Preliminary rumors for the Galaxy S8 suggest the device may be announced in late February. However, Samsung may be considering launching it early to remedy fallout from the Galaxy Note 7 recall, according to Kim Sang-pyo, an analyst at the Korean firm KB Investment & Securities.
Samsung has announced its three previous Sprint flagships -- the Galaxy S7, S6 and S5 -- at Mobile World Congress and released them in March or April. However, the manufacturer may not be able to maintain its usual launch routine for the Galaxy S8. Kim expects if the device doesn’t release until late February 2017, Samsung may continue to struggle financially, the Korea Herald reported.
Though Samsung is working to get the Galaxy Note 7 back in stores since its Sept. 2 recall, the company has already lost $26 billion in value . Analysts expect it won’t be able to make up that money by the end of the year.
Samsung initiated the Galaxy Note 7 recall after several dozen reports of exploding smartphones. The company discovered several thousand devices featured faulty batteries, which would spontaneously combust without warning. Since then, several airlines worldwide have banned or limited use of Galaxy Note 7 handset in the air. Several safety organizations, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission , have recommended Galaxy Note 7 owners not use their devices until they receive a new model.
However, a report from Apteligent indicates many Galaxy Note 7 owners are not initiating returns or exchanges, and instead continue to use the defective models. This could possibly be due to Samsung’s unclear exchange protocol. Though Samsung set up an exchange program for the Galaxy Note 7 upon announcing its recall, most markets won’t be receiving new handsets until at least Sept. 19 . Many will get the newer, safer models in the weeks and months following that date.
Amid the Galaxy Note 7 issues, Samsung has indicated it will no longer use batteries from the Samsung SDI division.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to release in two models , a 5.1-inch version and a 5.5-inch version, both feature dual-edge displays. They may also feature 4K display resolution and a 12- and 13-megapixel dual-camera setup, as well as 6GB of RAM.
