Galaxy S8 rumored to be the first handset to feature Bluetooth 5

[midian182]

It’s been almost a week since the last Galaxy S8 rumor, but thanks to the folks at Sammobile, we now know of another feature that could be making its way to Samsung’s flagship handset. It seems the S8 could be the first smartphone to incorporate the new Bluetooth 5 standard.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) recently announced that the latest Bluetooth 5 standard has been adopted. Improvements over the older 4.2 standard include four times the range, two times the speed, and eight times the message capacity, allowing a more robust and reliable connection. It also improves interoperability and coexistence with other wireless technologies.

While the SIG is pushing Bluetooth 5 primarily as a way of advancing the IoT experience, the new protocol will also make its way into smartphones. The group said it expects to see products built with Bluetooth 5 within two to six months of last week’s announcement, which lines up with the Galaxy S8’s predicted release date.

The last couple of months have brought the rumors that the S8 will come in two sizes: a 5.7-inch version and a massive 6.2-inch variant. Given what happened with the Note 7, there’s a chance Samsung could offer a phablet-sized S8, despite confirming that there will be a Galaxy Note 8 next year.

The handset is also rumored to sport a pair of stereo speakers, have a bezel-less display with a virtual home button under the glass, and lack a headphone jack in favor of a USB type-C connector. We’ll be at Mobile World Congress in February to find out which ones turn out to be accurate.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/67399-galaxy-s8-rumored-first-handset-feature-bluetooth-5.html

 

[Bigtruckseries]

I can't wait till everyone sees/hears of the missing headphone jack...

...gets angry about the non-removable battery and finally says aloud:

"They are copying apple yo!!!"

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

BT5 is cool but the rumoured sizes are just plain silly and it depends on which "trusted sources" rumours you find more creditable. I hope Samsung lets sanity prevail and releases one in a decent, manageable size.

 

[Greg S]

I won't be buying an S8 if all of the above is actually true. I want a sub-5.5" device.

 

[Nobina]

Buy as many phones as you can until they all become featurless fashion accessories.

 

[psycros]

Samsung is making real junk these days from what I've seen. All bells and whistles with no reliability. No headphone jack = no sale for LOTS of people.

 

[Ean Mogg]

At least try and put something on your phone that no one has like a Pico projector or laser keyboard sigh no originality ..

 

[toooooot]

I can't wait till everyone sees/hears of the missing headphone jack...

...gets angry about the non-removable battery and finally says aloud:

"They are copying apple yo!!!"

Samsung batteries are fairly reliable. Unlike my ability to not lose earbuds . If this trend continues, and Samsung indeed drops 3.5 port, I guess that will be the time to give Chinese phone makers like xioami a try.

 

[Evernessince]

Samsung is making real junk these days from what I've seen. All bells and whistles with no reliability. No headphone jack = no sale for LOTS of people.

I think you mean without the bells and whistles. It seems they are going form over function.

 

[DaveBG]

Good. I want bigger screen finally. The 6.2-inch variant looks like will be good enough for me.

 

[tipstir]

6.0 screen and 8 core works for me. Still on 4G LTE and the rumor of 5G LTE coming out reports ZTE and their 7" AXON smart phone looks promising as well. I own ZTE ZMax Pro, more than happy with it. I know everyone is coming out with new gear.