Samsung Galaxy Note 6 UK release date, price, new features and specification rumours: Samsung Galaxy Note line to return to the UK in 2016

The Samsung Galaxy Note series is returning to the UK this August with the new Note 6 (SM-N930F), expected to cost around £630 with a new waterproof design, iris scanner, huge 6GB of RAM and (allegedly) brand-new Android N. We round-up the best Samsung Galaxy Note 6 rumours, focusing on the new Note 6 UK release date, price, new features and specifications.
You might also like: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review, Samsung Galaxy S7 review

When is the Note 6 coming out? Galaxy Note 6 release date rumours

Note 6 release date: August 2016.

Samsung tends to hold an Unpacked event in which it unveils the new Note around the middle of August. The latest we’ve seen a new Note launch is immediately preceding IFA, which this year runs 2-7 September, making a 1 September launch possible. Also see: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launch.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 news, rumors: Note 6 codenamed 'Grace'; model numbers revealed for U.S. carriers

A listing leaked online reveals the model numbers for carriers and regions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 6, which is codenamed "Grace" in the post.

As can be seen in the listing, Samsung will use the model number SM-N930 for different markets. Samsung has already simplified model numbers with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, but now has apparently decided to take things further by designating the model number SM-N930U to all major U.S. carriers — AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, U.S. Cellular, and T-Mobile. The leak also confirms a European version of the phablet.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 Release in UK Soon; Codename Grace

The UK and European market were rather disappointed when the Samsung Galaxy 5 wasn’t released in the region last year. But this time, the company is making it up to the European consumers with the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 with codename “Grace.”

According to iDigitalTimes, the reason why the Galaxy Note 5 was not offered in many European markets including the UK, is that it was targeted for business and productivity-driven markets, while the Galaxy S6 Edge which was available in the region was offered to youthful and fashion-forward markets.


The report continues that latest rumors say that the new phablet model could possibly feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 chip. While other speculated features also include water resistance, a USB Type-C port, and an iris scanner. When it comes to the design, the phablet is expected to refine the look off its predecessor but there will be no significant alterations.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy J7, LG Stylo 2 and Kyocera Hydro Reach Launched in the US

Android fans in the United States rejoice, as a couple of handsets powered by Google’s mobile platform have just made their debut in the country: Samsung Galaxy J7, LG Stylo 2 and Kyocera Hydro Reach.

All three smartphones can be purchased via Boost or Virgin Mobile for $230, $180 and $100, respectively. Obviously, these prices do not require you to commit to a long-term contract.

Potential customers who want to know which of these three smartphones would fit their needs should read further. First of all, the most expensive of the three, Samsung Galaxy J7, is also the most powerful.

The Galaxy J7 smartphone will arrive in stock at both carriers mentioned earlier on April 29. The device sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S7 Is Doing What Apple Can No Longer Do

Good news for Samsung (NASDAQOTH:SSNLF) and Android fans. The company's new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge is a hit. The company recently pre-announced first-quarter earnings, and the results are better than anticipated. Samsung guided to $5.7 billion versus analyst expectations of $4.8 billion in operating income. Samsung also exceeded top-line expectations by guiding for $56.4 billion in revenue, greater than the $56.1 billion analyst consensus.

For investors in the United States, Samsung's consolidated earnings report is of little direct value. The company does list shares on the Gray Markets, the stock symbol above, but the investment is plagued by high bid-ask spreads, and low liquidity.

Read more...

Android Circuit: Android Beats Apple, Microsoft's Android Ambitions, S7 Edge Saves Samsung

Taking a look back at seven days of news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the Chinese smartphone market moving towards Android, how the Galaxy S7 is saving Samsung, the rise of Marshmallow, Google’s monthly update of bug fixes and patches, BlackBerry’s disappointing sales, OnePlus’s OxygenOS update, Microsoft’s improvements to Cortana for Android, and some new icons from Google Play.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).

Chinese Markets Bend Towards Android

The last three months have seen Android gain ground on Apple in the crucial Chinese market (reports Kantar Worldpanel’s data). iOS has seen no growth in its share over the Chinese New Year period, and year-on-year Apple has lost 3.2% share. That has moved over to Android which is up 3.4% and now represents 76.4% of a vital growth market. Natasha Lomas for TechCrunch:

Read more...

Samsung Pay sees virtual reality, in-app purchases in the future

Samsung is looking to step up its effort in electronic payments and is considering catching up with Apple in rolling out in-app purchases using its Samsung Pay – as well looking at the potential of paying in virtual reality (VR).

The South Korean electronics giant launched Samsung Pay last year, its answer to Apply Pay which allows users to tap their phones on a reader to pay for anything.

Samsung Pay recently launched in the U.S. and Chinaafter a debut in South Korea. Now the company is considering the next steps to build out the product, which could include loyalty schemes and in-app purchases.

"Gift cards I think provide us with a unique way to provide offers, we have in-app, that is on our road map, online commerce, being able to pay online with Samsung Pay is very important," Nathalie Oestmann, head of Samsung Pay Europe, told CNBC in an interview at the Money 2020 conference on Tuesday.

Read more...

Samsung’s Good Lock alternate UI gets updated w/ a plethora of bug fixes

“24.0.6 Feedback applied. More feedback will be provided soon,” Samsung says to open up the changelog for a substantial update rolling out for its alternate Good Lock UI today. Besides a less-than-perfect translation, the changelog also features a huge list of much-requested bug fixes and additions. Among other changes, this update adds a swipe gesture to delete in the recent apps view, fixes an issue that caused the SD card to stop working, removal of the permanent location prompt, and more…

In case you’re out of the loop, Good Lock basically gives you a completely revamped user interface on your Galaxy device. The app brings a redesigned lock screen, a new notification shade (which very closely resembles stock Android), some new status bar icons, a unique app multitasking screen, and more.

Here’s the complete change log for version 24.0.6, which comes in at 18.71 MB:

Read more...

iPhone SE vs Samsung Galaxy S7

What's the difference between the Apple iPhone SE and the Galaxy S7?
In an unusual move, Apple updated its iPhone line mid-cycle this year. It introduced the iPhone SE, a lower-cost and compact alternative to the iPhone 6s that directly replaces the iPhone 5s.

It’s a smaller, more affordable iPhone than the lead models. It may also entice buyers who wouldn’t have considered buying the iPhone 5s because it was ‘old’.

Like any iPhone, the iPhone SE is not a budget phone, though. But then neither is the Samsung Galaxy S7, the latest Android smartphone from Cupertino’s arch rival. Oddly, Samsung hasn’t offered a ‘mini’ version of its Galaxy flagship range since the S5 Mini leaving us to compare Apple’s small, single-handed phone against Samsung’s bigger, two-handed titan.

Read more...

Verizon might not support Samsung Pay at launch

Samsung Pay, the company's mobile wallet that works across all the latest Galaxy smartphones, will launch in the US on September 28th. Similar to Apple Pay's rollout, Samsung has all three major credit card providers and several key banks behind the platform. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are also listed among Samsung Pay's initial partners. But one big name is missing entirely: Verizon Wireless. The largest wireless carrier in the United States hasn't yet given its blessing to Samsung's payment tech and right now will only say that it's "evaluating" the service and will share more news as it's available.

The Verge contacted Samsung for a statement on Samsung Pay's standing with Verizon, and in an emailed reply, a spokesperson said "Samsung is in discussions with a number of partners to provide greater access and choice for customers. We will share more information when it becomes available." We're still over a month out from launch, so there's ample time for the two companies to come together on a deal.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active hands-on vs Galaxy S6

Today we compare the Galaxy S6 Active to it's slightly less active counterpart, the original Samsung Galaxy S6. These devices are very similar where it matters most - in their cameras, their software, and their displays. The places where they're different is in their ability to handle the elements. Hence the name - Active. There's also carriers to think about. While the Galaxy S6 is available through most any carrier you like, the Active iteration is only available in the United States through AT&T. If you cannot roll with that, you cannot roll with this.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 pixel display - so does the Active. Both have Super AMOLED technology under the hood. It's like they're the same display. Without ripping both models apart to make certain, as far as we can tell, they are.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge receive small software update, still Android 5.0.2

Samsung has unleashed an update to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge meant to soften some of the rougher edges from the launch build.

A 215-217MB update is available for both the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge on most carriers, bringing so-called “device stability improvements,” a performance boost, as well as unnamed new features.

The build, VLU1AOE1, is identical on both devices and across carriers, and was created on May 3rd. The previous build, VLU1AOCG, was built on March 28th.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active spotted in official website listing

The Galaxy S6 Active has been the object of various rumors for quite some time now. The alleged devices has now been spotted on numerous occasions - in press images and live photos. It's specs have also leaked through the cracks, so, at this point, we can be fairly certain that it is going to arrive, sooner or later.

All we really need now is some kind of confirmation from Samsung and today, one such item did, in fact, pop-up. The rugged version of Samsung's flagship appeared in a list of devices, as part of the Samsung Plus program. The platform in question is a meant to be a community for loyal Samsung fans, set up by the company itself, as well as a means of distributing special offers and offering benefits to the most devoted users.

Read more...

(Update: FCC cleared) Alleged photo of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active leaks out

Update, May 13:

A device with the SM-G890A code number has been spotted in the FCC database. Given that the AT&T Galaxy S5 Active was SM-G870A, it’s likely that we’re looking at the Galaxy S6 Active. While clearing the FCC regulatory process is no indication of when a device is coming to market, in most cases, it’s a matter of weeks at most. In other words, not that much to wait. (Via G4Games.)

Original post, May 12:

Samsung has offered a ruggedized variant of its flagship Galaxy S line of smartphones for a few years now, and it looks like the company isn’t giving up on them anytime soon. A new photo has just leaked out courtesy of GSMArena, giving us a first look at Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 Active.

Looking at the image above, the Galaxy S6 Active looks to feature a natural design progression from previous Active models. As you can see, the device features familiar rugged back and side panels, with the heart rate monitor sitting up top next to the camera module. The front of the device looks to feature a very similar design to the Galaxy S5 Active, complete with tactile recent apps, home and back keys. Much like the GS5 Active, this one doesn’t look like it will feature a fingerprint sensor, either.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S6: Ready to support businesses from day one

Gone are the days of press releases. Today, a native ad speaks volumes for an enterprise or its product with its purposeful content. What electronics giant Samsung has done is just this. 
The crisp editorial content about its newly launched Galaxy 6 and Galaxy S6 eliminates middlemen who style themselves as PR men or entities arranging for publishing of press releases. 
Instead of relying on such exercises, Samsung Electronics’ exhaustive description of its latest Galaxy smartphones highlights how beauty meets with purpose.
About its new smartphones, Samsung says the new devices aim to secure one’s business — from the Den to the Boardroom.

This is so because the workplace has changed dramatically since the Bring Your Own Device trend began to blur the boundaries between consumer technology and enterprise IT. 
Instead of relying on company tech, employees have chosen to create, collaborate and communicate with their personal devices at work.

Read more...

Samsung Fights Success With The Galaxy S6 Edge

It looks like you can’t keep a good curve down. Samsung is reportedly bringing a third production line up to speed to build more curved screens for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Bloomberg Business believes that this will allow production of the innovative smartphone to jump from two million to five million units per month.

Samsung Display now has three plants that make displays using organic light-emitting diodes, or OLED, which offer sharper images at lower power than most liquid-crystal displays. The new production line uses a facility south of Seoul, located near one of the company’s existing plants making curved screens.

The Galaxy S6 Edge has picked up critical acclaim around the world alongside the standard Galaxy S6, and early indications are that the more advanced handset has been selling out, with customers ready to wait for more stock on the S6 Edge rather than switch sales to the vanilla S6. Samsung’s JK Shin has been forthright in the stock issues around the screen, citing lower yields than expected on the organic LED screen.

Read more...

How does Samsung let things like this happen?

It’s a universal truth: when it comes to branding and marketing, consistency is key. Tell your potential customers exactly what you want to sell them. Then tell them again, and again, and again. Consistency in marketing and advertising builds recognition, and that’s the name of the game.

Why hasn’t anyone explained this to Samsung?

Let’s consider Apple’s latest flagship iPhone for a moment. It’s called the “iPhone 6.” Apple markets it as the “iPhone 6,” it’s labeled “iPhone 6″ in print and TV ads, and all of Apple’s partners advertise it as the “iPhone 6.” Now, imagine how ridiculous it would be if the phone itself was branded “i Phone 6.”

As silly as that seems, it’s exactly what Samsung has done with its latest flagship phones.

For whatever reasons, Samsung has chosen to sell its latest flagship phones as the “Galaxy S 6” and “Galaxy S 6 edge” in the United States. These are the phones’ names. Not Samsung S6 and not Galaxy S6, Galaxy S 6.

Read more...

New Samsung Galaxy Tab 5 specifications leak

A brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab 5 has been spotted on TENAA, as well as in a Bluetooth certification. This means that the next iteration of the tablet family is well on its way, which, frankly, surprised us a little.

Earlier this month, the current generation Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, received a 64-bit processor upgrade and so did the Galaxy Tab 4 8.0, a few months earlier, so we naturally assumed Samsung was futureproofing its tech and thus postponing a fifth series.

A set of recently uncovered TENAA certification pages definitely says otherwise. According to the enclosed specifications, the pair of devices will come equipped with an 8.0-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. Both will also feature quad-core CPUs, clocked at 1.2 GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage.

In terms of dimensions, the Tab 5 will be thinner than the previous Galaxy Tab 4, but perhaps, a little shorter and wider. The certification pages for both models seem to show little difference between then, so at this point, we can't really be sure what their main distinction will be. The SM-P355C is listed as being a little heavier and only with white color as an option, although its picture clearly shows a different pallet.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Apple iPhone argument ends in stabbing

There are few rivalries as strong in the mobile world as the one between Samsung and Apple fans. Apple fans insist Samsung is nothing more than a cheap copy of Apple, Samsung insists that the iPhone is locked down and inferior to the Galaxy series. With the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge finally pushing their design forward, this argument is apparently about to get even more heated. How heated? At least in the case of two Tulsa area roommates, it’s a subject worth stabbing over. No, we aren’t kidding.

Read more..

Samsung Galaxy S6 shipments expected to break records

When Samsung dubbed development of its latest smartphones "Project Zero," it was sounding a note of desperation as sales tumbled and it lost pole position in the crucial Chinese market to rivals Xiaomi and Apple.

The results of its overhaul, the flagship Galaxy S6 smartphone and its curved-edge version the S6 Edge, go on sale in 20 countries on Friday, with Samsung expecting record shipments.

Samsung, which said "Project Zero" signified starting from scratch, is hoping a revamped design, a more intuitive interface and less clutter will help claw back lost market share.

Read more...