The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S8 may cost 20 percent more than its predecessor and its release may be delayed to April, based on the latest rumors.
After the Galaxy Note 7 disaster, Samsung is expected to come up with something big to regain consumer trust and recover from the substantial financial loss it incurred over the two Note 7 recalls.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is widely believed to be one of the hottest smartphones of 2017, with top specs and features all around, but the rumored delay and higher cost may limit its appeal.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date Rumors
Samsung was expected to take the wraps off its next-generation smartphone at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in February, which would allow for a market release in March.
However, Korean site Naver reports (translated) that Samsung will push back the Galaxy Note 7 announcement to April, choosing to unveil the device at a separate, later event in New York rather than the MWC.
Naver notes that Shin Jong-kyun, the CEO of Samsung Electronics IT Mobile, held a global strategy meeting on Dec. 19 to discuss the Galaxy S8 future and the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. The dominant tone of the meeting focused on cautiousness, which is completely understandable considering the Note 7 mess.
On that note, a delayed Galaxy S8 release, while disappointing, would be better than a rushed launch with product issues just to have it on the market as soon as possible.
Galaxy S8 Price Rumors
Delayed release aside, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is also rumored to be significantly more expensive than its predecessor.
According to a separate Korean report (translated), the Samsung Galaxy S8 could be up to 20 percent more expensive than the current Galaxy S7 series, based on Goldman Sachs estimates.
The main reason for this price hike would be the purported Galaxy S8 AI assistant from Viv Labs, an artificial intelligence startup Samsung recently acquired. Goldman Sachs reportedly believes that fitting the Galaxy S8 with the advanced AI assistant would increase the costs of raw materials, and that expense increase would be passed on to consumers.
On the other hand, recent reports indicated that the Galaxy S8 might not sport an AI assistant after all, as Google could prevent it from happening. Samsung signed a non-compete agreement with Google back in 2014 and it can't make any major software changes to its devices. An AI assistant would be a major change in violation of that agreement, so Samsung might have its hands tied for now.
Keep in mind that everything is still based on leaks, rumors and speculation at this point, so a dose of skepticism is advised. Samsung has yet to make an official announcement or confirm any Galaxy S8-related plans. We'll keep you up to date as soon as more details come to the surface, but take everything with a grain of salt until a formal announcement.
