Samsung has taken the wraps off of its next flagship smartphone. Or, more accurately, its two new flagship smartphones. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus were revealed, alongside a number of other potentially awesome products, at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2017 event in New York.

It's fair to say that Samsung had a tough 2016. There was the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, which saw Samsung's flagship phablet released, recalled, released again, and finally killed within the space of a few months. And then Samsung's washing machines started exploding too.

Samsung will be hoping for a better 2017, and all hopes rest on the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus...

The New Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are identical in every way apart from their size, weight, and battery. The S8 sports a 5.8-inch screen, weighs 155g, and has a 3,000mAh battery. The S8 Plus sports a 6.2-inch screen, weighs 173g, and has a 3,500mAh battery.

Both phones are powered by Android 7.0, have an octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of memory. They also feature a Super AMOLED Quad HD+ screen with what Samsung calls an "Infinity Display" which wraps around the whole of the front of the phone.

There's a 12MP camera, a fingerprint scanner (on the back of the handset), and, unlike the iPhone 7, a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus also come with "high-performance earphones tuned by AKG by Harman" as standard.

Samsung has developed its own personal assistant called Bixby, which is essentially Siri by another name. While it has huge potential, it's currently inferior to Google Assistant, which is available as part of Android 7. Still, unlike Google Pixel, Bixby does have its own dedicated button.

Incremental Improvements Are Everything

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus look, on paper at least, to be amazing smartphones. They're not revolutionary in any way, but that's not the game these days. Instead, just like Apple does with the iPhone, it's about incrementally improving the product until it's the absolute best it can be.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are available to preorder from tomorrow (March 30) in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, and Maple Gold. Shipping in the U.S. will commence on April 21. Prices will vary from carrier to carrier, but are expected to start at $720.

Do you own a Samsung handset? Are you eyeing the Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus with envy? Is this likely to be your next phone? Or are better phones available? Has Samsung's misstep with the Galaxy Note 7 put you off? Please let us know in the comments below!