Tech giant Samsung has announced details of two new large screen phones. With quarterly profits having suffered five successive falls, the new models are an important move for Samsung.
Big screens
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5 will both have 5.7in (14.5cm) screens, and the former will once again feature a curved glass screen.
The announcements were made by the world leader in terms of overall smartphone shipments at a press conference in New York.
Apple’s shift to bigger iPhones has been cited by analysts as one reason for the big screen upgrades, although the increasingly important role that video production is taking in content provision must also be a factor.
European changes
The new version of the Note still comes with a stylus, but it now has metal edges and a glass back design, which adds up to a “premium” style rather than a purely functional one.
However, Samsung has decided that the stylus-controlled Galaxy Note 5 will not be launched in Europe for the time being, marking a significant change in its marketing approach.
Francisco Jeronimo from market research firm IDC commented: “The Note would have been a good fit for Europe’s enterprise market, and if Samsung expects the S6 Edge+ to attract the same business users I don’t believe it will succeed.”
Plus-sized features
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is aimed at the “phablet” handset market. The “plus” refers to the screen being 0.6in (1.5cm) bigger than previous versions. It also has greater scratch-resistant properties.
The Galaxy Note 5 has a case that can be used as a physical Qwerty keyboard, and both phones feature a one-touch “live broadcast” mode that streams 1080p high definition video to YouTube.
Rivalry
Vice president of Samsung Electronics’ European telecom operations Jean-Daniel Ayme recognised his company’s rivalry with Apple when he said: “Of course, we’re not alone in the market and we take the whole [sector] into consideration to find the best opportunity.
“It’s fair to say that we’re in a market which has competition, and we welcome that – it’s a maturing market all around the world and we thrive in developing new opportunities, new devices that will grow the business.”
