Samsung leads AMOLED panel market share as demand grows

Remember the claim made by an analyst that Samsung will exit the smartphone market in 5 years? Here’s a new piece of evidence that shows the 5-year claim to be far from the truth. Over double the number of mobile display panels shipped in Q3 2015 as opposed to a year earlier, with 79 million mobile display panels shipped in the Q3. Panel shipments were up 35% from Q2, in part due to Samsung’s own Galaxy Note 5 (August 13th) and Gear S2 smartwatch (September) product unveils. Both Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 and Gear S2 smartwatch boast AMOLED displays, however, and Samsung’s decision to go with AMOLED has led to an increase in AMOLED panel shipments. Of the 79 million mobile display shipments in the quarter, AMOLED panels counted for 18%.

The increase in AMOLED display production has much to do with Samsung, whose affiliate, Samsung Display, has produced the AMOLED displays that have powered Samsung Electronics’ own Galaxy-branded devices, and Samsung will have an even bigger role in AMOLED display production in the next few years. The largest new rumor surrounded AMOLED displays concerns Samsung’s Cupertino rival Apple Inc., who is rumored to consider substituting its tried-and-true LCD panels for AMOLED displays in 2018 when the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus enter the consumer market. HTC has also been rumored to use AMOLED displays in its lineup, and the HTC One A9 is the start of the Taiwanese manufacturer’s AMOLED trend. Vivo, UMi, and Gionee have also turned to AMOLED displays, with Vivo using them in the newly announced X6 and X6 Plus, the Gionee S6, and the UMi Rome (a $90 handset) all featuring them.

Top Chinese smartphone and wearable manufacturer Xiaomi is rumored to have an AMOLED panel lined up for its Mi 5 smartphone, and Huawei will continue its trend of AMOLED reliance in its P9 smartphone as it did with Google’s flagship, the Nexus 6P. The Nexus 6P uses a Samsung AMOLED panel. In addition to leading the mobile display panel market share, Samsung also led the overall smartphone display panel market with 38.5% market share, compared to fellow Seoul rival LG Display’s 13.8%.

Due to Android OEMs and their growing interest in AMOLED displays, and Samsung at the forefront of AMOLED panel production, one can surmise just how much Samsung will financially benefit from this overwhelming demand. With the rise of AMOLED panels, though, Samsung is being validated for its choice to utilize the panel type – and LCD screens, though holding what many deem to be accurate color reproduction, aren’t yet complete when it comes to viewing the entire color gamut. All this is to say that, regardless of some critic’s wishful thinking, the Korean giant, like Tizen, is here to stay.

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Samsung design patents hint at possible future camera phones

It has been a while since Samsung released its last true camera phone, if you can call the Galaxy K Zoom that. Perhaps because of the Galaxy S6‘ outstanding camera, Samsung felt no need for such device in 2015. Nevertheless, a slew of freshly published design patents offer a glimpse of camera phone devices to come in the future.

Earlier this year Samsung filed a long list of design patents that have now been granted and published. Among them, we find a device not unsimilar to the Galaxy S6 Edge, with a dual edge display but no physical home button. On the back of the glass-clad phone there is a rather normal looking camera, accompanied by dual xenon flash modules.

Another remarkable series of patents details a modular design capable of fitting a zoom lens or, in case you sometimes long for the good old Galaxy Beam, a beamer module.

Samsung never has design patents published for real, existing devices before they are released, so we can be fairly certain none of these images show an actual camera phone coming to market soon. And though we are certainly not expecting a ‘Galaxy S7 Zoom’, an edge design similar to that of this year’s S6 series could fit well within next year’s flagship range of devices.

For now we suggest treating these designs primarily as an interesting glimpse into Samsung’s R&D kitchen, with the ideas rather than the actual devices likely showing up at some point in the future. Whether a connection exists between the designs and Samsung’s recent application for the Duo Pixel trademark remains to be seen, as trademarks usually relate to products much closer to a commercial release.

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Official KLM app now available for Gear S2

If you are the proud owner of Samsung’s Gear S2 or Gear S2 Classic smartwatch, and plan to fly with Royal Dutch airline KLM, their new app could come in handy.

With the just-released KLM app for the Gear S2, you get easy access to all kinds of practical information such as flight status, gate, and flight time, as well as your online boarding pass. Also, you can check your status and miles in the frequent-flyer program of KLM and Air France, Flying Blue.

In some countries, like the Netherlands, the KLM app was advertised at the initial launch of the Gear S2, but until now it was not available yet. Even though an Android Wear counterpart of the same app has been around since earlier this year, the Gear S2 of course runs Samsung’s own Tizen operating system.

You can find the new KLM app in the Samsung Gear Apps store via the Samsung Gear app on your phone.

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This is the future of your Gear watch (according to new Samsung patents)

While smartwatches have been around for some time, they mainly function as a convenient notifications platform the use of which is not directly evident to a large group of consumers. Naturally, therefore, manufacturers are looking to extend the functionality of their watches, be they Tizen, Android, Apple or otherwise. A couple of recently published patent filings reveal some of the directions Samsung is considering for its own Gear watches.

First up, is a patent detailing the role of the smartwatch in the virtual universe of Samsung’s Gear VR head set. Where Oculus has its own Rift controllers that enable the user to include hand movement in the virtual world, Samsung is looking to integrate its own existing technology. In other words: the day might come that you can control your Gear VR exploits with the Gear watch on your wrist. And in case you also wear a Gear Fit-like band on your other wrist, even more possibilities will enrich your VR experience.

However, the virtual world isn’t the only place Samsung can imagine begin operated by a Gear watch wearing, gesturing user. Practically every home appliance Samsung makes could, according to another patent, be operated by waving your wrist around. The Gear watch thus becomes the proverbial magic wand that controls your entire Smart Home without needing to cram complex interfaces on its small display.

In the patent itself we see people waving their wrists at air conditioners, washing machines and, of course, a television. Those of you familiar with Samsung’s top of the line Smart TVs know that the company has been dabbling with television gesture control for a few years. However, use of a Gear smartwatch could bring gestures to much more affordable TV sets while also eliminating the need for a camera that watches you watching television.

Now, obviously, these are just some of the ideas Samsung has about possible applications for its smartwatches. Though waving your watch at the washing machine will seem a little wonky to some, these patents clearly show Samsung is rapidly developing ideas about what its technology might do for you one, two or more years down the line, while at the same time tying together many of its different products into one big Internet of Things. With a Gear watch at its heart, possibly.

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Samsung Pay users can now pay with gift cards

We reported recently that Samsung Pay will soon allow users to pay with gift cards and that’s precisely what the company has announced today. Gift cards from more than 50 popular merchants are now supported by Samsung Pay, these gift cards can now be stored in the app and used as and when required to be shared or for making purchases.

“With the support of more than 50 major retail gift cards and the launch of the in-app gift card store, Samsung Pay is bringing consumers an easier way to use gift cards,” said Injong Rhee, EVP of Samsung Electronics, Global Head of Samsung Pay.

That’s not all, a gift card store has been added to Samsung Pay through which users can purchase gift cards of these merchants either for themselves or for giving away as gifts to friends and family. Supported merchants include Staples, Regal Entertainment Group, Nike and others. Samsung promises that support for additional merchants will be added over the next few months.

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