Samsung took a pretty hard hit with the Note 7 fiasco that unfolded over the past couple of months. Undoubtedly, this event will go down as one of the most bizarre and unfortunate oversights in mobile tech history. Financially, Samsung took a multi-billion dollar hit. Reputation-wise, people will be skeptical of Samsung devices in the near future without question. Future prediction? Samsung has a good chance of eventual recovery, and they can start by pampering their present and potential Galaxy S7 owners.
Before the Note 7 issues surfaced, Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners would have reasonably expected to be put on the back-burner in regards to major updates. The Note 7 was Samsung's new priority, and just looking at the history of how updates in Samsung's flagships played out, the S7 and S7 Edge might have received a Nougat update by the end of June. It's not the end of the world as TouchWiz, damned as it may be, already has a few of Nougat's defining features anyway. What Galaxy S7 users are more excited about is the prospect of gaining Samsung-specific goodies seen in the Note 7, like Grace UX and a more informative Always on Display.
Aside from needing to win over current Samsung consumers, who have also had to deal with the aftermath of the Note 7 by simply carrying a Samsung Galaxy-branded phone (and truly, with the way smartphones are, it's not exactly obvious which phones are which at a glance), Samsung has to win over the influx of upcoming holiday shoppers as well, and their best bet is by presenting the S7 and S7 Edge in the best light possible.
I think that Samsung could still rally in buyers from both the general public and tech enthusiasts. They certainly have the means to if they wanted to. If they can get a Nougat update out before Thanksgiving, that entices tech enthusiasts; if they can put on a good sale of the S7, which has already seen a price reduction or two due to the device's half-year age, they can draw in general consumers. Additionally, Samsung has another well-known trick up its sleeve: promotions. Samsung has become well-known for offering some decent promotions alongside the purchase of one of their flagships, as well as additional promotions through the use of Samsung Pay. Their flagships are expensive, but they are also quite generous after the fact if you catch them at a good time, which is sure to happen over the holiday season.
I think the Galaxy S7 will still struggle to be as popular as it could have been due to the closeness in name with the Galaxy Note 7, but the S7 duo continues to be two of the most highly-rated smartphones on the market. Given that Samsung is no stranger to offering financial incentives to keep consumers on board, I have little doubt that Samsung wouldn't offer something substantial to get its remaining 2016 flagships into the hands of consumers. I am skeptical (but somewhat hopeful) that Nougat will appear before the year's end, but even without Nougat, the S7 has done just fine performance and feature-wise for me over the past 5 months. Still, despite the resources that Samsung has to appeal to people with the S7, it may end up not being enough to combat the avalanche of negative PR that came with the Note 7.
Readers, what are your thoughts? Do you think Samsung can salvage some of the damage with the S7, or has the Note 7 fallout caused too much damage? Let us know in the comments below!
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