Android Oreo is coming soon for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. That alone is enough reason to get excited, but coming along in tow with the anticipated update could be a surprise feature: Dolby Atmos support.
A non-final version of the Oreo update has leaked that apparently plants the immersive audio feature into the sound settings on Samsung’s latest smartphones.
It’s pretty rare to see such a change being made following a phone’s launch, especially one that could turn it into even more of a formidable multimedia powerhouse.
But as SamMobile notes, there’s reason to be skeptical for now. Though this build has been leaked close to when Samsung’s Oreo beta program is scheduled to close (January 15), it’s hard to say if the Dolby Atmos feature will stick around for the final release that’s rumored to happen by the end of the month.
The Atmos difference
Atmos adds a virtual surround sound effect to your entertainment, coming with several presets to tweak things for music, movies and more. Or at least, that’s how it is supposed to work, but this Oreo build reportedly doesn’t function correctly.
The Dolby Atmos setting allows users to flip it on, but the different settings reportedly don’t make a difference, and once turned on, it can’t be turned off at the moment.
If Samsung fixes up the issues for its final version of Oreo, that would indeed be a cool, unexpected addition – putting it ahead of several 2017 flagships, including the Google Pixel 2, Essential Phone and LG V30.
