Apple’s iPhone 5 became the best-selling smartphone in the world shortly after its launch last fall, and hype surrounding the upcoming iPhone 5S is starting to build. Rivals are preparing new flagship smartphones of their own to combat the new iPhone, however, which is expected to launch late in the third quarter. According to unnamed industry sources speaking with Digitimes, we can expect new flagship Android phones to launch around the same time as the iPhone 5S from several of Apple’s top competitors, including Samsung, LG and HTC. More →
An image published on a Chinese website over the weekend supposedly reveals Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note III phablet. According to MyDrivers, the next-generation Note smartphone will be equipped with a 5.99-inch full HD 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a microSD slot and Android 4.2.2. The report also claims that the handset will feature an eight-core Exynos 5410 Octa processor with the Cortex A15 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and the Cortex A7 core at 1.7GHz, considerably higher than the international Galaxy S4′s clock speeds of 1.6GHz and 1.2GHz, respectively. Earlier rumors have suggested that the device may include a flexible and shatter-proof display and better build quality compared to Samsung’s previous plastic smartphones. The Galaxy Note III is expected to debut at the IFA Trade Show in September. The alleged image follows below. More →
Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy Note III phablet may be a complete departure from the handsets that have made Samsung the world’s top smartphone vendor by shipment volume. The South Korea-based company’s current smartphones feature cheap-feeling plastic cases, but a report from last week suggested that the upcoming new Galaxy Note handset might ditch plastic in favor of a premium material for the casing. On the flip side, a new report now claims that the Note III will do away with the customary Gorilla Glass face in favor of a thinner shatter-proof OLED display assembly made of flexible plastic. More →
The next major addition to Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note lineup — the Galaxy Note III “phablet” — may be set to debut at the IFA 2013 conference, which kicks off on September 2nd this year. The report comes from SamMobile, which has a good track record when reporting details about unannounced Samsung devices. The blog also claims that Samsung’s next major Galaxy tablet iteration, the Galaxy Tab 3, will debut at IFA 2013 as well. No specs or details regarding launch timing were provided for either device.
Samsung (005930) isn’t afraid to take chances with its Galaxy Note line of smartphones. The company previously introduced 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch models, and may go even bigger with the upcoming Galaxy Note III. According to a report from The Korea Times, Samsung is said to be working on a smartphone with a 5.9-inch display to compete with similar sized devices from Huawei (002502) and ZTE (0763). The handset will reportedly be equipped with a new eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor and is expected to be released in the second half of the year. The Korea Times notes that due to supply chain constraints, the Galaxy Note III will not feature flexible display technology. The latest report contradicts earlier rumors that suggested Samsung’s next-generation phablet would sport a 6.3-inch display.
Ridiculous sizes aside, oversized smartphones (“phablets”) that border on tablet territory are here to stay. By next year, the crop of smartphones with 5-inch displays will seem tiny compared to phablets with 6-inch+ screens. According to The Korea Times, Samsung (005930) is reportedly planning to launch the Galaxy Note III with a 6.3-inch OLED display in 2013. By comparison, the current Galaxy Note II has 5.5-inch display. Huawei also (002502) confirmed last week it will release a Galaxy Note II competitor with a 6.1-inch screen. Having pioneered the “phablet” category, Samsung might see no problem with consumers adjusting to even bigger smartphones. More →
