Earlier today it was tipped by several sources (and confirmed this afternoon by Samsung) that the Galaxy S4 Active was being prepared for a one-time exchange deal for anyone who had suffered water damage to their unit. While it’s true that the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is water resistant, there have been a number of […]
The Samsung GALAXY S 4 Mini, the smaller sibling of Samsung’s well-known smartphone, will be coming to the US via Verizon, according to a couple of leaks that have surfaced, one of which features a couple shots of the handset with Verizon’s branding and splash screen. You can see them for yourself, including a comparison […]
The HTC One and Samsung GALAXY S 4 Google Play Editions feature pure Android sans the common Sense and TouchWiz interfaces, and for some users, that Android has been bumped to version 4.3 with an OTA update this evening. Though not all owners have received the update yet, reports are starting to roll in from […]
We’ve already seen a wealth of different Galaxy S 4 variants pop up throughout the summer, but Samsung is continuing the trend with new models of the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy S 4 mini by adding dual-mode LTE. Samsung says these phones are the world’s first handsets to support both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE, but
It was discovered yesterday that Samsung allegedly tampered with the Galaxy S 4 in order to provide the best possible benchmark scores in different apps. However, Samsung has addressed the allegations and says that they haven’t done such a thing, saying that they didn’t use any sly tricks to achieve higher benchmark scores. AnandTech reported
Samsung tailored its Galaxy S 4 to deliver the best possible scores on popular Android benchmarking tools, investigations have revealed, despite apps potentially not getting the same power for real-world use. The AnandTech research was sparked by claims Samsung was reserving its fastest graphics chip speeds for select benchmarking apps alone, with games and other software only ever seeing slower performance from the Exynos 5 Octa processor found in select models of the Galaxy S 4. The motivation behind the tinkering appears to be to ensure the flagship smartphone posts consistently high benchmarking numbers for comparison with other devices, even if that doesn’t necessarily translate to its everyday abilities.
Concerns about the clock speed the GPU ran at during testing began after it was noticed by Beyond3D users that the Galaxy S 4 ran its graphics chip at 533MHz when certain benchmarking apps were used. During the rest of the time, however, the GPU ran somewhat slower, at 480MHz.
A similar process was spotted during CPU testing, with the Galaxy S 4 automatically switched to a certain clock speed when select benchmarking applications were running. When AnTuTu, Linpack, Benchmark Pi, GFXBench 2.7, or Quadrant were loaded, the Galaxy S 4 would push its processor to the maximum frequency supported by each of the four cores. The behavior was spotted on both the Exynos 5 Octa and Qualcomm Snapdragon powered versions of the handset.
The claim is that Samsung has specifically tailored how the Galaxy S 4 reacts to benchmarking by the user, aiming to make sure the phone always looks its best. In reality, the situation is somewhat mixed: the CPU, even in its locked state, never reaches a speed that’s unobtainable to individual applications.
However, on the GPU side, the 533MHz reached during testing is not, apparently, made available for users’ apps. Samsung, it’s pointed out, never actually promises a certain GPU clock speed from the phone, but it raises questions about misleading expectations when on-paper performance doesn’t translate to real-world performance.
Benchmarking has always been a dark art, with questionable relevance for most users. Nonetheless, there are some device owners who enjoy knowing how their smartphones and tablets compare to the rest of the market, and it seems Samsung is doing them a disservice by not being entirely transparent about how its devices treat such testing.
We’ve contacted Samsung, which tells us that there is not currently an official comment on the report. We’ll update when we hear more. Update: Samsung has commented on the benchmark findings.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 artificially tuned for benchmarks research spots is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It should be clear at this point that Samsung’s profits in the mobile sector have not, as a report by Strategy Analytics last week suggested, taken over Apples’. According to Strategy Analytics, “Samsung’s operating profit for its handset division stood at US $5.2 billion in the second quarter of 2013″ while Apple “recorded an estimated iPhone operating profit of US $4.6 billion”. And that’s essentially the extent of their basic report – this is not just far too limited to have covered the claim they’ve made, it’s simply inaccurate.
Strategy Analytics claims “Global Handset Operating Profits” in converted US dollars for Samsung was $5.2 billion in the second quarter of 2013, while Apple’s was $4.6 billion. This is the quarter ending in June of 2013, which for Apple is fiscal Q3 and for Samsung is fiscal Q2.
According to Apple’s Form 10-Q for this quarter as filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple’s total operating income was $9.2 billion USD – this minus Apple’s $2.5 billion in taxes makes a total of $6.9 billion in net income.
As Apple Insider notes, it’s from that $9.2 billion in operating profits that Strategy Analytics appears to get their total “global handset operating profits” for Apple. This comes from the idea that the iPhone accounts for a total of 51% of Apple’s total business.
Meanwhile you’ll find that Samsung’s total reported operating income was (converted from Korean Republic Won) in at $8.56 billion, minus $1.84 billion for taxes, ringing in at $6.98 billion in net income.
Samsung’s breakdown of device sales and profits is done – for mobile – with one called “IT & Mobile Communications.” This includes everything from handsets to tablets, network equipment to PCs. Samsung reported that operating profits of (converted) $5.64 billion for this quarter came from this IT & Mobile Communications segment. Strategy Analytics “estimates” that $5.2 billion of this number accounts for non-network devices.
This number still includes Samsung’s tablets, PCs, and Chromebooks, while the competing number here is just Apple’s iPhone, and the iPhone alone. That comparison doesn’t make sense to report. It’s as simple as that.
Samsung vs Apple Mobile Profits: the big Strategy Analytics mix up is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you’ve come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they’ve found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won’t last long.
Today’s hottest deals include one of the best smartphones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, at half price with a Sprint contract, as well as a cheap deal on an entry-level Canon PowerShot. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you’re shopping for to your “Want” list. Every time there’s a price cut, you’ll get an email alert!
The original HTC One works with HTC’s own “Sense” user interface, while the Google Play edition works with Googles’ – MoDaCo.SWITCH allows you to choose which of the two you like better at any given time. This system is a hack, at heart, requiring that you root your device before you allow yourself the freedom to choose either the HTC Sense or Android Jelly Bean Vanilla iteration at the tap of a button (and a few seconds’ wait). What you get, though, is a completely unique set of controls.
This system is not just coming to the HTC One – currently in Public Beta, at this point, mind you – but the Galaxy S 4 as well. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is one of two devices – the other being the HTC One – to earn itself the right to be a Google Play edition in addition to being its own Samsung-made self.
What the folks at MoDaCo – just one fellow, that is, ROM developer Paul O’Brien – will be doing is adding an on/off switch to the full ROM of all the little bits and pieces that make up Google’s edition of the software right next to HTC’s version of the software. Whenever you’d like to switch from one to the other, you’ll have to hit the reboot button, but all of your data will be safe and sound flipping back and forth.
Now we’ve only to wait for this same sort of system to appear for any and all smartphones on the market with their own custom UI over Android. Could such a toggle switch be added to Android as a requirement from Google in order to be Google Certified?
Such a thought is quite intriguing, to say the least.
VIA: MoDaCo
HTC One’s MoDaCo.SWITCH coming to Galaxy S 4 as well: change-up! is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Having a deal such as the one T-Mobile is running starting this month, one that offers smart devices for “zero down” before charging a certain amount of cash each month should raise red flags for the average consumer. It did for SlashGear, and here we’re going in to take a closer look at a few key devices – and their prices – before and after that discount takes effect. What this means for the consumer is more than just one cost here or there; it’s about clarity.
With T-Mobile’s newest plan, you’ll not simply see the first initial cost of a smartphone cut out, followed by the rest of your purchase taking place the same as it would otherwise. On the contrary – some of these phones have their monthly payment plans increased (that’s for the device, mind you, not the data), while others actually do have JUST the up front cost cut out.
The Samsung Galaxy S III, before this Zero Down plan takes effect, will cost a new customer with T-Mobile $49.99 up front followed by $20 per month for 24 months, this ending up costing $529.99 USD total. With Zero Down in effect, the Galaxy S III costs $0 up front and $22 per month for 24 months, ending up costing $528 USD. A whole dollar and 99 cents savings!
The Galaxy S 4 costs $149 + $20 x 24 or $629.99, this compares to the Zero Down plan cost of $25 per month for 24 months which ends up ringing in at $600 USD. The iPhone 5 (only available in 16GB on this plan) is either $649.99 without the plan or $648 with, and the HTC One will cost you either $649.99 without the plan or $600 with.
Sony’s Xperia Z will cost you $579.99 with the normal $99.99 + $20 x 24 months or, with the Zero Down deal, you’ll get the device for $25 x 24 months = $600. That’s a price increase.
Be sure to check your numbers. The full Zero Down price chart straight from T-Mobile is included below, while T-Mobile’s prices (as highlighted in the Xperia Z image above) are listed plainly on T-Mobile’s site. Add it up!
T-Mobile “Zero Down” deal broken down: initial thrift at what cost? is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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