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By Nick Gwiazda -
Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 4, a few days before Apple Inc, NASDAQ:AAPL announces the iPhone 6. The Note shares a lot of the same component manufactureres as the Galaxy S5, such as Qualcomm, Inc. NASDAQ:QCOM and NXP Semiconductors NV NASDAQ:NXPI. The companies, respectively, provide hardware for LTE connectivity and Near-Field Communication technologies. But what about a few manufacturers you haven't heard of?
As the race to make the biggest smartphone heats up, there are three relatively obscure component manufacturers that provide parts for the Galaxy Note series. If consumers' tastes continue to gravitate toward bigger, more vibrant screen sizes, the Galaxy Note 4 will sell well. The following manufacturers will also see sales figures sufficient to move their stock prices higher:
Invensense Inc NYSE:INVN: InvenSense sounds more like a stock brokerage than a smartphone component manufacturer, which is probably why you've never heard of it. However, they are the manufacturers of the Galaxy Note 3's gyroscope. The gyroscope is the component in your smartphone that detects motion, more specifically, it detects when you rotate your screen, and signals for your phone to rotate the display in turn. You can likely expect the Note 4 to have the same gyroscope component as the Note 3, and with a thumbs-up from Cannacord Genuity, Invensense's stock is a top stock pick connected with the success of the Samsung Note series. Cannacord has a $29 price target on InvenSense, which would be more than 10% higher than its recent share price just below $26.
Synaptics, Incorporated NASDAQ:SYNA: Synaptics makes the touchscreen controllers for the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5, and will likely be the touchscreen controller supplier for the Note 4. Synaptics also makes the fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy S5. If the Note 4 also comes with a fingerprint sensor, then Synaptics has two blockbuster Samsung smartphones off of whose success it can hinge off of. There are also rumors of Synaptics returning as a supplier to Apple after an 8 year absence. The stock is hovering around $80, off of its July high of $93.27, but Barron's believes the stock can overcome recent headwinds that have suppressed the stock price as of late.
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation NASDAQ:CY: Cypress produces the controller for the physical button on the Galaxy Note 3 as well as for the Galaxy S5. The stock is off its high of $11.90, sitting just below $11 per share. Samsung has consistently used Cypress for its button controller supplier, and if the Note 4 doesn't have a radically different button, Cypress will continue to benefit from Samsung's stellar smartphone sales. Zack's Investment research believes Cypress to be an under-rated stock, as its stock price estimates have risen significantly over the past two months.