Samsung recently announced that it is taking over audio company Harman for $8 billion. While there were speculations that the company was preparing its own range of cars, it denied those rumours. The company confirmed that the acquisition was to collaborating and develop solutions for in-car infotainment systems. It further added that Harman would remain an independent firm going forward.
A recent report from The Investor points out that Samsung will take this partnership further by using audio solutions developed by Harman and incorporating them in upcoming Galaxy S series of smartphones in 2018. The info comes from a press conference that was held recently regarding the acquisition in Seoul, South Korea.
According to Park Jong-hwan, Senior Vice President and head of Samsung’s car parts division, “It will take time for the acquisition process to be completed, including the planned shareholders’ vote. After that, we could ramp up efforts for business synergies. If we are to adopt Harman’s high-end audio technology for the Galaxy S series phone, the first model could come in 2018.”
This means that the Galaxy S9 and possibly the Note 8 could feature Harman Audio technology when they are launched. This also indicates that Samsung has finalised its plans for the S8 which is rumoured to go official as soon as February 2017.