Samsung teaser video for Gear 2 may hint at rotating bezel
Samsung has released a teaser video for its upcoming Gear 2 smartwatch ahead of its September launch. Indeed, it’s the same video that was shown briefly at the end of last week’s Galaxy Note 5/Galaxy S6 Edge+ announcement.
For those who haven’t seen it, the 30-second clip shows a variety of watch faces and hints at some of the functionality. While it doesn’t specifically name partners or apps, it does reveal a built-in heart sensor and possible Nike+ integration.
One interesting notion being tossed about today is that the video may be teasing a rotating bezel. Watch it closely and you’ll see instances where the grey trim appears to be rotating. Of course, this isn’t something Samsung has confirmed, but it’s an interesting concept nonetheless.
We might assume that a rotating bezel might be used for navigational purposes, sliding from app to app or function to function. Then again, the display is likely touch, too, and may negate the need for such hardware. Also possible… the bezel is not so much rotating as being hit with moving light, instead.
The Samsung Gear 2 is expected to debut at IFA in Berlin on September 3. Check back for more coverage as we get closer to the launch.
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For $200, Samsung’s latest Gear VR headset is a no-brainer
If you’re the owner of a new Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, an extra $200 will get you Samsung’s Gear VR Innovator Edition, one of the first virtual reality headsets available to the public. Like others following the Oculus Rift story, I assumed that all VR headsets still presented issues like nausea and lag and weren’t yet consumer-friendly. But I wanted to see for myself what the fuss was all about, and since I already have an S6 Edge, I decided to splurge on one. In a few short days, my prejudices have melted away: The Gear VR isn’t perfect, but it already does plenty of things, and does them well.
After owning a OnePlus One for the better part of a year, I ditched it in favor of a Galaxy S6 Edge. That’s because I wanted to get into virtual reality (among other reasons), and the Gear VR with a Galaxy S6 attached is smaller and lighter than the original Gear VR with a Galaxy Note 4. With motion sensors, a touchpad, a volume control and a back button, it’s far more sophisticated than, say, Google Cardboard. Like the last-generation Gear VR, this one is powered by your smartphone, which you can now charge while using the headset via a USB passthrough port (the first Gear VR didn’t have one).
Also like the original, the new Gear VR requires you to clip in specific phones — the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge — to function as computer, sound system and display. Luckily, those phones have Quad HD screens squeezed into 5.1 inches, which makes for an ultra-dense 576 pixels per inch — ideal for a display that’s just an inch from your face. (I now regret saying that 4K smartphone screens were dumb, because that would be amazing.) A pair of magnifiers gives you stereoscopic vision, and there’s a focus wheel with a wide range of adjustment. The headset doesn’t allow for glasses, however. Software-wise, Samsung wisely let Oculus handle the software and supply VR-specific apps like Oculus 360 and Oculus Cinema. The result is a headset that’s easy to set up and operate, and searching for content is easy.
Using a VR system isn’t like being in the Matrix, but it does feel a little weird. Sure, it’s disorienting at first, and if cellphone screens mess with your sleep cycle, then the extra light from VR headsets will likely obliterate it. Still, I never experienced any dizziness, nausea or other side effects supposedly common with these sorts of headsets. That’s perhaps thanks to the Gear VR’s motion sensors, which are very responsive. I found the UI surprisingly natural; you just look at what you want to select and then tap the touchpad on the side of the Gear.
VR suffers from a well-publicized lack of content, but it’s not like there’s none. For one, you can play any regular or 3D movie (more on that in a sec), Oculus 360 and stereoscopic videos, YouTube clips, porn (of course), games and VR “experiences” that combine those things. An example of the latter is the Insurgent VR “Shatter Realty” experience (embedded below), where you get a bit of everything: stereoscopic 3D and wraparound 360-degree views, all tied together with a game-style story line. During one segment, you’re perched high on a skyscraper with a vertigo-inducing view straight down, and at another point, there’s a train barreling straight toward you.
The games I tried weren’t amazing, but smartphones lack the graphics power for the sort of visually dense games that would do the Gear VR justice. As revealed at Oculus’ Mobile VR Jam, however, plenty of interesting titles are coming for the headset. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is probably the best-known title available now, but requires at least two people (and preferably more) to play. I also tried an FPS called Protocol Zero ($5, Android gamepad required), which uses low-res graphics to good effect inside the Gear VR by tapping into the 360-degree, stereoscopic environment. Gaming will be a different story on the Oculus Rift, of course, as it will run on PC hardware.
There are no issues with cinematic content, however. There’s some “screen-door” pixelation on the Gear VR, even with content developed for the 2,560 x 1,440 Galaxy S6, but it’s hardly noticeable. Oculus Cinema puts you in one of several fully rendered, 360-degree, theater-style environments; you can see the floor, seats and even the projector behind you. It feels like some of those pixels are wasted — why not let the film fill your field of vision? But I happily watched Casino Royale and other films on the Gear VR and promptly forgot about it.
Zero Point Oculus 360 film from Condition One
Oculus 360 movies are brilliant; they actually live up to the “put you in the action” trope. All the pixels are put to use, so the realism is often palpable. It does present a storytelling problem, however: The camera position shifts constantly in regular cinema so that the director can drive the plot forward. Doing that in an Oculus 360 movie would be jarring, because you feel like you’re a character in the movie, not an observer. For me, the better option is 180-degree, stereoscopic movies. Still, having the action all around you in 3D is far more immersive than a regular 3D film.
Dramatic VR films could eventually blow IMAX away if handled correctly. Film studios haven’t produced any notable content, so all you can see now are demos like 11:57, a horror short — or the adventure film Zero Point (above). On the other hand, companies like Virtual Real Porn have already produced numerous titles. I checked a few for er, research purposes, and 180-degree stereoscopic porn doesn’t come close to real sex as some are hoping, but it’s definitely much more immersive.
Should you buy a Gear VR Innovator Edition? Assuming you have a Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge and enjoy fun, then yes: a million times yes. Gaming is its Achilles’ heel, but serious gamers would never consider Android anyway. Even so, you can use the device now — today — to comfortably watch regular 2D and 3D films anywhere without squinting at your smartphone screen. And the immersive Oculus 360 and stereoscopic movies (and photos) are the height of the VR experience, letting you explore real or synthetic worlds in a way you never could before. There’s still a lack of content, but that’ll come, and the headset still gives you plenty to do right now. For $200, why wait?
[Image credits: Team Coco, Condition One]
Filed under:
Gaming, Wearables, Samsung
Tags: CurvedScreen, engadgetIRL, GalaxyS6Edge, GearVR, irl, Oculus, OculusCinema, samsung, uk-feature, VirtualReality
Samsung won’t offer the Note 5 in Europe, but should it? (Poll)
Ahead of last week’s announcement of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+, Samsung was expected to roll out both of its new smartphones through all its global markets but the Korean manufacturer made the decision not to bring its latest Note to Europe, with no plans to do so this year.
Although there’s already a petition to bring the handset to Europe, Samsung is so far staying steadfast and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be the company’s focus in Europe. Outside the EU, Samsung intends to bring the Galaxy Note 5 to America and Asia and the handset goes on sale in just a few days’ time.
Understandably, Samsung’s decision not to bring the Note 5 to Europe was meant with some confusion and while we’re waiting for Samsung to explain more about the decision, let’s take a look at some of the possible reasons Samsung made the decision.
Possibly an astute decision
As much as some comments I’ve seen would suggest that Samsung has based this decision on a whim, I think it’s fair to say that the company must have a good reason for doing so. It’s not the first company to offer different handsets in different regions based on user feedback and it won’t be the last, so here’s some of the reasons that may have led to this decision.
Cannibalisation
The biggest problem that Samsung faced with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge was its under-estimation of the appeal of the curved device. The company predicted that one Galaxy S6 Edge would be sold for every four S6 handsets sold but in reality, the demand was almost equal.
When planning its inventory, this prediction meant the supply was mismatched, with lots of Galaxy S6 inventory and not enough S6 Edge supply. With the handset in limited supply, customers were forced to either wait or look at other devices and Samsung didn’t want that to happen with its new devices.
The Galaxy S6 Edge cannibalised sales of the Galaxy S6 and Samsung lost out heavily, with large amounts of unsold inventory of one device and not enough supply to meet demand for the other. Having already had this issue once, the company may have expected the Galaxy S6 Edge+ to be more appealing more and didn’t want the Note 5 to be an unwelcome distraction.
Lessons from past mistakes
Cannibalisation is something that every manufacturer who releases more than one device in a cycle should be worried about and having already suffered from it once, Samsung was presented with the opportunity to learn from this. As such, the decision not to bring the Note 5 to Europe shouldn’t be treated as much of a surprise given the performance of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
In the past, the company has been accused of not listening to its customers and not learning from past mistakes and the Note 5 decision is an example of the company trying to do just this. Having already had the hindsight of four months’ worth of sales for the Galaxy S flagships, the company has data that may have presented the Note 5 as a hindrance to the bottom line, rather than a help.
The S-Pen
Something I was told at the UK launch event was that a potential reason for Samsung not bringing the Note 5 to Europe was because internal data showed very little interest in the S-Pen in European markets. Whether this is indeed true has not been revealed by Samsung just yet (we’re waiting on a statement from the Korean manufacturer) but if it is, the decision not to bring the Note 5 to Europe makes more sense.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5: what it packs and what it lacks
Having used every Galaxy Note smartphone to-date I can safely say that, while the S-Pen was useful, it was never essential to the experience and I found myself using it less than I expected I would. Based on comments I’ve seen on social media, it seems a lot of people agree, which may be another factor behind Samsung’s decision.
It may backfire…
With all those possible factors behind the decision, Samsung appears to have pulled off a masterstroke by not offering the Note 5 in Europe. However, things are never that simple and just as easily, here’s a few reasons why the decision not to offer the Note 5 in Europe may backfire for the Korean manufacturer.
The Note brand should not be underestimated
As much as the S-Pen may not be used as Samsung might have hoped, it has come to resemble one thing; an integral part of the Galaxy Note experience. As much as it is almost identical to the Galaxy Note 5, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is NOT a Note handset and as such, Samsung’s marketing team will have struggle to persuade people that it actually is.
I can remember countless occasions on where I’ve sold a Note handset to customers mainly by saying its Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note. There were even several occasions when customers would specifically request the latest Note because it came highly recommend. Why does the Note brand have such appeal? It’s simple – while the Galaxy S series has had dud devices, there’s never been a Galaxy Note yet that’s been a let-down or had an extremely negative response in the market.
The Galaxy Note brand is a special beast and one that’s become known as offering one of the best big-screen experiences on the market. The S-Pen is an integral part of the brand as it has been a key factor in separating the Galaxy Note range from other Galaxy devices and as diluted as the Galaxy S brand has become (with a lot of different devices), the Note range has, so far, been spared this fate.
The problem for Samsung is that when a customer now asks for the Note in Europe, the only response will be that it’s not available. Yes, sales people can pitch the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and it will no doubt still sell but some of the customers waiting for the new Note are likely to be those who saw the Galaxy S flagships and made the conscious decision to wait for the new handsets.
For these and anyone who wanted a specific Note device, the lack of a Note 5 is likely to drive them towards competitor devices, which will again, affect Samsung’s bottom line. Apple’s success with the iPhone is largely down to the brand and in the Galaxy Note, Samsung has a brand that can challenge not only Apple but also every device in the large-screen market. Not offering the brand in Europe may prove to be a decision that dilutes what is arguably Samsung’s best smartphone brand.
The Je Ne Sais Quoi
A common consensus is that smartphone users in Europe prefer smaller devices while those in Asia prefer bigger displays and while this is somewhat true, it’s becoming ever less apparent. The fact is that consumers everywhere are trending towards larger devices and the decision not to offer the Note 5 for the smartphone traditionalists (who don’t care about a fancy design) is likely to alienate a subset of the general market.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is certainly impressive as a handset but it does lack the ‘je ne sais quoi’ that the Galaxy S6 Edge has, mainly because it is essentially the same handset but larger. The Galaxy Note 5 however, still has this as it is a revamp of the Note range, is new and different and is probably the sexiest Galaxy Note ever made.
Not introducing the Note 5 on the market may mean it doesn’t cannibalise sales of the S6 Edge+ but it also means that Samsung won’t be able to market that ‘unknown’ quality of the Note 5. The Galaxy S6 Edge+ will certainly appeal to some but the Galaxy Note 5 would have captured the ones the S6 Edge+ didn’t appeal to because, at the end of the day, the S6 Edge+ is an Edge device.
Edge is Samsung’s next ‘thing’ but it may not be for everyone
I like the Edge Screen.. but not everyone agrees with me
I like the Edge Screen; I think it’s unique, I think it’s sexy, I think it standouts and although it’s not very useful, it does have a certain appeal. The problem is that not everyone agrees with me.
For everyone that is impressed by the Galaxy S6 Edge, there are people who just don’t see the value in it. In my opinion, smartphone users can be segregated into two largely loose categories – those who prefer the fashionable and those who want the productivity – and while some users fall into both categories, the Edge Screen is unnecessary for those who want the latter.
For all the talk of Samsung devices in previous years being plastic and uninspiring, its new strategy is to try and combine sex appeal with functionality and mostly it delivers. The problem with the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is that it is designed to appeal to those who want a sleek big-screen device and don’t mind paying for it. With so many other handsets on the market, a customer who doesn’t care about how sexy the handset is and has no use for the Edge Screen isn’t going to spend a lot of money on the S6 Edge+ mainly because it has no appeal to them.
The Galaxy Note 5 would have solved this as the S-Pen would provide an extra level of functionality that sales people could turn into a must-have feature. A key part of sales is creating a perceived need and while it would be simple enough to create a perceived need for the S-Pen features, creating a need for the app or contact shortcut features of the Edge Screen – especially given the likely price difference versus other options – may prove to be much more difficult.
Conclusion
Almost all of the above is speculation (as well as educated guesses based on my own knowledge) and at the moment, it’s unknown whether Samsung’s decision will prove to be astute.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs the competition
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the Galaxy Note 5 availability decision is likely to be one that’s discussed for quarters to come; if the Galaxy S6 Edge+ sells well in Europe, Samsung is likely to be mostly vindicated but if it fails to take off, the company will be criticised for this one decision.
Whatever does happen, Samsung’s decision will no doubt infuriate some users, especially those who have waited for the Note 5. Galaxy Note 3 users are likely to be coming to the end of their long-term contracts and with Apple set to offer a new Plus-sized iPhone next month, those users may find themselves switching allegiances when they realise the Galaxy Note 5 is not available on the market.
At the same time, some users may decide the S-Pen is not a necessity and the Edge Screen feature is something they’d like to have on their next device. However, Samsung can’t price the Galaxy S6 Edge+ lower than the Galaxy S6 Edge, which means customers will likely need a more expensive service plan if they want to get Samsung’s new device. The added cost may be a factor that also seems them switch allegiance to a competitor.
Will this decision pay off?
Will Samsung’s decision pay off? The jury is firmly out on this one but my personal thoughts are that the company certainly should bring the Note 5 to Europe, even if its in limited quantity. As I said in my Note 5 preview, I fully intended to buy the Note 5 when available but given I own the Galaxy S6 Edge, I’m almost certainly not going to buy the S6 Edge+.
I’m sure there are others who have (or will) come to similar decisions but what do you think? Do you want Samsung to bring the Note 5 to Europe? Let us know your views in the comments below and don’t forget to vote in the poll. You can also go and sign a petition that’s doing the rounds and maybe together, we can bring Samsung’s latest handset to Europe.
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Samsung kicks off pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in the UK
Starting today, residents in the UK can pre-order Samsung’s latest addition to the Galaxy S6 lineup. The Edge+ is anodized in either black or gold and is set to leave the warehouse on Thursday, September 3.
As for its pricing, a 32GB, SIM-free variant will set you back a whopping £749 ($1,173), whilst the 64GB version will retail for an eye-watering £829 ($1,299). If you’d rather spread the cost across 24-months, Vodafone, O2 and Three are all offering the handsets on a variety of different plans.
Just in case any of you need a refresher on its specifications, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ packs a beefy 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display, a homegrown 1.5GHz octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 and 2.1GHz quad-core Cortex-A57 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-megapixel rear-facing shooter.
If you’re based in the UK, like the sound of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and would like to pre-order one from Samsung itself — hit the source link below.
Source: Samsung
Come comment on this article: Samsung kicks off pre-orders for the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in the UK
Samsung announces that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be available to order in India on August 28
Samsung has just announced that it will launch the upscaled variant of the Galaxy S6 Edge in India. The Edge+ will be priced at INR 57,900 ($888) for the 32GB model and will be available to order in both the black and gold colorways starting next Friday, August 28.
For those unaware, the S6 Edge+ is essentially a larger model of the standard S6 Edge. It features a bigger 5.7-inch QHD display, 4GB of RAM, wireless fast charging and a 3,000mAh battery. All other specifications remain the same, meaning it will continue to pack a 16-megapixel rear-facing shooter and 1.5GHz octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset.
Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t detail any information with regards to the release of the Note 5 in India, but it did suggest that it will shed some light on the subject in the not-too-distant future — so be sure to check back for more details on that.
Come comment on this article: Samsung announces that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be available to order in India on August 28
DisplayMate test runs the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ displays, and surprise: they’re awesome
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When new devices are released, screen technology specialists, DisplayMate, like to get their hands on one to test just how good the screen is. Samsung is a common fixture on DisplayMate’s list of top smartphone displays, and after its test of the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ displays, it appears that hasn’t changed. Thanks to indepth tests that involved testing colour accuracy, brightness, contrast, viewing angle and screen resolution, DisplayMate determined that the “Galaxy Note 5 is the best performing smartphone display that we have ever tested.” Of course, none of this is particularly surprising seeing as the previous holder of this crown was the Galaxy Note 4, but it’s good to know Samsung hasn’t let up in this regard despite its other hardships.
Reading between the lines of DisplayMate’s analysis, it would appear the S6 Edge+’s display is also very good – it shares the same resolution (2560×1440) and size (5.7-inch) as the Galaxy Note 5 display – but presumably flexible display technology is yet to be on par with its flatter brethren. What we can also glean from the analysis is that the Quad HD slate on the Galaxy Note 5 shows a 21% power efficiency bump over the Galaxy Note 4’s, and we’re assuming this is a big reason why the Galaxy Note 5 is able to outpace its predecessor in battery life.
There’s a bit too much technical mumbo jumbo in the remaining analysis for me to pretend I know what I’m talking about, so if you’re interested in reading the analysis for yourself, you can read DisplayMate’s report here.
What do you think about the performance of the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ displays? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: DisplayMate via SamMobile
The post DisplayMate test runs the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ displays, and surprise: they’re awesome appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung’s new fast wireless charging pad costs $69.99
With the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+, Samsung introduced a plethora of new accessories. The main accessory being the company’s new wireless charging pad.
During Samsung’s conference they announced the new wireless charging pad accessory. The company promises it will bring fast charging and wireless charging together. Meaning this new charging pad is faster than the previous while keeping the same elegant design. The company says it will only take 2 hours to charge the Note 5 or S6 Edge+ from 0% to full. Which is a great improvement over the previous model which charged the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in 2.5 hours.
The new charging pad costs $69,99 and is available in Black or White color options. You can check out the charger at Samsung’s website.
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Qualcomm’s high horse: can anyone knock them off?
Qualcomm has been the biggest player in the mobile SoC market for the past few years, powering a wide selection of Android smartphones and tablets with its range of high and mid performance processors. However, the loss of Samsung as a major customer, troubles with its high-end Snapdragon 810 processor and the growth in cost-effective smartphones has left Qualcomm to rethink their market position with a major workforce restructure.
Compounding Qualcomm’s problems, the company has posted poor financial results for the year so far and is now under investigation by the European Commission regarding predatory pricing tactics in the mobile market. With chink’s appearing in Qualcomm’s armor, is there a mobile SoC manufacturer out there who can step up to claim pole position?
Samsung
Samsung may seem like the most obvious contender, having topped the benchmarks with its Exynos 7420 processor this year. The high-end market is the most lucrative, with higher margins for both consumer and processor products. As a result, the decline in flagship smartphone sales has hurt Qualcomm’s revenue this year.
Samsung, on the other hand, has seen big gains in its semi-conductor business lately due to its own manufacturing capability. The company’s products have ended up benefiting from its cutting edge processor designs and manufacturing processes. Samsung beat Qualcomm to 14/16nm this year, as Qualcomm is reliant on TSMC’s manufacturing facilities.
The Galaxy S6, powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7420, topped the benchmarks in Q1.
The trouble with Samsung is that its Exynos line-up of mobile chips have remained virtually exclusive to Samsung phones. Only a handful of manufacturers, such as Meizu which is rumored to use Samsung’s leading Exynos 7420 in its MX5 Pro, have made regular use of Exynos processors. However, Samsung is gradually building up a portfolio of modern chips that might appeal to a larger range of manufacturers, from low-end quad-core 3470, last generation octa and hexa-core 5 series, and its high end Exynos 7 range.
See also: A closer look at the Galaxy S6’s Exynos 7420 SoC
However, production capacity is also potentially an issue here, with much of its supply used up on its own handsets. New orders from Apple for a new iPhone chip could use up the rest of its manufacturing space. Samsung has been making efforts to invest in additional manufacturing facilities and has been able to completely reduce its reliant on Qualcomm for its high-end phones this year, so perhaps the next step is to begin selling to additional OEMs.
MediaTek
If Samsung is Qualcomm’s biggest competitor in the high-end market, then MediaTek is hot on Qualcomm’s heels in the mid-tier. The MediaTek brand has long been synonymous with low-cost mobile products, but the semiconductor company has been rolling out vastly improved mid-range processors over the past couple of years and has grabbed itself a notable portion of this market too.
MediaTek is after the “super-mid” smartphone market and offers competitive performance in a cost effective package.
MediaTek has been at the forefront of big.LITTLE ARM SoC designs, which has resulted in a range of mid-range octa-core processors capable of competitive performance at a fraction of Qualcomm’s costs.
the decline in flagship smartphone sales has hurt Qualcomm’s revenue this year.
Additional features, such as higher resolution support and built-in 4G LTE data connectivity, have also helped MediaTek level the playing field with Qualcomm in the mid-tier. MediaTek’s latest high-performance Helio processors, such as the deca-core X20, also offer OEMs something to think about when building higher-end products.
Due to the low cost nature of its SoCs, MediaTek has been been unaffected by the lack of demand for flagship smartphones and is currently capitalizing on the huge growth in emerging markets, such as China and India. As the next billion smartphone users come online, they may be more familiar with MediaTek than Qualcomm, which could secure the company a significant long-term share in these markets.
However, MediaTek’s problem remains its links to the Chinese government and past controversy regarding various security issues. While things have changed over the past few years, MediaTek’s reputation is perhaps its biggest barrier to challenging Qualcomm in more markets around the world.
Nvidia
If Nvidia’s recent financial results are anything to go by, the company is much more interested in the automotive industry these days than competing with the big names in the mobile SoC market.
Nvidia’s flagship Tegra X1 SoC boasts a cutting edge CPU design based on ARM’s Cortex range and GPU technology from the desktop Maxwell set of graphics cards. The SoC also competes with Qualcomm on display, camera, and audio features, something which not every other SoC developer can claim to do.
Gaming remains Nvidia’s main focus in the Android market. The company doesn’t seem interested in smartphones.
While its Tegra chips offer impressive gaming capabilities for its SHIELD console and tablet, Nvidia doesn’t have a portfolio range capable of contesting the low and mid segments of the market, and is more focused on 3D performance than efficient smartphone designs these days. However when it comes to tablets, Nvidia is still a compelling choice when stacked up next to Qualcomm’s processor.
Intel
Given how long it has taken Intel to push its processor technology into just a handful of smartphones, the company is unlikely to suddenly leap into pole position. However, Intel is looking to expand into the entry level market, and may be able to steal some share away from MediaTek and Qualcomm, providing that the price is right.
Intel is finally looking to push its SoFIA processors, recently renamed to the Atom X3, to mobile devices this year, along with its “Cherry Trail” Atom X5 and X7 processors.
Intel is focusing on the entry level market, but remains a long way behind its competition in terms of performance, battery life and features.
The company will have an integrated 3G modem alongside its processor, which might make it a more compelling chip for the low end market. However, with many regions and product categories already moving over to 4G, Intel is still a considerable way behind rivals such as MediaTek and Qualcomm.
Furthermore, its X5 and X7 remain without an integrated modem, leaving them mostly targeted at the tablet market. The Atom X3 range is targeted at phones with a retail value of less than $200 where margins are much smaller, so I don’t think that Qualcomm will be too worried.
AMD
AMD is perhaps a wild card here. The company has the manufacturing legacy, the CPU and the graphics technology to make a major play for the mobile market, but has so far remained even more distant than Intel about tackling the big mobile players.
While the company may be better known for its higher TDP A-Series of laptop processors and GCN GPUs these days, AMD is also a big player in the server business, with multi-core server SoCs built from familiar ARM Cortex CPUs.
The AMD Opteron A-Series was one of the first ranges to make use of quad and octa-core Cortex-A57 CPUs, which you can find in modern mobile SoCs. That’s pretty much where the similarities with mobile chips end, but the company has the experience and know-how to put a mobile product out there if it wanted.
In 2016 or early 2017, depending on how well the company sticks to its schedule, AMD is expected to release its first custom 64-bit ARMv8 CPU core, codenamed K12. This is expected to be built on a 14nm manufacturing process and is rumored to be targeted at embedded applications, notebooks, Chromebooks and perhaps even Android based devices, such as tablets. That being said, servers are expected to remain the primary market for K12.
AMD’s Amur and Styx APUs come with just 2W TDP, but it’s not clear if the company has any plans for smartphones.
The company’s latest roadmap showcases products that will bring its GCN graphics technology down to SoCs that fit within a 2W power budget, which is right in the mobile sweet spot. It will be interesting to see if AMD can provide GPU performance that competes with energy efficiency mobile designs from ARM, Imagination Technologies and Nvidia.
However, AMD doesn’t appear to have too much of an interest in the smartphone market, neither the premium nor cost effective segments. Recent interviews suggest that the company is betting big on mid-range laptops returning to popularity in the near future as people look for more productive computing solutions.
We probably won’t see AMD make a major play for smartphones any time soon, but perhaps continued pressures on the laptop market may force the company to revisit its approach in the future.
No-one?
While many other mobile SoC developers have been improving their product line-ups in 2015, Qualcomm may only be undergoing a temporary lull. The chip giant has its new high-end Snapdragon 820 SoC lined up for next year, which may the see company claw back ground from Samsung and reinstate itself as the performance king.
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 212, 412 and 612 fills out a portfolio that continues to offer something for every tier of the market, and the company remains at the cutting edge of modem, ISP and wireless mobile technology. Whether or not someone eventually overtakes Qualcomm remains to be seen, but the company will likely continue to be a major player in the mobile market for many years to come.
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Samsung’s new SmartThings home automation hub arrives next month
After acquiring SmartThings for $200 million last year, Samsung has already developed the second generation of SmartThings home automation hub and sensors. The new tech will be available in September.
Last year’s sensors will still be compatible with the new Hub, however the new hub will now be powerful enough to handle processing locally, instead of in the cloud. This will bring reliability improvements even during periods when internet connectivity is slow or completely out. More information on the new features and improvements will come in the following weeks. You can already pre-order the second-generation SmartThings Hub at $99 from SmartThings or Amazon.
Source: SmartThings Blog
Via: Engadget
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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ displays bring impressive performance to users
Over the years, smartphone manufacturers have been pushing pixel counts and density for their screens to higher and higher levels as they introduced higher resolution displays to the market. As the numbers got higher, some users noted that these improvements were meaningless as the human eye could not detect the improvements. In a review of the new screens for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, DisplayMate points out some benefits of pushing on resolution specs beyond what the human eye can detect and also praises Samsung for turning their attention to other features that impact a user’s perception of how good the screen is. The end result are two devices that are described as having the “crown jewel” of displays for Samsung smartphones.
One of the areas that DisplayMate examined and tested was Peak Brightness and how the displays function in high ambient lighting situations. DisplayMate notes that consumers trying to use a phone in situations where there is a lot of ambient light, like on a sunny afternoon outside, lose the sense of vibrancy their devices normally seem to have. The displays that Samsung uses in their new devices were designed to try to overcome this challenge and it appears Samsung was successful as DisplayMate measured the highest color saturation for any screen in a high ambient lighting setting. Samsung also improved the performance of the screen by reducing reflectance in order to improve contrast.
Along with appearing better in high ambient light situations, DisplayMate found the Galaxy Note 5 screen produced the most accurate colors for consumer content of any smartphone or tablet display they have tested. According to DisplayMate, the measure of Absolute Color Accuracy was so high that they described it as “visually indistinguishable from perfect.”
DisplayMate also points out the fact that Samsung included some features to help consumers get the most out of their displays. One is an Adaptive Display feature that will adjust the screen’s color gamut and brightness based on both the level of ambient lighting as well as the color of the ambient lighting, a value Samsung is able to get from the ambient light sensor. The Samsung displays include four preset modes that users can select compared to many other devices that do not even offer a setting. Samsung also included a Super Dimming Mode that works at the other end of the lighting scale, night-time conditions, where it helps to not be faced with a super bright screen.
Against all of these improvements in how the display looks, DisplayMate notes that Samsung managed to improve power efficiency compared to previous generation screens. These new OLED displays were measured at 21 percent more power efficient than last year’s Galaxy Note 4.
source: DisplayMate
via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ displays bring impressive performance to users
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