New video hyping Samsung Unpacked 2014 Episode Two

With mere days to go until the official launch of the highly-anticipated Galaxy Note 4, Samsung has uploaded a preview video for the event to their Youtube channel. It actually seems as though Samsung can’t stop promoting their upcoming flagship device; just yesterday we showcased a much more action-packed video that seemed to make a similar point. You can’t really blame them however, the Galaxy Note 4 is poised to be one of – if not the – fastest, most feature-packed handsets to ever come out.

Irrespective of the ad from yesterday, we may still analyze today’s video on its own merits. The grand theme here is the utility of the pen as a concept, and the viewer is shown four (significant number perhaps?) different iterations of that concept through time. First we see an ancient Egyptian reed-like pen over a background of hieroglyphs. Next, a feather quill over beautiful, cursive poetry. Then, a dip pen hovering over a musical composition. And finally a fountain pen on top of a background of some sort of mathematical theorem. After all of these, we see an illuminated S Pen and the message is clear – Samsung is responsible for the present and future of pens.

Besides the content, the background graphics at the end are composed of hundreds of S Pens and thusly it really does seem as though the focus of the Galaxy Note 4 will be writing and recognition and convenience. We simply can’t wait, but there’s also not much waiting left to do; Unpacked 2014 Episode Two takes place September 3rd.

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Galaxy Note 4 sightings galore; authenticity questionable

Yesterday, SamMobile was able to exclusively unveil what the default background was going to be on the rapidly approaching Galaxy Note 4. Today it seems that a render of the handset has surfaced – one that apparently combines the newly acknowledged background with convincing photographs that leaked a few days prior. Considering the timing and circumstances, this new render could be qualified as “unofficial” at best. That said, it is always exciting to get a glimpse at a device with a metal casing around a display with a pixel density of 515ppi.

Also making the news is a video of a disguised Galaxy Note 4 wherein the screen is on and actionable. Full disclosure, this video contains no groundbreaking insights but it still is worthwhile to be reminded that we will all get to see this device in a few days time. One additional point regarding the video is that there seems to be the S Pen that accompanies the Galaxy Note 4 in the background. Again, both of these pieces should be taken as speculation; stay tuned for the Galaxy Note 4 launch this September 3rd.

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Samsung outs new Galaxy Note 4 teaser, shows off the S Pen

Ready to Note? That’s the question Samsung is asking everyone in the second teaser video for the upcoming Galaxy Note 4, showing off the innovative S Pen that has been a hallmark of the company’s Galaxy Note lineup. The video shows how the S Pen can be used for various things on the device – there is no mention of the Galaxy Note 4 by name, but the video does tease the September 3 announcement date. Like the video from last week that showed off the Galaxy Note’s handwriting skills, this one does a good job of advertising one of the many popular features of its devices, and you can view the minute-long video by hitting the Play button below.

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Samsung Gear 3 to sport curved display, lack a camera?

With two Gear smartwatches already out in markets, it’s been expected that Samsung will launch a Gear 3 sometime in the future, along with a plethora of other wearable devices, including the Gear VR virtual reality headset. Today, PocketNow is offering details on the next-generation Gear, and according to their source, the biggest change the Gear 3 will introduce is a curved display, not unlike the one seen on the Gear Fit, with thin side bezel. The smartwatch will apparently be more curved than the Gear Fit, and will employ a Super AMOLED display with “impressive brightness and color saturation.”

However, while the display will be a massive improvement, the Gear 3 will also lack a key feature that has separated Samsung’s smartwatches from others. The Gear 3 will reportedly lack a camera – it’s likely most won’t miss a camera, but it will surely irk a few who have gotten used to using the camera on their smartwatch for taking quick snaps. Also, while the camera might be present, it is said the Gear 3 might sport a radio for cellular connectivity, though it isn’t clear if this will have any effect on the rumored Gear Solo’s launch.

According to the source of the above information, the Gear 3 is being prepared for a September launch as has been rumored before, which means it could be announced alongside the Galaxy Note 4. As always, everything should be taken with a pinch of salt, as things might change in the weeks leading up to the launch of the third-generation Gear smartwatch.

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This is how Samsung constructed its first metallic Android smartphone

The Galaxy Alpha is not only the first metallic Samsung Android smartphone, it is also the slimmest Galaxy device ever made, and Samsung has explained in a blog post how it went about constructing the metal body which is used in the Galaxy Alpha. The post explains how the metal frame of the device is obtained by trimming a rough metal material, and is followed by creating spaces for things like the battery that are then attached to that metal frame. Samsung has also detailed how the different colors of the phone (blue, gold, black, silver, and white) are applied, and how the metal frame is then diamond cut to obtain the unique shape you see on the sides of the Galaxy Alpha.

It’s a very interesting read of Samsung’s design process for its first metallic Galaxy smartphone, so go ahead and take a look at the source link.

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Galaxy Note 4 benchmark once again shows the power of its Exynos 5433 chip

Like every Galaxy Note flagship since the lineup’s inception, the Galaxy Note 4 is expected to be a powerhouse that puts the competition to shame when it comes to raw performance, and we’ve seen what the Exynos 5433 chipset powering it is capable of through leaked benchmarks a couple of months ago. Now, another benchmark for the Galaxy Note 4 has cropped up online, and this time we get to see how the Exynos 5433 compares to other processors. As you can see in the image below, the 5433 managed to beat every existing chipset, including the Snapdragon 805, by a fair margin. The NVIDIA Tegra K1 came out at top, but the lead it has over the Exynos 5433 might disappear once Samsung finalizes the software on the Galaxy Note 4.

The Exynos 5433 will be an octa-core chip with four Cortex-A7 and four Cortex-A15 cores. It will be the first Exynos chip to feature an integrated LTE modem, an aspect which will allow Samsung to bring the Exynos variant to more markets than it has in the past. Details are scarce on the company’s newest chip, but we only have to wait till September 3 to get all the nitty-gritty information.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK tablet is now available for purchase

The Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK, a tablet born from a collaboration between Samsung and retailer Barnes & Noble, is now available for purchase from Barnes & Noble’s website and from the retailer’s brick and mortar bookstores. The tablet is priced at $179 after a $20 rebate, and is bundled with $200 worth of free content including books, magazines, and TV shows. These include eBooks like Freakonomics, The Wanderer, and I Am Number Four, an episode from the shows Veep, Hannibal, and Orphan Black, and four 14-day trial subscriptions for selected magazines and 12 free issues of a particular magazine. There’s a $5 credit included as well, which you can use to make your first purchase from the Nook Store.

Other than the plethora of content, the hardware on the Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK remains the same as the standard variant, including a 7-inch 1280×800 display, quad-core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD slot, 3-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and up to 10 hours of battery life.

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New smart TV content services will be unveiled at IFA 2014

Back at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year Samsung showed off a variety of television products, including additions to its smart TV lineup. Content sources are important for a smart TV platform and Samsung is well aware of this, which is why it will be unveiling some new content services at IFA 2014, which takes place next month.

The company announced today that it is going to set up a “Smart Zone” with a “Fun & Easy” concept at IFA 2014 which kicks off on September 5th and lasts for six days. New smart TV content will be displayed which will include Need for Speed Most Wanted, Real Football and Golf Star. Samsung will also show off an upgraded version of Skype for smart TV.

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Exclusive: Galaxy Mega2 (SM-G750F) to sport an Exynos 4415 SoC, Easy Side Panel

While everyone is waiting for Samsung to announce its upcoming flagship phablet device of the year, Galaxy Note4, there are some people who are waiting for its mid-range cousin, Galaxy Mega2, to enter the spotlight. Earlier today, we received the first ever official firmware of the Galaxy Mega2, which indicates the release is rather imminent. Soon after the firmware article went up, one of our insiders tipped us with some specifications of the Galaxy Mega2.

According to our insider, the Galaxy Mega2 is codenamed “Vasta”, internally, and carries SM-G750F* as its model number. The European variant of the device will be equipped with a 5.99-inch HD (1280×720) Super AMOLED display, an unannounced Samsung Exynos 4 (Exynos 4415) SoC with a Quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU clocked at 1.4GHz, Mali-400MP4 GPU with a clock speed of 533MHz, 2GB of RAM, 12-megapixel main camera sensor with Full HD (1920×1080) video recording at 30FPS, and 8GB of internal memory which is user expandable via MicroSD card slot. Also, unlike recent Samsung devices, the Mega2 doesn’t sport a fingerprint scanner neither a heart-rate sensor.

We at SamMobile cracked opened the official firmware of the device and the build.prop file confirms that the European Galaxy Mega2 (SM-G750F) does indeed pack an Exynos 4415 SoC.

In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy Mega2 will offer WiFi 802.11n support, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 LE / ANT+, GPS, GLONASS and an IR blaster is included for controlling your TV using Samsung’s Smart Control app. MicroUSB 2.0 port for syncing and charging the device.

Software-wise, the phablet will come with Android 4.4.4 KitKat and Samsung’s latest Magazine UX, same as on the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Alpha, out of the box. Insider also reports that Samsung has bundled many new software features, which are supposed to help the user with one-handed usability. One of these software features in Easy Side Panel, this feature enables on-screen navigation buttons on the right/left side of the display, depending on the primary hand of the user.

This was all the info our source was able to provide at the moment, and we aren’t aware of any release timeframe, but we will keep you folks updated as soon as we receive new intel on the mid-range phablet.

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Why is Samsung releasing a device like the Galaxy Alpha?

A few hours ago, Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Alpha, a device that has nothing ground-breaking but is something of a refined mix of the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S III. Its specs include a 4.7-inch 720p Super AMOLED display, an Exynos 5430 octa-core processor (one of the fastest in the market), 2 GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Just like the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Alpha has a heart rate sensor on the back, next to the camera, and a fingerprint scanner built into the home button.

Not so long ago, the Galaxy Alpha was known as the Galaxy F, with the F referring to ‘Fashion.’ Samsung used Galaxy F as an internal codename, and the device was never meant to be an improved version of the Galaxy S5, but rather a ‘Fashion’ version of the Galaxy S4/S III. This will probably make many of you question why Samsung didn’t improve an improved, so-called ‘Fashion’ variant of the Galaxy S5.

Well, the reason for this has to be that Samsung wants to stick with two flagship smartphones for each year in the form of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note line. In marketing speak, these are strong brand names, which would make it a risky move to place a model between these popular products. As we all know by know, Samsung isn’t known for taking many risks – it instead plays it safe, so much so that the company’s profits have largely stagnated in the last two quarters.

There’s another question that may arise in your mind: if it’s not an improved version of the Galaxy S5, why is there a need to release a ‘Fashion’ version of the Galaxy S4?

Well, the answer to that lies in the form of Samsung’s main competitor: Apple. According to rumors, the iPhone 6 will have a larger screen (most likely 4.7-inch) than previous iPhones. Over the last few years, Samsung has benefited over Apple because of its large-screen devices, with the Galaxy Note line having helped them found the now standard phablet market. For many people switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy device, the main reason was the larger screen.

Now that the “larger screen” motif will become a non-reason for iPhone users to switch, Samsung has naturally had to come up with a better strategy. To compete with the upcoming iPhone, Samsung is throwing the pricing strategy on the tablet, which is similar to the start of the Galaxy S line, wherein Samsung was competing with the iPhone mainly on price (and also on state-of-the-art specifications, though price was the biggest factor.)

Of course, Samsung could also reduce the price of the Galaxy S5 to compete, but in the long term, it would harm the Galaxy S series as a flagship line, especially since the Galaxy S5 is still doing a great job in terms of sales in many markets, compared to Apple’s 4-inch iPhone options.

With the Galaxy Alpha, Samsung is not just competing on price, but the company is also trying to compete through the usage of premium materials. If they want to compete with the next iPhone and have a chance at beating it, Samsung needs to look beyond price. One of the strongest suites of the iPhone is still its premium finish and Apple’s use of quality materials. To counter this, Samsung has put an aluminium frame with chamfered edges on the Galaxy Alpha, something that we’ve seen on previous iPhones.

As I mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Alpha is not a ground-breaking device and offers nothing that we haven’t seen from competitors before. However, it has some refinements compared to other Galaxy smartphones that were released earlier this year (like an improved fingerprint scanner, more premium design, and more.)

The Galaxy Alpha won’t be released worldwide but will instead be exclusive to selected markets (with a launch in late August), and one of the biggest and most important reasons for its existence is to compete with Apple’s next iPhone.

What do you think? Is this the right strategy Samsung needs to take the fight to Apple once again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Samsung GALAXY ALPHA – Official Video

Look no further. The next evolution of the Samsung GALAXY smartphone is here.

The new ultra-sleek Samsung GALAXY Alpha redefines smartphone design.

It’s slim at a mere 6.7mm, styled from metal and beautifully curved at its edges for durability.

Packed with flagship features such as an enhanced camera and a fingerprint scanner, it’s the perfect balance of form and function.

For more information click here

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Samsung Galaxy Alpha officially announced

The day that we had all been waiting for is finally here. Samsung today officially announced the Galaxy Alpha, its new metal touting smartphone that we have been consistently hearing about over the past few months. There have been countless rumors about its specifications and dozens of pictures leaked online but none looked better than the official press images that Samsung has released today.

As expected the Samsung Galaxy Alpha has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED display, LTE-A support, 1860mAh battery, fingerprint sensor and more. Software features like the Ultra Power Saving Mode are also present, baked into Android 4.4.4. Despite its metal build the Galaxy Alpha is just 6.7mm thick and it weighs in at 115g.

The Galaxy Alpha will be released in five colors: black, white, gold, silver and blue. Samsung says that the new device will be released sequentially in more than 150 countries starting September 2014.

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Alleged and convincing first images of the Gear VR surface

A few weeks back, we brought you an exclusive first look at the Samsung Gear VR Manager – the app which would contain the instruction and settings regarding Samsung’s upcoming virtual reality device. Today it seems that the device has been photographed in its full, real-world glory.The Gear VR is being developed in tandem with Oculus VR and is scheduled to debut alongside the Galaxy Note 4 at Episode Two of Unpacked 2014. Should this turn out to be true, Samsung will command a very serious position as the first entrant into what is expected to be an industry with near-limitless potential.

Upon closer examination of all of the components captured within the image, we see that there are the goggles that strap onto one’s head, the phone (used as a screen), and a control pad. The phone here seems to be a Galaxy S5 but Oculus VR has been known to operate with the Galaxy Note 3, and given the side-by-side launch with the Galaxy Note 4, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that to be the device implemented. (Continue after the break)

The goggles headset carries what appears to be a focus dial positioned on the top and has a detachable casing which is used to attach the phone. On the front, stage-right side of the goggles is a protruding USB 3.0 plug which is the point of connection with the phone. The other major piece to this puzzle shown here is the control pad. The pad appears to have some sort of handle extending from the front of it, but its not clear what that would be designed to accomplish. Aside from that, there are three toggles/d-pads featured along with a very dicey button scheme (pun intended).

The inclusion of this control pad is somewhat of an interesting development. In our previous discoveries, we went into a thorough explanation of how a responsive touchpad and button located on the side of the goggles themselves was going to be the method by which the user controlled the device and media. Now, unfortunately this new image does not allow us to see what this touchpad looks like, although it does seem that you can faintly make out its outline there on the stage-right side of the goggles. Given that we know of this touchpad/button layout from our comprehensive walk through of the Gear VR Manager, its safe to assume that its there, but nonetheless it does beg the question of what the separate control pad is designed to do. If games begin to be designed with this technology in mind, then a control pad will absolutely be utilized to further the experience.

The thought that production-level virtual reality could finally be around us as soon as three weeks from now is thrilling to say the least. As a global innovator, Samsung could offer a revolutionary value proposition to consumers with this kind of technology, only furthering its already high quality devices and extensive ecosystem. Getting excited about the Gear VR is absolutely encouraged; the reveal takes place September 3rd.

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Samsung gives the Galaxy Grand 2 a golden paint job

Samsung has been pretty consistent with releasing gold colored versions of its flagships phones in recent months, and now the Korean manufacturer looks to be turning its attention towards its mid-range devices. A gold variant of the Galaxy Grand 2 has been spotted on Samsung India’s website, giving future buyers of one of the company’s best-selling phones another color to choose from. Unfortunately, if you’re looking to this one up, you might have to wait a little as the phone is listed as out of stock for now, though that will likely change in the near future.

As expected, the change in color hasn’t resulted in a change of specs. You still get a 5.25-inch 720p display, 1.2 GHz dua-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, 8 GB of internal storage and a microSD slot, a 2,100 mAh battery, dual SIM slots, and Android 4.3, with an update to Android 4.4 KitKat already out. Sadly, the meager specs are still carrying a high price tag of around $340 (Rs. 20,900), at least in India, so the new color hasn’t changed the fact that the Galaxy Grand 2 remains a poor choice among a sea of newer budget handsets from other manufacturers, like the Moto G.

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Samsung to focus on low-end Tizen phones, ditch Samsung Z?

Samsung’s smartwatches might be chugging along nicely on Tizen, but the company has failed miserably at bringing a smartphone powered by its in-house OS to market. The Samsung Z was recently announced as the first commercial Tizen phone, but its launch was delayed and the phone is still stuck in limbo. Now, sources talking to TizenExperts suggest that Samsung might be looking at ditching all plans to launch the high-end Samsung Z, and focusing on budget phones running Tizen in order to challenge companies like China’s Xiaomi (which recently overtook Samsung as the number one smartphone maker in its home country.)

Focusing on low-end phones sounds like a good strategy for Samsung. Its Android phones are ill-suited for budget devices thanks to the heavy nature of Samsung’s software, so instead of wasting time racing to the bottom with Android, it would be a good move to use Tizen to capture the burgeoning budget smartphone market instead, especially since Tizen is designed to run on devices with as low as 256 MB of RAM. Developers will probably not like the new direction as users of low-end devices are less inclined to spend money on apps and services, but it would give Samsung a nice chance to give Tizen the boost it so desparately needs in the highly competitive smartphone market.

What do you think about this supposed change in strategy for Tizen? Do you think the move to focus on low-end devices is the right one to make, or do you think Samsung should launch Tizen devices in all segments to offer the same choice it has with its Android phones?

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Samsung moves closer to Apple in US smartphone market share

Samsung might be having a hard time in markets like India and China due to its lack of a solid strategy for the burgeoning budget smartphone segment, but over in the U.S., the Korean manufacturer managed to strengthen its foothold in the second quarter of 2014. According to the latest comScore survey, Samsung’s smartphone market share rose to 28.6 percent, a 1.6 percent rise from Q1 that has brought the company closer to Apple’s share of 42.1 percent. Apple also managed a 0.7 percent growth in the same period, while LG, Motorola and HTC saw their market share erode slightly as they hung on to the third, fourth and fifth positions.

Samsung’s increased market share can mainly be attributed to the launch of the Galaxy S5, which released on all major carriers in the U.S. as has been the tradition for all of the company’s flagships in recent years, and the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 will no doubt provide further growth. As far as operating systems are concerned, Android continued to lead with 51.9 percent share at the end of June, followed by Apple at 42.1 percent. Windows Phone, Symbian and BlackBerry brought up the rear, with 3.4, 2.4 and a (measly) 0.1 percent share respectively.

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