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Samsung to release Galaxy Note 8

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 25 Jul 2017
Images of the Note 8 were leaked by Samsung accessory manufacturers.
Images of the Note 8 were leaked by Samsung accessory manufacturers.

The South Korean electronics company has sent out invites for an 'Unpacked' event to take place next month, for the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

The Note range is aimed at 'power users', according to Samsung, with better specs and a larger screen than the flagship Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. It comes standard with a stylus.

Last year, Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 had to be recalled and eventually cancelled after a fault in the battery design led to the smartphones catching fire.

There were several horror stories, including the device burning a six-year-old boy's hands, a family car catching fire, and damages to a hotel room.

By the time the company cancelled the device, 2.5 million units had been sold in the countries it was launched. By January, the company said it had successfully recalled more than 93% of all Note 7 devices in the US.

The new premium phablet is set to keep to the same naming scheme, even though some experts thought it would be changed to move away from fiery associations.

Particular specifications of the new phone are not known, but smartphone case maker Spigen prematurely released images of a case for the Note 8. The pictures show the smartphone will feature a twin camera set-up, a feature rivals Huawei, LG and Apple have already adopted.

Other rumours state the Note 8 will feature a large 6.3-inch edge-to-edge display, with a fingerprint sensor built in and a bigger, hopefully non-explosive, battery than its predecessor.

It has been tipped to cost $1 000 (R13 000) and to go on sale in the US in September. The phone typically reaches SA a few weeks after the US launch, and it normally has a significantly higher price point.

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