By Barry Eitel
SAN FRANCISCO, United States
Samsung has unveiled two high-end smartphones, both featuring a massive screen, as well as a mobile payments system -- all tactics to compete better with longtime rival Apple and its iPhone 6 success.
Just a few months after Samsung released the Galaxy S6 smartphone in April, the South Korean company unveiled the Galaxy S6 Edge+ on Thursday, as well as the Galaxy Note 5. Both phones boost huge 14.5 centimeter (5.7 inch) screens, which are measured diagonally -- a little big larger than Apple’s pocket-bursting iPhone 6 Plus.
Essentially, the only difference between the phones is that the S6 Edge+ has a screen that curves around its edges and the Note 5 includes a stylus, with Samsung believing it is best suited for the business market.
"At Samsung, we believed in the promise that large screen smartphones could actively address some major consumers' pain points by providing users with a better viewing experience and more productivity on-the-go," JK Shin, the head of Samsung’s mobile division, said in a statement. "With the launch of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note5, we’re reemphasizing our ongoing commitment to bold, fearless innovation that meets the needs of our consumers."
The Galaxy S6 was lauded by critics when it was released earlier this year, and the curved screen of the Edge version allowed users to see brief notifications on the side of the phone. Still, today’s release follows five consecutive financial quarters of dropping profits.
Samsung found great success several years ago by producing smartphones with very large screens as other tech companies were focused on making devices smaller. The concept of a "phablet" (a portmanteau of "phone" and "tablet") caught on, with Apple scoring a huge win with the large screens of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year.
The two phones will be released on all major carriers in the U.S. on August 21. Samsung Pay, the company’s new mobile payments system, will launch on September 28.
