Screen to Screen
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ have been enjoying tremendous popularity since their introduction to the nation on Aug. 20.
According to sources in the mobile telecommunication industry on Aug. 23, the sales volume of the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ has surpassed 75,000 units only three days after their release. If the figure for Aug. 23 is added, the number is expected to exceed 100,000 units.
The average daily sales volume of the two models is 25,000 units, a more than twofold increase from the figure for their predecessors. The early sales volume of the Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge was reportedly around 100,000 units, following their launch on Sept. of last year.
There seems to be several factors in the huge popularity of the two new models. First, the synergy created by Samsung Pay, which was rolled out on the same day with the new handsets, and the fact that the launch price of the new models was lower than existing phablets are considered to have contributed to their early popularity.
In particular, the launch price of the 32GB Galaxy Note 5 is 899,800 won (US$750) per unit, which is the first Galaxy Note series phone in the price range of 800,000 won. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ has a bigger screen size, but it is about 10,000 won (US$8) cheaper than the Galaxy S6 Edge, which was released in the first half of this year.
With Samsung enticing customers to replace their current smartphone with a Galaxy phone in the latter half, the global IT industry is paying a lot of attention to the product competitiveness of the iPhone 6S, which is scheduled to be rolled out in Sept.
According to industry sources on Aug. 21, Apple will unveil the iPhone 6S at a media event on Sept. 9, and the new model is planned for release in Sept. 18.
The new handset will be first introduced to Germany, Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the U.K., the U.S., and other countries. As a result, Apple's new model will first be sold in China, stemming from a time difference.
Like its predecessors, the iPhone 6S is predicted to be a 4.7" model, and it is expected to come in rose gold, in addition to conventional silver, grey, and gold.
The new model is expected to set itself apart by the same "force touch" feature as the Apple Watch, which distinguishes between a light tap and a deeper press to enable a wide range of new gestures. For example, a deeper press is required to fast forward music. The camera on the back is highly likely to deliver a higher image quality as well.
The bending controversy dubbed "bend gate" involving the iPhone 6 Plus, which was released last year, is unlikely to happen with the iPhone 6S. The new model reportedly comes with a much stronger aluminum case than existing ones using 7000 series aluminum. During a test, the case of the iPhone 6 started to bend under 30 pounds of pressure, but the iPhone 6 Plus was able to withstand up to 70 pounds of pressure, more than twice as much as its predecessor.