https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2017/04/13/samsung-galaxy-note8-leaked-image/#26c722d02df0
New Note 8 Images Channel The Stunning Galaxy S8
Ewan Spence ,
Contributor
I look at the impact of mobile technology and online media.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Just as Samsung gets the launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus out the way, along comes the first sighting of the Galaxy Note 8.
The South Korean replacement for the fiery Note 7 - which was cancelled last year after multiple recalls - picks up many of the styling cues of the S8 family (reports Pocket Lint) with a lack of bezels, curved edges, and no physical home button, It’s also running Bixby, and hopefully by the time the Note 8 launches the voice-powered digital assistant will have found its voice.
South Korean models show Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones during a showcase to mark the domestic launch of Samsung Electronics' latest flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 (Photo: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)
Of course the Note 8 is going to have to fight its corner in the Galaxy portfolio to stand out, and that is going to be harder this year than previous years for the phablet family.
If it had been a normal year of products, come August launch the Galaxy Note 7 would be coming to the end of its mainstream life ready to fade into history, while Note 5 users coming to the end of their two-year contracts would be looking for the next big thing. The fiery fate of the Note 7 has meant Samsung has been putting more focus on the S8 as a suitable Note replacement. The Note 8 is going to have to deal with a six-month old fox in its hen-house, as opposed to a retiring year-old warhorse.
With the larger screen size of the S8 handsets, and the inclusion of a ‘super-specced’ Galaxy S8 Plus, Samsung is chasing many of the Note 7 customers with its current flagship smartphone. Those efforts will likely stretch out over the next two months, leaving perhaps three months before the Note 8 is revealed and the PR has to start working on sales of the new phablet… sales that will need to be accomplished after much of the pent-up demand will have been salved by the premium edition of the Galaxy S8 Plus.
Samsung's new smartphone Galaxy S8 (R) and S8+ (L) are displayed at a Samsung showroom in Seoul on April 7 (Photo: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)
Unlike Apple, Samsung is adept at handling multiple products where price and performance are in close proximity. It has dealt with the six-month gap between the Note range and the Galaxy S8 range for many years. The cadence of the phablet and smartphone lines has served the company well in staying at the cutting edge of technology and satisfying different groups of users.
I’ve no doubt that will continue, but thanks to the global recall and cancellation of the Note 7, the resulting ‘catch-up’ work that was forced onto the Galaxy S8 and the increased marketing of the premium S8 Plus, this year’s Note 8 is going to be arriving with a little bit more baggage than any of its phablet brethren.
Now read about the Note 8's biggest competitor, the premium Galaxy S8 Plus…
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