Galaxy Note 8 to hit shelves in mid-Sept.

By Kang Seung-woo

Samsung Electronics’ latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, will go on sale Sept. 15, according to the nation’s mobile carriers Wednesday.

The world’s largest smartphone maker is scheduled to unveil the new phone in New York on Aug. 23.

“Internally, we have reached a tentative conclusion that the Galaxy Note 8 will hit shelves on Sept. 15,” a wireless service provider official said. “It seems quite unlikely to change.”

The official said rival companies also have the same rollout plan.

Usually, three mobile carriers _ KT, SK Telecom and LG Uplus _ start selling a new Samsung phone on the same day.

Samsung’s record also supports the Sept. 15 release, as it has shown a cycle of 17 or 23 days from the unveiling to an official release in the three previous Note phones _ the 4, 5 and 7. Earlier this year, the Galaxy S8, the latest handset in Samsung’s other high-end lineup, was unveiled on March 29 and released April 21.

However, it remains to be seen when preorders for the Note 8 will open, which are likely to run for 10 days to two weeks before the official launch.

Market watchers expect that sales of the Galaxy Note 8 will reach a record high as it will be the first Galaxy Note phone since last year's fiasco with the Note 7. Samsung had to discontinue the device two months after its launch due to faulty batteries.

The Note 8 is likely to come with a 6.3-inch display, larger than the S8’s 5.8-inch screen. The S8 Plus variant has a 6.2-inch display. The phone also is expected to include the Bixby voice assistant, whose English service is now available, as well as a dual camera that enables wide- and regular-angle shots.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s cross-town rival LG Electronics’ new flagship phone, the V30, is also likely to go on sale on Sept. 15.

According to foreign media outlets, the LG V30 will make its way to the Korean market on Sept. 15 before U.S. consumers get their hands on the device on Sept. 28.

LG plans to unveil the V30 on Aug. 31, before the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) trade show in Berlin, Germany.