New reports out of Korea back up claims that Samsung will offer a deal or discount to Galaxy Note 7 owners upon the release of the Galaxy S8 next year. According to The Korea Economic Daily, Samsung is establishing a compensation program for former Galaxy Note 7 owners in Korea, which would offer the Galaxy S8 for no cost or possibly with a discount of up to 50 percent.
“The new compensation program is designed to make it easier for those who exchange their Galaxy Note 7 with existing Samsung smartphones, to shift into our next model coming in next year,” a Samsung official told the publication.
There is no word on whether this program will be extended to other markets, such as the U.S.; however, it is possible similar offers will become apparent as the Galaxy S8 release date approaches. Reports from The Wall Street Journal suggest the Galaxy S8 may be delayed while government officials investigate the flaws that caused the Galaxy Note 7 to explode.
A September report from Bloomberg suggests Samsung may have rushed production of the Galaxy Note 7 in an effort to beat the iPhone 7 to market. This may have lead to a lapse in quality assurance testing for the smartphone.
The Galaxy Note 7 is now permanently discontinued and banned from airplanes . There are also murmurs that Samsung may discontinue the Galaxy Note line altogether and rebrand it under a new name. While Samsung is still encouraging users to return their handsets for exchange or refund, many still hesitate. This leaves hope for Samsung to possibly retain loyal customers who have not had any issue with their smartphones.
The Galaxy S8 was originally expected to launch in February during the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona. Now, there is no indication on when the device will be announced. Amid the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, specs and features rumors for the Galaxy S8 have continued to circulate. The device may include an iris scanner, a 4K resolution display and a Blue Coral color option, similar to the model introduced on the Galaxy Note 7.
