Despite Samsung having enjoyed a rather trying period in its history, preparations for the next generation Galaxy Note 8 are seemingly going swimmingly. Indeed, the state of the Korean corporation is pretty rosy at the moment, as the consumer electronics giant releases its first quarter financial results.
The company appears to have ridden out the storm related to the disastrous Galaxy Note 7. Few consumer electronics companies can have experienced a greater fiasco than a device that explodes with regularity, and ultimately has to be completely recalled. Yet if this was predicted to be catastrophic for Samsung, this eventuality does not seem to have materialized.
Promising figures
Profitability was excellent for Samsung in its Q1 results, and the company generated KRW50.55 trillion or about $45 billion in revenue. Operating profit leaped from KRW6.68 trillion to KRW9.9 trillion (about $8.8 billion), making this the most successful quarter in the entire history of the company. It also means that 2017 witnessed the most profitable first quarter that Samsung has experienced as well. When coupled with the climbing share price of Samsung, which has virtually doubled over the last 12 months, and means that the financial state of the corporation is extremely encouraging.
However, one small drawback from the financial statement of the company was the fact that the mobile division published sales results similar to the Christmas holiday period. Samsung’s mobile division achieved sales of KRW2.07 trillion or $1.84 billion, which represents a 47% increase from the same period in 2016.
Naturally this was to be expected, considering that Samsung had anticipated that the Galaxy Note 7 would be available for sale. Overall, the figures for the company underline the robust nature of its product range, and provides the hierarchy of Samsung with great hope for the future. With the Galaxy S8 to be factored into the earnings for the second quarter of 2017, and a replacement for the Galaxy Note 7 also on the horizon, we can reasonably expect the mobile division to perform in excellent fashion in the remainder of the calendar year.
Galaxy Note 8 confirmed
“The company will strive to maintain profitability through robust sales of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ and the launch of a new flagship smartphone in the second half,” Samsung commented in a statement, noting the importance of the Galaxy S8 in the coming months, but also paving the way for the Galaxy Note 8. While Samsung stopped short of naming the device, there is no doubt what is meant by the ‘new flagship smartphone’ comment.
Of course, few details are available from the Korean company at the time of writing, but Samsung did confirm one possible aspect of the Galaxy Note 8. “Samsung will also look to sustain profitability in the mid- to low-end segment by launching new products and streamlining the line-up,” the statement continued. Whether this refers to the flagship phablet, or other products that the Korean company will release before the year is out remains to be seen. Certainly, the Galaxy Note is not thought of as a mid-range device, which does suggest that Samsung has several mobile releases in mind for 2017.
This is indicative of a general trend in the industry, with companies attempting to cover every base with their product ranges. Apple is expected to release three separate versions of the iPhone for the first time in 2017, while other companies have also put together multiple products in order to meet diverse consumer demand.
However, this is contradicted by the use of the word streamlining, which instead suggests that Samsung will look to slim down its product range in the coming year. This would seem to be a valid strategy, as the company has been accused of delivering a confusing range of products in the past. Branding has been a problem for Samsung, and there is a clear incentive for the company to standardize its devices.
New concept video
Meanwhile, DBS Designing has produced a new video render of the Galaxy Note 8, which provides some impression of how the phablet may turn out. The concept video depicts a Galaxy Note 8 unit rather similar in design to the Galaxy S8, featuring an almost completely bezel-less, 6.4-inch display. This would seem to correlate with previous suggestions regarding the Galaxy Note 8, with several analysts suggesting that this is a likely size for the display of the device. Even the top and bottom bezels have been trimmed in this concept image, suggesting that Samsung will virtually do away with these screen accoutrements in the next generation phablet.
However, DBS envisages a quad HD screen for the handset, which might be slightly disappointing for those hoping that Samsung would embrace 4K resolution. It would perhaps be slightly surprising if 4K was not included, as the Galaxy S8 featured an improved resolution over the quad HD utilized in the previous generation. This would mean that there is absolutely nothing to choose between the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S series in resolution terms, meaning that Samsung will have to make provisions in order to distinguish the two elsewhere.
Impressive cameras
DBS also suggests that the Galaxy Note 8 will feature two 13-megapixel front-facing cameras, with light sensors included and an iris scanner also built-in. Samsung is certainly likely to focus on photography when the Galaxy Note 8 is released, and it is interesting to see such a powerful photographic setup included in this imagination of the Korean company’s device. Certainly this would be the most powerful front-facing camera system that Samsung has ever integrated into a smartphone.
In addition, the rear-shooting capabilities of the Galaxy Note 8 will also impress if the DBS design turns out to be correct. The dual 16-megapixel shooter included also feature an LED flash, meaning that the physical design of the smartphone is somewhat similar to the Galaxy S8 Plus. Coupled with the outstanding selfie-capturing cameras, this would mean that the Galaxy Note 8 is an extremely powerful performer in this department.
DBS also suggests that Samsungwill relocate the fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy Note 8, placing it below the LED flash and laser module, which in turn lies under the rear dual cameras. The placement of the fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S8 have actually been something of a bugbear for consumers, and this new position will ensure that users are no longer forced to stretch in order to reach the device.
According to this concept image, Samsung will also increase the specs of the Galaxy Note 8 quite considerably. It is envisaged that the Galaxy Note 8 will be water and dust-proof with IP-68 certification, while other key attributes of the smartphone also receive a boost. The Note 8 will feature 128GB of internal storage, and this will be expandable through the usual micro SD route. Samsung will also bump up the memory included in the Galaxy Note 8 to 6GB, while a sizeable 4000, mAh battery with fast charge support is also included.
Based on this, and the confirmation of the existence of the Galaxy Note 8, those disappointed by the disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7 can finally look forward to some respite.
