The Samsung Galaxy S8 could shake things up, as sources claim Samsung is working on a way to physically incorporate its own virtual assistant into the handset.
However, that feature may mean the handset needs a little more time in the oven, delaying its launch till later next year.
Instead of debuting during February’s Mobile World Congress – where Samsung has unveiled its flagship phones for the past three years – insiders say the Galaxy S8’s announcement could get pushed all the way back to April, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Samsung is reportedly still working on prototypes of the S8, including one that can call the attention of Bixby – the tech firm’s take on mobile AIs like Google Assistant and Siri – with a press of a dedicated button.
Using a button would not only make booting up the AI a little less cumbersome than shouting all the time, but it could well be one of the only buttons on the device following Samsung might build the fingerprint scanner into the touchscreen itself.
For the impatient…
While prototypes are always subject to change and revision, it’s likely that testing different button concepts isn’t the only reason the Galaxy S8 could make a late appearance.
Following Samsung’s recall of the botched Galaxy Note 7, the company has a lot riding on the success of its next flagship phone, both in terms of finances and reputation.
Add to the mix that Samsung still claims it has no idea where it went wrong with the Note 7, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it takes its sweet time to ensure its comeback is something special and, most importantly, safe.
In the meantime, the phone market is not without its substitutes. The Google Pixel made its presence known last month with a solid handset and an AI of its own, Google Assistant.
Despite its successor being months away, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge remain some of the toppest of top-notch Android phones around. The devices are getting even better thanks to the Android Nougat beta just now arriving on the platform.
If digital assistants are more your thing than Android (or 3.6mm jacks), there’s always the iPhone 7, which touts the well-known soothing tones of Siri, which we recently pitted against Microsoft’s Cortana, Amazon’s Alexa, and Pixel’s Google Assistant in a battle of the AIs. You can see for yourself below:
Sourse: techradar.com