It’s no secret that Samsung is increasingly coming under pressure in all segments of the market and in some places it’s struggling to hold on to the top position, the plethora of Chinese OEMs are eroding its market share in the low-end and mid-range segment while Apple isn’t making things any easier in the high-end. Despite all this the Shinhan Investment Corporation predicts that Samsung smartphone shipments are going to increase by 0.95% this year to 318 million units, while Apple’s are expected to rise by a whopping 19% to 230 million units.
Samsung saw a monumental increase in shipments back in 2012, it was a 131% increase year-over-year, which dropped down to 44.4% in 2013 and 0% in 2014. On the other hand Apple fell from 49.4% in 2012 to 12.5% in 2013 but surged again in 2014 with 26.1%. Both companies highly depend on their flagships to perform well in the market and a report out of Korea suggests that Samsung is going to have to increase the supply of its high-end devices if it wants to see any substantial increase in overall shipments this year or the next. Samsung has been trying to sustain the sales momentum by running promotions and even cutting prices, it’s also leaning on new devices which include the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ to contribute favorably to overall shipment figures.
Since last week Apple’s new iPad Pro is hogging the spotlight, rightly so, it’s the first 12-inch tablet that the company has ever made. Samsung has been making 12-inch tablets for quite some time now and it has released a new ad for the Galaxy Tab S2 to remind you of that, aside from proclaiming that this is the best tablet because it will “elevate your downtime.”
Samsung makes it clear in the ad that it didn’t make the Galaxy Tab S2 with an octa-core processor to find the meaning of life, rather the intention was to make the most of your “extra life.” Expandable memory gets a special mention in the ad, and why wouldn’t it, it’s the one feature that the iPad has never had and it’s what counts when a customer is looking to purchase a tablet purely for the purpose of consuming video content. Samsung has also responded to the new iPhones with a string of new ads that highlights some of the features that its latest flagships have but the iPhone doesn’t. Do you think this strategy will continue to pay dividends for the Korean company?
Rumor has it that Samsung is working on a new chipset that’s based on ARM’s “Ananke” cores and that the chipset is going to be ready for sampling next year, possibly around the same time Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S7 and even its highly anticipated foldable smartphone. ARM’s “Ananke” cores were mentioned in an alleged roadmap for ARM’s upcoming Cortex-A cores, the roadmap mentioned that the company will have five CPU cores for all segments of the market and that their codenames would come from Greek mythology with Ananke being one of the cores that replaces part of the A53 and 32-bit A17 segments.
Ananke is said to be designed with the big.LITTLE architecture for the entry to mid-range market which means that it’s unlikely we’ll ever see it in a flagship device. According to rumors Samsung’s new SoC based on Ananke is going to be built on the 10nm process, this will theoretically ensure improved power efficiency with greater performance. Given that all of this information comes from an unofficial source it would be best to take it with a grain of salt until some concrete evidence comes up.
Even though all of the attention was on the Gear S2 during Samsung’s press conference at IFA 2015 earlier this month the company did take some time out to tease an entirely new product it introduced as the Galaxy View. Samsung didn’t provide many details about this device but from the looks of it this is the 18.4-inch tablet that we’ve told you about before. It appears that the Galaxy View launch is not that far off considering that the tablet has received Bluetooth SIG certification, that’s usually an indicator of an impending launch.
The certification listing doesn’t specifically name the View but does mention the SM-T670 model that’s associated with the 18.4-inch tablet. It also doesn’t reveal anything about the specifications of this tablet but according to previous reports it’s going to have a 1920×1080 pixel resolution display with an Exynos 7580 processor under the hood, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage with microSD support, 8 megapixel rear camera and a 5700mAh battery. Samsung still hasn’t revealed when it intends on formally launching this tablet, nevertheless we’ll update you as soon as we hear more.
Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch was formally unveiled at IFA 2015 and now many consumers across the globe are waiting for this wearable device to be released. Many of Samsung’s retail partners have started taking pre-orders for the device but the company is yet to confirm the release date in many markets. As far as the United States is concerned it appears that the Bluetooth-only variant of the Gear S2 will be available for purchase from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular starting October 2.
This information comes from an SEA Training Video that’s associated with Samsung Electronics America, around the one hour and fifty-five mark in the video the speaker says that the Bluetooth-only variant of this wearable device will be available from the aforementioned carriers on October 2. It’s also noted that Sprint won’t offer the Gear S2 at launch but it’s unclear at this point in time whether or not the carrier will offer the smartwatch at all. 3G variant of the Gear S2 is going to be launched in the United States through Samsung’s carrier partners on November 6, Verizon and T-Mobile have already confirmed that they will be offering the 3G variant. Pricing is yet to be confirmed though.
After the company’s ChatON instant messaging app failed to gain enough traction, Samsung is taking another chance by entering the messenger app war. The technology giant has announced that it is “taking mobile communications to the next level” with its new messaging app dubbed Socializer Messenger.
An interesting aspect about the Social Messenger app is that it is based “Telegram for Android” open-source project, which makes it easy for users to share web applications in a chatroom without a need to install them. The app uses Social Web App Platform (SWAP) that was designed by developers at Samsung’s Software R&D Center.
Samsung says that it is offering its users much more than just an ability to share things like images, videos, smileys, and stickers. “SWAP connects the dots among web app stores, web apps, and the messenger. This feature allowed us to satisfy content providers, web app developers, and messenger users at the same time,” said Kyung-Eun Park, a senior engineer at Samsung’s Software R&D Center.
Developers can create and distribute apps, games, and other utilities for the app for free, but Samsung is also looking at having an in-app purchase functionality for developers who want to charge users for their services. You can download the app from the Play Store right away, but if you want to see how the app works, be sure to watch the video demonstration that’s embedded below.
We loved the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, and on the software front, one of our favorite features was the support for themes. Samsung took a long time to implement themes into its TouchWiz UX, but the company did a stellar job in the end. The Theme Store offers some great themes that allow you to change the look of the homescreen, notifications shade, system apps and more with a simple click.
Of course, since Samsung’s phones run Android, they offer all of the OS’ customization options, options that separate Android from that operating system that, well, you know the one we’re talking about. Samsung’s latest commercial for its smartphone lineup focuses on this customization and the themes that all of its latest devices support; the company isn’t taking any direct digs at Apple or the iPhone, but it’s clear the video is aimed to counter the Cupertino giant’s “If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone” commercials, as it ends with the line “If it doesn’t look like your phone, it’s not your phone.”
This is certainly a good ad that showcases one of the best features of Samsung’s new devices; it gives out some good examples of how user customization can let you do things quicker, like the point about how you should be able to “search without searching for your search bar.” Check out the video below, and let us know what you think!
Samsung was losing ground in the mid-range section of the smartphone market and the A series was a much needed lineup for the company. Samsung made a step in the right direction with the Galaxy A series, which offered mid-range smartphones with premium build quality and design.
The Galaxy A8 isn’t an exception and it screams premium in terms of design as well as specifications. It is the largest device in the Galaxy A lineup due to its large display. With the Galaxy A8, Samsung has a winner in its hands, even though the price could have been lower.
Let us dive into the review and see what makes the Galaxy A8 an excellent device.
Design
As we mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A8 is one humongous device. Not only is it the biggest when compared to all other A series smartphones, it is bigger than even the Galaxy Note 4. However, it is a well-crafted piece of hardware with a beautiful design. At the front, you won’t see a single reference to the A series. On the back, however, the similarities are clear and you can see the resemblance, with the same matte finish to it and the same loudspeaker, camera and LED flash placement.
The front has the traditional Samsung appearance that we have come to know. A big 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with seriously narrow bezel; this phone has the thinnest bezel of all Samsung smartphones that have ever existed, though a disadvantage here is that my big hand would sometimes press the screen and initiate a touch action during one-handed usage.
The front of the phone houses the home button, 5-megapixel selfie camera, a proximity sensor and a light sensor. There is no notification LED here, and why it is absent is beyond my comprehension. A notification LED costs less than 10 cents and would have made the experience so much better, especially at this price.
The right side houses the volume buttons and the left houses tactile volume rockers that are separate instead of attached together. Beneath the volume rockers we find two SIM trays, one of which doubles up as a microSD slot. It’s a Hybrid slot, which means you can either use it for a secondary SIM or for expanding available storage. The top of the phone has the secondary microphone for noise cancellation, and the bottom sports a microUSB port, the primary microphone, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The sides are the best part of the phone, with both sides featuring sort of an arc that curves inwards at the top and bottom, giving it a stunning look and also making it very comfortable to hold. The A8 is really slim and its metal unibody measures only 5.9 mm, but I never got the feeling that it would break or bend. The matte finish on the back does tend to make the phone slippery (but not as much as you would expect), though the plus side is that it prevents fingerprint smudges.
One downside of the A8 we reviewed is that it had tiny cracks in the paint on the four antenna lines at the top and bottom, and we would suggest you check for these before buying the device at your local store.
All in all, the Galaxy A8 is extremely well built. It feels sturdy and looks awesome because of the thin bezel and metallic body.
Display
Samsung is beginning to use its Super AMOLED displays for almost every phone it brings to the market, and the same is the case with the Galaxy A8. The A8 has a 5.7-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display, with a pixel density of 389 ppi. In the world of Quad HD displays, some might think that Full HD no longer does the job on a 5.7-inch display, but that’s not exactly true. I never felt the A8′s screen wasn’t sharp, nor could I ever see individual pixels, and the only time you’ll notice the difference is when you have a Quad HD display placed side by side.
The contrast levels are great; blacks are really black and the viewing angles are great as well. Colors pop and are very vibrant in the default display mode (Adaptive Display). If they feel too vibrant for your taste (I certainly had that issue), Samsung has a solution for that and lets you switch to a different screen mode, with the Basic mode having the most accurate colors. Basic mode can seem a bit too yellow at times, but after a while you should be able to adjust. Finally, the screen can get really bright, especially when the phone detects bright sunlight, so reading the display outdoors should never be an issue.
(SamMobile will come up with detailed screen measurements in the future, so keep an eye out for our Screen Measurements category.)
Camera
The Galaxy A8 has the same camera UI as the Galaxy S6, which is to say it is easy to use. This phone comes with the same “double tap home button to wake camera” shortcut, though it’s not as quick as the Galaxy S6 family. There’s also a Pro mode for taking pictures, but the options are limited to exposure, ISO and white balance, meaning you don’t get shutter speed control and can’t save pictures in RAW format (the latter is, to be honest, not exactly an important feature anyway.)
The camera app itself is sometimes slow when pressing the photo thumbnail or when you want to back out of the camera app, which can be annoying from time to time. Samsung has optimized its software a lot this year, but it’s clear the camera app needs more work as we saw these lag issues on the Galaxy J5 as well.
When it comes to taking pictures, the A8 doesn’t stand out. For instance, the 16-megapixel rear camera is limited to 4:3 aspect ratio, so you will need to switch to 12-megapixel if you want to shoot in a wider aspect ratio. The images themselves are quite nice when there is enough light, in which case they come out with a great amount of detail and little to no noise, even if they are a tad too warm for our liking.
In darker situations the phone does a respectable job; the F1.9 aperture does make a difference, with images coming out with a good amount of color and sharpness without too much noise reduction. The low aperture doesn’t help in very low light, but that is due to the lack of optical image stabilization and the use of a not-so-high-end sensor and lens.
The front camera is a different ballgame than the back camera. In short, you need light, light and more light to get acceptable images. In dim situations the camera struggles and the images come out blurry, too warm and with considerable noise.
When it comes to shooting videos, the lack of OIS is really noticeable, the videos come out shaky even though I thought I kept my hand really still.
Software
The Galaxy A8 runs Android 5.1.1 out of the box and it runs the same version of TouchWiz that was introduced with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. That is something we like, as the new TouchWiz runs much smoother than the previous iteration found on devices before the S6. Everything is almost identical to the S6 family, except a few features are missing, like Direct Call or the wallpaper motion effect. If you want a full rundown of the software, you can read our review of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.
Support for themes is welcome here, though we should point out that not all themes from the S6 are available for the A8, since theme makers need to upload themes for various resolutions (HD, Full HD, and Quad HD). But there are still a few good options available; I’ve been using White Mint from the get go as I don’t like the appearance of stock TouchWiz.
As this is a dual SIM phone (there is also a single SIM version), you have a dedicated menu called SIM Card manager for managing your SIM Cards. For example, you can use the cellular connection on SIM 1 and set the second SIM for the data connection, or do it the other way around. Just like on the Galaxy J5, both SIM cards are active at the same time and you can get calls on both, though the call will be forwarded from one SIM to the other.
(At the end of my review period, I received an update which brought the phone to firmware version A8000ZZH2AOH3 and removed any of the lag that I had before, though the camera app still has some hitches.)
Performance
Our review unit of the A8 is powered by the Snapdragon 615 processor, which has 8 cores clocked at 1.5GHz and 1GHz respectively and is paired with the Adreno 405 GPU. There is 2GB of RAM, and our unit had 16GB of internal storage and support for 128GB microSD cards (some markets get 32GB on-board storage.)
Until very recently, Samsung’s mid-range phones were plagued with lags and stutters, but that is a thing of the past. The Galaxy A8 ran smoothly almost the entire time we used it, which was because of the combination of the Snapdragon 615 CPU and the optimized software. One of the SamMobile team members has the Exynos version, and that too performed admirably in almost every scenario.
Moreover, the multitasking issues that were present on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are somewhat reduced on the A8, as it can handle more apps in the background before it begins killing them. Another noteworthy thing is that the fingerprint sensor works great, and we actually felt that it sometimes worked better than even the sensor on the S6. As for games, the A8 handled every title with aplomb, though it did get a little hot after long periods of play (we tested titles like Ridge Racer Slipstream, Modern Combat 5 and N.O.V.A 3, all of which are high-end games.)
Audio, Call Quality, and Battery Life
Like most of Samsung’s smartphones, the A8 has a rear-facing speaker. The volume is rather weak, and you will find yourself cupping the back of the phone a lot of times. Sound through the headphones is better; sound is well balanced though the volume is still not as high as we expected. The bass sounds punchy and the treble is nice as well. The Sound Alive feature is present here, so you can set the sound quality to your liking through various controls and presets.
The A8’s call quality is sometimes shallow, but most of the time the other side could hear me well, and the same was the case for me. The cell reception is something to discuss, however; the metal unibody design means the reception wasn’t quite as good as my Galaxy S6 edge. Where I had 4G on my S6 edge, the A8 would often be on 3G, and we’re guessing Samsung has used a lower-quality radio to save on costs.
As for battery life, the only word to describe it would be epic. The 3,050 mAh battery on the A8 can last really, really long. For example, one of our regular days saw us left with 18 percent battery after 1 day and 5 hours, with a screen time of over 5 hours. However, the battery life is better on Wi-Fi and 4G than it is on 3G; the battery depleted rather quickly on 3G, and you will need a steady cellular connection to prevent the battery from depleting even more rapidly.
This year, flagship phones didn’t do so great when it comes to battery life, with Lollipop apparently to blame in most cases. The A8 didn’t have any troubles lasting the entire day, however; we were often left with 40 percent battery life (with moderate use) in the evening before we put it on the charger. In comparison, the S6 would be completely drained by 9 PM, and sometimes even a few hours earlier.
Wrap up
The Galaxy A8 is the best phone in the A series, though its price is a little on the high side. The overall user experience is great, and the phone left a very nice impression on us. The A8 never made me long for the Galaxy S6 edge, which is a great achievement to say the least.
The reason some vendors still opt for Full HD displays makes more sense as well after using the A8, as Full HD isn’t as awesome as Quad HD but gets the job done and also ensures good battery endurance. The new TouchWiz software with support for themes is a highlight, though the missing LED notification is something we don’t approve of. We would suggest Samsung make it a standard feature on every phone they make, especially when it costs upwards of $500.
The competition for Samsung in this price range is quite fierce. You will get a lot of phones with better specs at the same or lower price, though devices with the same finish and build quality are quite hard to find. The camera is great, but the 4:3 aspect ratio is a limitation. The front camera isn’t that great, but overall, the Galaxy A8 is one of the best mid-range Samsung smartphones in a long, long time.
Pros
Cons
Awesome build quality
Decent camera
Slim bezel
No notification LED (unacceptable in 2015)
Excellent battery life
Low volume through loudspeaker as well as headphones
Smooth software performance
Size
Themes
Thank you 28mobilefor sending us this review unit.
(28mobile is a reliable online retailer offering the most sought after devices in the world, and bringing them to you unlocked and available to purchase as soon as they are released. Their customer is always their primary focus, and their satisfaction with the product and service they deliver is their top priority. They are fortunate to employ a dedicated and talented team that allows them to provide their customers with the products and services they deserve, and their operation is led by one of the hardest working owners in the industry.)
Samsung has always been at the pinnacle of smartphone display innovation, and a couple of steps ahead of its competitors. The company released the world’s first smartphone with a Super AMOLED display back in 2010, and the world’s first smartphone with a dual-edge curved display, the Galaxy S6 edge, earlier this year. Now, it is being reported that Samsung is eyeing to launch its first smartphone with a foldable display early next year.
According to a tipster from China, who claims to have in-depth knowledge and an early scoop on Project Valley, the device is currently undergoing testing. Apparently, the company is testing the device in two hardware configurations; one with Snapdragon 620 processor and the other with a Snapdragon 820 chipset. The device is, which is said to be launched in January 2016, would sport 3GB of RAM, a microSD card slot, and a non-removable battery.
The tipster also suggests that Samsung has heavily invested in testing the Snapdragon 820, so we think that the Galaxy S7 could very well be launched in two variants; one with a Snapdragon 820 SoC, and the other with Exynos 8890 processor. We confirm that this report looks authentic as we have received similar inputs from our trusted and dependable sources. However, it should be noted that this device isn’t the Galaxy S7, and Samsung could launch this device only in South Korea.
According to our sources, the device in question will act as a testbed for the Snapdragon 820 chipset. Whatever this device is, we are quite excited to see the company’s first device with a foldable display as it could very well change the course of the whole smartphone industry, and we are sure that you are excited about it as well. Do you think this upcoming device from Samsung will be a groundbreaking launch?
To further its ambitions of becoming a major player in the Internet of Things arena Samsung launched the IoT Access Point yesterday which supports ZigBee, a global wireless standard that provides a foundation for the Internet of Things and Bluetooth low energy. Samsung’s new IoT Access Point supports Bluetooth, ZigBee and Wi-Fi which combined account for 70% of total wireless communication technology for IoT-enabled smart devices.
Since the access point has support for 802.11ac it’s capable of providing wireless LAN services with speeds of up to 1.3Gbps, thus it can be used to provide various services backed by the Internet of Things such as lighting control and smart management of energy in buildings. Samsung also introduced a mesh-type outdoor access point which is merely an updated model of a similar product that was unveiled earlier this year.
The first Android 5.1.1 Lollipop firmware has arrived for the Samsung Galaxy TabPro 12.2, at one point this was Samsung’s biggest and most high-end tablet to date so it’s certainly capable of running Lollipop. Galaxy TabPro 12.2 LTE model number SM-T905 gets this Android 5.1.1 Lollipop firmware update with a build date of September 3, it’s readily available for download through our firmware section.
Firmware details:
Model SM-T905
Model name GALAXY TabPRO 12.2 LTE
Country Nordic countries
Version Android 5.1.1
Changelist 5693888
Build date Thu, 03 Sep 2015 06:02:27 +0000
Product code NEE
PDA T905XXUBOI1
CSC T905OXABOH8
Those who would rather manually flash the update on their tablet can find the firmware file as well as instructions in our firmware section. Even though the update is only rolling out in Nordic countries for now it may only be a matter of time before it’s released for other markets across the globe as well, so a little patience just might go a long way.
Samsung Electronics KSA has once again ranked as the number one brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it has maintained its position for four consecutive years by topping the list of Top 10 Buzz Rankings by YouGov BrandIndex report. BrandIndex measures brand perception of thousands of brands across multiple sectors, it interviews countless consumers every single day on local, regional and global levels, allowing companies to track brand perception in one country and then compare across multiple countries to get a global picture of their brand health.
Samsung Electronics has ranked first for the fourth year in a row with 40.7 points, it’s initiatives like increased consumer engagement activities and community care initiatives backed by a robust lineup of new products have allowed the company to remain the industry trend setter in the Kingdom. Mr. Nael M. Hammad, Director of Corporate Marketing at Samsung Electronics KSA office said: “We are here to convey our utmost appreciation to Saudi consumers who day by day prove to be greatly engaging with us and our products, whom with their continued trust and loyalty paved way for the company to become a local and worldwide renowned valued brand.”
There have been multiple reports over the past few months regarding the Samsung Z3, Samsung’s next-generation Tizen-powered smartphone is likely to be announced in the near future. Just yesterday we reported that it appears Samsung has started mass production of this handset in India. We’ve already seen leaked photos of this handset and today yet another picture of the Samsung Z3 has been leaked online.
The Samsung Z3 looks like the Galaxy A5 in this image primarily because both handsets have the same display size and appear to share a common design language. Specifications are obviously different, the Samsung Z3 will have a 5-inch 1280x720p display, a 1.3GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC88305 processor with 1.5GB RAM, 8-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. So far Samsung has only released its Tizen-powered handsets in a select few markets but this time around the company is expected to launch the Z3 in more markets across the globe.
