Samsung East Africa has introduced the Samsung Galaxy S8 in Kenya, retailing at Kshs 84,999 (US$850) and 94,999 for the Samsung Galaxy S8 plus (US$950).

Speaking at the launch, Managing Director and Vice President at Samsung Electronics East Africa Jung Hyung Park said, "In Kenya we had opened pre-orders from the middle of April to consumers and the demand was high."

He said that they received 50% more pre-orders than that of Galaxy 7.

The offering features Bixby intelligence software that developers believe will change how users interact with the phone. Bixby can identify items and return a list of where they are sold and how much. The software can also learn the behaviour of users and offer suggestions related to time and directions.

"Users can also shop, search for images and get details about nearby places with Bixby's image recognition technology," said the company. "As the Bixby ecosystem grows, it will connect across devices, apps and services such as ubiquitous interface, and open up new experiences and scenarios to simplify life."

The phone also comes with high-tech security features including Iris and face recognition mode and remote access to the device through the Samsung user web portal.

Head of Mobile and Internet Division at Samsung Bob Asiyo said that a purchasing plan for those who want to pay for the phone in instalments will be online at LipaLater.com