Can Samsung sneak their way into the hearts of consumers with an early Note 5 release?

Samsung is actively working to maintain an edge against Apple in the smartphone market as overall demand is dropping. It was recently announced that they will push forward the release their next Galaxy Note phone to early August in order to beat the announcement of Apple’s new handsets, which typically occurs in September. The Galaxy Note line currently finds its biggest competition against the similarly large iPhone 6 Plus. The models are neck in neck in terms of consumer attention, but the iPhone 6 Plus is better delighting consumers.

The anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is rumored to have a sleek glass and metal casing, making the design extremely similar to an iPhone, and removing the option to replace the battery and casing. Expediting the release of their next handset in the Note line will successfully win the race to market against Apple, but the subtle changes will not likely incite consumers to buy, as an updated version of ‘the old’ is not new enough to rouse consumers to immediately upgrade.

Demand in the smartphone market is shrinking, and Samsung’s relatively recent launch of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge did little to reverse this trend. Will this strategy of flooding the market with slightly updated new devices incite demand in a saturated market? It’s unlikely, especially considering the minimal impact of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge release. Stay tuned for a complete analysis of Q2 smartphone performance later this week to find out which brands are delighting consumers, and which are gaining mindshare in the midst of falling demand. In the meantime, stay updated with our free weekly newsletters!