SAMSUNG GALAXY S8

                                       SAMSUNG GALAXY S8

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is without a doubt the most beautiful, polished phone I've ever held. These words were true when I first reviewed it in April, and are still true a month on. I do have some additional insights since then -- scroll down a bit for those.

OK, so the S8 is pretty. But it's also the most important Samsung phone right now, at least until the Galaxy Note 8 comes along. It's been helping restore buyers' confidence after the doubleNote 7 battery disaster (the S8's apparently selling like hotcakes), and it's a chance to cement the Samsung name as the top Android brand against upcoming rivals: the pure Android Google "Pixel 2," squeezable HTC U11 and cut-price OnePlus 5. It helps that soon, you'll be able to use the Galaxy S8 in Google's Daydream headset.

 What makes the Galaxy S8 so special is this: A tall, narrow shape that fits snugly in my palm and curved sides that scream "classy." And the screen? 5.8 inches of colorful gorgeousness with a display that stretches from edge to edge with just a whisper of a bezel. For its looks alone, Samsung's flashiest phone lands at the top of the class. Trust me, when you see the S8 andlarger, pricier S8 Plus, you're gonna want to put your hands all over them.

I did everything with these two phones at home, in the office, around town and at the beach. I took scores of photos and videos, watched tons of YouTube and Netflix movies, chatted my fingers off. I sat on them in my back pocket (no Bendgate yet). I've unlocked these things 100 times in four different ways (fingerprint, eyes, face, PIN). So I'm confident pointing out the S8's problems -- because, let's be real, there's always something.

In this case, I can boil it down to the awkwardly placed fingerprint reader -- you will curse this -- and the still-up-in-the-air Bixby AI software, which combines Siri, Google Now and a camera add-on. (Samsung's Siri-like Bixby Voice tool is live in South Korea, but nowhere else and I use the rest of the Bixby features... never.) Also, while photo quality is great, it's weird to me that Samsung, usually so on top of trends, opted for one camera lens on the back instead of two.

So far, the battery has made the S8 warm, like most phones get, but not dangerously hot. Hopefully Samsung's new eight-point battery test has done its job keeping all future handsets combustion-free, unlike the poor Note 7. The battery reserves have lasted a good, long time (but I'm keeping an eye on idle drain as the months march on). Overall, it's zippier than the Galaxy S7, but not so much better at its core that S7 owners should dash to upgrade.

What you really need to know is that the S8 is an extremely fast, highly competent, visually stunning device that you'll probably want to use with a case. Yes, this will hide most of its beautiful lines. Tough luck: It's just too costly and pretty to risk dropping.

And the Galaxy S8 is expensive. At $750, £689 or AU$1,199, you want to know that your phone is going to go the distance, and that you won't regret getting something cheaper -- like the midrange but awesome-for-what-it-isOnePlus 3T (which is being phased out in preparation of the OnePlus 5, so hurry if you want one) -- or holding out for the next iPhone, Google Pixel or Note 8, each of which should debut in the next four to six months.