Samsung mobile chief defends Galaxy Note 8's smaller battery

While the Galaxy Note 8 is billed to be the perfect productivity tool, there is one aspect of it that seems to fly in the face of that vision: it's battery. The most powerful and most useful smartphone would be rendered pointless if it couldn't last a day without plugging in. That is indeed one of the biggest criticisms of Samsung's latest phablet, which company mobile head DJ Koh tried to explain away in a press interview.

On the one hand, it's not that surprising that Samsung would try to reduce the Galaxy Note 8's battery size, considering the fiasco that surrounded the Galaxy Note 7 late last year. The latter had a 3,500 mAh battery pack while this year's champ only gets 3,300 mAh. That said, the Galaxy S8+ packs a 3,500 mAh battery in a slightly smaller body, which has definitely raised not a few eyebrows.

Koh's answer to why Samsung reduced the battery was basically "because we can". He attributed that capability to the use of a 10nm processor, be it a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or its own Exynos 8995, which promises energy efficiency. He does mention that it also lets the company assure the public of the safety of the battery this time around. What he didn't mention, which could be confirmed by teardowns later on, is how the reduced battery size may have been necessary to fit in the new dual cameras.

Koh also responded to criticisms about the Galaxy Note 8's lack of a "wow" factor, saying that the company isn't chasing after innovation for innovation's sake. It is somewhat a departure from the spirit of the Galaxy Note in previous generations, though it probably shows how technology and the product line has matured to become more of a serious device.

Those, however, might not be the Galaxy Note 8's biggest pain points, which will definitely be its price tag. Samsung, and carriers, are doing their best to push the price down a bit with promos and discounts but, at the end of the day, it is still easily the most expensive, non-luxury smartphone in the market today. At least, until the iPhone 8 hits stores.

VIA: The Investor