What If Samsung Went Tizen For The Samsung Galaxy S6?

Only half a year after releasing its first smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Gear, the South Korean company announced the Samsung Gear 2 and the Samsung Gear 2 Neo at the Unpacked 5 event that was held in Barcelona, Spain, at the Mobile World Congress 2014. While the design of the two new smartwatches is similar to that of the first Galaxy Gear smartwatch, Samsung made a lot of changes. Not only specs were changed, but Samsung also ditched the Galaxy branding, as the company decided to create a new brand, dedicated only for wearable devices: the ‘Gear’ brand (which includes Smasung’s smartwatches and the recently unveiled Samsung Gear Fit, the company’s first attempt to enter the fitness tracker market).

However, the ‘Galaxy’ brand was not the only thing Samsung ditched for the release of the Samsung Gear 2 and the Samsung Gear 2 Neo. Not long ago, we reported rumors that Samsung will ditch the Android mobile OS in favor of its own mobile Operating System, Tizen. These rumors proved to be accurate as indeed the South Korean giant will release its two new smartwatches with Tizen as their mobile Operating System, instead of Google’s now famous Android. We believe the reason behind the move is obvious, as Samsung most likely wants its devices to run on its own proprietary mobile Operating System. The two new Gear 2 smartwatches also enjoy improved compatibility, as they can now be synced with “dozens” of Samsung devices, while the first generation Galaxy gear was only compatible with a few. BMW, CNN, Garmin, Line, and Path already announced that they will be making apps for the Samsung Gear 2 and the Samsung Gear 2 Neo. Tizen offers the same funciontality as Android as far as the two new Samsung Gear devices are concerned. You can answer calls and check notification using either of the Samsung Gear 2 and the Samsung Gear 2 Neo.

But what is Tizen? Just like Google’s Android mobile Operating System, Tizen is  a Linux based operating system for devices (supporting smartphones, tablets, in vehicle infotainment (IVI) devices, smart TVs, and smart cameras) and it will be Samsung’s own mobile Operating System, just like Apple has its own mobile OS for the company’s iDevices. There is also a Tizen Association that includes members such as: Fujitsu, Huawei, Intel Corporation, KT, NEC CASIO Mobile Communications, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung, SK Telecom, Sprint and Vodafone. The Tizen Association guides the mobile Operating System’s path in the industry.

The first device to use the Tizen OS was Samsung’s NX300M smart camera, which was released in October last year. In late October 2013,  Systena released the first Tizen based tablet ( a 10″ quad-core ARM with 1920×1200 resolution) exlcusively in Japan. The two Gear smartwatches (the Samsung Gear 2 and the Samsung Gear 2 Neo) are the first wearable devices to run Tizen and finally, the first smartphone to run Tizen as its mobile OS will be the Samsung ZEQ 9000.

The new line of products that Samsung unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress, wearing the ‘Gear’ brand, are the two new smartwatches, the Samsung Gear 2 and the Samsung Gear 2 Neo and the company’s first fitness tracker, the Samsung Gear Fit, and they are all running on Tizen, instead of Android. And even though the two new smartwatches run the Linux based operating system from Samsung, they kept all the features that the first Galaxy Gear had on Android; the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo even feature the same user interface as the Galaxy Gear, even though they run on different mobile Operating Systems.

And this brings us to the question: what would happen to Android if Samsung were to go Tizen exclusive for all of its upcoming devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S6 (which will most likely be released next year). This is an important question, as Samsung is right now the most prominent player for android. There are only two things that can happen: either the move would be beneficial to Google and the move would hurt Samsung more than it will hurt Android, either the move would hurt Google as it will lose the single biggest hardware maker they have. In any case, Samsung going Tizen exclusive would mean that Android gets a fierce competitor. But let’s analyze each of these possibilities.

The first scenario involves a loss for Google as it will not only lose the single biggest hardware maker they have (Samsung which is the only one that can keep up with Apple) but also gain another competitor in the mobile OS market, besides iOS. As we said, Samsung is the only one that can keep up with Apple, as the South Korean manufacturer’s smartphones outsell the rest of the Android hardware makers, including Google and its Nexus line (the context here is total smartphones). They account for 40 percent of the total Android market and they are second only to Apple when looking at singular models.

To the end consumer, the change from Android to Tizen wouldn’t look like much. Samsung’s upcoming products that will run on Tizen will all feature the company’s TouchWiz user interface, re-purposed to look the same, but be running Tizen. Users would definitely notice the lack of the Google Play Store and Google Apps, but I’m pretty sure that app makers would release versions for of Android apps for Tizen. The move would also allow Samsung to compete directly with Apple in terms of software, data, OS and brand capability, but even though Samsung has been in a slightly weaker position the last two years. They lost a little ground to HTC and Sony in terms of smartphones. Even so, losing the entire Galaxy line, the Note line, and all the low budget smartphones would be a pretty big loss for Google because that represents over 500 million smartphones that would end up running a competing OS, so Google will start to lose out on the 40% of total Android users using Samsung phones.

On the other hand, if Samsung were to go Tizen exclusive for its upcoming devices, the move may actually prove beneficial to Google and hurt Samsung. If Google didn’t have Samsung to deal with, maybe they would have a lot more power and control of what to do with Android without having to worry about a single, large manufacturer that has the ability to fight back. It may also hurt Samsung more than it hurts Android. Why? Because arguably, the Samsung offers some of the best Android devices at the moment, which is why consumers buy them. So the question is: do people buy a Galaxy device just because it is a Galaxy branded device or because it just happens to have the best in class specs and value for the Android ecosystem? So, do consumers love the Android ecosystem or the Samsung brand more?

There may not be a black and white answer to the above question, but the question does have relevance. Samsung managed to built up some brand loyalty and maybe if they switched now from Android to Tizen, Android would be in trouble. But hardware aside, are there really users that buy Samsung devices because they love the TouchWiz user interface? It may be said that if Samsung moves away from Android, the South Korean company may actually move away from most of the factors that make people support them in the smartphone market. Of course, this is only speculation at this point, but it is a very interesting point of view.

So, how does Tizen compare to Android? Well, Samsung’s mobile Operating System is more or less able to use android apps. However, there would still be lost of apps that would not be compatible with Tizen and would need to be ported by each individual developer to work on Tizen, though since both the Android mobile OS and the Tizen mobile OS are based on Linux, porting apps from one Operating System to another may not be that difficult. What would be difficult for users in migrating from one mobile Operating System and ecosystem to another is that they would need to repurchase all of their apps; this may be a real problem as users would wonder where all of their books / movies / tv shows / games / apps / Google Music subscription’s went and why they had to repurchase them, and why there is no Chrome / Google Maps / Youtube / Playstore etc.

The Tizen ecosystem would be starting from a user base of zero, and convincing the user base to convert and leave all of their purchases, apps and ecosystem behind with the promise of the same apps and features would be very very difficult for Samsung. The South Korean company would find itself in a similar position to that where Microsoft was with its Windows Phone 8 in the beginning. Of course, it can be argued that Samsung does have a pretty strong brand name (Galaxy and Note), but that may not mean much if the entirety of the Galaxy user base expects Google Play Services on their ‘Galaxy’ phones.

You may remember the negative reaction consumers had when they didn’t get Google Maps on iOS for a month or so, and Windows Phone 8 owners still want a Youtube app. It would be really interesting to see how Samsung’s user base (millions of users) would react when they buy the supposed Tizen exclusive Samsung Galaxy S6 and lose access to all their apps, games and content -  not have the Playstore or its entire ecosystem, and have no Youtube, Maps, and all the other stuff. However, Samsung could try releasing s Tizen exclusive Samsung Galaxy S6 in an emergent market, as an experiment so that the company’s revenue and profit won’t take a hit. China, a market where Android has little presence, may be a good market for Samsung to try a Tizen exclusive Galaxy S6. Another option that Samsung has is to provide equivalent services (which is not exactly tough) though they would need to convince developers to port their Android apps to Tizen.

However, Samsung is a smart company and it would probably still have the big apps from Google and elsewhere. If that would be the case then maybe Android would decline. To be honest there is no way to know the ramifications of such a major decision from Samsung as to completely move from Android to Tizen for its Galaxy and Note lines of devices. In fact, maybe Samsung won’t even do the move and instead adopt a safer strategy: the South Korean company could make both Android and Tizen handsets. After all, why limit it to one, especially when it comes to the company’s flagships – making Android and Tizen variants is a possibility. Regardless of the strategy Samsung decides to adopt for its mobile Operating System, Tizen, we shouldn’t underestimate the brand name that Samsung has built for itself. The future will certainly be very interesting as Tizen will enter the mobile market. What do you think about a Tizen exclusive Samsung Galaxy S6? Would you buy it? Leave a comment in the dedicated section below.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Concept Image Visualizes Aluminum Body And Sapphire Screen Display

Another Samsung Galaxy S6 concept image has emerged shortly after S5 was rolled out to the public.

Dani Yako developed the most recent Galaxy S6. According to Concept Phones, the smartphone render boasts a rectangular, aluminum body and sapphire screen display. The screen size is 5.5 inches IPS LCD panel with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution.

Under the hood, Samsung Galaxy S6 has 64-bit octa core processor paired with Adreno 330 GPU, 4 GB RAM and up to 128 GB storage. The camera at the back was 21.5 MP and the front-facing camera was 8 MP. The rear shooter has an auto focus, touch to focus, digital image stabilization, exposure compensation, HDR and voice activation. The camera also does 2160p 30 FPS video capture. Overall, the Galaxy S6 measures 7.2 mm in thickness and weighs 120 grams.

According to India Times, consumers may have to wait longer for the release of Samsung Galaxy S5 as it availability may be delayed due to production glitches. The report sai there were issues on the fitting of the lenses as the handset packed a new ISOCELL lens, which come with six elements which need to fit one on top of the other. The problem lied on the thinness of the device as it couldn't be changed.

The thinness of the lens cannot be changed as even a slight alteration in the thinness may affect the photo quality. Also, one of Samsung's PCB manufacturing plants caught fire that affected the company's productivity.

Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with new features such as fingerprint and heart sensors and the latest Android 4.4.2 Kitkat OS. The device also packed the 64-bit quad core processor from Qualcomm clocked at 2.5 GHz. Also, the handset will pack a separate Adreno 330 graphics processor. But to the dismay of many Samsung fans, the handset did not pack the rumored metal casing and retained its plastic body. Samsung Galaxy S5 was set to roll out in more than 150 countries on April 11. The device reportedly may be delayed.

Samsung Galaxy S6 with 21:9 Aspect Ratio Spotted? Samsung Secures New Patent for Upcoming Phone

Samsung appears to be playing catch-up to Apple, as the company continues to make headlines for its patents. According to recent reports, it is possible the Korean tech giant could be brewing another phone. This phone's design could feature a display offering 21:9 aspect ratio. Can this be the next Samsung Galaxy S6? What has Samsung got in store for its next flagship phone? 

Samsung has a reputation for producing some of the biggest-screened smartphones around. It offers a wide range of handsets combining tablets and mobile phones. Despite multitude of phablets and big-screened phones, it appears the tech giant wants more. According to a recent patent sighting, Samsung is building a phone with display sporting 21:9 aspect ratio. 

That is the ratio or design framework often found on widescreen TVs. Analysts think that if Samsung will push through with the design, then the phone will be marketed for media or video consumption. It can be hard to sell the device as an everyday device to people, as the display will be too wide and long for anyone to use it comfortably. However, that is limited to what was described in the patent. Samsung may figure out a way to incorporate the technology into a different design factor. 

The 21:9 aspect ratio technology has been offered by a mobile device before. The LG BL40 New Chocolate featured the design in 2009. However, LG Chocolate's popularity did not trickle down to the technology. It was not well received in the market. 

Similar to previous patent sightings, a patent grant does not necessarily mean it will show up on the actual product. Nonetheless, grants can also be a good basis for upcoming features. People have to wait for Samsung's official confirmation on this. Analysts also believe that Samsung still has time to change the design into a tablet format. 

Analysts also think it will make sense for Samsung to release a more-than-6-inch phablet. The company has better chances of finding the technology in stores and in consumer hands if it will market the system in a phablet. For now, Samsung has yet to make final announcements about the technology.

iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S6: Rumors And Speculations Of Bigger Cameras, Bigger Screens And Bigger Memory; Which Phone Will Be Better?

iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: The iPhone 6 may not yet have been released yet but rumors about the next generation iPhone that is expected for a release this June.

With an expected larger screen and a reportedly giant retina with IGZO display, a new state of the art next generation iPhone will surely be expected this year.

According to Business Insider, the new phone will have a major improvement on a minute change on the home button seen in the 5s as opposed to what have seen in the iPhone 5 as they were quoted saying, "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included"

As a trend being seen in the improvement of iPhones throughout the year, the improvement in speed and size is expected. A larger 5.7-inch almost borderless phone can be expected as the company tries to improve the usability of the phone for the users to maximize the space and maximize the resolution of the display that would surely blow the minds of the Apple phone users.

The body of the phone looks to improve every time Apple upgrades its phone and so with the iPhone 7 concept, a much sturdier aluminum body and a longer battery life can be expected.

Also likely to be seen on the future flagship model phone may include an 8-megapixel camera that has been reported that Apple has been improving every year. A huge improvement of the camera and the sensors will surely give the phone the most powerful it has ever been.

In relation to its toughest competitor - Samsung - a trend has been spotted with regards to the cameras. Starting with the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 which has a 13-megapixel camera, the S5 has been rumored to come up with a 16-megapixel camera and then the new S6 was reported and speculated by experts to have a larger 20-megapixel camera.

"After the 16-megapixel product, the 20-megapixel product will become the general trend," a source told PCMagazine.com.

This has been the same way with Apple as they improve the camera every time they upgrade starting with 3, 3GS, 4 and the 5 series.

Seen with the release of a 41-megapixel camera in a Nokia phone, it is nowhere near impossible that improvements of cameras can be done easily.

Samsung Galaxy S6 to run Android, Nexus 6 to launch no earlier than June, says Google....

While Google might not have held any event at Mobile World Congress, its influence is as clear as day. From Samsung’s Galaxy S5 to Sony’s Xperia Z2 to even the Blackphone, Google’s Android mobile operating system was the tie that bound these announcements together. And Google’s Sundar Pichai was there to talk about it, weighing in on the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Nexus 6, as well as other topics.

First addressing the relationship between Google and Samsung, Pichai laid to rest the belief that there is some kind of tension between the two companies. If anything, he said, the relationship is quite boring compared to how the media portrays it. Google and Samsung even collaborate on projects together, though Pichai did say that he’d “rather” have Samsung’s Gear 2 run on Android rather than Tizen OS.

Pichai did confirm that the Galaxy S6 will run on Android, though, so Tizen OS can take a backseat for a little while longer.

As for the Nexus 6, Pichai says we should not expect it before at least June. “I can assure you, it will not be released in the first half of the year,” said Pichai. This falls in line with releases of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, which launched in late 2012 and 2013, respectively. Still, it’s always good to hear some sort of confirmation from Google, though we still don’t know who will be making the Nexus 6.

Pichai also talked about WhatsApp, since Google was rumored to have negotiated with WhatsApp to acquire the messaging service. Pichai confirmed that negotiating did happen, though no formal offer was made. “Google has never made an offer for WhatsApp,” he said. Pichai added that reports of Google offering upwards of $10 billion for the messaging app were “completely false.”

Commenting on Nokia’s heavily-forked version of Android that runs on its recently-announced X, X+, and XL smartphones, Pichai laughed aside sentiments that this was somehow bad for Android. “This shows that when we say that Android is a free operating system. We do not lie, it’s true,” he said. Pichai also said he did not see Microsoft’s strategy “very clearly.”

Finally, Pichai talked about Android malware. Pichai is not naive to the fact that malware on Android is a serious problem. Google does not guarantee that Android will be safe due to its open nature, and Pichai said he understands why malware would exist on Android: “If I had a company dedicated to malware, I would also be addressing my attacks to Android.” 

Samsung Galaxy S6 Rumors, News: Google VP Sundar Pichai Confirms Next Generation Phone To ‘Run On Android And Will Stay Away From Tizen OS For Awhile’

Samsung Galaxy S6 Rumors: In a recent interview with vice president in charge of Android and Chrome at Google, Sundar Pichai in the recently held Mobile World Congress, he confirms not the specs of the future flagship phone of Samsung yet but confirms that the phone would still run on an Android OS.

With the emergence of the South Korean OS, Tizen, and even breaking through some gadgets of Samsung including the new Gear 2, Android confirms that fans of the Samsung flagship phone series will surely still impress its fans with the same look of the Android OS but will surely exceed expectations for more upgrades and advancements on the new phone.

"Finally, he was questioned about Samsung. According to him, the collaboration with Samsung is " most boring she looks ". We must understand that there is no real tension between the two actors, " who always work as ". The Gear 2 watches under Tizen? "(...) it is a product among hundreds of others, but I'd rather it uses Android ". Finally Pichai is sure: " the next Galaxy S6 run Android ". It is of course the persistent rumors about the abandonment of Android by Samsung, which prefer equip its flagship Tizen, the next Korean OS."

With regards to the specs of the phone, rumors spread around that the future Samsung Galaxy S6 concept may find a sturdier and more advanced looking body with a reportedly aluminum body and a much clearer and bigger screen.

Also, talks about the future flagship model phone may include a 20-megapixel camera that has been reported that Samsung is working on this kind of technology to be added to their models along with all new kinds of sensors for the phone. This is with regards to the Samsung Galaxy S5 that boasts a 16-MP camera with a new advancement with the fingerprint scanner.

"After the 16-megapixel product, the 20-megapixel product will become the general trend," a source told PCMagazine.com.

It may not have been confirmed and it is just rumors that circles the web regarding the phone's specs but who would know? This technology is not far from happening with what people see with today's smartphone releases.

Samsung Galaxy S6 design lacks inspiration

Samsung has come under fire in the last couple of years for the looks of a couple of its flagship smartphones, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 design we have for you today lacks inspiration.

The Galaxy S5 isn’t even available to consumers yet but we often bring our readers concept phone ideas from a variety of designers, and today’s Galaxy S6 is the work of Dani Yako. As you can see the handset has a rectangular design that is larger than the S5.

There is a 5.5-inch display at a resolution of 2560 x 1440 powered by a 64-bit Octa core processor with 4GB of RAM running the Android 4.5 operating system. We have 128GB of internal storage along with a 21.5MP rear camera with digital image stabilization, while around the front is an 8MP unit.