Samsung’s early Galaxy Note 9 launch is a challenge to Apple in the premium smartphone market
South Korean technology company will unveil new phone on Thursday – one month before its arch-rival launches its three new iPhone models
Samsung Electronics is set to square off with its arch-rival Apple in the premium smartphone market in the second half of the year as the South Korean technology giant unveils the Galaxy Note 9 this week.
Its latest premium smartphone will be showcased in New York on Thursday.
To turn its sluggish smartphone sales around, Samsung is expected to give significant improvements to the Galaxy Note 9.
Samsung has decided to release the Note 9 smartphone about a month earlier than Apple’s next iPhone in an effort to take the initiative in the premium smartphone market in the latter half of this year.
According to industry analysts, Apple is likely to unveil three new iPhone models in September: a 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus and 5.8-inch iPhone X – both with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays – and a 6.1-inch liquid-crystal (LCD) display iPhone.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone will cost about US$1,000, similar to the current iPhone X price, while the LCD iPhone will be about US$700.
The 6.5-inch iPhone will offer three colour options including black, white and gold, while the LCD iPhone will be offered in five colours.
In contrast, Samsung’s Note 9 will feature a huge 4,000 mAh battery, which is the largest-ever among Samsung phones. With a 6.4-inch screen, the Note 9 will also come with an industry-leading 512 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM.
The latest Galaxy Note is expected to come with a more advanced S Pen stylus.