The official unveiling of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is just a few weeks away. The Korean electronics behemoth would announce the handset on March 29 in New York. The Galaxy S8 is rumored to hit the store shelves in key markets on April 21st. Industry sources privy to the matter told The Investor that Samsung would start taking pre-orders for the device on Monday, April 10th. Last year, the Galaxy S7 and Note 7 had sold 220,000 and 400,000 units respectively during their pre-order period.
Galaxy S8: Samsung seeks to trademark ‘Infinity Display’
The next-gen flagship smartphone is expected to come in two screen sizes: 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch. They both would feature Quad HD Super AMOLED displays that wrap around the edges. Recent leaks suggest that the fingerprint sensor would be relocated to the back of the phone next to the 12MP Dual Pixel rear camera.
The Galaxy S8’s near bezel-less display could be called ‘Infinity Display,’ hints a trademark filing by Samsung. According to Samsung’s filing with the USPTO, the phrase ‘Infinity Display’ would be used on “mobile telephones.” The Galaxy S8 display is said to have an aspect ratio of 18:9, higher than the industry standard of 16:9 aspect ratio. LG’s next-gen G6 flagship also has a display with 18:9 aspect ratio, which the company calls FullVision Display.
Galaxy S8 leaked in the wild
Separately, a video has surfaced online showing a Black color Galaxy S8. The video shows a not-for-sale test unit of the phone. You can see a dedicated button for Samsung’s AI assistant Bixby on the side. Bixby is said to work with all the native apps on Galaxy S8, and communicate in eight different languages.
According to Korean publication Naver.com, Samsung has started mass production of the S8 in Vietnam. The company will reportedly manufacture 4.7 million units of the S8 and S8 Plus in March, and an additional 7.8 million units in April. Samsung will make 12.5 million units of the phone available in the first month. However, another report claimed last month that initial shipments could be as high as 16 million units.
Samsung creates new office to enhance product quality
Just a few weeks before the Galaxy S8 launch, Samsung has created a new office for global product quality improvements. The new office would oversee the company’s efforts to enhance product quality and manufacturing processes. The move is part of Samsung’s plan to make its future phones safer, and avoid the repeat of a Galaxy Note 7-like disaster.
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are said to be powered by 4GB RAM and Exynos 8895 or Snapdragon 835 processor, depending on the market. The handset will have 64GB of built-in storage, expandable via micrSD card slot.
