Apple

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.

Samsung could start selling refurbished phones in U.S. next year

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2016

In June quarter, Samsung had nearly ten percent more U.S. market share than Apple, as per Gartner. To keep the momentum going, Samsung could start selling used versions of its premium smartphones in U.S. as early as next year, “a person with direct knowledge of the matter” told Reuters.

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?

DigiTimes: TSMC to build 16nm Apple Watch 2 chip

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 10, 2016

An Apple-designed 'S2' system-in-package that will power a second-generation Apple Watch won't be produced by Samsung, like the original Apple Watch's S1 chip. According to a new report by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes, semiconductor foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has managed to beat Samsung in securing S2 orders. In fact, both the second-generation Apple Watch and an enhanced version of the original Apple Watch will be driven by the S2 chip, built using TSMC's 16-nanometer process technology.

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 caught using drawings of Apple Watch in its own smartwatch patent filing

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 4, 2016

The iPhone's look and feel isn't the only design feature Samsung “borrowed” from Apple (100+ top designers agree), for which it was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to the Cupertino firm in damages (later slashed to $548 million). No, the South Korean company is notorious for frequently borrowing a page from Jony Ive's design book when it comes to other things like the look and feel of software, packaging, marketing material and more.

As was discovered by Patently Apple, the Galaxy maker appears to have borrowed a few familiar looking images from Apple in its latest patent filing for a ”Wearable Device” which includes drawings of Apple's smartwatch that depict the Digital Crown, crystal back, heart rate sensor and even several of its proprietary band designs.

Apple’s case against Samsung gets support from Dieter Rams, Calvin Klein & other designers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 4, 2016

Apple's mega-lawsuit against Samsung is now in the hands of the United States Supreme Court, which should start hearing Samsung’s appeal over Apple’s design patent case in October. Ahead of court proceedings, Apple today filed an amicus brief containing support from 111 famed designers.

Some of them include well-known names like Jony Ive's friend Dieter Rams, fashion designer Calvin Klein and iSpaceship building designers over at Lord Norman Foster.

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.

Foldable Samsung tablet/smartphone hybrid aka “smartlet” appears in patent filing

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2016

Last month, Bloomberg ran a high-profile story about Samsung's alleged initiative, code-named Project Valley, that would bring a pair of fully bendable Galaxy phones to market in early-2017.

Subsequent supply chain reports have since backed the story partially as it became public knowledge that Samsung has allocated north of $7 billion into boosting production of flexible OLED panels.

As Patently Apple noted today, a new patent application sheds more light on the South Korean conglomerate's interest in creating a technology that would allow a smartphone or tablet to fold in half when not in use.

Samsung Display is spinning off its successful OLED business ahead of OLED iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2016

Samsung Display, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, recently won a deal with Apple to supply its high-quality OLED panels for use in the next iPhone and now the South Korean company is spinning off its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) unit, The Korea Times reported Monday.

Samsung Display reported a 270 billion won (about $235.2 million) operating loss during the first quarter of this year due to the struggling LCD business and strong competition from Chinese makers of low-cost LCDs for mobile devices.

Samsung could build 240M AMOLEDs for future iPhones in the next 3 years

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2016

LG Display, Japan Display, AU Optronics, Samsung Display and Foxconn-owned Sharp are all said to share production of AMOLED panels for future iPhones, with Samsung alone providing an estimated 240 million AMOLED units in the next three years beginning in 2017, DigiTimes Research predicted yesterday.

Samsung is the world's top producer of AMOLED panels. When deployed to the iPhone, this technology will result in crisper colors, deeper blacks, increased brightness, high visibility under direct sunlight and reduced power consumption.

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.