you upgrade to the S8? It’s not like you actually need the device, right? The problem is that you just want the device, but you can’t find a convincing argument for the practical side of your brain. I’ve been struggling with the same conundrum and after wracking my brains for hours, have finally come up with 8, perfectly reasonable arguments for convincing oneself that you need the Galaxy S8. Here goes: It’s a Samsung [caption id=“attachment_369480” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Few Android phones are actually capable of making your jaw drop. Image: Pawel Loj[/caption] Admit it; if you’re not on Apple’s side of the fence, you really have no option but to pick up the S8. What other option do you have? A Google Pixel ? Phooey! That buggy, half-hearted attempt to make a Google-branded flagship offers limited bragging rights. HTC, LG, Sony? Nobody has a flagship worth talking about , nay, bragging about. Would you really spend Rs 60,000 on an LG G6 when you can buy a Galaxy S8? Samsung is the only one that makes a cool Android flagship. Sure, Xiaomi and OnePlus make nice devices, but you’re not going to be spending half a lakh on them. Safest battery ever If there was one item on the top of Samsung’s agenda when designing the Galaxy S8, you can bet your life that it concerned the safety of the battery in the S8.  Samsung Mobile head DJ Koh has been walking around with a veritable Sword of Damocles hanging over his head since the **Galaxy Note 7 fiasco** and it’s his neck and Samsung’s reputation that’s on the line. The first thing that Koh did when he took the stage at the famed Lincoln theatre in New York was launch into an impassioned speech as to why Samsung and it’s Galaxy brand stands for quality and reliability. He once again touched on the **8-point battery safety check** (S8, 8-point check, coincidence?) that was introduced once Samsung got to the bottom of the exploding Note 7 fiasco. Whatever else happens, these will likely be the safest batteries that anyone’s ever put into a smartphone. Wouldn’t you sleep easy knowing that your phone won’t blow half your face off? It’s got a headphone jack  Apple’s “courage” has actually left us in a time when it’s notable that a smartphone maker is actually doing something sensible. Yes, the Galaxy S8 has a headphone jack. It also has a USB-C port, supports fast charging and can connect to a desktop dock. Sensible, and sane. It’s actually rather elegant

The Galaxy S8 is a handsome device. That elegantly curving screen seamlessly merging into the aluminium frame looks stunning. The curved corners of the display are also unique, and quite nice. Another point in the device’s favour is the fact that Apple, the supposed king of design, has never really convinced me that the camera bump on the back of my phone is a good idea, and Samsung concurs. Delicate as they are, glass-backed phones feel very nice. Fingerprints are passé [caption id=“attachment_369485” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Why wouldn’t you use these over sweaty, smudgy fingerprints?[/caption] Who needs fingerprints when you’ve got an iris scanner? Using a fingerprint scanner to login is faster than entering a passcode, but if you need to wear gloves or you have sweaty fingers, it can be very frustrating to use. The face recognition feature is also very neat, though admittedly not as secure as other means of authentication. Righties rule!  Speaking of fingerprint scanners, did you know that Samsung put the fingerprint scanner on the left of the camera? For right-handed folk, this means that the fingerprint scanner will fall comfortably under their index finger. For left-handed folk, this means that the fingerprint scanner is going to be cumbersome to use. There’s historic and religious precedence for this preference for the righties after all. If you’re a right-handed person, what better way to assert your dominance over 10 percent of the world’s population than by flaunting the ergonomics of the Galaxy S8? In yer face, you dastardly lefties! Hey. Wait. I’m left-handed. *holds head in hands* VR FTW! [caption id=“attachment_366619” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Getty Images[/caption] Virtual Reality or VR, as it’s better known, still hasn’t taken off. The tools are present, but it’s the content that’s lacking. Partnering with various content creators, Samsung is preparing to kick off a VR revolution. Most of this content is likely to be restricted to Samsung devices and to the Gear VR in particular. Thus, if you want a front seat to the VR revolution, you know where to go. Audiophile’s ahoy [caption id=“attachment_369490” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Getty Images[/caption] If you love audio, the Galaxy S8 has a lot to offer. Unlike Apple, Samsung has taken the trouble to leave the headphone jack in and they’re also bundling Harman’s AKG-branded earphones with the device. These earphones aren’t cheap and are worth $99 (around Rs 6,800) and should give Apple’s EarPods (and AirPods) good competition in the audio quality department. Better yet, the Galaxy S8 one-ups Apple in the wireless audio department by including support for Bluetooth 5.0 . If you’re not in the know, Bluetooth 5.0 doubles the bandwidth of the previous standard and also improves the range. Convinced? You can now pre-order the smartphone right here. Now you just need to convince your better half that these arguments are actually valid.