Samsung launches new Galaxy Note featuring iris scanner

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of smartphones, unveiled a new Galaxy Note phablet in New York on Tuesday in a bid to keep up the momentum of its smartphone sales. The launch of the Galaxy Note 7 comes ahead of the latest iPhone launch, expected in the autumn, and days after Samsung reported its biggest quarterly profit in more than two years thanks to strong sales of Galaxy S7 smartphones. "It's a pleasure to welcome friends from around the world as we unpack the newest version of the world's most intelligent smartphone," Koh Dong-jin, head of Samsung's mobile division, said during the Unpacked event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The Galaxy Note 7 is the follow-up to the Galaxy Note 5. The South Korean smartphone giant named it Note 7, instead of Note 6, in order to sync up its numbering with its other flagship smartphones -- Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge -- ahead of what is expected to be a crucial battle against the iPhone 7. The new Galaxy Note features an iris scanner and an S-Pen that allows users to translate words. Adding an extra security feature, the iris scanner enables only the owner of a device to use the smartphone. For the first time, the S-Pen has an IP68 water and dust-resistance feature allowing users to take notes when it rains or they are in a sandstorm. To offer the feel of handwriting with a real pen, the diameter of the pen tip has been reduced to 0.7 mm, compared with the 1.6 mm of the previous version of the Galaxy Note. It is also the first time for an S-Pen to have a translation feature. In terms of design, the new Galaxy Note is significantly improved. For the first time in the Galaxy Note series, the new version has an edge feature on both sides of the device that allows it to nicely nestle in the palm of the hand. The Galaxy Note 7 also has a High Dynamic Range video streaming capability, enabling users to enjoy high-quality videos and games. Compared with the previous Galaxy Note 5 model, the screen size is unchanged at 5.7 inches. The internal storage of the smartphone is pegged at 64GB and an SD card slot will hold up to 256GB. The Galaxy Note 7's battery capacity increased to 3,500mAh from 3,000mAh. The Galaxy Note 7 is available in four colors -- Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx. As an official sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Samsung is set to launch a large-scale marketing blitz with the new Galaxy Note. Preorders for the new Galaxy Note in South Korea will begin on Saturday, and Samsung is expected to launch the new phablet locally on Aug. 19. Samsung sold 17 million units of the Galaxy S7 smartphone in the April-June period. Boosted by robust sales of the Galaxy S7, Samsung reported a second-quarter operating profit of 8.14 trillion won (US$7.3 billion), up 18.06 percent from the same quarter last year. "We faced skeptics who doubted us. We heard from critics who dismissed the large screen and our new S pen," Koh said of the Galaxy Note's first launch in 2011. "But we stayed true to our vision and we persevered. Today, large-screen phones are the fasted growing segment of the smartphone market. Here in the U.S., demand has grown more than 200 percent every year since 2012." Koh said the new Note is the "most intelligent smarphone we've ever created." "At a time when some people wonder if there is no more room for smartphone innovation, our belief in meaningful progress is stronger than ever. And our commitment to listen to customers remains unchanged," he said. Koh also said the iris scanning technology "will provide the foundation for much broader opportunities including mobile banking" and the S pen has become "even more precise, more responsive and now water and dust resistant." "This is how we translate our vision for meaningful progress into innovation that delivers great value and convenience," he said. (END)