Samsung vs iPhone Still A Game Of Catchup

Is the Galaxy Note 8 Samsung’s phoenix phone?

It’s been a rough year-and-a-half for Samsung, who suffered the single most damaging product recall in smartphone history when its Galaxy 7 handsets began exploding. The situation was so dire that some airlines banned the phones from their planes, even while powered off, due to the potential safety hazard. The massive recall and product replacement, not to mention any liability for damages or physical harm, took a serious toll on the company.

Galaxy Note 8 proving popular amongst loyal Samsung fan-base.

Pheonix from the (battery) flames

But not one to throw in the towel, Samsung has released a Galaxy 8 model, which some news outlets are calling a “phoenix” level product release (note: perhaps we shouldn’t compare a new phone to a mythical creature that burns to death then rises from the ashes when the last model literally caught fire in your hand). Unfortunately, early reviews on the leaked specifications put it solidly in the ho-hum category, and some side-by-side functionality tests don’t look good.

One key report openly stated that if this is Samsung’s best effort at replacing its popular Galaxy family, then things are going to take an ugly turn when Apple releases the latest iPhone, anticipated for sometime this fall. The current “best and brightest” from Samsung doesn’t even outperform the iPhone 7, which is already a year old.

Fierce loyalty

Still, the Galaxy Note 8 is one of the biggest handsets so far, and some surveys have found that Samsung customers are fiercely devoted to their favorite phone. With no further issues, industry watchers anticipate that this may not only be a boost for Samsung as a brand, but also a much-needed win for the Note line of products.

For its part, Apple has some worst kept secret new features up its sleeve that it plans to unveil with the latest as-of-yet unnamed iPhone model. It remains to be seen whether or not those new bells and whistles are enough to sway the customers who are just a little gun shy after their last Galaxy Note turned on them.