Samsung may be looking to revamp its smartphone lineup in the wake of the Galaxy Note 7 catastrophe that saw phones catching fire, as well as replacements for those recalled devices also exploding without warning. How much will it revamp its smartphone business? The Galaxy S8 may be the only premium phone Samsung sells in 2017.
For the past few years, Samsung has sold two premium phones each year — the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note. According to new reports from the Korea Herald, however, Samsung is seriously considering cutting out the Galaxy Note range so it can ensure product quality is maintained across its smartphone lineup and not repeat the disaster of the Galaxy Note 7.
It is important to note that nothing is official yet — and it does not seem as though Samsung has notified suppliers of changes to its smartphone business just yet. It does, however, make sense. After the Galaxy Note 7 began catching fire, reports began surfacing suggesting Samsung rushed the Galaxy Note 7 into production to beat Apple’s iPhone 7 launch event. Samsung denied this, saying the release date for the device had always been planned.
If the reports turn out to be true and Samsung only releases the Galaxy S phone in 2017, there are two possible routes the company could take: ditch the Note line altogether, or alternate each year between the Galaxy S and the Note series. We are betting on the first option — after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, it would be hard for the company to convince customers to buy another Note phone and it might make more sense for there to be one flagship Samsung phone.
Reports indicate that the Galaxy S8 is already in development.
