After Samsung stopped the sales of their flagship Galaxy Note 7, is it possible for the South Korean smartphones brand to release a Galaxy Note 8 to regain the trust of the customers?
The Burning Batteries of Galaxy 7
The Galaxy Note 7 is dead. It's been hard to avoid the unceasing flow of news since the replacement units began catching fire despite Samsung's promises that they were using battery cells from different suppliers.
According to market analysts, the Note 7 could cost Samsung a total of US$2.75 billion in lost working profit over the current year and next year. The estimated loss includes failed transactions, wasted sales and other things or process that may cost. A Bloomberg report highlighted initial submissions to regulators in Asia, "The initial conclusions indicated an error in production that put pressure on plates within the battery cells. That, in turn, brought negative and positive poles into contact, triggering excessive heat that caused the battery to explode." A Consumer Product Safety Commission investigation said it more bluntly: the batteries were too big for the phone.
Will there be Samsung Galaxy Note 8?
The big loss might challenge Samsung for years ahead and it might hurt much more than the lost operating profit. The Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to be the company's flagship phone. Even if it wasn't the most popular smartphone coming from the South Korean company, the recall raises some trust issues.
According to BGR, Samsung is preparing two Galaxy S8 versions for late February, including a regular model and a phablet version. A Galaxy S8 Plus complete with S Pen support could always replace the Galaxy Note series, of course. More shaky rumors have also suggested that Samsung is working on a third type of flagship smartphone that would have a bendable screen.
However, KAIST College of Business professor Lee Byung-tae said, "Samsung should first accurately find out what led to the explosions and honestly disclose them to consumers. If the design was the problem, a thorough investigation should be carried out before launching the Galaxy S8."
