The FCC today approved a new high-end Samsung phone that is almost certainly the company's forthcoming Note 8 flagship phone. If Samsung chooses a new branding for its Note series, this phone will be the spiritual successor to the ill-fated Note7. This new phone bears the model number SM-N950; the previous two Note models were the SM-N930 and SM-N920. As with the company's Note7 and S8, one hardware model will fully support all US carriers' networks, although software may differ. The FCC approval documents reveal no surprises. The new model appears to support all of the same basic features and radio bands as the Note7, plus the new band 66. There is no mention in this initial FCC approval of band 71, the new 600 MHz band that T-Mobile has said it plans to launch with Samsung and LG devices next month. It is possible for FCC approvals to be amended, however. Samsung has scheduled a major launch event for August 23 in New York City. Invitations to the event show an outline of a phone with a stylus, clearly indicating a Note-like device.


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