Skip to main content

Samsung

855 'Samsung' stories September 2010 - May 2016
See All Stories

UBI Research forecast adds fuel to idea that only larger iPhones will get OLED screens initially

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy May 16 2016 - 4:33 am PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

iPhone concept: Yasser Farahi/Ovalpicture

With most reports now agreeing that Apple will switch to OLED displays in iPhones in either 2017 or 2018 (but no consensus yet on which of the two years), UBI Research has now added fuel to the idea that not all models will benefit from the new screen technology.

The Korea Herald reports the firm’s president and chief analyst suggesting numbers that indicate a gradual rollout across models.

Lee Choong-hoon predicted an OLED iPhone with a curved screen would debut in 2018, saying OLED models would make up 30 percent or 100 million units of total iPhone shipments in the year and the figure could surge to 80 percent by 2020.

While the 30% figure could be explained by Apple launching its new iPhones late in the year, the ‘80% by 2020’ number would mean Apple continuing to manufacture some new models with the older IPS LCD screen tech for some time to come …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple loses market leadership to Samsung as number one smartphone OEM in the US

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio May 4 2016 - 9:12 am PT
0 Comments

In the middle of seemingly stalling profits and a general slowdown of the smartphone industry — like Apple‘s notable first quarter of YoY growth drop in years — Samsung seems to be enjoying a moment of sunshine bathing.

Eleven months after losing the leadership to the Cupertino giant, the Korean manufacturer has climbed once again to the top of the US vendors’ list, as per a Counterpoint Research report (via Business Korea)…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Apple reaches $2.6 billion agreement for Samsung to supply OLED panels starting in 2017

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 14 2016 - 7:09 pm PT
35 Comments
Site default logo image

According to a new report from the Korean Herald, Samsung and Apple have reached a deal in which Samsung will supply around 100 million OLED display units to Apple beginning in 2017. The report comes as several other sources have stated that Apple plans to make the switch to OLED panels beginning next year.


Expand
Expanding
Close

iPhone and Samsung Gear S2 support draws closer as iOS app leaks

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Apr 14 2016 - 11:00 am PT
4 Comments

We’ve previously reported that the Samsung Gear S2 would be gaining support for iOS later this year, and it looks like that support is coming soon. A member of the XDA-Developers forums has shared a link to a potentially early version of a Samsung Gear S2 specific app that would allows iOS to pair with the device. While the app appears to be in the early stages (indications of the app’s creation dates back to March 2nd), it could potentially show us what the final app will look like.

Based on discussions in the forum, users looking to attempt the pair the devices may have to restore their S2 to factory settings before having it pair with the leaked iOS application. This may require having another Android device on hand, but the results seem to be mixed at this point. Some forum members are also indicating that they are able to receive notifications pushed from iOS, but have no way to reply.

The Samsung Gear S2 Lite iOS application can be installed through iTunes, or by side-loading through Xcode. Before launching the application, a Samsung specific enterprise profile must be accepted through settings. We cannot stress this enough, installing applications from unverified sources is not guaranteed safe. Proceed with extreme caution.

The Samsung Gear S2 is available refurbished from Best Buy for $159.99, or new from Amazon at $249.

9.7-inch iPad Pro teardown finds Samsung RAM, smaller battery, and same low repairability

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 4 2016 - 7:21 am PT
6 Comments
Site default logo image

It’s been a year and a half since iFixit tore into the flagship 9.7-inch tablet from Apple, and now it’s finally time to look inside the smaller iPad Pro and see what it’s really made of. What you’ll find is your typical mix of components from Samsung, Bosch Sensortec, NXP Semiconductors, and others, plus a whole lot of battery. Cutting to the chase, iFixit rates the smaller iPad Pro’s repairability at a low 2 out of 10, which is the same as the iPad Air 2 it replaces but one point below what it rated the 12.9-inch iPad Pro last year. Here’s what’s inside the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and why iFixit says it’s not so repairable…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Foxconn’s acquisition of Sharp likely to reduce Apple’s dependence on Samsung

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Mar 31 2016 - 3:52 am PT
1 Comment

Foxconn’s acquisition of Japanese display-maker Sharp looks likely to help Apple reduce its dependence on Samsung as it prepares for a transition from LCD to OLED displays.

The WSJ notes that Samsung currently makes 95% of the world’s OLED displays, and that Apple always aims to have multiple sources of components to reduce risk and strengthen its negotiating position.

While Sharp doesn’t currently make OLED screens, it will almost certainly start doing so under Foxconn’s ownership.

Sharp can springboard off its existing technology to develop the screens, says Alberto Moel, a technology analyst for Bernstein Research. The two types use the same backbone, but OLED screens are topped with a layer of organic compounds instead of the liquid crystal layer for LCDs. “The first part of the production process is similar,” he said.

Foxconn has long been seeking to expand its role in iPhone production from low-margin assembly work into the more profitable component business.

Apple currently used OLED displays only in the Apple Watch, but is widely expected to switch to the newer display technology in the iPhone in either 2017 or 2018. While Samsung looks set to be Apple’s lead supplier, that’s something the iPhone maker will want to change over time.

Apple claims reversal of $120M jury verdict in Samsung patent case violated the U.S. Constitution

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Mar 30 2016 - 7:09 am PT
10 Comments

The endless patent battles between Apple and Samsung took an interesting turn this week when Apple claimed that the most recent court ruling violated the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: the right to trial by jury.

Back in 2014, Apple was awarded $119.6M when Samsung was found to have violated three of the five patents in dispute. That award was overturned last month when an appeals court ruled that Samsung didn’t infringe one of the three patents, and declared the other two invalid.

The problem, explains Reuters, is that the appellate court didn’t just refer to the trial court record in reaching its conclusions, it also considered new evidence …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Sketchy report again positions Samsung as lead supplier for OLED iPhone screens rumored for 2017/18 [U]

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Mar 21 2016 - 6:36 am PT
1 Comment

Update: Raymond Soneira, President of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation, tells me that ET News got either its facts or translation wrong: “That statement (or possibly its translation from Korean) is wrong. What they mean is 60,000 OLED “substrates” per month, which should yield about 7.5 million 5 inch “panels” per month (but the production yield is well under 100 percent). My guess is that would result somewhere around 75 million 5 inch panels per year, or about a third of what Apple would need if it switched over entirely to OLED.”

With conflicting reports about whether Apple will be switching to OLED screens in 2017, 2018 or 2019, a sketchy report from ET News cites production volumes as evidence that Samsung is being positioned as Apple’s lead supplier. The same source first suggested this back in January.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Over 40 companies to back Apple in court battle over iPhone encryption backdoors, rival Samsung remains undecided

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Mar 3 2016 - 4:57 am PT
24 Comments

Apple and the FBI are set to start its court battle for the San Bernardino case in a couple of weeks, March 22nd. In support for Apple’s position, over 40 companies, organizations and individuals will file amicus briefs later today to rally against the government order for Apple to compromise its own iPhone security measures. Facebook, Google, Dropbox, Microsoft, Snapchat and more will sign on to briefs in the case, according to sources.

Via The New York Times, support was not immediate. Company execs were initially worried about the consequences on the industry if Apple lost out to the FBI. Bloomberg reports Samsung supports the idea of encryption but will not commit to file an amicus brief for its smartphone rival, the Samsung statement said it remains undecided on its court position …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Appeals court overturns Apple’s $120M victory in quick links patent case with Samsung

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 27 2016 - 8:56 am PT
20 Comments
Site default logo image

An appeals court on Friday overturned a ruling that would have forced Samsung to pay $120 million in damages to Apple for patent infringement, reports Reuters. In this specific case, one of several patent battles between the two companies, Apple claimed that Samsung infringed on its “quick links” patent.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Samsung, LG, & others show off new devices at MWC ahead of Apple’s iPhone 5se event

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Feb 22 2016 - 8:23 am PT
17 Comments

It’s Mobile World Congress this week in Barcelona, which means most of Apple’s competitors are unveiling their upcoming smartphone lineups that will inevitably compete with Apple’s own 2016 lineup.

But while we usually have to wait until the fall for a new iPhone from Apple, this year is different in that Apple’s event planned for early next month will likely see it unveil the much anticipated iPhone 5se, a rare non-flagship and mid-year iPhone upgrade that will be a low to mid-tier smartphone competitor at pricing that will take over the current iPhone 5s lineup around $450 off contract. 

Among the announcements: Samsung has officially announced its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones — both with a similar premium metal and glass design as previous generations but with upgraded internals — while LG showed off its all-new metal modular design for its new flagship LG G5. Also on show this week is a new smartphone flagship from Acer that offers an impressive 1TB of hybrid local/cloud storage, HTC’s One X9, and a trio of Xperia X smartphones from Sony, two with high camera specs including predictive focus.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple’s chief chipmaker reveals how the iPad Pro was late & almost out-powered by the iPhone 6s

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 18 2016 - 4:47 am PT
12 Comments
Apple Intel Srouji

A Bloomberg profile of Apple’s ‘chief chipmaker’ – SVP of hardware technologies Johny Srouji – talks about how the iPad Pro was launched behind schedule, and almost ended up being less powerful than the iPhone 6s.

The original plan was to introduce the iPad Pro with Apple’s tablet chip, the A8X, the same processor that powered the iPad Air 2, introduced in 2014. But delaying until fall meant that the Pro would make its debut alongside the iPhone 6s, which was going to use a newer, faster phone chip called the A9 […]

The iPad Pro would look feeble next to the iPhone 6s. So Srouji put his engineers on a crash program to move up the rollout of a new tablet processor, the A9X, by half a year.

While the piece predictably doesn’t reveal much we didn’t already know, it does contain one surprising fun fact about the original iPhone …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple chipmaker TSMC says earthquake damage will hit production, full impact unclear as yet

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 15 2016 - 4:11 am PT
11 Comments

Apple chipmaker TSMC said that the earthquake that hit southern Taiwan earlier this month caused damage that will impact production, but has not yet given a clear indication of the scale of the problem. The company is one of two chip fabricators for the iPhone 6s, and is expected to be the sole manufacturer of the A10 chip for the iPhone 7.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake on February 6 killed 116 people and injured many more, with significant damage also caused to manufacturing facilities …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: TSMC to be the only manufacturer of processors for the iPhone 7

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 10 2016 - 4:45 pm PT
16 Comments
Site default logo image

According to a report from South Korean news outlet The Electronic Times, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, better known as TSMC, has reached a deal with Apple to be the sole provider of the processor used in the next-generation iPhone. TSMC and Samsung shared the task of building the processors for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple asks Supreme Court not to hear Samsung’s latest appeal, says the case is closed

Avatar for Chance Miller Feb 4 2016 - 5:04 pm PT
5 Comments
Site default logo image

In the patent battle that feels as if it will never end, Apple has today asked the Supreme Court not to review Samsung’s latest appeals request in the two companies’ ongoing patent feud. Back in December, it was announced that Apple and Samsung had reached a $548 million settlement, but with a catch. Samsung said in its part of the agreement that it reserved the right to reclaim reimbursement should any position of the trial be modified…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Here’s how the iPhone is performing in global marketshare against the competition

Avatar for Zac Hall Jan 28 2016 - 7:58 am PT
17 Comments
Site default logo image

We learned this week that Apple shipped 74.8 million iPhones globally during the recent holiday quarter, which is just slightly up from the 74.4 million shipped during the same quarter the year prior and just under the 75 million that analysts expected.

Today Strategy Analytics has released new data showing how Apple’s last two years of shipments compare to competitors like Samsung and Huawei. The data also breaks down how Apple’s global smartphone marketshare stacks up to those same competitors.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple finally gets US sales ban on some Samsung phone features, but the ruling is practically meaningless

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 19 2016 - 4:45 am PT
7 Comments

Apple has finally managed to secure a sales ban over some Samsung phone features that infringe on its patents and intellectual property. However, the victory is effectively meaningless despite the milestone in its continuing patent litigation suit with Samsung in ever-longer court battles.

Apple’s ban resides over three features encumbered by its patents: the controversial ‘slide to unlock’ patent, predictive text technology and autocorrect. Getting a ban is a huge symbolic achievement, but the effect it will have on day-to-day business of the two companies is minor. The ban is effectively useless as FOSS Patents explains …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Apple developing thinner & brighter screens in secret Taiwanese lab

Avatar for Chance Miller Dec 14 2015 - 6:46 pm PT
13 Comments

Image Credit: Maurice Tsai / Bloomberg

According to a report out of Bloomberg, Apple has opened a secret production laboratory in northern Tawain to focus on developing new display technologies. The report claims that the lab, located in Longtan, has at least 50 engineers and various other employees working to develop iPhone and iPad displays.


Expand
Expanding
Close

9to5Toys Last Call: Free App of the Week, Mophie iPhone 6/s battery case $75, Samsung 4K 55″ UHDTV $700, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Dec 11 2015 - 9:16 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

iPhone 6s cases from $1, iPad Air 2 Slim Case w/ Keyboard $12, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope 2 goes free for the first time ($1 value)

Mophie’s iPhone 6/s Juice Pack Air is smarter than Apple’s Smart Battery Case at $75 (Reg. $100)

Smart 4K 60Hz UHDTVs: Samsung 55-inch $700 (Reg. $900+), more

Best Buy’s latest Apple sale is your best chance to score iPad, Mac, & Watch deals before Christmas: iPad Air 2 $125 off, iPad Air $100 off, iPad mini 4 $100 off, much more!

Best Buy makes a splash with the lowest Apple Watch prices ever, deals start at just $249

$100 iTunes Physical Gift Card for $80 w/ free shipping (20% off)

Giveaway: SanDisk USB flash drives for iPhone, iPad, and Android mobile devices

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Home Designer 3D for iOS/Mac goes free for the first time, GOLD version $1 (Reg. up to $10)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Save 25% on any book from Amazon — Humans of New York: Stories $12 Prime shipped (Reg. $16)

Affinity Photo is Apple’s Mac App of the Year, download it now for $40 (Reg. $50)

The Room puzzle-mystery game for iOS goes free for the first time in two years (Reg. $1), more

Algoriddim’s djay 2 for iPhone is now available for free (Reg. $3)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

De’Longhi launches new PrimaDonna Elite coffeemaker w/ iOS connectivity

Top 10 holiday movies you can stream right now on Netflix

Skip the holiday blues with these practical stocking stuffers

Justin’s Holiday Gift Guide: speakers, Lightning mics, storage, pocket synths & more to up your home recording set-up

 

Report: Apple to begin shifting iPhone displays from LCD to OLED in 2018

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 25 2015 - 12:07 pm PT
17 Comments

Apple Watch benefits from deeper blacks and greater energy efficiency thanks to OLED technology

Apple is expected to begin shifting iPhones from LCD displays to improved OLED screens starting in 2018, according to Nikkei Asian Review. Currently the display technology is only used by Apple to produce Apple Watch displays while iPhones and iPads use older LCD technology. OLED benefits from greater contrast levels and much deeper blacks as the display only illuminates to present color. This offers energy efficiency that leads to improved battery life compared lighting up the entire display each time.
Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL now taking 94% of entire smartphone industry profits, up from 92% last quarter – Canaccord

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 17 2015 - 4:01 am PT
5 Comments

Canaccord Genuity estimated back in July that Apple was taking home 92% of the profits in the entire smartphone industry, and now says the figure climbed even higher last quarter, hitting 94%. Samsung was the only other company to make a profit, says the report, with 11% – the somewhat odd math explained by the fact that everyone else is losing money.

Investors Business Daily quotes analyst Michael Walkley predicting continued strong performance by Apple.

“Apple dominated the premium-tier global smartphone market during calendar Q3, with record share of industry profits,” Walkley said in the report. “We believe the iPhone 6 and 6S products should continue to post strong sales and high-end smartphone market share gains.

“With only 31% of the iPhone installed base having upgraded to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices by Apple’s fiscal Q4 2015 (ended Sept. 26), we anticipate continued strong replacement sales through calendar 2016 and beyond.”

Tim Cook said last month that Apple was expecting big things from the holiday quarter.

We are heading into the holidays with our strongest product lineup yet, including iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch with an expanded lineup of cases and bands, the new iPad Pro and the all-new Apple TV.

The company reported record earnings in its fiscal 2015 year, which ended in September.

Photo: Ryan Emberley/Invision for Apple/AP Images.

Apple’s share of global smartphone market grows year-on-year at Samsung’s expense – Strategy Analytics, Counterpoint

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Oct 29 2015 - 6:18 am PT
8 Comments

Two separate market share reports show that Apple increased its share of the global smartphone market year-on-year, with Samsung’s share declining. Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple grew its market share from 12.2% in Q3 2014 to 13.6% in Q3 2015, while Counterpoint has the numbers at 11.9% to 13.1% … 
Expand
Expanding
Close