As indicated in a report recently published by South Korean news website The Investor, it appears that production of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9 flagship coming along faster than expected. Because of this, it is quite possible that the newest addition to the phone maker’s lineup of phablet devices will launch as early as July later this year.
Some may remember that during the previous year, the current latest Galaxy Note offering, the Galaxy Note 8, was formally unveiled last August, and went on to hit store shelves everywhere a month later in September. But this year, the new follow up could be released a couple of months earlier than usual. If the Galaxy Note 9 does get released in August, it would still launch a month earlier compared to the Galaxy Note 8 last year.
Samsung basically differentiates its Galaxy Note series of smartphones from its high end Galaxy S flagships by the fact that the former can be paired with a digital stylus. Also, while Galaxy Note devices generally make their debut in the second half of any given year, the Galaxy S handsets typically get announced after the busy holiday shopping season. Lastly, Galaxy Note phones tend to sport more high end (or more expensive) hardware specifications and software features, some of which are more advanced compared to the current latest Galaxy S models.
If Samsung does indeed decide on releasing its upcoming Galaxy Note 9 phablet, it could offer some strategic benefits. For one, the number one smartphone vendor in the world could enjoy a head start over its biggest rival, Apple. There is speculation that the iPhone maker is planning to announce a trio of new smartphones in September later this year. But if Samsung introduces its own flagship a month or two prior, it could generate some early momentum.
Also, an early release schedule for the upcoming Galaxy Note 9 might just help Samsung register stellar sales numbers again. The South Korean tech giant had officially announced its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus devices a little more than a month ago, but over a couple of weeks after the flagships have been launched (last March 16th), sales are not exactly mind blowing so far. While it is true that the Galaxy S9 models basically owned this year’s Mobile World Congress event, some felt that the latest Galaxy smartphones did not quite do enough to stand toe to toe with Apple’s iPhone X (released nearly five months ago).
