The stakes are high for Samsung Electronics\u2019s rollout of the Note 8, after the previous model\u2019s exploding battery fiasco last year.<\/p>\n
Like the Note 7, which was scrapped and cost the South Korean company an estimated $6 billion, the new smartphone sports a big screen and advanced features to make it a more versatile device compared with Samsung\u2019s main Galaxy S8 flagship product.<\/p>\n
Like its predecessors, it includes a stylus.<\/p>\n
By keeping the same brand name, Samsung is making clear that the Note 8 is an iterative (and better) device, and signals that it thinks it\u2019s fixed the problems with the previous version.<\/p>\n
While the Note doesn\u2019t command as wide an appeal as the Galaxy S line, both are premium devices in Samsung\u2019s efforts against Apple Inc. in the battle for global smartphone supremacy.<\/p>\n
The Note also helps the\u00a0Suwon-based manufacturer keep pressure on its rival just before the release of three new iPhone models in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Note 8 is arguably Samsung\u2019s most important smartphone launch in its history,\u201d said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the Note 7 battery fiasco, Samsung has been given a second chance by consumers and the company must not screw it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with the Note 7 debacle and the de facto head of the Samsung conglomerate on trial for bribery and embezzlement, Samsung\u2019s ability to sell hardware and earn profits remains intact.<\/p>\n
Net income was a record 10.8 trillion won ($9.5 billion) in the latest quarter, on sales that rose 20% to 61 trillion won in the three months ended June.<\/p>\n
The most significant change in the Note 8, unveiled Wednesday in New York, is a larger display that curves at the edges like the S8. The 6.3-inch AMOLED screen, a variant of the organic light-emitting diode display used on many recent high-end smartphones, is noticeably bigger than the Note 7\u2019s 5.7-inch touchscreen and slightly larger than the Galaxy S8+\u2019s 6.2-inch display.<\/p>\n
Although many phone makers are working on ways to get a fingerprint scanner built into the display, the Note 8 – like many other models – will have one in the back.<\/p>\n
The longer screen lets users view more content, such as text messages and emails, without having to scroll, Samsung said in a demonstration.<\/p>\n
The Note 8 also has new features for the stylus: users can write notes without unlocking the device, draw animated pictures that can be shared with contacts and words can be highlighted to be translated into different languages.<\/p>\n
The bigger screen also lets users swipe from the display\u2019s edge to launch two paired apps at a time in a split view.<\/p>\n
The new smartphone from Samsung will also feature an upgraded camera system that sports two lenses on the back for the first time.<\/p>\n
Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the advanced optics let users take pictures that can determine depth so that the background behind a person\u2019s profile can appear blurred.<\/p>\n
The Note 8 will also support Gigabit LTE, a faster networking technology for browsing the web and downloading content, which the next iPhone won\u2019t have, Bloomberg News has reported.<\/p>\n
The Note 8 will face competition from not only Apple\u2019s new iPhone, but also Huawei Technologies’s Mate 9, LG Electronics\u2019s upgraded V series, and Essential\u2019s PH-1, according to Mawston.<\/p>\n
Samsung regained its No. 1 position in global smartphone shipments earlier this year, with 23% of the market, after losing ground during the Note 7 debacle.<\/p>\n
Cupertino, California-based Apple had 12% in the\u00a0second quarter, while Huawei held 11%, according to IHS Markit.<\/p>\n
In an effort to reassure customers who may have lost trust in Samsung devices because of the Note 7 fiasco, Samsung said it worked with Underwriters Laboratories, a safety certification firm, to validate the Note 8\u2019s reliability.<\/p>\n
The new smartphone will sport a battery of 3300 mAh, slightly smaller than the Note 7\u2019s power pack. Samsung also released a re-purposed version of the Note 7 called the Note FE last month with a smaller battery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know lots of loyal Note series customers, they were so disappointed,\u201d DJ Koh, Samsung\u2019s president of mobile communications, said in an interview in June.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappointment is deeper, the expectation is higher, so I must meet their demand and their expectation through the Note 8.\u201d<\/p>\n