Galaxy Note 9 reported to launch as early as July

The wait for the Galaxy Note 9 may have gotten a little shorter. That's because production of Samsung's next Note phone is reportedly ahead of schedule, according to Korean news outlet The Investor, which claims the Galaxy Note 9 may be released as soon as July or early August.

This would be earlier than the release of the Galaxy Note 8, which Samsung announced on Aug. 23 last year and put on sale in mid-September.

The Galaxy Note 8 was unveiled late August 2017.

CNET

The Galaxy Note is Samsung's line of high-end phones that comes with a digital stylus. It also often debuts new hardware and software features that the current Galaxy S phone doesn't have, making it a more cutting-edge device.

The Investor bases its prediction on reports that Samsung Display will start making OLED screens for the Galaxy Note 9 in April. Since the report claims that display production usually starts in June, this would put the Galaxy Note 9 two months ahead of schedule. 

In turn, this could mean the Galaxy Note 9 may release earlier, but it also may be too soon to tell. Samsung declined to comment when CNET asked about switching up the Galaxy Note's usual late-August launch.

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But launching the Galaxy Note 9 early could have one potential benefit: beating out Apple's next iPhone. Early rumors say that Apple may launch three new iPhones in September, each with a different size and price. This could pose some serious competition for Samsung, but the Note 9 might benefit if it hits shelves early. Last year the iPhone X didn't go on sale until November, which may or may not have helped Note 8 sales.

An early Note 9 release could also make up lost ground for Galaxy S9 sales, which are "less than stellar," according to the report.

The last time Samsung launched a Note in early August, Samsung recalled the phone and eventually stopped production after reports that the Galaxy Note 7's battery caught fire. Since then, the company has implemented stricter testing protocols for all new Samsung phones.

The Investor also hints that the Note 9's fingerprint sensor won't be embedded into the phone's display. This comes a week after its previous report that Samsung was still undecided about whether to include an in-display fingerprint reader. Vivo and Huawei are two phone brands that have already jumped on the new technology.

While we wait, here are our six ways that the Galaxy Note 9 could beat the Galaxy S9.

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