[THE INVESTOR] With less than two weeks to go before Samsung Electronics debuts its new flagship phablet Galaxy Note 8 in New York, numerous leaks and rumors have surfaced, revealing the device’s specifications, price and release dates.
 
According to latest news reports citing insiders, the Galaxy Note 8 will sport a 6.3-inch display, which is the largest display ever to be featured on a premium smartphone and 0.6-inch larger than its predecessor, the Note 7. It will also feature a near edge-to-edge display like its Galaxy S8 sibling.

The new phablet is also expected to have the same biometric technologies, including facial recognition, an iris scanner and a fingerprint scanner that the Galaxy S8 offers. The fingerprint scanner will again be placed on the back of the phone near the camera lens, despite some negative feedback from consumers over accidental smudging of the lens. Industry watchers said the tech firm appears to have failed to put the scanner under the display screen due to technical difficulties. 

Samsung will adopt a dual camera for the first time in its premium lineups -- this was given up for the Galaxy S8 series due to cost issues. The dual rear camera system of the Note 8 will feature a 13-megapixel wide-angle lens and 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom support. 

The new device will also feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Samsung’s Exynos 8895 for its application processor, 6-gigabyte random-access memory and 3300 mAh battery capacity. 

The Note 8 will debut on Aug. 23 in New York and will officially be launched on Sept. 15 in Korea and the US. Its price is expected to surpass 1 million won ($872) for the first time. 

Meanwhile, Samsung’s smartphone rival Apple is expected to delay the release of its flagship smartphone iPhone 8 due to parts supply issues. 

Taipei-based KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo said, “Apple may unveil its iPhone 8 in September, but it is predicted to go on sale in October or November.” 

Apple will for the first time adopt organic light-emitting diodes for its new phone, ordering them from Samsung Display, which is having difficulties meeting demand as it is outstripping supply. It will also sport new features such as an edge-to-edge display, facial recognition and an augmented reality function. 

“The delay of Apple’s new iPhone will be favorable to Samsung as the Note 8 could be an alternative to consumers opting for new premium phones in autumn,” said Park Kang-ho, an analyst at Daishin Securities. 

By Shin Ji-hye/The Korea Herald (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)