Samsung may be releasing it's next big smartphone, the Galaxy Note 4, earlier than expected due to the wildly successful opening weekend of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, 9to5Mac reported.
Samsung Announced The Galaxy Note 4's Original Launch Date Last Week During Apple's Big Weekend
The information comes from an article published by the KoreaTimes in which an unnamed marketing official from Samsung states that "positive reaction from consumers to those two Apple devices prompted us to launch the Note 4 earlier than previously scheduled." According to the article, Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Note 4 in Korea on Friday, ahead of its previous October launch date.
A Samsung press conference is said to be taking place in Korea tomorrow, after which we might know whether this new, reactionary marketing strategy will have effects in Western markets as well.
Apple Reportedly Sells 10 Million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Units In Just The First Three Days
Another figure in the article mentioned that Samsung is trying to ship 15 million units in the Note 4's first month. If true, that would help the company at least begin to keep pace with Apple, which reportedly racked up 10 million combined sales for its two new phones on their opening weekend.
Preorders for the Galaxy Note 4 started last week on the same day as the iPhone 6 launch. The Note 4 sits in the same kind of phablet market that the new Apple devices, especially the iPhone 6 Plus, are trying to enter, and Samsung's advertisements haven't been afraid to directly confront Apple's new phones. With a 5.7-inch screen, the Galaxy Note 4 edges out even the larger 6 Plus in screen size, and its base retail price is the same as the 6 Plus, $299 with contract.
Last week, Samsung announced that its newest smartphone would launch in the States on October 17. Now that Korea is reportedly getting a September release date, that could mean American buyers might get to wait a week less than they had anticipated.