Next week in New York, Samsung will finally reveal the Galaxy S8. The handset has a lot riding on it — not simply because it’s a brand-defining flagship or..
Next week in New York, Samsung will finally reveal the Galaxy S8. The handset has a lot riding on it — not simply because it’s a brand-defining flagship from one of the biggest names in the business or because the company seems to have delayed it quite a bit as it’s worked to get things righ. Next week’s Unpacked event will have even wider ranging implications for Samsung as its first major phone announcement since last year’s Galaxy Note debacle left a serious scar on the brand for many consumers.
Samsung has been happily hyping the announcement for quite a while. In fact, the date of the event itself was a big reveal at an otherwise lackluster Mobile World Congress press conference that was focused on a pair of new tablets. In the intervening weeks, our picture of the S8 has become pretty fully formed, both through official announcements from the company and a number of seemingly legit leaks that it — whether intended or otherwise — hasn’t done a great job keeping under control.
Expect the kick-off to Wednesday’s event to once again strike a tone somewhere between somber and excited that will likely be the last major public apology for the Note 7, coupled with some more thorough praising of the company’s recently implemented exacting safety standards. But while other companies may have looked to slow things down a bit, that’s never been Samsung’s way. Expect this to be yet another everything-and-the-kitchen-sink device from the company.
One thing we know for sure, Samsung’s joining the growing chorus of phone manufacturers opting for their own smart assistant — a fact that’s no doubt rubbing Google the wrong way as the Android maker looks to push its own assistant onto more handsets.
