As 2016 comes to a close, there are a lot of things that many of us would like to forget as we enter the new year, and Samsung will be right there with us, looking to forget the disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7 which launched earlier this year. After a couple of recalls, the Galaxy Note 7 is no more, and while it appears the majority of users were more than happy to settle for a Galaxy S7 Edge as a replacement, there will be some that have been tempted away by other options, such as the new Huawei Mate 9, as well as some that will swear off of buying another Samsung smartphone ever again. Now, a new rumor suggests that next year’s Galaxy S will come in two different sizes, and that it might also possibly feature stereo speakers, in some sort of Harman Kardon branding.
This latest rumor doesn’t appear to hold too much weight, as there’s little to back it up, but there’s a good chance that Samsung is looking to bridge the gap between the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines with a larger Galaxy to kick the year off with. This rumor states that the Galaxy S8 is to launch in both 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch variants. Considering that a 4K Super AMOLED display has been rumored time and time again for the Galaxy S8, a larger display size of 6.2-inches would make a lot of sense and not only improve things for virtual reality, but also make better use of such a high resolution. As for the 5.7-inch version, it’s likely that this is to replace the standard Galaxy S model that Samsung has released for the past couple of years now. Ballooning screen sizes don’t always mean ballooning phone sizes, as we’ve seen with devices like the LG V20 as well as the Huawei Mate 9 a large display does not always mean a large phone.
The second part of this latest rumor is that Samsung is to launch the Galaxy S8 with stereo speakers, and that they will carry some sort of Harman Kardon branding. This doesn’t seem all that likely considering the deal was only just recently announced, and has yet to be finalized. Stereo speakers are of course a possible inclusion, but Samsung themselves have already said that the Harman Kardon brand is something that the firm will consider using on their smartphones starting 2018, not next year. Either way, it sure sounds as if the Galaxy S8 is shaping up to be one hell of a smartphone, and as releases go, there are few that will be as anticipated as next February’s Galaxy S8.