Samsung Galaxy Note 4 May Get a Complete Redesign

[dgstorm]

There are hints from Samsung themselves that the Galaxy Note 4 will get a major redesign. Yoon Han-kil, senior vice president of Samsung's product strategy team, was recently interviewed by Reuters. He had some interesting things to say regarding future Samsung mobile products. Here's a quote with more of the details,

Slowing growth in the high-end smartphone market has been a source of consternation for manufacturers like Samsung and Apple amid intensifying competition from Chinese upstarts like Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Lenovo Group.

"The slowing high-end market is indeed a concern for most manufacturers," Yoon said.

"But we're trying out a lot of new things like wearables, convergence with home devices and cars. I think there'll be synergies here some day and it'll eventually help us increase premium product sales longer term."

In the meantime, Samsung is hoping multiple variations of its flagship products will hit as big an audience as possible, while Apple sticks to the premium segment.

Apple is said to be preparing two devices with larger screens, at least one of which is expected to launch in the latter half of the year.

Yoon said Samsung was also planning to launch a new version of the Galaxy Note with a "new form factor" in the second half, without elaborating.

"Our ultimate goal is to make products that consumers really aspire to have. This is how we are trying to find a breakthrough in the stagnant premium market," he said.

Yoon points out something that many of us have been seeing in the mobile market for the last year. Even your friendly staff here at DF HQ have noticed the diminishing consumer interest in high-end mobile devices. It's getting to a point where consumers have less and less reason to upgrade to the "next big thing" because each new device is only incrementally better than the last.

Do you think Samsung can find a way to renew interest in the high-end segment by simply offering design changes, or is it going to take something dramatically more innovative than that?

Source: Reuters

 

[jspradling7]

And the S5 will be metal, quad display, and blow bubbles out its butt. : )

 

[UltraDroid]

Hard to say if the high-end smartphone market needs a game changing device to spark interest. Lot's of people are not thrilled about the price the US carriers are asking for the latest and the greatest. Even spread out over a two year contract, we are talking some serious money for the brand new, top of the line phones.

 

[Jeffrey]

The Big Corporation philosophy is "if it's not broke, don't fix it", with this in mind Sammy's small incremental changes become very profitable. I bet they sell 50M S5's.

S3 peeps are the ones most likely to opt for an S5. A good % of S4 peeps will jump just to have the latest and greatest.

The differences between the S3 and S5 are significant. Therefore, Sammy's every 2 year philosophy is working.

 

[Jeffrey]

Hard to say if the high-end smartphone market needs a game changing device to spark interest. Lot's of people are not thrilled about the price the US carriers are asking for the latest and the greatest. Even spread out over a two year contract, we are talking some serious money for the brand new, top of the line phones.

UD, you make an excellent point. Keep in mind that the US buyers of these products have been spoiled by carrier incentives linked to new contracts. Here in Asia, we do not have these incentives and pay full price for the device. But what we get is an unlocked device and I choose the carrier that gives me the best coverage/data package and price.

Yes, I will need to pay $750 for an S5 but I am totally in charge. The + side is, the Asian second hand mobile market is huge. I can sell my S4 for $400. and my S3 for $250. So the new S5 will cost me $100. Next years upgrade will cost me $350 as I only have 1 device to trade in. I can live with that.

 

[KaChow]

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I think that automatically the Note 4 is destined for success (Internationally) that is simply because of the 2 year rule. Let's face it those that have the Note 2 and kept it, are happy with it, and decided to upgrade in time of their 2 year contract with the latest Note device.

Since, most of this forum revolves around "Droid" which let's not forget was a Motorola name, which Motorola is mostly exclusive to the carrier Verizon, which for those that own a Note 2 and are looking to upgrade to a Note 4 on Verizon, you're in for a wake up call. Well, the wake up call is that the Verizon Note 3 has a locked Bootloader, and the only way to get an Unlocked Bootloader is to buy a Developers Edition from Verizon at the Full Retail Price of $799. It is most likely that the Note 4 will also have a Developers Edition also, as the Samsung S5 with Verizon also has one, as well. If you like custom ROMs, ROMs that do not require Safestrap, but ROMs that allow you to run CyanogenMod or AOSP or any of the fun stuff like custom Kernels you'll need an Unlocked device, and if you have Verizon, it will cost you a full retail amount, the Note 3 was $799.

If you ask me the Note device doesn't justify this cost what so ever... And everyone that paid Full Retail price should be refunded from Samsung the $49 Apple infringement royalty per device, as we shouldn't be charged excess fees for Samsung copyright violations.

 

[Jmoore1701]

As I've said before, I got the Note 2 in order to take me out of the upgrade cycle. It's been a perfect device for me, and I haven't seen anything in the past year and a half, not even the new HTC One M8, that I would trade it in for.
As I've also said before, I've no idea what it would take to get me to "I gotta have that!" A bigger, high-rez screen, certainly. Other than that, phone manufacturers will have to suprise me with some "wow." And I don't mean 3D screens, or sharper cameras, or faster processors. Yawn.
The Note 4's redesign would have to be RADICAL to get me back into the upgrade cycle: sleek, light, eye-catching. I don't know what it would take, and that's the point. Everything I already know about, I've already got. Samsung, or Motorola, or HTC, or Windows, whoever, needs to hit me from left field with something I don't see coming before I'll even look up from my Note 2.

 

[bkdodger]

Note 2 is a solid device. .I went to the Note 3 .. and passed the N2 over to the GF. . I'm not so disappointed with the locked phone KA. .I do agree wish Verizon would unlock retail versions. .BC its more fun for us. . Haha
At the same time the Note series are exceptional stock experience..

N3 tap