Samsung Hopes New Galaxy S8 Features Will Erase Note 7 Fiasco

Samsung is expected to announce its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, at an event late next month in New York, and the South Korean company is hoping that the device’s success will aid consumers in forgetting the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.

Samsung will be hoping to regain consumer trust after the botched release of the Note 7 phone last year with the Galaxy S8. As part of its bid, it will bring some of the standout features of the recalled Note 7 to the S8, as well as safe batteries and a new AI assistant.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Samsung will release two versions of the Galaxy S8 – a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch model – but both will feature the edge-design. Unlike past years, you won’t have a choice between the edge display and a more traditional display. It also seems as if Samsung has rid the device of a physical home button, leaving more room for the oversized, infinity display.

The paper reports that the device will come with a curved screen as standard, a feature Samsung debuted on its Galaxy S7 Edge last year and which has proved popular with customers.

The S8 will also feature a Samsung-developed voice-powered digital assistant, which will apparently be called Bixby, in an attempt to rival Apple’s Siri and Google Now.

Samsung is hoping that these new features will convince potential consumers that the Galaxy S8 is indeed worth buying, despite lingering concerns about the safety of the company’s smartphones. Just last month, Samsung released a report concluding that the battery suppliers were to blame for the Galaxy Note 7’s propensity to catch fire.

Earlier this week, a Samsung plant in China caught fire–due to faulty batteries, reported Reuters. The Tianjin Fire Department said on its verified Sina Weibo social media account, 110 firefighters and 19 trucks were sent to put the fire out.

With all eyes on the upcoming tenth anniversary iPhone 8/X, the Galaxy S8 looks to again battle Apple’s prized smartphone.

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