If you are already bored of your Galaxy S7 smartphone from Samsung and are hankering for the successor Galaxy S8, you are in for some good news. Samsung Electronics will reportedly being testing the flagship smartphone in January 2017.
That's right! According to a new report from The Investor, while the OEM is still said to be working out a feasible debut date for the Galaxy S8, multiple component suppliers of Samsung have let slip to the online publication that they have been asked to provide the company with the first batch of the parts two months from now.
"Key suppliers are required to provide an initial batch of their parts for the Galaxy S8 from January," shared a supplier with the publication on Tuesday, Nov. 8, adding that "Full volume supplies will start in February."
This information comes close on the heels of the report from the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S8 would not be ready for the expected February 2017 debut. The reason behind this delay, the publication revealed was that Samsung was allegedly set to conduct comprehensive tests on the units to make sure that the Galaxy S8 does not encounter the same catastrophic fate as the Galaxy Note 7.
For the unfamiliar, Samsung had to recall its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones because of exploding battery issues. Not only was the issue a PR nightmare for the South Korean company, but it also led to billion-dollar losses.
The WSJ report suggested that the Galaxy S8 launch could be deferred to April instead of the MWC 2017 unveiling in February, which is usually the traditional cycle for the company. The delay in debut was also because of the addition of a new button for possibly Bixby, the rumored voice-powered AI from Samsung.
Part suppliers for Samsung are divided on when the Galaxy S8 would be launched. An anonymous source revealed that the smartphone may debut as usual and hit the shelves in March.
"Considering the parts supplies, the phone launch could come in March as usual, unlike an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal," revealed the source.
Post the debacle of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that its Galaxy S8 is a super success. The handset is anticipated to tout a 5.5-inch bezel-less 4K curved screen, dual camera, an AI assistant, a better battery, no home button, Exynos 8895 CPU and an iris scanner.
Whether Samsung sticks to its annual launch cycle for the Galaxy S8 remains to be seen.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
