Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Rumors Escalate Ahead Of Launch Date

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 rumors this week have focused on the Korean corporation’s determination to remove the physical Home button from the device. This has been linked with both the Galaxy Note 8 and the iPhone 8, with major manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung expected to integrate such features within the displays of devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Rumors

In the case of the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung is also expected to relocate the fingerprint scanner included to the rear of the handset. This is likely to receive a mixed reception, as it has been asserted that this will not be terribly convenient for all users.

Improved S Pen

Meanwhile, the latest Samsung Galaxy Note 8 rumors suggest that the much vaunted improved S Pen stylus will indeed appear in 2017. This peripheral has been a major part of the Galaxy Note range over the years, and it seems that Samsung will make it a particular focus of this year’s edition. Previous features linked with the Galaxy Note 8 S Pen have included a vibrational system, and a particularly innovative speaker arrangement, both of which would deliver additional functionality.

But reports this week have also indicated that the S Pen stylus will feature an inbuilt motor. This feature seemingly collaborates with the Find My Mobile app in order to help Galaxy Note 8 consumers locate their devices when they are misplaced.

Other specs

Media reports have also suggested that the Galaxy Note 8 will be a powerful performer in spec terms. Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 processor is expected to be coupled with 6GB of RAM to deliver a package capable of extremely slick performance. It is notable that the RAM memory represents a 50 per cent increase over the doomed Galaxy Note 7.

However, following the fiasco that the Korean corporation had to endure with the exploding Galaxy Note 7, Samsung will be more conservative with the battery included in the Galaxy Note 8. A 3,300 mAh battery cell has been linked with the smartphone, which would be marginally smaller than the unit included in the Galaxy S8, and also the battery featured in last year’s Galaxy Note 7.

But this can be considered largely unsurprising, as Samsung has had to place the emphasis on durability and reliability, following the debacle it endured in 2016 with the Galaxy Note 7. The problems that this unit faced with overheating and exploding were ultimately traced back to the battery pack, meaning that Samsung would always need to focus on this aspect of the Galaxy Note 8.

Infinity design

It is almost a racing certainty as well that the Galaxy Note 8 will deliver an Infinity design similar to the Galaxy S8, while a larger display, even than the Galaxy S8 Plus, has been widely anticipated, The design of the Galaxy Note 8 should thus be rather similar to Samsung’s flagship phone. Wraparound displays are becoming a defining feature of the smartphone marketplace, and Samsung has once again been a pioneer in this design aspect, after its success with introducing curved screens to smartphones.

3D Touch rival

Among the other Samsung Galaxy Note 8 rumors that have emerged this week, the South Korean technology company intends to include a feature that has previously appeared in the iPhone series. It is believed that the Galaxy Note 8 will include a pressure-sensitive display, which is similar to the 3D Touch functionality that has been part of the flagship Apple mobile since the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus back in 2015.

In the iPhone range, this feature enables users to access hidden menus and additional options by pushing down on the display with varying degrees of sensitivity. Similar features are now expected to migrate to the Galaxy Note 8, as Samsung looks to close the gap on Apple in the phablet war.

According to The Investor, in the Galaxy Note 8, the pressure-sensitive display will be used to “replace all the functionality of a home button and open a hidden menu with shortcuts to different features”. It will be interesting to see how this is implemented in the Galaxy Note 8 generation, but reports seem to suggest that the Korean company is definitely going ahead with this functionality.

Price worries

Although the Galaxy Note 8 sounds like an outstanding and exciting smartphone based on the data available, it could also be a rather expensive one. The latest Samsung Galaxy Note 8 rumors suggest that the mobile will retail at a price tag in excess of $1,000 in the United States.

Analyst Ronald Quandt is the latest to suggest that the Galaxy Note 8 may break through the psychologically important $1,000 price point. And it is certainly well worth paying attention to his opinion, as Quandt has a strong track record of predicting news related to the Samsung range in the past.

While the $1,000 pricetag may be considered somewhat eye-watering by some, this not mean that the Galaxy Note 8 will be uncompetitive. Indeed, the Apple iPhone 8 is also expected to cost in the region of $1,000, with some analysts having suggested that this iconic smartphone could even retail in the region of $1,200.

Emperor Edition

Quandt also speaks of a Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition that will be the absolute premium release from Samsung in 2017. This will apparently ship with 256GB of storage, and attract a price tag in excess of $1,100. However, the analyst suggests that other specs in the so-called Emperor Edition will be rather similar, or possibly identical, to the other Galaxy Note 8 releases, which could help keep the recommended retail price of the unit down.

There is undoubtedly pressure on Samsung to deliver a functional and reliable Galaxy Note 8 after the disaster of the Galaxy Note 7. This product range is effectively drinking in the last chance saloon, and one hopes that Samsung is successful considering the positive response that recent releases have received.

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