5 new things we know about the Galaxy S8 thanks to
the exploding Note 7
You can rest assured that the next Samsung device will
be subjected to more scrutiny than ever; from rabid phone fans,
media types like us and, most importantly, from Samsung
itself.
Samsung's President of Mobile Communications Business,
DJ Koh, took to the stage over the weekend to explain what caused
the Note 7 to catch fire (it was all the battery's fault
apparently), to apologise and (hopefully) close this rather
damaging chapter in Samsung's history.
But this press conference was also about moving on and
reassuring phone buyers that the next Galaxy will be super hot
without being a fire hazard, and a few little tidbits eeked
out.
Samsung has typically headlined Mobile World Congress
with the release of its new flagship phones, but that will not
happen this year.
Presumably all of the literal and figurative
fire-fighting the company has had to do around the Note 7 has
pushed development of the S8 beyond MWC's 27 February start date.
All Mr Koh would say on the matter was that his team is currently
working on a release schedule.
The Note 7 was an unfortunate incident thatâs
fortunately isolated. Koh kept emphasizing the fact that every
deviceâs battery is customised for that specific device, from the
design to the manufacturing process.
As such, the rest of the Samsung line-up definitely
isn't affected. So you can stop eyeing your other Samsung devices
with suspicion.
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This entire debacle has been enormously embarrassing
for Samsung, so it comes as no surprise that making sure it doesn't
happen again is very much the priority.
To that end, the batteries of all future devices will
be subject to far more thorough quality checks. Samsung has
introduced what it's calling the 8-Point Battery Safety Check,
which includes everything from disassembly inspections to x-ray
tests and large-scale charging and discharging tests to replicate
real world usage.
In short, there should be no more nasty
surprises.
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Everything from software algorithms to hardware design
will be examined more closely to prevent any other potential
problems.
And if you think a company policing itself sounds like
a bad idea, Samsung's going a step further and is introducing a
panel of external experts from the likes of the universities of
Cambridge and Stanford, who will consult on future projects to help
make sure nothing goes horribly wrong (again).
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When asked if the time between now and the next phone
is too short for these new-fangled measures to be put in place, Koh
clarified that theyâre already implementing what theyâve learned,
and will continue to improve on processes.
He shared that internal analysis was completed by the
end of November (external investigations were concluded later) and
as a result of it, they have the expertise and even facilities in
place to make sure mistakes are never repeated. In fact, he says
they'll make the next phone even better.
Of course, time will tell whether that will actually be
the case, but Samsung sure as heck wants to make sure its next
phone is so good that it banishes the Note 7 from memory, and that
could be great for us phone fans.
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Little bits of information about the Galaxy S8 have
been leaking onto the internet for months now, and they point
towards a phone that's going to be worth getting excited about.
For a start, we're expecting every Galaxy S8 to be
curved, with no flat version being offered this year. We also hear
that it will have no bezel at all, so the entire front face of the
thing will be screen. Nice. That screen will apparently be 5.5in on
the diagonal and have a 4K resolution, which would equate to a
monstrous pixel density of 800 pixels-per-inch (ppi). Overkill?
Probably. Awesome nonetheless? You betcha.
It'll be more powerful than the S7, of course, with a
SnapDragon 835 rumoured to be humming under the hood, but we're
also expecting Samsung to follow the path laid by Apple by ditching
the headphone socket.
We'll have to wait until the phone's officially
unveiled (which, as mentioned, won't happen at MWC) before we get
the full, confirmed specs, but if you want to be kept up to date
between now and then, bookmark our Samsung Galaxy S8 preview.
