The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the next flagship device for the beleaguered South Korean conglomerate, especially when you consider how the Galaxy Note 7 which was supposed to compete with the recent releases from Apple failed miserably due to its exploding issue, and is now grounded -- literally. Word has it that Samsung might want to minimize the fallout from the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, which is why they are working to release the new flagship Samsung Galaxy S8 before 2016 comes to a close, or early 2017 at best.
I suppose fans of Samsung who are firmly behind the company and its ability to bounce back from such an incident would be pleased to hear this news. Other neutrals who are standing by the sidelines would probably not want to take the risk of their last released handset, and adopt a wait-and-see attitude as to whether the Galaxy S8 also suffers from an exploding malaise. Once some time has passed without any incident, only will the more cautious public embrace the device. Samsung probably cannot afford to have two flagship turkeys in a row.
The Samsung Galaxy S8’s release might be expedited in such a situation, but hopefully Samsung will not be lax when it comes to quality control and its engineering of the device. With Samsung normally rolling out its flagship Galaxy S devices at the end of the first quarter of each year, which would be somewhere in March or April, the Galaxy S8 might receive the same treatment -- which would be less than half a year to wait. That would mean speculation concerning its hardware specifications would abound.
Kim Sang-Pyo, an analyst at KB Investment & Securities, shared, “Smartphone demands have polarised; advanced and emerging markets, and premium and budget phones. If Samsung's flagship smartphone launch is delayed to the end of the first quarter of next year, the probability of the mobile business division could be worsened next year.”
Some of the rumored Samsung Galaxy S8 specifications point to a 4,200 mAh battery, a 9MP camera in front with a 30MP shooter at the back. The camera will boast of optical image stabilization, geo-tagging, facial recognition, HDR, and auto laser focus, while the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. 4G LTE and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity will be standard, with fitted scanners arriving in the form of a fingerprint scanner and retina eye scanner. Wireless charging and rapid charging are also part of the deal, but will the rumored mini projector feature actually make it?
A Snapdragon Qualcomm octa-core 3.2GHz processor with 6GB of RAM ought to be standard, although we would not be surprised to see variants of the Exynos processor being used in select markets. The 5.2" 4K display with a 4096 x 2160 screen resolution would also be another jewel in its crown. All in all, it should also maintain the waterproof capability of its predecessor, while an Edge version should also be in tow.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 ought to arrive in 64GB and 128GB internal storage configurations, which are expandable thanks to dual micro SD cards. Expect Android 7.0 Nougat to ship with it, with a ballpark asking price of $850. Are you ready for what is basically the reincarnation of the Galaxy Note 7?
