Just when things were looking good for Samsung, the Galaxy Note 7 has been little short of a total disaster for the corporation. The handset was initially seen as a major challenge to the ubiquity and cultural dominance of the iPhone range, but instead these hopes have literally gone up in smoke in a series of dramatic explosions.
Samsung to pull plug on Note 7?
While exploding smartphones are not necessarily a new phenomenon, when hardware is exploding on a regular basis it is obviously extremely bad news for the manufacturer. Many are suggesting that Samsung should simply pull the plug on the Galaxy Note 7, move on, and concentrate all its attention on restoring faith in the range with the Galaxy Note 8. With some customers suffering third-degree burns, one can understand why such suggestions have been made.
Perhaps it would be smarter for Samsung to completely abandon this unfortunate smartphone, and instead concentrate all attention on producing a Galaxy Note 8 that is the best performer in the phablet category. Certainly the release of the Galaxy Note 7 has been veritable manna from heaven for Apple, with the consumer electronics giant completely unencumbered at the head of the phablet marketplace now.
This could lead Samsung to decide to release the Galaxy Note 8 earlier in 2017 than was otherwise expected. Although this is hardly a desirable scenario for Samsung, it could also potentially fit into its schedule for the next calendar year neatly, as it was already strongly rumored that the Galaxy S range may be released earlier next year than is usually the case.
Window of opportunity
It would usually be expected for the Galaxy S8 to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but analysts suggest that Samsung may choose to push the release date forward next year. This would leave a window of opportunity for the Galaxy Note 8, which could then be possibly released at some point during Q2, allowing a little leeway before the release of the iPhone 8 Plus.
This could be hugely beneficial for Samsung, as Apple is expected to produce something outstanding with the iPhone 8 Plus in 2017, in order to acknowledge the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone smartphone. Samsung doesn’t want to be directly up against a device such as this, particularly as the Galaxy Note 7 has damaged the reputation of the brand and company.
Samsung will thus need to be produce something outstanding when the Galaxy Note 8 is released, and this could lead the Korean corporation to take some risks with its portfolio of features. Of course, this must also be balanced against producing a reliable unit, as the last thing that the Korean company would wish is for the next generation Galaxy Note series to be equally unstable.
But Samsung could consider including the foldable screen technology which it first debuted some years ago. When this first emerged at a trade show it was very much a prototype, but it is now rumored that Samsung may be able to put this into practice in a mainstream device in due course.
Galaxy Note 8 souped up specs
Elsewhere, Samsung will need to improve the specs of the Galaxy Note 8 even above the seemingly doomed Galaxy Note 7. Central to this should be the introduction of 4K resolution, which has been both expected and anticipated in the Galaxy Note range for sometime. 2016 is the year when 4K resolution resolution really became mainstream, with both Sony and Microsoft now emphasizing the 4K resolution capabilities of their new video games consoles.
It would make particular sense for Samsung to produce a 4K ready smartphone as the corporation has been associated with the display technology for some time. It was Samsung which pioneered the curved screen technology that has been so influential in both the smartphone and television marketplace. And AMOLED is inherently associated with the Galaxy range, a screen technology that Apple is expected to adopt in its flagship iPhone in 2017.
New camera
Additionally, there are indications that Samsung has recently applied for a patent related to an improved camera. This would then likely feature in the Galaxy Note 8, with the user interface of the photography aspect of the smartphone changing significantly with regard to touchscreen gestures in particular. Samsung is currently working on a vertical sliding gesture in order to achieve zooming, if reports are to be believed, while a dual-camera will also be incorporated into the Galaxy Note 8.
And some of the more extreme reports have suggested that the Galaxy Note 8 could feature a staggering 30-megapixel snapper. S Pen improvements are also mooted, while speaker upgrades will also deliver superior music-playing functionality.
The early murmurings regarding the Galaxy Note 8 suggest that Samsung will shake up this phablet contender considerably in order to get over the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. This would seem to be absolutely essential if Samsung is to reclaim its rightful place as a serious rival to Apple.
