Global smartphone giants are expected to compete fiercely in the second half of 2017, industry watchers said Friday, as South Korea's top two players are fixing the release dates of their latest flagship smartphones next month.

Samsung Electronics Co. said it will showcase the presumed Galaxy Note 8 in the United States on Aug. 23, with LG Electronics Inc. also planning to unveil the presumed V30 smartphone in Germany on Aug. 31.

US smartphone behemoth Apple Inc. is also seeking to release the iPhone 8 later this year.


While the companies refrained from providing details, industry watchers said the presumed Galaxy Note 8 may come with a 6.3 to 6.4 inch Super AMOLED display. The size is larger than the 5.7-inch panel used on its Galaxy Note 7 predecessor released last year.

The new devices will also become the first flagship device made by Samsung to boast dual back facing cameras, expected to be 13-megapixel units, a slight bump up from the 12-megapixel ones used in the current line of Samsung premium phones. Other rumors also claim the S-Pen may come with its own speaker.

Industry watchers said the price of the new phablet is expected to be the most expensive among flagship devices at $900-1,000.

The ill-fated Note 7 came with a price tag of $850.

LG Electronics' anticipated V30 smartphone is expected to come with a 18:9 display under the title "Full-Vision."

Just as the V10 and the V20, the new device is set to focus on boasting high-end audio-related features. It is also likely to come with 13-megapixel cameras.

Apple is widely expected to release three new iPhones, namely the iPhone 7s, the iPhone 7s Plus and another flagship model. The trio are follow-ups to last year's iPhone 7 sold by the Cupertino company.

Sources said to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone series, the new smartphone may be called the iPhone X, instead of the iPhone 8. Taking the latest trend into consideration, the device is also expected to come with a nearly bezel-free design. (Yonhap)