Samsung launches Galaxy S8 and dreams of recovery from Note 7

The S8 features Samsung's new artificial intelligence service, Bixby, with functions including a voice-commanded assistant system similar to Apple's Siri. There is also a new facial recognition application that lets users unlock their phones by looking at them.

Samsung is hoping the design update and the new features - nothing revolutionary but focused on making life easier for consumers - will be enough to revive sales in a year Apple is expected to introduce major changes to its iPhones for their 10th anniversary, including the very curved screens that have become staples of the Galaxy brand.

The S8 is also crucial for Samsung's image as a maker of reliable mobile devices. The self-combusting Galaxy Note 7s had to be scrapped in October just two months after their launch and a failed attempt to recall the Note 7s in September was particularly damaging, investors and analysts say, leading to questions about the firm's credibility.

Samsung responded by implementing new battery safety measures after an internal investigation identified battery problems from two different suppliers as the cause of the Note 7's problems.

Still, some analysts say consumers may be wary of potential safety problems with the S8.

"Initial sales of the S8 may appear slow compared to what was typical for previous model releases," said Lux Research analyst Christopher Robinson. "In other words, smaller initial sales spike."

Samsung's early marketing of the S8 has eschewed the safety issue, which brand experts say is an attempt to avoid reminding consumers of the images of burnt Note 7s that spread throughout the world's media late last year.