Tag: Samsung

Micromax Pushes Samsung Off the Pole Position in India

Indian smartphone market saw a lot of action last year. A lot of companies made India a priority market and launched their top flagships in the country. Indians now had a wider choice in smartphones than ever before. All these choices have also led to a major reshuffle in the points tally of top selling companies. Indian smartphone brand, Micromax seems to have kicked global market leader Samsung from the first position on the table.

The report comes from research firm Canalys. According to the report, Micromax accounted for 22 percent sales in the fourth quarter of the year between October and December. Samsung on the other hand managed to score 20 percent of device sales during that period.

The industry, in total, sold over 21.6 million smartphones during the period; a 90 percent increase over the previous year. It is estimated that the Micromax’s lead was fueled by increase in the purchase of devices with a lower price tag as the users actively shift from feature phones to smartphones in that segment.

This dip in standing should be a major concern for Samsung as it has already lost the first position in China to Xiaomi. The company has been on the receiving end of complaints about its lackluster devices with monotonous designs and lack of specs. Apart from some tiny tweaks the company hasn’t really offered anything substantial to the consumers. Samsung has to reconsider its smartphone strategy seriously as it is the company’s most visible product portfolio at the moment or else it wouldn’t be long before it follows in the steps of Blackberry and Nokia.

February 4, 2015
Apple Grabs Top Spot from Samsung in the Largest Smartphone Vendor Race

Gone are those days when Apple used to console itself seeing Samsung receiving for world’s largest manufacturer achievement. Samsung has long enjoyed the reputation of being the biggest smartphone vendor in the world. But this time, Apple has snatched the accolade from its lap and is happily showing off the award as the world’s largest smartphone vendor.

According to an analysis by a trusted company, Creative Strategies, Apple has set a benchmark by selling 74.5 million iPhones. It is the biggest quarterly profit by any company in the history of smartphone trade. However, Samsung says that it has sold as much as 95 million handsets in total, out of which 71 million – 75 million are smartphones. Well, the South Korean producer is just putting ahead big numbers to cover its defeat.

The picture above clearly speaks of Apple’s win over the other vendors. The analyst for Creative Strategies, Ben Bajarin crowns Apple as the winner this time. However, another analysis firm Strategy Analytics claims that both Apple and Samsung shipped the same number of phones in the fourth quarter last year – 74.5 million smartphones.

Few days back, Apple saw record-breaking fiscal Q1 2015 earnings of $74.6 billion, out of which $18 billion was the net profit. This net gain figure put Apple in the topmost spot in terms of revenue. The soaring sales of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is the reason behind this success.

Though Apple has acquired the top position, Samsung will not sit back and let the Cupertino-based giant enjoy the prestige. It will surely work on a unique product to entice more customers. It would be exciting to see what Samsung comes up with next.

January 29, 2015
Samsung Expected to Extend Gear VR Support to Galaxy S Edge and Galaxy S6

Samsung’s recent innovation Gear VR, apart from latest smartphones and TVs, is far from reaching of masses. The reason was the fact that its compatibility with only one device, Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The company is putting effort to make the virtual reality headset a regular feature with smartphones, and is pushing support to more devices. According to SamMobile, the South Korean producer is adding two more devices to the compatibility list of Gear VR – Galaxy S Edge and Galaxy S6.

This doesn’t sound something really bizarre as the latest devices are likely to support the new invention. But it isn’t as simple as it seems.

The Gear VR, powered by Oculus, is a wearable put on the head that encloses Samsung Note 4. The gadget has been designed to fit a display of Note size, more that 5.3-inch, so that a viewer can get 96-degree viewing angle. According to the rumours, the Galaxy S Edge and Galaxy S6 will sport a 5.1-inch Quad HD display that cannot fit in to the big screen of the virtual reality headset. If the sources of SamMobile are to be believed, then the upcoming flagships may feature a display larger than 5.3 inches.

However, the company hasn’t confirmed its adaptability with both the devices and users have to wait for an official announcement.

January 29, 2015
Apple Ties With Samsung For the Top Spot in the Global Smartphone Market

Apple is celebrating one of its biggest victory in its history. The Cupertino, California based iPhone maker has noted a $18 billion of net profit in last quarter, making it the most profitable quarter ever, not just for Apple, but for any company.

Now, new statistics have drawn in, putting both Apple and its arch-rival Samsung on the top slot in the last quarter of 2014. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the iPhone maker’s global market share has grown to 20 percent, from 18 percent last year, while Samsung’s fortune headed the opposite direction dropping the firm to that same 20 percent figure from 30 percent in the year-ago period.

With Apple’s big screen iPhone, a bigger display is no longer a reason to buy Samsung’s devices

While Samsung still remains number one when it comes total shipments of the year 2014, Apple has matched Samsung’s fourth-quarter shipments of 74.5 million smartphones. The major reason of these interesting figures in Apple’s sixth generation iPhones which embraced larger screens and LTE trends to excite Asian consumers.

Samsung has been struggling to keep up with Apple in the high-end smartphone market and likes of Xiaomi and Micromax in the low-end market. With Apple’s big screen iPhone, a bigger display is no longer a reason to buy Samsung’s devices, and its smartphones can’t reach the low prices of those from Chinese and Indian vendors.

Apple took three year to comeback as a top dog in the tech industry, after Samsung replaced it in 2012. There has been a drastic shift in the global smartphone shipments which grew by 31 percent, to a record of 380.1 million units, in the fourth quarter of 2014. And it seems Apple is not having trouble holding a large chunk of the global market. Good Luck, Samsung.

January 29, 2015
What to Expect From the Mobile World Congress 2015

Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicks off on March 2nd in Barcelona. One of the most important events of the tech industry, the event is the biggest mobile phone exhibition on the calendar. There is no doubt that some of the biggest manufacturers will choose to announce new devices the event this year.

MWC 2015 is expected to be every bit as big and there are already rumblings of what might be shown. So, what does MWC 2015 have in store for us? Here’s the round up of the rumours.

1. HTC

It is loud and clear that the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer will be unveiling ‘what’s next’ for the company. The event invite shows a bright star in the background with the tagline “Utopia in Progress”. HTC is the first amongst major Android phone makers to set a date and time for its next big launch.

There has been various leaks surrounding the company’s new flagship HTC One M9. The expected HTC One M9, which is also referred to as ‘Hima’ is said to feature a 1440X2560 QHD screen, 3GB of RAM and an Octa-core Snapdragon 810 CPU. A recent leak also suggested that HTC might launch two variants of its flagship. Second one, according to the reports is HTC One M9 Plus.

It has also been reported that HTC might enter the wearable industry this year. We won’t be surprised if HTC decides to debuts the wearable device it’s been reportedly working on for sometime now.

2. Samsung S6

Last year, Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S5, on the first day of MWC 2014. We’re expecting to hear about the follow-up at MWC 2015 which is likely to be called the Samsung Galaxy S6. Rumours surrounding the new Samsung flagship has been making rounds of the internet for several months now. It is reported that Galaxy S6 is codenamed Project Zero, signifying the development of the device from scratch — putting a lot of thought into its design and materials.

A recent report from Bloomberg suggested that electronic giant, Samsung, will not use Qualcomm processors for the next version of the South Korean technology giant’s flagship Galaxy S smartphone. The report added that the South Korean company will use its own microprocessors in the upcoming flagship.

Another Smartwatch by Samsung?

Samsung is also rumored to be working on a circular smartwatch which is codenamed as Orbis. Recently, there has been leaks which have hinted that Samsung is working on a smartwatch with a rotating bezel ring on the top of the watch.

The functionality of the bezel ring is not clear. Like Apple’s digital crown, features like zooming in and out of pictures and scrolling through lists could be achieved by rotating the ring; it could also allow for functions like selecting the time when setting an alarm.

3. LG

LG enjoyed great success in 2014 with the LG G3. So how do you follow up on the best smartphone of 2014? That’s what LG’s showcase at the MWC 2015 will answer for us, hopefully. The LG G3 is undoubtedly a truly brilliant phone, offering a perfect mixture of usability and cutting edge features, including the first major example of the kind of QHD display that every phone will be sporting in 2015. But there are also rumours that LG will keep up the good work on the look and feel of its flagships, with thinner-than-ever bezels compensating for its larger-than-average screen.

Some other reports have hinted that G4 will come with a Note 4 like stylus. There is also a possibility that the G4 will come with a metallic frame which was one of the few things that was missing in the G3.

Like Samsung and HTC above, MWC 2015 could also see LG announcing a new smartwatch. The key point of interest here is the suggestion that LG’s new watch (dubbed by some as the LG G Watch R2) could come with 4G connectivity.

4. Sony

The Sony Xperia Z2 launched at MWC 2014 so we’re expecting the Sony Xperia Z4 to launch this year. Sony did a great job with the rightly-priced Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact. However, recent chatters in the industry has hinted that the company may let the Xperia brand meet the same fate as Vaio.

Anyway, according to the rumors, QHD display and Snapdragon 810 is in the check list for the latest flagship. Also, the smartphone is expected to come with familiar 20.7-megapixel camera. It is also said that we can expect the compact version of Z4.

January 25, 2015
Tizen-Powered Samsung Z1 Gets a Poor Response from the Indian Market

Samsung’s latest offering, the Tizen-powered Z1, was meant to be a ray of sunlight for the South Korean-based firm. The company expected to gain a foothold in the market by reaching maximum number of customers, subsequently boosting its declining market value. But things didn’t go as planned.

After its release on 14^th January, Samsung Z1 gained many responses, but almost all negative. The phone reviewers, as well as consumers, criticised its camera resolution and the dearth of applications for the device.

Samsung Z1 packs an ordinary set of specs, but what makes it stand out from the other available choices is the Samsung’s own operating system,Tizen, that has been developed to compete with Google’s Android.

For now, Tizen has a long way to go before it can battle with the already established contenders. The lack of apps turns out to be the biggest disappointment of the Tizen-powered smartphone.

Customers responded that it’s not the cheap smartphones they look for, but its the specifications that make the device. The South Korean electronics producer put its point forward saying that the Z1’s exclusive benefits are its simple interface, long battery life and faster page-loading speeds, which are all thanks to Tizen.

If Samsung puts an effort to expand its Tizen-based smartphone line-up beyond televisions and watches, they will get in touch with that segment of the Indian market which is still not accessible to smartphones. Meanwhile, the company hasn’t stated its plan to launch the Z1 in other countries. It says that its only focus, as of now, is India.

January 21, 2015
Samsung Wants to Partner With BlackBerry, Not Acquire it

Few days back, rumours about Samsung’s plans to acquire BlackBerry made the rounds. It was said that the South Korean company had offered close to $7.5 billion for the buyout. However, when the companies were approached for comment, both Samsung and BlackBerry denied the story. To reaffirm the same, the Co-Chief Executive of Samsung Electronics, J. K. Shin, made a statement that the company wants to work on an extended partnership but doesn’t aim to acquire BlackBerry at all.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”J.K. Shin”]

We want to work with BlackBerry and develop this partnership, not acquire the company.

[/quote]

Shin further added that they wish to extend the existing agreement, however, they are carefully keeping the details under wraps.

Late last year, Samsung closed a deal with BlackBerry which gave access to both the companies to sell mobile security technologies of the other company. Samsung also signed similar agreements with other companies such as Trix Systems Inc., Good Technology Inc., MobileIron Inc. and AirWatch.

The world’s largest maker of handsets respects its relationship with other companies and clarified that it is not eyeing the patent portfolio of BlackBerry, which carries the highest value in the technology world.

January 20, 2015
BlackBerry and Samsung Dismiss Reports of a Possible Merger

Earlier today, Reuters broke an exclusive news saying that Samsung is planning to buy BlackBerry. According to the international news agency, the South Korean electronics producer offered BlackBerry as much as $7.5 billion in view of its valuable patents.

As per the inside source of the agency, Samsung proposed to buy individual shares of the Canadian equipment manufacturer at a price of $13.35 to $15.49 per share, which is 22 percent higher than the current trading price of BlackBerry. Samsung is not the first company who has showed interest in acquiring BlackBerry. Back in 2014, Lenovo and few other firms were in rumours of the same buyout.

Meanwhile, both Samsung and BlackBerry have declined the ongoing acquisition reports. A spokesperson from Samsung simply commented:

Media reports of the acquisition are groundless.

BlackBerry also replied in the same tune and said that it had not engaged in any such discussions with Samsung with respect to purchase offer.

The news is no surprise and there are chances of these cries to be true as both are companies have reasons to sign this deal. BlackBerry is going through a rough patch and needs financial backing, whereas if Samsung cracks this deal, it might help it rebrand its image.

There are major reasons for these rumours to be true. First, if Samsung takes over BlackBerry, they would acquire the world’s best smartphone security systems. Secondly, we know that Samsung has shut dow its IM service ChatOn as it failed drastically to connect Samsung users.Meanwhile, BBM has 85 million monthly active users and Samsung could integrate the IM service to its devices to get hold of this large user base.

The third and the most vital cause of this could be the robust patent portfolio of BlackBerry. If Samsung succeeds in purchasing the Canadian star, it will get a hold of its networking, security and other important patents. Well, as of now, these are just rumours and nothing can be said until and unless these electronics giants stamp on these reports.

January 15, 2015
Hands On with the New Tizen-Based Samsung Z1

Android has taken over the market share and is widely available across multiple brands. Companies like Samsung, LG, Motorola and a lot of other companies have greatly benefitted from the Google’s open source operating system. But several electronic giants are attempting to come out of Android’s shadow and set up their own operating systems.

Samsung is attempting to break free from Android’s dominance with its homegrown Tizen OS. Samsung had already inducted Tizen in its Gear family of smartwatches and now they have launched the first phone based on the OS.

We got our hands briefly on the new Samsung Z1 which is the first phone based on the new operating system.

The Samsung Z1 totally looks like something that came out of Samsung’s stable. It has recognizable features including the physical button at the center. The phone has a metal-like casing that along with the polished back panel gives it a premium feel.

The Z1 is being marketed as a multimedia device and offers multitude of content through its tie-up with hungama.com and live tv options like BoxTv. But it comes with a 4-inch WVGA display that doesn’t feel adequate for a complete multimedia delight. The bit that is appreciated is the expandable storage option which is up to 64 GB; an amount great for multimedia hoarders.

Tizen OS looks and feels like the TouchWiz UI

Tizen OS looks and feels like the TouchWiz UI on Samsung’s Android devices. The only thing missing is the app drawer. The drop down menu too looks exactly the same as TouchWiz UI with similar setting options. It will be familiar interface for anyone switching from an Android device or upgrading from a feature phone into a smartphone.

Samsung claims most of the major apps are available on Tizen OS

The company has attempted to bring features from its higher end devices on Z1 like the ultra power saving mode, which up until now has been available on premium handsets like the Galaxy S5 and Note 4. It also offers 500 MB of free data plan with Reliance and Aircel for six months.

Overall, in the brief amount of time we spent with the device, we were excited to see Samsung trying to bring something new to its consumers. The device still falls short of competing with products like the Redmi 1S and the Moto E but is still a good effort. The company said that they will be refreshing their line-up of devices over the future and we would like to see where the new path leads Samsung.

January 14, 2015
Samsung Reportedly Working on Cheaper Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note Alternatives

Even with all the competition, Samsung still holds the top position as the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, but the passing year didn’t go so well for the company. Samsung is quite aware of the ground reality and it seems like the maker is working on restoring its lost authority in the smartphone market. According to an exclusive by SamMobile, Samsung is working on a line of four tablets, that might be the successors of Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 and the Galaxy Tab 4 10.1.

According to the report, the company might release four or more tablets. These offerings will be a part of the Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note line-up. The Galaxy Tab AS (SM-T350/351) will be small and a successor of Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, while the larger Galaxy Tab AL (SM-T550/T551) will be a sibling of Galaxy Tab 4 10.1.

The other two speculated tablets, SM-P350/351 (Wi-Fi/Cellular) and SM-P550/551 (Wi-Fi/Cellular), may be the successors of Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note Pro series. The SM-P350/351 will flaunt a display of 7-inch or 8-inch and, on the other hand, the SM-P550/551 might sport a screen of 10 or 12 inches. The tablets will have the latest version of Google’s OS, Android 5.0 Lollipop, onboard.

The source states that the tablets are in its early stages and consumers can expect to get their hands on them by the second or fourth quarter of this year. No other details have been provided regarding their hardware, software or any other specifications. For now, we believe that Samsung will leave no stone unturned in appealing its mass audience and will bring out the devices in metallic finish, just as the Galaxy Note 4. With sales figures showing a negative graph, the company is expected to pack the devices with something really extravagant.

January 14, 2015

Samsung Launches its First Tizen-Based Smartphone in India

Samsung has finally launched its much awaited Tizen-based Z1 smartphone in an event held in New Delhi. As expected, the new Tizen OS powered smartphone is a budget smartphone. It sports a 4-inch WVGA (480x800p) PLS display and is powered by a 1.2GHz A7 dual-core processor and comes with 768MB RAM. The Z1 has 4GB of internal storage expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card.

On the imaging side, Z1 flaunts a 3.1MP rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front camera. It is powered by a 1500mAh battery. It will support 3G, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi and A-GPS connectivity option. Additional features include accelerometer, ultra power saving mode, private mode and ability to access browser pages offline.

Samsung, ultimately, aims to make Tizen the ‘OS of Everything’, making it the direct rival to Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS mobile platforms. At CES 2015, announced that all the 2015 TVs will be powered by Tizen OS.

However, the delays and the consumer skepticism for anything other than Android and iOS have meant that the devices running on Tizen haven’t been able to emerge from its initial stage.

With the launch of Tizen-OS powered Z1, the company has shifted its strategy, setting aside its high-end ambitions and aiming at emerging markets like India with cheap devices powered by the OS. Samsung Z1 is priced at Rs. 5,700 and will go on sale today, on both online and offline stores.

Specs	Samsung Z1
Processor	1.2GHz A7 dual-core
RAM	768MB RAM
Display	4-inch WVGA (480x800p) PLS
Operating System	Tizen 2.3
Camera	3.1MP rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front camera
Battery	1500mAh
Storage	4GB, expandable up to 64GB
Price	Rs. 5,700

January 14, 2015

Report: A Windows-Based Samsung Smartphone Might Arrive This Year

Samsung has been ruling the smartphone market with its high-end Android devices, but it has recently been learnt that the company is keen on including Windows-based phones in its smartphone line-up. According to a report by Korean Times, the South Korean multinational giant is interested in making an affordable Windows Phone.

According to their source, the company is testing a “pilot programs on the stability of Windows 8.1 software on devices.” However, it cannot embed Windows onto the devices until the company settle down on the previous dispute with Microsoft. For those who don’t remember the story; Microsoft sued Samsung in August saying that the company had failed to make payments as per the signed contract.

Samsung ATIV SE, The Last Windows Phone by Samsung

It seems like the firm is reducing its dependability on Google’s Android and is prepping to get a stronghold on the Windows platform.

If the report turns out to be true, then customers can expect a Windows-based device as early as this fall. It might run on Windows 8.1 or the upcoming Windows 10. We’ll still emphasise the fact that it’s just a report and neither Samsung nor Microsoft have confirmed the story. The last Windows Phone by Samsung was Samsung ATIV SE, a Verizon Wireless exclusive based on Windows 8. The firm hasn’t released any Windows devices since.

January 12, 2015
Samsung’s Ultra-Thin Metal Body Galaxy A7 Goes Official

After months of speculations and rumours, Samsung has finally unveiled the much-awaited Galaxy A7 in Philippines. The metal-clad smartphone with optional dual-SIM functionality will be available at the end of Q1 this year in two different chipset configurations.

The slimmest Samsung smartphone yet, Galaxy A7 measures 6.3 mm in thickness and sports the same metallic uni-body design we see in the flagship Alpha series. The smartphone flaunts a 5.5 inch AMOLED display and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS skinned under Samsung’s own Touchwiz UI.

The Galaxy A7 comes with 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC or a 32-bit Exynos 5430 with both chipsets featuring octa-core CPU. Both versions of the smartphone will offer 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in memory. A microSD card slot for further expansion will also be available.

On the imaging side, the slim smartphone sports a 13MP main camera and 5MP front-facing unit with several Samsung customizations. It includes several selfie features, including Wide Selfie and Rear-cam Selfie. A 2,600mAh battery powers the device.

Considering it is the slimmest phone by Samsung sporting a metallic design, it is quite likely the handset will do good in the market. While some folks would prefer a higher-resolution display, the rest of the A7’s spec list looks good for an upper mid-range/lower high-end Android smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy A7 will be available in dark blue, white, and gold color schemes. The Korean giant promises a “competitive price point” for the device. While we have no official date or price, the Samsung Galaxy A7 should be available at the end of Q1 2015 for an expected price of Rs. 35,000.

January 12, 2015
Samsung Launches Yet Another Mid-Range Handset

The South Korean electronic giant, Samsung, seems to be on a launching spree. After launching a couple of devices in the Galaxy E series – E5 and E7, and Galaxy A series – A3, A5 and A7, it seems company is not done yet. The South Korean manufacturing giant has released a new mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy Grand Max, in their domestic South Korean market.

The handset boasts a 5.25-inch 720x1280p HD TFT display. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with an unspecified chipset. The Android-based phone packs 1.5 GB of RAM and has 16 GB of internal storage capacity, which can be extended using a MicroSD card slot. The device sports a 13MP rear snapper and a 5MP front shooter along with wide-angle lens. The smartphone is housed by a powerful 2,500mAh battery.

The Galaxy Grand Max goes on sale starting 9^th January at a price of 319,000 Won which translates to Rs. 21,200 approximately or USD $290,. However, the firm hasn’t revealed as to when it will be available in other markets, namely India

Additionally, the South Korean firm released another device in Malaysia, called the Galaxy A7. The Galaxy A7 is a comparatively better device than other phones in the A series. It has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16 GB internal memory. The device is rumoured to launch in South Korea on 14^th January.

January 8, 2015
Samsung Brings the Metallic Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 to India

Samsung has been doing well at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. While launching gadgets at the international platform, the South Korean multinational firm hasn’t forgotten the Indian subcontinent and announced their two latest models in the Indian subcontinent. Samsung today launched the Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 in India. Both the smartphones were introduced by the company late last year.

The Galaxy A3 is priced at Rs. 20,500 and sports a mid-range specifications. The phone flaunts a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED qHD display and is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. It packs 1.5 GB of RAM and the internal storage capacity of 16 GB that can be expanded up to 64 GB. The device houses a battery of 1,900mAh and the rear snapper of 8 MP along with a 5 MP front shooter.

The Galaxy A5 costs Rs. 25,500 and packs relatively higher-end hardware. With a 5-inch Super AMOLED HD display, the device is powered by a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. Stuffing 2 GB of RAM onto the device, the phone gets its juice from a 2,300mAh battery. It has a 13MP rear end camera along with a 5MP front end camera.

Both the models have front cameras with 120-degree wide range angle and features support for palm and voice gestures. The smartphones have full metallic body and are comparatively thinner. Other exclusive features include Wide Selfie, Palm Selfie, Rear Cam Selfie, Beauty Face, along with gif mode shooting option. The phones come in seven colour options – pearl white, midnight black, platinum silver, light blue, soft pink, and champagne gold.

January 6, 2015