Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date brought forward to avoid iPhone 6s clash

Samsung will release the latest version of its large-screen Galaxy Note range earlier than usual to avoid competition with the iPhone 6s

Samsung has typically refreshed its Galaxy Note range at the IFA trade show which takes place in Germany every September but according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal, the South Korean company is looking to move this launch forward by a couple of weeks to mid- August to avoid losing out on coverage due to the high profile launch of the latest iPhones.

The launch event is scheduled to take place in "a major US city" according to the source, though the exact location has not yet been decided.

Apple typically releases its new iPhone models – thought to be called the iPhone 6s this time around – a couple of weeks after IFA meaning that Samsung's windows for grabbing headlines is limited, particularly when you consider that the iPhone rumour mill cranks into overdrive in the weeks ahead of an announcement.

Samsung's Galaxy Note range has been hugely successful for the company despite many people initially scoffing at the original version which at the time had a screen that was much bigger than anything else on the market.

Today however every other manufacturer is seeking to copy Samsung's large screen model, with even Apple towing the line with the launch of the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014.

As well as launching the Galaxy Note 4 last year with a 5.7in screen, the company also launched its first curved screen smartphone in the Galaxy Note Edge which was followed by the Galaxy S6 Edge earlier this year.

It is unclear if Samsung is planning to launch a separate curved-screen version of the Galaxy Note 5 in August or if it will incorporate the curved-screen technology into a single device.

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is rumoured to feature a high resolution 4K screen, new hardware that combines CPU, GPU and RAM on a single chip and could even feature a USB Type-C port.

Samsung has been struggling to maintain its rapid growth in the smartphone market of late, and while its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have been critically well-received sales figures suggest the company is struggling to sell a significant number of them.