Samsung Debuts High-End Phones

Samsung yesterday took the wraps off its latest jumbo-screen smartphones in a bid to win back customers who've defected to Apple and to other Android vendors, as it detailed plans to launch mobile payments service Samsung Pay and teased its next smartwatch.

Both phones will go on sale in the US and Canada on August 21. Preorders in the US started yesterday at 3 p.m. In the US, the Note 5 will cost $200 with a contract, and the S6 Edge+ will sell for $300 on contract.

The Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ include 5.7-inch screens, with the Edge's curving around the sides of the device.

Both feature a sleek metal-and-glass design, a break from Samsung's previous plastic devices. The company moved to more premium materials earlier this year with its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.

"Bigger screens are great for moving between emails and important files and scrolling through photos and social media or watching a movie," said JK Shin, the CEO of Samsung's mobile business, at a presentation in New York. "We are still betting big."