Samsung Galaxy C8: When will it hit Indian market?
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy C8 at a no-frills event in China on September 9. After the recently launched Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy J7+, the smartphone is now the third device from Samsung's stable that is equipped with a dual camera setup at the back.
The device is Samsung's attempt to win market share in China, which — after the rise of local players like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo — ceased to be a major source of revenue for the tech giant.
The C8, save for some minor changes, is essentially the same smartphone as the J7+ which was unveiled in Thailand earlier this month, reports Android Headlines. The phone listed on Samsung's website in China brings with itself some interesting features and impressive hardware.
Here's what lies under the hood.
Specifications
The Samsung Galaxy C8 sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED, Always-On Full HD (1920x1080) display. The device is powered by a MediaTek Helio P20 system-on-chip (SoC) that houses a 2.39Ghz octa-core processor. The SoC, depending on the variant of choice, has been paired with either 3GB RAM and 32GB or 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which can be expanded to 256GB using a MicroSD card.
The device comes with support for 4G LTE, GPS, and Bluetooth 4.2. The phone launched in China is a dual-SIM smartphone that comes with a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm jack.
The smartphone has a 3000 mAh battery that is compatible with MediaTek’s proprietary Pump Express 3.0 fast charging technology. MediaTek claims it is the fastest charging solution on the market and can charge your phone's battery up to 70 per cent in just 20 minutes.
The Galaxy C8 packs Samsung's modified version of the Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
Powerful front and rear cameras
The phone's biggest draw is arguably its picture-taking prowess, thanks to the inclusion of a dual camera setup at the back and the more-than-capable – at least on paper – camera module in the front. The dual camera setup at the back combines 13-megapixel with f/1.7 aperture and 5-megapixel with aperture f/1.9.
The 13-megapixel sensor on board is a coloured one, while the 5-megapixel is used for clicking pictures in monochrome. Samsung has also added autofocus and dual tone LED flash unit to supplement the camera setup.
Like most dual cameras in the market, Galaxy C8 will let users take portraits with the depth effect. There's also the "Dual Photo" mode that lets users adjust the focus of the picture even after capturing the image.
At the front, there's a powerful 16-megapixel sensor with f/1.9 aperture and a separate LED flash for all your selfie needs.
Enter facial recognition
Apart from fitting the phone with impressive camera modules, Samsung has also equipped the phone with some nifty software tricks to make it stand out among flagships.
Over and above the fingerprint scanner embedded in the home screen, the device also comes with stronger security measures such as facial recognition tech that allows users to unlock the phone with their face.
The phone also supports Bixby – Samsung’s artificial intelligence (AI) assistant now finally available in China after being delayed on several occasions. However, unlike the flagship Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 lineups, the Galaxy C8 has not come with a physical Bixby key for activating the digital companion.
Price and availability
The phone, for now, has been announced for only the Chinese market, but as Samsung works overtime to pick up pace in the dual camera bandwagon, expect it to bring the phone to India soon.
The Galaxy C8 being offered by the company in Black, Gold, and Pink colours for now has not been given a price tag yet, but considering the specs, expect the phone to be priced around the Rs 30k mark when it finally makes its way into India.