Recently, Samsung sent out invitations to its Unpacked 2015 event during MWC 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, and we’ll be there to bring you coverage on all of the flagship smartphones announced. Samsung is expected to launch its Galaxy S6 along with a couple of other goodies, but what can you expect? Well today, we’re talking about all things Galaxy S6 and going over the anticipated specifications, hardware, design, and features…
Samsung’s Galaxy A7 hasn’t exactly been a well-kept secret, with the first rumors starting in September of last year, followed by regulatory filings, but the device is now official – albeit with some details still not announced.
Samsung introduced the Galaxy A7, one of the slimmest Galaxy smartphones equipped with premium hardware for a superior social experience, expanding on the popular services provided by the Galaxy A5 and A3.
Topping out the mid-range A-series, the A7 has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, a 13MP main camera and – in line with Samsung’s focus on social media – a 5MP front-facing camera for hi-res selfies (including voice-activated ones). It’s available in single- and dual-SIM models, the former getting a quad-core Exynos processor, while the latter gets an octa-core version …
Samsung’s sleek mid-ranged Galaxy A3 and A5 handsets appear set for a European launch, as SamMobile spotted firmware for a range of European countries. The handsets have so far only been available in a handful of Asian countries …
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The Galaxy Alpha – first announced in August – may turn out to be a short-lived model: rumors originating in Korea claim that the company plans to discontinue the model in favor of the Galaxy A5 as soon as current inventory is exhausted.
It was reported last month that Samsung planned to sell 30% fewer smartphones next year, as part of cost-cutting measures in response to declining profits …
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pPIG3EvAs]
One of my favorite Youtubers (along with Dom and Detroit Borg), @MKBHD did his year end Smartphone of the year roundup and can say I agree with almost every choice he made here. Almost.
Some small gripes however: He didn’t ding Samsung enough for its overlay in the ‘Big Phone’ category (IMO), I might have given LG more props for their camera and One Plus One shouldn’t have beat the Moto G 2014 as best budget. You can get 2 Moto Gs for the price of a One Plus – if you can even find one! That’s not to say the OnePlus isn’t a great budget phone and running Cyanogen mod almost makes it more of a game changer than the Sharp Aquos Crystal.
One other thing: I’m OK with the HTC One M8 as phone of the year as long as it is the GPE. Otherwise Moto X gets the nod
Like I said, I’m almost completely in agreement!
The downsizing expected at Samsung‘s mobile division has seemingly started at the top, with Re/code reporting that three senior execs are leaving the company. This follows the loss of five high-ranking execs earlier in the year.
Three deputies to the head of Samsung Electronics’ mobile division are leaving, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, as the world’s largest smartphone maker faces a rapid decline in profit […]
The departures included global marketing chief D.J. Lee, the source said, confirming earlier media reports.
All three of those leaving are said to be direct reports to mobile head JK Shin, who survived the cull despite presiding over a 74% drop in profits in his division …
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Qualcomm is experiencing problems with its upcoming Snapdragon 810 chip, expected to power several of next year’s flagship smartphones – potentially delaying their launch. The high-powered chip is expected to be used in the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4 and Sony Xperia Z4, and has also been slated for a new Motorola phablet.
Business Korea cites an unnamed industry source in reporting that testing of the chip has revealed several issues.
The Snapdragon 810 overheats when it reaches a specific voltage. It also slows down owing to problems with the RAM controller connected to the AP. In addition, there is an error in the driver of the Adreno 430 GPU.
The 810 is a 64-bit octa-core chip supporting 4K displays, and hence a likely bet for the next generation of top-tier phones …
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When Google released its Android distribution numbers for December earlier this week, Lollipop was notably missing from the chart as it had not gained enough of the market to appear. In a move that will slowly start to get Lollipop onto more devices, however, Samsung this evening has started to rollout its Lollipop update to the Galaxy S5. At this point, though, the update is only rolling out to the Poland Galaxy S5 variant (via SamMobile).
The Samsung Galaxy A7, which made its way through the FCC last week, has been revealed by a Chinese regulatory filing to be Samsung’s thinnest ever Galaxy smartphone, at just 6.3mm thick. To put that into perspective, the company’s flagship Galaxy S5 is 8.1mm thick …
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While we knew last month that sales of the Samsung Galaxy S5 were down, the WSJ believes it has specific numbers.
In all, Samsung sold about 40% fewer Galaxy S5 smartphones than expected, with about 12 million units sold to consumers in the first three months since April compared with about 16 million units for the preceding flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, according to people familiar with the matter.
Samsung is said to be considering a major leadership shake-up in response to the numbers …
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We like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 very much indeed, but it has had one flaw: it didn’t support screen mirroring to Chromecast. Android Police noticed that this has now been fixed.
Since TouchWiz doesn’t support the transient tile to initiate a screen cast, you’ll have to fire it up manually through the Chromecast app. To get things started, just pull out the navigation drawer, tap on Cast screen, and hit the Cast Screen button. If the button is missing and there’s a warning about there being no compatible devices, you can probably get everything on the right track by restarting your phone.
Sony’s Xperia Z3v, Z2 and Z2 Tablet were also added to the list of supported devices a couple of weeks ago.
Google recently revealed that Chromecast users have used the device a total of 650 million times, with over 10,000 apps in the pipeline. Showtime Anytime and Starz Play were the most recent additions to the platform, just a few days ago.
Earlier this year at its Unpacked event, Samsung previewed its Galaxy Note Edge phablet with a special, curved part of the display that wraps around the right side. We’ve already given you our early hands-on and first impressions of the latest Samsung Galaxy Note variant, and today the reviews are starting to surface. So what’s the verdict on this unique take on a phablet? Check out our roundup below:
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At this point, it’s very clear that Google’s Nexus 6 and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 are the two hottest Android phablets on the market. These two monster-sized smartphones are both great in many ways, but what makes them so different? In this article, we’re going to be comparing the Nexus 6 to the Galaxy Note 4. This comparison won’t get too in-depth with every single feature from each device, but it’s nice to know how these two stack up against each other.
We’ll be taking a brief look at features, specifications, design, and camera performance in this comparison and hopefully give you a good idea of what each device has to offer. Also, be sure to check out our full review of the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus 6 for more details on each device. These two Android smartphones are complete opposites in terms of features and design, but which one is right for you? Let’s go ahead and find out…
Samsung has just unveiled two new Galaxy devices. The rumored “A Series” is finally here. Samsung’s Galaxy A3 and A5 are some of Samsung’s slimmest smartphones to date with a variety of social networking features and full metal unibody designs. The Galaxy A3 is a mere 6.9mm thin, while the A5 sits at just 6.7mm. Unfortunately, there’s nothing crazy happening in the specifications department…
If you were wondering whether or not to upgrade to a Galaxy Note 4, Samsung has just added a little sweetener: three months of free OnLive gaming (worth around $30), reports Engadget.
Samsung’s promotion is part of the Galaxy Gifts Package, a collection of free software from its own app store, and will give users access to titles from OnLive’s PlayPack bundle, such as Batman: Arkham City, Darksiders, Rogue Legacy and many more
The app you need is a free download from the Galaxy Apps store.
If you’ve currently got the Galaxy Note 3, our ultimate comparison video tells you everything you need to know about what you’ll get for the upgrade.
When Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note 4 back at IFA 2014, we were very excited about the new design and improved specifications over the Note 3. As you would expect, Samsung bumped up the internal specs to keep things current with today’s market, but they also made massive improvements to the display and build quality…
Samsung this evening has finally officially unveiled the Galaxy Mega 2, a follow-up to last year’s Galaxy Mega 5.8, for overseas countries. But while the device has a gargantuan screen, its specs are nothing to be too impressed with. The Galaxy Mega 2 features a 6-inch display, up from the 5.8-inch model it is replacing, with a 720p display.
Sony has confirmed in a tweet that it is rolling out the Android 4.4.4 update its older Z-series devices.
[tweet https://twitter.com/SonyMobileNews/status/509297533328584704]
Sony says there are “many improvements” in the upgrade, with better battery performance in background applications and improved email stability & performance singled out for particular note. The company recently unveiled the newest incarnations in the line, the Z3 and Z3 Compact.
SamMobile also notes that Galaxy Note 3 owners on the Sprint network should also receive a 4.4.4 update today.
The Android 4.4.4 update will bring international Wi-Fi calling, version 2.0 of KNOX, and the Kids Mode feature that debuted on the Galaxy S5, along with bug fixes and security patches from Google.
Samsung of course recently launched the Quad HD Galaxy Note 4.
Samsung recently announced the Note 4 which sports a new premium design with a metal frame, but before that came the metal-framed Galaxy Alpha. This device flew under the radar for many because it was announced at a very random press event in Russia last month. Unfortunately, the only way I can describe this device is being, “Samsung’s iPhone.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it seriously looks like an iPhone…
Samsung just announced the Galaxy Note 4 in White, Black, and a Zune Gold and Hello Kitty Pink. Color taste aside, the update looks to be a solid one across the board.
Quick notes on standout features:
Quad HD 2560×1440 display
Snap note expands on Note’s bility to take notes, this time with a camera and some smart software.
The Galaxy Note 4 also offers an improved Fingerprint Scanner, to secure personal data and the world’s first UV sensor in a mobile device.
Our Galaxy Note 4 hands-on video:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVdljRoD8ME]
Hit the Press release below for full details
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HERE, the competitor to Google Maps initially available only on Windows Phone, has arrived on Android for the first time. Initially, the beta version of the Android app will be limited to Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
The main claim to fame of the app is that it offers the ability to download entire regions or countries for offline use, in contrast to Google Maps which only allows you to cache areas you have viewed while online. HERE maps currently cover around 200 countries, though turn-by-turn directions are so far limited to about half of these …
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_I4Ab_LdxQ]
Samsung has put together a blog post extolling the virtues of the metal frame, curved corners and finish of the handset it created to go head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone, the Galaxy Alpha. It follows an earlier post on the making of the phone.
The prose is best described as stilted, but the general idea is that every element of the design has a reason behind it. Metal, we are told, offers “thinness, style and a comfortable grip.” And just in case anyone should accuse them of copying the iPhone in switching from plastic to metal, Samsung is quick to point out it started making metal phones back in 2006 – a year before the first iPhone …
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An infographic posted by Samsung claims there are more than a thousand apps for its Galaxy Gear smartwatches (actually, it claims “more than a thousand of Gear Apps,” but we’ll gloss over that).
The number is presumably aimed at people like me, who still look at smartwatches in a somewhat bemused fashion, viewing them as a solution in search of a problem. “Look at all the things they can do,” is the message here.
I don’t doubt the number, but quantity of apps doesn’t tell us much about their usefulness – and when Samsung chooses to lead its top five recommended apps with one that measures how much water we’re drinking, I have to say that does nothing to persuade me that the devices are so far little more than a novelty …
Just a few weeks ahead of IFA in Berlin, an alleged image of Samsung’s virtually reality headset has been leaked. According to The Verge, Samsung is set to unveil this headset, alongside the Galaxy Note 4, at its Unpacked event in Berlin next month. The report claims that the headset, codenamed Project Moonlight, is similar to Google Cardboard in how it allows you to pair it with a smartphone display to transport you “into an immersive world” with its lenses.
