Samsung Delaying Release Of Bezel-Less Galaxy S8 Sans Physical Home Button, Headphone Jack?

With the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7, the S flagship line was put under the spotlight. Since the Galaxy S7 proved to be a powerful device, the pressure for a top-notch S7 successor has already intensified. Unfortunately, Samsung could be more focused on testing its upcoming handset that the tech giant could miss the device’s planned March release.

On Thursday, Bloomberg said that Samsung is targeting a March release, but the Galaxy S8 could actually be delayed until April of next year. This is seen as a huge possibility because Apple’s biggest rival is being extra cautious following the Note 7 fiasco. The company is said to be implementing tougher testing procedures this time around to ensure that the new flagship device wouldn’t be a disappointment to fans worldwide.

“Since the phones have a record of burning up, it needs time for these phones to be verified as safe. How safe the phones turn out to be is more important than any hardware innovation,’’ HMC Investment Securities CO. analyst Greg Roh said. “It will take about a month or two for people to actually start opening their pockets.” Samsung has declined to comment to Roh’s statement.

When it comes to the expected specs and features of the new handset, Bloomberg simply echoed what previous reports said. Samsung is reportedly eyeing a bezel-less design for its next flagship so it can provide a larger viewing real estate to its users. The physical home button is also rumored to be scrapped from the device's official design, so users would have to rely on a virtual home button that’s been embedded into the bottom part of the display.

There are also sources claiming that the S8 is debuting with a wraparound display that would be made possible through organic light-emitting diode technology. This just means that there will be no flat-screen version of the handset. For people wondering what the display would be like, PhoneArena reports Samsung is planning to release two versions of its new phone, a 5.1-inch model and a 5.5-inch variant.

Meanwhile, there are reports saying that Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is confirmed to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. There are also those claiming that consumers will see the launch of Samsung’s own voice assistant alongside the debut of the S8. This voice assistant is going to be made possible by artificial intelligence company Viv, and it is expected to have the same functionality as Siri. Finally, there are speculations that Samsung is following Apple’s footsteps by eliminating the 3.5mm headphone jack from its devices, starting with its Galaxy S7 successor.