Is Samsung Rushing Galaxy Note 5 To Market?

Samsung may roll out its Galaxy Note 5 phablet earlier than planned to combat slower-than-expected sales of the Galaxy S6.

                 

Samsung must be feeling the heat. The company is now believed to be bringing its next-generation Note device to market months earlier than expected. The Galaxy Note 5 device will feature cutting-edge technology and some familiar design foibles.

For the past four years, Samsung has used the early-September IFA trade show in Berlin to showcase its Galaxy Note devices. The Note series is Samsung's class-leading phablet, with a big screen, fast processor, powerful camera, and stylus to bring it all together. The phone, announced in September, generally hits store shelves in early October.

Samsung has apparently made the Galaxy Note 5's release a priority and will be pushing it out much sooner. The device may be announced as soon as Aug. 12 and reach stores by Aug. 21, according to well-placed sources cited by SamMobile. Moreover, Samsung will reveal the Galaxy S6 Edge+ alongside the Note 5 with the same in-store date.

What's new about these phones? Plenty.

The Note 5 will have a 5.67-inch Super AMOLED screen with quad HD resolution and the trusty S Pen. It will borrow its design from the Galaxy S6, which means a glass front and a glass back panel. It also means the battery will be embedded and therefore inaccessible to owners. (This really annoyed prospective Galaxy S6 edge buyers.) The battery will support wireless charging and Quick-charge technology.

Further, the phone won't have an expandable memory card slot. It will have thin, metallic frame elements and a new stylus that's easier to hold and use.

The inside has plenty to get excited about. Like the Galaxy S6, the Note 5 will rely on Samsung's own processor. The Exynos 7422 system-on-a-chip, paired with 4GB of next-generation RAM, will make its debut in the Note 5. Think a single piece of silicon that combines an octa-core, 64-GB CPU, with GPU, storage, and RAM, all glued to an LTE modem. The S6 Edge+ is likely to have an Exynos 7420 with 3 GB of RAM.

Though no details about the camera have yet been leaked, it's not unreasonable to assume the main camera will have a 16- or 20-megapixel sensor and the front camera with have a 5- or 8-megapixel sensor.

Samsung Pay, Samsung's mobile payment service, is believed to be arriving with the Note 5 and S6 Edge+, at least in the US.

Why would Samsung bring this phone to market six to eight weeks early? Two reasons.

First, sales of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have failed to live up to expectations. Second, Apple is expected to debut the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in mid-September. It would behoove Samsung to get its big-screened flagship to market ahead of Apple's next-generation iPhones.

Samsung did not comment on SamMobile's report.