You can rub your eyes again -- the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been confirmed to be released to the masses next year. Yes sir, confirmation of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for a 2017 debut is now official, which goes to show how much faith the conglomerate from the Republic of Samsung, or South Korea, has in the flagship device. After all, if at first you don’t succeed, try again! At least the Note brand will have another launch to look forward to, and my gut feeling tells me that Samsung is going to pull all the stops to ensure that the Galaxy Note 8 will be a resounding success. It has to, in order to gain customer confidence in the brand name.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ceased production permanently in early October, and this is only after the South Korean conglomerate issued not one, but two separate recalls for the flagship device. The issue has become so bad, so much so that the FAA has deemed it to be a federal crime if you were caught with a Galaxy Note 7 aboard an aircraft, and I have seen my fair share of airport notices this month alone that treats the Galaxy Note 7 like it is a device that carries the 21st century equivalent of the bubonic plague. Basically, there seems to be a blanket ban on the Galaxy Note 7 aboard all aircraft, which could possibly turn it into the most highly recognizable device at airports for safety reasons. So far, we have no idea whether the folks at Samsung have managed to solve the reason behind the mysterious explosions: is it a design flaw, or simply a poorly manufactured battery?

Not only that, Samsung has shown just how sincere they are, as well as the amount of confidence that they have in the Galaxy Note 8 by offering existing Galaxy Note 7 owners in South Korea to automatically trade up to a Galaxy S8 or a Galaxy Note 8 with a 50% discount off the recommended retail price. Now this is certainly an incentive that will let you make the leap to the latest generation flagship model without having to burn a hole in your pocket! Of course, current Galaxy Note 7 owners in South Korea are already eligible to trade their devices in for the slightly older (but stable and non-explosive) Galaxy S7.

Concerning the upgrade plan, a Samsung spokeswoman mentioned, "The availability of this program will vary by local market and according to operator and retail partner."

I suspect that many consumers will simply adopt the wait-and-see attitude with whatever flagship devices that Samsung rolls out in the near future. Of course, those bread and butter smartphones will most probably be fuss-free and can be depended upon not to spontaneously combust. The take up rate for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 will probably be slow at first, and as more and more users report stability, then confidence in the brand name and model range will seep back.