Category: Information Technology

What to watch for in the Samsung Galaxy S8 launch

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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South Korean smartphone maker Samsung Electronics is under pressure to deliver the goods as it launches its latest model, the Galaxy S8, on March 29, in New York.

Besides excitement over new features the Galaxy S8 is expected to debut, all eyes are on whether the electronics giant’s latest offering will restore trust among its customer base as Samsung’s competitors attempt to ramp up their share of the market.

The company has a lot riding on the release after a previous model, the Galaxy Note 7, came under fire for exploding due to battery malfunctions. Samsung followed up with a major product recall and eventually terminated Note 7 production.

Amidst a flurry of leaks and rumors ahead of the launch, a feature the S8 is sure to debut is its new voice assistant Bixby — Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Siri. A blog post from Samsung’s head of R&D InJong Rhee detailed how Bixby would offer a “deeper experience” compared to its competitors.

Analysts said that while Samsung has talked a big game, it remains to be seen how well Bixby will perform. “They’ve talked about it but we need to see it in action. We need to see how well it executes, we need to see how the software works,” said Bryan Ma, vice president at IDC Asia Pacific.

“The bigger thing to watch out for is the Viv acquisition that they made,” said Ma. Viv is a company specializing in artificial intelligence that was founded by the creators of Siri.

“The problem is, it hasn’t been integrated yet. They just made that acquisition … Right now, we can’t get too carried away with how Bixby’s going to be. I’ll believe it when I see it, probably later this year or in the next year,” Ma added.

In light of the Note 7 recall, hardware and battery quality will also be “front and center” for the launch, said Ishan Dutt, research analyst at Canalys. Samsung has done well post-recall in getting the message across that it was taking quality control seriously, Dutt added.

The company developed an “8-Point Battery Safety Check” in response to battery defects in the Note 7 in a bid to redeem consumer trust.

“This phone really can’t afford to have issues,” Dutt said.

As for the leaks, tech insiders are predicting that the Galaxy S8 will no longer have a home button so that there’s more room for a larger display screen. The phone’s fingerprint sensor is also rumored to be moved to the back of the phone.

One aspect of Samsung’s strategy that has confused is the company’s announcement that it would sell refurbished Galaxy Note 7 phones in the same week it launches the new S8.

“Completely baffling,” Ma said, “In their defense, if it’s about helping the environment, … maybe they’re getting a little bit of money out of it? But at the end of the day, it’s a perception thing. Why remind people about it again?”

Dutt agreed, “It seems to be perhaps not the best step in terms of PR to be even … overshadowing (the S8 launch and) also reminding people about the Note 7 at a time when the focus really should be on the new device and starting afresh.”

“I think ultimately, this is going to be something that will get Samsung back on its feet after the problems of last year. The challenge, however, is going to be Apple. Apple’s got a phone that, if you believe the rumor mill, is going to be a tremendous blockbuster later this year,” Ma said.

Apple is expected to launch a new smartphone in September this year — the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. And while the company has not confirmed the name of the new model, many in the market have already begun calling it the iPhone 8.

“In that sense, Samsung still has quite a bit of an uphill battle to go,” Ma said.

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Why Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Apple’s iPhone 8 launches could be the most important ever

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Phone launches follow a pretty similar pattern: Flashy press conference, excitement, pre-orders and the investing world keeping an eye on how well these devices sell.

It’s always high stakes for the companies, but perhaps more than ever, the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 on Wednesday, and the anniversary edition of the iPhone later this year, could be the most important smartphone launches ever for both companies.

That’s because it comes at a time when the smartphone market is saturating and after both companies have gone through testing periods. The Galaxy S8, which has been extensively leaked, will be released following the Note 7 scandal last year, in which Samsung was forced to recall and eventually discontinued the handset after several caught fire. The South Korean giant apologized and released a full report on what went wrong in January, but the episode is still fresh in consumers’ minds.

At the same time, Samsung Group’s heir-apparent Jay Y. Lee was charged by prosecutors with bribery and embezzlement connected to South Korea’s ongoing corruption scandal which led to the impeachment of the country’s President Park Geun-hye.

A successful and innovative Galaxy S8 smartphone will be key to shifting attention away from Samsung’s current issues, putting the Note 7 saga to bed, and boosting sales and profit in its mobile division.

Meanwhile, Apple has also had a tough time recently. In its fiscal 2016 results, the U.S. technology giant experienced the first annual revenue decline since 2001, after iPhone sales fell for three consecutive quarters. Many have questioned Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook’s ability to innovate pointing to the Apple Watch as the only new product category under his leadership.

While talk of driverless cars and augmented reality (AR) – a technology Cook has said could be as big as the smartphone itself – have yet to materialize in any products. The iPhone 7, Apple’s last flagship got criticized for not being a big change from the iPhone 6s.

But from recent leaks, the Galaxy S8 and the iPhone anniversary addition, potentially called the iPhone 8, may just be the best devices both companies have ever produced. Samsung’s flagship will have a big screen and new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, while Apple’s smartphone is rumored to have a new 3-D camera and AR capabilities. Morgan Stanley said in a recent note that the next iPhone will create a “supercycle” for Apple.

Driving a new wave of users to buy the next flagship devices will also be crucial if Apple and Samsung want their customers to adopt technologies and services that they are staking their future on such as AI and virtual reality.

But competition is tough and Huawei is chasing both Apple and Samsung with the Chinese firm establishing itself as the number three smartphone player in the world.

With such high-expectations and both companies keen to put recent issues in the past, Samsung and Apple need to deliver with their flagship launches, which can’t be like any other.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow