Samsung has brought forward the launch of its Galaxy Note 4 smartphones in both China and South Korea. The phablet will go on sale from Friday, Sept. 26, instead of October.
Samsung made the announcement of moving forward the Galaxy Note 4's release in the countries on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The move seems to be prompted by the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which are yet to arrive in China.
This is the first time Samsung has released its flagship in China before other global markets. The Galaxy Note 4 is set to go on sale in the U.S. from Oct. 17.
"While rivals are rolling out other 5- or 6-inch smartphones, they will be no match for Samsung Electronics' unique usability, helped by the S pen," said Lee Don-joo, head of sales and marketing for Samsung's mobile division.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have already gone on sale in the U.S. and raked in 10 million sales in the first three days alone. Samsung is likely looking to fend off competition from the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus and the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and wants to capture the consumer market in China before the Apple devices hit the shelves. Thus far, consumers were drawn to the Galaxy Note series owing to its bigger screen size, but now with Apple jumping onto the bigger display bandwagon, Samsung's 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4 may be in for some tough competition.
Samsung also faces challenges from cheap phones that are made locally in China and India, which have affected the sales of its inexpensive smartphones.
However, all does not seem bleak for the South Korean company as in its home country, the Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders are sold out. The high demand for the Galaxy Note 4 in the region has exhausted supplies on all three carriers i.e. KT, LG Uplus and SK Telecom.
Per reports, SK Telecom exhausted its pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 4 in just 9 hours. On the other hand, LG Uplus and KT took three days to sell their inventories. The pre-orders began on Sept. 18 and were expected to go on till Sept. 25. The unlocked Galaxy Note 4 will cost 957,000 Korean Won (approximately $920) in Samsung's home country.
The Galaxy Note 4 will be available from major Chinese and South Korean carriers before September end.
