South Korean tech giant' s largest phone has two rear cameras and an improved battery check function
Samsung released its newest phone, the Galaxy Note 8, on Wednesday with both the usual fanfare and a dose of humility, thanking customers for sticking with its flagship line after the company’s last version had to be recalled.
“None of us will ever forget what happened last year. I know I won’t, ” said company president DJ Koh at a Samsung event in New York to present the Note 8.
The South Korean technology giant has a lot riding on the device beyond winning over consumers. The successor to the Note 7, which had to be recalled twice for a tendency to burst into flames, the Note 8 is Samsung’s biggest, priciest and most powerful phone. It comes at a time Samsung is set to invest deeply into new manufacturing facilities.
The company is also mired in a leadership crisis. A court is expected to rule on Friday in the trial of Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is accused of bribing former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, among other charges.
With Samsung looking to turn the page, here are the key specs for the new device, as reported by CNET:
The new phone also kept some features that were rolled out with the Galaxy S8, including:
The price is likely to be at least $850, the Associated Press reported, making the phone among the most expensive on the market. By contrast, Apple’s iPhone 7 starts at about $650 and the Galaxy S8 at $750.
Samsung’s Note phones tend to be niche products aimed at people who use their phones more than the average consumer.
The phone comes in a range of colors: midnight black, orchid grey, deepsea blue and maple gold (the last two won’t be available in the U. S. at launch.)
Preorders for the Note 8 start on Thursday, and the phone will be available for sale on Sept. 15.
Customers who had bought the Note 7 will get an instant trade-in value worth up to $425 through a special offer on Samsung.com, the company said. It’ll be a tall order for Samsung, considering that starting last September up to 3 million Note 7 phones were recalled after a number of units overheated and some caught fire.
CNET and The Associated Press contributed reporting. This is a developing story.
