A new upcoming device the GT- N5110 is now confirmed to be the alleged Galaxy Note 8 thanks to a filing at the FCC. But here is the catch, the device has only WiFi and Bluetooth radios and is described as a “personal tablet”. The company has been kind enough to show the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 2 Screen dimensions to confirm that this is indeed a Galaxy Note device.
The Galaxy Note 8 is said to be powered by a Exynos 4 Quad SOC which has a processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The image filed at the FCC clearly shows the S-Pen housing and the rear facing camera as even spotted in the Galaxy Note 8 leaked images.
Will Samsung peg the Galaxy Note 8 in the low budget tablet market space or the upper middle segment is yet unknown. But, the fact that the company is only filing for a WiFi only device indicates that there indeed may be a a Sub US$ 300 Galaxy Note 8 tablet after all. Translating to roughly 18000 Indian Rupees, the tablet would really attract eager buyers, thanks to the S Pen functionality.
Samsung has just announced the South Korea variant of the Galaxy Grand which was launched last week in India. While the looks of the device are identical to the global variants, there are several changes inside, including a Quad core SOC. The phone is also apparently capable of LTE networks, as opposed to the dual-core chip and 3G capable variant launched in India.
The best part is that the South Korea version of the Galaxy Grand also has NFC capabilities and a USB 3.0 port for faster data access. The phone retains the WVGA display and 5 inch screen along with the 8 megapixel rear and 2 Megapixel front camera. The phone also carries Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS from Google along with TouchWiz user interface.
Interestingly the Galaxy Grand South Korea version is based on an Exynos chipset with a MALI GPU, and will be available in South Korea for 350,000 won (around $325 / or INR 18,000 approx) which is about 5k cheaper than the low spec’d variant in India.
Does this mean Samsung is going to refresh the Indian variant soon?
Samsung has announced what is going to be the most notable, rugged launch ahead of schedule in 2013, the Xcover 2. Along with a 1 GHz dual core processor, 4-inch WVGA display all on Android 4.1 with TouchWiz, the device also has a 5-megapixel camera with a dedicated camera shutter button.
The Xcover 2 also has GPS and GLONASS to cater to the explorer in you. The Xcover 2 will also pack a Cardio trainer Pro workout app along with a physical hand strap and mount.
[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]
Samsung GALAXY Xcover 2
January 25, 2013
SEOUL, Korea – January 25, 2013 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, today unveiled the Samsung Xcover 2, the ideal smartphone for active explorers who are enjoying outdoor lifestyles and seeking a durable mobile device with essential smartphone capabilities.
• The GALAXY Xcover 2 is optimized to endure against the most rugged outdoor conditions, whether you’re at work or play. Protected against the elements, it is dust and sand proof. It’s even water resistant to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes (IP67 Certified). You can now take photos under water with the direct camera key, hold on tight to your device with the strap holder and not worry about dropping your phone as the battery cover lock gives added protection.
• Pre-downloaded Google map data, an enhanced GPS ? GLONASS which shortens the satellite signal detection by up to 20? to tracks your location more accurately, LED Flash next to the camera which can be used like a torch and a huge battery capacity of 570 hours(1,700mAh), making the GALAXY Xcover 2 is the best possible smartphone partner for outdoor exploration.
• In addition, the Cardio Trainer Pro workout application will also help you achieve your fitness goals by creating a tailored training program, checking your progress and recording your track and speed.
• For everyday, users can expect the powerful performance characteristic of a Samsung smartphone with the robust GALAXY Xcover 2 shell. Its vivid 4.0″ (100.8mm) WVGA display provides a clear and wide viewing experience, a 5-megapixel camera and VGA front camera that will let you record precious moments in high resolution, Bluetooth® v 4.0 gives a better connection that consumes less power and detects devices 50 meters away. An impressive 1GHz dual core processor powers the core of the GALAXY Xcover 2, which ensures a fast operating speed for seamless multitasking, faster webpage loading and softer UI transitions.
• Samsung GALAXY Xcover 2 runs Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) enabling faster and smoother screen transitions and providing an enhanced user interface featuring a new, easier-to-use notification panel. As a premium Samsung Android™ phone, the device is packed with a series of innovative features and services to boost performance and the overall user experience. The intuitive Motion UI understands your movements to shake and update or turn over to mute; data can be synced, backed up and restored with S-Cloud; S Voice lets users control the phone using their voice, allowing you to see the weekly weather forecast, the contact number you’re trying to find or even take a picture as you speak; Best Shot recommends the best shot from a series of photos; Smart Stay recognizes whether the user is looking at the screen to dim the screen accordingly. Users can also enjoy all the benefits of Samsung Hubs, including the latest versions of Readers Hub, Video Hub, Game Hub and Music Hub.
Samsung announced its Q4 2012 financial results today and, as expected, they are impressive. Consolidated operating profit over the three-month period hit a new record of 8.84 trillion won (circa $8.3 billion), from revenue of 56.06 trillion won (approximately $52.4 billion). The firm saw its profit increase 10 percent on the previous quarter — that’s 89 percent year-on-year– while revenue was up 7 percent on Q3 2012 and 19 percent year-on-year).
Mobile has always been a key market for Samsung, but the release is terribly vague when it comes to breaking down exactly how the company did with regard to units sold. Even so, revenue from Samsung’s Mobile Communications division grew 4 percent from the prior quarter, and Samsung specifically calls out the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II as key performers — the inclusion of the latter isn’t much of a shock considering it sold around 5 million units in its first two months on the market, and is reportedly nearing 10 million units sold globally. Taking a step back, Samsung’s IT and Mobile Communications unit as a whole reported 5.44 trillion won ($5.09 billion), slightly down from Q3 but more than double the 2.56 trillion won ($2.39 billion) Samsung recorded in the year-ago quarter.
[quote]Robert Yi, senior vice president and head of Investor Relations, said: “Despite uncertainties in Europe and concerns over the US fiscal cliff creating a difficult business environment, we did our best this quarter to achieve strong earnings based on a strategic focus on differentiated and high value-added products as well as our technological competitiveness.”[/quote]
However, despite the firm’s impressive Q4 profits, Yi remains cautious with regards to Samsung’s position in the market over the coming 12 months.
The company has suggested that the significant number of new products coming to market and the inevitable price competition to follow will make 2013 a challenging year.
On Monday, Samsung’s vice-president announced that the Galaxy Note 8.0 would be formally announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress at the end of February. Excitement has clearly gone around the company, enough for an alleged picture of the new device, as well as its hardware specifications, to leak online via a Twitter account of Spanish language classifieds website which has not hesitated to spread the word and win its fair share of publicity.
This new size of tablet joins the plethora of other Samsung tablets, but comes in with a different design. Taking shape from the Galaxy S III and Note II, the Note 8.0 looks to be incredibly thin and has curved corners. According to the Italian site dday.it they state that “We are holding the picture of what seems to be the new Samsung tablet, do not know whether a prototype or the final version (but it seems to be).”
As for the specs, the Note 8.0 has an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800, a 1.6Ghz quad-core processor, 5MP camera on the back with a 1.3MP fron-facing camera, 16GB or 32GB versions (3G, Wi-Fi), runs Android OS 4.2 Jelly Bean, 4600 mAh battery, 330 grams and overall dimensions are expected to be 211.3 x 136.3 x 7.95mm. Finally, the S-Pen is located at the bottom right of the Note 8.0. No word on when the 8.0 will be available or potential price points, but this will be showcased at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
According to rumours, Samsung will launch two versions of the tablet, depending on the connectivity suite. While model number GT-N5100 will have cellular data as well as Wi-Fi, the version named GT-N5110 will be a Wi-Fi-only unit. Other connectivity options in the device will be Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The tablet is said to weigh 330gm and run on a 4,600mAh battery.
The market is a blaze with possibly the two best dual sim smartphones of this quarter, The Micromax A116 Canvas HD and the Samsung Galaxy Grand I9080. The question that everyones asking is what is really the difference between the two.
Brand Names
Apart from being manufactured totally differently, the two phones come from two different type of manufacturers. Micromax up until recently was known as a “Budget/cheap” phone maker for India, whereas Samsung has enjoyed the market name and snob value of a luxury phone brand.
Canvas HD A116
SOC
The Micromax A116 is built on a Mediatek SOC, a relevantly newer company formed in 1997, that also builds components for “Budget and Chinese” devices. The company has made some breakthroughs in technology in the past two years and shares a considerable chunk of the marketshare.
The Galaxy Grand is built on a 1.2 GHz processor which remains unknown as of now. Several indicators point to the use of a Broadcom BCM28155 SoC. It comprises a pair of ARM Cortex-A9 cores and Broadcom’s own VideoCore-IV graphics engine for 2D and 3D acceleration. Whether this performs any better than the Mediatek processor is currently unknown.
Sim Cards
Both the phones have Dual Sim, The Galaxy Grand has a slight advantage here, because it has smart autoforward, so it allows a busy Sim Card’s calls to be sent to the other phone, keeping both sims active at once. Although the chip inside the A116 is capable of similar features, the Canvas HD currently is only single sim active.
Displays
Displays are an interesting comparison for these devices, while the Canvas HD boasts a whopping 1280 x720 pixel laden 5 inch IPS display the Galaxy Grand only comes with a 480 x800 px LCD display. Numbers aside the display on the Grand was pretty impressive and does not feel pixellated as the numbers on the sheet would suggest. We also found that the colors were more vivid on the Galaxy Grand’s display as opposed to the Micromax Canvas HD.
Galaxy Grand i9080
Canvas HD A116
Cameras
Both Carry 8 MP camera’s which will only be tested while we are reviewing the devices, but if Samsung is using their own sensor in the camera, the Grand could have a slight advantage over the A116. The front camera on the Galaxy Grand is also superior to the 0.3 MP basic front camera on the Canvas HD A116.
Operating System
Samsung puts in a lot of effort into making a custom UI for their devices, along with several apps and tweaks. So Samsung definitely gets the upper hand here. With features like pop up play, direct call, multi window and most importantly an inbuilt task manager the Galaxy Grand gets the much needed upper hand here. Of course TouchWiz UI has several other features and good looking icons that most are aware of.
Micromax clearly looses here, the software is basic Android jelly bean, with a bit of customizations done by the Micromax Software Research team in conjunction with the manufacturers. The UI can become laggy and does not have the easy tweaks as seen in TouchWiz . However Micromax’s UI offers several customizations and file access that is restricted in Samsung devices. You can almost install any app and replace the UI, But you will not get the fit and finish of a manufacturer made custom UI. Maybe in the coming years with the success of the Canvas series Micromax can build their own UI (or buy one : MiUi would fit the name too)
Build Quality and Looks
More or less built with plastic, both devices have identical looks. The Micromax Canvas HD A116 seems a lot more refined to look at in comparison to the Canvas 2, and feels a lot more sturdier than the already sturdy past model. The Galaxy Grand is set to resemble the Note 2 when it arrives in the market, with a glossy bezel and identical looks and matching colors with flip cases. A user could easily pass off as using a company flagship for half the price. Build to that the identical user interface and similar features including perks like multi window puts the Galaxy Grand a step ahead in the Looks department.
Samsung India is banking on identical looks to be a key sales factor in India, especially because Grand owner can get the feel of a Note 2 for almost Half the price.
Price
In India its all about the price, and Samsung will loose here, miserably. The Galaxy Grand is priced at Rs. 21500 at street level selling price. Whereas the Micromax Canvas HD A116 has a MRP. of 14999 and is expected to sell under Rs. 13000. This puts a gap of 10000 Rupees or almost US$ 200 between the two. An amount which in some cases could comprise of a monthly salary of working individuals.
Conclusion
While we honestly cannot tell if one performs better than the other until we have our dirty claws in the dish and can review both these phones side by side. We do have one news that is set to make matters difficult for everyone, Karbonn and Lava are all set to announce quad core phones, so Stay Tuned.
Believe it or not the Galaxy S4 press shots have been on Picasa for quite some time. With numerous pre-launch leaks, the Galaxy S4 will be the device that is talked about this half of the year 2013. The purported Galaxy S4 press image is along the lines of what is expected from the device. The phone seems to have a slightly larger display, a thinner bezel and a squarish design along with a wider home button.
The image has been on Picasa for some time, a student from Hong Kong who doesn’t appear to have any professional relationship with Samsung uploaded it on December 27, 2012. While many agree that the image could be a render of someone’s imagination, the image above could very well be the final Galaxy S4. Press images are usually made by designers, or PR companies to be distributed amongst publications.
If you closely inspect the UI on the image it seems that its just been added and stretched from the S3, so if this is actually the S4, this is definitely not the final press image. Simply because, Samsung is already set to update the Touch Wiz UI to a new variant.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is supposed to have a new 4.99 inch display with a Full HD 1080p resolution, 2GB of RAM and a high-resolution 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. The handset is expected to launch with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean as its operating system, becoming one of the first non-Nexus devices to feature the latest build of Google’s popular mobile platform. Apart from that rumors of the Galaxy S4 running the new Exynos 5 Octa system-on-chip processor.
Samsung saw the “Indian” version of the PHABLET and decided that it needed to penetrate the market which was dominated by lower class devices. The new Samsung Galaxy Grand aims to do that, with slight bit of problem the initial market price of Rs 21,500.
At first the Galaxy Grand looks like a fuse between the S3 and the Note 2, however it has features of neither (except the looks). The Samsung Galaxy Grand is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, it has 1 Gb of RAM and 8GB internal storage which honestly is the only current redeeming feature. The Grand also belongs to the DUOS series since it a dual sim phone.
The front of the device has a 5 inch 480×800 px display which surprisingly is very clear and vivid with good outdoor visibility. The phone also has multi window which we demonstrated in our hands on video (coming up.)
8 MP Camera
On the back, the Samsung Galaxy Grand features an 8 megapixel primary camera with LED flash, which if Samsung is to be believed has “enhanced optics”. At first it just seems like a bunch of gimmicks, only a final review will tell. The camera however zero shutter-lag and a backside illumination sensor.
The build quality of the phone is also standard Samsung style, so plastics all round, keeping manufacturing costs low for the device. Samsung Galaxy Grand comes with Jelly Bean and Touch Wiz designed for Jelly Bean. So Samsung though it fair enough to stuff the phone with features like “direct call” and “popup video” from the Galaxy S3 and Note 2.
Usual Button Layout
Flip Case
[pullquote_left]”too little too late”[/pullquote_left] Although the Galaxy Grand is a noble attempt from Samsung, is the device “too little too late” especially considering the “Indian” counterparts one up-ed Samsung just a day ago. While true usage capabilities will only come with the final review, as far as The Galaxy Grand is concerned, it should be a decent if not “GRAND” add-on to the lineup of devices from Samsung. However considering sheer market value and brand value, a stable user experience and a good user support coverage, the device will be a great eye candy and will attract a lot of buyers, especially those who will prefer a “brand” over specs.
The final device will drop the matte bezel and will adopt a shiny glossy bezel, similar to the one on the Note 2. The added flip cover and the striking resemblance to the mammoth flagship will enable the user to pass the Galaxy grand as a Note 2 to the unknown eye. That is essentially what will make this device really popular for the Indian psyche.
Samsung is ready to announce the Galaxy Grand for the Indian market at 12:30 on January 22nd 2013. Bookmark this page to watch it live. The Samsung Galaxy Grand is dual-SIM smartphone and features a massive 5-inch WVGA display , which as per the resolution (800 x 480 pixels) can be termed as average at best. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. Under the hood, the Galaxy Grand is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM so we can easily expect a smooth operation on the device for the most part.
The device looks strikingly similar to Samsung’s current flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3 and comes with 8GB of internal storage along with a micro-SD card slot using which, users can expand the storage on the device by up to 64GB. For connectivity, the Galaxy Grand features 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS Glonass and DLNA.
Apart from these features, Samsung Galaxy Grand comes with some unique features as well. Some of the features on the device include ‘Direct Call’, which enables users to automatically dial a call by raising the smartphone to the ear.
Popup video allows the users to watch a video in a pop-up window anywhere on the screen while running other tasks on the device. The AllShare Play feature allows the users of the device to share content across different Samsung devices using just a single account. Another interesting feature is the ‘Smart Alert’. which shows missed events such as missed calls and new messages when users pick up their phone.
The Phone will be launched tomorrow January 22nd for India, expect a full detailed hands on video along with more relevant details for the launch.
Remember that black Galaxy Note II, the one we were so excited about? It was a fake, a render, a disappointment. But there is hope.
Samsung has announced two new colours of the Galaxy Note II, Amber Brown and Ruby Wine, which will be hitting Asian markets in the coming months. They’re a little more ornate than the aforementioned render, but they also stand to appeal to a wider audience.
The existing lineup, which includes white and slate grey, has been available since the phone’s release last year, but Samsung has traditionally waited several months between variants, hoping to appeal to the wait-and-see crowd.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 has always been a sexy slab of silicon, especially on the inside, where it rocks a quad-core Exynos 4412 CPU and 2 GB of RAM. However, if you’re one of those guys or gals that like to stand out with eccentric or bizarre fashion statements (I’m trying to avoid the “fashionista” term), you probably weren’t too swept off your feet by the phablet’s color combos.
Other than the funky and snazzy colours, the GNote 2 will have the same hardware or software installed inside including a HD Super AMOLED display, quad-core Exynos 4412 CPU, 2 GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB internal memory and 8 megapixel rear camera and front camera for video calling, Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and a 3,100 mAh battery. Even though the existence of a Topaz Blue and back versions of Galaxy Note II still remains a sweet dream, the availability of the phones in new colour combinations will truly evoke the fans.
So, how would you further test the Nokia Lumia 920?s sturdiness when it has already faced so many “Torture tests” and has proved why it is “the Premium device” among the so many Flagships out there.
Now, Nokia has tested both Lumia 920 and SGS III in a “Pitching Machine challenge“. Both the devices were set to facehigh-speed “fastballs” pitched from the machine.
The S III goes up to bat first, and unfortunately suffers a career-ending injury (as you can see in the video). Not only does its screen crack, but the back panel careens off, leaving its innards exposed. Really, what happens is to be expected.
The video captured the fastball impact and continued to record after being knocked off the stand. The screen survived and the casing was left unscathed.
We would certainly ask you to watch the video yourself and see what happened. The video is part of Nokia’s #switch campaign, with a whole series of videos which can be seen on Nokia’s YouTube page here.
Samsung’s next big flagship device – presumably called the Galaxy S IV – has been in the rumour mill since September. Here’s a quick summary of what circling around the web: run a version of Android (possibly Key Lime Pie, but most likely Jelly Bean), larger display at 5-inches with a 441 pixels per inch (ppi), a quad-core processor and a 13-megapixel camera.
An interesting picture has surfaced from the halls of CES 2013. AnandTech captured some images from Samsung’s demonstrations that shows they’ll potentially release a device in Q1 2013 with a full HD 1080P AMOLED display, sporting a 4.99-inches with 440 pixels per inch (PPI). This is somewhat congruent with all the previous GS IV rumours. In addition, you can see the Galaxy S III (4.8-inches) and Note II (5.5-inches) launches from last year all line up nicely with the Q2 and Q3 2012 specs.
Samsung is also claiming a 25 percent power saving using a new material on new AMOLED revisions, and also has a low power mode that I don’t know much about with 47 percent power savings.
Additional rumours point to the GS IV launching in May… so if this slide is correct we could see them announce something at Mobile World Congress next month.
Samsung has sold an impressive 30 Million Samsung Galaxy S III devices. But if you match up sales of all the S Series devices over the years, Samsung has sold a mighty 100 Million in all. This number however does not include the S Plus, S Duos, S Advance etc, rather only the Original Galaxy S, The Galaxy S II and the S III.
The Galaxy S III mini and other variations are included in the number as well. The company also says it is Selling over 500 units of the Galaxy SIII a minute on average.
Samsung has been enjoying a really successful time of things in the last year or so in the smartphone market with a number of hugely successful products on offer. Its recent successes were arguably built on the Samsung Galaxy S2 that was released in 2011 and is still available today. Now though the company has revealed the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus and we have the official specs and details for you.
Initially outfitted with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the original S2 received an update to Android 4.0 last June and is finally due up for Android 4.1 sometime soon.
Otherwise, most of the tech specs between the S2 Plus and the original S2 are the same.
Like its precedessor, the Galaxy S2 Plus will offer a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display. An 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash is on the back, while a 2-MP camera graces the front. But the rear camera now comes with a zero-lag shutter speed that can more easily capture fast-moving objects.
The new phone offers 3G in the form of 21Mbps HSPA+, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0.The Plus’s built-in storage has been trimmed in size to 8GB from the original’s 16GB or 32GB. But the new model’s SD storage can handle up to 64 gigabytes of data, while the original maxed out at 32GB. The Plus also includes an option for near-field communications support so people can use the phone for mobile payments.
At the time of writing Samsung has yet to reveal any pricing or availability for the new smartphone, but the device is promised to have a big boost in functionality and usability compared to the original Samsung Galaxy S2.
Samsung today took the wraps off an 8-core processor known as the Exynos 5 Octa.
Stephen Woo, president of Samsung’s System LSI business, said during a keynote address here at CES that the Exynos 5 Octa will offer a “level of pure processing power never before seen in a mobile device.”
The Exynos 5 Octa is an eight-core SoC destined for tablets and high-end smartphones.
Not all of these CPU cores are created equal: four of them are high-performance Cortex-A15 cores, the very same found in the Exynos 5 Dual that powers the Nexus 10 and Samsung’s ARM Chromebook. The other four are Cortex-A7 CPU cores—these have the same feature set and capabilities as the A15 cores, but are optimized for power efficiency rather than performance.
This makes the Exynos 5 Octa one of the first products to actually use ARM’s big.LITTLE processor switching technology. The SoC is designed to dynamically split the workload between the high-performance and the high-efficiency CPU cores based on the task at hand—less strenuous activities like browsing an app store or checking e-mail might be done on the A7 cores, for instance, while gaming and number crunching could be handed off to the A15 cores.
Both sets of cores are said to work in tandem together and offer great speeds without compromising on battery consumption.This differs from Nvidia’s Tegra 3 and Tegra 4 SoCs, which include a low-power Cortex-A9 and a Cortex-A15 (respectively) “companion core” that can only be used when all of the SoC’s other CPU cores are powered down
The new SoC will be manufactured using a 28nm process as opposed to the 32nm process used by the Exynos 5 Dual, hence claiming to be more power-efficient. According to Samsung, the SoC can deliver twice the performance of quad-core Exynos CPUs, while using 70 percent less power.
What Samsung has not yet revealed is when the first devices running the Exynos 5 Octa will be available on the market, nor at what cost.
