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Samsung has sold more than 200 million Galaxy S smartphones
Want to know how big a player Samsung is in the smartphone market? The company now says that it's sold over 200 million Galaxy S phones since the line first went on the market in 2010. For reference, the Korean tech giant had notched up sales of 100 million Galaxy S devices as of slightly more than a year ago. Samsung isn't breaking down the sales by model, although it had sold over 40 million Galaxy S 4s as of last fall -- much of that 200 million clearly came from more recent customers. It's difficult to compare the data against other manufacturers, since few of them break out sales by range. Apple, for example, said that it shipped 700 million iOS devices of all kinds as of October. However, it's safe to say that Samsung remains a heavyweight at the high end of the smartphone market.
Samsung Galaxy S5 preview: simpler in some ways, more 'glam' in others
Once a year, Samsung takes some of its best material and slaps it together into a premium flagship model called the Galaxy S. While 2014's version -- the S5 -- came a bit earlier in the year than some earlier iterations, we're no less excited to see it become the star of the show at Mobile World Congress. The new device will ship in April (on stage, Samsung specifically mentioned that it launches on April 11th in 150 markets), although exact pricing and availability are still unknown. It features a refreshed design language, yet anyone who has used a GS phone recently will immediately recognize it as a Samsung flagship. Despite its familiar design, the GS5 has a few new useful hardware features, including a fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor, and a toned-down TouchWiz UI on top of Android 4.4 KitKat. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all, however, was that Samsung didn't overload its prized new smartphone with a heaping dose of new S-branded features. This is a marked departure from the company's previous strategy of cramming in every software feature under the sun, which leads us to wonder if this is related to Samsung's recent agreement to dial back the customization it does on Android devices. So what else is new here? Read on for a deeper dive.
Live from Samsung's 'Unpacked 5' MWC event!
Slow your roll there, eager beaver. We know you're excited to Meet the next Galaxy S5, but the big 'Unpacked 5' event hasn't started yet. If you're worried about missing any of the news as it's unveiled, just be sure to check back here at 2PM EST/ 8PM CET when Samsung's Mobile World Congress festivities kick off. We'll be reporting on all the action (and potentially amusing stage presentation) as it happens live. Until then, be nice to your Galaxy S 4, and say hi to your mother for us. February 24, 2014 2:00:00 PM EST
Tune in live for Samsung's 'Unpacked 5' event tomorrow at 2PM EST!
Here on the ground in Barcelona, Samsung's got a big banner just outside Mobile World Congress' main hall inviting us to "Meet the next Galaxy." And we're pretty sure that's confirmation of the rumored Galaxy S5, what with its supposed 2K display, fingerprint scanner and ability to float in mid-air while toasting bread. Alright, so maybe that last bit's just part of our spec wishlist. Whatever it is Samsung unpacks for us to see, you can also expect there'll be a new Gear smartwatch on hand and maybe even an ultra-lux Galaxy F (for 'fancy') to go with it. It's all going down right here at 2PM EST / 8PM CET tomorrow, so tune in for all the news live as it happens. February 24, 2014 2:00:00 PM EST
Samsung Galaxy S5 might come with a fingerprint sensor
Folks excited to buy a Galaxy S5 so they can authenticate with their eyeballs and feel like Ethan Hunt might be in for a disappointment. According to Sammobile, Samsung's upcoming flagship will come with a fingerprint sensor -- one that's embedded on the home button à la iPhone 5S. If this report is true, however, that's about the extent of the scanners' similarities, as S5's is supposed to be markedly different and more sophisticated. Users reportedly need to swipe their finger from base to tip across the button (their print will appear on the screen as they swipe), and authentication will fail if their hands are wet. The phone can store up to eight fingerprints for different purposes, such as to launch particular apps or verify their Samsung accounts. Some of these stored fingerprints can also be used to access two new features called Personal Folder and Private Mode, where users can keep apps, widgets and files for their eyes only. We obviously won't know for sure until Samsung launches the Galaxy S5: thankfully, we might only have to wait a few more days to find out if any of these claims are even close to being real.
What Samsung is saying about the Galaxy S5
Samsung isn't going to make a big song-and-dance when it finally reveals its next flagship smartphone, at least not literally. When it announced last year's Galaxy S 4, the company put on a pretty grand show in New York. However, that isn't to say the current darling of Android is keeping everything a secret when it comes to the Galaxy S5. In fact, the company has shared a surprising amount about what to expect, without us even getting close to the rumor mill. And, because Samsung makes the majority of its smartphone components in-house (processor, screen and battery) many of these announcements are made from the sidelines, months in advance, then not-so-miraculously appear (eventually) in the company's mobile devices. Last year's Samsung flagship didn't scream that it was truly a new phone in its own right ... something that Samsung's Mobile EVP, Lee Young Hee even admitted. Broadly, Samsung's said that it's had a "back to basics" rethink on its next smartphone -- a good idea given that the GS 4 really didn't fall far from the Galaxy S tree. Slimmer, faster and sharper are all good, but last year's flagship didn't scream that it was truly a new phone in its own right. It's even something that Samsung's Mobile EVP Lee Young Hee, admitted in an interview with Bloomberg. "It's partly true that consumers couldn't really feel much difference between the two products from the physical perspective." With this year's model, she added, "mostly it's about the display and the feel of the cover." So that's the front and back, right? At its most asinine, it could simply mean the GS5 will pillage the faux leather effect that's now the standard on both Samsung Android tablets and its Note 3 series. Samsung's already transplanted the look to a limited-run Galaxy S 4, but it's the mention of changes to the screen that's got us a little more enthused than last year.
Daily Roundup: alleged Windows Phone 8.1 leak, ARM's Cortex-A17 processor, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Samsung's 'Unpacked 5' event promises a new flagship device
Samsung sure knows how to whet the appetite of its fans. The Korean tech giant has announced that it's holding an "Unpacked 5" event at Mobile World Congress on February 24th -- a potentially not-so-subtle reference to the upcoming Galaxy S 5. There's no guarantees that the new high-end smartphone will appear in Barcelona, especially when Samsung has only unveiled one Galaxy S device (the Galaxy S II) at the trade gathering. However, our invitation mentions a "flagship product," and it comes nearly a year after the company invited us to get "ready 4 the show" -- we all know what that digit was referencing. Whether or not the fifth-generation flagship makes an appearance at the event, you can be sure that we'll be there.
Is this the Samsung Galaxy S5's new tile-based home screen?
As Samsung's Galaxy S5 gets ready to launch, the rumor alert scale has already hit "yellow." The latest from @evleaks shows a possible TouchWiz home screen that would be a sharp U-turn from the current one, if real. It displays information and notifications like Google Now in a tiled format à la Microsoft's Modern/Metro UI -- not unlike the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2's Magazine UX. Naturally, there's no info about how the software would gather up such data, but in any event, the screenshot above could easily be a Samsung test or a fake -- we'll find out in a few short months.
Samsung promises a 'back to basics' rethink for the Galaxy S 5
Samsung has admitted that the public didn't see much difference between the Galaxy S III and S4 smartphones and said the S5 would likely pack a substantially different design. Exec Lee Young Hee told Bloomberg that the new flagship will go "back to basics," adding that "mostly, it's about the display and the feel of the cover." It'll also arrive with a brand-new version of the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which itself will have "more advanced functions" and an improvement to what she called "the bulky design." Other revelations include a possible eye-scanner in the handset for greater security, though that's still being studied. Farther down the road, Samsung said that it's looking at significant changes for the Galaxy Note 3's successor in order to target it at professionals who are "willing to pay more for handsets." As such, it may pack a three-sided display, like the so-called Youm prototype we saw last year at CES 2013, allowing users to read messages from oblique angles. Finally, Lee revealed that the Galaxy S 5 would arrive in March or April after Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Considering we saw the Galaxy S III and S4 around the same period in previous years, however, that's not a big shocker.
