Samsung has confirmed that it will indeed release a Galaxy Note 8 phablet later this year. This had been largely anticipated despite the disastrous exploding Galaxy Note 7, but the Korean corporation has finally explicitly indicated that this mobile release will indeed happen.
The company’s mobile chief, DJ Koh, told CNET that the South Korean manufacturer will unveil an improved Galaxy Note 8 before the year is out, promising to “bring back a better, safer and very innovative” successor to the doomed Note 7.
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Koh indicated that market research played a big role in the ultimate decision to resurrect the Galaxy Note range. Certainly the Galaxy Note series has received an excellent critical and consumer reception over the last few years, and Koh found that there was a significant amount of brand loyalty among those that Samsung approached for their opinion. “We found through the investigative process, we knew there are lots and lots of loyal Note customers,” Koh noted.
This can certainly be considered a gamble by Samsung to some extent, as the spontaneously combusting Galaxy Note 7 will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest disasters in the history of consumer electronics. It would be surprising if Samsung didn’t seriously contemplate the branding the Galaxy Note range considering the bad publicity is has unquestionably accrued. But it seems that the Korean manufacturer is happy to continue the Galaxy Note legacy by producing an eighth generation of the phablet.
No date has been set for the revelation of the Galaxy Note 8 as of yet, at least not publicly, but it seems likely that Samsung will stick roughly to previous release schedules. This would mean that we can expect the phablet to hit the stores at some point during the second half of the year, and probably before the iPhone 8 emerges.
Galaxy Note 7 problems revealed
The news comes in a week in which Samsung revealed the cause of the difficulties in the Galaxy Note 7. The Korean consumer electronics giant suggested that lithium-ion batteries can be blamed for the fires witnessed in the faulty models of the phablet. Samsung conducted exhaustive tests on thousands of devices and batteries, ultimately eliminating any potential difficulties with either the hardware or software that comprised the device.
Instead, independent investigations had “concluded that batteries were found to be the cause of the Note 7 incidents”. The aforementioned Koh took a tone of contrition “sincerely apologis[ing] for the discomfort and concern we have caused to our customers.”
Samsung now believes that it has a handle on the problem, and reassured consumers that there will be no repeat of this incident in future product releases. “We are taking responsibility for our failure to ultimately identify and verify the issues arising out of battery design and manufacturing. We have taken several corrective actions to ensure this never happens again,” Samsung asserted in an official statement.
Having recalled over 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 devices in September last year, the vast Korean company has been working extremely hard to get to the bottom of this issue. Stating that there would be no repeat in the future, Samsung assured consumers that it will reform its products and quality controls to safeguard against further problems. “We look forward to moving ahead with a renewed commitment to safety. The lessons of the past several months are now deeply reflected in our processes and in our culture,” the statement continued.
The recall of the Galaxy Note 7 is expected to cost Samsung in the region of $5.3 billion; underlining precisely why the Galaxy Note 7 is ultimately being released. Samsung has been forced to bite the bullet with the Note 7, and probably decided that a sequel to the failing phablet was an absolute financial necessity.
And the decision to release all of the data it has gleaned from safety testing one day before the confirmation of the Galaxy Note 8 cannot be viewed as a coincidence.
4K resolution for Galaxy Note 8
Meanwhile, attention is already turning to what can be expected from this next generation phablet, with increased specs certainly anticipated by both analysts and fans of the Android-driven series. And the first major improvement included in the Galaxy Note 8 could be a larger display featuring 4K resolution capabilities.
The latest reports suggest that a 6.2-inch screen will be fitted in the Galaxy Note 8, and this may also be foldable. In order to achieve this, it seems certain that Samsung will heavily slim down the bezels included in the device, and may even offer consumers a wraparound display. This larger screen will also incorporate several features from previous Galaxy Note releases, with the Home button, fingerprint sensor, retina scanner and front camera all possibly to be included within the display.
Embracing 4K resolution in the Galaxy Note 8 will effectively pave the way for the inclusion of virtual reality compatibility. Some analysts believe that it will be too financially problematical to embrace virtual reality significantly in the next Galaxy Note generation, as this would have a massive impact on the price tag of the unit. But it is certainly a technology that Samsung will be keen to embrace considering that VR is becoming a more mainstream facet of the consumer electronics marketplace.
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 and Exynos 8895 processors will drive the Galaxy Note 8 when the phablet is released, while octa-core chipsets running at 3.2 GHz and 3.0 GHz are also anticipated. It seems that Samsung will once again utilize its proprietary technology In the East Asian marketplace, while the Western world will receive a phablet driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon.
Other new features
Galaxy Note 8 consumers can also expect an upgraded camera to be included in the next generation mobile, with Samsung set to increase the megapixel rating of the smartphone while providing dual-lenses for improved shooting. A unique S-Pen stylus featuring its own speaker has also been strongly linked with the Galaxy Note 8, while the phablet may also witness the introduction of an artificial intelligence voice assistant.
An $850 price tag is anticipated for this hotly awaited phablet.
