Samsung tries to reclaim its reputation with the Galaxy S8
NEW YORK: Samsung last Wednesday unveiled its latest premium smartphones, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, which the company hopes will restore its reputation as one of the world’s best smartphone makers.
To do that, of course, Samsung must recover from the disastrous recall of its last premium phone, the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung was forced to discontinue that product after a rash of battery fires, and also chose to delay the launch of these new phones in the wake of the controversy. DJ Koh, the head of Samsung’s mobile division, opened last Wednesday’s presentation by acknowledging that it has been a difficult year for the company. But he also added that this year marks the start of “important new beginnings.”
Samsung was clearly eager to move on and reclaim its reputation as an innovator. Before the Note 7, Samsung had shaken off its old image of being a copycat and had ushered in the era of larger- screened phones - a move that arguably prompted its chief rival, Apple, to a larger iPhone, analysts said.
Overall, analysts said that Samsung pulled off a strong performance last Wednesday, and possibly set the tone for a more innovative smartphone cycle in 2017.
“We are seeing some great design innovation from Samsung this year and expect the same from Apple,” said Jefferson Wang, senior partner at IBB Consulting, in an email.
The phones released this year - with curved screens and big displays - should set a new template for the next couple of years, he said.
In terms of innovation, the new phones pick up where Samsung had left off.
Samsung was clearly eager to move on and reclaim its reputation as an innovator.
As expected, the S8 and S8 Plus ditch the physical home button to give the touch screen as much real estate as possible. As with Samsung’s Galaxy Edge devices, the phones also have displays that curve over their sides.
The new devices also have an iris scanner, fingerprint scanner and facial recognition sensor - a variety of security features which can be used to secure the phone as well as other services including Samsung Pay and Samsung Health.
The phones will go on sale on Apr 21, on AT& T, Verizon, TMobile and Sprint.
While prices may vary by carrier and payment plan, the suggested price of the Galaxy S8 is US$ 720; the Galaxy S8 Plus will cost US$ 840.
The screens measure 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches - but are slim enough to fit in one hand without feeling too bulky.
Samsung also introduced a new mode, Samsung DeX, that allows the phones to act as user’s desktop computer when plugged into a monitor and special charging dock. The dock is sold separately. In this mode, the phones can replace computers for basic functions such as email. They can even replace some more advanced functions, such as working with Microsoft Office programs.
Samsung also revealed more about its new digital assistant, Bixby. The voice- controlled assistant, is integrated with the phones’ cameras.
Users can snap pictures of products, which Bixby will then search for online.
The assistant can figure out your location from a picture and look for restaurants or other attractions nearby.
Unlike its closest competitor, Siri, Bixby can also fully control some apps by voice - but, right now, nearly all of those apps are made by Samsung.
Bixby is still not as comprehensive as many analysts had hoped. “Samsung’s initial Bixby implementation falls short of its goal of being a comprehensive AI assistant because of weak app integration and limited voice compatibility,” said Ian Fogg, analyst at IHS Markit, in an email. — WPBloomberg