With fans of Samsung eagerly awaiting the release of the Galaxy Note 5, the Korean Corporation has moved to deny rumors related to its release date. In the last couple of days, murmurings have been circulating around media worldwide that Samsung is about to move the release schedule of its highly anticipated phablet forward significantly. The date suggested by many of these rumors was June off this year, which would certainly conflict with the date that previous Galaxy Note releases have occupied.
Samsung President denies Galaxy Note 5 rumors
However, this particular rumor appears to be a red herring, as one of the most important alumni of Samsung has indicated that the June date is fraudulent. Samsung President, Shin Jong-kyun, spoke with reporters in his native Korea today, and flatly denied the suggestion that the Galaxy Note 5 could launch in July.
Although Jong-kyun did not specifically confirm the release date of the Galaxy Note 5, it is thought that this phablet is now likely to follow the release date of previous iterations of the series. It is usual for Samsung to unveil its latest Galaxy Note device shortly before the opening of the IFA conference in Berlin, which takes place in September every year.
On this occasion, it was suggested that Samsung may consider shifting the date forward, as early prototypes of this important handset had been finished earlier than anticipated by the corporation. This would have made commercial sense for Samsung, as it would have provided them with significant leeway before the release of Apple’s iPhone range, which usually hits the stores in October. It is anticipated that Apple will release a new iPhone device this October, although it is not yet known whether this will be branded iPhone’s 6s or iPhone 7.
But despite the rumors of Samsung having already showcased a prototype of the Galaxy Note 5, Shin Jong-kyun has completely squashed this notion. It now seems unthinkable that Samsung will release the Galaxy Note 5 at any other time than around the date of the IFA, as there simply isn’t much time between the rumored June launch and the September date of the IFA conference. Finding an alternative and feasible date and event to incorporate this release would seem to be logistically impossible, particularly at such short notice, so Samsung will probably stick to the release schedule of the Galaxy Note 4 now.
Galaxy Note 5 – Samsung denies poor sales
Another interesting aspect of the press conference which was attended by Jong-kyun was a journalist raising the issue of lower than expected sales for the Galaxy S6. According to reports emanating from Korea, it was suggested that out of the 300,000 Galaxy S6 pre-orders which were taken by Samsung, only 200,000 units were ultimately sold. This would obviously be disappointing for the Korean corporation which is already lagging significantly behind Apple, but it is also important to note that accurate sales figures are still yet to be released.
The Samsung supremo certainly did not agree with these reports, and dismissed the content of them as entirely false. Jong-kyun reiterated his belief, and that of the corporation, that the Galaxy S6 will be an extremely strong seller for the company throughout 2015. Obviously Samsung will also have similar hopes for the Galaxy Note 5, with the Galaxy Note 4 having been an extremely well received device critically for the corporation in 2014.
Samsung has yet to confirm too many details about the Galaxy Note 5, but one of the most highly anticipated aspects of the phablet will be its curved screen model. Fans of the Android-driven handset know that the Galaxy Note Edge debuted last year, and was the first curved screen mobile to be produced by Samsung.
The Galaxy Note Edge was in many ways one of the worst kept secrets in consumer electronics, as the device was rumored for months and indeed years before its release. This didn’t require some sort of Nostradamus-esque soothsaying; Samsung had long since become associated with its range of curved televisions, and migrating this design into its mobile range seemed an entirely natural step.
Galaxy Note 5 Edge emphasis
It is expected that when the Galaxy Note 5 releases then that Samsung will place a much greater emphasis on the curved model of the Galaxy Note 5 than even in its previous handsets. Both the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy S6 featured a curved screen variant, but it is notable that the Galaxy S6 Edge featured a dual-curved screen which was a further step forward for the concept in mobile devices.
The Galaxy Note 5 Edge is strongly expected to follow suit when it is released later this year, and reports emerging from Korea even suggest that it will become a more significant part of the Samsung brand. Early leaks regarding next year’s Galaxy S7 suggest that Samsung will place a much greater emphasis on curved screen technology with this release, and look to greatly increase the number of Galaxy S7 Edge units available. It is therefore expected that the Galaxy Note 5 Edge will be a testing ground for this process, and Samsung will produce a significantly larger proportion of this model than in the previous iteration of the series.
Galaxy Note 5 – 4K resolution
Another major aspect of the Galaxy Note 5 which will be of particular interest to Samsung fans is whether or not Samsung will arm the device with 4K resolution. The 4K standard will become increasingly important in consumer electronics and entertainment in the coming years, and Samsung has already implemented this quite widely in its range of television sets.
Although it is a natural move for Samsung to include 4K resolution in the Galaxy Note 5 series, it is possible that logistical considerations will rule this out. Under these circumstances, Samsung would then have a decision to make about what resolution the device should encompass, after last year’s Galaxy Note 4 release impressed consumers and critics alike with quad HD resolution.
