Is Samsung Galaxy S8's secret weapon a hit or miss? (The 3:59, Ep. 171)

We dig into the super chip powering Samsung's next flagship phone, take a look at the Super Bowl in VR and bid adieu to Walmart's Prime copycat.

Alfred Ng Senior Reporter / CNET News

Alfred Ng was a senior reporter for CNET News. He was raised in Brooklyn and previously worked on the New York Daily News's social media and breaking news teams.

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Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News

Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.

Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials

SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.

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Alfred Ng

Roger Cheng

Jan. 31, 2017 9:29 a.m. PT

On today's podcast, we talk about Samsung's next Galaxy. Is its secret weapon worth all the buzz?
Samsung

Samsung's got a secret weapon for its Galaxy S8 with Qualcomm's latest chip, but will it work?

The Galaxy S8 will be the first phone to feature the Snapdragon 835. Qualcomm has boasted about new features like longer battery life, faster charging and gigabit LTE speeds. But maybe there's a reason why Samsung's competitors are choosing to stick with the older Snapdragon processors. We chat about why Samsung's powerhouse processor might not be enough to make the phone a smash hit.

Also on the podcast, we discuss Walmart dropping its Amazon Prime copycat, and if we'd watch Super Bowl highlights in virtual reality.

The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET News team in New York and producer Bryan VanGelder.

Check out the extended shows on YouTube.

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