Friday, 20 March 2015
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Samsung unveils Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge with glass body, wireless charging at MWC 2015
Samsung unveiled their latest flagship phones — the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge yesterday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. And this time round, they are focusing on not just the specs but also the design. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have a metal frame and a glass body both on the front and back.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is 6.8 mm thin and weighs 138g, while the Samsung Galaxy Edge is 7.0mm and weighs 132g.
In terms of specs, the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 5.1 Quad HD Super AMOLOED display with 2560 X 1440 resolution which comes to a very high 577ppi pixel density. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge also sports a 5.1 Quad HD Super AMOLED but with dual edge display. Both use Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for protection.
The devices are powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contain two quad-core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively. The smartphones have 3GB RAM.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge in this product image.
“With the all new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung is offering what’s next in mobility, along with a new standard to drive the global mobile agenda,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S6 also comes with a new Quick Launch feature give users direct access to the camera from any screen in approximate 0.7 seconds by double clicking the home key button, says the company.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 in this press image.
The Galaxy S6 has a 2,550mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a 2,600mAh battery. Both support universal wireless charging. Samsung also claims that they support incredibly fast wired charging (around 1.5 times faster than the Galaxy S5) providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.
The devices will be available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants.
In terms of connectivity, the devices support LTE Cat.6 (300/50Mbps), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC and an IR Remote.
At the same event, the company also announced a new protected mobile payment called Samsung Pay, similar to Apple Pay. Samsung claims its service is compatible with more locations (Read Apple) than any other competitor. Protected by Samsung KNOX, fingerprint scanning and advanced tokenisation, Samsung Pay works with both NFC and MST technology.
Additional features include Ultra Power Saving Mode, Download Booster, S Health 4.0, Smart Manager, Microsoft Apps (OneDrive 115GB for 2 years, OneNote), S Finder and S Voice. The devices are available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz (Galaxy S6 only) and Green Emerald (Galaxy S6 edge only).
The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will be available globally starting from 10 April. No information has been provided on pricing.
Samsung to HTC: At MWC, everyone wants to challenge Apple’s iPhone 6
Several big Asian phone companies launched new high-end smartphones and other wireless gizmos on Sunday, hoping to challenge US giant Apple in a big year for wireless gadgets.
Samsung, fellow South Korean firm LG and hip Chinese maker HTC timed their smartphone launches to grab the attention on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest telecoms trade fair, in Barcelona, Spain.
In a head-on challenge to Apple’s popular iPhone 6 which was released last year, Samsung came out fighting on Sunday with the Galaxy S6, a smartphone with a touchscreen that curves around the edges and has a wireless charger. It also presented the larger S6 Edge, a “phablet” somewhere between a tablet and a phone in size.
LG unveiled a new top-line phone with a curved back to sit snugly in the palm, the LG Flex 2, as well as a range of four new mid-range smartphones and two new luxury internet-connected watches.
At a noisy stage presentation before a crowd of hundreds, HTC chief executive Peter Chou meanwhile presented the HTC One M9, with a grey metallic handset moulded from a single piece of aluminium.
HTC also revealed a new connected “fitness band” body-monitoring bracelet and a virtual reality headset that it said it hoped to sell commercially by the end of the year.
Apple as usual was staying away from the Barcelona show but was reported to be preparing a coup with the launch next month of its new Apple Watch, reflecting a major trend in wearable gadgets this year.
The chief executive of Samsung’s mobile division, JK Shin, said the company aimed to set “a new standard to drive the global mobile agenda”, claiming his phones had the fastest processers and most high-performance cameras on the market.
Samsung is the world’s biggest seller of smartphones but saw its world market share fall last year from 34 percent to 20 percent, according to a report by tech consultancy IDC.
“There’s a risk Samsung’s 2015 flagship devices are insufficient for the company to regain brand leadership among consumers and businesses looking for high-end smartphone experiences,” said Thomas Husson, an analyst at another consultancy, Forrester, in a note after Sunday’s launch. “Samsung’s lack of software DNA will still prevent it from delivering truly differentiated service experiences like Apple does.”
Also present at the congress were two of the world’s other biggest-selling smartphone makers, Chinese companies Huawei and Xiaomi. Joining in the rush for big launches on the eve of the trade fair, Huawei unveiled its first “smartwatch”, a round luxury design that, like LG’s, can display incoming call and message alerts.
The companies refused to cite consumer prices for the new products. Top-end smartphones typically cost several hundred dollars (euros).
AFP
MWC 2015: HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy S6, a tech specs comparison
Samsung and HTC have launched their new flagships for the year 2015 and we take a look at the specs comparison between the two smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and the HTC One M9.
Design, Screen size: For Samsung, this is one flagship that has won praise from critics from a design perspective. It looks like Samsung has finally bid farewell to plastic in construction of its flagship phones, after years of criticism. With the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung has given us a unibody-metal design with a glass front and rear. Sadly, the battery is no longer removable in the S6. It’s also a slimmer smartphone at 6.8 mm thickness (the Galaxy S5 was 8.1 mm thick) and weighs lighter at 138 g, while the S5 has weighed 145g.
Where the HTC One M9 smartphone goes, it follows the same design style as the earlier M8 and frankly you can’t tell how the two are any different. It has the same metal unibody design that was started by the HTC One series in 2013, although in this case, HTC has added dual-tone silver and rose gold finish along with mirror-polished gold sides. It’s a beautiful looking phone no doubt, but we’re not sure if this polish will help the M9 stand out in an already over-crowded market.
Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge on display at MWC 2015.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 outdoes the HTC One M9 in terms of screen resolution. While HTC One M9 sticks with a 5-inch full HD display along with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution at 441 ppi, Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLOED display with 2560 X 1440 resolution which comes to a very high 577ppi pixel density. Both smartphones have Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for protection.
In terms of design and screen, Samsung has certainly outdone itself and the HTC One M9 doesn’t really stand out.
Processor, Storage, RAM: The HTC One M9 is powered by a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor and comes with 3GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 32GB which can be further expanded upto 128GB via microSD card.
On the other, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are powered by the Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contains two quad-core processors clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively. The smartphones have 3GB RAM as well.
Samsung has introduced the world’s first 14 namometer mobile processor with a 64-bit platform, and these phones have a new LPDDR4 memory system and UFS 2.0 flash memory which the company claims, will provide higher performance and enhanced memory speed with lower power consumption. LPDDR4 is the latest memory system with higher internal fetch size and external transfer speed. There’s no mention of a Galaxy S6 with a Snapdragon SoC.
In terms of storage space, the Galaxy S6 will be available 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants (like the Apple iPhone) but sadly there will be no microSD slot, unlike the HTC smartphone.
The HTC One M9
Samsung has the edge for now in terms of processing power as compared to the HTC One M9 given that it has launched introduced a 14 nm chip and a new LPDDR4 memory system.
Battery, Connectivity: The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 2,550mAh battery, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a 2,600mAh battery. Both support universal wireless charging. Samsung also claims that they support incredibly fast wired charging (around 1.5 times faster than the Galaxy S5) providing about 4 hours of usage after only 10 minutes of charging.
In case of HTC, the battery is also non-removable and is a Li-Polymer 2840 mAh capacity one.
HTC’s smartphone doesn’t support wireless charging unlike the Galaxy S6 which is a shame. Where battery is concerned, it should be noted that we can only say more once details are released on how long each smartphone is expected to last, perhaps when the first reviews start coming in.
In terms of connectivity, the HTC One M9 has Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, HTC Connect, for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to compatible multi-room audio system, NFC and Micro-USB. This also supports 4G LTE bands including LTE TDD bands 38, 40, 41. LTE TDD means the phone will support LTE in India as well.
Samsung Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge during the launch event. Reuters
Samsung Galaxy S6 supports LTE Cat 6 (300 Mbps download / 50 Mbps upload), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v4.1, USB 2.0, NFC and an IR Remote. It’s not clear if the smartphone will be an LTE one in India too.
Camera: With HTC One M9, the company has finally gone with the big megapixel number at least for the rear camera. HTC One M9 has a 20MP rear-camera along with a sapphire cover lens and an Ultrapixel front-facing camera with BSI sensor. The camera also shoots movies in 4K resolution. The front-camera resolution has not been specified by HTC but we’re guessing like other Ultrapixel cameras its at 4 megapixels. The HTC camera has a host of features in the software side as well like allowing editing, filters, skin correction, etc., which frankly isn’t anything new. The HTC One gallery will now allow users to sort their images according to year, data, location, etc, similar to what Apple already offers.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 16MP rear camera along with a 5MP front facing camera. Some of the other features on the camera include Tracking AF, Auto Real-time HDR (Front & Rear), f/1.9 aperture, Low Light Video (Front & Rear), High Clear Zoom, IR Detect White Balance, Virtual Shot, Slow Motion video, Pro Mode and Selective Focus.
Although it may seem like the HTC One M9 has an edge over the Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge, in terms of a higher megapixel count camera, we all know that a higher MP number does not translate into a better camera. Both the phones are offering a lot of features alongside the rear cameras. We can only tell which one is better after putting the cameras through their paces. For now, both phones offer impressive camera specs and features on paper.
Other features: Both devices run on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop with Samsung and HTC’s own UI on them. The HTC One M9 has the HTC Sense 7, which the company claims makes the smartphone highly customisable with themes and more intelligent BlinkFeed (HTC’s much mocked version of Flipboard) and so on.
But Samsung it seems has learnt that TouchWiz UI isn’t perhaps the best thing that it was adding to its smartphone. According to this BGR report,”Android Lollipop shines through much more clearly on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge than Android has on earlier phones, and Samsung said it reduced the number of features by 40% in its latest software.”
Let’s face it, BlinkFeed and HTC Sense haven’t impressed users, and themes isn’t anything new. For Samsung to have realised that S6 doesn’t need too much of TouchWiz is quite a big step, unlike the HTC One M9.
Samsung also announced new protected mobile payment called Samsung Pay, similar to Apple Pay.
Samsung claims its service is compatible with more locations than any other competitor (a clear taunt at Apple Pay). Protected by Samsung KNOX, fingerprint scanning and advanced tokenisation, Samsung Pay works with both NFC and MST technology. How Samsung Pay does remains to be seen, given that not too many Samsung software-based features have taken off in a big way.
HTC One M9 will be available in Silver, Pink, Gold and gun-mental Grey. Pricing and availability remains unclear for now. The Samsung Galaxy S6 will come in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Blue Topaz (Galaxy S6 only) and Green Emerald (Galaxy S6 edge only) and will start rolling out from 10 April. Again we have no information on the pricing.
Conclusion: For now the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks like a fresh take from the company, with less bloatware and a better design. The HTC One M9 seems to be boring, despite its beautiful design, which definitely won’t help the struggling smartphone maker.
MWC 2015: HTC launches Grip, its first wearable fitness tracker with curved display
HTC has stepped into the wearable world with its long-time rumoured device. Instead of an Android Wear-based smartwatch, the company has announced a new fitness tracker dubbed Grip. It is a result of HTC’s partnership with the company Under Armour.
HTC claims that its new tracker is for serious athletes. Under Armour’s UA Record system will be tracking the runs and workouts. “With a matte black finish, colorful interior band, and curved display, the Grip looks a hybrid of Nike’s FuelBand 2 and the Microsoft Band,” points out TheVerge. The wearable band comes with five sensors that track your workouts. It comes with integrated GPs to capture distance, pace and calories burned, which are then synced with your dmartphone once you get home.
HTC GRIP is the smart fitness tracker for the serious athlete. #HTCOneLife #MWC15 pic.twitter.com/i6C0oc54qW
— HTC (@htc) March 1, 2015 It is compatible with both Android and iOS. One can receive call notifications, view and respond to messages, or just skip to the next song directly from the tracker, allowing you to stay connected with your smartphone even during workouts.The contoured soft-touch band is waterproof with IP57 rating, which means you can use it underwater up to 1 metre for 30 minutes. It also comes with a ‘multi-sport mode’ that can track activities like running and cycling, and simultaneously offering advice from fitness experts while you workout.
The HTC Grip will be available in two colors – Deep Teal and Lime. For the right fit, it will be available in three sizes. The Grip will hit store shelves in Spring for $199. HTC has also announced its new flagship smartphone One M9 at the MWC 2015.
MWC 2015: HTC One M9 launched with 20MP rear camera, Android Lollipop
HTC’s flagship phone, the HTC One 9 was launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, yesterday. Like the HTC One M8, the M9 follows the same design style and theme, but the biggest change in the phone is the camera.
The HTC One M9 has an all-metal unibody design which is highlighted by dual-tone silver and rose gold finish along with mirror-polished gold sides.
The HTC One 9 smartphone has a 5-inch full HD display along with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution at 441 ppi. HTC has added in Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for protection. It is powered with a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor and comes with 3GB of RAM. It has an internal storage of 32GB which can be further expanded upto 128GB via microSD card.
The smartphone runs on HTC’s Sense 7 skin on the Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The camera has seen the biggest upgrade with HTC ditching the Ultrapixel at least in the rear camera. It has a 20MP rear-camera along with a sapphire cover lens and an Ultrapixel front-facing camera with BSI sensor. The camera also shoots movies in 4K resolution.
The sensors included are Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Compass Sensor, Gyro Sensor and Magnetic Sensor.
The smartphone will support a Nano SIM card and in terms of connectivity, the device has Bluetooth 4.1 with aptX, Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, HTC Connect, for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to compatible multi-room audio system, NFC and Micro-USB.
The HTC One 9 packs in a non-removable Li-Po 2840 mAh battery with dimensions of 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.61 mm and weighs 157g. It will be available in Silver, Pink, Gold and gun-mental Grey. Pricing and availability remains unclear for now.
Samsung Galaxy S6: 10 Things you should know about Samsung’s new flagship
Samsung has finally pulled the wraps off its highly anticipated Galaxy S6. As the rumours suggested, we have two new models – Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. With the new models, Samsung has taken a quantum leap in design and given their phones a complete makeover. This isn’t just plastic now; it’s metal and glass and it looks good.
Successor to the S5, the Galaxy S6 doesn’t feature a curved display, but Samsung has spruced up user experience with some nifty upgrades. If you’ve missed on your dose of the Unpacked event at the MWC, then here’s a quick look at what you need to know about the new Samsung flagship.
Design – A premium-looking device is finally here
For years, everyone has been complaining about how Samsung’s premium S series is built with cheap materials. But falling sales have forced Samsung to give user feedback some serious thought. Finally, the not-so-plush looking leather back is replaced with glass and the sides are built using metal, just like the Note 4. It now looks premium and more durable.
Display – Gets a thumbs up, again
Samsung gets it right with the display again. The new Galaxy S6 features a 5.1-inch 2K display, which means a whopping 2560 x 1440 pixels. The pixel density goes up to 572ppi, which is way higher than the 326ppi seen in the iPhone 6. Needless to say, its an AMOLED display.
Camera – Bump up in performance
Though Samsung has maintained the same 16MP sensor seen in the Galaxy Note 4, it does get a useful update. Samsung now employs faster lens that has never been seen in the previous models. The Galaxy S6 comes with an f/1.9 lens. This would mean a bigger aperture. The device is now capable of capturing more light, and eventually one will get better photos. This also means good low light photography. In fact, Samsung employs the same f/1.9 lens for the 5MP front-facing camera too.
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge default wallpapers!
Processor – Goes ahead with ExynosThis time around, Samsung has decided to go ahead with its own Exynos chip (Though, India always got the Exynos variant). The new Exynos comes with the much-talked about 14 nanometre (nm) architecture for efficient performance. however, it also plans some Qualcomm Snapdragon variants of the Galaxy S6. For now, expect Samsung’s Exynos 7 Octa-core processor which contain two quad-core processor clocked at 2.1 GHz and 1.5GHz respectively, coupled with 3GB RAM.
RAM
The new Galaxy S6 has employed the super-fast LPDDR4 RAM. The large 3GB of the could help the device run without too many lags. Along with the new Exynos chip, it could also help deal better with the TouchWiz.
TouchWiz
Yes, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 will retain the TouchWiz UI. However, it is believed to be less cluttered. based on Android 5.0 Lollipop, it is now streamlined for quick and better usage. The company hasn’t bid goodbye to S Voice or S Finder, but you will find the rumoured new entrants like Microsoft’s OneDrive and OneNote.
Wireless charging
The Galaxy S6 has ditched the replaceable battery found in the Galaxy S5, but now allows you to charge the smartphone wirelessly. It supports WPC and PMA wireless charging using Samsung’s own charging pad. On using a traditional microUSB cable, Samsung promises to get 50 percent battery capacity in a half hour. It comes fitted with a 2,550mAh battery.
No swappable battery
With the introduction of improved wireless charging on the Galaxy S6, the company also decided to fit in a non-removable battery. A change that most users may not like.
No Expandable storage
The company’s minimum storage capacity model is upgraded from 16GB to 32GB. In a not-so-consumer-friendly move, Samsung has also pulled out support for microSD card slot. It has been a feature that set Samsung phones apart from the iPhone. We hope Samsung has compensated well for the removal of these features.
Wireless payments
Finally, Samsung rolls out its own mobile payments to take on Apple Pay. For now its will be launched with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but it will support others Samsung phones in the future. It will let you use your debit/credit cards and pay for goods using your smartphones. It will use NFC as well as a technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission. So, vendors won’t need to upgrade their existing payment systems to support Samsung Pay.
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge default wallpapers!
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge default wallpapers!
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge default wallpapers!
y S6 Edge default wallpapers!
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge default wallpapers!
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