South Korean smartphone maker Samsung has refuted reports that a “Microsoft Edition” of its flagship devices Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ exists somewhere on this planet. “Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8 are available in the Microsoft online and retail stores with a unique Microsoft experience which ensures their customers a best-in-class productivity experience. There is not a ‘Microsoft Edition’ brand of any Samsung Galaxy products,” said a Samsung representative to tech news portal.
Now the same media outlets said that those reports were part of a promotional campaign to get people to visit Microsoft stores. The reports of the launch of a special “Microsoft Edition” Galaxy S8 surfaced for several days following their commercial debut. In fact some of the India media houses and news agencies have reported the same. In November, Microsoft started selling Samsung Galaxy Note 8 from its online store that comes packed with pre-installed apps like virtual assistant Cortana, Word, Excel, OneNote and Outlook.
According to reports, Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been successful in rebuilding Samsung’s image as a smartphone manufacturer after the Note 7 debacle. Driven by Galaxy S8 and S8+ sales, Samsung pipped Apple to grab the top spot in the global smartphone sales to end users (by vendor) in the third quarter of 2017, market research firm Gartner said last week.
