Sketchy rumor has Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launch pegged for end of July

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4

Samsung has in the past taken the cover off new additions to its Galaxy Note line of phablets the day before IFA Berlin, held in early September, but according to a new report out today the successor to the Galaxy Note 4 might be coming a bit sooner…

WhoWiredKorea is reporting that Samsung has, in an attempt to get in front of Apple’s annual iPhone unveilings which typically take place in September, expedited the release plan for the Galaxy Note 5 by over a month, to a late July release. The report also suggests the imminent launch of Samsung Pay, the company’s new mobile transaction service, as a possible reason for Samsung’s shortened product cycle this time around.

While we’re definitely feeling skeptical about this report, it does line up with a report coming from Reuters suggesting that Samsung Pay will be launching in Samsung’s home country of South Korea in late July and the United States “sometime this summer.” The company has in recent days sent out emails to users of the company’s mobile wallet, Samsung Wallet, notifying them that the service will no longer be available as of June 30th, presumably to make way for Samsung Pay.

Launching the Galaxy Note 5 early would indeed also give Samsung a healthy sales window before Apple releases its newest smartphone. Last year’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the latter of which being the closest thing to a phablet the Cupertino-based company has ever launched, surpassed 50 million unit sales per quarter. The 6 Plus in particular is widely believed to be a major cause for continued consolidation in the smartphone market and part of what has put a hamper on Samsung’s sales performance as of late.

It’s worth emphasizing that this is just a rumor, and that no other outlets have as of yet been able to corroborate this story—so it’s still very possible we won’t see a Galaxy Note 5 announcement until September. The device Samsung has reportedly been showing to carriers could also be something completely different. As we get closer and closer to July, we’ll be keeping our eyes out.