According to recent rumors, Samsung may launch its new smartphone early to gain a head start in its battle with Apple’s iPhone 6S.
Smartphone fans are growing increasingly excited as the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 gets closer. The Galaxy series has developed well over the past few years, and constitutes a major rival to Apple’s iPhone. Rumors and speculation are increasing, and the latest gossip is that the Galaxy Note 5 will be released earlier than previously thought, writes Mihai Matei for GforGames.
Rumors of an early Galaxy Note 5 release previously denied
Sources in Taiwan have claimed that the Galaxy Note 5 could be released slightly earlier in order to gain an advantage in Samsung’s smartphone battle with Apple. It is thought that the Note 5 could ship in August.
Previous rumors stoked speculation that the smartphone could be released in July, but those reports were denied by Samsung’s head of mobile, J.K. Shin. The old rumors, as well as the new ones, claim that the Galaxy Note 5 will be released before IFA 2015 which will take place in Berlin from 4-9 September.
According to Matei, the prospect of an August launch is more likely than July. However there remains the possibility that Samsung stays true to its past form and introduces the smartphone at IFA. As is always the case with leaks and rumors, it is impossible to be sure of the release date until Samsung makes an official announcement.
That said it would be an interesting strategy to break with tradition and launch the phone earlier in order to get consumers interested before the iPhone 6S hits the market.
Negotiations with carriers supposedly underway
The latest reports also reveal that Samsung has started negotiating with Taiwanese cellphone carriers, and if that is true then it would be logical for talks to be ongoing with carriers from other parts of the world.
Regarding technical specifications, it is thought that the Galaxy Note 5 will feature a 5.7-inch QHD display, a 4,100 mAh battery, a USB Type-C connector, UFS 2.0 Flash storage, and an Exynos 7422 quad-core processor. The Note 5 has been codenamed Project Noble in internal communications, while the Galaxy Note 5 Edge is known as Project Zero 2.
A USB-C port will provide a number of advantages, including its small size, fast transfer rate and fast charging thanks to a high rate of power delivery. So far there has been no word as to whether the new model will take design cues from the Galaxy S6, or which direction Samsung will take its smartphone series.
Launch date subject to strategic decision
If the company can beat Apple to the punch and release the Galaxy Note 5 earlier it could make things more interesting in the flagship smartphone market. The huge success enjoyed by the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus was worrying for Samsung, and the new strategy may help to win back some customers.
As it stands the rumors are just that, and the word of J.K. Shin probably does not mean that a July release should be entirely ruled out. Should Samsung be planning an early release, it is unlikely that he would reveal such plans and lose any competitive advantage that such an action would provide to the company.
At the minute it appears that the smartphone crown is Apple’s to lose, and Samsung needs to make the most of any advantage it can eke out.
