Report: iPhone 6 and 6+ success sparks acceleration on Galaxy Note 4 launch
With news that Apple managed to sell over 10 million units of the new iPhone devices (those being the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+), Samsung is sweating a bit — so much so that they’ve reportedly brought the launch of the device up to a nearer date. According to the Korea Times, Samsung is now planning to launch the phone on major South Korean carriers this Friday, September 26th. The device was originally billed for an October release.
The timing for Samsung makes sense as Apple has not yet launched in all of their planned markets. The initial launch weekend only invited folks from the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK to the party.
Apple’s second phase — this Friday — takes place in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
Beyond responding to Apple’s sudden launch of the latest iPhone units by adjusting their timing, Samsung also wants to undercut prices. Not only is their own phone being offered cheaper than any of the iPhone models, but it’s now being offered for less than any other Note device has debuted at:
In Korea, the suggested retail price for the Note 4 was set at 957,000 won without contracts ― the lowest price tag since Samsung opened its phablet chapter with the Note series in 2011. The Note 1 was priced at 999,000 won, while the Notes 2 and 3 were sold for 1.08 million won and 1.06 million won, respectively, to Korean consumers.
It’s clear Samsung has a lot riding on this launch. For years they’ve been marketing to what was largely seen as a niche audience of folks who desired huge, high resolution displays.
HTC and LG ultimately caught on and began to challenge Samsung in that particular space, but that wasn’t enough to keep each iteration of the Note line from reaching 10 million unit sales. With Apple into the mix, things just got a whole lot more interesting.
Now more than ever, Samsung has to work hard to convince consumers their “big phone” is more than just a “big phone.” Unique additions like the Wacom-powered S Pen experience and a superior multi-tasking system should give them enough to go toe-to-toe with Apple. Samsung’s also created a timely marketing campaign to help show folks that they’ve been at this phablet game for years, and they’ll need to make sure they capitalize on that with a launch sooner rather than later.
Samsung believes they can sell about 15 million units with its first 30 days of going on sale despite increased pressure from Apple. That would be a remarkable feat as it took them a couple of months to reach that mark for last year’s Galaxy Note 3.
It doesn’t sound like they’re expecting to reach Apple’s numbers within just 3 days, though you’ll have to remember that the Note 4 won’t be launching in nearly as many markets on day one as the iPhone 6 and 6+ did. Reaching even just 10 million sales within the first month would be huge for Samsung.
There’s still no clue when the rest of the world will be able to get their hands on the Galaxy Note 4, though their estimation makes it sound like they won’t be waiting far into October. Be sure to read our iPhone 6+ vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comparison for a better idea of how these two behemoths stack up to each other, and stay on the lookout for more coverage in the weeks to come!