Galaxy Note 4 to Struggle Against iPhone 6, Sales Not Enough
Samsung's release of the Galaxy Note 4 made waves in South Korea with analysts expecting the same thing in other regions. However, it will not be a big release if Samsung will not hit setbacks. According to latest information, the first Note 4 units released bear build issues with other supplies possibly hitting a snag with market distribution especially in China.
Reports about Samsung's build issue surfaced after the Korean media cited the gap in the first units released. Some took the gap as a build flaw. It is wide enough to fit a business card or two sheets of A4 paper. However, a new report from 9to5Google says that Samsung acknowledged the gap but not as production flaw. According to the company, it is a feature instead of a flaw. The troubleshooting section of the handset's manual discusses the gap near the screen. As the manual states:
"A small gap appears around the outside of the device case... This gap is a necessary manufacturing feature and some minor rocking or vibration of parts may occur... Over time, friction between parts may cause this gap to expand slightly."
This settles the issue but 9ot5Google points out that it could be a problem in the future. The opening is susceptible to dirt and dust accumulation. It may also get in the way of the handset's waterproof nature. While it may not be a flaw, it can turn out worse over time making it a problem soon enough.
According to The Motley Fool, the earlier than expected release appears more out of desperation instead of the company's way of demonstrating power. Samsung has been struggling with market share following the emergency of competitors like Xiaomi.
Research firm WDS's survey said that from 3,000 smartphone owners in Australia, U.K and U.S., 75% will remain with Apple. This is against the 58% of Samsung users. One of the major problems according to the report is that Samsung is not fighting Apple head to head in China. The company is losing more ground because of Xiaomi and it cannot keep up with the pent-up demand of the iPhone 6.