Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and S8+ handsets are expected to officially go on sale on the 21st of April, but don’t be surprised if you discover that these handsets are difficult to get at launch. This is because according to a report from The Bell, there are manufacturing issues with camera modules that will be used with the Galaxy S8.
According to the report, production rate of the camera module is facing a yield rate of less than 70%, meaning that for every 100 units, there are about 30 faulty products, which is clearly unacceptable as those numbers should be at least at 80% to ensure a stable supply. The modules are reportedly being manufactured by Patron.
Apparently there is a bit of difficulty manufacturing the modules as Samsung has opted for a unified design, where they are combining the front-facing camera module and the iris scanner into one, and it seems that it’s rather tricky to produce. We’re not sure if Patron will be able to get up to speed ahead of the handset’s official release, but if they can’t then like we said, don’t be surprised if there is a shortage at launch.
Samsung has yet to confirm these issues (and we doubt they will), although a shortage at launch could also possibly be attributed to high demand for the handsets, which isn’t surprising given that initial hands-on reviews have been mostly positive.
