Samsung announced the release of Galaxy Note 8 last Wednesday in New York in what seemed like its biggest 'Unpacked' event till date, however this time it wasn't called an 'Unpacked' event. Samsung was signalling at something "Big" when it announced the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung's decision to skip the Galaxy Note 6 as the successor to the Note 5 and jump straight ahead to the Galaxy Note 7 not only seemed like a mere skip in numbers but rather a giant leap in technology. Samsung was betting big with the Note 7 and had hoped for "The Next Galaxy" to become the best smartphone of 2016.
Galaxy Note 7 had all the makings of a 'bombshell' of a smartphone, and it took it quite literally. The smartphone was prone to exploding and owners were unhappy seeing pictures of the charred smartphone on Twitter. The first few pictures started surfacing on social media and soon spread like a wild fire. The phablet quite literally burnt a hole in some of the buyer's pockets.
While the internet was filled with news and pictures of the exploding smartphone, a famous YouTuber, @JerryRigEverything even showed how and why the Note 7 exploded. The biggest blow to Samsung came when the US banned the Note 7 from airplanes. The phone also faced a ban on flights globally a few days later.
With so much controversy surrounding it, the Galaxy Note 7 was destined to fade in a Galaxy far away. But, this did not stop Samsung from not trying. The Korean-giant was determined to give the Note 7 one last shot at glory when it acknowledged that the battery in the Galaxy Note 7 was faulty and caused the phones to explode.
Samsung soon announced a global recall. Owners could get their Note 7 exchanged for a Galaxy S7, plus $100 as part of a compensation program. Today, Samsung still sells refurbished Galaxy Note 7's in South Korea, but it was too late for the company to convince the rest of the world that their phone was safe.
The Note 7 is perhaps the saddest episode in Samsung's illustrious smartphone journey. The company lost billions of dollars and millions of loyal customers following the so-called "Note 7 blast-gate".
Undeterred by its past debacle, the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer wants to make amends with its latest offering, the Galaxy Note 8 and hopes to rebuild the trust of its customers. It wants to win back people's confidence in the Galaxy Note series. Many people even suspected Samsung would do away with the Note series completely, but Samsung wants to believe that all is not lost for the "biggest Galaxy" and the Galaxy Note 8 is here to prove just that.
The Galaxy Note 8 comes with what may probably be the best screen in the market, its 6.3 inches of screen real-estate gives you the "more to see and less to hold" feel that came standard with the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The Note 7 also packs all the bells and whistles that are exclusive to the Note series, like the S Pen, which is smarter and more functional than ever before or the cool function that Samsung likes to call the "screen-off memo" where users can take a note even when the screen is off.
Samsung has even put the Galaxy Note 8's battery through rigorous safety checks by working closely with Underwriter Labs to ensure reliability for the Galaxy Note 8's power supply. Underwriter Labs president Sajeev Jesudas has told Engadget, "The Galaxy Note 8 has successfully completed a rigorous series of device and battery safety compatibility test protocols. We look forward to maintaining our strategic relationship with Samsung to help ensure device safety for all consumers."
According to a report by The Investor Samsung has stopped sourcing batteries from its long-time partner ATL, it is now relying solely on batteries manufactured by Samsung SDI and Murata for the Galaxy Note 8. The report also says that 80 percent of the battery production for the Galaxy Note 8 will be from Samsung SDI while the remaining 20 percent will be made by Murata. Samsung might use batteries from SDI and Murata for next year's Galaxy S9.
Samsung is also offering a 50 percent discount on the Note 8, as a form of reward to loyal Note 7 owners who had to return their devices last year.
