Samsung preps second-generation Z2 smartphone as well as global Tizen mid-ranger for 1H 2015

Tech site Tizen Experts has told us before that Samsung would launch a Tizen Z2 sometime soon, and the site is now confirming the same thing again. A new article published shows the Z2 specs confirmed as having 1GB of random access memory (RAM), a 32-bit, quad-core processor (in contrast to the 64-bit, octa-core Exynos 7420 processor the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge), Tizen 3.0, which bears similarities to Samsung’s own SUHD TV user interface (UI), a plane line switching (PLS) thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) with a 960 x 540p screen resolution (quarter HD, as opposed to Quad HD on the Galaxy S6/edge), along with a 2,000mAh battery.

In contrast to these rumored Z2 specs, the Samsung Z1 had a 4-inch, PLS TFT display (same display type as the rumored Z2) with an 800 x 480p screen resolution (versus the 960 x 540p screen resolution rumored in the Z2), 768MB of RAM (as opposed to the 1GB rumored for the Z2), a dual-core processor (as opposed to the quad-core processor of the Z2), and 1,500mAh battery (as opposed to the 2,000mAh battery of the Z2). As can be seen, the Z2 will improve upon the Z1 in a number of ways. We’ll provide more specs as they come in. Ultra Power Saving Mode will return to the Z2 as it did on the Z1.

What’s more exciting than the Samsung Z2 is that Samsung’s inching ever closer to that high-end Tizen contender – and this new evidence is proof. Tizen Experts says that Samsung is preparing a “global” Tizen smartphone for countries such as the US, UK, India, China, France, Russia, EU, Korea, Malaysia, South Asia, and so on. The new global Tizen smartphone will be more of a mid-range contender, however, with a 4.8-inch HD (1280 x 720p) display, an 8MP camera (which we assume is the back camera), a Tizen Store with global availability (as to be expected for a global Tizen smartphone), and a 2,600mAh battery. These specs seem to create a Galaxy Alpha/Galaxy S3 hybrid, the exception being the Tizen OS inside.

At the same time, these specs are not set in stone until we have more official leaks from Samsung (including pictures and spec sheets). As can be seen, the photo shows a “Full HD AMOLED” (1920 x 1080p) display, despite the claim that the Z2 will have a quarter HD display (960 x 540p). This could just be an error, or it could be a sign that Samsung is still brainstorming how to proceed with the Z2. Both the Z2 and the global Tizen smartphone are expected to arrive in the first half of 2015, although arrival dates and times are always subject to change.

We have no name for the mid-range global Tizen smartphone, but we’re sure excited to see what Samsung’s got in store for the worldwide consumer market. If Samsung’s shown us anything in the last year, it’s that Tizen is not a failed experiment – and that, as the company’s Galaxy S6 and S6 edge campaign says, “Next is Now.” If not now, when?

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Samsung rolls out Lollipop for the Galaxy Note 4 Duos

Samsung has steadily been releasing the Android 5.0 update for the Galaxy Note 4, so far the update has already been released in most markets around the world. Today though the company is rolling out Lollipop for the Galaxy Note 4 Duos. As the name suggests it’s the dual-SIM variant of the Galaxy Note 4 that’s only available in a couple of markets.

Galaxy Note 4 Duos is actually exclusive to China and Hong Kong, users there can expect to see an update notification on their device today. It’s being rolled out over-the-air and it comes in at just under 1GB. The Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update brings user interface improvements, new features, stability tweaks, bug fixes and more to the Galaxy Note 4 Duos.

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Tizen Z1 on sale with Samsung India for 4,990 INR

Samsung’s Z1 has seen some excellent price drops as of late, but Samsung’s India eStore has another price drop for potential Z1 customers in India. The initial price of the Z1 was 5,700 INR (~$91.41), but you can now pick up the Korean manufacturer’s first Tizen smartphone for an even lower price – 4,990 INR ($80), 710 INR ($11-$12) cheaper than the initial price when Samsung announced the Z1. The 4,990 INR price is also tax-inclusive.

For those who are interested, Samsung is offering the Tizen Z1 in three colors: black, white, and red. If you need a slight refresher regarding the specs, the Z1 features a 4-inch display with an 800 x 480 screen resolution, a 1.2Ghz dual-core A7 processor, a 3.1MP front camera, a back camera, 768MB of random access memory (RAM) and 4GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot that provides an additional 64GB of storage (microSD card sold separately).

Do you like the price but are still on the fence about the Z1? Check out our review before making your final decision.

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Samsung’s Tizen TVs take top spot in global market

Samsung’s Tizen TVs have been on a roll lately with greater sales in the manufacturer’s home country than the company expected. A number of reports continue to point out the less-than-stellar Galaxy S5 sales from 2014 (which is a shame, considering that it is still a stellar smartphone), but Samsung’s TV sales were the bright spot in a year of falling fortune.

That’s the latest from Yonhap News, who says that 2014 global marketshare results confirm Samsung’s dominance in the global TV market. First, the company’s home country of South Korea represented half of the TV sales market last year. Next, Global flat TV marketshare for Samsung was 29.2 percent, with the company pulling out in a large way from TV and mobile rival LG Electronics (16.7 percent). Samsung’s Ultra HD TVs, known for their ultra-crisp images, saw the company pull out even further from its second-place rival, with 34.3 percent of the market as compared to LG’s 14.3 percent. Overall, Samsung and LG combined to dominate overall TV marketshare with 43.4 percent (Samsung, 28.2%; LG, 15.2%).

Samsung’s TVs run Tizen OS, the company’s new operating system that Samsung looks to place in all of its products (TVs, smartphones, smartwatches, and soon, tablets and computers). LG’s WebOS has put up a fight in the TV market, and LG has decided to bring WebOS to its new Watch Urbane smartwatch lineup that provides 3G standalone connectivity by which users can send texts and make phone calls. Samsung’s own Gear S was the first Tizen smartwatch on the market to provide 3G connectivity along with phone calling and text messaging capabilities. Tizen has only arrived with Samsung’s Z1, but a new Z2 is rumored to be in the works. Current Gear S owners can use their smartwatch as a remote control for Tizen TV.

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Verizon offers Galaxy S6, S6 edge early upgrade for loyal customers

Are you a loyal Verizon customer? If you are, then it’s likely the case that you’ve received some loyalty perks from the Cadillac of carriers before. Last October, the top carrier in the US offered its users additional data in hopes of continuing to best its competitive rivals T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint.

Now, Verizon’s back with another perk for loyal customers regarding the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Perhaps you’ve been the lucky recipient today of a message from the company with the following message:

A special EARLY upgrade offer for our loyal customers: For a limited time, get the new Samsung Galaxy S6 with Verizon Edge when you trade in your current smartphone.

We’ve done some investigation into the new loyalty perk to cut through the red tape and find out the caveats that you can expect to encounter should you take advantage of this deal. First, keep in mind that it’s “for a limited time,” which means that the deal won’t last forever (so don’t sit on it and wait too long).

Next, the deal is only for the Verizon Edge plan, but there are two different Edge plans. The first plan, called “Regular Edge,” allows you to pay off the cost of your smartphone each month (with no money down) but doesn’t require you to trade in your device when you get a new smartphone (no early termination fees, either). However, there is also an “Early Edge” plan, and the Early Edge plan is the only one up for grabs here. So, essentially, this means that you can only get the Galaxy S6 with an Early Edge plan – and you must (key word here) trade in your device when you upgrade to say, the Galaxy S7.

There is yet one more obstacle to the deal. In order to take advantage of this plan, you must have already served one year of your two-year agreement. If you’ve served 10 months with a smartphone contract, you’re still not eligible for this deal. Only customers who’ve been in their contracts for 12 months or longer have eligibility for the Early Edge plan.

Other things to keep in mind with the Early Edge plan is that, while you pay no money down for your smartphone (no $249, $299, or $199 up-front payments), you do still cover the activation fee (which can be billed to you, if you’re in good standing with Verizon), and you pay $20-$30 a month extra on your bill. Once your phone is paid off, however, the monthly subsidy for your bill is eliminated, leaving you with paying for only the service along with the usual taxes and fees. Lastly, this offer applies to the S6 edge as well, so Galaxy S5 customers may prefer the Edge to its non-Edge “sibling.”

This is all the information we’ve gathered for now from Verizon about the new loyalty early upgrade. Do you have any questions about the new loyalty deal you’d like to ask us? If so, write in and let us know. If you take advantage of this deal, we’d love to hear from you too.

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Unlocked Galaxy S6 (32GB) available at EBay for $699.99

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have now made their worldwide debuts, and carriers and retail stores are sure to have them in stock in the coming days and months if they don’t have them already. Unlike the lucky midnight launch Dubai customers, many customers worldwide may have to wait days from now before their buying opportunity arrives.

If you’re comfortable with the internet scene, you could get your device sooner than a number of customers who’ve signed two-year agreements with wireless carriers. EBay has yet another deal for us, but this time, it’s all about Samsung’s Galaxy S6.

Keep in mind that the device listed on the EBay deal is the 32GB model (no 64GB or 128GB models), and users who aren’t storage-hungry will be fine with the storage space provided. Next, the device is unlocked, and will work with “AT&T, T-Mobile or any GSM carrier,” the description reads. It appears that this phone is international, since it will work with “any GSM carrier” and not just US carriers AT&T and T-Mobile – and the model number of the S6 in question, G920i, is a dead giveaway.

The device will feature all the specs we’ve come to crave in Samsung’s latest: 5MP front camera with f/1.9 aperture, 16MP back camera with f/1.9 aperture, 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440p), octa-core Exynos 7420 processor with 3GB of “low-power double data rate random access memory” or LPDDR4 RAM, and 32GB of storage for Samsung’s lowest storage models (no longer 16GB models). The Galaxy S6 runs Google’s latest Android 5.0 Lollipop, and Samsung’s releasing 5.0.2 to its latest devices that will provide bug fixes that the company already knows about.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 also has in-built wireless charging compatibility with the largest wireless-charging standard associations worldwide, so you may want to pick up a wireless charging mat while picking up the 32GB Galaxy S6. You’ll pay $699.99 for the unlocked Galaxy S6, just $50 USD more than you’ll pay for a carrier-branded model ($649.99).

If all this sounds like a recipe for a total knockout (we think so), head on over to EBay at the source link below and make the purchase. Needless to say, you may want to check with the EBay seller, breed, before finalizing your purchase.

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Samsung reacts to Apple Watch pre-order launch

Samsung’s been accused of studying Apple too closely.

Even after the Korean manufacturer launched the Galaxy S3 and won Android consumers worldwide to the company’s popular smartphone, Samsung continued to examine Apple lines outside of Cupertino’s own stores on iPhone launch days to see what created the hype surrounding the fruit company. And Samsung took to its own YouTube channel to post a commercial or two surrounding Apple’s product launches.

But those days seem to be gone. Despite Samsung’s hard-hit budget and its share of disappointment in 2014, Samsung’s confidence in its products and the company’s abilities have grown tremendously. And this confidence includes its smartwatches. Samsung was asked about its impression of the Apple Watch pre-order launch in a CNBC interview yesterday. Samsung VP for Mobile Europe spokesman Rory O’Neill responded with the following statement:

There’s a lot of great brands in the industry. You’ve got Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and many others. What that does is create obviously tremendous competition. It means brands like ours invest nearly $14 million a day to invent new products, new services, that delight consumers in that market. So it’s great for consumers that you’ve got all these brands investing hundreds of millions and billions of dollars to create new services from their mobile products.

When asked about Apple and what the Apple Watch means for the consumer smartwatch market specifically, O’Neill responded, “We’re delighted that Apple’s followed us into this market.”

Samsung’s response is to be commended. The company made it clear that Apple has made an excellent decision, while acknowledging that Samsung itself has been a pioneer of the smartwatch market as we know it, back as early as 1999. And this becomes even more evident when you consider that Samsung created a smartwatch prior to the Galaxy Gear in 2013: the S9110, launched on July 22, 2009. Samsung referred to the S9110 as a “watchphone” (not a smartwatch), but the world’s first watch that could make phone calls was Samsung’s own SPH-WP10 launched on March 31, 1999. The SPH-WP10 provided 90 minutes of talk time.

The Gear S, launched in 2014, continues Samsung’s proud tradition of staying on the cutting edge of technology.

In the end, Apple Watch sales are ultimately irrelevant. Whether or not the Apple Watch is a success doesn’t change the fact that Samsung was one of the earliest pioneers in the watchphone movement. Apple Watch fans, when you make calls from your wrist, you have Apple’s rival to thank for it.

Source; SPH-WP10, S9110

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