April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics unveiled its new flagship smartphone Galaxy S8 in New York on March 29 (local time) with brand-new features such as a wraparound display screen and the Bixby voice assistant.

After months of leaks and speculation, there were not too many surprises at the launch event. 

Samsung Electronics mobile chief Koh Dong-jin

The phone comes in two versions -- a 5.8-inch screen S8 and a bigger 6.2-inch S8 Plus. The double-edged OLED display covers most of the front screen to offer more immersive viewing.

The home button on the bottom is invisible, being activated by sensing a user’s finger pressure. The fingerprint sensor has been relocated to the back.

Possibly for safety reasons, Samsung refrained from increasing battery capacity. The S8 and S8 Plus use non-removable 3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh batteries, as compared to the ill-fated Note 7’s 3,500 mAh battery.

Among other things, the artificial intelligence system called Bixby is a new addition that aims to take on rivals such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.

“The company has been trying to develop Bixby for the past six years,” said Koh Dong-jin, the company’s mobile chief, adding that the service will be provided after achieving 90 percent speech recognition and natural language.

Bixby is forecast to be launched in Korea for the first time in less than two months, industry sources say.

About the competition with market leader Google, Koh hinted at expanding strategic partnership with the US tech giant in the field.

The S8 uses Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 processor. But some sources had predicted earlier that the company could face hurdles in securing sufficient chips due to production constraints.

The phone sales will start in Korea and the US as well as other major markets on April 21. The price tag in Korea ranges from 935,000 won (US$839.39) to 1.15 million won.

By Lee Ji-yoon and news wires (jylee@heraldcorp.com)