Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been the talk of the town since their unveiling on March 29. Their impressive screen sizes, screen-to-body ratios, and subtle spec upgrades are what take the S8 to the next level from the S7, tentatively making the S8 yet another home run flagship for the South Korean company this year. Even the Galaxy Note 7 incidents, which are still somewhat fresh in the minds of consumers, didn’t seem to have caused much of a dent in enthusiasm for the S8.
Nor has it caused a dent in anticipation for the Note 8, for that matter. While the Note 7 was a major setback and PR disaster for Samsung last year, the company appears motivated to move upwards and onwards with the Note line down the line in 2017. After making the decision to source its battery cells from a new supplier, the Note 8 hopefully won’t have the same issues that the Note 7 had. But while the S8 was potentially given a pass for not being a Note device, one has to wonder if a new Samsung Note device will be as easily forgiven.
Whether the Note 8 will be DOA or not, it occurred to me after looking at the Galaxy S8 that the line between what makes a Galaxy Note different from a Galaxy S8 is extremely blurry at this point. The features that made the Galaxy Note stand out from the Galaxy S line were its large size and the inclusion of the S Pen. However, with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ featuring screen sizes of 5.8 and 6.2-inch displays, respectively, the only thing really left to make the Note a distinct entity is the S Pen.
Although it’s unlikely to happen this year, I do wonder how many more years the two will remain separate.
For some, the inclusion/exclusion of the S Pen is enough to differentiate the two and keep them apart. To me, the Galaxy Note brand has lost its luster. It’s still a fantastic device, of course, but there’s nothing quite superior about it anymore. The very first Galaxy Note, which came out in 2011, had significant differences between it and the Galaxy S II released earlier that year. Its display was larger by an entire inch, it had a sharper resolution, it had a bigger battery, and of course it had the S Pen. Between the Galaxy S7 Edge and the Note 7, the Galaxy S7 Edge surpassed the Note 7 in both pixel density and battery capacity, leaving the Galaxy Note 7 noticeably victorious in just two categories: screen size and S Pen. With the Galaxy S8+ featuring a whopping 6.2-inch display, I wonder if the Note will even surpass that this year.
Perhaps Samsung will surprise people with the Note 8, but I expect to see lines blurred even more this year between it and the Galaxy S8. I personally wouldn’t mind Samsung combining the two to make one super flagship every year. If anything, I would almost prefer it at this point; putting 100% of focus and attention on one project can make a great thing better.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the future of Samsung’s two flagships? Do you think they should remain separate, or do you hope to see the two combine in the future?
