For the past few years, Samsung has conducted two major “Unpacked” events every year. The first takes place in February for the Galaxy S flagships and the second in August for the Galaxy Note. Both are conducted in the United States, in San Francisco and New York to be precise.
Samsung did conduct an Unpacked event in San Francisco this year for the Galaxy S20 and it would most definitely have conducted one for the Galaxy Note 20 in August. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, that might prove to be difficult. Now, it seems that Samsung has made a decision about how it's going to launch the Galaxy Note 20.
First online launch for a flagship Samsung phone
There were already reports that the COVID19 pandemic would make it very difficult for Samsung to hold an Unpacked event. Social distancing guidelines prohibit mass gatherings, and with Samsung's events drawing thousands of attendees, it would not at all be possible to conduct an event of that scale.
According to a new report out of South Korea, the Galaxy Note 20 launch will mark the first time that Samsung unveils a flagship product online. It routinely launches new tablets, mid-range smartphones and even wearable devices through mere press releases, but it has never had to do anything like this for a flagship device.
While the Galaxy Note 20 will definitely get more online fanfare than just a press release, Samsung will obviously not be able to put on a show like it does every year. It's still expected to make the announcement in August this year but an exact date has not yet been provided.
The Galaxy Note 20 may not be the only device that Samsung launches that day. There's a good chance that the Galaxy Fold 2 may also be unveiled online as it was previously expected to be unveiled at Samsung's August 2020 Unpacked event.
These are uncertain times and like everyone else, Samsung also has to make the best of this situation. A full-scale event would be very difficult to organize owing to the travel restrictions that remain in place in many countries in addition to social distancing guidelines. Furthermore, many may not be willing to travel anyway, so it would just be best to unveil the devices online.
An official announcement from Samsung regarding this is yet to arrive, but all signs point to this inevitability.
