Samsung looks to lure back buyers with sleek S8 smartphone

SAN FRANCISCO/SEOUL (March 30): Samsung Electronics Co. knows it needs to get its new flagship smartphone right. Apart from making sure the gadget won't cause bodily harm, the company packed it with a plethora of new features: taller, curved screens, encrypted facial recognition, deeper display colors, system-wide voice control and the ability to turn into a desktop computer.

The Galaxy S8 comes in two sizes, a standard 5.8-inch display model and a Plus version with a 6.2-inch screen. Both are larger than the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the lineup's main competition until Apple Inc. rolls out its 10th-anniversary iPhone later this year. In line with smartphone trends, Samsung's new devices feature slimmer bezels alongside the display and are curved on all four corners. Pre-orders will begin soon after the unveiling, ahead of the S8's April 21 release. It comes in five colors:  midnight black, maple gold, coral blue, arctic silver and orchid gray.

The S8 represents Samsung's biggest prospect for a turnaround after the Note 7 debacle last year. The bigger-sized smartphone debuted to positive reviews, only to be killed off after some units showed a tendency to catch fire and explode, forcing the South Korean manufacturer to yank the product off shelves. The crisis cost the company more than US$6 billion and its global lead in smartphone sales. Samsung accounted for 17.8% of global smartphone sales in the last three months of 2016, slightly less than Apple, according to Gartner. While Samsung may be targeting Apple, it also faces challenges from up-and-coming rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co. and Oppo, especially in China, the world's biggest smartphone market.

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