By Lee Min-hyung
The world’s leading premium smartphone makers — Samsung, LG and Apple — are poised to intensify their rivalry next month by launching their most expensive flagship lineups.
Samsung Electronics is seeking to extend its winning streak with the new Note device. The Seoul-based tech company is the unmatched leader in the global Android handset industry, enjoying explosive market response for its flagship Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones.
Shipments for the premium handsets topped 19.8 million at the end of the second quarter, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. The company, backed by robust sales of the S8, dominated the global smartphone industry with a market share of 11.2 percent, recent data from market tracker Counterpoint Research showed.
The data is outstanding, as the S8 came out less than a year after the company suffered its worst smartphone recall, involving exploding batteries in the Note 7. The S8, which debuted in April, also made headlines by setting a record number of preorders of 1 million phones here.
Samsung plans to unveil its newest large-screen flagship phone, the Note 8, on Aug. 23 in New York. The device is expected to be available for sale globally in mid-September.
Market experts say the company has succeeded in winning back customer trust from the unprecedented handset recall and sales for the Note 8 will remain strong.
Earlier last month, Samsung launched repackaged Note 7 smartphones, the Galaxy Note Fan Edition (FE), in the Korean market, equipping them with a smaller battery. The nation’s telecom industry expects the 400,000 devices to sell out no later than this week.
“The Note’s strong brand value has driven the robust sales of the Note FE, and the new Note device will likely continue to grab strong attention from its fans here and abroad,” a mobile industry source said.
LG Electronics’ mobile unit is also seeking to post a rebound with its new flagship V30 smartphone, which will be unveiled on Aug. 31 at this year’s IFA trade show in Germany.
The company revealed that the premium device comes with a six-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) 18:9 ratio FullVision display. It has also made the bezels smaller than the device’s predecessor, the V20.
“The new flagship device will offer a whole new level of visual experiences for customers, as the OLED FullVision display can express deeper and more vivid colors than any other device on the market,” a company official said.
LG adopted the display ratio for the first time with its high-end G6 smartphone unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February. The device has drawn positive market responses, as it focused on enhancing the user experience without any notable downsides.
Samsung’s arch-rival, Apple, is also set to launch its new model next month, tentatively named the iPhone 8. The device is at the center of global smartphone industry attention, as it comes as the iPhone marks its 10th anniversary.
All eyes are focused on whether Apple can bring back its innovative spirit with the new device, as its latest models — the iPhone 5, 6 and 7 — did not have any eye-catching new functions.
No specifications have been unveiled for the new device, but rumors say the iPhone 8 will have a flexible OLED display.