The Galaxy S8 will start arriving on customer doorsteps later this week. If you ordered one, you might want some help figuring out what you can do with it.
Sure, there are tons of advanced new features that will let you scan your irises or use your face to unlock the phone. It has fast, wireless charging and and a next-generation processor. Samsung does a good job walking new users through some of those features, but still leave a lot of the other functions buried inside of menus.
We dug around a bit in our review unit to try to find some tips to help you get the most out of your new Galaxy S8. Here's a look at some.
Shrink the screen size for easier use
You can shrink the screen size of the Galaxy S8 by using so-called one-handed mode, but you need to turn it on. First go to settings > Advanced Features > One Handed Mode and toggle it on. Select either "Gesture" or "Button" to enable quick access. Once active, one-handed mode minimizes the active area of the screen so that it's much easier to reach apps or other items that would otherwise require another hand. This is particularly useful on the Galaxy S8+.
Download large files even faster
Samsung includes a technology called "Download booster" that can help increase the download speed of large files, like movies, using wireless and Wi-Fi technologies. It's off by default. You can turn it on by going to Settings > Connections > More Connection settings and then toggling "Download booster" to on.
Enable Wi-Fi calling
Wi-Fi calling can be convenient if you don't have good cell coverage at home or the office. You can turn it on by going to Settings > Connections > More Connection settings and toggling the option for Wi-Fi calling to on. Some carriers, like AT&T and T-Mobile, will sometimes walk you through this step during setup.
Say Cheese!
Again, Samsung left this feature off by default, but you can turn on voice controls right in the camera settings. When it's on, just say "Cheese," "Smile," "Capture" or "Shoot" to snap a photo. You can also say "Record Video" to start filming.
Shop for items with Bixby
It still needs some work, but Samsung's new Bixby assistant can be pretty helpful. You can use it for image search or for searching for items to buy. Just tap the Bixby button inside camera settings and point it at an object. Here, you can see it's helping me shop for new Kleenex. Performance can be hit or miss but we bet Samsung improves it over time.
Use a variety of fun camera masks
The Galaxy S8 camera is already awesome, but you can spice up your selfies with some fun pre-installed masks. Just tap the mask button with the camera open and try some on. Here's me as an old man.