Where to start with a Samsung Galaxy S phone launch? These phones aim to be the very best on the market and in recent years, they’ve arguably succeeded. But Samsung has always had a habit of hyping them through the roof and sending them to market laden with gimmicky features that can range from I-can’t-believe-they-invented-it to utterly terrible. And yet last year’s Samsung Galaxy S7 ended up being our Phone of the Year (once the price had dropped) and is still a great buy.

Samsung shovels in the features (as usual) but at least the important ones are good... Very good. It's not cheap but it excels where it matters and that camera is outstanding. It's the best phone you can buy.

Very pretty; Very fast; Superb camera;

Bixby virtual assistant is a joke; Average battery life;

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is superb, then. It’s a massive leap forwards in design terms compared to the S7, and is head and shoulders above every other phone in this regard. You won’t want to stop looking at it. It works brilliantly too, thanks to Samsung’s new focus on user interface design. It’s powerful, easy to use and if you like your software as stock as possible, this is Samsung’s purest Touchwiz attempt yet. The misplaced fingerprint sensor is the only mark against it, and even then it’s mitigated by the addition of iris and face scanning. And then there’s its growing ecosystem of accessories such as the Gear 360, the new Gear VR with controller, and the DeX desktop dock. All of them help make it a powerhouse that will expand your experience beyond mobile. At £689 SIM-free, the S8 is by no means cheap compared to the £650 LG G6 and £599 Apple iPhone 7. But its premium style and flawless performance are such that it doesn’t feel overpriced. Of course the elephant in the room here is the Note 7, and I’m sure there are those of you who’ll be waiting until the S8 has been in people’s hands for a few months before committing. But come on, surely Samsung isn’t going to make the same mistake again - this phone will have been tested and tested and tested again, and it’ll be truly astounding if it suffers the same fiery fate as its unfortunate smartphone sibling. I certainly didn’t experience a single problem with it in my time testing it. What you’re left with here is a brilliant smartphone experience, wrapped in one of the sleekest designs ever. If you’re looking for a smartphone that nails every aspect of everything you could want in the palm of your hand, this is it. Get the Samsung S8 (64GB) SIM free here for £689 or on contract here

It’s the most beautiful smartphone ever; Ridiculous power, put to good use with DeX; The camera is amazing, as always;

Bixby’s full talents not available at launch; Not all apps are optimised for its 18.5:9 aspect ratio; That fingerprint sensor position is not great at all;

Samsung has taken the best phone around and made it even better with an impressive Infinity screen and premium design. It ticks a shedload of boxes - as you'd expect from a flagship. It's one of the best phones of 2017, and is nearly half the price of the iPhone X. But the biometrics are a let down. If you want a slightly larger screen and battery, then the S8+ also gets our approval. Though now, the OnePlus 5T offers staunch competition on specs and price.

The large, bezel-less display is truly iconic and beautiful, and the screen quality excellent. The fingerprint scanner being placed on the back is a poor decision from Samsung, as well as the iris scanner / facial recognition not working well enough to be a real consideration.

Amazing, large display, Huge power, Great camera

Irritating biometric unlocking, Very expensive at launch, Bixby pointless

Still an excellent phone with a great camera, lovely design and a fantastic display. It's not the Samsung flagship anymore, but don't let that put you off.

Awesome display, A phone that feels like the future, Stunning camera, It’s actually innovative

Awfully placed fingerprint sensor, Bixby is a bit of a dud

A truly wonderful phone that you'll want to own, but the fingerprint reader frustrates.

Brilliant display, Blazing fast performance, Bluetooth 5 and dual audio

Rear fingerprint reader placement, Face recognition hit and miss, Bixby needs to differentiate

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the best smartphone available, full stop. It has raised the bar for top-end smartphone design, is one of the most future-proofed phones you can buy and squeezes a large selection of cutting-edge technology into a consumer-friendly package that anyone can use.

Pros: 64GB + microSD card slot, wireless charging, IP68, brilliant screen, tiny body, great camera, iris scanner, 24-hour battery, pressure-sensitive screen, notification LED

Cons: fixed battery, only Android 7.0, no USB-PD, fingerprint scanner placement not ideal

Samsung Galaxy S8: The Samsung Galaxy S8 was the best phone of 2017, but is it still top dog?

Incredible camera, Brilliant display, Sumptuous design

Expensive, Awkward fingerprint reader placement, Battery isn't as good as Galaxy S7

We test out the camera, Bixby AI assistant, Android software and compare it to the iPhone 7 Plus in our full review of the S8

A super-fast, frustration-free phone for everyday use; Stunning design and build quality; Sharp edge-to-edge screen puts the focus on content

Extremely low-light camera performance in auto needs improving; Iris scanner is hopelessly fiddly; Bixby is incomplete and can't compete with Google Now and Assistant

Overall, the looks and the build quality are second to none. Beautiful. Both the S8 and the S8+ can win beauty contests hands down, and they’re crazy quick with stunning displays and a top-end camera setup.