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After bad notes, Samsung to soon debut new phones
Samsung is set to debut its next major smartphones on March 29. The new phones, expected to be called the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, are the company’s first new flagship phones since Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note7 over problems with batteries that caught fire.
If history is any indication, it’s likely the phones would hit shelves in midApril. The timing of the launch gives Samsung several months of lead time over Apple’s expected release of the new iPhones.
This is an important launch for Samsung as it tries to rebound from the disastrous release of its last phone. The company has taken steps to improve the safety of its phones. A quality phone with killer features, particularly compared to Apple’s iPhone, could convince wary customers that it’s worth returning to the brand, analysts say.
Samsung hasn’t officially released details about its new phones, but there are plenty of reports out there about what we can expect.
An (almost) all-screen front: The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are expected to have an “infinity screen” — one that takes up nearly all of the front of the phone — according to a January report from the Guardian that cited several anonymous sources.
There is no home button on the phone, according to a report from tech blog BGR, which has a strong reputation for accuracy when it comes to leaks. The blog says that the home button has been replaced by a touch-sensitive control strip on the bottom of the screen.
The screen is also expected to be at least partially pressure-sensitive, according to the Englishlanguage South Korean newspaper The Investor.
Rear fingerprint sensor: With no physical home button, the fingerprint scanner on the phone has to find somewhere else to live. Leaked pictures that BGR obtained from an unnamed source indicate that the sensor has been relocated to the back of the phone.
The new phones are also expected to have the irisscanning capabilities that debuted for Samsung on the infamous Note7, BGR reported.
Desktop mode: The new phones will have a mode that will let them connect to a monitor and be used more like a PC, according to an anonymous tip received by the tech blog All About Windows Phone. Users will reportedly be able to open multiple apps alongside each other.
A new assistant: Samsung last year bought Viv, the company originally behind Apple’s Siri assistant. So it makes sense that the new phone would have a new assistant that would perform many of the same functions as Siri, as reported by the Guardian.
A headphone jack: It’s seems a little funny to celebrate a phone retaining a feature as basic as a headphone jack. But it’s worth mentioning after Apple faced criticism over its decision to ditch the jack in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. BGR’s photos clearly show a headphone jack.