With the fiasco and discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7, speculations suggest that Samsung will only focus on the Galaxy S8 next year. However, it seems that the two-per-year flagship release is still on track as Samsung hints on a Galaxy Note 8 launch.
In a statement, the South Korea-based tech giant has offered an upgrade program for Galaxy Note 7 owners in South Korea, the upgrade is a part of the trade-in for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge. Interestingly, though, Samsung stated that those who take part in the program will need to only pay half the price of the Galaxy S7 of their choice, "before exchanging to the S8 or the Note 8."
With the hint, Samsung may have put to rest rumors that the Galaxy Note series will be discontinued. With the upgrade program, it is expected that Samsung will still be on track with its dual-flagship release for next year. The Galaxy S8 is expected to come out in the early part of 2017 and will be showcased at the upcoming 2017 Mobile World Congress. Meanwhile, since the lineup is expected to continue, the Galaxy Note 8 will likely come out in the latter half of the year.
Rumors of the Galaxy Note series getting axed from the Samsung lineups started with the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. The Galaxy Note 7 is supposed to be the current flagship of the South Korea-based tech giant. However, heating issues that lead to exploding devices have hounded the latest release, leading Samsung to recall the releases at least twice, and eventually discontinue production. According to figures, Samsung will lose at least $5 billion or more in the global recall and lost sales for the Galaxy Note 7. In addition, Samsung's market value has also taken a steep dive, with shares and stocks plummeting almost $20 million.
