Top-end Samsung Galaxy Note20s dominate pre-orders

Dubai - Latest flagship - along with other new products - now available in UAE.

Samsung Electronics' Note series has long been associated with productivity. And with the coronavirus pandemic forcing shifts in working trends, there will be more needs for devices that will ensure people remain in the thick of things.
"With more people staying at home, more has also been done on a smartphone...it's the kind of device that brings a PC in the palm of your hand," Osman Albora, senior director of Samsung Gulf Electronics' mobile division, told Khaleej Times in an interview on Wednesday.
"A year's change has been compressed in just three months, with more people working from home and using more data."
Albora was speaking alongside the launch of the Galaxy Note20 series in the UAE. The premium devices are aimed at aiding users in productivity, especially in the unprecedented situation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
The scenario has "blurred the lines between work and play, and the solution to this is a device that can keep pace" with the needs of users, Albora said.
The effects - and the need for workers to adapt - are being felt globally. Quoting research, he says that employees in the United States work for three hours more at home, while those in certain European countries clock in at two hours.
Pre-orders spike
The Galaxy Note20 series feature several upgrades, including better battery life, a more versatile S Pen and an enhanced camera.
And while down to three lenses from the Note10's four, the Note20's camera features a 108MP sensor - first seen in the Galaxy S20 earlier this year - with improved stabilisation and lighting, among others.
Samsung's partnership with Microsoft was also boosted, with seamless integration and syncing capabilities with apps such as Outlook; a drag-and-drop feature slated to be introduced later this year. The devices will also have a multi-window experience, with a user being able to open up to six Android apps on a PC.
"Remaining connected has never been more important now that we have been propelled into the new normal. The onus is on us as the leading market innovator to provide new and exciting products that allow consumers to focus on what matters most through improved work and play capabilities," Albora added.
Pre-orders for the Note20 series handily beat last year's Note10, Albora said: In the GCC, they were up 40 per cent, with the UAE alone recording a 52 per cent increase.
And the top-end Note20 Ultra made up a big chunk of this, with the 5G version alone comprising over 80 per cent of pre-orders.
Samsung also made its other new products available, including the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+, Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Buds Live.
Meanwhile, its new foldable device, the Galaxy Z Fold2, is expected to be launched in September. It will come with two edge-to-edge, almost bezel-less Infinity-O displays - 6.2 inches for its cover and 7.6 inches as its main screen, making it bigger than the previous Fold.
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com

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