Samsung Plans to Rain on Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone 8 Parade

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Next year’s iPhone 8 launch will be a critical one for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The company will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the iPhone and hopes to use that milestone to introduce an all-new iPhone that kickstarts a frenzied cycle of sales and upgrades.

iPhone 8 could get beat by bezel-free Galaxy S8

Source: Samsung

According to Bloomberg, however, rival Samsung (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) is planning to steal AAPL’s thunder … by releasing a Galaxy S8 that incorporates several of the key features Apple is expected to debut on its new iPhone.

The iPhone 8 as a Sheet of Glass

One of the primary reasons the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 series haven’t seen the kind of fiery sales that previous generations of new iPhones have is their look.

With AAPL adopting a three-year cycle on iPhone design, the 6, 6s and 7 are visually almost identical. And shallow as it may sound, a considerable number of iPhone buyers value being seen with the latest and greatest over any performance bumps.

This demographic has been given no real reason to upgrade for several years.

The rumor mill has consistently pushed the idea that Apple is working on a new iPhone design for 2017 that incorporates an all-glass front. Essentially, the entire front of the iPhone would be a display, with no bezels. The home button would also be eliminated and replaced by sensors beneath that sheet of glass.

At least one iPhone 8 model would incorporate a curved OLED display that wraps around the sides.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plans Starting to Sound Familiar

A report this morning in Bloomberg says Samsung is now also planning an all-glass front Galaxy S8 for next year. No bezels, no physical home button. Like Apple, the company is said to planning to switch to a pressure-sensitive sensor beneath the sheet of glass on the front of the phone. It also looks as though the Galaxy S8 will adopt the curved edge OLED display of the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Making things worse for Apple, Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S8 long before the iPhone 8 is launched.

Samsung typically goes with a March release for its new Galaxy smartphones, but Bloomberg’s sources suggest Samsung may push that out a month to conduct more stringent battery tests.

Probably a good idea, given the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.

But an April release will still give the Galaxy S8 a good six months on shelves before the iPhone 8 goes on sale, assuming Apple follows its usual fall release schedule.

That’s plenty of time for any fanfare over a smartphone with a front that’s an uninterrupted sheet of glass to fade.

iPhone 8 vs. Galaxy S8 Could Be an Epic Battle

Next year is showing all the signs of being an all-out brawl for flagship smartphone sales.

Apple is determined to return to the days of record-shattering iPhone sales after several years of slowing momentum and the recent iPhone 6 battery issues. AAPL needs the iPhone 8 to be a hit, and a bold new look is a big part of that.

Samsung is looking to recover from a disaster of a year. It needs to overcome the Galaxy Note 7’s exploding battery scandal. And not only does Samsung have to prove its designs can best the iPhone 8, but it also must fend off a new adversary in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). That company’s Google Pixel Phone is a big threat to Samsung’s position at the top of the Android smartphone food chain.

There are only so many consumer dollars to go around next year, so the big question is this: Will Samsung’s efforts be enough to steal Apple’s thunder?

As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Brad Moon has been writing for InvestorPlace.com since 2012. He also writes about stocks for Kiplinger and has been a senior contributor focusing on consumer technology for Forbes since 2015.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2016/12/samsung-apple-inc-aapl-iphone-8-parade/.

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