2017 State of Mobile: Samsung

Samsung is hitting the ground running in 2017. Much like its competitor LG, Samsung has also had a strong start to 2017 with its release of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Left: Samsung Galaxy S8+       Right: Samsung Galaxy S8

Again much like LG, Samsung is taking the same direction as the mobile phone industry by creating their own bezel less phone. Samsung has coined their bezel less display as an Infinity Display. Taking inspiration from its Galaxy Edge line of devices, the display cresses over the side of the phone body. This gives it the appearance of a bezel less display in the same regards as the LG G6's display.

Although Samsung's 2017 is off to a hot start, we can't forget about the Galaxy Note 7 debacle that plagued Samsung in 2016. Galaxy Note 7 phones were catching fire and exploding left and right. Samsung started a partial recall and then a global recall which badly damage their reputation. In Samsung's final report they cite that the problem was an engineering mistake by putting a larger battery into the compartment housing the battery. This caused the batteries to over heat, swell, and short circuit causing all of the problems. Has Samsung recovered from this PR nightmare? Only time will tell.

Samsung just doesn't have much to show right now. They are not major players into the mid range mobile phone game and they only have one big release a year. There might be the possibility of a Galaxy Note 8, but that seems unlikely at the moment, with the Note brand being tarnished due to the 2016 battery issues. The only real known innovation Samsung is working on right now is flexible devices.

In 2017 expect Samsung to talk about flexible devices again, we might see a prototype sometime this year. I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility to see a Galaxy Note 8 release, but it seems unlikely as of now. Samsung has a lot to prove since its 2016 mishap with the Galaxy Note 7. A great phone turned sour by a battery too large for the space it had. Look for Samsung to improve its software even more, they are also following the minimal trend of other Android device makers in regards to software. 2017 should be a strong year for Samsung if they play their card right.