The leading manufacturer of cell phones in the world, Samsung Electronics Co. announced Friday it will present its new phone in late August, in an apparent attempt to gain consumer attention weeks before the expected launch of the next iPhone model.

The announcement was made while Samsung was engaged in a major legal patent battle with Apple Inc. for smartphones and tablets. Each company expects billions of dollars in compensation payments or royalties.

The South Korean company said the new device will be presented on August 29 in Berlin, two days before the European exhibition of larger electronic devices. The company declined to provide details.

Analysts said Samsung's new device will likely be an updated model of the Galaxy Note, which has a larger screen than the current smart phones but is smaller than the tablets and carries a stylus.

"This is the time for a new Galaxy Note", said Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Company. "Samsung's strategy is to offer a new product before Apple, so there will be a new smartphone before a new iPhone".

Analysts expect the new iPhone to be launched in September or October and will goes on sale during the fourth quarter, just in time for the year-end season, the most active in sales.

The Galaxy Note has a screen of 5.3 inches, is almost double the 3.5 inches of the iPhone. The measurements are diagonal.

Samsung sold seven million Galaxy Notes in its first generation from October to May.

The August presentation will be the first of Samsung and Apple since the trial began. The federal district court in San Jose, California, said the patent process would last about four weeks from July 30.