The tech world in early 2017 was a weird, tense place. Samsung wasn't just launching another phone; they were fighting for their lives. After the Note 7 disaster—you know, the one where phones were literally banned from airplanes because they kept catching fire—the pressure on the next flagship was suffocating.
If the S8 failed, Samsung’s reputation might have been cooked for good.
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So, when the galaxy s8 plus release date finally arrived on April 21, 2017, it felt less like a product launch and more like a high-stakes rescue mission. Samsung didn't just need a "good" phone. They needed a miracle wrapped in glass.
The Day Everything Changed
Samsung officially pulled the curtain back on March 29, 2017, at their Unpacked event in New York. The hype was through the roof. Honestly, most of us were just relieved it didn't explode on stage. Pre-orders kicked off the very next day, March 30, and the actual retail units hit shelves on April 21 in the US and Korea.
Europe and other markets had to wait about a week longer, with most regions getting it by April 28.
The price? It wasn't cheap. The S8 Plus landed at around $850. Back then, that felt like an insane amount of money for a smartphone, though looking at today's $1,200+ price tags, it seems almost quaint. You've gotta remember, this was the first time we saw the "Infinity Display." Those curved edges and the lack of a physical home button changed the way phones looked forever.
Why the Delay Mattered
Usually, Samsung likes to show off at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February. Not this time. They pushed the galaxy s8 plus release date back by about a month.
Why? Because they were busy x-raying batteries.
After the Note 7, they implemented a new "8-Point Battery Safety Check." They were terrified of another recall. DJ Koh, who was the head of Samsung Mobile at the time, basically staked his career on this phone being safe. They even left more "wiggle room" inside the chassis so the battery wouldn't get crushed.
It worked. The phone didn't blow up. In fact, it sold like crazy. Within the first month, they moved over five million units. People were clearly ready to forgive and forget as long as the screen was pretty enough.
What Most People Forget About the Hardware
We talk about the screen a lot, but the internals were a massive jump too. Depending on where you lived, you either got the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Samsung's own Exynos 8895. These were the first 10nm chips in a phone. Basically, they were faster and sucked less juice from the battery.
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But it wasn't all sunshine.
Remember the fingerprint scanner? It was probably the biggest "what were they thinking?" moment in tech history. They slapped it right next to the camera lens on the back. Every time you tried to unlock your phone, you ended up smudging the camera. It was infuriating. Samsung eventually realized the mistake, but S8 Plus owners just had to live with blurry photos for a year.
The Software Legacy
The S8 Plus launched with Android 7.0 Nougat. It was also the birth of Bixby. Honestly, nobody really wanted Bixby, and Samsung even put a dedicated physical button on the side of the phone for it. People spent the next three years trying to figure out how to remap that button to do literally anything else.
In terms of longevity, the S8 Plus had a decent run:
- Android 8.0 Oreo arrived in early 2018.
- Android 9.0 Pie (with the first version of One UI) landed in early 2019.
- Security updates actually continued until May 2021.
Four years of support was actually pretty good for that era, even though we now expect seven years for the newest flagships.
The Real Impact on the Industry
The galaxy s8 plus release date marked the end of the "bezel era." Before this phone, every device had a huge forehead and chin. Samsung proved that you could fit a massive 6.2-inch screen into a body that didn't feel like a tablet.
They also kept the headphone jack.
Apple had already killed it on the iPhone 7, so Samsung’s decision to keep the 3.5mm port was a huge selling point for enthusiasts. It’s funny how much things change—now you can’t find a flagship with a jack anywhere.
Looking Back at the S8 Plus Today
If you find an S8 Plus in a drawer today, the first thing you’ll notice is how incredibly light it feels. Modern phones are tanks compared to this thing. The battery life on a 2017 unit is probably shot by now, but the screen? That Super AMOLED panel still looks better than many mid-range phones released last year.
It was a turning point. It saved Samsung’s mobile division and set the design language for the next five years of smartphones. It wasn't perfect—that fingerprint sensor still haunts my dreams—but it was the comeback story of the decade.
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Actionable Insights for Legacy Device Owners:
If you happen to be using a Galaxy S8 Plus as a backup or a media player, keep in mind that it hasn't received security patches since 2021. This makes it a target for modern exploits if connected to public Wi-Fi. Your best bet is to use it as a dedicated offline music player or a smart home controller on a private, firewalled network. If you're looking to upgrade to something that feels similar in hand but has modern specs, the base "S" series models (like the S24 or S25) offer a similar narrow-width feel with significantly more durable glass.