After completely halting the production of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is in great need of the next high end device be free of any reliability issues while also offering the best terms of features.
It is estimated that the lack of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will result in lost revenues of around $20 billion. While this may be a huge hole in any other company, it should not hurt Samsung much given that the company has a market value of more than $200 billion. Even then, the company’s reputation hangs in the balance after the Galaxy Note 7 was pulled out of production following severe quality issues.
It has been rumored for quite a while that the Samsung Galaxy S8 would be fast tracked in order to compensate for the Galaxy Note 7 problems. A new generation of the Galaxy S series has traditionally come out during February but there may be a change in 2017 with the Galaxy S8 coming at least a month ahead. The current generation Galaxy S series is sold in two versions – Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. However, the Galaxy S8 was expected to be offered in only one version just like the Galaxy Note 7.
New rumors coming out of China, though, suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be launched with a 5.1-inch screen on one version and a 5.5-inch screen on another version. The talking point in these two models will not be the screen size, but the resolution. The very 5.1-inch version of the Galaxy S8 will come with a QHD resolution just like in the processor, but the 5.5-inch version – likely to be the Galaxy S8 Edge – will offer a 4K display. It has been rumored for quite a while that the Galaxy S8 would bring in the much awaited 4K screens on a major level, but it seems that only one version will be equipped with this high-res screen.
In addition to the significantly improve the detail on the display, the Galaxy S8 Edge may also be capable of boasting DSLR-like camera effects because of a dual camera set up. Of course, it sounds similar to the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, but Samsung has not been shy of incorporating Apple features in its device if it is deemed necessary. As a small but significant change, the Viv AI assistant is expected to replace the S Voice.