In recent years, Samsung’s business model has been rather more complex than Apple, with the Korean manufacturer releasing a wide variety of different devices. And according to a new report from China, this tendency will increase in 2017, as Samsung releases no less than five premium mobiles.
Central to the plans of the Korean corporation in 2017 will be the release of the Galaxy S8, which remains the flagship of the consumer electronics giant. Recent Galaxy Note releases have been as acclaimed, if not more so, than the Galaxy S series, but the Galaxy S8 will nonetheless be the mass market release for Samsung in 2017.
Alongside the Galaxy S8 will be the Galaxy S8 Edge, with the curved screen technology of Samsung continuing to be both popular and particularly associated with the company’s products. There will also be a curved variant of the Galaxy Note range, to be dubbed the Galaxy Note 7 Edge, and this will be accompanied by a flatscreen Galaxy Note 7 as well.
Galaxy X to debut
But it is the fifth device that is to be released by Samsung in 2017, according to the Chinese report, that is something of a wildcard. The so-called Galaxy X, possibly merely a codename, will debut in 2017, and it will be fascinating to see what Samsung has in mind for this particular smartphone. But the Chinese whispers suggest that the Galaxy X will be the foldable device that has been spoken about in the press for many years.
This Samsung smartphone was originally referred to as “Project Valley”, and could be a real disruptor in the mobile industry. There has been no suggestion that Apple has anything similar on the horizon to compete with this foldable technology, and thus Samsung could gain a real market advantage if the Galaxy X is released in 2017.
Production issues
It will also be intriguing to see where Samsung places this new smartphone in the marketplace. Will the Galaxy X be a mainstream device, intended to sit neatly alongside the Galaxy S8, or will it be a more niche handset set at a higher price point? The latter would seem to be more likely, as naturally implementing the foldable technology will probably result in the production costs being fairly high.
Nonetheless, Samsung would not be contemplating the production and release of the Galaxy X were it is not logistically viable. Indeed, we know that the company has had a prototype of the affordable technology available for many years, as was demonstrated at trade shows as early as 2008. So this will not be some expensive white elephant, rather a genuinely practical device that will be aimed at the mainstream market to some extent, even if it is unlikely to be as affordable as the Galaxy S8.
Galaxy Note 7 expectations
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note 7 could be a truly astounding phablet, with Samsung likely to pack this next generation device with some of the most impressive specs in the history of mobiles. It is believed that Samsung will not push the boat out in 2016 and deliver a 4K resolution Galaxy Note 6, so this high resolution screen technology is likely to debut in the Galaxy Note 7 next year. Considering some of the massive specs already been linked with this year’s Galaxy Note release, the spec list for the Galaxy Note 8 should be pretty astounding.
However, the Galaxy X has also been linked in China with a 4K display, with a diamond PenTile sub-pixel arrangement. This would ensure that the smartphone is particularly compatible with virtual reality technology, which hints at the suggestion that this will be a particularly VR-friendly handset. How the mooted technology would collaborate with the foldable aspects of the smartphone remains to be seen, but if the rumors turn out to be correct then the Galaxy X will be a truly spectacular device.
Galaxy S8 improvements
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S8 will build on solid releases from Samsung in this product range over the last couple of years, and deliver improved specs and design parameters. It is believed that the Galaxy S8 may feature a 256GB version as standard, as the Korean company is forced to compete with the native resolution of the Apple iPhone. It is anticipated that Apple may release an iPhone 7 with this storage capacity later this year.
It has also been reported that Samsung is considering including the innovative USB Type-C technology in the Galaxy S8, as the Korean consumer electronics behemoth steps up the pressure on Apple which has seen it shift more units in the United States than its Californian competitor recently.
Based on the Chinese leaks, it seems that 2017 will be a massive year for Samsung and fans of its Android-driven devices.
