Samsung may unveil the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ on Thursday, August 13

If a new report fresh from South Korea is anything to go by, it would appear that Samsung is preparing to launch both the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ at an event it’s believed to be holding in Times Square, New York, on Thursday, August 13.

To add credibility to this report, the date provided within isn’t too far away from the one mentioned by an anonymous official for the company a couple of weeks ago. Also, judging by the frequency of intentional or inadvertent disclosures of information seeping through, it’s looking more and more likely that the devices are set to debut next month.

Are you excited for the unveiling of either, neither or both the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+? Which are you more interested in seeing? Be sure to let us know your thoughts below.

Source: Business Korea

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What it’s like to use Samsung’s Tizen-based 4K TV (in a non-4K world)

It’s not easy getting a massive 65-inch TV inside a Brooklyn apartment. But, oh, is it worth the trouble. In this case, I’m talking about the Samsung JU6500, a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) smart TV powered by the company’s newly minted, homegrown Tizen OS. Unless you were dead-set on Android TV, the set comes with most everything you would want in 2015: support for Ultra High-Definition media, access to entertainment apps and an actually reasonable price point. Although it’s listed at $2,800, you can get one for around $2,100 from retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, Adorama and Samsung’s own site. Unfortunately for the company, its JU6500 seems expensive compared to Vizio’s cheap 4K series — which makes the buying decision harder for people who want a UHD TV.

Beyond that, the JU6500 delivers stunning picture quality, with bright colors, deep blacks and true whites, while a contrast enhancer gives you a sense of depth when you’re looking at the LED display (think: a bit like 3D). Additionally, there’s a quad-core processor, 120Hz refresh rate, four HDMI inputs, three USB ports, Bluetooth, Ethernet, WiFi and DTS Premium Sound 5.1. At 2.5 inches thick and 60.6 pounds (with the stand), it’s relatively thin and light too, but then again, most high-end TVs are nowadays. You’ll also find video and music apps, an upscaling feature that takes 720p and 1080p content to near-4K resolution and PlayStation Now, Sony’s game-streaming service. What you won’t see here, however, is a 3D mode; Samsung says that’s an omission it made to keep the cost down.

Running down the spec sheet, Samsung’s JU6500 easily stands out as a top-of-the-line TV. That’s because it is. Watching movies and shows and playing video games on it is a pleasure; everything looks and sounds crisp; totally immersive. I’m not just talking about enjoying 4K content, either, which is obviously one of the main strengths of this TV. To give you an example, I started watching HBO’s The Wire again, and it’s as if I had never seen the show before — the remastering helps, naturally, but I also watched it on my 42-inch, 1080p TV and the experience wasn’t as enjoyable. The same goes for gaming on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Wii U; graphics look incredible on everything from FIFA 15 to Battlefield Hardline, Titanfall and Mario Kart 8.

One of the few times I felt disappointed was while using PlayStation Now. Granted that wasn’t the TV’s fault. Even though I have internet speeds capable of handling the streaming service, the visuals from PlayStation 3 games don’t cut it anymore. This is particularly true on a 65-inch device, where you can easily notice just about every dropped frame — and that happens often on PlayStation Now. If you’re willing to deal with this, you can still have plenty of fun playing old-school titles, including Batman: Arkham City and the Uncharted series. The TV’s streaming functionality also extends to smartphones, since Samsung lets you pair it with some handsets for AirPlay-esque features.

It’s also worth noting that, since the day I’ve had it (close to a month now), the JU6500 has lost its cool on me a few times. In more than a couple of occasions, it froze as I tried to stream a 4K movie via Amazon Instant Video. The same happened while I was browsing Samsung’s smart TV app store, becoming unresponsive and requiring a hard reboot (read: disconnecting the power and plugging it back in). Sure, bringing it back to life isn’t hard, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that with a $2,000-plus, high-end TV.

For the most part, though, the JU6500 presents a seamless experience, and that’s thanks to the work Samsung’s done on Tizen OS. The menu system is simple and straightforward, allowing you to quickly find any setting you may want to change, like your picture and sound modes as well as network connectivity and power options. On the big screen, Tizen OS relies on a card-based system that never lets you feel lost as you’re browsing the menu. Say you end up jumping into the wrong option; you can easily get back to the previous window by simply clicking the left arrow. If you’ve ever used a TV (smart or otherwise) with a tedious menu, then you’ll definitely appreciate this.

Speaking of Amazon Instant Video, you’re going to need it if you want to get the most out of this (or any) 4K TV. At the moment, that’s one of the few applications actually offering UHD content, and even then, its selection is quite limited. The others are Netflix and M-Go, a video app developed in part by Samsung, both of which have a small library of 4K movies and TV shows to stream and buy or rent, respectively. Amazon does deliver its latest original series in 4K (Bosch, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle and Alpha House), but Prime members also get access to some movies at no cost. Netflix’s 4K programming, on the other hand, includes House of Cards and Breaking Bad, as well as films like Philadelphia, Jerry Maguire and The Smurfs 2.

Want to buy movies or TV episodes instead? Don’t fret — Amazon has you covered there as well. But do keep in mind they won’t be cheap and that, again, you won’t have many options to choose from. For example, one of my UHD purchases was Pineapple Express, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco — which costs $25, whereas the Blu-ray is $10. Still, you get what you pay for. In general, there are too many details in the 4K picture quality that can’t be ignored, such as a facial pore on Franco’s face you wouldn’t normally see in the 1080p version. Here, it’s exposed for your viewing pleasure. That’s not to say 1080p video doesn’t display well on this UHD TV; the upscaling feature works great across the board, like when you’re watching Blu-rays or streaming content from non-4K apps such as HBO Go or Hulu Plus.

Ultimately, what holds back the JU6500 isn’t its hardware or software, but rather the shortage of Ultra High-Def content currently available. The good news is that, if you spend the money on it right now, you’re setting yourself up for the future — everyone’s working hard to make 4K a reality, so it’s only a matter of time before the technology becomes the norm.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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According to a Sprint document, the Galaxy Note 5 could have a MicroSD card slot after all

So…there’s been much discussion of late about Samsung’s rumoured decision to omit MicroSD card support for its upcoming Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus handsets. Opinions are polarized, with some fans of the Note series saying they will look elsewhere for their next phone, while for others (myself included), the lack of MicroSD card support isn’t something we care about (the lack of removable batteries is another matter though). At this point, I think most of us have pretty much accepted that MicroSD card support will not be present, right? But, hold your horses because now there’s a chance that Samsung has decided to include it after all.

This alleged turnabout comes care of a document from the US carrier, Sprint, detailing a Samsung smartphone with model number: SM-N920P which is widely held to be a Galaxy Note 5 model. In the document, one line states that 32GB of internal storage is included, with “external memory slot” and the word “Yes” next to it. The document then goes on to state that the slot will allow users to expand storage by up to 128GB. If true, and it’s a big if, it will be interesting to see how Samsung has got around the performance gap between MicroSD cards and the UFS 2.0 technology it was believed to be using. Most of the other specifications mentioned in the document seem to be correct when compared to the earlier rumours.

Except for a couple of things…the Sprint document says that the device will have 3GB of RAM, where we’ve had previous rumours confirming that the Note 5 will indeed carry 4GB of RAM. It’s also been accepted that the Note 5 will be powered by one of Samsung’s own Exynos processors, but the document mentions Qualcomm.

There are a few explanations for these apparent discrepancies. One is that the Sprint document is wrong about MicroSD card support and that someone has just copied and pasted some of the specs from the previous model, the Note 3. Another could be that Samsung has decided not to use UFS 2.0 with the Galaxy Note 5 for some reason. Thirdly, it might be a carrier variant, which, considering that it’s a leaked document from a US carrier, does give it some credibility. US carriers are renowned for wanting slightly different versions of Android smartphones. Lastly, some of the specifications could merely be placeholders in a document that was never meant to see the light of day.

So, them’s the choices, what do you think of this alleged u-turn of Samsung’s to include MicroSD card support? Do you have theories of your own about why slightly different specifications are mentioned? If the rumour is correct that the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus will be announced on August 13th, we (thankfully) don’t have long to wait to be put out our misery. Until that day arrives, though, you can expect the leaks to become even more plentiful.

Source: Tablety
Via: SamMobile

Come comment on this article: According to a Sprint document, the Galaxy Note 5 could have a MicroSD card slot after all

The Sprint Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ head to the FCC

Only last week did we see all other major carrier Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ head to the FCC expect for Sprints. No one knew exactly why they didn’t go with all the others, but today both phones showed up under model numbers SM-N920P (Note 5) and SM-G928P (S6 Edge+).

There is nothing special listed in the documents other than that they are for sure Sprint variants.

The pictures listed below show the overall shape along with the bands tested on Sprints network.

Via: Droid-Life
Source: FCC and FCC

Come comment on this article: The Sprint Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ head to the FCC

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: one year later

While Android has dominated the smartphone industry, Apple’s iPad has still retained its predominant position in a shrinking tablet industry with most Android tablets suffering from a poorly optimised experience and a lack of tablet-specific applications.

Last year, Samsung tried to right this and change the status quo by introducing the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5, which were arguably the best Android tablets ever made. Yesterday, just over a year later, the Korean manufacturer has introduced the follow up and made the new Galaxy Tab S2 range more similar to the iPad, including a changed aspect ratio.

With its successor on the market, let’s take a look at how the smaller Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has fared for me one year later. After twelve months with the first generation, will I be upgrading to the new Tab S2 and what would I do to improve Samsung’s first generation tablets?

Design & hardware

The design of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is still appealing a whole year later and the 8.4-inch display is simply perfect for my use. One of the biggest problems I’ve found with most Android tablets is the resolution used and as the human eye can discern individual pixels when a density of 350 pixels per inch or less is used, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is one of the few to actually hit the mark.

The 8.4-inch display offers 2560 x 1600 pixels resolution and this offers a market-leading experience, compared to other tablets on the market. The table below shows how the Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 compares in resolution, size and density to the Tab S2 and other tablets:

The display is definitely one of the highlights but also is the aspect ratio; while it’s not perfect for things like reading an e-book, the 16:10 aspect ratio results in a comfortable experience whether used in portrait or landscape mode. Coupled with SwiftKey’s swipe-enabled keyboard, the display is the right size and shape to be comfortable and while it can’t be used one-handed, it can be held easily in one hand.

With a weight of 298 grams, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is definitely not the lightest on the market (and the Tab S2 8.0 addresses this as it’s lighter at 265 grams) but given the 6.6mm thickness, the additional weight makes it reassuring to hold in the hand.

The main reason the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 continues to appeal to me is that it is the first tablet since the original Galaxy Tab 7 that I can comfortable carry in the back pocket of my jeans when I’m not using it. The thickness and weight definitely play a part in making this easy and play a crucial part in the way I use my tablet.

The back of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has a textured dotted grid pattern that is interesting to touch and definitely better than the smooth finishes found on other devices but this has been changed with the Galaxy Tab S2, which reverts to a smoother finish. Given the back cover is plastic, the texture finish makes the Tab S 8.4 seem a little more premium than it might have done with a smooth plastic rear cover.

Overall the design of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is still appealing and unique despite the tablet being a year old. The size and aspect ratio are pleasant and the Super AMOLED display has the rich colours and deep blacks that you’d expect from a premium tablet. Some things may not be perfect but the unique design, slim body and flagship specs definitely deliver a premium experience.

Software & Performance

For me, the design of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has never been the issue; it was the software and performance that were the biggest issues with Samsung’s tablet. The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 takes after the latest Galaxy S flagship at the time – which was the Galaxy S5 – and while it was certainly a good idea to model the hardware, Samsung shouldn’t have used the Galaxy S5 as the software model.

While Samsung’s software had been getting more feature-rich up until the Galaxy S5, Samsung’s flagship at the time took the strategy too far, with an experience that was full of bloatware, bugs and sluggish performance. Sadly, this translated to the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and like past Samsung devices, updates haven’t been so forthcoming.

As an example, my tablet launched on Android 4.4.4 KitKat and I’ve had maybe two or three relatively large updates over the past year but despite this, the tablet hasn’t been updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. Now, I am using carrier-branded software which has resulted in updates being slow and rare, but Samsung themselves have only released the Lollipop update for a handful of markets around the world.

The lack of meaningful updates means the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 still can’t change the runtime to Android Runtime (as opposed to Dalvik). One of the strangest software decisions Samsung made was to disable the ‘Change Runtime’ option in Developer Options and this means the tablet uses the slower Dalvik runtime (versus ART, which is the only runtime available from Lollipop onwards).

Apps that have been updated for the Android Lollipop architecture fail to run as smoothly as they did when they were developed for KitKat and it is this fragmentation that makes the Android tablet experience a lot poorer than rival experiences on the iPad and Windows tablets. That being said, I have briefly used Lollipop running on a Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and while I can’t compare it directly to my KitKat experience – mainly because the data, apps and usage of the tablet was different – it did seem a lot snappier and smoother.

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 was also one of the first Android tablets to feature a fingerprint sensor but having modelled the rest of the hardware on the Galaxy S5, it made sense that Samsung would use the same fingerprint sensor, which required a swipe gesture. In the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy Tab S2, this has been replaced by a Touch ID-like tap sensor and for good reason as the fingerprint scanner on the Tab S 8.4 is near impossible to use accurately.

Overall, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 might have impressive specs that include a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor (or octa-core Exynos CPU depending on which model you have) and 3GB RAM but good specs don’t always mean good performance and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is an example of this. Luckily, the Lollipop update should bring more optimisations, which will help to negate some of the original performance issues.

Battery Life

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 comes with an in-built non-removable 4900 mAh battery that Samsung claim offers up to 29 hours’ usage (on my LTE model). In actual usage however, I’ve found that the battery fails to deliver, just like the battery failed on the Galaxy S5, in my opinion.

On average, standby time is, at best, a couple of days of low usage but any heavy usage or media consumption can see the battery last just hours instead of a full day. As you load the tablet with data and applications, the battery life and performance both take a hit, and bloatware in particular, is a key reason the battery life is poorer than you would expect from a tablet of this calibre.

That being said, I have heard reports that Lollipop again brings plenty of improvements in the battery life department with a couple of people I personally know reporting that the update adds several hours to the average battery life. The lack of removable battery coupled with lack of fast charging means that when the battery does die, it takes several hours to charge to full and if you don’t use the charger included in the box, it will take several hours on top to fully charge.

Will I be upgrading my Tab S 8.4?

My personal opinion on Android tablets tends to fluctuate between necessity and useless and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has driven me to both ends of the scale. On the one hand, watching media and using it for tasks while in my home is a pleasurable experience but using it heavily for extended periods of time usually drives me to despair as performance issues become apparent.

 When Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 last year, the tablet certainly had me excited and a year later, some of this initial appeal definitely remains. The display is still one of the most impressive I’ve used on an Android tablet to-date while the performance issues and software quirks have certainly become familiar to say the least (although I’m still firmly of the opinion that Samsung need to drastically improve the software and performance).

I’ve got the 16GB LTE version here and without doubt, a SIM card slot is useful but it does present another problem; when used with a SIM card, it has a marked effect on battery life, especially if connected to a network with intermittent coverage. Even with that in mind, the battery should be good for an average working day (which equates to around four to five hours’ screen-on-time).

The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has already had a couple of price drops in the UK, meaning you can pick the LTE version up for £329.00 (versus a starting price of £399.00). It’s unknown exactly how much the Galaxy Tab S2 will cost – although rumours suggest a starting price of €469, which is likely to equate to similar pricing as the original Tab S – but whatever the price, the new tablets are likely to result in the original model becoming even cheaper. At its current price, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 offers relative value for money but if it were to drop by another 20 percent, it would become a necessary purchase. Remember, these are the LTE prices and if you’re after the Wi-Fi only version, this is already available for £240, making it a fantastic purchase that’s well worth every penny.

What do you think of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 or even the larger 10.5-inch model? Have you owned one? What about Android tablets? Let us know your views in the comments guys!