The Galaxy S8 will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting Android handsets of 2017, and the main iPhone 8 rival you’ll find in stores next year. But there’s a long way to go until the phone becomes official, and we have some new Galaxy S8 rumors for you that Android fans might not be too happy about.
According to new reports, the Galaxy S8’s launch will be delayed and the phone could be even more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S7 series handsets.
South Korea news site Naver says that the Galaxy S8 release date may have been pushed back to April. Samsung was expected to unveil the Galaxy S8 at MWC 2017 in February, but plans have apparently changed. The phone could instead be announced in April during a special New York-based media event.
The Galaxy Note 7 is apparently at least partially to blame for the delay. The report says that Samsung has concluded its Galaxy Note 7 investigations, and results should be revealed early next year. Following the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is looking to regain the trust of consumers and ensure the safety of its upcoming devices, including the high-end Galaxy S8.
A second report from Korea says that the Galaxy S8 will also be more expensive than its predecessor. According to ChoiceNews, which quotes Goldman Sachs analysts, the Galaxy S8 will cost between 15% and 20% more than the Galaxy S7, as prices for raw materials have increased.
In recent years, a brand new Galaxy S model would match the entry price of the latest Apple iPhone it would compete against, though Samsung never matched Apple’s diversity when it comes to storage options. Apple has for the most part kept its iPhone pricing the same, though its latest Plus models are also slightly more expensive than previous models.
That said, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Galaxy S8 will be more expensive than the iPhone 7 whenever it ends up launching next year.
