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Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

After more than two years without producing anything of notice on the mobile phone market, Samsung finally managed to draw some attention with their new Galaxy S6. The device has greatly improved software, a brand new design and unique hardware construction, when compared with their previous products. Everything adds up for this to be the best Samsung smartphone ever released.

Samsung announced, during the 2015 MWC, that they will be releasing their new flagship device on April 10, 2015. The Samsung Galaxy S6 will be available in a few different colors, including gold, blue, white and black.

To be frank, I didn’t expect this phone to be so incredibly good, but, as it stands, it is a masterpiece. This is my review of the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Pricing

In the US, depending on which carrier you chose the price will slightly vary but, of course, you can pick the offer that suites you the best.

T-Mobile

They will sell the 35 GB Galaxy S6 for $0 upfront but with a 24 month contract that costs $28,33/month, while the full retail version will cost $679,92.

The 64 GB model is priced at $99,99 initial fee and another $32,49 each month for 24 months, or $759,99 full retail.

You can also purchase the 128 GB version for $199,99 upfront and $27,50 per month with a 24 months contract, while the full retail version will cost you $859,99.

At T-Mobile the device will be available for purchase in three colors: gold, white and black.

In order to attract more customers, they are also offering a free, one year subscription to Netflix to anyone that preordered the phone before April 12.

AT&T

They will sell the 32 GB Galaxy S6 for $199,99 with at two year contract, while the 64 GB model will cost $299,99, and the 128 GB version will sell for $399,99.

Under AT&T’s “Next 24” payment plan, the 32 GB Galaxy S6 sells for $22,84/month, while the 64 GB model will cost $26,17/month and the 128 GB version will be available for 29,50/month, for 30 months.

Under the “Next 18” payment plan, the 32 GB Galaxy S6 will cost $28.55, the 64 GB model will cost $32.7 and the 128 GB version will cost $36.88, for 24 months.

Unlocked, the 32 GB Samsung Galaxy S6 will set you back $684.99, while the 64 GB model will cost you $784.99 and the 128 GB version will sell for $884.99.

Sprint

Here, the Samsung Galaxy S6 will  cost you $199,99 for the 32 GB version, 299,99 for the 64 GB one and 399,99 for the 128 GB model, with a two-year contract.

You can get all of the S6 models for free if you chose the “Sprint Unlimited Plus” plan. The 34 GB model will cost you $80/month, the 64 GB version will cost you $85/month, while the 128 GB model will cost you $90/month. Customers will also get a $20/month credit, that they can use to upgrade their phone, which they will be able to use after a period of 12 months.

If you want to get the unlocked version from Sprint, then you will have to pay 684,00 for the 34 GB model, $786,00 for the 64 GB one and $864,00 for the 128 GB version.

Verizon

At Verizon, you can purchase the 32 GB Samsung Galaxy S6 for $199,00, the 64 GB Galaxy S6 for $299,99 and the 128 GB Galaxy S6 for $399,99, with a two year contract. Here, you will get a $50 discount.

If you are interested in the “Edge” program, then you will pay $24,99/month for the 34 GB model, $29,60 for the 64 GB one and $33,33 for the 128 GB version, with a 24 months contract.

The full priced version at Verizon will cost you $599,00 for the 34 GB model, $699,99 for the 64 GB one and $799,00 for the 128 GB version.

U.S Cellular

At US Cellular you can get the 34 GB phone for $199,99 and the 64 GB one for 299,99, with a two year contract.

Under their installment pricing plan, you will have to pay $34/month for the 32 GB model, or $38,59/month for the 64 GB version, and the contract will last for 20 months.

They also offer the unlocked version of the phone. The 32 GB Galaxy S6 will sell for $680,00, while the 64 GB Galaxy S6 will cost $770,00.

You can also buy the Samsung Galaxy S6 at the following retailers: Best Buy, Cricket Wireless, Amazon, Boost Mobile, Metro PCS, Sam’s Club, Costco, Walmart and Target.

Design

Finally, Samsung threw away that plastic cover that they used on their previous models and replaced it with a metal one, following Apple’s example. The case is made out of strong glass with an all-metal band that give the smartphone an extremely robots feel.

As far as looks go, Samsung kept their design heritage, after all they are a company that love to cling on to their tradition. The front of the phone reminds me of the Samsung Galaxy S4, with round corners combined with a oval shaped home button.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

Samsung Galaxy S6 Design

The most curious fact about the design of the S6 is that they left out the microSD card slot. I believe that this was nothing more than a marketing scheme, again, taken from Apple’s business playbook. Nowadays, a 64 GB microSD card is roughly $30, so everybody would have purchased the less expensive 32 GB model and added a card to it afterwards. Apple has been doing this for some time now and marketing research shows that there are a lot of customers that are willing to buy the 128 GB phones. I think that Samsung wants a piece of that action as well. Some of their fans will surely be annoyed by this, but the majority of people will simply be happy with the 34 GB model.

When you are holding the Samsung Galaxy S6 in your hand, you will feel like you are holding premium quality device. It is elegant, yet compact and the 5,1 inch screen, that takes up most of front of the device, look really good.

As far as build quality goes, we can finally acknowledge that Samsung has indeed created a device worthy to stand next to the iPhone 6 and the HTC One M9.

The metal bands that go around the sides of the phone are split by small plastic strips in order to allow the antenna and other devices to make their connections. If this seems familiar to you, it’s because the exact same design was applied to the iPhone 6. The strips are necessary for the phone’s signal to get trough. However, because of the glass back and front I was a bit surprised to see them put in.

Just like before they placed the power button on the left side of the device and the volume buttons on the right side. This alignment worked very well in the past, so why change something that is good? Finally, they’ve upgraded the home button, so now, when you press it, it will give a very sturdy click.

A less attractive element is the placing of the back camera. If you were to hold the phone sideways, then you will see that the camera sticks out a bit. It’s not very aesthetically pleasing and, at the same time it is very much exposed to scratching. They have done this in order to allow a more powerful optical system and by the end of this review you will see that it was totally worth it.

As I’ve mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is available in four different colors: blue topaz, gold platinum, white pearl and finally, my personal favorite, black sapphire.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

The available colors for the Samsung Galaxy S6

Hardware

If you were to look under the hood, then you will see that it packs an octa-core processor, made out of two quad-core processors, the Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 plus the Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57. It also has a Mali-T760 graphics processor unit (GPU) and 3 GB of RAM. This is by far, the most powerful phone ever made.

The Screen

Samsung has always had good screen technology and the Samsung Galaxy S6 makes no exception.  The Super AMOLED display provides a clear image, with pure blacks against crisp whites, that makes even the darkest of scenes to be shown perfectly.

It is quite a big screen, 5,1 inch to be more precise, with more pixels than before and a 1440 x 2560 resolution, which matches the Galaxy Note 4 but the Galaxy S6 has a higher PPI (577).  This indicates that you are looking at the sharpest display on the market.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

Samsung Galaxy S6 Screen

LG has started the QHD level of screen in 2014, when they released the G3, but that phone’s screen was based on LCD technology that left the display a bit dark and made it power hungry, as every pixel added extra pressure on the battery.

After that, Google Nexus 6 came along and impressed everybody with its bigger screen, that despite its wide display, it still looked awesome. The Note 4 was released next, with the same resolution and the bar was set for future smartphones.

You would think that by combining the number of pixels from the Note 4 with a more compact screen should result in a superb display, but sadly it doesn’t. I do not mean to say that the screen of the Galaxy S6 looks bad, because it really does not, I just want to point out that the QHD resolution is rather pointless, without adding much to the mix, especially with its high power requirements. I must admit, that optimized videos do look better on this screen and when you hold both devices side by side, it is very noticeable that the display of Galaxy S6 is superior to a normal, run of the mill full HD display.

I think that brightness, contrast and accuracy are a lot more important than pixel count, and here, the S6 really delivers. When you set the brightness mode to manual, the screen will do exactly what we would expect from an AMOLED display and ramp up to 347 cd/m2, but if you set it to auto-brightness then it will go up to 560 cd/m2 in order to compensate for sun glare during those warm, sunny days. If you turn down the brightness slider to its minimum, then the screen will dim to 1,92 cd/m2.

The contrast is perfect and it will help a lot when watching TV programs and movies, and the photos will give you the illusion that they are popping out of the screen.

The most impressive aspect of this screen is its incredible color reproduction.

We are used to see these kind of results from professional monitors and not a smartphone’s display. It is truly a remarkable feat of engineering.

The Special Features

Among the basic features of the Galaxy S6 there are two functions that are worth mentioning. The wireless charging and the fingerprint sensor.

The fingerprint scanner is not really a new feature, for it was also present within the Samsung Galaxy S5, but this time it is a lot better. The swipe of the screen gesture was completely replaced with a touch-based, flawless and fast sensor.

The second special feature I’ve mentioned, was the in-built wireless charging feature. The wireless charging plate does not come with the Galaxy S6, but it will work with any standard QI charger.

Software

The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with the 5.0.2 version of the Android OS, also known as Lollipop. Just like the previous models, it uses the TouchWiz UI, but greatly improved. They have removed a lot of unnecessary buttons and made its structure a little bit more logical. The design team has made the TouchWiz more intuitive and a lot simpler to use. Just after a few hours of “playing” with the device, I can safely say that the new “skin” is more fluid, lean and light.

Samsung has invested a lot in colors and animations for their new TouchWiz. It is more bright and colorful than ever. Now, for the first time ever you have the ability to remove pre-loaded apps. You cannot uninstall the manufacturer’s applications, but, for the most part, you have to option to disable them. For example, all pre-loaded Google apps can be disabled, except for the Google Settings. The same situation applies for other apps too. You can’t uninstall Skype, OneNote, OneDrive, WhatsApp, Messenger of Facebook, but you sure can disable them.

Audio

The first thing that you will notice when you see a Samsung Galaxy S6 for the first time, is that the speaker is located at the bottom front of the device, but it is still better than having it on the back of the device. If you are looking for a superior audio experience, with front-facing stereo speakers, then I recommend that you get the Xperia Z3, or the HTC One M9.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

Samsung Galaxy S6

For unknown reasons, Samsung dropped the ball when it comes to audio quality. The only way you can get a stereo sound is by using headphones.

It is rather unfortunate that you will be able to play mobile games with top-quality graphics and get frustrated by the audio. The placement of the speaker is also a downside. Imagine playing a game and holding your phone in a landscape position. I can guarantee you that most of the time you will be holding your hand over the speaker, blocking the sound.

The S6 speaker is 50% louder than its predecessor, the Galaxy S5, but it doesn’t sound any better.

The Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 16 MP camera on its back and a 5 MP one on its front. Both of them have real-time HDR and wide-angle lenses, that are very useful when taking pictures in low-lighting condition areas. The primary camera comes with “Optical Image Stabilization” and an amazing “Pro Mode” for those of you that want to use manual settings.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

The back camera of the Galaxy S6

The back camera is yet again equipped with selective focus, it features an infrared sensor for creating better white balance and for color correcting images. It also features rapid activation and also delivers a wide number of interesting modes, including 4K, fast motion, panoramas  slow motion and many, many more. You can quick access the camera by double-tapping the home button, even if the phone is locked.

The Battery

They have taken a huge risk by adding a small, non-removable, Li-Ion, 2,550 mAh battery. It would have been better if they kept the 2,800 mAh removable battery found in the Galaxy S5. Most state of the art smartphones on the market have a 3,000+ mAh battery.

The lifespan of this battery for an average user is anywhere in between 16 and 18 h.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 supports PMA and WPC protocols for wireless recharging. This makes the phone compatible with almost all wireless chargers available on the market today, and at the same time this standard, universal wireless support is 1,5 times faster than on the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Like the Moto Maxx and Nexus 6 before it, it has successfully implemented the fast recharge feature. You must plug it in for only 10 minutes and it will have enough juice for 4 hours of usage.

Technical Specifications

Type: Phone

MANUFACTURER: Samsung

Model: SM-G920

Dimensions: 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm

Weight: 138 g

Screen Size: 5.1 inch

Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh

Display Technology: AMOLED

Screen and Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels (576 PPI)

Back Camera: 16 megapixels

Front Camera: 5 megapixels

Flashlight: LED

U.I.: TouchWiz

O.S.: Android v5.0.2 (Lollipop)

RAM: 3 GB

Storage Space: 32 GB/ 64 GB/ 128 GB

Removable Storage: not available

Chipset: Exynos: 7420

CPU: Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 + Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 (octa-core)

Maximum Clock Speed: 2.1 GHz

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, LTE and HSPA

Conclusion

For the first time ever, I can say that I love using TouchWiz. It underwent trough significant changes and all of them are for the better.

The Galaxy S6 is breath of fresh air in the Galaxy S line and it is by far the best Samsung phone ever made.

Its two defining characteristic are: no removable battery and no microSD slot. They made up for those changes with fast recharging battery, software and processor optimizations and superior memory technology.

Even if you get the 128 GB model, storage will still be a problem while filming in 4K and you will have to save your videos to Google’s cloud.

Perhaps the most important thing, is that they improved the features that really matter the most and stopped adding new, useless ones.

This may be an expensive smartphone, but in my honest opinion, it is the best available on today’s market.

Pros

Great new design, made out of metal and glass

Fast charging feature

Incredible screen

Very good UI

Good camera performance in low-light situations

Excellent processor

Cons

It is not waterproof

The camera lens sticks out

The speaker is mounted at the bottom

There is no microSD card

It is rather expensive

Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6

10 Great Galaxy Note 4 Accessories

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The best Samsung Galaxy Note 4 accessories are the ones that add more productivity and value to the device without being very expensive and making it bulkier and harder to use. We’ve made a list of 10 great Galaxy Note 4 accessories after we’ve used the device for some time at work, on the road and at home.

1. Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit

samsung-galaxy-gear-fit

Image source: clove.co.uk

The Galaxy Gear Fit is the slimmest watch of the Galaxy Gear series. The smartwatch allows the user to track the heart rate and quickly react to notifications. You can customize the look of the Galaxy Gear Fit, which makes it more personalized. The Galaxy Gear Fit paired with the Galaxy Note 4 will help you with your fitness goals and aid you in losing some weight.

Because the device is a year old, you will probably be able to find all sorts of discounts for it.

Pros

– Dustproof and waterproof

– It measures hear rate

– Give real time coaching

– Very light

– Works with numerous Samsung devices

Cons

– The orientation of the display is a bit limiting

– Past a certain depth, the device is not waterproof

– Not shockproof

– Screen is a tad sensitive and it automatically turns on by accident

– Short battery life

Price: $159.95

2. Targus Universal Foldable Keyboard

targus-universal-foldable-keyboard

Image source: gottabemobile.com

Targus makes a great universal keyboard designed to work with Android devices. The foldable keyboard also works with the Galaxy Note 4. If you ever need to use your device as a laptop, the keyboard will allow you to do so. The Targus keyboard is a foldable full sized keyboard and a must have accessory for all business executives, travelers and writers.

Pros

– Good brand

– Foldable

– Affordable

– No need for batteries

– The case can be used as a stand

Cons

– You may need to buy another stand

– A power pack may be needed to charge the keyboard on the go

– Limited options of color

– Devices that run Android 3.1 or earlier won’t work with the keyboard

– You may experience issues when charging the keyboard

Price: $35.81

3. Samsung HM1300 Bluetooth Headset

samsung-hm1300

Image source: aliimg.com

The Samsung HM1300 Bluetooth headset has a battery life of 8 hours which makes it great to use with the Galaxy Note 4, especially for people using their phone for business travels and calls. The headset also offers a standby time of 300 hours. Its design is very attractive and comes with three ear tips. This device is a great choice if you want a great affordable Samsung headset.

Pros

– Clean design

– Comes in six different colors

– You can use it with more devices

– Very light

– Great brand

Cons

– No noise reduction

– No voice commands

– Calls sometimes sound echo-y

– Audio may seem a bit quiet

– Ear piece holder may break

Price: $16.99

4. i-Blason Slim Leather Wallet

i-Blason-samsung-galaxy-note-4-leather-book-folio-wallet-case

Image source: i-blason.com

The size of the Galaxy Note 4 makes a lot of people use wallet-style cases to protect it. This case lets you store all your credit cards and ID inside it. The wallet-style case also turns into a stand you can use for video conferences. This case is perfect if you want a great all-in-one product for your Galaxy Note 4.

Pros

– The leather is vegan

– Great storage

– Also works as a stand

– Looks very professional and well-polished

– Affordable

Cons

– This sort of leather sometimes cracks or peels

– Won’t work with previous Galaxy Note smartphones

Price: $16.99

5. Jabra DRIVE In-Car Speakerphone

jabra-drive

Image source: hitechreview.com

Even though Jabra isn’t exactly a household name, this Bluetooth car speakerphone is an excellent buy because of its great features. It allows you to connect it to multiple devices which is ideal for people who have more than one smartphones. This is a great accessory if you spend a lot of time inside your car.

Pros

– Comes in different colors

– It has noise and echo canceling features

– Supports connection from multiple Bluetooth devices

– Automatic volume adjustment and pairing

– Allows you to get GPS directions without having to use your hands

– It can stream music

Cons

– Battery life depends on how you use it

– Automatically goes to sleep after 10 minutes

– You may face issues with auto-connectivity

– The microphone isn’t very sensitive

– You may have issues with the quality of calls

Price: $44.00

6. Sony MDR ZX550BN Bluetooth Headphones

sony-headphones

Image source: cloudfront.net

These headphones from Sony are perfect for frequent flyers as they have noise cancellation. On top of this, they also connect via Bluetooth so you won’t have to worry about annoying wires that get tangled in your purse or briefcase.

Pros

– Noise cancellation

– Great battery life

– Very light

– 30mm drivers

– Very comfortable

Cons

– They don’t come in a great variety of colors

– They don’t come with wall charger, only a USB cable

– Some may find them a bit uncomfortable

– Shorter battery life when noise cancellation is activated

– You may face issues when pairing them to certain devices

Price: $128.00

7. Pioneer Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Tempered Glass

pioneer-tempered-glass

Image source: wordpress.com

Of course you can use a plastic, stick-on screen protector on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 but they only work to protect your device against small scratches and to keep grease off of the screen. A tempered glass screen protector works great against serious impacts. If you frequently use your device while you’re on a motorcycle, bike, scooter or ATV, this screen protector adds a great level of impact protection in case of an accident.

Pros

– Tempered glass

– Anti-oil coating

– Affordable

– Comes with a cleaning cloth

– 0.3 mm thick

Cons

– Can interfere with cases

– More expensive than other screen protectors

– Doesn’t cover all of the screen

Price: $9.99

8. Samsung S Pen

samsung-s-pen

Image source: trustedreviews.com

The S Pen is a great accessory for your Galaxy Note 4 and is partially responsible for making the device so much fun to use. If you lose the S Pen you are going to miss out on numerous awesome features. You can simply buy another S Pen in case something like this happens to you. While this is certainly not a very exciting accessory to have for your Note 4, it’s a very useful one.

Pros

– Especially designed for the Note 4

– Easy to use

– Enables shortcuts

– Comes with a kickstand

– Comfortable to hold

Cons

– Limited colors

– Easy to lose

– Other styli are less expensive

Price: $16.01

9. Spigen Case with Screen Protector

spigen-case-screen-protector

Image source: androidcentral.com

Spigen offers accessories that are well balanced between functionality, design and price. The Galaxy Note 4 case helps to protect the device against scratches and drops, has a great design and is very affordable. The case doesn’t add bulkiness to the device, so you will be able to hold it into your pocket comfortably. After you spend a lot of money on a great phone, you don’t want to go bankrupt after buying a case for it.

Pros

– Made from durable TPU material

– Works great against shocks

– Easy to grip

– Eco-friendly packaging

– Great screen protector

Cons

– It isn’t waterproof

– May seem a little too light

– It’s not built by Samsung

Price: $10.99

10. Verus Heavy Drop Protection Case

Verus-Heavy-Drop-Protection-Case

Image source: wiknix.com

This company makes great smartphone cases, and this Galaxy Note 4 is an example of what Verus is capable of doing. This case has an attractive hourglass shape that also makes the device easier to grip. It’s especially useful for people who are somewhat clumsy.

Pros

– Affordable

– Comes in five colors

– Slim design

– Easy to grip

– Easy to install

Cons

– It’s not waterproof

– May interfere with the fingerprint scanner

– Covers the microphone

Price: $15.99

New Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Details

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samsung-galaxy-s6

Image source: phonearena.com

Some new Samsung Galaxy S6 release details have surfaced recently and we will present a few of them to you.

We have seen a lot of rumors regarding the Samsung Galaxy S6 in the news in the last couple of months. These rumors tease almost everything regarding the new device, from the Galaxy S6 specs and design to the Galaxy S6 release date. As we come closer to Samsung’s usual launch window, we’ve began seeing numerous rumors that hint at a very large scale launch of the device.

Some publications claim that the new Galaxy S6 will come in four different colors: blue-green, dark blue, white and gold. The Galaxy S5 was available in black and white only. It seems like the curved version of the Samsung Galaxy S6 called the Galaxy S Edge will be launched in the same four different colors. Samsung is well known for providing different carriers and retailers exclusive colors but we hope the South Korean company will make all the colors available regardless of retailer or carrier.

More and more companies are getting ready for the release of the Samsung Galaxy S6. We’ve seen numerous companies post teasers about the new device and Belsimpel (a Dutch mobile carrier) has even posted its own teaser page about rumors regarding the Galaxy S6.

Such companies are trying to get attention before the official Samsung Galaxy S6 announcement and even though the details they provide are very vague, it’s pretty obvious that companies are preparing for a huge Galaxy S6 release.

Some publications claim that the new smartphone from Samsung will feature the rumored rival of Apple Pay available on iPhones. It has been said that the Galaxy S6 will use the LoopPay mobile payment service. If this is true, we might get to see Samsung reveal the new service in March.

Samsung confirmed earlier this week an Unpacked event in Barcelona, Spain on March 1st. This event in Spain will help start the Mobile World Congress 2015 show. Samsung hasn’t yet confirmed the arrival of the Galaxy S6 but the South Korean company generally saves these events for big product releases. And if the Galaxy S6 isn’t a big release then we have no idea what a big release for Samsung actually means.

The Galaxy S6 design is believed to be a step up from the usual plastic design Samsung usually uses. The South Korean company keeps on hinting that it will use a new form factor and a premium design for its newest device. More and more rumors claim that the new Galaxy S6 will use glass, metal or a combination of both of these materials. There is a theory that states the company’s metal based designs of Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 were trial runs for the new Galaxy S6.

Recent design leaks of the Samsung Galaxy S6 hint at redesigned buttons, a thinner design and curved edges. Many of these leaks come from an accessory maker that probably has the right dimensions of the Galaxy S6.

Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers usually offer accessory producers dimensions and molds of their products before the official launch. This allows such companies to be prepared when the device finally hits the market.  In the past we’ve seen manufacturers give out accurate details regarding the design of unreleased smartphones but there have also been occasions in which they were completely wrong.

Rumors about the new Samsung Galaxy S6 point to very powerful specifications. The smartphone’s specifications include a 20MP OIS camera, Exynos 64 bit processor and a Quad HD display. Most rumors also claim that the smartphone will be made out of premium materials such as glass or aluminum and will feature wireless charging. It’s believed that the device will launch on all major carriers in the United States including Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, U.S. Cellular and Sprint.

There is no indication that the South Korean company will get rid of its Super AMOLED screens so we expect the S6 to also feature one. There will probably be a boost in the resolution, however. We expect the Samsung S6 to have a resolution of at least 2,560 x 1,440.

As a matter of fact, Samsung even said that it intends to manufacture smartphones with 3,840 x 2,160 4K displays by 2015. It is quite possible that its newest device will completely ignore 2K and jump directly to 4K. But we’ll be really surprised if this will happen. It’s very likely that Samsung will save such a resolution for its Galaxy Note 5.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 may get a relatively bigger screen whether it will be QHD or not. The South Korean company has gradually been making its smartphone screens bigger and we won’t be shocked if they will increase the size of the screen even more on the S6.

There’s a slight chance that the Galaxy S6 will feature a flexible display. The company has made a lot of research regarding this type of technology and even released the Galaxy Note Edge. This phablet is a version of the Galaxy Note 4 where the display curves on one side, so it’s not entirely far-fetched to expect Samsung to do the same with its newest flagship.

It’s possible that we will get two versions of the same phone; one with a curved display and the other with a flat one. There are rumors that support this exact idea and claim there will be a Galaxy S6 featuring a normal, flat display and a Galaxy S6 Edge that will have a curved display, much as the Galaxy Note Edge.

There have also been rumors that claim the S6 will have both of its screen edges curved but not in the same form as the Galaxy Note Edge. This might mean the curves on the device will be a lot more subtle.

The S4 and the S5 launched in April 2013 and 2014 but some rumors claim that the new flagship will show up a couple of weeks earlier than usual. This means that we may get to see the new mobile phone in early April or late March.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Problems and Fixes

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galaxy-note-2

Image source: anandtech.com

Even though there isn’t an official release date for the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, we do know that it will eventually see the light of day. And with this in mind, we decided to analyze some of the more frequent Samsung Galaxy Note 2 problems and provide some possible fixes that will improve the performance of the device before a potential upgrade to Android Lollipop.

In 2012 Samsung announced its second generation of the Galaxy Note, and that device was at a time one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is now being replaced by its newer versions called the Galaxy Note 4 and its older brother, the Galaxy Note 3.

When the Galaxy Note 2 was originally launched it came with the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Over the time, Samsung upgraded the operating system to 4.3 Jelly Bean and the 4.4 KitKat. Now, most people are using the Android 4.4.2 KitKat on this device.

Many of its users are currently having a very stable experience on the smartphone but there are some who encounter issues with the aging device. Samsung has released various enhancements and bug fixes to stabilize it but there are still several people who complain about the problems they have with Android KitKat on the Galaxy Note 2.

Knowing this, we analyze some of the problems we’ve encountered with the device and will provide you with some potential fixes for them. Even though these fixes are intended for smartphones running KitKat, they should also work for Android Jelly Bean Galaxy Note 2 devices.

Galaxy Note 2 Battery Life Issues

Battery life problems are very common issues for most smartphones that run Android. Over the time we’ve seen a lot of complaints about Galaxy Note 2 battery life problems. Even though we can’t give you a certain fix, we can give you some tips on how you can improve the battery life on the Note 2.

Most of the times, these kinds of problems are due to third-party apps. We’ve seen numerous apps that are unintentionally draining the battery life on some devices and they could also be doing the same thing on your Galaxy Note 2. We recommend that you boot your device in safe mode before attempting to fix these issues.

The Safe Mode will turn off any third-party apps and will allow you to isolate the problematic apps. This is a very boring process but it’s a very good way to find out which app causes battery life problems.

This is how you boot your device in safe mode:

1. When the device is booting you will see the model name on the display
2. Once the logo animation starts, press the menu button
3. A ‘Safe Mode’ text will appear at the bottom of the screen if you’ve successfully entered Safe Mode

If this doesn’t work there are more ways in which you can try to fix these issues. For starters, we suggest that you restart your Note 2 to see whether or not this fixes the battery life problems. Rebooting your device will clear the cache and kill services that might drain the battery life. This is a very simple fix that has worked for us and many other users.

If these problems continue, try turning off Air View, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC or any other somewhat unnecessary functions. This could also have a positive outcome on your battery life. Live wallpapers may also impact the battery life and switching to a static one could help.

Galaxy Note 2 Performance Issues

As the device got older, there were more and more complaints about it being laggy and slow. Numerous Samsung Galaxy Note 2 users said they experienced poor performance after they upgraded to Android 4.4 KitKat. However, this isn’t very surprising considering how old the device is.

Even though there is no miraculous cure for these problems, there are some fixes that will improve the performance on older Galaxy Notes. The first possible fix is a process that clears the cache partition. In order to clear the cache partition, follow these easy steps:

1. Turn off the Galaxy Note 2
2. Press and hold together the Volume Down, Power and Home buttons until it will vibrate
3. Release them the moment the Samsung logo appears on the screen
4. Tap the Volume Down button until you reach Wipe Cache Partition. Select this by using the power switch
5. Wait until the process is completed
6. Reboot the device

If this fix doesn’t work, we also suggest you stop using live wallpapers as they are known to impact the device’s performance negatively. You can also try switching NFC off. Turning NFC off has proven to fix these issues and we recommend that you do so. You can also try disabling S-Voice which can be found in the settings.

If things are really bad on your device, we also recommend disabling the animations. You can do so by accessing the settings. People who experience Samsung Galaxy Note 2 performance problems can also disable some unnecessary apps in the Application Manager.

Galaxy Note 2 Charging Issues

It seems that charging issues are plaguing the Galaxy Note 2, but this doesn’t really surprise us. Numerous older Galaxy smartphones have showed the same issues in the past.

You should make sure that you use the original charger that came with your device when you purchased it but if that doesn’t work you should try using a different charger that has the same voltage as the original one. If nothing works, try getting rid of the wall charger in favor of a USB cable. Plug the device into a computer and see if it helps in any way. Charging with a USB cable takes more time but it could potentially save you of a few headaches and some money.

And, as usual, if none of these fixes work try rebooting your smartphone.

Galaxy Note 2 Bluetooth Issues

Another common issue on the Galaxy Note 2 is the Bluetooth. If your device has problems with the Bluetooth we have several suggestions that may be able to fix this. However, like all other fixes, we can’t guarantee that this will work on your smartphone.

First, turn the Bluetooth off and then back on. To do so, go into Settings and then to the Bluetooth and toggle the feature off and after a few moments back on. If this doesn’t fix the issue try forgetting the connection. Forget all connections to Bluetooth devices that are problematic. After you complete this step, reconnect your Bluetooth device to the Note 2.

People that can’t connect to a car with their Bluetooth should check the manual of the car. There’s always a way in which you can reset the Bluetooth connection. Once the connection has been forgotten by your smartphone and the Bluetooth on the car has been reset, try reconnecting it and see if that helped. This method has been successful for many users.

If this fix doesn’t work, we suggest you boot the device in Safe Mode. This will let you check which app is causing the issues.

Galaxy Note 2 App Issues

The users who are dealing with a change in the performance of an app have some ways in which they could potentially improve the performance of the application. First, you should check for an update of the app. A compatibility update or bug fix may fix the problem with the app.

If this doesn’t work, try to reinstall the app. Delete the app and then install it again. This has fixed the performance with apps in the past and should be taken into consideration if an app starts to behave poorly. However, if the problem persists, we suggest that you contact the developer and inform him of the problem you’re having. This will help the developer identify the issue and fix it.

We’ve also experienced some problems with the Messenger app on the device. This stock app regularly crashes on some devices. First, try to reboot your smartphone. If this doesn’t work, however, you can try and use an alternative app that is more stable than the stock one.

You can also try to clear the cache of the app. To do so go to Settings tap More and then Application Manager. Tap on All and go to the Messenger app and then tap Clear Cache. If other apps have the same problem, we suggest you do the same thing to all of them.

Fix Galaxy Note 2 Problems

If you don’t succeed in fixing your device with none of these solutions, try considering a factory reset. However, keep in mind that this deletes everything on your device and you will have to make a backup of your files before doing this.

In order of resetting your device to factory settings go to Settings, then Accounts, then Backup Options and tap on Backup and Reset. From there, you can finally select Factory Data Reset.

If you still aren’t able to fix the issues with your Galaxy Note 2, you should contact your service provider or Samsung.

Tablet Sales Are Declining

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Image source: apple.com

We were all shocked when the former CEO from BlackBerry, Thorsten Heins said back in 2013 that within five years the tablet will be dead. His prediction doesn’t quite seem as ridiculous now, just two years after he made it, seeing how tablet sales are declining. IDC claims that for the first time ever, the sales of tablets have declined in the fourth quarter. This basically means that consumers have ignored tablets during this holiday season and focused more on other devices such as drones, Chromebooks and fitness trackers.

The decline

Four from the five major tablet manufacturers, including Apple, have reported serious declines in sales. Even though Apple released the new iPad Mini 3 and iPad Air 2, the tech giant saw negative growth of around 18 percent. Similar declines were reported by Samsung as well. However, Apple still dominates Samsung in terms of market share.

The fourth quarter is still a very successful one for Apple because of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Despite this, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said the iPad is facing challenges.

We may get a new iPad in the future called the iPad Pro. This new device is said to have a 12 inch display and better multitasking capabilities. However, an analyst at IDC, Jitesh Ubrani said the new device won’t be able to take back the fortunes that Apple has seen in the market.

Amazon seems to have taken the biggest blow in the tablet market. The company’s growth declined by 70 percent and we wonder if the Fire smartphone had anything to do with this. But Ubrani thinks there is a much simpler explanation than that. The fact is that Amazon dominated the low-end of the market until now but companies such as Asus, Acer, RCA and E Fun are taking over.

There are other things that are responsible other than dropping prices. The innovation of these devices has simply disappeared. All the people who wanted a tablet in the past all have one at the moment and the small differences from one generation to the next one are simply not enough of a reason for people to upgrade.

It seems that the only big improvements on next generation tablets are better cameras, better screens and relatively faster CPUs. The truth is that there is not dire need to upgrade to a newer generation as long as all the games and apps work just as well on older ones.

Some people also believe that the phablet trend is more or less responsible for the death of the tablet.

Microsoft’s Tablet PC was intended for the masses but ended up being successful only with field workers and professionals. The iPad was able to reinvent the market by being able to put apps and the Internet at everyone’s fingertips. However, smartphones with bigger screens are able to do the same thing right now which means that tablet manufacturers will have to focus on more specific things their tablet devices could offer.

The tablet is currently being reinvented for smaller audiences such as kids and gamers and even though the tablet market will probably never see the attention it has seen in the past this doesn’t necessarily mean these devices are dying.

Samsung Struggles To Return To Its Glory Days

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Image source: extremetech.com

The earnings report of Samsung for Q1 2015 is not a very profitable one. Even though the company did meet its expectations for the past quarter, those expectations were a lot lower in terms of revenue and profit. So it seems like Samsung struggles to return to its glory days that the South Korean company has seen in the past as this is the fourth quarter in which it saw falling earnings.

There was a serious drop from the $5 billion reported profits in Q1 2014 to the $1.8 billion now. This represents a year on year drop of 64.2 percent. Samsung didn’t discuss its expectations for 2015 on mobile sales. However, the company did say they are going to focus more in newer markets and limit tablets to low and mid-range models.

We’re not very surprised that Samsung isn’t capable of giving guidance. The company has a very unclear strategy and it isn’t very confident in its own flagship products.

It’s very well-known that Samsung’s biggest smartphones are the Galaxy Note series and the Galaxy S. The company launched its newest Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Note 4, last year in September at the IFA in Berlin. Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Note Edge then. This new device offered a bent screen that featured a ‘spine display’ that curved in the main screen. This was truly a design progress and it was a sign that Samsung was thinking about new ways to improve the interface options and form factors. This was also proof that Samsung was capable of thinking outside the box and rely less on just copying from other companies.

But that did not last.

Soon after that, Samsung revealed that the Edge was not going to be a mainstream smartphone and would only be available to a small part of the population; South Korea, to be exact.

So how can we believe that the Galaxy Note 4 is the superior smartphone when we saw with our own eyes that the Edge was more advanced and a better phablet altogether? But Samsung were too frightened to stick with the Edge.

And now the company plans to do the same thing with the S6. We believe that Samsung should commit itself to the better device, and thus the Galaxy S Edge should become the only S6 model available on the market. The digital spine should be made available to everyone. We wonder, when will Samsung announce the limited distribution of the S Edge?

Samsung’s uncertainty is demonstrated by the fact that it has two models in both its phablet model and smartphone one and it uses two operating systems: Android and Tizen. Samsung continuously fails to make a decision about what it believes to be the best choice.

Samsung is still a follower in terms of hardware. The South Korean company was able to make three great devices in the past years (The Note, the Galaxy S and the Tab) but since then did very little to distance itself from the original formula. Anything we’ve seen different on the new devices has already been launched by some other company before them.

The company is relying only on the push from its previous sales and market position to get profit and revenue, instead of pushing forward and finding its own way. This can’t last forever and the numbers are living proof of that.

All in all, has Samsung ever decide about something on its own?

7 Best Smartphones Worth Buying in 2015

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This is our review of the best smartphones currently on market. Keep in mind that these are the opinions of people who use them; we just made a list of the most common positive and negative aspects about these devices.

We made this list in order to give you some information about smartphones before deciding which one to buy.

1. HTC One M8

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Image source: htc.com

In our research, most people have rated this device with a 4 or a 5 out of a possible 5. The result, therefore, is averaged at 4.5. This smartphone performs amazingly well in some areas such as design but not so great in others such as the resolution of the camera.

One of the first things that come to mind when you see the M8 is that it’s extremely beautiful and has a solid and great metal casing. This is one of the reasons it is appreciated by its users and is what makes this smartphone stand out from the crowd.

The M8’s battery life is said to be better than the previous generation and most people who use the device seem to be happy with it even though there are some people that say the battery life could have been even better. Almost everyone is happy with the specs of the M8, software, display and performance and users tend to believe its price is quite reasonable. Another great feature is that the mobile phone supports a 128GB memory card.

The 4MP camera takes rather good pictures in darker environments and performs well with appropriate lighting. However, the low resolution is not something to be ignored and everybody agrees that it’s one of the lowest points in the M8.

The BoomSound speakers are also an important known feature of the HTC One mobile phones and it is certainly something that no other smartphone can beat at the moment. Even though almost everyone is pleased by the sound quality coming from the speakers, not all users are happy of how big they are.

Some people see the M8, however, as a step back in design quality from the M7 and argue that the smartphone would have been a lot better if it had more than 16GB internal storage.

2. Motorola Moto X

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Image source: geeky-gadgets.com

The Motorola Moto X has some features that make it great and was able to score 4.6 out of 5.

It seems that one of the most appreciated features of the Moto X is its rendition of Android OS that seems to be very close to stock. This helps the performance, as well. Even though the processor found in this smartphone is a little old, a lot of people are happy with its performance and how the smartphone can handle almost everything without any form of lag.

Another appreciated fact about the Moto X is its design and how comfortable it is in the hand. Because it has a 4.7 inch screen, the Moto X can be held without problems in just one hand and people also seem to like the AMOLED display.

Even though the Moto X was pretty expensive when it came out last year, this year the device can be pretty affordable.

The quality of the camera, however, seems to be the biggest problem, according to users of the Moto X. The camera that is found on the Moto X is not the same quality as the cameras found on different competitors. Also, the battery life seems to be a little disappointing and another downside is the fact that the device doesn’t support microSD and doesn’t have much storage space.

Some users from certain countries also criticized that the Moto Maker isn’t available in their locations.

3. LG G3

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Image source: ndtv.com

Even though it didn’t score as high as others, the LG G3 is still a pretty important smartphone. The LG G3 scored 4.3 out of 5. Even though the phone is appreciated in most of the cases, it does have some quirks that some people do not enjoy.

One of the most talked about features of the LG G3 is its display of 1440p which looks amazing. People who own the device also seem to be happy about the performance and specs of the LG G3. Many users seem to like the phone’s design and describe it as being compact as the device has very thin bezels. The camera also seems to be good although there are certain issues affecting it also.

The biggest complaint regarding the G3 is its battery life. The resolution of the display in combination with the GPU that sometimes can’t really handle it very efficiently makes the battery life quite short. The resolution of the display seems to make many complain that the device gets rather hot when watching videos or playing games.

The camera doesn’t snap great quality photos in darker environments and one other flaw seems to be the fact that it is rather slow to react. Some like the features offered on the LG G3 but some people feel they are somewhat heavy and unpolished.

4. Samsung Galaxy S5

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Image source: loadthegame.com

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has received a score of 3.9 out of a possible 5. This seems to be one of the most controversial smartphones out there. Some people seem to hate the device while others seem to love a couple of features on it and hate others and some just plain love everything about it.

Most users seem to appreciate the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the display. The screen is said to work very well both outdoors and indoors. Compared to previous generations, the camera seems to have improved a lot and many people are happy that Samsung worked on it. People seem to really like that the device is waterproof, also.

However, it’s not all roses and one of the most complained about feature is the interface called TouchWiz. People also seem to be unhappy with the software Samsung decided to cram into the device as it really slows the smartphone down, even though the Samsung Galaxy S5 had some of the best specs when it initially launched. The software may also lead the device to overheat even when used just for the basic things. Also, some of the Galaxy S5’s features don’t work as they are intended to such as the fingerprint scanner and IR blaster.

Some users really like the design of the Samsung Galaxy S5 but some think the design is quite boring and old.

5. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

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Image source: cbsistatic.com

The Samsung Galaxy Notes are usually well received and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 got a score of 4.5 out of 5.

The most important Note 4 features are the display that boasts a quad-HD resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 and is Super AMOLED, the S Pen and great performance. Owners of the Note 4 claim that the S Pen is more natural to use and better than the one found on previous generations.

Cameras found on Samsung smartphones are good most of the times but it look like Samsung outdid themselves with the Note 4 camera. Most users were surprised with the quality of the camera which makes the gap between DSLRs and smartphone cameras seem a lot smaller. The battery life is also great with some users reporting that it even lasts for a couple of days when the device is moderately used.

Even though Samsung smartphones don’t have the best build materials some users say that the Note 4 is a lot better than previous generations.

The biggest down point of the device is the interface known as TouchWiz which has been described as being heavy. The Note 4 also comes with a lot of preinstalled software that eat up both storage space and RAM. Some users wish that Samsung would have put 64GB of storage in their phablet so they would have more space for apps. The 4K recordings the device is capable of doing can also fill pretty fast the internal storage on the device.

Another low point is the price of the device but users are willing to pay the extra money for the device.

6. iPhone 6

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Image source: wordpress.com

Even though it’s probably the most known smartphone in the world and is produced by one of the most important tech company the iPhone 6 only received a score of 3.3 out of 5. Some people love the device because of how easy the iPhone 6 can be used and some people hate it because it doesn’t have very powerful features.

The most important point in favor of the smartphone is the camera. The camera was already great in previous generations but Apple outdid itself with the camera found in the iPhone 6. Many users love the quality of the screen and how well the device performs. The Touch ID also seems to be one of the best features on the device not just because it is a great fingerprint scanner but because it does what it’s built to do, when compared with other such devices that have the same feature. The design of the iPhone 6 seems to have gone down a little since the 5s but the device feels great in the hand and is very thin.

Many users don’t enjoy the restriction Apple imposes on its devices and because they are forced into using iTunes, software that is hated universally. As for hardware, the iPhone 6 doesn’t really lack but some people are disappointed and angry that Apple still decided to put only 1GB of RAM in the smartphone.

The camera protrusion from the rest of the body is also an annoyance for many users, despite the phone looking quite good. Some users also say that the battery life could be better and others wish the iPhone 6, like the iPhone 6 plus would have optical image stabilization and a 1080p display.

7. iPhone 6 Plus

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Image source: engadget.com

The iPhone 6 Plus received an even lower score than its brother, of just 3.2 out of 5. The main reason for this seems to be its size.

The favorite features found on the iPhone 6 Plus are the camera, how slim the device is, a wide variety of apps to choose from, the slow motion video capabilities and the performance of the CPU. The optical image stabilization also seems to be appreciated by the users of the smartphone as well as the 1080p display.

Many issues still plague the device, however, such as the bugs in iOS 8, a very limited app store and restricted functionality. The biggest problem with the device seems to be the size which many people have said that makes the device really uncomfortable to hold. It could have been easier to hold if Apple would have put smaller bezels on the iPhone 6 Plus. Some users dislike the fact that Apple uses its proprietary hardware and software and hate the charger for not being standard.

There you have it. This was our list of the best smartphones out there. We hope we helped you in making a decision of which smartphone to buy.

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