Samsung Hints That Galaxy S8 Might Only Come With Curved Edge Display

In what cold be classified as a bold move, Samsung is considering only releasing a version of its next generation flagship Galaxy device—presumably the Galaxy S8—with a curved edge display. That means there would be just a single SKU rather than two separate versions of the same flagship, one with a regular display and one with a panel that wraps around both sides, as found on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge respectively.

It would be bold, but not necessarily bat-spit crazy. Truth be told, things started to feel stale with Samsung's Galaxy line by the time the Galaxy S5 emerged. At that point, there wasn't much going on with regards to the physical design—it was yet another plastic handset with faster hardware and a few upgraded perks. Consumers grew bored and that was reflected in Samsung's bottom line. Left with excess inventory of Galaxy S5 handsets, Samsung put in motion a series of moves to restructure its mobile business, including the eventual replacement of J.K. Shin as CEO with D.J. Koh, who had been one of Mr. Shin's top men.

Before Koh replached Shin as Samsung's mobile boss, Shin reinvigorated interest in the Galaxy line by releasing the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, a pair of handsets that traded plastic materials for a premium construction using glass and metal. The icing on the cake was the curved display offered on the Galaxy S6 Edge model—it proved more popular than Shin predicted (part of the reason he was usurped), leading to a shortage at a critical time.

There were also some production problems early on, but those have been worked out. That being the case, and with demand for the Galaxy S7 Edge proving just as high as it was for the Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung hinted it might eventually remove the flat-screen Galaxy S from its lineup sometime in the future.


"Samsung has considered that it would make the Edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup if the company can provide consumers differentiated user experience through software and user-friendly functions (for the curved screen)," Koh stated during a media interview in New York last week, according to The Korea Herald.

You could say that Samsung is testing the waters with its recently unveiled Note 7 phablet. It's only available with a curved edge display yet doesn't carry the Edge branding. If consumer response is positive, Samsung could do the same thing with the Galaxy S8, especially since sales of the Galaxy S7 Edge are outpacing the flat-screen Galaxy S7.