The Samsung Galaxy S8 would have had its life pretty much marked out far earlier than we know. After all, it is not as though a company like Samsung would have come this far only to realize that they need to have a succession plan for their next smartphone, and the next -- you get the idea. While the Galaxy Note 7 did not manage to take off as expected, this might have inadvertently led to a greater degree of pressure on Samsung to really deliver with the Galaxy S8 as their next flagship device. After all, to suffer two duds in a row would certainly be a critical hit to any company, even more so a high profile one like Samsung. How then, will the Samsung Galaxy 8 be shaped in order to be ready for a general release?

It does seem as though word on the grapevine points to Samsung ready to incorporate some features that are found on one of its main rivals, the recently introduced iPhone 7, into the Samsung Galaxy 8. This would be referencing the 3D Touch Support feature that is found in the iPhone 7. Not only that, it should also be about time that Samsung took the leap of faith and jump aboard the dual lens camera niche, something that the likes of Huawei, LG, Apple, and even Xiaomi of China have already delved into with varying degrees of success. Other than having the right lens hardware, it is also crucial that Samsung gets the software right as well.

Another rumor that has been going around concerning the Samsung Galaxy 8 points to a personal voice assistance -- and with the ability to choose between a female or a male voice. I guess that is a nice touch for those who would prefer one gender’s voice over the other, and we might also see an all-screen design that will see both the buttons and sensors placed within the display -- something which the next generation iPhone will also purportedly carry.

Touted to arrive some time in 2017, it should not be long now, as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge themselves were released in the first half of this year, as with its predecessors in the year before that. It also seem as though there will be a feature that will enable consumers to pay for the specific goods or products via the Galaxy S8 itself, which would more or less confirm the presence of NFC connectivit as well. Other speculated hardware configurations include 6GB of RAM and 256GB of internal memory to keep up with the times, while a fingerprint recognition reader ought to be a given.

We have also learned earlier in the month that the Galaxy S8 will come with an improved AI assistant, although it will not take on a 4K display. All in all, these are but rumors that abound despite being reported by more reliable sources out there, so do take all that you have read with a pinch of salt. After all, there is nothing quite like having an official statement released in order for us to know what's coming for sure, and what is not.