[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics plans to start sales of a silver-colored Galaxy Note 9 as early as this week, industry sources said on Oct. 2, apparently to promote the device amid the launch of new iPhones and other rival products.

The new color adds to the existing portfolio of blue, black, purple and copper. The silver edition will also be released in the US.

While Samsung has not yet announced the exact date for Korea, it said the new edition will be released its home market.

Industry watchers said the new version seems to be aimed at competing with LG Electronics’s V40 ThinQ, which will be introduced this week, along with Apple’s latest iPhone models.

In Korea, Samsung also launched a special program in which the company purchases used Galaxy products from buyers of the Galaxy Note 9. The used products must be operational, but trading them in can reduce the cost of the latest phablet.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)