Samsung Might Be Launching Another Smartphone This Year

We previously reported that Samsung was going to be releasing their Galaxy S9 and S9+, but neither of those phones will be considered their “flagship” phone. Instead, there’s a possibility that Samsung will be releasing a third smartphone.  This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Last year, we thought Apple was only going to be launching an iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, but instead, they blew us all away with the iPhone X.  What’s interesting about Samsung is that this is the first time ever that they will have three distinct high-end mobile devices in stores.  But is this overkill?  I mean, having another option is always good, but when there are too many options to choose from, it can be a complicated decision.  Or is it just me?

Don’t get too excited though, as the Galaxy X may not be launched until late 2018, or early 2019.  Which means, it might not even be an option. Think about it for a minute.  If the other two smartphones are available in the next couple of months, and then the other one isn’t available until November, how is that part of your decision-making process?  And can Samsung even say that the other two aren’t “flagship” phones now?

Often, we see companies bringing out a majorly different smartphone as a way to boost sales, but Samsung’s fourth-quarter earnings results suggest that they’re doing just fine.  But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be looking to the future in order to improve their smartphones.  We also have to remember that Samsung makes so much more than just smartphones.  In fact, one could argue that a majority of their revenue comes from other products – like TVs.  I mean, you saw what they had on display at CES, right? If not, you should check out our post on CES – which included more than Samsung.

Samsung notes, in a media release, that the first quarter is traditionally slow, but they are expecting to busy.  Especially given the fact that they’re launching the S9 in the first quarter.  What’s interesting to me, though, is that Samsung is pushing profitability of their mid-range and low-end mobile products.  And this is where I think Samsung and Apple differ.  Apple, for the most part, doesn’t have many (or any) of those low-end or even mid-range products. Which is maybe why there are more people using Android devices, than iOS?

Getting back to the Galaxy X for a minute though.  This might revolutionize the way that smartphones are developed as the Galaxy X might be foldable.  And not in the way that you might think.  When I hear foldable phone, I immediately think of a flip phone, circa 2005 or something an older Dad would have.  But this isn’t your Dad’s phone.  The Galaxy X is expected to be equipped with a 7.3″ flexible OLED screen that can unfold to form a medium-sized tablet.  It also includes an Exynos 9810/Snapdragon 845 CPU, a dual-camera and at least 6GB of RAM.

The question at hand, though, is will you wait for the Galaxy X, or will you get one of the S9 versions?  I mulled this over when I was shopping for my new iPhone this fall.  But due to when I needed the phone, I landed on the iPhone 8.  The iPhone X was still a few months off and estimates of when it was going to be shipped were unknown.  That said, there’s a part of me that wished I had waited.  With Samsung, though, it’s going to be more than a couple of months so this one definitely needs some thought if you’re considering the Galaxy X.