Samsung to launch Galaxy Note 8 in August, ahead of Apple's 'iPhone 8'

The Galaxy S8+, from which the Note 8 will likely borrow many cues.

The Note 8 will feature a curved screen slightly bigger than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+, a source informed Reuters. It should also have twin cameras on the rear, likely owing to the success of the iPhone 7 Plus. The latter uses its second lens for 2x optical zoom, as well as simulating depth-of-field effects in Portrait mode.

Much is riding on the Note 8, since its predecessor — the Note 7 — was taken off the market just two months after its own August debut, plagued by a series of battery fires. Samsung eventually concluded that two separate problems were to blame, and instituted a new testing regime to avoid a repeat. The debacle cost the company some $5.4 billion.

The S8 line, released after the Note 7, has sold well so far and gone without any reported battery fires.

Apple is expected to reveal three new iPhones in September: the 7s, the 7s Plus, and finally the so-called "iPhone 8." Because of production delays, the "8" may not hit shelves until October or even later.

Like the standard S8, the "iPhone 8" is expected to use an edge-to-edge, 5.8-inch OLED screen, support wireless charging, and ditch a physical home button in favor of a virtual one. The iPhone's screen won't wrap around the edges though, and should embed Touch ID, avoiding the need for a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Some other "iPhone 8" features may include 3D facial recognition and iris scanning, a new "A11" processor, and quicker cable-based charging. The 7s and 7s Plus should share some of these upgrades, but use LCDs instead of OLED.