The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was enjoying massive success upon its release, with the smartphone outselling its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 5. However, that success was derailed by the worldwide recall program that Samsung had to issue for the smartphone due to cases of exploding batteries.
The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco still continues though, with replacement units still said to be suffering from the same defect that causes the batteries to heat up and explode.
Samsung likely could not wait for the Galaxy Note 7 problems to be over, as the company looks ahead to the Galaxy Note 8 to try to recover from the debacle. Samsung should perhaps focus on making a battery for the Galaxy Note 8 that will not explode, but a discovered patent filed by the company reveals that there could be more coming to next year's version of the smartphone.
The patent, which was filed by the South Korean company back in March of this year, covers a redesigned version of the S Pen stylus that is the trademark accessory of Samsung's Galaxy Note line. The stylus, which allows users to access a slew of input options and capabilities on a Galaxy Note device, could add another function for the Galaxy Note 8.
According to the patent, which was first reported by Patently Mobile, Samsung is thinking about including a speaker system inside the S Pen that will work differently depending on how the stylus is positioned. If the S Pen is docked inside the Galaxy Note 8, the sound will be coming from the bottom of the stylus, but while it is being used, the sound will be released through an opening in its shaft.
If Samsung would push through with such a design for the S Pen of the Galaxy Note 8, space will be freed up inside the smartphone as the speaker and speaker grille can be removed. With the extra space, Samsung could add a bigger battery or include additional components that would further improve the device's specifications or capabilities.
As with some patents, the technology described in this one might never find its way into a consumer product, so there is no assurance that such a feature would be seen in the Galaxy Note 8. However, it is interesting to see how Samsung is looking to shake up its products, which is something that the company might have to do even more to bounce back from the failure of the Galaxy Note 7.
