Samsung launched its 2017 flagship, Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, last month with significant improvements compared to its predecessor. The extra focus to make the Galaxy S8 supreme came from the pressure the company had from the failure of Galaxy Note 7. The success of the Galaxy S8 will be determined only with the high numbers on consumer sales of the flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S8 is available for pre-orders in select markets and it will be available in stores starting April 21. But the focus is not entirely on the Galaxy S8 as consumers are curious to know what happens to the Galaxy Note lineup. After rumours about the Galaxy Note line getting discontinued, Samsung confirmed that an updated version of the Galaxy Note 7 will be sold in select countries. This is a pretty solid sign that the Galaxy Note series is far from dead.
The next logical step for Samsung is to launch the successor of the Galaxy Note 7, which is likely to be called the Galaxy Note 8. Rumours are that the company might launch the Galaxy X foldable smartphone in Q3 2017, before the Galaxy Note 8. If Samsung is hoping to breathe life into the Galaxy Note line after the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, some serious upgrades must be considered.
We have the top five feature upgrades that can add meaning to Galaxy Note 8. These features must be added on top of the expected upgrades such as Bixby integration, Iris scanner, Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 chipset, 6GB RAM and higher storage options, and Android O.
Design overhaul
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 must get a major design overhaul, which is quite expected from the tech giant considering the Galaxy S8 underwent a significant improvement. But it would be nice to see the Galaxy Note 8 bring in some new elements not seen in the Galaxy S8. While an edgeless display is expected to make the handset look premium, losing the physical home button and integrating the fingerprint sensor under the screen instead of at the back of the phone could make a huge difference. Samsung must also accommodate the stylus, and some new methods to do so can be a welcoming change.
(Safest) Battery
Samsung must learn from its mistakes and not repeat them. The Galaxy Note 7 battery, which turned explosives, caused a major loss in the company's brand name and profits. In order to recover from both aspects, Samsung must have a battery that won't just explode but also pack some new elements (not at the cost of safety).
It is rumoured that the company might get a thermal-pipe cooled design for the device and a 3,500mAh battery to power the unit. In addition to this, a fast charging tech integration, which is a new norm in flagships, could add definitive value to the Galaxy Note 8.
Improved camera
It was surprising to not see any major upgrades in terms of camera in the Galaxy S8. But Samsung cannot pull the same stunt for its Galaxy Note 8. A significant overhaul must be considered in terms of the lens it chooses (preferably dual), aperture size, sensor and other latest methods to improve photography on both front and rear cameras.
There are mid-range premium phones these days offering dual cameras at the front and back. Samsung could gain some leverage by adopting the dual-lens camera setup for both its cameras. Photography on smartphones has become an essential prospect to buy a phone, and Samsung must take that into consideration.
Futuristic display
With most of the handsets coming with Full HD and 2K displays like it's no big deal, Samsung must put in some extra efforts to stand out in the crowd. There are a lot of researches on smartphone displays, and Samsung could benefit from integrating a few in the Galaxy Note 8. For instance, a pressure sensitive display was introduced in iPhone 7, but Samsung failed to do something similar. As the Galaxy Note 8 is expected to come with a 5.8-inch screen, a pressure-sensitive display with underlying sensors (for fingerprint scanning) is something worth considering.
New S-Pen
Stylus is the one feature that has remained exclusive to the Galaxy Note line. Samsung has an edge over this exclusivity and a significant improvement in how the new S-Pen interacts with the Galaxy Note 8 could be a game-changer. Rumours are suggesting that the Galaxy Note 8's S-Pen will have increased sensitivity and more accurate inputs, but is that all there is to improve on Samsung?
