Samsung has traditionally unveiled its flagship Galaxy S line devices at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That seems unlikely to happen in 2017. According to a new report from Naver.com (via SamMobile), the Korean company is planning to hold a special event in New York in April to unveil the Galaxy S8. It means the unveiling could be delayed by about eight weeks.
Build up consumer confidence before Galaxy S8 launch
The delay would give Samsung sufficient time to beef up its testing procedures to avoid a Galaxy Note 7-like disaster. It will also allow the company’s marketing team to build up consumer confidence in the flagship device. The Korea Herald reported recently that Samsung had determined the cause of Galaxy Note 7 explosions. Though the company has not publicly revealed what went wrong with the device, it has shared details of its investigation with third-party labs like Korea Testing Laboratory and UL.
According to Naver, the decision to delay the Galaxy S8 release to April was taken during a strategy meeting at Samsung’s headquarters in South Korea. The Korean electronics giant reportedly made this decision to work with third-party agencies on plans to recover consumer confidence before launching a new flagship product. Samsung has not officially confirmed the New York event for the Galaxy S8 unveiling.
LG Chem may supply Galaxy S8 batteries
At the strategy meeting, Samsung’s mobile chief Dong-jin Koh also emphasized the importance of tightening security to minimize the risk of leaks ahead of the Galaxy S8 launch. In October, Koh had asked Samsung employees and supply chain partners to be extra careful in preventing leaks. He said at the time that leaks of operational secrets and prototypes could “cause irreversible ramifications.”
Separately, Reuters reported Monday that Samsung was in talks to purchase Galaxy S8 batteries from its arch-rival LG Chem. Samsung currently sources batteries from its own subsidiary Samsung SDI and China’s Amperex Technology. But the company is looking to diversify its battery supplier base to avoid the repeat of the Note 7 crisis. Reuters said there was “more than 90% chance” Samsung would sign the battery deal with LG Chem.
Galaxy S8 may cost 15%-20% more than S7
Goldman Sachs analysts said in a research note to investors that the Galaxy S8 could be more expensive than its predecessor. Analysts believe that the S8 would cost 15% to 20% more than the Galaxy S7 due to an increase in the prices of raw materials as well as the addition of new features.
The Galaxy S8 is rumored to ditch the physical home button and 3.5mm headphone jack. The device is said to have the home functionality and fingerprint scanner embedded in the display. The headphone jack will be replaced by a USB Type-C port. Other expected features include an edge-to-edge display, 4200mAh battery, 6GB RAM, an iris scanner, fast-charging technology, and Viv AI assistant.
