The smartphone firm unveils its new Galaxy Note and thanks those who stayed loyal despite exploding batteries in the last model.
The smartphone giant, which was forced to suspend sales of their Galaxy Note 7 last year after some caught fire when the battery exploded, unveiled their Galaxy Note 8 in New York on Wednesday.
Fans who remained loyal to the model, despite last year’s problems, were thanked by Samsung bosses.
« None of us will ever forget what happened last year, » said Koh Dong-jin, the South Korean company’s president of mobile.
« But, I will never forget how millions of dedicated Note loyalists stayed with us; so let me express my deepest gratitude. »
The Note 8 is the latest « phablet » – combining features of a smartphone and tablet – to be released by Samsung since they first introduced the Note model in 2011.
It is set to hit shops on 15 September and is available for pre-order at a cost of £869.
The device is Samsung’s first smartphone to boast two camera lenses on the back, while its 6.3 inch screen is bigger than the Note 7 and the phone will include the firm’s « Bixby » virtual assistant.
The Note 8 also offers many of the features included on the Galaxy S8 model, released earlier this year, such as an iris scanner.
A new « S Pen » stylus for the Note 8 allows the ability to write notes on the phone’s lock screen, much like a chalkboard.
Users may also enjoy the ability to handwrite text messages rather than typing them, which will be sent as GIF files to other Note 8 owners.
Travellers will benefit from full-sentence translations thanks to the pen, as well as automatic conversions of currencies.
After its problems of last year, Samsung is looking to boost confidence among buyers with an external safety certification for the Note 8.
Sales of the Note 7 were halted after some buyers reported their phones caught fire or exploded while they were charging.
Samsung lost billions of pounds in profit due to the recall but appears prepared to take another hit by offering owners of a Note 7 a discount on the Note 8.
The company has also endured scandal at home in South Korea, with Samsung’s de facto head Lee Jae-yong in jail on corruption charges.
A verdict in the explosive case is due on Friday, with Samsung’s vice-president facing up to 12 years in prison.
However, despite its troubles, the company remains the world’s top smartphone producer, with a near quarter-share of the market.
Rivals Apple are expected to reveal a 10th anniversary version of their iPhone next month.
