Galaxy Note 6 to launch early this year with Android N

Galaxy Note 6 in July? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Galaxy Note 6 in July? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Samsung could be planning to launch its next-generation Galaxy Note early this year. A new report out of South Korea claims the Galaxy Note 6 will arrive in July with Google’s upcoming Android N software pre-installed.

Since the original introduced us to phablet devices, the Galaxy Note lineup has been a feature of the IFA trade show in Berlin every September. However, last year’s Galaxy Note 5 launched earlier — in August — to get to market before Apple’s latest iPhones.

The Galaxy Note 6 could arrive even earlier this year, according to The Bell, citing “a source familiar with the matter.” It is claimed the device will arrive in mid-July, and will be Samsung’s first smartphone to go on sale with Android N pre-installed.

It’s likely the Galaxy Note 6 will look almost identical to the Galaxy Note 5, but with more rounded glass on both sides, and water-resistant seals. It will probably adopt the same processor, camera, and other upgrades introduced with the Galaxy S7 series.

Given that Android N has already been made available to developers, there is a possibility that Google is planning to launch it early — perhaps weeks after Google I/O in May. It’s feasible that the Galaxy Note 6 could have it in mid-July, then.

However, we still recommend that you take these claims with a pinch of salt for now. We’re unfamiliar with The Bell’s track record, and we see lots of reports like this ahead of Samsung unveilings that turn out to be inaccurate.