Next Move
According to industry sources on Aug. 7, Samsung Electronics is likely to announce the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus at its Unpacked event in New York on Aug. 13.
Traditionally, Samsung has launched the Note series at the IFA in Germany and MWC in Spain every year, but this year the Korean tech giant will have a separate event to unveil its new mobile products in New York. This will be the first time for Samsung Electronics to make the debut of its new Galaxy Note series in events other than the IFA, the largest trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances in Europe. Previously, the company unveiled the Galaxy S3 in the U.K. in 2012, and the Galaxy S4 in New York in 2013. However, Samsung has mostly introduced its new smartphone products at Spain’s MWC or Germany’s IFA.
There are many implications from where and when Samsung Electronics will host the unpacked event. The company has always unveiled its new products at the consumer electronics shows which were participated by many firms. However, it has decided to exceptionally hold the separate event to debut the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus in Lincoln Center in New York this time. The decision is a way of expressing Samsung’s confidence in its ability to attract enough attention from the press and customers, even though it holds an independent event. Also, it is a strategy to preoccupy the market before its competitor, releasing its new products. Apple is likely to announce the iPhone 6S in the middle or the end of Sept. Releasing new products a month ahead, Samsung Electronics is planning to dominate the premium smartphone market in advance.
The company also unveiled the Galaxy S4, the best-selling product of all time, in New York in 2013. The model posted 46.5 million units in sales in the first year of the launch, reaching cumulative sales of 700 million units to date. The decision also reflects the will to relive past glory.
The Galaxy Note 5 will feature a 5.7 inch QHD display, the same as the current Galaxy Note 4. It will also get an updated octa-core Exynos 7420 chip, 4GB of RAM, a 16MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a 4100mAh battery.
The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus will feature a 5.5 or 5.7 inch display, which is larger than the previous model, while retaining the same overall design as the Galaxy S6 Edge, which was launched in the first half of this year. Samsung Electronics will not unveil the new model of its “Gear” smartwatch at the event. An official from the industry said, “In order to focus on strategic smartphone models, Samsung will not debut of new smartwatch models at this unpacked event.”