Tomorrow, Samsung will officially unveil their excessively leaked Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone. With rumors and leaks all but confirmed, the Galaxy S8 is shaping up to have a 5.8-inch “bezel-less” display, 1440 x 2960 QHD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor (or Exynos 8895 in some variants), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage with microSD card support, 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and 3,000 mAh non-removable battery. Additional features include water resistance, a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device, the introduction of Samsung’s Bixby AI, and a headphone jack.
But rumors are, of course, just rumors, and there isn’t much sense in dwelling on whether such rumors are true or not when we’ll officially find out tomorrow at 11 AM EST. For me, this launch will be interesting for far more than just the fact that it’s another highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy flagship; it’s interesting because the Galaxy S8 just so happens to be Samsung’s first flagship to hit shelves after the now infamous Note 7.
It’s difficult to say exactly how the Note 7 will impact sales of the Galaxy S8, if at all. There are without a doubt people who are justifiably done with the company given the inherent risk the Note 7 presented not once, but twice. There’s no sugarcoating that the problematic Galaxy Note 7 devices put people’s lives in serious risk, and nobody knew which Note 7’s would end up causing problems.
Yet, despite the oversight, I would argue that Samsung handled the aftermath better than I would have expected them to. Smartphone manufacturers in general aren’t particularly well-known for their humanitarian efforts, and while this may have only escalated because it was quickly becoming a widespread problem and PR disaster, they did manage to recall and replace the device in a fairly timely manner. In an incredible set of what I would consider to be unfortunate circumstances, however, even the replacement devices caused problems. Again, Samsung stepped in and simply called it quits this time. Third time’s not the charm: Note 7 was done*. Either you return it, or it will be restricted remotely.
I know that probably reads like somebody with a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome, but I will make it clear that it's forgiveness, not forgetfulness. But I do imagine – I hope - that these recent events have sparked Samsung to be extra careful in the future. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not sure any manufacturer aside from Samsung or Apple could get away with such a mishap, but I don’t think any company could survive that catastrophe twice no matter how well they responded to it.
As it stands, I think the Galaxy S8 has three things going for it. One, it’s not a Galaxy Note device. Two, Samsung’s renewed focus on quality assurance seems promising. Finally, it’s the follow-up to the Galaxy S7, which was ironically one of the best flagships of 2016. Still, the Galaxy S8 is going to need to be nearly perfect. I predict that sales will begin slowly; only the bravest warriors will pick one up on launch day. Assuming no serious problems arise after the first month or two, then sales will start to pick up.
Or everybody’s already forgotten about it pre-orders will break records. It’s hard to say. But that’s part of what makes the Galaxy S8 so interesting! It’s shrouded in mystery.
Readers, what are your predictions on the Galaxy S8? Do you think that its bezel-less design, Snapdragon 835 processor, and brand name will save it from the now tarnished reputation of the Note 7? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
