The Galaxy Note 7 disaster has had a huge impact on Samsung’s financials and reputation. The now-discontinued device will also affect the launch date of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8. Even though the incidents of the Note 7 catching fire first surfaced almost two months ago, Samsung engineers still have no clue what was causing the explosions.
Galaxy S8 won’t be unveiled on February 26
Sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the Korean electronics giant has delayed the development of the Galaxy S8. That’s because Samsung has deployed even the Galaxy S8 development team to work on identifying the Note 7’s overheating problem. It means Samsung is unlikely to follow its tradition of unveiling the new Galaxy S product at the Mobile World Congress (MWC).
Previously, leaks suggested that the world’s largest smartphone maker was planning to unveil the Galaxy S8 on February 26 at a pre-MWC event in Barcelona. The two-week days isn’t too much of a stretch, but the company wants to be sure that its upcoming flagship smartphone checks all the safety boxes. That’s necessary to make sure that the S8 doesn’t meet the same fate as the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung’s hasty recall killed Note 7
The WSJ report points out that the CT and X-ray scans showed a pronounced bulge on Note 7 batteries supplied by Samsung SDI. Samsung didn’t have conclusive evidence that the bulging batteries were causing explosions. But the company executives acted hastily and recalled 2.5 million devices worldwide. They also stopped sourcing batteries from Samsung SDI.
They were left red-faced when the supposedly safe replacement Note 7 devices with batteries supplied by Amperex Technology started catching fire. At that point, Samsung was forced to acknowledge that its initial diagnosis was inaccurate. As the word got to Samsung that Apple’s iPhone 7 won’t be a major upgrade, the company rushed the Note 7 launch and ended up giving the iPhone 7 a free run this holiday season.
Note 7 customers to get free Galaxy S8?
According to SamMobile, the Korean company is planning a new compensation program for the Galaxy Note 7 buyers. The Note 7 customers can get the new Galaxy S8 for free or by paying a nominal amount. The offer is said to be open to those who have exchanged their Note 7s for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge. They can exchange their phones for the S8 free when it arrives early next year.
The Galaxy S8 is rumored to be available in two screen sizes: 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch. It will be powered by Snapdragon 830 or Exynos 8895 processor built using 10nm FinFET technology. The US version will be powered by Snapdragon 830, while the rest of the world would get Exynos-powered S8. Samsung started mass production of 10nm chips earlier this month. The device is also said to be compatible with Google’s Daydream VR platform.
