Samsung to release new phablets in S. Korea this week

Samsung Electronics Co. plans to launch its two new phablets in South Korea this week to coincide with the commercial start of a mobile payment service on its home turf, a company executive said Saturday.

Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, showcased the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ phablets, or a combination of a smartphone and a tablet PC, in New York on Friday as part of efforts to galvanize its mobile business.

"The release of the phablets in South Korea is scheduled for Thursday," Lee Sang-chul, head of Samsung's wireless business division, said in a meeting with reporters here. "The launch of the new phablets has been moved forward thanks to all-out efforts by Samsung's wireless division."
 

(Yonhap)

The South Korean launch of the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is timed to coincide with the commercial start of the Samsung Pay service, which is currently on a pilot run after the release of the Galaxy S6 smartphone.

Samsung plans to begin selling the new phablets in the United States and Canada on Friday, and release them in China, Japan and most other countries on Aug. 28. The European launch is scheduled for early September.

Samsung has been facing increasing competition from rivals, with its earnings being dented by the rise of Chinese firms and Apple Inc.'s iPhones. (Yonhap)