Other improvements over last year's models include:

• a more detailed eight megapixel front-camera with faster autofocus
• the rear camera remains 12MP but promises to take photos with improved sharpness and contrast by snapping additional frames from which extra data is extracted
• new processors - the central processing unit (CPU) is said to be 10% more powerful and the graphics processing unit (GPU) 21%. A shift to 10 nanometre-chip technology should also make them more energy efficient
• an iris scanner, allowing "eye-prints" to be used as an ID alternative to fingerprints
• a new Samsung Connect app that can be used to control smart home appliances

Samsung also has a range of accessories including a revamped virtual reality headset that is now accompanied by its own motion-sensing controller, and a second-generation 360-degree camera capable of more detailed images than before.

It also offers a new dock that connects the phones to a monitor, keyboard and wireless mouse, allowing them to act as a kind of Android-powered PC.

"Although Microsoft has done this in the past, the performance of the S8 makes it a very compelling experience," commented Mr Wood.
"But while I'm impressed with the dock from a technology perspective, the practicality of it for consumers is questionable."

• Galaxy S8: The internet reacts
• First look at Samsung's S8 phones
• Is the S8 Samsung's most important phone yet?
• Samsung mulls 'exploding' Note 7 relaunch

Analysis: Zoe Kleinman, technology reporter

I'm not sure I share Samsung's bold declaration that the S8 is "a work of art" - but the slimmer handset definitely sits more easily in one hand than its predecessor.

And once you see the surface, which is nearly all-screen, you wonder why you ever needed a physical home button or any other furniture around it.

The tech giant has high hopes for its digital assistant Bixby. What I tried was a limited demo model, which only seemed to understand a few predetermined cues such as searching photos and telling you the weather.

The idea of using the camera as Bixby's "eyes" is neat - but is it enough to draw people away from the more familiar Google Assistant, which will also be preinstalled, as it is on other Android devices?

I'd like to be able to tell you more about the battery life of what I imagine is a power-hungry little device - but Samsung was coy about that. Batteries are still a sensitive subject.

Samsung Electronics's stock has shrugged off months of bad news, thanks in part to the popularity of last year's Galaxy S7, strong sales of its OLED screens and other components to rival manufacturers, and the fact that investors hope the firm has learned from its mistakes.

Even so, the company will hope its latest launch will demonstrate it has turned a corner.

21 Feb 2016: Galaxy S7 phones unveiled - handsets bring back expandable storage and water resistance

24 May 2016: Sued by Huawei - Chinese rival claims patent infringement - Samsung later countersues

8 July 2016: S7 Active fails test - Consumer Reports finds phone fails to survive submerged as advertised

20 July 2016: S7 Active fix found - Samsung acknowledges and resolves production line fault

2 Aug 2016: Galaxy Note 7 revealed - Pen-controlled phone gains iris scanner and attracts positive reviews

24 Aug 2016: First Note 7 "explosion" report - News from South Korea of a burnt-out phone

2 Sept 2016: First Note 7 recall - 2.5 million handsets called back because of battery fault

1 Oct 2016: Note 7 returns to sale - Devices return to sale a few days later than planned

5 Oct 2016: Viv assistant acquired - Tech forms basis for the Bixby helper

11 Oct 2016: Second Note 7 recall - Action taken after incidents including a fire on a plane

4 Nov 2016: Washing machine callback - 2.8m machines recalled in US after reports of excessive vibrations

8 Nov 2016: HQ raided - Seoul office raided as part of corruption probe

4 Jan 2017: Brighter TVs - QLED-branded TVs, laptops and smart skin sensor unveiled at CES tech expo

17 Feb 2017: Chief arrested - Vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-yong, faces bribery allegations

27 Feb 2017: Two new tablets - New devices, but Galaxy S8 was not ready for launch at Barcelona's MWC tech expo

29 March 2017: Galaxy S8 launch - New flagship phones unveiled in New York

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