Samsung loses ground to Chinese brands in the tablet market
Newly compiled data from industry researcher Strategy Analytics shows that big names brands in the tablet market, such as Samsung and Apple, have seen their market shares take a plunge this year, while low cost “white box” Chinese products are gaining momentum.
Samsung has been the hardest hit in the past twelve months, having seen its share of the tablet market shrink by 5.6 percent, down to 17 percent of the market in the first quarter. Apple also took a significant hit, as its share declined 4.6 percent from 28.9 in Q1 2014 to 24.3 in Q1 2015. Combined, Apple and Samsung accounted for just over half of the world’s tablet market back in Q1 2014, but this year only managed to grab a 41.3 percent share of the market in the same quarter this year.
“2015 will be the year that Samsung pares down its large product portfolio to focus on a tighter circle of strong performers in the mid- to low-price tiers” – Strategy Analytics
The market appears to be diversifying away from the familiar global brands, and much of this share is being eaten into by growing Chinese manufacturers. Price competitive companies Lenovo and Huawei both saw growth compared with the same quarter last year, up 1.2 and 1.5 percent each, ending up with a 5.3 and 2.4 percent share respectively. Falling costs of previously high-end features have given a big boost to the price/performance value proposition offered by these less-expensive tablet brands.http://embed.chartblocks.com/1.0/?c=5559aa57c9a61dfa486a8330&t=849b5b4af175405The other major winner in the quarter has been “white box” tablets, i.e. non-brand specific devices produced in smaller quantities, which often come from low cost Chinese manufacturers and are powered by Android. This market segment grew by a further 2.7 percent year-over-year and now accounts for a substantial 28.4 percent of the tablet market, making it larger than either Apple or Samsung.
Samsung’s latest budget friendly Galaxy Tab A line-up might help to address the price sensitivity issue and its upcoming Galaxy Tab S2 should keep up Samsung’s presence in the high-end segment, but it’s likely to be another tough year for the established brands.
Which tablets have you been looking at this year?
The gorgeous blue and green versions of the Galaxy S6/Edge are finally available
Fans of the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge can finally get their hands on the two color options that are exclusive to each device.
Samsung announced today that the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and the Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge are now available to consumers. Blue and green are the color options that are exclusive to the S6 and S6 Edge respectively, while black, white, and gold are shared. All models are available with 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage.
Samsung showcased the Blue Topaz and Green Emerald colors at the Galaxy S6 launch during MWC. From my brief time with the device at the show, I found the blue Galaxy S6 very appealing, though keeping that striking glass back smudge-free will be a constant problem.
brightcove.createExperiences();
If blue or green aren’t striking enough for you, perhaps the red and gold Iron Man limited edition of the Galaxy S6 Edge will do the trick. Samsung recently teased that Iron Man-themed device and we can’t wait to see it in store, hopefully in a few weeks.
So, what’s your favorite color?
Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge are announced
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I’m still a bit baffled about the whole practice of releasing coloured variants after the official release of a device, but apparently it must work. Samsung has today announced two new coloured variants of their barnstorming flagship duo, the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge. It hasn’t been announced exactly how much these version are going to cost or what regions they’ll be available in, but Samsung assures us that they will be available at some point and will be available in all storage sizes.
It’s interesting that Samsung would release one colour for one device and not the other – what if I want a green Galaxy S6 – but Samsung has gone to the effort of acquiring the services of British Psychologist Dr. Donna Dawson to analyse what kind of people would want these devices. According to Dawson, “People who opt for Samsung’s Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 are likely to be more self-confident, fastidious, discriminating, sensitive, exacting, and intuitive,” and “People who choose Green as their preferred color will tend to be balanced, loyal, hard-working, honest, benevolent and concerned for others.” If you are none of those things, then perhaps these aren’t the devices for you, apparently.
What do you think about the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow via SamMobile
The post Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 and Green Emerald Galaxy S6 Edge are announced appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung rumored to release another Edge model ahead of Galaxy Note 5
According to GforGames.com, it has reports from Korea that Samsung plans to release a new Galaxy Edge in the second half of this year before the Galaxy Note 5 Edge makes its appearance.
The news is not all that surprising considering the fact that Samsung had to ramp up production of the S6 Edge from one to three million units per month due to the demand. In addition, supposedly, the company plans to continue increasing production until it achieves 10 million units manufactured per month by the end of the year.
It’ll be interesting to see if Samsung can meet these goals when the Note 5 is rumored to have a three-sided panel. It certainly has experience with releasing variants of its Galaxy series at quick turnover rates. Still, it is best to be optimistically skeptical of these rumors.
The post Samsung rumored to release another Edge model ahead of Galaxy Note 5 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung officially launches blue, green Galaxy S smartphones
Although it may be a while still before they show up in carrier portfolios, Samsung has officially launched the two latest colors for its duo of Galaxy S6 smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is now available in Blue Topaz while the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge now comes in Green Emerald.
According to Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division for Samsung,
“The Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 represents the perfect fashion accessory for style-conscious consumers looking for a vibrant, expressive and distinctive color, and the Green Emerald Galaxy S6 edge provides a simply stunning color choice that meets the needs of those who want a sophisticated, yet unique looking mobile device.”
According to Pantone, blue is enjoying some increased popularity recently with four shades amongst the top 10 tones of spring 2015. The new colors join White Pearl, Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum, all three of which are available for either device.
source: Samsung
Come comment on this article: Samsung officially launches blue, green Galaxy S smartphones
Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is now rolling out in South Korea
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We knew that Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was always coming, but it’s always good to get confirmation. It’s been reported today that Galaxy Note 3 devices in South Korea, with the model number SM-N900S, are today receiving the update to Android 5.0. As always, the roll-out to Note 3 devices will be gradual so don’t freak out if your device doesn’t see the update tomorrow or even during the week – it can often take a few weeks for the update to roll out globally.
For those of you interested in what exactly has changed in Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, check out the full changelog below:
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the mosttimely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
Are you excited to see Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rolling out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: TalkAndroid
The post Android Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is now rolling out in South Korea appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Android Authority this week – May 17, 2015
Android fans, this week was relatively quiet, but we’ve still got a few glimpses of exciting new devices coming soon. HTC launched yet another high-end smartphone in Japan and hinted it may try its luck with a low-end tablet; Xiaomi opened up its store in Europe, while specs of its next Redmi device leaked out; Google launched a new and greatly improved Android One device and issued a big update to its Play Music web app; the Galaxy S6 Active surfaced; Oppo revealed its R7 and R7 Plus; and Asus revealed it’ll launch a new smartwatch at Computex.
Inside AA HQ
Inside AA HQ
We’re already in May, and that means we’re heading for an interesting time in the mobile industry, as companies rush to make their big announcements before the inevitable summer lull. Without doubt, the most interesting upcoming event is Google I/O on May 28; with Android M all but confirmed to be announced at the conference, it looks that we’ll have another preview edition to geek over in the summer months.
New devices are coming: Oppo has the R7 and R7 Plus launching next week, and Josh will be in China to cover it. Back in the States, Nvidia has an Android gaming announcement, Asus is about to launch the Zenfone 2, and Huawei has a surprise for early June. Computex is taking place in Taipei in the first week of June and we expect a smattering of Android tablets and Asus’ new smartwatch. And there’s E3, and given how mobile is becoming a key focus for companies like Nintendo, Konami, or Square Enix, we look forward to quite a few interesting mobile gaming announcements.
We’re expanding our team with some bright new people, including an absolute expert in electronics and electrical engineering. Expect some great deep-level articles on the topic soon.
As always, take a few seconds to enter our weekly giveaway, this week we are giving away a Samsung Galaxy S6! You never know when luck strikes and you get yourself a hot Android device!
Android Authority Podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Feature: What does Samsung need to do to make the next Tab S a hit?
- Tech talk: The race to add more cores to mobile SoCs continues, and that’s actually not a bad idea
- Feature: The Note 5 is coming, and it has some big shoes to fill – Andrew explains
- Tips: Nirave looks at how to improve the battery life of the Galaxy S6 Edge
- Review: The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is one of the best budget phones of the year, thinks Josh
- Feature: Truths and myths about the cell phones radiation and its effects on our health
- Feature: We’re almost half through the year: what cool Android phones should we expect in late 2015?
- Opinion: Simon discusses the pros and cons of Google adopting a yearly release cycle for Android
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Xiaomi rumors and new store
- Next Xiaomi Redmi rumors: 1080p, octa-core and Isocell camera
- Xiaomi beta testing its UK accessory store (Update: France, Germany and US too!)
HTC thinking about a cheap tablet
New Android One
Galaxy S6 Active leaks
HTC J Butterfly
This is the Oppo R7
Google app updates
- Google to shut down editing in Map Maker following the peeing Android fiasco
- Google Play Music’s web interface updated with huge Material Design refresh
- Chromecast support makes its way to CBS, HGTV, FOX and many others
- Google Fit receives distance tracking, history, a new widget and more in new update
New ZenWatch
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
Samsung teases Iron Man Edition of the Galaxy S6 Edge
In a tweet that has since been removed, Samsung gave us a teaser of the Iron Man edition of the Galaxy S6 Edge.
It is not known what the device looks like, but the renders below, courtesy of TechCrunch, may not be too far off from what its actual design.
The tweet also included a disclaimer, saying that availability for this limited edition of the S6 Edge would “differ by region.” There is no guarantee that the phone would come to the U.S., but it is likely considering the fact that Iron Man is an American trademark.
The post Samsung teases Iron Man Edition of the Galaxy S6 Edge appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung distributing Lollipop OTA for the Galaxy Note 3 in South Korea
A month later than expected, Samsung is now finally distributing the long-awaited Android 5.0 Lollipop update to all unlocked variants of the Galaxy Note 3 with the model number SM-N900S in South Korea.
All the changes you’d expect to find are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, a smoother multitasking experience and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
The full changelog can be seen below.
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the mosttimely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
As is customary with all manufacturer updates, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device, you could always search for the update manually. To do this head into Settings, followed by About Device, then System Update and hit Check for Update.
Come comment on this article: Samsung distributing Lollipop OTA for the Galaxy Note 3 in South Korea
Edge-ucate yourself with Samsung’s new videos for the Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung released four videos featuring Snapchat superstar Shonduras in order to showcase the power of the Galaxy S6 Edge. Why? Because the device with curved displays will let people “draw razor-sharp lines.” That’s perfect for Snapchat users that want to make their snaps into masterpieces like Shonduras. So the four videos are part of an Edge-ucational series that lasts nearly eight minutes.
Hit the break for the videos.
Edge-ucation:
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Edge Night Clock:
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Edge-ucate yourself with Samsung’s new videos for the Galaxy S6 Edge
AIVAnet 