Galaxy

Galaxy Note 7 vs. iPhone 6s real-life speed test proves specs aren’t everything

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 23, 2016

In spite of running Qualcomm’s latest 64-bit Snapdragon 820 processor with four CPU cores, Adreno 530 graphics and 4GB of RAM, Samsung's latest Galaxy Note 7 phablet delivers embarrassing real-world performance when pitted against almost-a-year-older iPhone 6s and its in-house designed A9 chip with two CPU cores and just 2GB of RAM.

As seen in this side-by-side video comparison from YouTuber PhoneBuff, the iPhone 6s easily beats the latest Note when it comes to loading apps and games, thanks to the combination of efficient iOS software and Apple's custom-designed hardware.

Here’s why Samsung’s building curved-screen phones (it’s not about the looks or info tickers)

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 12, 2016

Samsung started building phones with curved screens beginning with last year's Galaxy S6, a risky move that has now paid off if Samsung's reinvigorated sales are an indication. The current Galaxy S7 has perfected that design and the fact that the latest Note 7 phablet adopts the S7's gorgeous wraparound screen signals Samsung's confidence in the new industrial design which breaks away from the flimsy plastic the firm used just two short years ago.

Apple, too, is said to be rolling out a brand new industrial design for the Tenth Anniversary iPhone in 2017, with rumors and analysts pointing to a Galaxy Edge-like wraparound AMOLED display for the device. Which begs the question, what's the reasoning behind curved-screen phones other than the looks?

This is how I know Samsung will ditch the headphone jack

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 11, 2017

Three days ago, Samsung of South Korea took the wraps off its flagship Galaxy Note 7 phablet. It's a cool, powerful smartphone that features a curved 5.7-inch AMOLED screen, Galaxy S7-like design, speedy chips, an iris scanner and an improved S Pen (which has learned a few new tricks, like translating words, and is now waterproof itself).

Believe it or not, a Samsung executive during the Note 7 unveiling mocked live, on stage, Apple's rumored decision to remove the 3.5mm audio jack from the next iPhone.

“You know what else it [Note 7] comes with? An audio jack. I’m just saying,” he quipped.

Samsung enjoys its most profitable quarter in two years thanks to strong Galaxy S7 sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 28, 2016

Samsung this morning announced results for the second calendar quarter ended June 30, and the numbers are encouraging despite global smartphone sales cooling down. The South Korean conglomerate's mobile division reported “substantial earnings improvement” buoyed by strong sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge flagship smartphones.

The data is newsworthy given strong competition Samsung has been facing on the low-end from Chinese rivals like Xiaomi and Huawei and on the high-end from Apple's iPhone. This is the best earning result Samsung has posted in two years, by the way.

Here comes “Captured on Galaxy S7” ad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2017

You don't need to be an advertising expert to figure out that the latest campaign for Samsung's Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge bears striking resemblance to “Shot on iPhone,” one of Apple’s most successful ad campaigns which has won many awards since its debut nearly two years ago.

As CNET reported this morning, Samsung started airing a brand new commercial for its new Galaxies.

Titled “Captured on Samsung Galaxy S7”, the video was conceived to show off 4K video capture capabilities of the phone.

Eric Schmidt trolls Apple users (again): Galaxy S7 has better battery and camera than iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 25, 2016

It's an established fact that Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt owns an iPhone because, you know, it pays to experience what the competition is doing firsthand. In a fireside chat at the Startup Fest Europe in Amsterdam, Netherlands, today with CNBC journalist Julia Chatterley, he publicly admitted for the first time to using both an iPhone 6s and Galaxy S7, teasing the mostly iPhone-totting audience that Samsung's device is better.

Samsung expects 10 percent profit growth on better-than-expected Galaxy S7 sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2016

According to preliminary results posted Thursday, there's a light at the end of a long tunnel for Samsung Electronics and that light is the new Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone. After more than two straight years of decline in its mobile division, the South Korean firm is now projecting more than ten percent profit growth for the first quarter of 2016, beating market estimates.

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge were announced back in February ahead of their March 11 debut. Both phones, which have managed to address some of user complaints like memory expandability, were met with mostly positive reviews. Thus far, the new devices have moved three times as many units in their first month compared to their predecessor, the Galaxy S6/edge series, according to Bloomberg.

Samsung’s celebrity-studded Galaxy S7 ad is smart and subtle with anti-Apple digs

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

Samsung's Galaxy advertising campaigns typically are not the subtlest of digs at Apple, but the new star-studded commercial for the latest Galaxy S7 smartphones is different.

Featuring actors William Macy and Wesley Snipes, hip-hop artist Lil Wayne and other celebrities, the commercial focuses on the features that differentiate the Galaxy S7 from the iPhone 6s.

The highlighted features that the ad poses as the Galaxy S7's competitive advantage over Apple's smartphone include waterproofing, two times better lowlight performance, a longer-lasting battery, support for Samsung's virtual reality headset, Samsung's mobile payment system that works anywhere credit cards are accepted, the phone's expandable memory and more.

Xiaomi’s new phone has beastly specs for half the price of iPhone 6s or Galaxy S7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, today announced its latest Mi 5 smartphone, billed as a super flagship device due to some beastly specs.

The new Xiaomi Mi 5 basically packs in as much hardware as Apple's iPhone 6s and Samsung's newly announced Galaxy S7, for half the price, with industrial design that looks like a cross between the iPhone 6s and Galaxy S7.

The maxed-out spec sheet includes things like the latest Qualcomm chip with four gigabytes of RAM, a sixteen-megapixel camera from Sony with sapphire lens protection, a full HD IPS LCD edge-to-edge screen, a fingerprint sensor integrated into the Home button, 128GB of on-board storage with support for micro SD cards and more.

Samsung unveils Galaxy S7/Edge with Always-On Display, bigger batteries, better cameras & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 19, 2018

Sticking to its tradition, Samsung today officially announced its next-generation Galaxy smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. An evolution of last year's Galaxy S6, the new phones retain Samsung's quad HD Super AMOLED display while fixing some of the annoyances of the Galaxy S6.

Notably, this includes IP68 water and dust-proofing and support for microSD cards via a hybrid SIM card tray to boost storage capacity up to 200GB (in some select countries, the tray can be used with a dual SIM card).

The battery is still non user-replaceable, but the cameras have been improved. Yes, the camera hump is still present on the back, albeit much less pronounced than on the S6. The overall look and feel of the new handsets hasn't changed much from the Galaxy S6's seductive metal-and-glass industrial design.

Samsung to debut Galaxy S7 on February 21

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 8, 2017

South Korea-based Samsung revealed in a short teaser video published this morning on YouTube that it will be officially unveiling its latest and greatest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, at 7pm on Sunday, February 21, at a media event in Barcelona, Spain, one day before the Mobile World Congress conference.

The company also sent out official invites for its 'Galaxy Unpacked 2016' press conference and hinted it will be showing off a new Gear 360 virtual-reality camera.

Apple wins US sales ban on outdated Samsung phones that are no longer sold

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 19, 2016

Following its multi-year patent spat with Samsung, Apple has finally won a United States sales ban on some older Samsung smartphones, FOSS Patents reported Tuesday.

The sales ban covers certain features of some Samsung phones, but the injunction is practically useless as it affects outdated devices, not the flagship Galaxy lineup, which are no longer available in the United States.