The Samsung Galaxy S8 release date is now just a matter of days away, but there’s still a pretty large elephant in the room, last year’s exploding Note 7.
Samsung might have made its apologies, outlined plans to avoid further issues and attempted to put the whole thing behind it, but it’s aware consumers won’t be so quick to forget.
According to the manufacturer itself, ahead of the eagerly awaited Samsung Galaxy S8 launch, last year’s Note 7 debacle continues to cast a shadow over its upcoming device.
“It was a very newsworthy item, so it’s not something that people will forget,” Samsung’s European Head of Product Management, Mark Notton, said speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews.
Related: iPhone 8 – what you need to know
Although aware the Note 7’s fiery presence still looms large, Samsung is hoping that the S8 will not draw the focus of its combustible sibling, but help the company move past it.
“With the announcement that we made back in Seoul, and what we talked about at MWC, hopefully we’re able to close that chapter and move on with the great new products that we’ve got,” Notton said.
“We launched the A Series at CES, that’s started off incredible well, better than we thought, we’ve got the new tablets to help us and the 2-in-1, and we’ll soon get our new flagship smartphone out, and bring that to customers.
“As a company, after MWC, it’s about moving on and looking forward to the future.”
These battery woes aren’t just a worry for the state of the S8’s staying power either. They’re also the reason we’re yet to see the S8, with the handset originally having been tipped for an MWC 2017 unveiling back in February.
While Samsung is aware that the Note 7 fires will be hard to forget, the company isn’t concerned about delays troubling the S8’s release. Instead, it’s confident the phone’s big enough to overcome any postponements.
Related: Best Smartphones 2017
“I don’t think that [the delays] will affect the impact of the announcement,” Notton told us.
“Since 2013 we have used MWC to announce our flagship phone, but Galaxy Unpacked in itself is such a huge event that whether it’s at MWC, in New York or somewhere else altogether, I don’t think it has a big impact.
“People know it’s coming, they know that we’re going to bring something big.”
Fortunately, those delays are almost over. Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will be officially unveiled on March 29 ahead of an expected mid-April in-store release.
According to countless leaks, the upcoming iPhone rival will play host to a larger display, with a 5.7-inch panel to be squeezed into a form factor no bigger than last year’s 5.1-inch Galaxy S7. This will be made possible by, like the LG G6, reducing the phone’s screen-framing bezels and moving to a new 18:9 aspect ratio.
It will also see the phone’s integrated fingerprint scanner move to the rear of the device, with the phone’s physical home button being given the boot.
Elsewhere, Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835 processor is expected to run the show alongside Android 7.1 Nougat, with a new 8-megapixel front-facing camera also tipped to make an appearance.
WATCH: What to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S8
Have the Note 7 problems put you off snapping up the Galaxy S8? Let us know below.
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.
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.
