Samsung Electronics said Thursday it was planning to launch in the second half of this year a new flagship phone, leading to speculation that the company is planning an alternative to the ill-fated Galaxy Note7 that had to be recalled last year.
The launch of a new flagship smartphone this year and continuing sales of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will help Samsung counter Apple’s launch of a new version of its iPhone. Apple usually unveils new phones in September.
“Samsung does announce a S series phone in the first half of the year and a Note series in the second half,” said Kiranjeet Kaur, research manager for client devices at IDC Asia/Pacific.
