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The great Bixby - a shadow over the Galaxy S8

bixby call chris
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The Galaxy S8 has performed well in tests generally, but there was one detail we weren't able to really put to the test: Bixby. Does this missing feature cast a shadow over Samsung's premier smartphone?

The entire impact of Samsung's new S series smartphone has been softened by the absence of Bixby. Bixby was intended to be more than just a digital assistant. It was supposed to be a new and advanced voice control system for smartphones, with the idea that every action on a smartphone could be performed through voice command as well as touchscreen.

However, to begin with, there is no voice control, the core function of Bixby. Samsung does plan to implement voice recognition, but not before early next year, and initially only for English and Korean. Other languages will likely come afterwards.  

So Bixby has simply become another piece of software that is able to display messages and current weather conditions. Press a button and Bixby Home will appear. 

Bixby Home barely differs from the standard offering, found for instance on the Galaxy S7 with Nougat. Once again, content is supplied by the service provider, Upday. Bixby Home is also fed with information from other Samsung apps, and compared to new virtual assistants like the Google Now cards, the usefulness of Samsung's Bixby fails to stand out.  

In its current state, Bixby on the Galaxy S8 is almost laughable. And it's a long way to fall. Ahead of the phone's launch, Bixby was a feature which Samsung had heavily pushed and praised. Several pre-releases around Bixby fed even greater expectations. 

Bixby: the reason why the S8 must wait a little while longer 

Samsung has been keeping a low profile regarding the temporary floundering of Bixby's features. Indeed, the company hasn't appeared particularly enthusiastic for a long while. Had there been longer presentations on Bixby's capabilities, these were evidently deactivated on the demo devices. Even these test models only have the rudimentary functions that we've mentioned above. 

As an explanation, it's plausible that Bixby has not yet reached a stage where it can be considered fit for everyday use. This was already clear at the advance presentation of Bixby.

Do we even need Bixby at all?

The Galaxy S8 has become a fantastic smartphone. Does it even need a feature like Bixby?

Bixby certainly has potential, but this isn't well demonstrated with its current performance. Not even the Product Search feature is convenient. For example, to find out more about wine, we need to first press the 'wine' button. This may be technically difficult to implement otherwise, but nevertheless feels clumsy.

samsung bixby wein
Even this wine recognition is less intelligent than imagined. / © NextPit

It would be more exciting to support entire apps and processes with voice command capability. This would also be a huge step towards accessibility. This smartphone would then expand possibilities however, we first need to be able to open Bixby without a button.

In terms of features, Bixby is pretty much the sole exciting development that the Galaxy S8 offers. Other aspects of the phone provide somewhat yawn-inducing features. A slightly faster processor. A slightly better display. A camera that feels the same. The new design scores some points, but through a critical lens fails to mark a big leap in mobile technology. 

What Bixby's false start has in common with the Google Assistant

Bixby's current state is reminiscent of Google Assistant. Google placed huge expectations on its AI assistants, whose functions at launch were actually very sparse. Gradually, more and more important features were added over time and the result of this is that nobody knows exactly what the Assistant is actually capable of.

This same fate now threatens Bixby. Bixby can be activated with the press of a button but at the moment, there is no compelling reason to press the button at all. What's more likely however, is that Bixby will be opened by accident. 

AndroidPIT Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8plus 2053
The Bixby Button on the S8 and S8+. / © NextPit

Unbox Your Phone is Samsung's motto for the Galaxy S8. In many ways, this constitutes a promise. The first and banal meaning is that Samsung is trying to sell its phone to many users - users who would then need to unbox it. It can also refer to departing from the traditional 'box' shape of a phone, as the Galaxy S8 prominently features a more rounded, fluid design. 'Unbox' is also a promise of upcoming features that will expand the limits of a smartphone. This all skirts around the common saying 'think outside the box'. With Bixby, the Galaxy S8 could demonstrate real innovation - a smartphone that steers the future. But without Bixby, we'll have to do without this for now. 

None of this will stop the Galaxy S8 from probably becoming a huge commercial success. We can already detect the enormous interest and anticipation surrounding the phone. This is helped further by the fact that most users don't switch from generation to generation, but instead have longer update cycles. For many then, the more interesting comparisons between top smartphones will come from 2014 and 2015. 

And because of this, Samsung may survive despite the initial absence of Bixby.

Would you buy a Galaxy S8 in the hope of one day benefiting from Bixby? Or have you been left cold? And, S8 buyers, which smartphone are you switching from? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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  • 22
    ljhaye Apr 27, 2017 Link to comment

    Bixby is precisely the reason why Samsung gets a bad name in software. However when it comes to innovation on android do the OEM's or google contribute more ?


  • Mike 22
    Mike Apr 27, 2017 Link to comment

    It'll be fine.


  • Shankar Prasad Nandi 18
    Shankar Prasad Nandi Apr 27, 2017 Link to comment

    I'd still say Samsung has made a good bet with Bixby. Digital assistants are the future of smartphones, a good many tech experts say. The app market is getting saturated. People hardly have an interest in exploring and trying out new apps. At the present level of hardware sophistication that's available on smartphones, there's a hugely popular app for pretty much every function that you can imagine doing with your device. Creating new app-based functionality has become a drain on resources and inventiveness. The next move appears to be one away from menu-driven interaction towards conversational interaction with your device. That's where digital assistants are going to play the central role. Being the leader that it is, Samsung cannot be content to just keep using Google Assistant on its phones and not develop something of its own, something that can place it on the frontlines of tech innovation. If Bixby fails, there's nothing that can be done, but I sure think that the effort needs appreciating. Digital assistants have a long way to go, and I surely hope to see them occupying a central position in all our devices in a few years to come.


    • 22
      ljhaye Apr 27, 2017 Link to comment

      How's many AI assistants should one phone have before it becomes confusing ?


  • 49
    storm Apr 26, 2017 Link to comment

    Samsung needs to unbox Bixby. If they want to succeed with it it needs to be available to all brands of phones. It will never achieve critical mass and wide adoption this way.


  • Howard Griffiths 4
    Howard Griffiths Apr 26, 2017 Link to comment

    I wouldn't have one in a fit...my Nexus 6P has everything I need.


  • Marcelo Reis 6
    Marcelo Reis Apr 26, 2017 Link to comment

    I just hope Samsung doesn't go the Apple way and allow us to remap the button without us having do resort to rooting.


  • 31
    Deactivated Account Apr 26, 2017 Link to comment

    think you've pretty much nailed it Steffen.
    right now Bixby's just an overly marketed poorly implemented rehash of S voice.
    its not just Samsung tho, i use Google a lot and the "assistant" is far more hype than help at the moment..
    it's a shame cos being able to voice command apps and processes would be really cool..

    maybe Bixby will eventually be the one piece of killer software that millions of Samsung customers deserve and that Samsung finally gets right.. software that's​ the equal of premium hardware and the marketing hype..


  • 8
    Michael Cook Apr 26, 2017 Link to comment

    The S8 and S8+ were released here in the US on April 21st. Bixby Voice is set to be available in the US later this Spring.

    "Bixby Voice will be available in the US on the Galaxy S8 later this spring." Samsung

    I love my S8+ (Verizon), and I have to disagree, I feel it is a more substantial upgrade that you make it out to be.

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