Leaked video purports to reveal Samsung Galaxy Note 9 design

New video and images, claimed to be factory leaks, along with speculations, are starting to offer a picture of what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, believed to be set for an August reveal. So far, the exterior appears to be a clone of the Galaxy Note 8, while tech fans are analyzing the clues to figure out what will be found under the hood.

A set of 3D renders of what is supposedly the new model were published Thursday on 91mobiles, along with a 360-degree video, confirming Bloomberg’s report that the Note 9 “will look similar to last year’s model.” Almost a month ago, noted leakster @UniverseIce tweeted two images of devices side by side, one being the likely version that will be unveiled, a Note 8 lookalike, the other a slightly wider version with less top and bottom bezel captioned, “Samsung can achieve this design…But still gives us such a design” (on the lookalike model). The poster hypothesized that such a similar design “may be to save manufacturing costs.” Another tweet projected that if “lucky, you will see 8GB RAM and 512GB ROM Galaxy Note 9.”

The dimensions of the upcoming model are thought to be 161.9 x 76.3 x 8.8 mm, “around 6.3-inches,” which means it’s slightly shorter, wider, and thicker than the Note 8,” as reported by 91mobile, who have partnered with @OnLeaks, another industry tipster, to glean “concrete info about the Note 9.”



The Note 9 might arrive with a slightly thinner bezel, Infinity Display and supposedly the same buttons and ports as seen before: volume and power buttons on the left, dedicated Bixby button on the right. Users not ready to lose their wired headphones will be happy to see that the 3.5mm jack port is likely to stay on the base, alongside the microphone, USB Type C port, speaker and silo for the ejectable S Pen.

The back is where the design seems to have been reworked. Note 9 may have its fingerprint scanner below the camera module, which suggests that there won’t be an under-display fingerprint scanner.

As for other expected specs, nothing has been confirmed although multiple tech blogs are expecting the device to be powered by the latest Samsung Exynos 9810 or upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, depending upon the region. As for the cameras, chances are that the Galaxy S9 will lend its latest rear-camera setup to the Note 9, offering better low-light performance and the ability to record slow-motion video at up to 960 frames per second (at 720p resolution).

Unless more puzzle pieces are leaked in the next coming weeks, to see the full list of specs Samsung fans will probably have to wait until Aug. 9, the date tipped by Bloomberg as the unveiling. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Samsung launches new S9 phone with augmented reality features

BARCELONA, Spain — Samsung unveiled its new flagship smartphone on Sunday with a focus on augmented reality features as it seeks to keep its title as the world’s biggest smartphone maker.

The South Korean firm showcased the Galaxy S9 on the eve of the official start of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which comes after a year of flat smartphone sales.

With no other major handset maker using the annual event, the world’s largest phone show, to launch a new flagship device this year, Samsung had the opportunity to grab the spotlight.

The S9 features essentially the same design as last year’s previous flagship, with the full screen and curved glass edge of the S8, which was followed by Apple’s iPhone X and others.

But it includes louder sound, a faster processor and software that turns selfies into animated emojis, which will appeal to consumers who are increasingly preferring to use their phones to send text messages rather than talking.

Samsung also included a dual lens camera on the Galaxy S line for the first time, which will improve low-light capture and enhance slow motion video, which is popular on social media.

A service powered by artificial intelligence (AI) allows users to point its camera to instantly translate a sign in a foreign language.

It is also one of the few flagship phones left that still comes with a standard headphone jack.

“Despite these incremental innovations, Samsung will have to smartly leverage its brand and marketing machine to correctly position the new smartphones to a target audience,” said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson.

Global smartphone sales fell by 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter due to slower than expected Christmas sales, according to research firm IDC.

Overall global smartphone sales for 2017 were virtually flat — down 0.1 percent at 1.47 billion units — as phone makers struggled to come up with innovations that encourage customers to upgrade their devices.

Cost concerns

Samsung suffered a humiliating recall of its Galaxy Note 7 device in 2016 after several devices exploded, but its Galaxy 8 smartphone was a consumer and critical success.

While it kept its lead over Apple as the world’s biggest seller of smartphones in 2017 with a 21.6 percent market share, up from 21.1 percent in the previous year, Samsung faces stiffer competition from Chinese rivals like Huawei and Xiaomi that offer cheaper handsets with many high-end features.

The S9 will sell for 859 euros ($1,055), a price which analysts warned could turn off many consumers.

While the S9’s camera is “markedly different” in quality from older smartphones that people already own “consumers may delay purchase because of rising flagship prices,” IHS Markit said in a research note.

“Samsung must work hard to market the benefits of these designs to counter negative pricing perception.”

Huawei unveiled a new laptop and tablet in Barcelona earlier on Sunday but will present its new flagship smartphone — the P20 — on March 27 in Paris.

Thomas said this will allow it to “fine tune its marketing message based on how the new Samsung S9 devices are perceived by consumers”.

Earlier on Sunday South Korea’s LG unveiled the V30S — an updated version of its flagship V30 smartphone launched six months ago — which features higher memory and artificial intelligence-based technologies that focus on photos and voice recognition.

More than 100,000 people are expected to descend on Barcelona for the annual show, which features driverless carmakers, social media giants and chip companies in addition to handset makers. /cbb

source: technology.inquirer.net

WATCH: Samsung Galaxy S9 launch video breaks into the internet ahead of sked

Samsung Galaxy S9’s reveal video broke into the internet one day ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked 2018 event which was scheduled for Feb. 25. in Barcelona, Spain.

The video uploaded on YouTube channel Slashleask on Feb. 24 banners the S9 tagline of “The Phone. Reimagined.” and goes on to explain the various features that Samsung included in its new flagship device.

One of the highlights of the new smartphone is an upgraded version of the S8’s Samsung DeX Station, which turned the phone into a makeshift desktop computer through a special dock.

Augmented reality appears to be another selling point for the S9. The video shows how AR could be used for the work environment rather than just for playing games.

The S9, as shown, have both facial recognition and fingerprint scanning features as security measures. However, it may be worth noting that the fingerprint scanner could be seen on the back of the phone instead of being embedded in the front screen.

Finally, there’s the Enterprise Edition of the S9. The video claims it as an adaptation for the modern mobile workforce to provide better data security and reliability. Software updates could be controlled by a company’s IT administrators, which Samsung hopes would better protect its phones against cyber attacks.

All in all, the video geared the Samsung Galaxy S9 as a productivity tool meant to help modern mobile workers get more done with a single tool. The use of AR as a tool for work reminds us of how Microsoft marketed their Hololens AR headset. How people will actually use the technology in the real world remains to be seen, until the S9 hits store shelves. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net