Samsung recently acquired Harman International for $8 billion. Though Harman focuses primarily on connected car systems, its expertise in audio technology could help Samsung enhance the audio capabilities of its upcoming flagship Galaxy S8. According to a new report from Fone Arena, the Galaxy S8 could feature Harman-branded stereo speakers to rival the iPhone 7’s stereo speakers.
Harman could ‘greatly enhance’ Samsung’s products
Samsung’s press release announcing the acquisition of Harman last month said all of Harman’s brands would “greatly enhance” the competitiveness of its mobile, VR, display, and wearable devices to deliver a differentiated audio and visual experience. There is a lot riding on the Galaxy S8 following the Galaxy Note 7 disaster that damaged Samsung’s reputation and caused a loss of about $5 billion.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February, and hit the store shelves in March next year. The Korean company will reportedly release the S8 in two sizes: a regular 5.7-inch model with a curved screen and another 6.2-inch model with a bezel-less display. The 6.2-inch version is aimed at Galaxy Note 7 fans.
Samsung was previously rumored to release the S8 with a dual-camera system. But latest reports suggest that the company will use a single camera lens with top specs. It makes sense for Samsung to drop some features to avoid launching a rushed and unpolished handset. The Galaxy S8 is also said to feature a front camera with autofocus that could give Samsung an edge in camera department.
Galaxy S8 features and specs
The Galaxy S8 is expected to come with Samsung’s own AI assistant. The Korean electronics giant recently acquired Viv, which was founded by the people behind Siri. Viv is said to be capable of writing new code on its own to handle new tasks. Samsung’s trademark filings suggest that the AI assistant could be called Bixby rather than Viv.
Rumors suggest that the US version of the upcoming flagship will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 830, while other markets will get Exynos 8895-powered version. The phone is said to feature a 4200mAh battery, 6GB RAM, a heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, fast charging technology, water resistance, and USB Type-C support.
Samsung is trying to figure out what caused the Galaxy Note 7 explosions, and is expected to release the findings by the end of December. Identifying the cause of the problem would help Samsung avoid a similar disaster with the Galaxy S8. Hardware experts at Instrumental said earlier this week that the Note 7 explosions were caused due to Samsung’s aggressive design. The company compressed a huge battery to make the phone slimmer.
