[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics will soon start the development of its next Galaxy Note smartphone under the codename “crown,” according to news reports on Nov. 6.



An official from a smartphone parts supplier was quoted by local news outlet The Bell as saying, “We will start providing components for a pilot production (of the Galaxy Note 9) in the first quarter next year.”











Smartphone makers often christen the development project of their flagship products with unique codenames, which have connotations of smartphone features. Samsung had called the pilot project for Galaxy Note 8 as “baikal,” one of the world’s biggest lakes in Russia, hinting at the large-sized display of the phablet, a portmanteau of phone and tablet.



The codename of the next-generation Note model is said to allude to Samsung’s goal to tighten its grip on the large-sized smartphone sector.



The Korean tech firm, which created the large-sized smartphone segment with the first Note in 2011, launched the Note 8, which comes fitted with the 6.32-inch display, the largest in the lineup this year. The screen size of the next model is expected to be the same.



Some market watchers expected that Samsung could unveil the new Note model in early or mid-August, a little ahead of the Aug. 23 launch of the Note 8 this year.



By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)