Samsung Seeks Smartphone Turnaround With Note 10

Samsung Electronics is betting big on its forthcoming high-end smartphone Galaxy Note 10, hoping for the latest product to boost its stagnant smartphone business.

The company will unveil the Note 10 smartphone in New York on Thursday (Korean time) and begin sales on Aug 23. Samsung said the Note 10 will offer improved productivity and powerful performance, raising hopes that it can achieve a higher sales volume compared to the Note 9.

“It’s too early for us to present any specific sales target, but we’re expecting the Note 10 to achieve higher sales volumes versus its predecessor Note 9,” Lee Jong-min, vice president of the firm, said during a recent conference call.

According to industry tracker Counterpoint Research, the sales volume of the Note 10 is expected to be below 10 million, similar to that of its predecessor Note 9, which has recorded sales of about 9.6 million.

The company’s IT & Mobile Communications division, which supervises its smartphone business, posted an operating profit of 1.56 trillion won ($1.28 billion) in the second quarter of 2019, a 41.6 percent decrease year-on-year, due to declining smartphone sales.

Samsung said its smartphone sales volume was improved thanks to the growing popularity of the budget smartphones but it struggled to sell high-end smartphones because of “weak sales momentum for the Galaxy S10 and stagnant demand for premium products.”

Dropping a hint of the latest product, Samsung said the Note 10 will be able to have 5G connectivity with its upgraded signature S Pen stylus device.

“The new Note 10 will even further upgrade the unique value of the Note series, and feature an S Pen experience that is even more intuitive, rich and expanded,” Lee said. “Some of the highlights of the Note 10 will be the more powerful performance, enhanced productivity-related functions and also an optimized multimedia experience for the 5G network.”

Powered-by its latest flagship mobile processor Exynos 9825 or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855, depending on region and mobile carriers, the latest product is expected to come in two sizes ― a 6.3-inch display and 6.8-inch display ― to offer more choices to consumers. The Note 10 is expected to come in both 4G and 5G network-enabled versions in the global market but only 5G versions are expected to be sold in Korea.

Another difference between the Note 10 and previous models is that it will not have a 3.5-milimeter headphone jack, following the latest industry trends. Also, the Bixby button, which is situated on the left side of Samsung’s premium smartphones, is expected to disappear.

As Samsung applied Bluetooth connectivity for the Note 9’s S Pen, enabling users to take photos or remotely control other apps, the S Pen for the Note 10 is expected to support more features such as motion gestures that enable users to zoom in or out by drawing a circular motion in the air.―Korea Times