The AnTuTu battery test sets the display brightness to maximum and cranks up workloads for the processor, graphics core, memory and storage subsystems. It then runs through a number of real-world scripted workloads, including web browsing, gaming, and video playback, in an effort to drain the...

That's the first thing Samsung's product manager said to me before introducing the company's new flagship Galaxy S8 last month. He's not wrong: the modern concept of the smartphone has been around for a decade now, and the differences between devices are exceedingly incremental.

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 Galaxy S8 is a gorgeous big-screen phone with a comfortable single-handed feel, and it's packed with top-notch components and promising new software.

Hand-friendly design; Gorgeous screen; Best processor and modem available

Awkward fingerprint scanner placement; Average battery life

Iterative future In an industry that seems to have hit an innovation plateau, with almost every device looking nearly identical and company's grasping for consumer attention in a saturated high-end Android market, the S8 and S8+ are an iterative jump forward that manages to still feel exciting.

Stunningly beautiful and unique looking; One of the best Android displays out there; Extremely powerful thanks to the Snapdragon 835

Expensive; Still similar to last year's S7 and S7 Edge; Double edges (if you don't like Samsung's previous 'Edge' models; this could be an issue

How does a company shake a global recall of a high profile product If you're the world's biggest smartphone maker, you keep doing what you know -- tweaking, innovating, improving and building the very products that lead to success.

Amazing screen; Fast; reliable camera; Bigger display; smaller housing; Fast performance; Waterproof

Bixby isn't ready; Some software tweaks just don't make sense; Lack of stereo speakers

After spending around a week with the Galaxy S8, we've come to the conclusion that it's the best phone we've seen so far this year. While Samsung has never failed to impress us with their flagship offerings, the company has pulled out all stops this year.

T wo weeks ago Samsung announced its new flagship phone for 2017. The Samsung Galaxy S8 succeeds the popular S7. The premium smartphone features a completely new design, with smaller bezels and a larger display.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 takes Samsung's infinity screen concept into new territory, with an enormous 5.8 inch quad-HD dual-curved display packed into a compact handset. Brimming with market-leading features, the Galaxy S8 is the best-looking and arguably the best-equipped phone on the market in 2017,...

But really, there's little to complain about. Almost all the basics are better here than on rivals and the Galaxy S8 is packed full of extras, some of which are more useful than others, but none of which get in the way.

+ Amazing screen; + Great design; + Feature packed

- Small battery; - Camera isn't much of an upgrade; - Bixby needs works

Infinity Display The Infinity Display gives the Samsung Galaxy S8 the illusion of having no bezel on the sides. We see one piece of smooth glass that curves over the edges, to meet the aluminium shell.