Samsung Galaxy S8 release date, specs rumors: S8 to rival iPhone 7; headphone jack to be removed

Samsung still hasn't made a permanent solution to the Galaxy Note 7 crisis; however, rumor has it that the tech giant is dedicating its energy on research for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8. The smartphone will reportedly rival Apple's iPhone 7.

According to reports, the forthcoming unit in the S series will have a similar design to the latest unit released, with a curved screen, a metal frame and an IP68 waterproof feature. The device will still be dust-resistant. More importantly, the device can be submerged in depths of about a meter.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the device would be the lack of a headphone jack. Reports say that the tech giant will be introducing a brand new line of headphones to rival Apple's gadget.

Furthermore, rumors suggest that a 4K display could be incorporated in the device. The speculations started when the company introduced a 4K display prototype at the Display Week conference held in San Francisco last May. The device unveiled had a 5.5-inch screen, appropriate for the Galaxy S line.

With a 4K display, the S8 will have a 3840 x 2160 screen resolution, with 806 PPI. In addition, the smartphone will run on an Exynos 8895 chip and ARM's Mali-G71 graphics unit. The new GPU will be 1.8 times more powerful than the Galaxy S7's Mali-T880 MP12 GPU. It will feature 20 percent better energy efficiency, 40 percent better performance and 20 percent external memory bandwidth saving.

Through the years, Samsung has unveiled most of the devices in the S series in the months of March and February. If the tech giant follows its tradition, the smartphone could be launched in March 2017.

The latest smartphones are usually announced during Samsung's annual Unpacked press conference. The S8 might be launched at the 2017 Mobile World Congress, which will be held from Feb. 27 to March 2.

Reports suggest that the S8 entry-level will probably cost around £550 ($679) and £600 ($740).