Samsung Galaxy S8 release date, specs: next flagship tipped to be up for virtual reality

Reuters/Albert Gea

Samsung already have a codename for their next installment of the Galaxy S series. Following Galaxy S7 (Project Lucky) which was released in March 2016, they dubbed updated Galaxy S8 as codename "Project Dream" which may be released in 2017. Said codename came from a source of a Chinese website and indicated that the Android phone could sport virtual reality compatibility.

In the I/O conference of Google in May, they announced that the company will issue a certification standard for Android smartphones to carry out so that the products will be 'universally compatible' with virtual reality hardware and software.

The products must have a high performance sensor, a display and processor that can be considered as "Daydream ready". These are to limit the time of VR registering movements to 20 seconds.

Company representatives announced that they will release "Daydream ready" devices to answer the certification protocol of Google by the second half of the year. These companies include Samsung along with HTC, LG, Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, Asus, and Alcatel.

With this Samsung could be following Google's standards for VR in the form of S8. Samsung introduced a 4K display prototype which is a rumored spec of S8 and a 4K display is required for compatibility with Daydream.

Note again that the codename for Galaxy S8 which is "Project Daydream" gives too much of a let go to inform consumers possible connection.

Consumers expect Galaxy S8 to have a VR hardware compatible with Google, a 5.5 in with 4K resolution display, and a dual- camera sensor. If Samsung do release S8 to be compatible with Google, apps that are VR related could be downloaded from their Google Play store and go at their Daydream home once apps are downloaded.

With iPhone's drop on sales the past year, this could be a huge leap forward for Samsung and could build a momentum for their Galaxy X devices where people will witness the company push boundaries on what technology can innovate to a standard smartphone.