Samsung has just launched its stunning new Galaxy S8, and while the phone looks to be one of, if not the best Android handset available, there could be trouble on the horizon.
According to a new report, the South Korean firm is facing manufacturing issues in relation to front-facing camera modules for its new handset.
The report from The Bell (via) claims one of the company’s suppliers, Patron, is struggling to boost the yield rate on the modules.
Related: Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy S8+
The phone is set to launch with Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 chip in the UK on April 28, while the US will be getting a Snapdragon 835 version of the handset on April 21.
Whether these reported manufacturing woes will affect those dates remains unclear, but the “unnamed industry sources” claim the production yield rate remains at less than 70%.
That means 30 out of 100 of the modules are faulty, with the company requiring an 80% yield rate in order to guarantee a stable supply.
The Galaxy S8+ is said to have an easier to produce camera module
The trouble seems to have stemmed from Samsung combining the iris scanner and front camera onto one module, which apparently makes the module harder to produce.
A source is quoted as saying: “Considering Patron’s struggles, the unified camera module seems to be extremely hard to produce.”
Patron is Samsung’s largest camera module supplier, which seems to demonstrate just how difficult this new manufacturing process is.
According to the report, the larger S8+ houses two separate modules for the camera and iris scanner, which are both produced by Power Logics.
The source added: “Power Logics has allegedly increased the yield rate to more than 90 percent from March.”
We’re unable to verify the information as accurate at this point, but stay tuned for more as the official release of the Galaxy S8 approaches.
Have you pre-ordered a Galaxy S8? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
