In August, Samsung is going to announce its newest phablet device, what will probably be called the Galaxy Note 9. As is par for the course with any major release, the rumor mill has already put in quite a bit of work to undermine Samsung's forthcoming big reveal and show anyone who's willing to pay attention what's coming down the pipe. And if the rumors pan out --and they probably will-- we will more than likely have a pretty familiar handset on our hands.
The Galaxy Note 9 will look a lot like the Galaxy Note 8 before it, based on leaked images of the handset. We've seen the phablet in several different colors, too, including brown. And the blue model (which is still my favorite color on a smartphone up to this point) will actually come with a S Pen that's yellow and blue.
But, hey, Samsung is going to reposition the fingerprint reader on the back, so there's that.
All-in-all, the Galaxy Note 9 sounds like it is going to be a pretty quiet update. And let me reiterate a point I've said in the past: I don't think that's a bad thing. Not every year has to give us some wildly different phone from the handset it's replacing. As long as it beefs up the specs and offers some significant improvements in the camera department, that's about all we should ask/expect from a yearly update.
But maybe the fact the Galaxy Note 9 isn't going to offer up a huge change this year has Samsung wanting to pull some extra work to make sure it has a fighting chance going into the tail-end of 2018. After all, rumor has it Apple is going to launch a new, bigger iPhone X Plus. So, what can the house that built the Galaxy Note do?
How about nab a huge exclusive? According to reports, Samsung actually managed to get the exclusive launch of the mega-popular Fortnite Battle Royale pegged down. If the rumors pan out, it means the game will be an exclusive title for the Galaxy Note 9 for 30 days. What's more, folks who pre-order the phablet will reportedly get as much as $150 worth of V-Bucks (the in-game currency to buy new characters, emotes, gliders, and more). That's quite the deal, and the exclusive is a huge win for Samsung if it is indeed the case.
But, is it an actual incentive? I do know that there are some Apple fans out there that actually like the fact that iOS devices get some games (like Super Mario Run and Alto's Odyssey, among others) before Android. So that exclusive window is certainly a real bonus to some folks. But is it enough to actually get people to buy a new phone?
I think an exclusive launch window for the Galaxy Note 9 and Fortnite is a big win for Samsung if they did manage to achieve it. But I have to wonder if it's actually going to get anyone who isn't already planning on upgrading to a Galaxy Note 9 to buy one. Is it that big of an incentive? I see it as a pretty great bonus. You're getting a powerful smartphone with top-notch stylus support/features, and you also get an exclusive window with one of the most popular games on the planet. Win-win, right?
What about you? Do you think that Samsung can boost sales of the Galaxy Note 9 if it also offers an exclusive 30-day launch window for Fortnite's battle royale mode? Let me know what you think!
