Samsung expects Galaxy Note 7 sales to beat predecessor's

However, company's head of mobile business did not offer specific sales targets

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd expects sales for its new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone to exceed those of the previous version launched last year, the head of the company's mobile business said.

A Samsung spokesperson confirmed remarks made by Koh Dong-jin, head of the firm's mobile communications business, during a press conference with South Korean reporters in New York on Wednesday following the firm's unveiling of the new phone.

Koh did not offer specific sales targets, the Samsung spokesperson said.



Samsung on Wednesday unveiled Galaxy Note 7 with a curved screen and iris-recognition technology, seeking to build on the sales momentum that has helped it roar back to surging profit growth.



Samsung, the world’s top smartphone maker, saw its January-June mobile profit jump 49 per cent from a year earlier, thanks to robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 devices as well as a line-up overhaul that ditched unpopular models for fewer but more attractive new mid-to-low tier products, Reuters reported.



The South Korean firm is betting the new big-screen device – the Galaxy Note 7 – will help sustain its mobile business revival through the second half, though new launches from rivals like Apple Inc will likely steal some of the thunder. Samsung is using a 5.7-inch, curved screen display for the Galaxy Note 7.

The new device employs a similar design to the Galaxy S series, but offers a larger screen and functions involving a pen accessory. Grip on the device was also improved to make it easier to be used with one hand.

The firm didn’t disclose pricing, but said sales will begin in a first group of markets on Aug 19 without saying exactly where.