There are smartphones, and then there’s the Megaphone
In case you’ve neglected to notice, smartphones are getting bigger, and in 2013 in particular we’ve seen manufacturers push past the six-inch screen mark and into the bizarre no man’s land between phones and tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega is one such device, with a titanic 6.3-inch display. On the face of things, it’s essentially an oversized Galaxy S4, in the same way the S4 Mini is an undersized Galaxy S4. But there’s more to it than that, and the result of Samsung’s efforts is a product that’s closer to a highly portable mid-range tablet than a smartphone. (Though it’s perfectly capable of making calls, should you desire to do so.)
Check out our video walkthrough after the break, and be sure to share your own thoughts on this 6.3-inch megaphone down in the comments.
With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now out of the way the door has been thrown open for the Korean firm's other high-end smartphone to get a reboot in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
Rumours are circulating about Samsung's next super-sized handset, suggesting it's going to get even bigger - even though the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 raised eyebrows with its larger size.
Samsung executive J.K. Shin has confirmed the existence of the Galaxy Note 3, revealing it will feature a non-flexible 5.9-inch OLED display.
Samsung Kazakhstan has also slipped up, accidentally revealing the Galaxy Note 3 on its official website alongside the Galaxy Z4 Zoom and Galaxy Tab 3 10.1.
We're constantly on the look out for Galaxy Note 3 news and you'll be able to find all the latest right here. You lucky things.
Announcement and release date
In terms of a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date the trail is pretty cold at the moment with "later this year" all we have to go on for now.
If previous iterations of the handset are anything to go by we can expect Samsung to uncover the third generation Galaxy Note smartphone towards the end of August, in the run up to IFA 2013 in Berlin.
Samsung executive J.K. Shin has said the Note 3 will arrive at IFA in September, although we're still waiting on an official comment from Samsung itself.
This would mean that the Galaxy Note 3 would probably hit stores around October if previous cycles are maintained - but given the Samsung Galaxy S4 emerged earlier this year, could the same trick be repeated for the Note 3?
A separate report suggests something rather different however, tipping the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date for July or August - although we'd be surprised if the Korean firm didn't wait for IFA in September.
Update: We now have a tentative Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date ofSeptember 4 - two days before the IFA conference in Berlin opens. This falls on one of the media days before the event, so seems to make sense as a potential launch date.
More than a pretty penny in price
You can expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to carry a hefty price tag, probably in line with the Galaxy S4 - making it more expensive than its Chinese rivals the ZTE Grand Memo and the Huawei Ascend Mate.
The Note 3 will probably set you back at least £550 (around $800/AU$770) give or take, plus there will be regional variances too.
Does the screen need to get bigger?
Although exact specs are still unknown the general consensus seems to suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will sport an even bigger screen than its 5.5-inch predecessor.
Early reports pointed towards a whopping 6.3-inch display, which would see the handset dwarf the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate and 5.7-inch Grand Memo.
Other sources have claimed that the Galaxy Note 3 could actually pack a slightly more modest 5.9-inch AMOLED screen.
We thought Samsung may have let the cat out of the bag on its own website after listing a smartphone accessory compatible with screens from "4- to 6.3-inches", potentially hinting at a massive display bump for the Note 3 - although with the announcement of the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 this is now less likely.
Screen size, then, remains a mystery but that's not the only quandary we have regarding the display on the Galaxy Note 3. Oh no, there are now reports suggesting it will be the first phone to sport a flexible OLED display.
Samsung did show off such a display at CES 2013 - although it wasn't part of a phone at the time and we reckon there's still some way to go before it's ready to hit our handsets, but it certainly gives us food for thought - especially now there are reports that Samsung is mulling three designs, one of which includes a flexible option.
We're also hearing that the Galaxy Note 3 may actually pack a 5.99-inch, Full HD display - although this news has come from unknown "inside sources".
Could this be Samsung replacing the Note range, or adding more feathers to its super-sized cap?
With JK Shin "confirming" the existence of the Galaxy Note 3, the Samsung exec is also reported revealing the 5.9-inch OLED display the super sized handset will pack.
Update: The 6-inch screen size gets another shout out as part of an image leak on Twitter, with @punkpanda noting the screen was "accounting for 84%" of the front of the device.
The operating system conundrum
We can be pretty sure that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will roll up running Google's Android platform, but which particular version that will be is not so black and white.
Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is expected to be announced at Google's IO event in May, potentially alongside the Nexus 5 - which would put the Note 3 in the running to also launch with the latest version of the software.
However if history has taught us anything it's that assuming is for fools - as we've seen numerous handsets launched with older versions of Android - but the Note 2 was one of the first handsets from Samsung to launch withJelly Bean, so perhaps a Key Lime Pie device isn't so unlikely.
The latest reports now point towards the Note 3 running Android 4.3 - an updated version of Jelly Bean which may arrive at Google IO ahead of a delayed Key Lime Pie.
Specs
The big screen won't be the only feature Samsung will want to shout about though, as you can expect the Galaxy Note 3 to be packing some serious tech under the hood.
It could be another industry leading handset (the Note 2 was the most powerful smartphone when it launched) with reports suggesting it will follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S4 with a ridiculous octo-core chip.
As this device will fall into Samsung's "Note" family you can expect the fabled S-Pen to make another appearance here as it looks to rub shoulders with the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Note 10.1.
According to Android Geeks a software engineer has spilled the beans on the S Orb camera feature which is apparently destined to debut on the Galaxy Note 3, after reports earlier this year suggested it would arrive on the Galaxy S4.
The usually reliable SamMobile has also had its say on the Note 3, with its own "inside sources" claiming the handset will be the most powerful in the world with a octa-core processor, eight-core GPU, 3GB of RAM, 5.99-inch Full HD display and a 13MP rear camera.
There's been further leaks surrounding that 13MP camera, with news claiming the snapper will sport optical image stabilisation tech, which will apparently give traditional cameras a run for their money.
Update: The suggestion of 3GB of RAM has been given another boost by a second source "confirming" the memory of the Note 3.
Apparently the Galaxy Note 3 will measure 8mm in thickness and weigh in at 183g, so slimmer than the Galaxy Note 2, but pretty much the same weight.
Plastic or metal?
Many were hoping the Samsung Galaxy S4 would see the Korean firm change its way when it came to chassis construction - ditching the plastic for a fancier metallic finish, but alas this wasn't the case.
The whole plastic vs metal debate isn't over though and now rumours are suggesting the Galaxy Note 3 could well sport a hard alloy case.
SamMobile sources reckon the HTC One has "worried" Samsung, leading the manufacturer to consider a new material for the Note 3.
We've also seen an image slip out online claiming to show the metallic body of the Galaxy Note 3 and a completely new design language for Samsung - although we're not overly convinced by this.
Credit: @evleaks
Those hoping Samsung will pull out some premium materials for the Galaxy Note 3 may have their dreams dashed as inside sources claim the handset will follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 in terms of design.
More images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 have surface, this time showing off a rounder handset which bears more of a resemblance to the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4.
In case you’ve neglected to notice, smartphones are getting bigger, and in 2013 in particular we’ve seen manufacturers push past the six-inch screen mark and into the bizarre no man’s land between phones and tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega is one such device, with a titanic 6.3-inch display. On the face of things, it’s essentially an oversized Galaxy S4, in the same way the S4 Mini is an undersized Galaxy S4. But there’s more to it than that, and the result of Samsung’s efforts is a product that’s closer to a highly portable mid-range tablet than a smartphone. (Though it’s perfectly capable of making calls, should you desire to do so.)
Check out our video walkthrough after the break, and be sure to share your own thoughts on this 6.3-inch megaphone down in the comments.
The annual IFA show in Berlin, Germany is usually pretty significant for Samsung. In 2010 it's where the company showed off its first Android tablet, the original Galaxy Tab. And for the past two years it's seen the launch of both Galaxy Note devices, as well as new classes of product like the Galaxy Camera.
And this year Samsung may continue the trend, if reports from South Korea's Asia Economic are to be believed. The publication reports that the third Galaxy Note handset will be announced at a gathering in Berlin on Sep. 4, two days ahead of IFA opening its doors to the public. What's more, Samsung may use the same event to launch its smart watch, the existence of which was confirmed by a company executive back in March. The report points out that a September unveiling would allow Samsung to get its product into the public eye before competing wearables from the likes of LG, Google and Apple appear.
As for the Galaxy Note 3, Asia Economic reports that a 5.7-inch AMOLED panel will be used in the device -- a small bump up from the 5.5-inch Note 2 display -- as well as a "new" Exynos 5 Octa CPU and 3 gigabytes of RAM. If accurate, that'd make Samsung's new hybrid device a formidable beast in terms of both size and specs.
We'll be live in Berlin for IFA next month, so be sure to stick around for all the show's Android-related developments.
There seems to be a new trend of new flaghship phones getting unlocked and pure “Google Play” versions that can be purchased directly from Google. Since such was the case with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and HTC’s HTC One, people have wondered whether the Moto X, which Motorola just launched today, will be getting a similar treatment, especially considering it is the first Motorola phone created under Google’s supervision. And so it will be that one will be able to buy a Google Play version of the Moto X “soon”.
There are some benefits to purchasing such a version of the phone. For one, units sold from stores of carriers like Verizon come preloaded with tons of apps, a good number of which do not really provide additional value to users and have been derisively called “bloatware”. Secondly, carriers are notoriously slow for providing Android updates, sometimes taking months, or even never. The technical reason for this is that manufacturers and carriers make so much modifications on top of a pure Android system that it takes them a significant amount of time to apply and test those changes on top of new Android releases.
That’s where Google Play versions come in. Same hardware, no bloatware, no modifications. Just pure Android. Of course, if there are features specific to a certain manufacturer that you’ve come to love, you might end up having to give up on those, too. In the case of the Moto X, however, there might not be much to take out as it doesn’t deviate too much from Google’s pure Android experience unlike HTC’s Sense or Samsung’s TouchWiz. Moto X does have some software customizations, and it is unknown whether they will survive in the Google Play edition.
There are also other unknowns, such when the Moto X Google Play edition will be available from the Google Play store and how much it would cost. If prices of other Google Play editions are to go by, we could expect that it would cost a lot more than a unit on contract but slightly less than one off-contract. So far, only AT&T has announced its pricing, offering on-contract prices of $199 for the 16GB version and $249 for the 32GB variant. Off-contract units will be available for $575 and $629 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. It is also unknown whether the Google Play edition will be able to customize color options, something that is so far exclusive to AT&T customers.
Sources revealed that Samsung is planning to hold an event on September 4 in Berlin to unveil not only the Galaxy Note III but also the rumored smartwatch that is currently called Samsung GEAR. This event would coincide with with the start of the IFA trade show also in Berlin.
The Samsung Galaxy Note III has been steeped in rumors as it gets closer to the anticipated launch date. Recently, we were treated to some leaked photos showing the internals of Samsung’s next S Pen-powered phablet. Rumored hardware included a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display, 13 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, and a dedicated camera button.
Samsung has also been rumored to be working on a smartwatch, partially confirmed by trademark filings made last month. The filings were filled with keywords related to watches as well as the name “GEAR”. If the launch information pans out, we will be seeing this mysterious device for the first time next month.
There has been very few details regarding the rumored Samsung GEAR, but if it will be launched together with the Galaxy Note III, it is probable that there will be some special mode of interaction between the two devices. It could mean that the GEAR will be something like Pebble which acts as a secondary device to provide quick and easy access to the smartphone without having to pull it out of a pocket or a bag
There are three important things you should keep in mind when buying a solid-state drive: capacity, performance, and pricing. And the new Samsung 840 Evo makes things easy by offering them all, and more.
The new drive is a replacement for Samsung's previous entry-level 840 Series drive, but the only thing entry-level about it is the pricing. Its performance is among the best I've seen, and the drive is also the first consumer-grade SSD to hit the 1TB mark in storage space. In addition, the 840 Evo is bundled with valuable software that further boosts its performance.
At the current price of well under $1 per gigabyte -- the 1TB capacity costs just $650, or about 65 cents per gigabyte -- the Samsung 840 Evo is the best deal on the market now, ranking at the top of the current best SSD list. If you're looking for an SSD to upgrade your computer's hard drive with or want to upgrade your existing SSD to a larger-capacity drive, the 840 Evo is as good as it gets.
The new Samsung 840 Evo shares the same design and standard as previous generations, but now comes in gray.
Design
The Samsung 840 Evo looks the same as the older 840 Series, but now comes in dark gray. The drive supports the popular 7-millimeter, 2.5-inch design and features the latest SATA 3 (6Gbps) standard. It also works with previous versions of the SATA standard.
Drive type
7mm-thick, 2.5-inch standard internal drive
Connector type
SATA 6Gbps (compatible with SATA 3Gbps and SATA 1.5Gbps)
Capacities
120GB, 250GB, 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB
Review capacity
750GB
Controller
Samsung MEX controller
NAND flash memory
1x nm Samsung Toggle DDR 2.0
Sequential read:
Up to 540MBps
Sequential write:
Up to 520MBps (250GB/500GB/750GB/1TB), and up to 410MBps (120GB)
4KB Random read (QD1):
Up to 10,000 IOPS
4KB Random write (QD1):
Up to 33,000 IOPS
4KB Random read (QD32):
Up to 98,000 IOPS (500GB/750GB/1TB); up to 97,000 IOPS; (250GB); up to 94,000 IOPS (120GB)
4KB Random write (QD32):
Up to 90,000 IOPS (500GB/750GB/1TB); up to 66,000 IOPS (250GB); up to 35,000 IOPS (120GB)
Encryption
AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption (FDE)
Weight
1.9 ounces
Reliability
MTBF: 1.5 million hours
Warranty
3 years limited
The drive is available in five capacities, 120GB, 250GB, 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB, all of which come with the Samsung Data Migration Tool and Samsung Magician Software included. The former is an advanced cloning program that helps you move data from one drive to another without having to reinstall the operating system or software; and the latter is a set of powerful tools for customizing the drive.
The Desktop Kit includes all you need to upgrade your computer's existing drive to a new 840 Evo.
To help make life even easier for upgraders, the drive is also available in a Desktop Kit version for the 120GB and 250GB capacities, and a Laptop Kit version for the 250GB and 500GB capacities, respectively costing $15 more and $10 more than if you buy just the SSD itself. The Desktop Kit includes a drive bay converter caddy, a 2.5mm spacer to bring the thickness of the drive to the 9.5mm standard, a CD of software, and a USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter. The Laptop Kit consists of just the software, the spacer, and the USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter.
With either of these kits, folks can quickly clone their computer's existing hard drive to an 840 Evo, without having to get extra equipment. The software CD contains the above-mentioned Samsung Data Migration Tool and Samsung Magician Software, which can also be downloaded from Samsung's Web site.
Useful software, flexible configuration
Like previous Samsung SSDs, the 840 Evo doesn't come with overprovisioning out of the box. Instead you can turn this feature on and off using the Samsung Magician Software. Overprovisioning is a feature that uses part of an SSD's storage space to enhance the drive's performance. Thanks to this, the 840 Evo offers the flexibility to choose between maximum speed or capacity.
Using the Samsung Magician Software, you can also check the SSD's health status and securely erase its data, or tune up the operating system settings to maximize the drive's speed and endurance.
The new Samsung Magician Software comprises a lot of useful tools and makes the 840 Evo the most flexible SSD on the market.
Modern and performance-oriented software and hardware features
There are a couple of things that help make the 840 Evo so fast.
Firstly, Samsung Magician now offers a new function, introduced in the 840 Evo, called Rapid mode, which can be turned on or off with a click. When on, Rapid automatically uses part of the host computer's system memory (RAM) as cache to further boost the drive's performance. Depending on the available RAM, Rapid uses between 500MB and 2GB for this purpose. In my test, Rapid indeed significantly improved the drive's performance.
Secondly, in the area of hardware, the new drive uses a new and improved Samsung MEX controller, which is based on the three-core MDX controller used in the 840 Pro, and its fast Toggle DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory. The drive also has improved firmware to deliver significantly faster performance than the 840 Series.
And finally, the 840 Evo supports a feature called TurboWrite Technology, which, depending on the capacities involved, offers double or triple the sequential write performance of the 840 Series. With Turbo Write, part of the solid-state drive is made of single-layer cell (SLC) NAND flash memory, the type of NAND used mostly in high-end enterprise SSDs. This part is used as a buffer for writing. Basically, data gets written on the buffer first and will then be moved to other parts of the SSD when the drive becomes idle. Since in real-world usage an SSD is idle most of the time, Turbo Write works very effectively.
And speaking of idle, the 840 Evo uses very little power when not in use, just 0.045 watt, compared with the 0.5 watt of a regular hard drive or certain SSDs. (The 840 Series uses 0.046 watt.) This makes the new drive a great fit for laptop users.
In my trials, the Samsung 840 Evo worked well with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. For better performance it's recommended that you use the latest version of the OSes that support the TRIM command, such as Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6 or later. Note, however, that the drive's bundled software only works with Windows.
Rapid mode uses part of the system's memory (RAM) to further boost the 840 Evo's performance.
Cost per gigabyte and warranty
Pricing is always the biggest concern when it comes to SSDs, but the 840 Evo delivers. The drive's five capacities of 120GB, 250GB, 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB cost $110, $190, $370, $530, and $650, respectively. Except for the 120GB capacity, which costs about 92 cents per gigabyte, these are all less than 80 cents per gigabyte. And again, the 1TB capacity is even less per gigabyte, at just 65 cents.
It's fair to say that the 840 Evo brings SSD pricing lower than ever. It's likely its price will get even lower the longer the drive is on the market.
It's worth noting that the 840 Evo comes with only a three-year warranty, not the five-year of the 840 Pro and some other high-end drives. But three years is rather standard for a drive that's categorized as entry-level.
Performance
I actually compared the 840 Evo against other high-end SSDs and it was impressive. The test computer took just about 10 seconds to boot up and about half of that to shut down. The drive also helped the machine resume from sleep-mode almost instantly. Applications, including heavy ones, such as games, also took much less time to load than when the computer was running on a hard drive.
The Evo offered much faster write speed than read speed, scoring 267MBps for writing and 184MBps for reading, in a straightforward data-copying test. When working as a main storage drive hosting the operating system and performing both writing and reading small files at the same time, the drive managed 257MBps. All of these speeds were really fast compared with the other drives' performance.
Yet the drive was even faster with Rapid turned on, scoring 289MBps for writing, 193MBps for reading, and an impressive 378MBps combined, the best I've seen
With PCMark 8, the 840 Evo scored 4,967 Storage points, and 4,990 points with Rapid turned on. Its reading score was lower than other high-end drives', but the 840 Evo was among the fastest in the other categories.
The new SSD also increased the battery life of a computer by about 25 minutes compared with a regular 7,200rpm laptop hard drive, in my anecdotal testing.
Conclusion
With fast overall performance, affordable prices, and a top storage capacity of 1TB, the Samsung 840 Evo has almost everything you'd look for in an internal storage device. What could be improved, namely the slightly slow sequential read speed and the relatively short three-year warranty, are just a minor shortcomings that don't change the fact that the drive is the best deal on the market now. The new drive opens up a new and exciting chapter in which solid-state drives are comparable to regular hard drives in terms of capacity and even pricing, while remaining so much faster in performance.
Samsung has never been shy about its strategy of spamming the world with an enormous number of gadgets every year, but its latest concoction may be its most surprising experiment yet. A leaked Korean-language user manual found on Samsung’swebsite shows that the company has designed a flip phone called the Galaxy Folder that looks like a mid-range device featuring a 3.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The Galaxy Folder will also apparently feature a dual display on the front and back of the top half of the device so users can interact with it whether it’s open or closed. We have no idea whether Samsung plans on releasing this model anytime soon but it suggests that it might be tailor-made for its home market in South Korea.
Just when you thought that clamshell phones, also known as flip phones, were totally out of fashion, someone comes up with an attempt to revive the form factor. That someone, in this case, might be Samsung, as new details of its next flip phone surface.
Codenamed “Hennessy”, the Samsung SCH-W789 is rumored to have a dual-screen setup, with both screens measuring 3.5 inches and sporting a rather average 320×480 HVGA resolution. The CPU is unnamed but is said to be a quad-core with a clock speed of 1.2GHz, making it possibly a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200. It will have 1 GB of RAM and a 5 MP rear camera.
These specs are slightly different from an earlier leak which named the CPU as a Snapdragon S2. The information also mentioned a resolution of 800×480, which would have put the Hennessy closer to two other flip phones launched by Samsung in 2011 and 2012. The SCH-W789 will be running Android 4.1.2, which is probably decent given the hardware.
Those who have developed an aversion to flip phones probably need not worry, as this phone might be released only, or at least first, in China, just like Samsung’s SCH-W999 and SCH-W2013. There are no details as to the price, though it would probably be in the same range as the SCH-W999, which cost around $1,500. With a model that comes only in “Luxury Gold” color, it’s only fitting that it would have a luxurious price tag.
Samsung will launch new variants of its Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Mini handsets with dual-mode TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE connectivity, the company has announced. While current LTE networks are primarily based upon FDD-LTE the standard, Samsung's new devices will be able to operate on these networks in addition to TDD-LTE networks expected to launch soon in Asia and Eastern Europe.
Samsung said its new dual-mode LTE Galaxy S4s will be the first handsets to market to support "seamless handover" between the two standards, with "continuous and seamless voice and data communications even as the devices switch between two different types of LTE networks." While Samsung hasn't specified which countries will be getting these new dual-mode handsets, smooth handover between the two standards will be particularly important in markets where both TDD and FDD are deployed.
Samsung accelerates global LTE market possibilitieswith world’s first commercial dual-mode LTE handover devices
Seoul, Korea – Jul 31, 2013 – Samsung Electronics today announced the world’s first commercial devices capable of TDD-LTE (Time-Division Duplex) and FDD-LTE (Frequency Division Duplex) seamless handover technology. Samsung will launch TDD/FDD Dual Mode LTE versions of the Samsung GALAXY S4 and Samsung GALAXY S4 mini, which will enable continuous and seamless voice and data communications even as the devices switch between two different types of LTE networks.
“Samsung continues to accelearate global LTE market deployment, addressing technical challenges faster than anyone else. With today’s TDD/FDD LTE seamless handover devices announcement, Samsung again demonstrates the company’s commitment to driving better, more convenient customer experiences,” said JK Shin, co-CEO and president of the IT & Mobile division of Samsung Electronics. Shin added, “The first commercially available TDD/FDD seamless handover devices will allow customers to fully enjoy the benefits of fast mobile data communications no matter where they are.”
While the majority of the global LTE market is based on FDD-LTE technology, TDD-LTE, the alternative LTE technology, is expected to see increased adoption in the US, China, Australia, Middle East, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Southwest Asia, and to gain a more pronounced position in the global LTE market. Seamless handover between FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE networks is a critical feature for end-user customers and mobile operators, especially in markets where the both technologies are deployed.
As a market pioneer in LTE technology, Samsung’s new support of seamless handover with the GALAXY S4 will enable even more convenient, ultra-fast mobile data communications, and provide users with smooth and seamless data communication without delays or interruptions while browsing or on calls during network handover. In addition, the seamless handover will enable a true global LTE roaming solution, enabling users to enjoy fast and rich multimedia data communication wherever they are. For mobile operators, use of both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE frequencies can help them effectively manage data traffic and sustain quality of service. For example, mobile operators can allocate data traffic from FDD-LTE frequency to TDD-LTE frequency when FDD-LTE frequency is heavily loaded.
Samsung is the first player in the global mobile industry to provide dual-mode (TDD-LTE/FDD-LTE) smartphones.
Samsung will continue to launch TDD-LTE devices in other markets throughout third quarter.
Samsung's LTE Innovation
Samsung's innovation in the LTE market is driven by the company’s determined investment in LTE technology and launching of various LTE-enabled devices.
Samsung was the world’s first to showcase LTE technology in 2008, and has been leading the market expansion and technology standardization for high speed mobile data communication ever since. After launching GT-B3710 Dongle, the world’s first commercial LTE device, the company went on to introduce Craft, world’s first LTE mobile phone, to the US market in 2010.
In 2012, GALAXY S III, world’s first device supporting VoLTE technology was introduced, and in June, GALAXY S4 LTE which enables LTE-A communication service twice as fast as the standard LTE, was launched.
Samsung is driving the popularization of the global LTE market by launching over 60 million LTE devices for over 150 mobile carriers in 50 countries across the globe.
The future might not be that bright for what was once Samsung‘s impressive flagship devices, contrary to an earlier leak. If this new information is to be believed, the Samsung Galaxy S2 will not be receiving an upgrade to Android 4.2.2 and will hence be stuck with 4.1.2.
Earlier this year, a pre-list was leaked indicating which Samsung devices will be getting upgrades to which Android versions. The list included, under the section for 4.2.2 updates, the Galaxy S2 as well as the Galaxy Note. Both devices have already enjoyed a rather long upgrade journey from Android 2.3.6 to 4.0.4 to 4.1.2. Naturally, owners were overjoyed at the thought of once again getting updates for these devices.
But as with any pre-release information, things may not go as intended. It seems that adjustment problems in Samsung’s custom TouchWiz interface has left the manufacturer with no choice but to scrap that plan and keep the Galaxy S2 on its current Android version. The Galaxy S2 Plus, on the other hand, was confirmed to get a 4.2.2 update soon.
This might not actually be that surprising in a world that churns out new smartphone models almost every year, leaving older models to bite the dust. Motivation to update these devices might also not be that high considering the recently released Galaxy S4, which spawned a whole series of S4 devices, and a soon to be released Galaxy Note III. But still, despite the fact that 4.2.2 was not really a huge update, this news might still disappoint some people.
The topic of Android fragmentation has once again returned. This time around the talk has come by way of the recently published Android Fragmentation Visualized report from OpenSignal. This report is taking a look at fragmentation as both a strength and weakness and while there is quite a bit of information available, we cannot help but overlook how this details the dominance of Samsung. But first, some other interesting numbers from the report.
The total number of devices surveyed for this report was 682,000. Furthermore, it lists 3,997 devices as being seen last year and 11,868 as having been seen this year. The ‘seen’ factor is determined by the devices that access the OpenSignal app. While it is clear that OpenSignal has seen many more unique devices this year (as opposed to last year), the more interesting aspect comes in with the fact that this year is only half over.
Basically, this points towards the amount of devices as having roughly tripled and we still have half the year left. This brings one item that the the OpenSignal report is touting as an advantage. They mention how “availability of cheap Android phones (rarely running the most recent version) means that they have a much greater global reach than iOS, so app developers have a wider audience to build for.”
They do mention this may be “tricky to do” but also go on to mention that fragmentation is a benefit for users as well. In this case the report talks about how this means users should be able to get exactly what they want. This includes everything from screen size to price and any combination in between.
Of course, we suspect many think of fragmentation in terms of the version of Android. Or specifically, as compared to the versions of iOS. In this case the report shows eight versions of Android currently in use with 37.9 percent of users with Jelly Bean. Breaking that down further and we see Android 4.1.x with 32.3 percent and Android 4.2.x with 5.6 percent. And then, while likely still very small, there is now also Android 4.3 to consider. As compared to iOS, that currently sits with three versions of which 95 percent of users are running the most recent.
Shifting back to the talk of Samsung though, this report has them pegged with 47.5 percent of the market share. That by itself speaks quite a bit. The top Samsung device according to this report is the Galaxy S III, though the Galaxy S II still rates fairly high in the rankings. Other notable Samsung devices sitting close to the top include the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Y, Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy S 4 and the Galaxy Tab (GT-P3100) tablet. Notice the wide variety of sizes and prices here.
Bottom line here, while the OpenSignal report highlights the positive and negative of Android fragmentation, we cannot help but notice the connection between how Samsung has countless devices across a wide variety of sizes and prices. This brings back the earlier point (from OpenSignal) about how this is good for consumers, and well, in that respect it looks like Samsung may be doing something right. Or on the flip side, causing the issue of fragmentation to grow single-handedly.
