Samsung looking for redemption with new phone release

SAN ANTONIO – Remember the Samsung Note 7 cellphone debacle?  

Battery fires, an airplane ban and a massive recall plagued the company last year. 

Now the company is out to regain customer trust and launching sales of its new phone, the Galaxy s8.

The new Samsung Galaxy s8 and s8 Plus are a shot at redemption for the phone maker. It's the first significant phone launch since the fiery fiasco and massive recall of the Note 7 last summer.

RELATED: Fires, explosions prompt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall

First thing consumers will notice: the s8 is sleek, practically all display.

There have been complaints about red-tinted displays. Consumer Reports checked it out and did find the issue in four of the eight phones it bought.

Samsung said it will release an update as early as this week. That will allow users to be able to further adjust the color settings.

Consumer Reports also put the smart phone's camera through rigorous testing. 

The s8 did well.

"The camera is among the best we've ever tested,” Rich Fisco, with Consumer Reports, said. “Samsung toned down the oversharpening, so pictures look more realistic and natural."

Next up was the dunk test, and the s8 passed.

It validated Samsung's claim that the phone could withstand five feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

In the lab, CR found with the damage resistant Gorilla Glass 5, the s8 is more scratch-resistant than its predecessors.

As for price, the s8 is $750 and the s8 Plus is $850.

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