Samsung does not hold back when it comes to releasing new smartphones of all varieties, and following on from a multitude of new and exciting handsets dropped this calendar year comes the Galaxy Grand 2, the direct successor to the original Galaxy Grand launched back in December of last year. Designed with movie lovers in mind, it packs an HD 5.25-inch panel of 16:9 aspect ratio - ideal for watching your favorite films and TV shows on the move. By means of a press release, the South Korean company divulged all of the juicy details pertaining its latest model, and we've got them all right here for you.
Of all the recognized companies in the smartphone game, Samsung is the most active in terms of devices released, and as well as a large inventory of mid and low-end handsets, it offers two flagships in the form of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note ranges. It's a fair assessment to make that both series have become a little stale, with both the S4 and Note 3 seeming very similar to their respective predecessors, and this point has been underlined with sales of each falling below the company's high expectations. This places a little extra importance on next year's major releases from the South Korean outfit, and we may just have an insight into the Galaxy S5 thanks to a leaked metal frame purporting to be a legitimate component of the forthcoming device.
Samsung's extremely popular Galaxy S4 smartphone has been slightly relegated to the back of our minds in recent times. There's no denying that the South Korean company produced yet another premium piece of kit when the S4 was launched, however, subsequent iPhone 5s and Nexus 5 releases have not only overshadowed Samsung's flagship device but also made it look somewhat dated. With rumors already starting to circulate regarding next year's Galaxy S5 release, it was only a matter of time until something like this gorgeous next-generation Galaxy concept materialized.
It has been well documented that neither Samsung's Galaxy S4 nor its 'phablet' Note 3 have exactly surpassed expectations in terms of reception and sales figures, when compared to its direct rivals out in the market, of course. Many have complained that both series have become stale and in need of some rejuvenation, but as the Korean outfit prepares the S5 and Note 4 for release at some point next year, there's a little treat for those in ownership of the Galaxy Note 3. For current owners and those planning to purchase the larger-than-life handset, the company behind it is offering $50 of Play Store credit to load up on goodies, and although it does happen to be one of the priciest devices on the market, fifty bucks for apps, games, music and such is still a pretty decent offer.
Whether you love or loathe the Korean electronics outfit's products, it's a fair assessment that the mobile world wouldn't be the same without Samsung. Tenacious and audacious in equal measure, the company seems to know no limits when it comes to experimenting with new technologies and ideas, and now Bloomberg is reporting that Samsung plans to release a smartphone with a wraparound display in 2014.
The Galaxy Note 3 is a beast in every sense of the word. Samsung may have been caught out trying to tweak up its performance when running certain benchmark apps, but even without this rather unnecessary tactic, the handset still leaves most other smartphones in the shade. Those accustomed to using the phablet through previous models will be more than clued-up on how everything works, but for those looking to familiarize themselves with the almost endless reel of features, the Korean company has released a very useful and informative Galaxy Note 3 Experience app.
Manufacturers like Samsung and Nokia had the freedom to push out whacky devices they liked into relatively innocent and emerging market. It's also worth remembering that Apple didn't even exist in the mobile space a few years back. Things have moved on a great deal in the last decade, but it seems certain markets are still hungry for the old-school designs of yesteryear. And now, Samsung is still keen to supply new and innovative clamshell style devices to those markets.
The great thing about Google's Android, is that it's inherently hackable, and even those bits of exclusive software specific to one device invariably wind up dissected and ported through to other smartphones and tablets on the market. The Galaxy Note 3 may well be Samsung's latest premium handset, but the Galaxy S4 remains the flagship, and with so many more consumers in ownership of this summer's blockbuster, it's good to see work being done to bring the Note 3's exclusives over to the main event. The latest feature to make its way to the S4 is the camera app, and thanks to the work of the guys at XDA-Developers, installing it on your own handset is fairly painless. Details, as ever, can be found after the break.
Samsung may currently find itself sitting at the top of the smartphone vendor hierarchy, but there's always been certain aspects of their hardware that just doesn't sit right with some consumers. There's no denying that the company designs and builds fantastic and extremely sought-after smartphones, but the construction of those devices sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. We've been hearing a lot of rumors recently about less than projected sales of the Galaxy S4, which has lead onto speculation suggesting that Samsung could announce the next in the Galaxy S series early next year. Today's latest S related chatter seems to indicate that we could be about to receive yet another plastic based device from the Korean company.
Waiting for a new version of Android to hit all of the devices set out upon release can become rather tedious, and although things are now a lot quicker than in the days of Ice Cream Sandwich, the only way to really guarantee staying up-to-date is to pick up a smartphone or tablet running on stock Android. During Unpacked Episode 2, Samsung made it known that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean would finally be coming to the LTE version of its flagship Galaxy S4, which carries the model number GT-I9505. After a relatively short wait, the update is finally here, in-keeping with the projected October release date. Details can be found after the break.
