There have already been a fair few leaks related to the forthcoming Galaxy Note 8, which is not surprising considering that the phablet will be one of the standout devices of the year. Tasked with reinvigorating the Galaxy Note brand after the disaster that was the frequently exploding Galaxy Note 7, Samsung will have to balance excitement and new specs with reliability and stability when the Galaxy Note 8 is released.
Galaxy Note 8 schematics appear on Slashleaks
And as consumers eagerly await new information about the Galaxy Note 8, a new leaked schematic gives an intriguing impression of how this smartphone may turn out. We have the increasingly prolific Slashleaks to thank for this item of interest, with the website having published this key detail of the phablet recently.
The schematic indicates that the phablet will features a dual-speaker setup, as Samsung attempts to upgrade the music-playing capabilities of the Galaxy range. This can be seen as a direct response to Apple, with the Californian company having particularly focused on music in recent devices releases. Its acquisition of the Beats branding was also indicative of the future direction of Apple as a brand.
Clearly Samsung feels the need to at least partly follow suit by improving the music playback quality of the Galaxy Note 8. Thus, tweeters are placed on the top and bottom of the device in this schematic.
Dual-camera included
Also notable in this important image is the dual-camera that has been persistently linked with the Note 8. This is placed on the rear of the device, with the fingerprint sensor alongside it. It is also important to note that the camera is vertically stacked, something that has been presumed as being likely for some time. This alignment has also been linked with the forthcoming iPhone 8, as it makes augmented and virtual reality features easier to implement, while it is believed that the Google Pixel 2 will also have a dual-camera.
However, while the camera setup will undoubtedly interest Samsung fans, the circular cutout for a rear-facing fingerprint sensor is perhaps more significant. This contradicts previous suggestions that the sensor could be integrated within the display of the device. The assumption was that Samsung would utilize this approach in order to create a sleek device which is dominated by the display, but the tide seems to be turning against this suggestion.
Samsung exec speaks out
Not only does these leaked Galaxy Note 8 schematics suggest that the fingerprint sensor will simply be placed on the back of the device, but another report has also provided very strong indication of this tendency. South Korean news site Naver quoted a Samsung executive – who remained nameless – who suggested that the integrated fingerprint scanner will no longer appear in the Galaxy Note 8 due to “various technical limitations.”
While this doesn’t count as total confirmation of the lack of integration, and many will scoff at the anonymous nature of this comment, when coupled with the leaked schematics it does seem that all of the evidence is now pointing one way. Nonetheless, none of this has been confirmed as of yet, and there is the possibility that the schematic is bogus. But don’t be surprised if fingerprint sensor integration is impossible in this generation.
New processor
Another intriguing rumor which has surfaced recently is the suggestion that the Galaxy Note 8 will arrive with a brand new processor. It had been assumed that the smartphone would be built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip, but while this may not be too far away from the truth, an exciting prospect has emerged.
New reports suggest that a brand new Snapdragon 836 chip will be included in the Galaxy Note 8, as Samsung attempts to ensure that its next generation phablet delivers superior performance to the Galaxy S8. The flagship S8 was already fitted with the 835, and as Samsung looks to distinguish its two main device ranges from one another, the inclusion of a Snapdragon 836 would certainly seem to make sense.
This is another suggestion that is certainly unconfirmed, but it would certainly make sense from a practical standpoint. Samsung will also hope to wrest back some market share from the iPhone 8 and its Plus variant in 2017, and offering improved power over the Galaxy S8 will naturally help in this process.
Refurbished Note 7
This news comes at a time when Samsung is readying a refurbished Galaxy Note 7 for the marketplace, as the resurrection of the Note brand continues. A new rumor on this device suggests that the consumer electronics giant may brand this device as the FE; purported to stand for ‘Fan Edition’.
With Samsung stock having doubled in value over the last 12 months, the company having achieved outstanding sales figures in recent quarters, and the reputation of the company now restored following the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, the scene is set for an outstanding Galaxy Note 8 release…
