Samsung Galaxy Note 7 set to hit UAE shelves in August

Dubai - The launch of the Galaxy Note 7, the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event will take place in New York on August 2

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will be launched on Tuesday at three different places globally and the UAE launch is scheduled on August 9 in Dubai.
The Korean smartphone manufacturer has already started pre-booking in the UAE with a token money of Dh500, which is refundable if customers changed their mind. Its starting price might be around Dh3,000 in the country, sources told Khaleej Times.
To celebrate the launch of the Galaxy Note 7, the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event will take place at 11.00am EDT in New York on August 2. Simultaneous, launch events will take place in Rio de Janeiro at noon and in London at 4.00pm. To catch the live action right from the launch place, the event will be streamed via Samsung Website.
The UAE is expected to be among the select countries where the device will be available soon after the launch. Its pricing is not yet confirmed in the UAE but in Europe the new device might cost around ?850.
The Note 7 is expected to the first ever smartphone that will have an iris scanner. A leaked video on social network shows a man using his eyes to unlock the device almost instantaneously. If it's true then Note 7 will no doubt become a standout feature, marking it out from its competitors.
"With added functionality of the S Pen and large screen, the Galaxy Note 7 is a powerful instrument for achievement and self-expression, and is made for those who want to get the most from their phones - and their lives. Galaxy Note 7 will help people do more in work, at home and everywhere in between. We can't wait to tell you more about it!," according to Samsung.
The company added: "First and foremost though, you might be curious as to why it's called Galaxy Note 7 instead of Galaxy Note 6. There are a couple reasons why. First, the Galaxy Note 7 will complement our Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and unify our product portfolio. Second, the Galaxy Note 7 will minimise confusion about the latest mobile technology from Samsung, and provide full alignment with Galaxy S smartphone."
According to leaked information about the new device, it will be 153.5mm x 73.9mm x 7.9mm device, weighing in at 168 grammes. Its hardware includes a 5.7-inch, QHD Super AMOLED display, 12MP camera on the back and a 5MP shooter on the front.
For chipset variants, it's believed that there will be an Exynos 8893 version, clocked at 2.3GHz, as well as a Snapdragon 821 version - most probably for the US market. RAM will likely to be 4GB as early prototypes show, although there is still the rumour of a 6GB version floating around. And all that will be powered by a 3,700 mAh battery.
The Note 7 is expected to another waterproof smartphone by Samsung that will have a P68 certification. So it will be waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 1.5m of water.

Samsung shipment
Samsung has extended its lead in the global smartphone market over Apple in the second quarter of 2016, gaining from the launch of its updated flagship handsets.
The smartphone leader delivered 77 million smartphones in the June quarter, up 5.5 per cent from a year ago, for a market share of 22.4 per cent, according to research firm IDC.
That compared with a 15 per cent drop in sales for Apple's iPhones, which accounted for 11.8 per cent, IDC added.
Samsung got a lift from the March launch of its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge flagship models, with an upgraded processor, waterproofing and other features, IDC noted.
Apple, despite the launch of its more affordable iPhone SE, failed to keep pace and reported weaker sales compared to a year ago.
Samsung has also reported a five per cent growth in its revenues and 18 per cent increase in profit for the second quarter of 2016 compared to same period in 2015. All these growth numbers are driven by strong sales of the Galaxy S7 family of devices.
- abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com