14 DAY TRIAL // Recent reports have stated that Samsung pinned the release date for its upcoming flagship to April 21, but a new report by Venture Beat states that the date was pushed back to April 28, a week after the previously rumored date.
The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, along with a new Gear VR headset compatible with their designs, will still be announced on March 29 during the Unpacked event in New York and London. However, the actual day when the two phones would hit stores has been delayed by a week. This might mean that pre-orders could start later than the rumored date of April 10.
The delay shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Samsung is extremely cautious with the launch of its newest flagship, considering the rushed Galaxy Note 7 launch which resulted in a recall and discontinuation of the phone.
The reason for the delay might be the chipset inside the Galaxy S8
In a subsequent tweet, Evan Blass revealed that the delay could be caused by low production yields of the 10nm Snapdragon 835 produced by Qualcomm. Apparently, Samsung also experiences a slow production pace for its Exynos 8895 chipsets, which will power the phone in certain markets.
The delay also gives Samsung extra time to test its upcoming flagship and perform the new 8-step battery test that detects any issues to help avoid another incident like the Galaxy Note 7 saga.
Samsung only officially confirmed the unveil date for the new phones, as launch dates can be subject to change, depending on production rates, quality assurance tests and market changes. It’s worth mentioning that a delayed Galaxy S8 launch comes in the benefit of LG and other phone makers who recently announced their premium phones during MWC 2017. LG now has an extra week to convince customers to buy its G6, before the Galaxy S8 hits stores.