SEOUL, KOREA - A bell rang loudly for the beginning of a new round of battles between the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 smartphone makers Samsung Electronics and Apple.The top two players each released brand-new models to get the upper hand in the competition.

Samsung showed off Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge, while Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.This new round of competition is drawing more attention than ever since Apple made entry into the large-screen phablet market which has been dominated by Samsung.

The newly-released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus each has a screen size of 4.7 and 5.5 inches, much bigger than those of existing iPhones. Since Samsung released 5.3-inch Galaxy Note first in 2011, large-screen phablets have positioned themselves as an epicenter of the smartphone market.

According to market research firm Canalys, 5-inch-plus phablets grabbed a share of 40 percent in the global smartphone market in the second quarter of this year, nearly a two-fold growth compared to 21 percent a year ago.

By Jaechul Sir (sir@koreaittimes.com)