Is It for Head to Head Showdown with iPhone 6S?
Some in the industry have raised the possibility that major smartphone makers like Samsung and LG Electronics will roll out their next flagship smartphones in the latter half of this year. As a result, much attention is being paid to whether or not new smartphones will actually be introduced within the year.
According to industry sources on June 23, observers say that smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and LG will launch new models in the latter half of 2015.
During the MWC 2015 in March, Cho Joon-ho, president of LG Electronics, said that the company will showcase a premium phone in the latter half of this year, an upgraded version of its G series in both function and design.
Recently, some even raised the possibility of an early release of the Galaxy S7 late this year. “We haven't decided it yet,” said a Samsung representative in a statement in response to the speculation. An industry source remarked, “Samsung is gearing up to unveil the Galaxy Note 5 in the latter half of this year. So, I think that if the Galaxy S7 is introduced as well, it will not create much synergy.”
However, others believe that smartphone vendors are perhaps betting on a strategy that deliberately sets the launch date for their products after the release of the iPhone 6S in Sept. An industry source echoed the same sentiment by saying, “We cannot rule out the possibility that Samsung will introduce a new model to overtake the iPhone 6S, under the circumstances that it is getting more difficult to compete with Apple.” The source added, “If the Android phone maker thinks that the sale of the Galaxy S6 is not satisfactory, it will be even more necessary for the company to launch a new flagship product to counter the iPhone 6S.”
If Samsung rolls out a new flagship smartphone in the latter half of 2015, following LG, it will create a change in a release cycle of new mobile devices. In general, mobile phone manufacturers will unveil new models during the MWC at the beginning of the year and officially introduce them in the first half. Spinoff products or entry-level smartphones are primarily launched in the latter half.