With the release of the Galaxy S8 early next year already expected, Samsung fans may have to wait until 2018 for a new flagship.
According to The Korea Herald, the South Korea-based tech giant may be thinking of coming out with a new release timeline for its flagships. Samsung will reportedly go for a one-flagship release per year, starting with the Galaxy S8 launch next year. The industry follower quoted one official from Samsung's third-party partners as saying, "Samsung has not notified its suppliers of the plan to scrap the current two-flagship models strategy, but if so that could impact the parts suppliers to some extent."
Samsung has been known to come out with at least two iterations from its two prominent flagship lineups every year. One flagship from the Galaxy S-series is released in the first half of the year, while a counterpart in the Galaxy Note lineup is launched before the year ends. Early this year, fans saw the new Galaxy S7 lineup, while a late-year launch was seen with the Galaxy Note 7.
However, the company's recent release may have contributed to the rumors of Samsung changing its flagship release strategy. The Galaxy Note 7 has been embroiled in a number of issues, with at least two global recalls for the flagship due to the fire-prone nature of the devices. Eventually, Samsung has confirmed that production for the Galaxy Note 7 has been discontinued. This is said to be a big blow to the tech giant, as the Galaxy Note 7 has only enjoyed months in the global market before it was officially taken off the shelves.
Meanwhile, should Samsung push through with its supposed change in release policy, fans will see the Galaxy S8 as the only Samsung flagship released next year. The new flagship is said to debut on Feb. 26, and it will reportedly make its appearance at the 2017 Mobile World Congress.
