Galaxy S6 sales reportedly fall short of expectations, all eyes on the Galaxy Note 5

Earlier this year Samsung launched its new flagship handsets the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge. The market expected that customers would react favorably to the new devices and many of them did but things are expected to change in this quarter as industry watchers believe sales of the Galaxy S6 will actually fall short of expectations in the second quarter. The apprehension continues to mount as we head into the fall where traditionally Apple launches new iPhones and that’s also perceived as a threat to sales of the Galaxy S6.

Securities industry sources cited in a new report suggest that Samsung Electronics’ IT and mobile division is going to post an operating profit this quarter between $2.76 billion and $3.03 billion which would be a 22% increase quarter-over-quarter but a 24% slump year-over-year. This performance is attributed to low actual sales of the Galaxy S6 and with hopes for the next quarter being pinned on the Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S6 edge Plus in the near future, it’s a new model which has a slightly larger display, larger battery as well as a Snapdragon 808 processor. The Galaxy Note 5 will arrive before the new iPhones and it’s bound to give those handsets a run for their money, Samsung will also be counting on this device to improve its fortunes in the global smartphone market.

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Samsung leads rankings in J.D. Power HDTV Satisfaction Report two years in a row

Samsung has clinched two customer satisfaction awards in the annual J.D. Power 2015 High-Definition Television Satisfaction Report in the United States, this study recognizes Samsung HDTVs as the highest ranking in customer satisfaction in models 50-inches and above as well as 50-inches or below for two years in a row. J.D. Power conducted a survey of more than 3750 customers who purchased an HDTV in the past year to achieve these rankings, with satisfaction being measured on a scale of 1000 based on a total of eight factors including ease of operation, warranty, price, reliability, overall satisfaction, performance style and appearance.

Samsung ranked the highest in the 50-inches and above category with a score of 871 as well as highest in the 50-inches and below category with a score of 856. In both categories Samsung was ranked highest for performance, style and appearance, reliability, features, warranty and overall satisfaction. Bill Lee, Vice President of the Television Product Marketing Division at Samsung Electronics America said “We strive to innovate and provide an unrivaled home viewing experience for consumers with spectacular picture quality, Samsung is honored to receive a top ranking in customer satisfaction for two years in a row and we look forward to delivering top quality and innovation in years to come.”

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More smartphones will be Tizen-powered this year, source says

With the Tizen-powered Z1 selling well in Bangladesh, and the company planning a Z2 and Z3 in the works along with a mid-ranger, the latest news out of Samsung’s native country shouldn’t surprise anyone. A source familiar with the company’s next steps says that the Z1 is only the beginning. Samsung is planning to have various price points for the Tizen-powered devices that it looks to bring to the market this year.

We only know that various price points will be entertained, but we’re sure to see mid-end and low-end budget-friendly handsets emerge. Interestingly enough, the source did not rule out a high-end Tizen-powered smartphone contender in the current market where the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Google-Motorola Nexus 6, HTC One M9, Xperia Z3 and Z4, and the LG G4 reign supreme.

Samsung is the top Android OEM in the world when it comes to mobile devices, and the company’s newest S6 and S6 edge have shown the world what Samsung can do when it listens to its customers. While Tizen is still in its early stages with most analysts having little praise for it, Samsung has invested money into the OS – with Smart TVs and smartwatches, in particular, using the operating system. Even with the S6 and the S6 edge’s success, however, Samsung’s ultimate dream phone is still in the making.

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Samsung smartwatches could feel the pinch from Apple and Xiaomi

Samsung started selling smartwatches long before Apple and Xiaomi entered this race but it appears that the Korean manufacturer will soon find itself between a rock and a hard place, where on hand you have Apple ruling the premium smartwatch market and on the other Xiaomi sweeping the budget conscious customer. Samsung could find itself stuck between the two and thus feel the pinch from these relatively new entrants in the global wearable market.

Apple is believed to have sold some seven million units of the Apple Watch since it was released in April while Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatches are only said to have sold around two million units since they were released around two years ago. The Apple Watch’s stellar performance has now made Apple the dominant force in the global smartwatch market with its lead set to extend as the Apple Watch goes on sale in additional markets every month. Apple has also positioned its first smartwatch as more of a fashion accessory with a variety of collections and colors, it has built a robust app ecosystem with over 3,500 apps, all of this has led research firm Strategy Analytics to predict that the Cupertino company will grab 54.8 percent of the global smartwatch market by the end of 2015.

Xiaomi is establishing its dominance among the budget conscious consumers by launching cheap wearable devices, its Mi Band is believed to have sold around six million units as of June 10. Mi Band is not really a smartwatch, it’s more of an activity and fitness tracker, but Xiaomi is rumored to be working on a very cheap smartwatch which would certainly shake up the industry when it arrives. So where does Samsung stand in all this? It appears that all hopes must be pinned on the Orbis because it may have the potential to allow Samsung to challenge the Apple Watch. Samsung Orbis will be the company’s first smartwatch with a round design and it’s expected to be unveiled this September at the IFA 2015 in Berlin.

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Galaxy J2 possibly in the pipeline

Samsung’s Galaxy J series currently consists of only three handsets, the J1, J5 and J7, it appears that the company has plans to launch a new J series device in the near future. Evidence has surfaced which hints that the Galaxy J2 might be in the pipeline over at Samsung with the handset carrying model number SM-J200F. This appears to be a low-end smartphone which was first spotted on the IMEI database.

A couple of days back the Galaxy J2 was also spotted on Indian import tracking website Zauba which lists sample units of this handset being imported in India for testing purposes. Not much information is available about the specifications of this device but from what we can find on Zauba it appears that the Galaxy J2 has a 4.7-inch display. Additional information about specifications and features which become available in the coming weeks but don’t expect much as it seems to be a truly low-end device aimed at the budget conscious consumer.

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06-29-2015 Firmware Updates: Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S5 Active, Galaxy A3, and more

Samsung has a plethora of phones and tablets in its lineup, and regularly releases firmware updates for various devices. These can include major updates, which bring a newer version of the OS to a particular device, or minor ones that improve performance and stability and fix bugs. Software updates for Samsung devices roll out in various regions every day, and you can find out which firmware updates were pushed out by the company over the weekend through our firmware list.

As usual, you can download each of these firmware from our firmware section (simply enter your device’s model number to view all firmware for that device) in order to update to a new firmware manually, or as a means to return to your phone or tablet’s stock software.

Country (Product Code)	Model	Model Name	Version	PDA
Argentina (Personal) (PSN)	SM-N910U	GALAXY Note 4	5.0.1	N910UXXU1BOE1
Austria (A1) (MOB)	SM-G900F	GALAXY S5	5	G900FXXU1POF9
Brazil (ZTO)	SM-G850M	GALAXY Alpha	5.0.2	G850MUBU2COF2
Brazil (Claro) (ZTA)	SM-G530H	GALAXY Grand Prime	4.4.4	G530HVJU2AOE1
Brazil (Oi) (ZTR)	SM-N910C	GALAXY Note 4	5.0.1	N910CXXU1BOE1
Brazil (TIM) (ZTM)	SM-C115M	GALAXY K Zoom LTE-A	4.4.2	C115MVJU1AOD1
Bulgaria (BGL)	SM-G531F	Galaxy Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1AOF7
Bulgaria (BGL)	SM-T111	GALAXY Tab3 Lite 7.0 3G	4.2.2	T111XXUAOE1
Canada (Telus) (TLS)	SM-G925W8	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.0.2	G925W8VLU1AOE1
Cellular south (XAR)	SM-P550	Galaxy Tab A 9.7 Wi-Fi (Spen	5.0.2	P550XXU1AOF4
Cellular south (XAR)	SM-T550	GALAXY Tab A 9.7 Wi-Fi	5.0.2	T550XXU1AOF5
Cellular south (XAR)	SM-T350	Galaxy Tab A 8.0 Wi-Fi	5.0.2	T350XXU1AOF4
China (Open China) (CHC)	SM-N9008S	GALAXY Note 3	5	N9008SZCUCOF1
France (XEF)	SM-G925F	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.0.2	G925FXXU1AOE3
France (Orange) (FTM)	SM-G870F	GALAXY S5 Active	5	G870FXXU1BOE2
Germany (Vodafone) (VD2)	SM-G900F	GALAXY S5	5	G900FXXU1POE2
India (INS)	SM-T561	GALAXY Tab E 9.6 3G	4.4.4	T561XXU0AOF1
Iran (THR)	SM-G900H	GALAXY S5	5	G900HXXU1BOD4
Iraq (MID)	SM-N915F	GALAXY Note Edge	5.0.1	N915FXXU1BOD2
Ireland (Vodafone) (VDI)	SM-A300FU	GALAXY A3	5.0.2	A300FUXXU1BOF4
Kenya (AFR)	SM-J100H	GALAXY J1	4.4.4	J100HXXU0AOF2
Luxembourg (LUX)	SM-T235	GALAXY Tab4 7.0 LTE	4.4.2	T235XXU1AOD1
Malaysia (XME)	SM-A700FD	GALAXY A7	4.4.4	A700FDXXU1AOD7
Morocco (MWD) (MWD)	SM-G900F	GALAXY S5	5	G900FXXU1BOE5
Nepal (NPL)	SM-E700H	GALAXY E7	4.4.4	E700HXXU1AOE4
Nepal (NPL)	SM-G316HU	GALAXY S DUOS 3	4.4.4	G316HUDDU0AOE2
Netherlands (PHN)	SM-G531F	Galaxy Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1AOF7
New Zealand (NZC)	SM-T530	GALAXY Tab4 10.1 Wi-Fi	5.0.2	T530XXU1BOF7
Open Austria (ATO)	SM-G531F	Galaxy Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1AOF7
Open Austria (ATO)	SM-G870F	GALAXY S5 Active	5	G870FXXU1BOE2
Panama (TPA)	SM-G313M	GALAXY Ace 4 LTE	4.4.2	G313MUBU0AOD1
Panama (TPA)	GT-I9060L	GALAXY Grand Neo	4.2.2	I9060LUBUAOF2
Philippines (Globe) (GLB)	SM-A700FD	GALAXY A7	4.4.4	A700FDXXU1AOD7
Poland (XEO)	SM-G531F	Galaxy Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1AOF7
Poland (XEO)	SM-T805	GALAXY Tab S 10.5 LTE	5.0.2	T805XXU1BOE3
Poland (PLUS) (PLS)	GT-I9515	GALAXY S4 VE	5.0.1	I9515XXU1BOE3
Poland (PLUS) (PLS)	GT-N7105	GALAXY Note II LTE	4.4.2	N7105XXUFNL2
Poland (Play) (PRT)	SM-A500FU	GALAXY A5	5.0.2	A500FUXXU1BOE6
Portugal (Optimus) (OPT)	SM-G357FZ	GALAXY Ace 4 LTE	4.4.4	G357FZXXU1AOE1
Puerto Rico (PCT)	SM-N915T	GALAXY Note Edge	5.0.1	N915TUBU1BOF1
Romania (ROM)	GT-I9505	GALAXY S4 LTE	5.0.1	I9505XXUHOE3
Russia (SER)	SM-G355H	GALAXY Core 2 DUOS	4.4.2	G355HXXU0AOF2
Russia (SER)	SM-E500H	GALAXY E5	4.4.4	E500HXXU1AOF1
Russia (SER)	SM-G925F	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.0.2	G925FXXU1AOE3
Russia (SER)	SM-G350E	GALAXY Trend 3	4.4.2	G350EXXU0AOF3
Singapore (XSP)	SM-G901F	GALAXY S5 Plus	5.0.2	G901FXXU1BOE1
Singapore (XSP)	SM-G920I	GALAXY S6	5.0.2	G920IDVU1BOF6
Singapore (StarHub) (STH)	SM-G925I	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.0.2	G925IDVU1BOF7
South Africa (XFE)	GT-S7580	GALAXY Trend Plus	4.2.2	S7580XXUBOD5
South Africa (Vodafone) (XFV)	GT-S7580	GALAXY Trend Plus	4.2.2	S7580XXUBOD5
South East Europe (SEE)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	4.4.2	P600XXUDOE1
South East Europe (SEE)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	4.4.2	P600XXUDOE1
Spain (PHE)	SM-G531F	Galaxy Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1AOF7
Spain (Yoigo) (Black Edition)(YOG)	GT-N7100	GALAXY Note II	4.4.2	N7100XXUFOE1
Switzerland (AUT)	SM-A500FU	GALAXY A5	5.0.2	A500FUXXU1BOE6
Switzerland (AUT)	SM-T535	GALAXY Tab4 10.1 4G	5.0.2	T535XXU1BOD8
Switzerland (AUT)	SM-G870F	GALAXY S5 Active	5	G870FXXU1BOE2
Trinidad and Tobago (TTT)	SM-G800H	GALAXY S5 mini	4.4.2	G800HXXU1ANL2
USA (T-Mobile) (TMB)	SM-G920T1	GALAXY S6	5.1.1	G920T1UVU2COF9
USA (Verizon) (VZW)	SM-N915V	GALAXY Note Edge	5.0.1	N915VVRU2BOF2
Unknown (MTZ)	SM-N910C	GALAXY Note 4	5.0.1	N910CXXU1BOE1
Unknown (XNZ)	SM-T560	GALAXY Tab E 9.6 Wi-Fi	4.4.4	T560XXU0AOE8
Unknown (DDE)	SM-G920F	GALAXY S6	5.0.2	G920FXXU1AOCV

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Are you using a case on your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge?

To add a premium feel to smartphones, manufacturers usually turn to either metal or glass. Samsung chose the latter for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, both of which feature glass on the front and back. In addition to making the phones feel great in the hand, the glass also adds to their looks by reflecting light in a beautiful way. But while metal or glass give a smartphone a charm that plastic or fake leather can’t match, they also cause problems when it comes to ergonomics.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge aren’t huge devices, but their glass body makes them quite slippery and affects one-hand usage. There have been many instances when my Galaxy S6 edge has slipped through my fingers, and if it wasn’t for my brain telling me that I’ve bought an extremely costly smartphone that might be very hard to repair, my reflexes probably wouldn’t be as quick as they have been all those times the phone decided to answer the call of gravity.

Unlike metal, glass also has the disadvantage of being prone to shattering on impact. The Galaxy S6 might have Gorilla Glass on the back, but you can never be sure if the device will survive a fall and come out unscathed. This makes using a case on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge quite necessary – a lot of folks have told me that I’ve ruined the look of my S6 edge by slapping a case on it, and I’ve always answered that I’m unwilling to risk using it without protection thanks to its beautiful but fragile design.

Thankfully, Samsung has made quite a few options available with official cases for its latest flagships (though the Clear Black cover can damage your screen, and the standard Flip Cover isn’t too well made), and you also have a lot of third-party alternatives from companies like Spigen and Otterbox. Naturally, these cases add a bit of thickness to the device (and take away the premium-ness as well), but they ensure I can use my phone without worrying about it getting damaged.

Now we’re putting the question to you: Are you using a case on your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge, or do you prefer to use your device without one? If you’re in the former camp, which one? Let us know in the comments!

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Exclusive: Samsung Project Zero 2 physical dimensions and battery size

Last month, we reported some information about Samsung’s upcoming smartphone, the SM-G928, which goes by the internal codename Project Zero 2. It is quite similar to the Galaxy S6 edge with just a couple of changes that includes the screen size and the processor. The SM-G928 is expected to feature a 5.4-inch or 5.7-inch Super AMOLED dual-edge curved display, a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor, 32GB internal storage space, a 16-megapixel primary camera with OIS and 4K video recording, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Now, we’ve come to know some more details about the device, including its physical dimensions and battery capacity. It is around 151 mm tall and around 73 mm wide, which makes it 9 mm taller and 3 mm wider than the Galaxy S6 edge. This means that it will most probably feature a display larger than 5.1 inches (as mentioned in previous reports), and necessary space for a larger battery that will accommodate for the larger display. According to the insider information that we’ve received, the device will house a 3,000 mAh battery.

We are not sure about the final name of the device, but it is currently being called as the Galaxy S6 Plus or the Galaxy S6 edge Plus on the Internet, and is expected to be officially announced in the coming weeks.

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More than a million Samsung Z1 units sold in six months, gold version incoming

Samsung’s one and only Tizen smartphone seems to be doing better than anyone had hoped. Samsung managed to sell more than 100,000 units of the Z1 in India in under two months, and the Z1 became the number one smartphone in Bangladesh very recently. A low price tag and the allure of Samsung’s brand value have helped the Z1 find a lot of consumers in these price-sensitive emerging markets, and according to the Korean manufacturer, it has now managed to sell a million units in less than six months of launch.

That’s an impressive feat anyway you look at it, especially when you consider the fact that the Z1 runs a new mobile operating system (though Samsung doesn’t exactly reveal that in advertising.) To celebrate the high sales figure, Samsung will be launching a gold color variant of the Z1 in the near future, and in addition to sporting a more dazzling paint job, the gold variant will also come with a couple of new games and messaging apps (an official Facebook Messenger client, maybe?) out of the box.

Samsung also confirmed that newer models are coming to market in the next couple of months, and it’s possible we will see a glimpse of the Z1′s successor at the upcoming Tizen developer conference in India. As we noted in our review, the Z1 isn’t exactly an impressive low-end handset, and we can only hope the next Tizen phone ups the ante in terms of both hardware and software.

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Samsung is ruining even basic multitasking on its smartphones

For a company that made multitasking on smartphones a whole new ballgame with its Galaxy Note lineup of smartphones, Samsung’s recent doings seem to suggest it is no longer interested in offering users even a good basic multitasking experience. Galaxy phones still have the same useful multitasking features today, but Samsung has messed up a couple of basic things on recent smartphones to make switching between apps an exercise in frustration.

It started with the Galaxy Note 4. We were never impressed by how Samsung’s fourth-generation Galaxy Note performed, and one of the biggest issues with its software was the lag in the recent apps interface. 99 percent of the time the phone takes at least two seconds to show the app switcher, and for those who constantly switch back and forth between two or more apps, this basic form of multitasking is a time-waster on the Note 4. The Lollipop upgrade hasn’t fixed this lag, and even the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, which come with the most optimized version of Samsung’s TouchWiz UX yet, take a second or two to react after you hit the recent apps button.

Then there is also the fact that the S6 and S6 edge have a memory management issue that makes them kill background apps too quickly, something that further botches a feature that has been a staple of Android for a few years now. Samsung hasn’t fixed it with the Android 5.1 update, and since other smartphones with the latest version of Android don’t have this delay in the recent apps screen nor an extreme case of task killing, it’s becoming clear the company is ignoring the multitasking side of things on its devices.

The Galaxy Note 5 is on the horizon, and I can only hope Samsung will be fixing all of the multitasking issues that plague TouchWiz at the moment with what could be the most awesome Note device in the series’ history. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are two of the best flagship smartphones the Korean manufacturer has ever produced, but the last few months have been a sad indication of how Samsung devices might not be your best bet if you’re a user that finds multitasking to be one of the most important features of a smartphone.

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