Less than a week after a WSJ report claimed Samsung (SSNLF) planned on moving up launch of its Galaxy Note 5, two new reports have surfaced with more details about the impending announcement.
SamMobile and DigiTimes published separate reports on Tuesday, each one claiming Samsung will announce the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ on August 12. The event announcement will reportedly take place in New York.
Taking into account information gleaned from both reports, consumers can expect the Galaxy Note 5 to feature a redesigned stylus, a 5.7-inch screen, and lack a microSD slot. Additionally, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will most likely be a bigger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, which launched earlier this year.
SamMobile claims the devices will be available for purchase on August 21, while DigiTimes states the launch will take place “in major markets on August 14.”
The company recently decided to move the launch of its Galaxy Note 5 from September to August in an effort to get ahead of the media frenzy that typically accompanies Apple iPhone launches.
After Apple (AAPL) moved its iPhone launch cycle from June to September, Samsung has repeatedly found itself standing outside the spotlight as media and consumer focus often shifted to its biggest competitor. Such was the case last year when the company’s Note 4, announced on the September 3, was overshadowed by Apple news regarding its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 9.
By moving the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ launch to an earlier date, Samsung will have more time to draw attention to its latest smartphone without fear of Apple drawing attention away from the South Korean company.
Meanwhile, Samsung Pay, the company’s mobile payment solution, is also expected to launch alongside the two new devices in August. The new platform, first announced in March, will offer contactless payment using Near Field Communication (NFC) and magnetic secure-transmission technology acquired from LoopPay. The payment solution allows a user to transmit payment data simply by tapping his or her Samsung device against a payment terminal.
