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If you’ve been waiting for Samsung’s next large-screen smartphones, you don’t have to wait much longer.
Samsung will host its second Unpacked event of the year at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET on Thursday at Lincoln Center in New York. CNET will be on hand to bring you all the news, along with commentary and photos live from the event.
The South Korean electronics giant, which has been struggling over the past couple of years, is expected to introduce its newest phablets, those smartphone-tablet hybrids that have become more popular with consumers and device makers. Samsung likely will show off its new Galaxy Note 5 device, as well as a Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, which leaks point to as a handset with a 5.7-inch screen that curves over the sides of the device.
Tune in: Join us for CNET’s Samsung Unpacked live blog.
The company also could introduce a new round smartwatch — Samsung’s seventh device in the past two years but its first since Apple introduced the Apple Watch. And Samsung may upgrade its Gear VR headset , the virtual-reality technology that’s feeling pressure from HTC’s Vive kit and Microsoft’s HoloLens .
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Samsung’s first Unpacked event of 2015, in March, marked the introduction of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Samsung radically redesigned its popular smartphone line to incorporate more premium materials, something consumers had been requesting for years. But it hasn’t been enough. The company in July revealed its profits fell for the seventh straight quarter, and it plans to cut the price of its 3-month-old devices to attract new buyers. It will now look to its Note line as a way to get people excited about Galaxy smartphones again.
Samsung created the phablet market with its 5.3-inch Galaxy Note in 2011. Though the device initially was mocked for its large, almost comical display, the bigger screen size gradually attracted consumers. There was a begrudging acceptance of the Note 2 in the market in 2012 and eager anticipation for the Note 3 and Note 4 in the following years. And last year, Samsung went a step further by unveiling its first smartphone with a display that curved around the side, the Galaxy Note Edge.
But Samsung isn’t alone anymore when it comes to bigger-screen phones. Even Apple has gotten into that game with its 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, and that’s caused Samsung’s market share to tumble. In the first quarter, the company’s share of the smartphone market totaled 24 percent, down from 31 percent a year earlier, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple’s market share totaled 15 percent, the firm said.
Tune back to CNET for full coverage from Samsung’s Unpacked event.
