BERLIN // Samsung last night unveiled four new products, including a curved screen smartphone, in front of a packed crowd at the IFA Berlin consumer electronics show.
The Galaxy Note Edge phablet was the most interesting announcement, with its flat-screen frontage optimised by a curved edge on the right side, allowing access to shortcuts and notifications, as Samsung aims to make its mark ahead of the expected Apple iPhone 6 event next week.
Samsung's new products are slated for an autumn release, although a UAE launch date is not yet known.
The Galaxy Note 4 was also announced and is essentially the same as the Note Edge without the curvature. It has a 5.7-inch screen, 16-megapixel rear camera and 3.7-megapixel front camera. It also features the world’s first UV sensor in a mobile phone – handy under the baking UAE sunshine – and a fast battery charging option, while new methods of taking notes with the S Pen stylus have been introduced.
Samsung, which had a 25 per cent smartphone global market share at the end of the second quarter according to International Data Corporation, has also linked up with Swarovski to add some bling to the back covers for its devices.
Omar Kassim, the founder of UAE online electronics retailer JadoPado, said that although the Galaxy Note was a niche product when it first came out, it was a clever move by Samsung as it has gained a strong following.
“I was in South Korea last year and was surprised to see that no-one had a device as small as the current iPhone – everyone had a phablet. I asked them why they liked the large screens and it was because they spend a lot of time commuting and are able to watch TV on the go.
“That isn’t the case so much in the UAE but people here do want to own the biggest and priciest devices.”
DJ Lee, president, head sales & marketing IT Mobile Communications Division at Samsung, said at the company’s Unpacked Live event in Germany that Samsung wants to be “a trigger for a new mobile culture that enhances what we value most in life”.
“We created the Note category in 2011 to enhance your creativity, productivity and efficiency,” he added.
The other announcements made by Samsung at IFA were a virtual reality headset that acts as an add-on to the Note 4, and the Gear S smartwatch.
The wearable device has a built in sim card providing data connection, is Wi-Fi compatible and has GPS. It has a 2in screen and Qwerty keyboard for those with nimble fingers.
ioxborrow@thenational.ae
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