Galaxy Note 5 could skip Europe at launch

Will Europe miss out on the Note 5 at launch? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Will Europe miss out on the Note 5 at launch? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 will launch next month, according to a new report from a reliable source, but European markets could miss out on it at launch.

“Samsung has currently put firmware development for the European region on hold,” reports SamMobile.

“Countries like North America, South Korea, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Asia will be seeing the Galaxy Note 5 hit retail shelves, but neither Samsung Europe nor Samsung Russia seem to be working on the phone’s software.”

The report adds that it’s possible the Note 5 will still come to these markets, but the device could be limited to a smaller number of countries than “we’re used to for Samsung’s flagship smartphones.”

Given that Europe is such a big market for Samsung, it seems unlikely that the South Korean company would make this move. If the claims were coming from any other source, we’d dismiss them, but SamMobile is usually spot-on with Samsung rumors.

But there could be an explanation behind Samsung’s decision.

Alongside the Galaxy Note 5, Samsung is expected to launch a Galaxy S6 edge+ — a phablet version of the existing S6 edge. It will reportedly have a dual-curved display just like the original, but it will measure 5.7 inches rather than just 5.1.

“We’re only guessing here, but it’s also possible Samsung wants the Galaxy S6 edge+ to also see some attention in these regions when it launches alongside the Galaxy Note 5 in August,” SamMobile adds, “that could be why Samsung is delaying the latter’s release.”

Both devices are expected to go on sale on August 21, following an official unveiling on August 12.