Galaxy S8 Hasn't Exploded Yet 50 Days After Launch
There is a saying that goes "no news is good news" and Samsung is using that adage to inspire confidence in its latest Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagships. The smartphones went to market on the 21st of April and in the 50 days it has been out in consumers' hands, there hasn't been any reported incidents regarding battery safety, let alone spontaneously combusting smartphones, that have plagued the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 before it.
That 50 days number might feel a bit random, but Samsung is playing it safe. The Galaxy Note 7 last year received rave reviews and positive feedback from both pundits and consumers alike, but most of those have been with the first few weeks of the smartphone's availability in the market. But in two months' time, the ship made a completely U-turn and reports of burning Galaxy Note 7s became both a tragedy and a running gag. The rest, as they say, is history.
Samsung would also very much like to put that in its past but the only way to do so was to make sure it didn't repeat the same mistake. For one, it significantly reduced the battery capacity, from the Galaxy Note 7's 3,500 mAh to the Galaxy S8's 3,000 mAh. It should be noted, though, that the Galaxy S8+ does have a 3,500 mAh battery.
Of course, reducing battery sizes is just a superficial solution. Samsung also implemented changes in its production and QA processes to ensure that the tragedy never happens again. Those included its self-advertised "8 -point safety process" and four new types of tests to subject new smartphones to. It has also set up a "battery advisory board" that included experts from external companies and institutes.
Confident that it can finally put that embarrassing chapter of its history behind it, Samsung has opened up sales of unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ handsets to more US retailers. In addition to Amazon, Best Buy, Ebay, and Target, the smartphones can be purchased by enterprise buyers from resellers such CDW, Insight, Connection, SHI, PCM and Zones and distributors Ingram Micro, Synnex, Tech Data, and Vertex Wireless. These units are guaranteed to work with most networks both in the US and other countries and, in the case of Best Buy and Samsung's own shop, is around $100 cheaper than from carriers. Samsung also offers financing and warranty options to ease the burden of an unsubsidized purchase.
VIA: Korea Herald