The electronics maker is also anticipated to reveal the Galaxy Note 5 alongside the S6 Border variant in the function. All four major carriers have a 128GB Note 5 and S6 edge+, though some operators only have a 128GB phone in one color.
Advertisement
The Note 5 also comes with an Edge-like curve to it which could make it easier to hold despite the size.
The Samsung Unpacked event also saw a presentation for Samsung Pay, a mobile payment service, and a teaser for the Gear 2 smartwatch, to be shown at a trade show in Berlin on Sept 3. The free update for the software will be launched in mid-August, which will enable Samsung Pay on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge smartphones in US and Korea.
Shin said he expects wide adoption because Samsung Pay “doesn’t cause small business to upgrade their terminals and will be accepted nearly everywhere on day one”.
There is an important feature that sets Samsung Pay apart from its competitors that Samsung surprisingly didn’t touch on. And on the other, we have the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, a super-sized edition of the S6 edge that was announced earlier in the year. Instead, Samsung will build an ecosystem through which merchants can provide offers and loyalty programs to their customers.
Premium users have been over won by Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple is expected to launch the successors to these in September.
Samsung is the world’s top smartphone maker but its market share fell in the second quarter when its critically acclaimed S6 models launched, squeezed by Apple Inc’s upscale iPhones and cheaper offerings from Chinese rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. Pricing starts at $249 for the 32GB version of the Galaxy Note5 and $299 for the 32GB version of the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
Advertisement
Samsung appears to have signed up Bank of America and Chase for Samsung Pay, plus plenty of Korean partners, and pledges to get just about anyone capable of shifting a shekel aboard real soon now.
