Samsung is launching its Galaxy Note 10, and the device has a lot riding on it for the company's smartphone business, gauging demand in the sector and stoking interest in a flagship device when tech buyers are showing some serious fatigue.
It is unlikely that Samsung is going to instantly erase doubts about its prospects with Galaxy Note 10. And guess what? Apple's latest iPhone is going to have the same conundrum. It's a tweener year for premium devices straddling that 4G to 5G transition.
Perhaps the best we can do is frame the questions that'll determine the demand for Galaxy Note 10. Here's a look at five big ones ahead of Samsung's Unpacked event[1].
Also: How to watch Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 Unpacked event[2]
Are we really going to pay a premium for a 5G Galaxy Note 10 Plus?
Pricing for Galaxy Note 10 is expected to be in line with Note 9. Samsung is planning to segment the Note line to hit multiple levels of business users.
Samsung executives said on the company's second-quarter conference call that they were expecting a volume pop related to Galaxy Note 10[3]. These same executives talked up 5G.[4]
The catch is that smartphone makers have been asking for a premium price to get