Samsung Electronics Co Ltd set out to wipe the slate clean in New York on Wednesday with its new Galaxy Note 8 "phablet," hoping features like dual rear cameras and its biggest-ever screen will extinguish memories of the device's fire-prone predecessor.
The world's largest smartphone maker by market share debuted the phone-cum-tablet as it gears up to compete for pre-holiday season sales with a widely expected 10th anniversary iPhone from US rival Apple Inc, set to be unveiled next month. Priced at $930 to $960 from network carriers, including a dialling and data plan, the Note 8 kicks off a new era of premium-priced handsets, which analysts expect to be joined by $1,000-plus iPhones next month.
The unveiling came five months after the release of the Galaxy S8 smartphone. Analysts said brisk sales of that device indicate recovery in Samsung's standing after battery fires prompted the October withdrawal of the Galaxy Note 7 just two months into sales, which cost the company billions of dollars.
The recall and related safety concerns briefly cost Samsung its number one spot in the global smartphone rankings, according to researcher Counterpoint. It has since regained ground, with Strategy Analytics putting its second-quarter market share at 22 percent, more than Apple and China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd combined. "Of course no one will forget what happened last year, but we also won't forget the millions that stuck with us," DJ Koh, the company's mobile chief, said at the launch event.