The South Korean smartphone market leader is dropping its latest phablet flagship at an event in New York on August 9. This date represents the earliest Samsung has ever launched a Galaxy Note device. We have seen the company announce its productivity-minded handset early each year. The main reason for this has been to avoid the all-encompassing nature of an Apple iPhone launch cycle. Cupertino launches its iPhones in September. By landing in August, the Galaxy Note 9 will have a month with the smartphone hype all to itself. New reports suggest the company won’t hang around in releasing the phone either. Indeed, it seems the Galaxy Note 9 will almost certainly be available to buy before the end of next month. While avoiding Apple is obviously a factor, there is another reason at play. Galaxy S9 and S9 + sales have been dropping in recent months so Samsung wants to refresh interest in its brand. In a way, this is the price the company pays for launching two flagships each year.
Market Reflection
Customers will flock to a knew model through the first two months of release but will then cool interest as they know a newer and better device is just around the corner. Of course, some will argue that the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note smartphones are different enough to avoid this. I would argue they are not. Reports coming out of Chine suggest Samsung may be concerned by Apple’s output this year. The company is said to have ordered 30 million Note 9 shipping units for launch. A huge sum no doubt, but actually the lowest amount since the Galaxy S III.
