Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a new Galaxy Note smartphone with a curved screen and iris-recognition technology, seeking to build on the sales momentum that has helped it roar back to surging profit growth. Samsung, the world's top smartphone maker, saw its January-June mobile profit jump 49 percent from a year earlier, thanks to robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 devices as well as a line-up overhaul that ditched unpopular models for fewer but more attractive new mid-to-low tier products. The South Korean firm is betting the new big-screen device - the Galaxy Note 7 - will help sustain its mobile business revival through the second half, though new launches from rivals like Apple Inc will likely steal some of the thunder.

The Galaxy Note 7 will also be compatible with Samsung Pay, a mobile payments service that competes with Apple Pay, among others, which Samsung hopes will help boost margins for its devices and set its products apart from other Android phones.

Samsung also unveiled a new version of its Gear VR virtual reality headset with upgraded features such as improved viewing angles. Company executives say promotional activities pairing a VR device with the Galaxy S7 phones helped boost sales this year.