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Samsung reportedly crafting 10- and 12.2-inch tablets with 2,560 x 1,600 displays
Samsung already has tablets on the market bearing almost any display size that might interest you. If a tweet from @evleaks is to be believed, Sammy has yet more slates in the pipeline, including its biggest one yet. Allegedly, the unannounced SM-P900 tablet carries a 12.2-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 screen (same res as the Nexus 10), an Exynos 5 Octa heart, and an S-Pen that would make it part of the Note family. Another device, known as the SM-P600, is said to cram that same resolution into a 10-inch display, and switches Samsung's chip for a Snapdragon 800. We'd be more willing to buy the rumor if there were pics to back it up, but it's rare for the source to be completely off the mark. Could we see these new tablets at IFA alongside a trio of Galaxy Note III models? Join us in a little under a month for the Samsung edition of Mythbusters.
The Weekly Roundup for 07.22.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Samsung develops 'world's fastest' embedded memory, first with eMMC 5.0
The evolution of mobile memory chips keeps moving faster, if Samsung's progress is any indication. Not eight months since churning out those speedy eMMC 4.5 chips, and the company's next version of NAND is already here. Indeed, the South Korean company says it's now in mass production of what it deems as the world's fastest embedded memory. The new eMMC PRO chip is based on 64GB 10nm class NAND flash technology and would be the first to support the eMMC 5.0 standard. The chips will be available in the usual 16, 32 and 64GB iterations and feature an interface speed of 400MB/s. The 32 and 64GB densities in particular boast random read and write speeds of 7,000 IOPS (inputs/outputs per second) and sequential read and write speeds of 250MB/s and 90MB/s respectively. What do all of those numbers mean? Well, they should translate to much better performance when it comes to multitasking, browsing, file transfers, HD video capture, gaming and just general computing. Combined with the firm's upcoming Exynos 5 Octa 5420 SoC, and we're champing at the bit to see them implemented in Samsung's next generation of mobile devices.
Samsung Galaxy Note III may come in three screen sizes: 5.5, 5.7 and 6 inches
It's no secret that Samsung's working on a next-gen Galaxy Note, but little did we know that it might come in three screen sizes. We've previously seen the model number SM-N900 pop up in a number of places, and this time, our friend @techkiddy spotted the screen sizes alongside some new names on Zauba, a database that somehow tracks India's import and export shipments. Unlike the rumors out there that only mention a single screen size, Zauba lists all 5.5-, 5.7- and 6-inch versions of this supposed Note III, and that these are all shipped to India "for R&D purpose." If true, this would match the multi-size strategy of the Galaxy Mega. Additionally, there are a handful of variant names here: SM-N900A, SM-N900AI, SM-N900P, SM-N900R4, SM-N900S, SM-N900T and SM-N900V. We're not quite sure what the differences are, but some of these are tagged with multiple screen sizes, so they're probably just packaged with different radios. Regardless, we have a feeling that JK Shin will tell us everything at IFA in September. Update: Adam from Samsung Updates has explained what these model numbers mean. Go take a look.
Apple hits three-year low in smartphone marketshare, shipment figures reveal
Fresh reports on the state of the cellphone market during Q2 2013 have blown through the barn door, and industry analysts are flaunting some fairly impressive figures. Smartphones have outsold their less-intelligent brethren for the second quarter in a row, and Strategy Analytics says shipments hit a record-breaking 237.9 million. According to IDC, Samsung managed to ship a total of 72.4 million smartphones during Q2 -- a 43.9% boost year-over-year -- with help of the Galaxy S 4 and price cuts to the GS3. To put that in perspective, that's more than double the 31.2 million iPhones Apple managed to ship, and Strategy Analytics claims this marks a three-year low in Cook and Co.'s marketshare. While LG and ZTE each occupy third and fifth place, respectively, Lenovo pushed Huawei out of the number four slot by sending out 11.3 million handsets. If you're craving for more stats, hit the break for a trio of press releases.
Samsung's Q2 earnings show $6.96 billion net profit, but smartphone growth is slowing
Samsung has released its audited results for the second quarter, and the company is reporting a net profit of 7.77 trillion won ($6.96 billion.) That's plenty of cash and up from the same period last year, however it warned investors growth momentum in its mobile department may slow in pace. Of course, it's still growing, and sales of its Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note 8.0 contributed to a nine percent bump in quarterly revenue for the mobile department. Samsung plans to keep profits high by focusing on "offering differentiated smartphone displays...including flexible display technology" and lowering the cost of its OLED screens. In TVs, profits were also up on more demand for 60-inch+ sets as well as mid-range and low end versions. Samsung is also rolling out Ultra HD and curved OLED TVs in the US, while focusing on more mass-market designs in emerging markets.
FCC certification hints at 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 for AT&T
Okay folks, here's what we know... the FCC recently certified a compact tablet from Samsung that offers full support for AT&T-flavored LTE, and from all appearances, it could very well be the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3. Most tellingly, the SM-T217A measures 186 x 110mm, which is a near-perfect match for the WiFi-only slate that strutted through the FCC this past May. This time around, the tablet supports LTE Bands 2, 4, 5 and 17, UMTS (3G) connectivity over the 850 / 1900MHz bands, along with dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth LE. Regardless of the product's ultimate name, it seems the Galaxy Note 8.0 will soon find a smaller sibling at AT&T. Just don't confuse it for the upcoming Galaxy Mega 6.3.
New Nexus 7 vs. the competition: battle of the budget 7-inch tablets
The original Nexus 7 launched in a relative vacuum -- there were other low-cost, 7-inch Android tablets before, but few with the full support of a major manufacturer. The 2013-era Nexus 7 is entering a far more crowded marketplace with many recognizable names, and even more aggressive pricing. With that in mind, we've compared Google's latest tablet with three of its newest 7-inch peers -- ASUS' MeMo Pad HD 7, HP's Slate 7 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 -- to see whether it's as strong a value as its predecessor. Ironically, the new Nexus 7 occupies the high end in this space. It's the most expensive tablet here, with the sharpest display, the fastest processor and the most built-in storage. However, that doesn't mean it's priced out of contention. The $30 you save with the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 just isn't worth it; Samsung's tablet is a big step down in every aspect outside of expandability. And you're clearly getting what you pay for with the Slate 7, whose low price doesn't excuse a poor display and sluggish performance. The Nexus 7's real competition comes from its own manufacturer, ASUS. While the MeMo Pad HD 7 has a lower resolution screen and a slower CPU, its cameras, display quality, processing power and storage are superb for the price. If you don't crave the Nexus 7's technology or stock Android 4.3, it may be wiser to save $80 and buy the good-enough MeMo Pad instead. Full specifications for all the tablets are available after the break.
Samsung starts making 3GB low-power memory for smartphones
We hope you weren't just getting used to having 2GB of RAM in a smartphone, because Samsung is already moving on. The company is now mass-producing 3GB LPDDR3 packages whose 0.8mm (0.03in) thickness can accommodate most device sizes. The capacious, 20nm-class memory should also be quick when there's a pair of symmetric channels to keep data flowing. The first smartphones with 3GB of RAM should ship in the second half of the year; Samsung isn't revealing which phones will have the honor, but it's not hard to make some educated guesses.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini returns to the FCC with AT&T-capable LTE
When the Galaxy S4 Mini reached the FCC last month, we thought that might be the last we'd see of it in the US; the Galaxy S III Mini never officially reached the country, after all. The GS4 Mini is back for another round, however, and it's now toting AT&T-native support for both LTE (on the 700MHz and AWS bands) and HSPA (850MHz and 1,900MHz). Few other surprises are in store, although we've noticed that there's no AWS-based HSPA for T-Mobile fans. The filing also doesn't say anything about an AT&T launch for the GS4 Mini, but it comes a month after the FCC approved a compatible Galaxy Mega 6.3 -- we wouldn't be surprised if there's more to the story.
The Daily Roundup for 07.23.2013
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 puts the new Exynos 5 Octa 5420 SoC up against a Nexus 10 at SIGGRAPH 2013 (hands-on video)
In case you were already snoozin' when Samsung made its announcement late yesterday, the company is here at SIGGRAPH 2013 eager to show off the muscle behind its new chip. Before the exhibitions start officially, we had a chance to nab a look at a reference tablet running the Exynos 5 Octa 5420 SoC alongside ARM's Mali T-628 silicon packing six cores. For comparison purposes, the prototype unit was matched against a Nexus 10 tablet and its 1.7GHz Exynos 5 Dual 5250. Our first impression? The 5420 ran GLBenchmark's 2.7.0 T-Rex on-screen test noticeably (read: a lot) smoother than the Nexus 10 and the final scores confirmed the performance boost that we previously reported. We also had a look at both the Unreal Engine's Citadel (up to 45fps at times) and Unity Chase on the test device with both further demonstrating silky smooth transitions and brisk graphic renders. There's no word on when the chip will make it into your next mobile device, but it is scheduled to go into production next month. For a quick look at the two tablets side by side, we'll refer you to the video embedded just beyond the break. %Gallery-194455%
BlackBerry Q10 hits Sprint August 30th, Samsung's ATIV S Neo arrives August 16th
Sprint users awaiting BlackBerry's Q10 and its promised "summer" launch, wait no more -- the Q10 will start shipping pre-orders beginning August 30th, with "all other channels" following on September 13th. At least that's according to an internal release date list provided to Engadget by an anonymous tipster, which also gives Samsung's ATIV S Neo an August 16th launch date on Sprint. Of course, these dates are tentative as always, and could shift before the official announcement. In the meantime, we've reached out to Sprint for an official word and will update this post should we hear back. Update: Sprint tells us ... not too much. The company's official statement is: "We have not announced availability for either device, and we do not comment on rumors or speculation on product availability dates. We have said BlackBerry Q10 will be available in late summer, and Samsung ATIV S Neo will be available this summer. Exact availability dates for both smartphones will be shared closer to their availability dates."
New Exynos 5 Octa: 20 percent more CPU power, over twice the 3D graphics oomph
Samsung couldn't help itself last week when it teased a new Exynos 5 Octa system on a chip, and now it's dishing out the full details. The fresh 5420 variant of the SoC is based on Mali-T628 MP6 silicon, packs a quartet of ARM Cortex-A15 cores running at 1.8GHz and four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7s in an ARM big.LITTLE configuration. Seoul claims that the package packs 20 percent more CPU processing punch, and has two times greater 3D graphics power than its predecessor. Dual-channel LPDDR3 at 933MHz gives the processor a screaming memory bandwidth of 14.9 GBps, which lends it full HD WiFi display support. Baked inside is an image compression solution that makes for energy efficient multimedia loading, and squeezes out more hours of use with high-res displays. There's no word on which devices might use the new SoCs, but the chips are already being sampled by Samsung's customers, and mass-production is slated for August.
The Daily Roundup for 07.22.2013
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 55-inch curved OLED TV set to land in the US this week for $15k
Well, it looks like LG won't be the only option available this month for those in the market for a 55-inch curved OLED TV. According to CNET, Samsung's similar TV set, already on sale in Korea, is headed to "select dealers" in the US as early as this week. At least one of those, NY-based Value Electronics, says that its shipment is already on the way, and that it will run the same $14,999 that LG's TV demands at Best Buy. To be clear, that is $15k per TV. One TV. Fifteen thousand dollars. Slightly curved.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review: small in size, but not worth the mega price
Despite how the saying goes, bigger isn't always better -- and that's especially true in the mobile industry, where companies have produced smartphones with larger and larger screens. While that does seem to be the latest trend, a few manufacturers haven't forgotten that there are a ton of smartphone users out there who prefer using something that actually fits in the palm of their hand. Unfortunately, those folks don't have a flagship Android device to call their own, but Samsung is hopeful that its latest 4.3-inch beauty, the Galaxy S4 Mini, will at least suffice as a solid middle-tier option. But will shoppers be bothered by the fact that it lacks many of the top-end components we enjoy on devices like the Samsung GS4? Our friends at Negri Electronics, who are selling the device for $520, were kind enough to let us have some one-on-one time with the petite handset. Read on to get our take.%Gallery-194098%
Samsung to debut global developers conference in San Francisco on October 27-29
Samsung has just announced that it'll put on its first global developers conference in San Francisco on October 27-29, 2013, joining the other cool tech kids, Google, Microsoft and Apple. Details are scant for now other than the invitation copy (shown above), which promises hobnobbing with "industry leaders" and "fellow developers." We'd also expect the usual coding workshops and the like, and Samsung told us that the event would apply to "all divisions, platforms and devices," not just mobile. The sign-up page will go live later this summer, so if you're looking to get your code (and schmooze) on, better keep an eye on the source -- these things tend to fill up fast.
Refresh Roundup: week of July 15th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Mobile Miscellany: week of July 15th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, Samsung added two new colors to its GS4 LTE-A lineup, Motorola teased its manufacturing facility for the upcoming Moto X and @evleaks spilled the beans on a new smartphone for Verizon. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of July 15th, 2013.
