Did Samsung alienate its most loyal fanbase by calling them shallow?
For the record my primary device is fully paid for with my own hard earned money and it is a Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, and my back up device is a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. I love the Note line so much so that I bought my mother a Note 4 to replace her iPhone 5. I have never received a Samsung product for free for review, so please don’t think I am here to kiss up to Samsung just to get a free device. I’m just like you, a normal person with a normal job(AG is my hobby), and I love the Galaxy Note line. And with my most recent posts about Samsung, I doubt I will ever be sent a device to review, but that’s okay because I prefer to be honest than be bought with a free device.
J.K. Shin, (President of Samsung) claimed they “listen to us, the consumer.” Then he went on to talk about the Note line and how they offered us a unique product first, and how its success has created its own category in the smartphone market. He continued on to say how customers love the edge or curve on their Galaxy S6, and how batteries charge faster and last longer. In summary J.K. Shin, claimed they have been listening to “us” and have delivered what we have been asking for.
I really don’t know which of you actual Note fans, not Note reviewers, have been asking to do away with the ability to change the battery, removal of the SD card slot, IR blaster, O2 sensor, UV sensor, and heart rate monitor, but I would love for you to speak up in the comments section. Because Samsung claims they have been listening to you. But it certainly was not me who was asking for that, in exchange to fit my skinny jeans while looking great with a dual sided glass phone.
The VP who followed Shin to introduce the Note 5, carried on with Shin’s sentiment saying the large phones are too big for people with “skinny jeans”. My reaction to this was “WHAT!?!”, and then my next thought was “WHAT!?!” He went on to say how the metal is stronger on the Note 5, and how the device is now smaller and easier to use with the same sized screen with a curved back. Personally I don’t think there is anything wrong with making the device more manageable in hand, but not at the expense of all of those other features we love.
In my opinion, I believe Samsung has catered to the naysayers while alienating the most loyal and dedicated fanbase. Then they claimed to listen to us by taking away our most beloved features in exchange for better materials and design. In essence they call us Note users shallow, because we care more about how the phone looks vs. the features it should come with, which simply BLOWS MY MIND.
The Galaxy Note line is the most expensive consumer smartphone, so they are taking a huge risk by dropping the fans that powered the Note into its own category, while going for people who care more about build materials than function.
Samsung, if you can improve sales by alienating us, congrats to you. But if your sale’s numbers hurt, build the phone we want (check this post for what us Note fans are saying) and we will come back. But you only get one year to fix the mistake, otherwise I’m taking my Note 4 and Note Edge business elsewhere. LG, if you’re reading this, you have a chance to steal us Note fans with the G4 Pro as that seems to be a consensus device amongst the commenters. Just make sure the screen is top notch as us Note fans don’t like LCD displays much.
Watch the Unpacked event for yourself. Warning though, there are about 35 minutes of music and animations at the start of the video.
Watch the Galaxy Unpacked 2015 Stream
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Samsung adds more to the Galaxy line with the S6 edge+
Moments ago, Samsung trotted the Galaxy S6 Edge+ onto the stage. Here’s a rundown of what they announced in case you didn’t catch the live video.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ comes in at 5.7 inches. Samsung quickly pointed out that this device offers a larger display but smaller form factor than the Apple iPhone 6+.
That display is, thankfully, AMOLED because we’re talking Quad HD here. AMOLED is clear, crisp, and battery efficient, exactly the kind of technology you want with Quad HD.
As for the build itself, we again see metal and glass form the chassis of the device. This time around, however, we see green-emerald being dropped in favor of silver-titanium. Makes sense, we never really saw green-emerald hit the shelves anyway.
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ distinguishes itself from its smaller sibling with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Additionally, the new device also supports LTE Category 9.
As far as the camera is concerned, you’re going to be able to shoot in 4K. Also, Samsung is rolling out some video stabilization (VDIS) that works in conjunction with OIS hardware.
And being able to share those nice videos instantly would be cool… How instantly? Live. Working with YouTube, you can now broadcast live video feeds from this device.
The Edge+ also features fast wireless charging. Samsung claims you can go from 0% to 100% in two hours wirelessly. Samsung claims that with companies like Starbucks and IKEA building furniture with wireless chargers embedded in them, wireless charging is the way of the future.
My favorite thing that got announced was that you can make more use of the curved display with Apps Edge. Previously, we have only been able to set Contacts to the Edge Drawer, giving us three quick actions for each contact: phone, text, and email. Now we can set our favorite apps to the edge of the screen, so we don’t have to use third party apps anymore. (Unless you want to, of course.)
Samsung also took a second to talk about Sidesync’s new feature of being able to work wirelessly and automatically for multi-screen use on your desktop computer. They, with some tongue-in-cheek, even said that Sidesync will now work with Mac.
Finally, Samsung says that you can pick the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Note 5 up off the shelves starting as early as next week (August 21st) in the US and Canada. Furthermore, you can pre-order these devices in the US starting today at 3pm EST.
I was not pleased with the Galaxy S6 Edge, but I think I would like the Edge+, a device they should’ve released to begin with.
Come comment on this article: Samsung adds more to the Galaxy line with the S6 edge+
Samsung teases upcoming smartwatch to be shown off on September 3rd
After announcing the Note 5 and S6 Edge+, Samsung quickly teased a new smartwatch that they’re planning on officially unveiling at IFA early next month. The watch looks completely rounded and more like what some other manufacturers are going for, but the interface looks considerably different from what Samsung ships on their current watches.
Unfortunately, they didn’t go into any details aside from the way it looks and when it will actually be announced, but we should know more in the next few weeks.
Come comment on this article: Samsung teases upcoming smartwatch to be shown off on September 3rd
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs. OnePlus 2
Samsung today announced the much anticipated Galaxy Note 5. Samsung hasn’t skimped on this device, packing it with top of the line hardware and a premium user experience. On the other hand, OnePlus recently announced the OnePlus 2, saying it was a “2016 flagship killer,” claiming to offer a better package than any device out there.
We’re pitting the Galaxy Note 5 and OnePlus 2 against each other today, seeing if the OnePlus 2 can live up to its claims on paper.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes in at 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm in size and weighs 171 grams. It has the metal unibody with Samsung’s usual button layout–volume rocker, power button, a SIM card tray on the sides, and the usual S-Pen slot on the bottom of the device. It also features a beautiful glass backing, illuminating a premium build quality.
The OnePlus 2 comes in at 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.9 mm in size and weighs 175 grams. It features a metal unibody made from a “strong and lightweight” aluminum. It also sports your usual layout: the volume rocker, power button, and SIM card tray are laid out on the two sides of the device. Interestingly, OnePlus has added an Alert Slider to the OnePlus 2 as well.
Winner: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 not only weighs less, but has a premium feel to it.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 features a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display. It has a pixel density of 519ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, and a 75.9% screen-to-body ratio.
The OnePlus 2 has a 5.5-inch LTPS LCD 1920 x 1080 display, with a pixel density of 401ppi. You’ll find Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 and a 73.3% screen-to-body ratio on the OnePlus 2.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 wins for the vivid colors of the Super AMOLED display, the significantly higher pixel density, and the better display resolution.
Hardware
The Galaxy Note 5 has Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 chipset, a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU & quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 processor. Additionally, you’ll find a Mali-T760MP8, 4GB of RAM, and 32/64GB storage options.
There’s also a 16-megapixel camera sensor on the back, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Interestingly, Samsung chose to use a microUSB port over USB Type-C, however, it does feature fast wireless charging technologies, touting a full charge in just two hours.
The OnePlus 2 is packing the controversial Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, a quad-core Cortex-A53 and 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex-A57 processor, an Adreno 430 GPU, 3/4GB of RAM, and 16/64GB of internal storage.
It has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, no microSD card support, and a USB Type-C port, which allows for significantly faster charging speeds.
Winner: It’s a tie.
Battery
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 features a disappointingly small non-removable 3,000mAh battery. Given the large and detailed screen size, the device will no doubt chew through the battery life.
The OnePlus 2 has a 3,300mAh non-removable battery. The OnePlus 2 has significantly different specifications as far as the display goes, giving users plenty of extra battery life to manage.
Winner: OnePlus 2
Software
The OnePlus 2 will run OxygenOS atop of the Android 5.1.1 operating system. It’s a clean skin with little additions. What makes it unique is that it includes support for custom icon packs and icon grid resizing.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is running the latest version of TouchWiz atop of Android 5.1.1. There’s a lot of extra features packed into the device, which can a toll on performance. With this being a Note device, Samsung has thrown in a few extra pieces of S-Pen compatible software in addition to a new feature allowing users to stream to YouTube from the Camera app.
If you purchase the new Galaxy Note 5 via a carrier, there’s also the carrier’s own added software to think about.
Winner: It solely depends on preference.
Availability and Price
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will not go on sale until August 21, but it is available to pre-order as of today. It will no doubt be priced similarly to past Note devices, but Samsung says carriers will be setting their own prices for the device. However, it will average $349.99 on a new two-year contract, and around $849 off-contract.
The OnePlus 2 was originally set to launch in North America on August 11, however, the device has been delayed by several weeks. It costs $329 for the 16GB model and $389 for the 64GB model.
Conclusion
Samsung certainly hasn’t cut any corners with the Galaxy Note 5, whereas the OnePlus 2 has seen a lot of its own cuts, such as a lack of NFC. Fortunately, Samsung has put together the perfect package, yet again showing just how well Samsung builds premium smartphones.
What do you think of the Galaxy Note 5? Does the OnePlus 2 stand to be the “2016 flagship killer” as it says it is?
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs. OnePlus 2
Samsung Pay will come to the US on September 28th
Samsung Pay was originally announced with the Galaxy S6, but no official date was ever set for the service. Now that the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ are official, Samsung has given us a date for the service to go live in the US.
The mobile payment system is going up in South Korea this month, but the US can expect it on September 28th. The details of the service are the same that they’ve always been, so it’s still going to be a (mostly) universal solution for processing payments. Retailers won’t need specialized equipment so long as they have a standard card reader, which almost all brick and mortar stores in the US do at this point. NFC payments will be supported for shops that do have an NFC reader attached to their payment terminal.
After waiting months for this to finally be available, what’s another five weeks going to hurt?
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You can order the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ through AT&T starting today
If you can’t wait to put an order in for the Galaxy S6 Edge+ or Galaxy Note 5, AT&T will begin taking pre-orders for the device later today. You’ll still have to wait for August 21st to get your hands on it, but you can secure your device now if you know for certain that you want it.
Both devices will be available for zero down up front on AT&T Next plans, although the prices wildly fluctuate depending on which phone and storage option you want.
The 32 GB Galaxy Note 5 looks to be the cheapest device, running $740 split up over 18, 24, or 30 monthly payments. Add $100 if you need the 64 GB version. The base Galaxy S6 Edge+ runs $815, while the 64 GB Edge+ is $915.
Both phablets will be available in black sapphire, while the S6 Edge+ will be offered in gold platinum and the Note 5 will be offered in white pearl. We’ll likely see the color options fill out as the device releases on more carriers.
Samsung’s Note devices are always a bit more expensive than the Galaxy S6 line, and the curved screen on the Edge seems to demand an even higher price. These definitely aren’t going to be friendly on your wallet, but it’s hard to argue that they won’t be some of the best available smartphones on the market for 2015.
AT&T is also still giving away a ton of promotional credit for customers that are willing to port in lines, trade in smartphones, and sign up for the carrier’s new bundled DirecTV service. That probably won’t do much good for existing customers just looking for an upgrade, but if you’re considering moving several lines over to AT&T, they’ll pay you pretty nicely to do it.
source: AT&T
Come comment on this article: You can order the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ through AT&T starting today
Samsung is bringing a physical keyboard to the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+
Samsung has just had their Unpacked event where they released two new phones, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. However, one more item they announced was a new physical keyboard accessory.
We first heard about the keyboard in a recent leak, but now it is official. Many other companies have tried to make physical keyboards for touch screen smartphones, but nothing so far has really caught on. Samsung is aiming to change that by designing a keyboard that is there when you want it, but gone when you don’t. The way they do this is by making it a keyboard case.
The case itself is a standard S6 Edge+ or Note 5 case with a keyboard attachment. When you plan on typing a lot you attach the keyboard to the front and start typing away. The unique part is when you don’t want it, the keyboard simply pops off and can be attached to the back. This way you can still view your entire screen for media consumption and don’t have to worry about losing the keyboard accessory.
The way the keyboard actually works is also a little different from how previous keyboards have done things. It does not work with Bluetooth, but instead the phone itself recognizes the keyboard has been clipped onto the screen and adjusts the user interface accordingly. Basically, all the elements on the screen will move up towards the top allowing you to see everything even though the keyboard is blocking the bottom half.
The keypresses are also different from how you would expect. When you push down on a key the screen senses which one you pressed and types that letter. This means the keyboard does not need batteries to be powered as it does not actually do anything itself to work. Also, I didn’t hear Samsung mention this, but I would imagine the keyboard comes in different colors to match your phone and the case. As you can see from the picture it will at least come in gold.
This could be a game changer, finally bringing keyboards and smartphones together. The only real question is how well will it work? That is a question we will have to wait to find out.
Come comment on this article: Samsung is bringing a physical keyboard to the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ Specs
Samsung today announced the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ during its Unpacked event in New York City and London. The Korean tech giant has set out to offer a premium package in both smartphones, and the company has most certainly accomplished that by offering top of the line hardware and a premium build quality.
Here’s what’s powering both the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the successor of last year’s Galaxy Note 4. The Note 5 improves upon its predecessor in a lot of ways, offering better S-Pen features, camera abilities, and more.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm, 171 grams
- 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display
- 518ppi
- Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- Exynos 7420 chipset
- Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 processor and quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU
- Mali-T760MP8 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 32/64GB internal storage
- 16-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- 3,000mAh battery
- Fast wireless charging (dead to full in 120 minutes)
- TouchWiz UI atop of Android 5.1.1
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ was designed to be the successor of the earlier Galaxy S6 Edge, also improving on a lot of things. For instance, the new device features fast wireless charging, more RAM, improved LTE bands, and more.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9 mm, 153 grams
- 5-7-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display
- 518ppi
- Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- Exynos 7420 chipset
- Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 processor and quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU
- Mali-T760MP8 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 32/64GB internal storage
- 16-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- 3,000mAh battery
- Fast wireless charging
- TouchWiz atop of Android 5.1.1
Wrap Up
Samsung continues to innovate by packing a powerful package in smartphones that are not only getting smaller and smaller, but weighing less as well. While the hardware upgrades are nothing monumental, the added 1GB of RAM making for a total of 4GB will no doubt increase performance across the board.
What are you most excited about getting your hands on from Samsung’s Unpacked event today?
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ Specs
Samsung to unveil its new Gear S2 smartwatch at IFA on September 3rd
Samsung has just taken the wraps off its new large-screened Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus at its Unpacked event, but that’s not all the company showed off today. To close out the conference, Samsung teased its new Gear S2 smartwatch that will be officially unveiled in Berlin at IFA on Thursday, September 3rd.
Not many details were given about the watch, other than what’s shown in the screenshots attached to this post. We know it will be completely round, feature a few in-house built fitness applications, and will probably run Tizen, the company’s own operating system.
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We’ll be attending IFA in Berlin this year, and we’ll be sure to bring you more details as they surface. Oh, and if you missed any of the big announcements from earlier today, be sure to check out some of the posts attached below to get the full scoop.
Galaxy Note 5 and Edge Plus will have an optional keyboard accessory
While most of us have adjusted just fine to a virtual touchscreen keyboard, not everyone has wanted to make this jump. In fact, the number one reason why any Blackberry phones are still sold is largely owed to the fact that the company has an exceptional physical keyboard layout.
For those missing the physical keyboard but content with being part of camp Android, Samsung has a new solution. The Korean giant has revealed a new snap-on physical keyboard for the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus which will be sold separately for a currently undisclosed price. The new keyboard is aptly named the Samsung Keyboard cover.
The snap-on keyboard doesn’t use batteries or Bluetooth to make the magic happen, and instead utilizes the touchscreen underneath. Upon attachment, the phone recognizes the accessory and adjusts its virtual keyboard to the layout of the physical keyboard. When you hit a physical key, it will then press a virtual key on the blocked half of the screen underneath. Not using it? You can also push it around onto the back side for storage.
This is certainly not the first physical keyboard attachment we’ve seen over the years, though it is a novel concept for Samsung and the first time they’ve ever done something like this for a flagship.
What do you think, anyone interested in picking this one up if and when they purchase a Note 5 or Edge Plus? How much would you be willing to pay for such an accessory?
AIVAnet 