Many expected this year’s IFA Conference in Berlin to be the stage upon which Samsung revealed their revamped Galaxy Note 8. However, it looks like the device might be penned in for an even earlier reveal with reports Samsung are looking to beat rival Apple out the game.
According to reports by Digital Trends (via The Korean Herald), “rumors are circulating that Samsung is planning to unpack the Note 8 in late August, strategically ahead of the debut of iPhone 8 in September.”
While previous installments in the Note range have been revealed at IFA, the Note 7 was revealed in August of 2016.
While the return of the Note brand after the fiery fate of the Note 7 is significant enough, it’s looking like the Note 8 will see Samsung built on areas that some critics felt the company neglected with the Galaxy S8.
Specifically, when it comes to the camera, reports say that Samsung is looking to leapfrog the dual-lens offerings of rivals Huawei, LG and Apple by offering up a smartphone camera capable of a 3x manual zoom.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the revamped camera will be “the most important upgrade” in the Note 8 and feature a 12MP wide-angle CIS supporting dual photodiode (2PD), 13MP telephoto CIS, dual 6P lenses and dual OIS.
Kuo says that the “Note 8’s dual-camera will be much better than that of iPhone 7 Plus, and likely match that of OLED iPhone.”
Major upgrades are also expected to come to the Note 8’s display, which is said to be a 6.4-inch QHD+ OLED panel capable of offering up 4K resolutions. It is believed that the latter specification will give the Note 8 a significant edge when it comes to Mobile VR experiences – an area that Samsung have continued to emphasize in recent years.
