Galaxy S4

iPhone 5s is top-seller in the US with iPhone 5c close behind

Apple's new iPhone 5s became the top-selling smartphone in the US during September. New numbers show the 5s and 5c were among the top three smartphones sold by all four major domestic carriers.

Helped along by record sales, the iPhone 5s also replaced Samsung's Galaxy S4 as the best-selling smartphone among AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, according to Canaccord Genuity Friday...

Phil Schiller calls out Samsung for benchmark ‘shenanigans’

Philip Schiller

Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller is at it again, stirring the pot via his Twitter again. Earlier this year he called out Android for its staggering malware problem, and today he put Samsung in his sights.

This morning, Schiller tweeted out a link to an ArsTechnica article called 'Galaxy Note 3’s benchmarking “adjustments” inflate scores by up to 20%.' And the SVP calls 'shenanigans' on Samsung's attempt to pad its benchmark scores...

In response to copycat claims, Samsung posts history of gold phones

Last week, Samsung beefed up its marketing efforts for the Gold Edition of its Galaxy S4 smartphone. The handset technically launched back in late August, but the timing of its new advertising push spawned some negative PR.

The company's highlighting of the gold S4 a week after Apple unveiled its gold iPhone brought about 'copycat' accusations—something the tech giant has been found guilty of on several occasions. But Samsung says that's not the case...

Samsung shockingly launches gold Galaxy S4

It's not surprising the slightest bit that gold colorway is becoming all the rage in cellphones. That's almost single-handedly due to Apple offering its flagship iPhone 5s in gold, in addition to silver and space gray finishes.

Somewhat surprising: Samsung following in Apple's footsteps by offering the flagship Galaxy S4 in gold - after the fact. "Elegance is a touch of gold," reads Samsung's tagline for a phone "style that's uniquely yours".

Fast follower, indeed...

New iPhones could fuel 28 percent jump in Apple’s Christmas quarter sales

Although Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c don't hit shelves until tomorrow, we already have a glimpse into how the new smartphones will boost sales. Judging by pre-sales that began last week, Apple could see a 28 percent jump in fiscal fourth quarter sales, according to one Wall Street observer.

In a note to clients yesterday, a Morgan Stanley analyst said the two handsets could propel iPhone sales of 34.5 million phones during the fiscal fourth quarter, up from 26.9 million units during the same period last year...

Apple and Samsung responsible for 55 percent jump in mobile display profits

When Apple or Samsung score a win, leading the cheering section may be all the parts manufacturers building components for the popular smartphones. A case in point: mobile display manufacturers, who saw a 55 percent jump in profits between 2012 and 2013.

Increased demand for iPhone and Galaxy handsets meant revenue of $33.3 billion for the mobile display device industry in 2013, according to researcher NPD Display Search. The two handset makers are also driving demand for more complex mobile device technology, including AMOLED screens predominantly used on Samsung devices and TFT LCDs found on iOS devices...

T-Mobile sold 900K iPhones, 600K Galaxy S4s last quarter

Last night, T-Mobile announced its financials for its second quarter, and the numbers were fantastic. The carrier added more than 1 million new subscribers, and sold over 4 million smartphones during the 3-month period.

In the press release, the company wouldn't say how many of those 4 million phones were iPhones, only that the handset made up about 29% of their sales. During the conference call, though, it was much more forthcoming...

Samsung targets wavering iPhone users in new Galaxy S4 ad

Samsung has posted a new Galaxy S4 TV spot to its YouTube channel this afternoon. The ad, titled 'Ready for Takeoff,' follows the company's recent advertising trend, depicting a man using his S4 in public that eventually gets surrounded by interested onlookers.

This particular ad seems to target iPhone users more than Samsung's previous commercials, though, as it co-stars an iPhone owner who seems very interested in the S4, but says he likes a "simple phone" and worries about the complications of switching. Watch...

High-end smartphone market gone, warns analyst

Welcome to the commoditization of smartphones, or the Emachining of the iPhone. As the handsets move from only the hands of first-adopters to something even your grandma owns, prices are plummeting. It is to the point where one analyst declares the end of the high-end smartphone gold rush.

The average price of a smartphone has fallen nearly $100 in the past year as consumers dismiss talk of 4G and other technical debates, concentrating on just one question: is it good enough and within reach of their wallet...

Is iPhone 5 ‘most hated’ or have rivals hijacked Apple’s message?

Judging from last week's online chatter over whether people hate the iPhone 5 or love Samsung's Galaxy S4, you'd have thought the tech press had returned to high school, where the halls are filled with BFFs and everyone dots their 'i' with hearts.

However, there is some actual news coming from that torrent of tweets and Facebook posts.

Apple, long admired for its tight control of information, is great at talking up its brand, but does little to guide the conversation once a product is launched. Hence, the iPhone 5 'most hated' drivel...

Tasting Apple’s bitter pill: Samsung’s smartphone growth story running its course

In an age of demand for simple, inexpensive smartphones, big is not always better. The latest example is Samsung, viewed until recently as the Asian Apple, it's Galaxy smartphones keeping Android from sinking into mediocrity. After snickering at the iPhone maker's spate of bad luck on Wall Street, Samsung Friday lost 3.6 percent of its stock value amid a disappointing quarterly forecast.

With 70 percent of its profits coming from mobile devices, Samsung is in the same leaky boat as Apple. Addicted to high profits from sales of expensive smartphones built cheaply, Samsung Friday forecast $8.3 billion in profit during the second quarter, lower than the $8.9 billion Wall Street expected.

Since early June, the South Korean firm's stock value has lost $34.2 billion, the market capital of Sony and LG combined, according to one report...

Samsung lambasts Siri dictation in weirdest Galaxy S4 ad yet

I appreciate memorable, creative advertising as much as the next guy, but I just don't get a new Galaxy S4 commercial Samsung is airing in Iceland.

Instead of focusing on the handset's features or the usual iPhone bashing, this time around Samsung's creative agency has gone over the top in depicting a guy trying to make a phone call on a real apple.

Realizing swiping across fruit makes no sense, the ad then switches to a happy scene where our hero operates a Galaxy S4. The not-so-subtle jab at Apple is plain weird, to put it mildly. I know ads are supposed to take into account the often vast cultural differences across markets, but I'm not sure Samsung did itself a favor with this particular commercial...