Samsung Capitalizes on Gamer Craze, Laces New Lineup with Discord
Samsung to release a new lineup of Galaxy Note 10 phones with popular messaging app Discord built in to appeal to gamers. | Source: REUTERS / Eduardo Munoz
Samsung announced its new lineup of smartphones today which includes the Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 10+ and Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. While traditional specs are getting most of the attention (battery life, screen size, camera), one new feature could truly set this lineup apart.
The South Korean conglomerate is incorporating the popular gaming app Discord into Samsung’s Game Launcher. The app will allow users to chat via text or voice while playing games on their phones. According to its website, Discord has an established community that includes 14 million daily players . That’s a huge customer base that could potentially boost Samsung’s declining sales.
The Rise of Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has steadily reached new heights, increasing revenue every year since 2012 . According to a report by Activision, 2.4 billion people are expected to play a mobile game in 2019. With games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile nearing hundreds of millions of monthly players, Samsung is wisely appealing to this rapidly growing demographic. Still, it may not be enough.
Samsung’s Competition
The competition is stiff. Apple’s new iPhones are set to come out this fall , and Huawei is rumored to be releasing a phone with a much more powerful camera than the Samsung lineup. Several phones are also looking to corner the gaming market. The Black Shark 2 Pro and Asus ROG Phone II will come with new specs designed to improve the gaming experience. Add on to these an ever-growing list of gaming phones and there is a full-on rat race.
According to a list released by t3 , the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 ranked as the ninth-best gaming phone on the market. The Razer Phone 2 came in first place, followed by the OnePlus 7 Pro and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
Other Notable Features
It makes sense then that the new Galaxy models are coming with other noteworthy features. According to Forbes, Samsung will be releasing a class-leading screen display . Utilizing extremely small bezels, the Galaxy Note 10+ will have the highest screen-to-body ratio of any smartphone. They’re also upping the RAM and storage space while losing the headphone jack.
The new Galaxy phones are set to cost anywhere from $950 for a basic Galaxy Note 10 to $1,400 for a loaded Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. It should be interesting to see if gamers think it’s worth the price.
