Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    What Samsung Must Do Right With Upcoming Galaxy Note 8 Smartphone

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    August 7, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Samsung Note7

      Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8 smartphone will debut Aug. 23 at a splashy media event in New York City, 10 months after the company suffered the embarrassment of a global recall of its Note7 handset following widespread reports of battery fires and explosions.

      But even with that debacle, fans of Samsung’s Note series of stylus-equipped smartphones will likely embrace the upcoming Note 8 with few worries about a repeat of the Note7 troubles, several IT analysts told eWEEK.

      The Note7 debacle was costly for Samsung financially, with some 2.5 million Note7 handsets recalled in October 2016. However, some devoted Note7 buyers didn’t want to return the phones despite the battery issues, citing their love of its unique features, including its built-in stylus.

      “To win customers, Samsung simply has to deliver a solid Note 8 for the stylus fanatics and the large screen fans who like that product,” Frank Gillette, an analyst with Forrester Research, told eWEEK.

      “Samsung has had to work very hard on the design of the Galaxy S8 and the Note 8 just to make sure that there are no battery problems and that there’s enough interesting innovative technology in the product upgrades. But it doesn’t take any more extra zip than that” to win buyers over again, even after the fire problems with the Note7 batteries, he added. “I am confident that Samsung took no chances on the batteries.”

      At the same time, said Gillette, “lithium ion batteries can still act up, so I think customers will be watching closely and that Samsung will have a rapid response approach to dealing with any oddball stories or situations that happen.”

      Another analyst, Charles King of Pund-IT, said Samsung “handled the Note7 failures straightforwardly and did a far better job of satisfying customers and minimizing damage to its brand than many other vendors” that have been faced with similar product failures. “However, the Note 8 launch is likely to prove just how effective the company’s efforts were,” he added.

      Ultimately, by forcing Note smartphone lovers to skip the Note7 generation of handsets, “the result could be a great deal of demand for the Note 8,” said King. The last version that was successfully launched was the Note 5, which was very popular with niche users thanks to its stylus that gave users the capability to write on its screen, transforming words and illustrations into editable content on the phones.

      “The speed of consumer product cycles contributes to the short memories people have for both good and bad news,” said King. “I don’t hear a lot of jokes about the iPhone 4’s Antennagate debacle anymore. If Samsung hits it out of the park with the Note 8, fire jokes will head directly for the rear-view mirror.”

      King said he expects that Samsung took no engineering shortcuts with the new model to be sure that the batteries and systems work as designed, without concerns for fires or any other troubles. “Another significant battery-related problem would be disastrous for the company and the responsible executives,” he said. “The stakes are too high to screw around.”

      Rob Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group, said Samsung’s latest financial results were strong for the most recent quarter, “indicating that buyers may have largely already gotten over this. I would have expected the pain to last longer but, apparently, the market’s memory is very short.”

      Samsung’s success with its latest Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones is also apparent, with both devices selling well, giving the company encouraging signs for potential sales of the Note 8, he said.

      “The focus on quality for this cycle is well above what we’d typically see from Samsung,” said Enderle. “Given they had washing machines that were also exploding, Samsung needed a wakeup call on quality.”

      Consumers won’t forget the Note7 fire problems, he said, but those memories likely won’t hurt Samsung in the future, he added. “Buyers have flocked to the S8, suggesting they are largely over the fire issue for now. That will change if the Note 8 has issues.”

      Avi Greengart, a mobile products analyst with GlobalData, said he thinks a bigger problem for Samsung will be how to contrast features in its Note 8 handset from its S8 and S8+ smartphones for buyers.

      “Aside from a stylus, how will Samsung differentiate the Note 8 from the Galaxy S8+, which is already about as big as it needs to be while still being comfortable to hold?” he asked. “Can Samsung wrest attention away from Apple as it introduces updated iPhones—with at least one model rumored to have an entirely new design?”

      The Note7 smartphones debuted in late August 2016 and were quickly followed by reports about battery fires and explosions in the devices. Samsung addressed those initial reports by investigating the devices that had fires and starting its own global recall, and then in September 2016 cooperated with U.S. regulators at the Consumer Product Safety Commission when the agency issued a government recall of a million of the handsets due to at least 100 reports of fires and explosions from consumers.

      In early October 2016, Samsung cut its losses, announcing the end of its Note7 flagship smartphone model after new reports came in of battery fires and explosions in replacement Note7s that were supposedly free of the defects in the original models.

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×