Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to launch earlier than expected: Galaxy S8 sales to blame?

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ handsets were launched in March and hit the shelves in April. The South Korean company reported that the flagship devices had broken all records in terms of preorders and the handsets kept flying off the shelves even after their release. However, latest reports indicate that the sales of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have slowed down considerably.

The company is now planning to take drastic steps to maximize its revenue for the year.

Samsung’s other highly-awaited premium device to be released this year is the Galaxy Note 8. The company was supposed to unveil the handset toward the end of September, but seeing as how the sales of the flagship phones have slowed down, Samsung is now allegedly planning to launch the Galaxy Note 8 within the first weeks of September.

Early launch of the phablet

Well known tipster Evan Blass had earlier claimed that the South Korean company would launch the phablet by the end of September. However, the poor sales of the Galaxy S8 handsets may have prompted the company to bring the launch date of the Galaxy Note 8 closer.

It was reported that the earlier craze for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ had worn off considerably since its release.

According to a report from Korea, the 2017 flagship devices sold just 9.8 million units. This figure is much lower compared to the Galaxy S7 mobile phones, which were released in the first half of 2016. Those smartphones sold 12 million units in the same time span compared to the new devices.

The iPhone 8 factor

It cannot be denied that even though the Galaxy Note 8 is a highly-anticipated handset, many people are waiting for Apple to launch the iPhone 8, which is said to be a completely redesigned version of previous iPhones. Apple may launch the device around the end of September, which may have prompted Samsung to unveil its phablet earlier so that it does not clash with the Apple handset.

Some rumors have also revealed that Apple may not initiate the global rollout of the iPhone 8 before November. If this is true, then Samsung’s decision of launching the Galaxy Note 8 at the beginning of September will net in more revenues.

A similar strategy was undertaken by LG with its LG G6 earlier this year. The company released the device a lot earlier in a bid to avoid clashing with Samsung Galaxy S8 handsets. However, the plan did not seem to have worked for LG, as the sales of its LG G6 flagship have remained poor consistently.