Many in the industry felt that after the disastrous experience with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the South Korean tech giant might drop the Note series itself and move on. But going by the current indications, the company might not only launch the next phone Note 8 in the series but do it within months of the release of the flagship Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.
These are not just based on speculation alone. Samsung issued a press release following the company’s first quarter results and in that there is a sentence in the end indicating that the company intends to launch a new flagship smartphone in the second half of the year. So it is official that there is going to be another flagship and going by the past years’ datelines followed by the company it can be safely presumed that the Samsung Note 8 will be launched in August 2017. Even from the more relevant perspective that since Apple’s iPhone 8 might be launched in September, Samsung would want to be a little ahead in the game and August does appear to make sense.
Large size phone
The speculation is rife about the size of the display. There are indications that the Samsung Note 8 may limit the display to the higher Galaxy S8 Plus at 6.2 inches, while one report indicates it may even be higher at 6.4 inches, but the aspect ratio will be maintained at the same 18.5:9. The processor also is likely to be the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895.
The camera may see some action
One criticism that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus received was that the company did not go ahead and try the dual camera set up in the rear. Many other top phone makers like Apple and LG and Xiaomi have already ventured into this feature and providing it on the Galaxy S8 would have been a big boost. Now, Samsung has the opportunity to make amends and fit the Note8 with the dual camera. The indication is that it will be a dual 12MP + 13MP camera setup and should prove to be a value for money proposition. The camera positioning in the rear is also likely to be vertically configured.
As for the OS, the phone might be released with the Android Nougat and then upgraded to the Android O version as and when it is made available, probably a few months after the release.
Most other specs and features will be the same as the Galaxy S8, if the leaks are to be believed. One may witness some changes in the interim as well.
Another interesting change one may be able to notice in the new Samsung Note 8 would relate to the Stylus. Samsung adds the Stylus to the Note series and there has now been a new development in the design of the pen. The phone’s speaker is located in the pen shaft and as long as the pen is in the slot the sound will be carried through the thin openings on the top of the pen. When the pen is removed, the speaker’s sound can be heard through the shaft directly.
Image: Kārlis Dambrāns