iPhone 6s fear causes Samsung to bring forward Note 5 launch

The Note 5 is on the way, before the iPhone 6 gets to customers first. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

The Note 5 is on the way, before the iPhone 6 gets to customers first.

Samsung may have strenuously previously denied that it, but evidence is mounting that the company is indeed rushing to release the Galaxy Note 5 ahead of the iPhone 6s.

According to a new report, Samsung plans to launch the device in mid-August — one month earlier than previous incarnations of the Note, which typically arrived in September.

Of course, playing devil’s advocate, why wouldn’t Samsung be in a rush? After promising that previous reports about the lower-than-expected Galaxy S6 sales weren’t true, a recent report shows that Samsung suffered a crushingly disappointing second quarter this year, representing its 7th consecutive quarterly decline.

Apple, on the other hand, has reportedly placed record-breaking orders of 85-90 million iPhone 6s units for launch, despite the fact that incremental “s” iPhone releases have not traditionally been considered as significant as full-number launches (i.e. iPhone 4, 5, 6) for the Cupertino company.

Will Samsung’s ploy pay off? The best anyone seems to be able to say is, well, at least they’re trying.

“I don’t know how much the earlier launch will help boost the company’s average selling price for smartphones, but this suggests that Samsung will work hard to maintain its market share for the high-end market,” HDC Asset Management fund manager Park Jung-hoon told Reuters.

A Samsung spokesperson has refused to comment on the rumors.