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Carrier orders favoring Galaxy S8 before S8+, in-cell touch tech may be S8 exclusive

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Mar 20, 2017, 9:32 AM

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Carrier orders favoring Galaxy S8 before S8+, in-cell touch tech may be S8 exclusive

When Samsung released the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge last year, it avoided the shortage that plagued the S6 edge by pulling production of the curved display way ahead, and the move paid off with millions of S7 edge units gobbled up in the first few weeks after release without any interruption. This year, however, there will be no flat display version of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S8, just two models with 5.8" and 6.2" curved displays, the latter of which will be dubbed S8+, so Samsung will have a new production puzzle to solve.

Carrier demand for the Galaxy S8 said to be much higher than for the S8+

Apparently it has heavily favored the S8 in the initial production batch, tips Korean media today, as carrier partners have sent it more orders for the smaller, 5.8" screen. Out of the rumored 12.5 million total production of Samsung's next flagships, the breakdown for March is 2.6 million against 2.1 million in favor of the S8, while in April Samsung plans to make 4.5 million of the smaller screen diagonal, and 3.3 million of the larger. Thus, the ratio upon release will be 7.1 million Galaxy S8 units shipped to the stores, and 5.4 million Galaxy S8+ models, which favors the 5.8-incher's projected demand by a third.

Moreover, the source tips that Galaxy S8 will sport the Y-Octa screen technology that debuted on the Note 7, but not the S8+. Y-Octa incorporates the touch layer film directly in the display, slimming the screen package a bit, and improving sensitivity. This is likely similar to the in-cell touch tech that has been on LCD screens of Apple, LG and other flagships for a while now, but applied to an OLED display.

Needless to say, while we can easily see on the leaked renders that Samsung has done wonders trimming the top and bottom bezels of both devices, the rumored dimensions still peg the 6.2-incher as one pretty big device, so we are surprised that the ratio isn't even more in favor of the S8, though Samsung is probably insuring itself against unexpected strength in demand for the Galaxy S8+, so we can't wait to pit the two next to each other in their retail form.

source: ETNews (translated)

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.