Samsung Galaxy Note 20 to be launched August at online event, report says

Samsung will launch its Galaxy Note 20 smartphone in August at an online-only event, marking the first time a Note series flagship launch won’t be held in a real-world venue. 

This is according to the Korea Herald, which cites industry sources as saying that the company has made the decision to go online-only due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Samsung typically launches its Note series smartphones in New York City over the summer. Last year’s Note 10 and Note 10+ were launched on August 7, with thousands of people in attendance. Such an event may be hard or impossible to organize this summer, reportedly prompting Samsung to switch to an online-only event. In New York City, lockdown rules are still in place until at least June 13, with all large gatherings either canceled or postponed. 

Samsung wouldn’t explicitly confirm this, but it told the Korea Herald that online hosting of events is “influential” and that the company has “various plans in mind.”

According to the outlet, the exact launch date for the Note 20 is still in flux — given there’s no need to organize a venue, Samsung may move the date to the most opportune time. 

Besides the Note 20, Samsung is also likely to launch a larger phone, the Note 20+ at the same event, as well as a successor to its foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold. 

Recent rumors indicate that the Galaxy Note 20 will have a 108-megapixel camera, as well as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset. 

The news follows a report that Google will launch its Pixel 4a phone on July 13, also at an online-only event.