Samsung hopes to get the jump on Apple. But will it be enough?
On Thursday, Samsung will host its second Unpacked event of the year to introduce its newest phablets, the jumbo-sized hybrids between smartphones and tablets. The company is expected to release the Galaxy Note 5, which will include a metal back instead of plastic and an improved stylus, as well as the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, which is believed to have a 5.7-inch screen that curves over the sides of the device.
Samsung has traditionally unveiled its latest marquee phablet smartphone at the Berlin-based IFA electronics trade show in early September. But this time around, it moved the date up by a couple of weeks and shifted its event to New York in what some believe is an attempt to get an even earlier jump on Apple's next iPhone introduction -- which likely will take place in early September.
The bigger-screen iPhone "creates pressure on Samsung to get out there earlier than it would have done to stimulate sales overall," said Jackdaw Research chief analyst Jan Dawson. It's "a way of saying, if you're ready for an upgrade, here's a device."
The move speaks to the root of Samsung's troubles: It's no longer the only game in town when it comes to big-screen smartphones, and it now faces stiff competition in a market that has never sold in huge volumes. Consumers aren't willing to pay the premium prices Samsung's asking when there are many similar, cheaper Android devices available. Add to that the general malaise in the smartphone market, and Samsung has a problem.
The company didn't respond to a request for comment.
For the first time, Samsung's Note line is launching with a bigger-screen iPhone -- the 5.5-inch 6 Plus -- already on the market and its follow-up -- likely called the iPhone 6S Plus -- coming soon. Last year's Galaxy Note 4 had a short run as the sole high-profile phablet smartphone, even if the iPhone 6 Plus was one of the worst-kept secrets in technology.
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