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Samsung blames two different battery flaws for the Note 7 fires
Well, after months of speculation, Samsung has finally announced the results of its Galaxy Note 7 investigation. The official line: those fires were caused by two distinct battery flaws (just as a recent report suggested), not a hardware or software issue. The first flaw had to do with how the Note 7's original batteries were manufactured: their casings were too small to safely fit the electrode assembly inside, which led to short-circuiting.
Samsung ships fire-proof boxes and gloves to recover Note 7s
If you purchased a Galaxy Note 7 from a US carrier or retailer, you can (and should) return it to a store immediately. If you bought the phone straight from Samsung, though, the process was a little trickier -- some customers complained early on about FedEx and UPS refusing to handle return units out of fears they would blow up. That's why Samsung has adopted an elaborate recall box that allows affected phones to be returned to the company via UPS Ground. It's... sort of a doozy.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall: how to replace your UK phone
It's only been five days since it confirmed the Galaxy Note 7 battery problem and issued a global recall for its highly-rated smartphone, but Samsung is moving quickly to limit the damage. A couple of days after it issued replacement instructions for US consumers, the company has kicked off the exchange process in the UK, confirming that the small number of customers who received their units before the official UK launch will have their devices replaced from September 19th.
Samsung reportedly gearing up to announce a Galaxy Note 7 recall (updated)
Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 debuted to almost surprising critical acclaim earlier this month, but since launch we've seen occasional reports of devices exploding while being charged. The company said yesterday that it delayed Note 7 shipments while it looked into the situation, but a report from Korea's Yonhap News Agency suggests Samsung knows what's going on and is prepared to announce a widespread recall. Update: It's official. Samsung has pulled the Galaxy Note 7 off of shelves and says it's preparing replacements, with a plan to begin the recall in about two weeks.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
Note: On September 2nd, 2016, Samsung issued a global recall for the Galaxy Note 7 following several dozen reports of exploding batteries. Then, on October 10th, the company permanently discontinued the device after reports that replacement units were also exploding. Though this review is still live on Engadget's site for posterity's sake, we have elected to remove the original score. Needless to say too, even if the Note 7 were still being sold we would no longer be able to recommend it.
The Galaxy Note 7 vs. the competition: familiar, but different
Now that the dust has settled on Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 announcement, how does it fare against its rivals? It's time to run the numbers. Many will be interested in the Galaxy Note 7 just because of its "S Pen" stylus, but that's not where the story ends. Elsewhere, the Galaxy Note 7 has a Snapdragon 820 processor paired with 4GB of RAM, which is just what you'd expect from a premium device in 2016. Its 5.7-inch display is larger than the rest of the pack while its 1440 x 2560 resolution is what you'd expect from a flagship. The Galaxy Note 7 has 64GB of internal storage and an expandable microSD slot. The rear-facing camera is a 12-megapixel unit, which is lower resolution than most sensors in this price range, but Samsung claims it takes great pictures anyway thanks to its larger pixels and fast autofocus. Rest assured we'll have a full review of the Galaxy Note 7 before long, but here's a table of numbers to tide you over for now:
Samsung's big, beautiful Galaxy Note 7 lands August 19th
Another year, another Galaxy Note. Samsung just unveiled its new Galaxy Note 7 in New York this morning, and you'll be able to get one for yourself in the US starting August 19th. We got the chance to take one for a test drive prior to the show, and one thing quickly became clear: Samsung might not have revamped the Note formula, but the Note 7 is a testament to the quality that can come from years of gradual change.
'Galaxy Note7' name confirmed by leaked pics
Can't wait for Samsung's next entry into the plus-sized phone category? A tweet from Evan Blass aka evleaks reveals three colors of what will apparently be called the Galaxy Note7 (no space?), in Black Onyx, Silver Titanium and Blue Coral. There have been rumors about the phone and its number-skipping name floating around, but the clear images confirm this is what we'll see announced this summer. Naturally, there's a stylus and curved edges, while the specs cited by Blass on Android Police include a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, 12MP/5MP front/rear camera setup, 64GB of storage and IP68-rated water resistance.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review: the best big phone just got better
For a while there, companies like Palm and Microsoft insisted that the mark of a serious smartphone was the ability to write on it with a stylus. The industry seemingly changed its mind with the advent of capacitive touchscreens, and the stylus became something to scoff at, a holdover from antiquated operating systems like Windows Mobile and Palm OS. But then there's Samsung, which has been trying for years now to keep the idea alive with several versions of the Galaxy Note, a phablet that never quite felt or looked as nice as it should. Well, those days are over. The new Note 5 is the best big phone Samsung has made yet, and it just might make a believer out of a few naysayers.
Meet the Galaxy Note 5: Samsung's most elegant phablet yet
In case the news hasn't already been spoiled for you, Samsung just officially revealed two new phablets, and the updated Galaxy Note 5 is easily the more fascinating of the pair. It's the sleekest, most powerful Note yet (obviously), but -- more importantly -- it's also the most elegant. In fact, after spending a little time with the Note 5, it began to feel like the sort of device that might change a Note naysayer's mind about the "giant screen-writing phone" formula entirely.
Live from Samsung's 2015 Unpacked event in New York!
It's that time again, friends. Samsung wasn't going to let a load of highly descriptive leaks spoil the show it's got planned for us, so let's get the full lowdown on what the company's actually been working on together. Our guesses? Well, a new Galaxy Note, for one, not to mention a super-sized version of the Galaxy S6 Edge just because. With any luck, Sammy's got plenty more in the wings that haven't been spoiled yet -- maybe that Project Orbis/Gear A smartwatch or some juicy Samsung Pay news. Don't worry though: We'll take everything Samsung's unpacking and pack it into this here liveblog (along with an algorithmically prescribed amount of sass for good measure). The event starts at 11am Eastern, but you can join us early for commentary leading up to the big announcements. Let's do this.
Galaxy Note 5 photo leak shows a giant, pen-toting S6
At last, real-life images of the finished Galaxy Note 5 have leaked through Droid-Life... and if they're accurate, they confirm a lot of hopes and fears. The good? It's basically an upsized Galaxy S6 with a stylus, including a vivid (likely 5.7-inch) display, a metal-and-glass body and a spring-loaded S Pen. And check out that curved back -- this may be easier to hold than the S6 despite its larger frame. It's also clear that Samsung has redesigned the S Pen software to fit in line with the S6 aesthetic, although it's not certain whether the changes are more than skin deep. Spec leaks point to a hefty 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage.
WSJ: Samsung launching Galaxy Note 5 early to beat Apple
Samsung is believed to be bringing the launch date of the Galaxy Note 5 forward by a few weeks in order to beat Apple to the punch. The Wall Street Journal believes that the Korean company will announce its phablet gigantophone in August and get it into stores ahead of the iPhone 6S. It's a break from tradition, since Samsung normally refreshes the Note line at IFA in the first week of September. Last year, however, the iPhone 6 arrived around the same time and, presumably, stole enough thunder to prompt the change.
Giant phones are finally a big deal in the US
Extra-large phones have been hot stuff in some countries for a long while, but not so much in the US. The country must have had a change of heart in the past few months, however. Kantar Worldpanel estimates that gigantic devices jumped from 6 percent of American smartphone sales in the first quarter of last year to 21 percent in early 2015. Why? If you ask Kantar, the launch of the iPhone 6 Plus was partly responsible -- it racked up 44 percent of all supersized phone sales despite being just a few months old. The analyst group isn't saying much in public how other brands were doing, although it's safe to say that category pioneer Samsung grabbed a large slice of the pie thanks to high-powered behemoths like the Galaxy Note 4.
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge review: Innovation, experiment or gimmick?
Just because you can do something, should you? Samsung thinks so. Its second experimentally screened phone taps into its hardware R&D and production clout to offer something not many other companies can make, let alone bring to the public outside of a fuzzy proof of concept. And so, following the Galaxy Round, here's the Galaxy Edge. If you take the basic shape and concept, it's the spitting image of the curved-screen Youm prototype spied at CES a little less than two years ago. Now, though, it's a for-real smartphone you can buy. I've been testing it out in Japan, where it launched instead of the Note 4, although both the Note 4 and the Note Edge will eventually be available in the US. Fortunately, despite the unusual, (addictively stroke-able) curved screen, it still packs all of the good things that made the Note 4 such a strong choice. But bragging rights aside, is there enough of an argument for a curved screen? Should you just get the Note 4 anyway?
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review: the best big-screen phone you can buy right now
What began in 2011 as a brand-new phone category has flourished into one of the most popular in the world. Smartphones with big screens (phablets, to some) are now ubiquitous, but it all started with an odd device called the Samsung Galaxy Note. At 5.3 inches, it was a behemoth for its day -- and yet, it sold like hotcakes thanks to its unique S Pen stylus, which provided users with extra functionality, and a copious amount of screen space. Four iterations later, the Note series has continued to grow, mature and dominate the genre. Not only does the latest version, the Galaxy Note 4, come with the snazziest spec sheet on the market, but it also ushers in a fantastic new direction in Samsung's design. It sure sounds like an improvement over last year's model, and it is. Now that Apple's ready to tackle the Note with a large-screen phone of its own, however, is Samsung's baby still the best in its class?
The 10 phones that fueled the big-screen revolution
It's safe to say that Steve Jobs was off the mark when he declared that no one would buy big smartphones -- they've become popular enough that Apple itself is now making large iPhones. But how did these supersized devices escape their niche status to become the must-haves they are today? The transformation didn't happen overnight. It took a succession of ever-bigger phones to spark the public imagination and prove that huge screens were here to stay. We've rounded up 10 of the most important examples -- head on over to our gallery to see how enormous became the new normal.
Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 will land in the US on October 17
It seems like one giant smartphone has been getting all the attention lately, but one of its biggest rivals (literally) is finally set to touch down stateside. Samsung confirmed today that the Galaxy Note 4 will hit the US on October 17, and you can lay claim to yours starting tomorrow from all the usual carrier suspects. We've enjoyed our brief time getting to know the Note 4 and all the little improvements it brings to the table (hello, Quad HD screen!), but here's the thing -- the jury's still out on whether Samsung has done enough with its newest S-Pen experiment to make it worth an immediate upgrade. As always, pricing will vary a bit depending on who you get your service though: a Note 4 with a bog-standard two year AT&T or Verizon contract will set you back $299, while T-Mobile wants nothing upfront and monthly payments of $31.24 for the next 24 months. Alas, our friends across the pond will get a bit of a headstart on us - Notes will drop onto their store shelves a full week earlier.
LG unveils a cheaper G3 that comes with a Galaxy Note-baiting stylus
Have we reached complete, utter, smartphone product launch saturation? Nah. Here's another one. LG's latest (and not unexpected) announcement has some charm of its own, fusing a G3-esque body and UI with a 5.5-inch screen and a new stylus that looks like it'll slide into the phone. (LG's prior stylus models sometimes had the pen accessory float around separately -- it wasn't a good thing.) It won't house the same incredible screen as the G3 flagship, unfortunately. In fact, the display is a less-than-mediocre 960 x 540 resolution, yeesh. LG's pegging the giant phone at a keener price-point -- one it hasn't shared in the announcement -- which could make an interesting option for those pining for sketching skills sans flagship prices. There's a quad-core processor, and a 13-megapixel camera without the laser-beam focus to round out the notable hardware points and it'll first land in Brazil, before rolling out across Asia and Europe. Oh and it will be making an appearance at IFA -- as will we. We'll let you know how it fares in the flesh.
Samsung teases a Galaxy Note 4 reveal for September 3rd
It's that time of year again: smartphone-reveal-event season, and Samsung is holding one next month, in three cities, simultaneously. A recent invite sent to the press, embedded after the break, asked us to "note the date" of September 3rd on our calendars for a product unveiling in New York. It's the latest in the Korean outfit's series of Unpacked events, and it's happening just a few days before Apple's supposed product reveal. Given the cheeky wording of the email, we'd suspect it's pertaining to the Galaxy Note 4 (it's almost assuredly about the Note 4). Whatever it may or may not end up being, though, you can rest assured that we'll be there covering it live just for you.
