Samsung Galaxy Note 8 release date, news, specs rumors: Galaxy Note's next iteration still a go; Release expected early 2017?

It appears that Samsung has not completely given up the Note family just yet. If the latest rumors are anything to go by, the Galaxy Note 8 will be released early 2017.

Following the reports of overheating and explosion of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units, the South Korean company has ordered the immediate recall of the latest phablet model worldwide. This immediately put the company in a dire situation as the Galaxy Note 7 is supposedly among the top flagship device offerings of Samsung this 2016, the first being the Galaxy S7 smartphones that were launched earlier this year. It is still unclear how can the company bounce back from the Note 7 fiasco, and with some rumors even suggesting that the Galaxy Note label will be permanently scrapped by Samsung. 

According to iTech Post, the earlier reports of the Galaxy Note 8 being canceled are nothing but just speculations. In fact, there is a possibility that Samsung will speed up the releasing of the new Galaxy Note iteration in 2017. The company usually release the latest Galaxy S- series model during the first part of the year, while the latest Note phablet is unveiled on a later period. However, that pattern might be changed next year as Samsung is reportedly aiming to release the Galaxy Note 8 as early as February next year. Other rumors suggest Samsung might consider rebranding the Note series instead of totally stopping its production, but that also seem to be unlikely at this point.

A recent report from Reuters further strengthens the claim that the Galaxy Note 8 is still happening next year. The report cited Samsung's efforts to give the Note 7 owners a reasonable upgrade program. Earlier, there were offers for the Note 7 owners to surrender their devices in exchange of new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones. Those who accepted the upgrade program can get the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge for only half of its price when they have their Note 7 units traded in.

This time around, there will be an additional offer wherein those who already have the S7 handsets from the Note 7 trade-in will have the option to get a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note 8 once they become available.

So far, this offer only applies in South Korea, and there are no confirmed reports yet that the program will also be implemented in other countries. Sam Mobile expects that Samsung will soon make an official announcement regarding this plan. Nonetheless, this confirms that the Galaxy Note 8 will definitely arrive next year.

As there are no official details yet provided by Samsung regarding the specs of the Galaxy Note 8, the reports circulating on the internet presently are based on speculations. So far, tech enthusiasts expect that the Galaxy Note 8 will boast a 4K curved Super AMOLED screen display, a huge improvement from the Note 7. It should be expected that the company will be very careful in the Note 8's battery design following the reports of Note 7 explosion. It is also rumored that the new S Pen for the Galaxy S8 will come with a speaker.