Samsung unveiled its latest set of flagship phones, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, at a special event in New York City on Wednesday. In addition to boasting top features and the ability to bridge the gap between desktop and mobile, the Galaxy S8 line could be receiving another accolade: Fastest available smartphone.

According to a recent report from PCMag, the advanced specs of the Galaxy S8 could allow the phone to achieve gigabit LTE speeds. And Samsung Galaxy S8 users on T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint will all have access to additional features to improve speed.

On T-Mobile, the report said, the phone will support the company’s Band 66, as well as 4×4 MIMO, and 256 QAM. Another capability, called 3x carrier aggregation, allows for a widening of the signal path that will also improve speed.

SEE: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus: The smart person’s guide

Utilizing HPUE: High Performance User Equipment on the Sprint network, the Samsung Galaxy S8 could get a 30% boost in speeds, the PCMag report said. It will have access to all of the same features except 4×4 MIMO, which will come later. The report also said that AT&T has made claims about the speed of the device as well.

Another big reason for the Galaxy S8’s speed is its reliance on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system on a chip, unveiled at the 2017 CES. The 10-nanometer chip is more power efficient than previous models and, with its embedded X16 LTE modem, supports 1 gigabit per second download speeds over a cellular network.

Next generation wireless standards, like 5G, are set to vastly improve everything from smartphone speeds to IoT connectivity. Most of the major carriers are investing in new infrastructure, including Verizon, AT&T, and others. By investing in next-gen hardware for its flagship device, Samsung is positioning itself ahead of its competitors for when the times comes for 5G to take the stage.

If the Galaxy S8 is able to properly leverage all of its networking upgrades and achieve the kinds of speeds that some are saying it is capable of, it could make it a serious contender for enterprise Android users. Add in the three biometric security features that integrate with Knox, and you could have a real winner of a business phone.

Alongside the launch of its new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus phones, Samsung also recently launched the Samsung Connect Home Wi-Fi system. Much like Google Wifi, Eero, and Orbi, the Connect Home uses multiple Wi-Fi access points to create a mesh network in a home or small business with better coverage.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

  1. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus utilize certain technologies that could allow them to achieve higher speeds on T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint.
  2. The Samsung Galaxy S8 line also uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system on a chip, which has an embedded X16 LTE modem, providing fast download speeds over a cellular network.
  3. The Galaxy S8 phone also offers biometric security, making it a good option for enterprise Android users.