Last week, Samsung launched two giant new phones: the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. The devices will go for sale in the U.S. and 20 other countries on Friday, August 21. Neither of them replaces the Korean electronics giant’s flagship Galaxy S6. They just fill out Samsung’s extensive range of smartphones.
Galaxy Note 5 brings no surprises
Wall Street analysts are not impressed by the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. Morgan Stanley analyst Shawn Kim said in a research note that the two new devices were merely improvements with “no surprise.” The Note 5 is “similar to its predecessor,” though it features a metal chassis and glass back cover. Other major improvements include 4GB LPDDR4 RAM vs 3GB DDR3 in the Note 4. The Galaxy Note 5 features the same 14nm FinFET technology-based Exynos 7420 processor as the Galaxy S6.
Since the Galaxy Note 5 is pretty much similar to its predecessor, Morgan Stanley analyst uses the Note 4 sales data to forecast Note 5 shipments. Shawn Kim said he was expecting both the new phones to ship 12 million units in 2015. These devices are expected to account for 8% of Samsung’s total smartphone revenue and 15% of mobile profits.
On the other hand, Marcus Shin of Goldman Sachs estimates that the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ will sell up to 10 million units in the first quarter of launch. Shin added that the new phablets could boost Samsung’s smartphone shipments in the second half of the year, but they are no “game changers.” Samsung is already struggling with poor sales of the Galaxy S6. The company needed a revolutionary new device to revive its falling sales and market share.
Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge+ lack 128GB option
There are a few other things in the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ that may disappoint potential buyers. Both phones lack a removable battery and expandable storage via microSD card slot. On top of that, a Samsung representative told The Verge that there will be no 128GB storage option for both the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ “at the time.” It may be due to the low demand for the highest-priced variants. But the report won’t go down well with power users who were already disappointed by the lack of removable battery and microSD card slot.
The Galaxy Note 5 pricing starts at $739.99 (32GB variant) while the Galaxy S6 Edge+ has been priced at $814.99.
