Samsung Takes Aim at Apple With New Launches: 10 Things to Know

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ as well as mobile
payment service Samsung Pay at the Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event in New
York on Thursday. The launches are intended to counter the success Apple
has had with its large screen iPhone models and Apple Pay.

Here’s everything
you need to know about the latest round of the Samsung vs. Apple battle:

1)
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ boast identical
specs: 5.7-inch QHD display, 4GB RAM, Exynos 7420 processor, 32GB base
storage, 16-megapixel rear camera, and Android 5.1.

(Also see:  Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ Full Specs and Price)

2) Samsung also announced the official launch its new mobile payment
system. Samsung Pay will launch in Korea and US first, and will come to
UK, China, and Spain at a later stage.

(Also see:  Samsung Pay Gets Korea and US Launch Date; Coming to UK, Spain, and China Later)

3)
The new launches are aimed at keeping the South Korean giant atop the
global smartphone market and countering its US rival Apple, which has
made gains with its large-screen iPhone 6 (Review | Pictures) and iPhone 6
Plus (Review | Pictures) and its tap-to-pay
feature.

4) Kantar Worldpanel analyst Carolina Milanese said
Samsung trailed Apple in the phablet market – devices with screens at
5.5 inches and above – in the second quarter.

(Also see:  Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs Apple iPhone 6)

5)
With the new devices, Samsung expands from its 5.1-inch display on the
existing Galaxy S6, and leapfrogs Apple’s handsets at 4.7- and
5.5-inches.

6) Ramon Llamas, analyst at IDC, said the launch
appears aimed at getting ahead of Apple, which is widely expected to
announce its own upgrades later this year. “This is a calculated move to
avoid the marketing onslaught of Apple in September and October,”
Llamas told AFP.

(Also see:  Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4)

7)
Samsung has traditionally announced the Note series flagship at IFA in
the first week of September, but this time it is looking to trump rival
Apple by announcing not one, but two new flagships well in advance.
Daniel Gleeson at IHS Technology said Samsung “is hoping to steal a
march on Apple’s new iPhone announcement which will likely happen in
early September.”

8) Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ kick off in the US from Thursday, and the
smartphones will be made available from August 21. In the US, the Galaxy
Note 5 will be available via AT&T (with a no commitment contract)
at $739.99 (roughly Rs. 48,400) for the 32GB variant, and $839.99
(roughly Rs. 54,800) for the 64GB variant.

9) The Galaxy S6 Edge+
will be priced at $814.99 (roughly Rs. 53,300) and $914.99 (roughly Rs.
59,800) for the 32GB and 64GB variants respectively. Samsung said the
Galaxy Note 5 will only be made available in select markets, while the
Galaxy S6 Edge+ will feature wider availability.

(Also see:  Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge vs Samsung Galaxy S6)

10)
Samsung Pay faces an uphill battle against Apple Pay. “Unlike Apple
which has accumulated 800 million payment card accounts associated with
iTunes, Samsung lacks this critical element for its payment service to
quickly gain traction,” Gleeson added.

Written with inputs from AFP

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

  • Review

  • Key Specs

  • News

    Display

    5.70-inch

    Processor

    1.5GHz

    Front Camera

     5-megapixel

    Resolution

     1440×2560 pixels

    RAM

     4GB

    OS

     Android 5.1

    Storage

    32GB

    Rear Camera

    16-megapixel

    Battery capacity

    3000mAh

    See full
    Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
    specifications

    • Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ 128GB Storage Variants Confirmed

    • Samsung Takes Aim to Apple With New Launches: 10 Things to Know

    • Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Note Edge+ ‘BlackBerry-Like’ Keyboard Covers Launched

    • Samsung Ramps Up Apple Challenge With Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+

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    Samsung
    mobiles

    Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    Samsung Galaxy Note 5

    • Review

    • Key Specs

    • News

      Display

      5.70-inch

      Processor

      1.5GHz

      Front Camera

       5-megapixel

      Resolution

       1440×2560 pixels

      RAM

       4GB

      OS

       Android 5.1

      Storage

      32GB

      Rear Camera

      16-megapixel

      Battery capacity

      3000mAh

      See full
      Samsung Galaxy Note 5
      specifications

      • Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ 128GB Storage Variants Confirmed

      • Samsung Takes Aim to Apple With New Launches: 10 Things to Know

      • Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Note Edge+ ‘BlackBerry-Like’ Keyboard Covers Launched

      • Samsung Ramps Up Apple Challenge With Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+

      More
      Samsung
      mobiles