Samsung Electronics is likely to launch its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone in September 2017 at the earliest, to make up the product gap left by its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 7, according to upstream component makers in Taiwan.

Strong consumer's affinity to Galaxy Note family products as well as persistent market expectations has prompted Samsung to continue rolling out the Galaxy Note 8, said the sources.

The recently successful launch of the Galaxy Note FE (Fan Edition), a refurbished model of the Galaxy Note 7, in Korea can be seen as a move for Samsung to test market reaction prior to the roll-out of the Galaxy Note 8, the sources commented. A total of 400,000 Galaxy Note FE were sold out shortly after its debut.

Annual shipments of the Galaxy Note family products reached 10-15 million units previously, with the major outlets including North America, Korea and Saudi Arabia.