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.

Between the great camera and fantastic display, there was plenty to like about Samsung’s Galaxy S8 ( review ).

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are here, bringing with them a new taller display in a body that's smaller than ever before but should you buy them?...

Incredible & comfortable design, Outstanding Super AMOLED display, Fast performance, Good all-round camera, Bixby Voice Assistant has potential, Best in class in-box headphones, Acceptable battery life, Front-facing camera has autofocus, Plenty of customization options

Odd fingerprint sensor location, Bixby is limited and needs work, No major improvements to the camera, Iris recognition is hit and miss, Bottom-firing speaker is average at best

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

In the cat and mouse game between Samsung and Apple, the user is the real winner, and never has that been so apparent as with the new Samsung Galaxy S8. Undoubtedly the most eagerly-anticipated Android smartphone of 2017, the Galaxy S8 is Samsung’s first big opportunity to put the Note 7 battery...

Beautiful design, Curved Super AMOLED screen looks and works great, Fast and lag-free, Camera is among the best

Fingerprint sensor is awkwardly placed, No dual-camera optical zoom, Bixby Voice isn't available at launch

Samsung did very well with the Galaxy S8, and just as well. After the disaster that happened with the Note 7, another huge mistake would be catastrophic for the company. So, Samsung played it safe under the spotlight by continuing the evolution of the S series' design by making one of the most...

Design, Display, User interface, Performance

Moderate battery life, Fingerprint scanner position, Bixby assistant

The new S8 and S8 Plus aren't perfect, but they are damn close

Gorgeous design, Meticulous fit and finish, Great camera, Big screen, but not a big phone, Gorgeous design, Meticulous fit and finish, Great camera, Enormous, stunning display

Annoying preinstalled apps, Atrocious fingerprint scanner placement, Merely average battery life, Bixby is useless, Annoying preinstalled apps, Atrocious fingerprint scanner placement, Bixby is useless, Larger size can be cumbersome

The Samsung 2017 flagship, compact edition. Can the Galaxy S8 make even the die-hard fans of the big-screen experience consider converting? Think about it - you get so much screen in a phone that's practically as wide as a iPhone 7.

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;