Samsung is planning to launch its new Galaxy Note 5 early in an effort to beat Apple’s next-generation iPhones to market, according to two reports citing sources familiar with the plans. The South Korean company is desperate to improve its sluggish smartphone sales, and it hopes the Note 5 can help.
Samsung traditionally launches new Galaxy Note devices in September, at the IFA trade show in Berlin. But according to both Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, this year’s refresh will happen in mid-August — before Apple has a chance to announce the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
“Samsung is seeking to rebound from a disappointing 2014, when its annual profit hit a three-year low as smartphone earnings slumped,” Reuters reports.
“Though Samsung’s earnings are recovering, its second-quarter guidance of a 6.9 trillion won ($6.11 billion) operating profit fell short of market expectations following a supply shortage for the curved-screen version of its flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone.”
This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard the Galaxy Note 5 could launch early. Back in May, Korean news outlet WhoWired claimed that Samsung wanted to put its flagship phablet on sale before Apple’s new iPhones arrived, but Samsung quickly dismissed that report.
Now it seems WhoWired may not have been all that inaccurate after all.
The Galaxy Note 5 is expected to come with a 5.7-inch Quad HD display just like its predecessor, as well as Samsung’s Exynos 7422 processor, and a curved glass back.
