Samsung

Apple overtakes Samsung as China’s top mobile brand in awareness and loyalty

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Zooming past its biggest rival Samsung, Apple has officially emerged as China's #1 mobile brand in both awareness and loyalty, according to the latest consumer survey conducted by the China Brand Research Center’s.

The research firm's 2014 China Brand Power Index polled a whopping 13,500 Chinese across 30 cities, aged 15 to 60, from August 2013 to January 2014.

According to CNET, Samsung's focus on market share rather than customer satisfaction and loyalty has contributed to its fall from the top spot it had previously held in China since 2012.

Samsung faces grim Q3: Mobile business drops by 60%

Jake Smith ∙ October 29, 2014

The situation for Samsung is a tad grim, as the South Korea-based company reported a 74 percent year-over-year decline in net profit during Q3. This marks Samsung's fourth consecutive quarterly decline, and marks its lowest profit margin since the second quarter of 2011.

iPhone 6 pre-orders on Samsung’s home turf top 100,000 units, outpacing Galaxy Note 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 27, 2014

Ahead of the scheduled October 31 launch, carriers in South Korea have managed to collect 100,000 pre-orders for Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones, three times the amount of pre-orders for Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Carriers KT Corp., LG Uplus Corp. and SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, started accepting pre-orders for the new devices this past Friday, October 24.

Samsung warns of lower Q3 profits due to rising smartphone competition

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

On Tuesday, Samsung Electronics warned investors that earnings for its third quarter would be lower than market expectations. The company says it anticipates reporting an operating profit of $3.8 billion for the three-month period ending in September—a decline of nearly 60% year-over-year.

Samsung cites a few reasons for the drop off, including heightened competition in the smartphone market. While the tech giant is selling plenty of handsets, higher marketing costs, fewer shipments of high-end phones and lower average selling prices have negatively impacted operating margins.

New videos highlight iPhone 6’s faster Wi-Fi and real-world multitasking performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2014

A pair of videos have surfaced this week offering a good look at real-world multitasking performance of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus relative to competition, while demonstrating the speedy 802.11ac wireless networking Apple's implemented on both devices.

The results suggest that the new iPhones offer nearly three times faster Wi-Fi performance than the iPhone 5s while beating out Samsung's Galaxy S5 and HTC's One M8 handsets in app loading times and task switching.

Samsung exploits Bendgate controversy with own Galaxy Note 4 stress-test video

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2014

Samsung may have won a contract to build Apple's next-generation mobile processor for 2015 iPhones and iPads, but that's not stopping the firm from milking the Bendgate meme for all it's worth.

Having poked fun of Apple in a series of tweets after the controversial YouTube video suggested malleability of the iPhone 6 Plus, the South Korean firm on Thursday posted a two-minute video on its blog showing off the three-point bend test process behind its latest Galaxy Note 4 phablet.

The rigorous testing procedures have been designed “to give you, and your back pocket, peace of mind” because “leaving things in your back pocket can lead to, well, bent things,” remarked Samsung alluding to Bendgate.

Samsung confirms building 14nm A9 processors for 2015 iPhones and iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2014

Echoing previous rumors, Samsung of South Korea confirmed to reporters Thursday that it will start churning out mobile processors for Apple before end of the year, ZDNet reported. The chips, likely to be branded under the “A9” moniker, will be manufactured on Samsung's cutting-edge 14-nanometer process technology.

The confirmation came through the mouth of Kim Ki-nam, president of Samsung's semiconductor-making arm and head of System LSI business.

Speaking to reporters at company headquarters in Seoul, Ki-nam quipped that his company's fortunes “will improve positively” once sales are boosted thanks to the lucrative Apple chip deal. The new mobile processor should make their way into 2015 iPhone and iPad devices.

Samsung rumored to supply screens for iPad Air 2 and 12.9″ iPad Pro

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 30, 2014

Samsung Display, Samsung's display unit and part of the company's component-making arm, will supply Apple with high-resolution panels for an upcoming second-generation iPad Air and a rumored “iPad Pro”which is understood to feature a 12.9-inch screen, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported Tuesday morning citing Korean-news outlet inews24.

Although the Cupertino firm’s been distancing itself from the South Korean conglomerate amid ad wars and legal spats, the Galaxy maker is still an important supplier for Apple. And with its leading position in mobile screen production, Samsung is best poised to ensure that Apple has ample supply of high-resolution panels for the iPad Air 2 and the rumored iPad Pro.

Google’s Eric Schmidt on iPhone 6: ‘Samsung had these products a year ago’

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Google chairman Eric Schmidt didn't have positive things to say about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus released to much fanfare last week, as you may expect. Schmidt, who is often credited with speaking loosely, had a bold response when a Bloomberg interviewer asked how he felt about people lined up around the block for the new iPhone.

Rumor: Apple Watch has LG-made AMOLED screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 17, 2014

Apple has rejected tiny panels made by rival Samsung's display-making arm for its wrist-worn smartwatch and has instead opted in favor of curved AMOLED screens made by LG Display, claims a supply chain report filed Wednesday by DigiTimes, a somewhat accurate Taiwanese trade publication.

Citing unnamed sources at LG Display, the publication reports LG Display will supply AMOLED panels for the Apple Watch. “Apple will reportedly not purchase AMOLED panels from Samsung Display and instead will have LG as the sole panel provider for the Apple Watch”, the sources indicated.

New Samsung ad calls iPhone 6 Plus a Galaxy Note imitation

Cody Lee ∙ September 14, 2014

Samsung began airing a new TV spot this weekend for the Galaxy Note 4—its new flagship handset that begins shipping next month. Like most of the company's recent ads, this one goes after Apple, with a specific focus on its just-announced iPhone 6 Plus.

Titled "Then and Now," the commercial points out that while Apple prepares to begin selling its first handset with a display over 5 inches, Samsung has been doing it for years with its Galaxy Note line. It essentially calls the iPhone 6 Plus a Note imitation.

Samsung ads lampoon iPhone 6 screen, battery, multitasking, Apple Watch and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 11, 2014

Galaxy maker Samsung on Thursday published a series of advertisements on its YouTube channel. The commercials have been designed to ridicule Apple's latest announcements.

The six-installment series, which Samsung is running under the 'Note The Difference' tagline, targets pretty much everything, from Apple's botched live stream to the iPhone 6's screen size, multitasking and battery life to — funny you should ask — the star of the show: the Apple Watch.

I've included the videos for your viewing pleasure right after the break so watch them now and join us in comments.