Samsung to launch Galaxy Grand 2 in India next week; device to be priced under Rs 25,000

Unveiled last month, Samsung has now launched the successor to the Galaxy Grand smartphone in the Indian market. The device will be available for purchase in the first week of January 2014, and while the company has not disclosed an exact pricing for the device (which is weird), it has added that the price will be between Rs 22,990 to Rs 24, 990.

Christened Galaxy Grand 2, the device brings a number of upgrades to its predecessor including an HD display, quad-core processor, and improved battery, among others. In addition, the company has also introduced ‘Club Samsung’, a content store that will enable customers purchasing the new smartphone to get music, videos, live TV and movies directly on the device. The store will be free for the first three months, post that customers will need to purchase the content.

Prior to Grand 2, Samsung had launched a number of variations of the original Galaxy Grand smartphone that included Grand Duos and Grand Quattro. Here is a quick look at the specifications of the smartphone.

Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25 inch HD TFT multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. The large screen offers ‘Multi Window’, which offers better multitasking by enabling users to run one application in two windows at the same time. The handset has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and comes with 1.5 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8 GB, which can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

On the camera front, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash, and a 1.9MP front-facing camera for video calling. As for connectivity, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and 3G, and comes with a microSD card slot and a USB 2.0 port. It is powered by a 2,600 mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 10 hours of video playback and 17 hours of calling. The specifications of the phablet are 146.8mm x 75.3mm x 8.9 mm, and its weight is 163gm. This one is also has dual-SIM functionality (GSM + GSM with dual standby option), and comes with GPS.

In addition, the device comes with a number of additional features like Story Album- enables users to organise pictures by timeline, and create and print albums from your device; S Translator- a translation service that provides instantaneous translations; S Travel- provides guides and travel information; Sound & Shot- records up to nine seconds of audio with your photos; Samsung Hub- a content service that provides access to music, videos, games and more; Group Play- for listening music, sharing documents or playing games together; and Samsung Link- connects your devices so you can access photos, music, videos and documents from multiple locations.

In terms of competition, the device will face off against the likes of Sony Xperia S (Rs 25,000), BlackBerry Z10 (Rs 24,999), Google Nexus 4 (Rs 24,575), HTC Desire 601 (Rs 23,990), Huawei Ascend P6 (Rs 25,499), and Lenovo Vibe X (Rs 25,999), among others.

Source: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2013/12/23/samsung-to-launch-galaxy-grand-2-in-india-next-week-device-to-be-priced-under-rs-25000/

First look at Samsung's 5.25-inch Galaxy Grand 2

Samsung just made the Galaxy Grand 2 .The smartphone will be hitting stores in the first week of January, which is when the final retail price will be revealed. With an estimated price of Rs 23,000, the Grand 2 will compete directly with the Lenovo Vibe X. 


The Grand 2 or SM-G7102 borrows some design elements from the Note 3 and past Samsung handsets. The slightly larger 5.2-inch screen is now longer rather than wider so it’s much easier to hold with one hand. The HD display is a welcomed addition and even though the pixel count is not high enough, it’s much better than what Samsung offered us the first time. There’s barely any pixilation around icons and text is better to read without having to strain your eyes. Sadly, it’s still a TFT display and not IPS, so viewing angles and colours are strictly average.

The Grand 2 also debuts Club Samsung – a new service which lets you stream (or purchase) localised content – music, movies, web clips live TV, etc. Currently, only movies and music is available, but others should be ready soon by the time the phone hits retail.

The Grand 2 comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean along with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. The UI wasn’t very smooth however and we noticed quite a bit of lag when jumping around apps and homescreens. This could be restricted to the demo units alone so we’ll have to wait till we get our hands on the final unit. Just like the first phone, the Grand 2 is also a dual-SIM handset so you can use one SIM for calling and the other for data. 

The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 is definitely a worthy successor to the Grand as it improves upon many of the pain points from the first version. The biggest of all has to be the higher resolution display, better aesthetics and a larger battery. While there’s little doubt the Grand 2 will be a bit hit next year, we’re not sure if it will be the best buy at around Rs 23,000. By the time it actually launches, we’ll have phones like the Lenovo Vibe X and Gionee Elife E7 out in the market, which will hover around that ball park. Compared to the Grand 2, these phones offer a richer feature set and much better displays, the latter being a key factor in today’s smartphone experience. We foresee a big price cut heading for the Grand 2 as its current asking price feels a bit much

source: http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/first-look-at-samsungs-525inch-galaxy-grand-2/924042

Samsung beats Nokia to emerge No.1 in India: Report

Buoyed by high demand for smartphones, the mobile handset market in India is estimated to have grown by 14.7% in 2012-13 to touch Rs 35,946 crore, according to a Voice&Data Survey.

The market grew from Rs 31,330 crore in FY'12 with Korean electronics maker Samsung dethroning Nokia from the top position this year, the survey said.

The 18th annual survey 'V&D 100' covered over 30 mobile handset companies doing business in India across categories like feature phones, multimedia phones, enterprise phones and smartphones.

The survey attributed Samsung's rise in Indian market to its rich product portfolio catering to customers of all budget categories.

"Samsung handset prices range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 50,000 and come in varied screen sizes. These two factors helped the company grab customer's attention, besides the product quality and new features," it added.

The survey said Samsung ended the year with revenues of Rs 11,328 crore in 2012-13 as compared to Rs 7,891 crore in FY'12, a growth of 43.6%. It also became the market leader with 31.5% market share.

On the other hand, Nokia, with 27.2% market share, dropped to the No 2 spot.

In the 12 months ended March 2013, Nokia's revenues from Indian operations were placed at Rs 9,780 crore as compared to Rs 11,925 crore in FY'12, as per the survey.

"Nokia's drop in market share started when the company failed to sense the need of a dual-sim phone for the Indian consumer, and the same was tapped by the Indian players years ahead of global players like Nokia," it added.

Nokia's Lumia series phones that witnessed huge growth globally in the initial phases could not draw much attention in India.

The survey said Apple's revenues grew 417.2% to post revenues of Rs 1,293 crore in FY'13 as compared to Rs 250 crore in the year ago period.

Though India was never a focus market for the Cupertino-based smart devices maker till some years back, in the last two years, the iPhone maker has started making inroads slowly.

"In the last fiscal, Apple made some disruptive changes in its sales strategy, which paid off. Appointing Ingram Micro and Redington as the national distributors for their entire sales, and offering EMI schemes to the consumers to buy the most coveted Apple product changed the game for them," the survey said.

Apple now enjoys 3.6% market share in India having the smallest number of handset models in its portfolio.

Homegrown handset maker Micromax captured the third position with 8.7% market share. In FY'13, Micromax posted revenues of Rs 3,138 crore as against Rs 1,978 crore in FY'12, a growth of 58.6%.

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Samsung Hennessy Gives Flip Phone Another Go

One might have considered that the trend of flip-phones had faded since 2005, but the Samsung does not think so. After its attempt with Galaxy Folder, it has now made another Android-based smartphone, SCH-W789 Hennessy, which is now up on its Chinese website. The Hennessy sports two 3.3" touchscreen TFT display with HVGA (320x480) resolution. Since it is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) it has three capacitive buttons for menu, home, and back functions.  Under the hood this dual-SIM phone packs in a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. While the internal memory remains a mystery, a microSD slot has been packed in for external storage. For photography, there is a 5 MP rear camera, but no front snapper.

The phone is available in China, but its availability for other countries is not known. Samsung seems to trying really hard to bring back the past, but will the users go for a Clamshell design in the year 2013, only time can tell. For now though feel free to browse the tech specs of this phone below.  

    Two 3.3" touchscreen TFT HVGA displays.
    Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
    1.2 GHz quad-core processor.
    1 GB of RAM.
    MicroSD expansion slot.
    3G, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, microUSB connectivity.
    Measures 4.3" x 2.3" x 0.7" and weighs 208g.
    1500 mAh  battery.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4411/samsung-hennessy-flip-phone.html#sthash.CHynEOyg.dpuf

One might have considered that the trend of flip-phones had faded since 2005, but the Samsung does not think so. After its attempt with Galaxy Folder, it has now made another Android-based smartphone, SCH-W789 Hennessy, which is now up on its Chinese website. The Hennessy sports two 3.3" touchscreen TFT display with HVGA (320x480) resolution. Since it is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) it has three capacitive buttons for menu, home, and back functions.  Under the hood this dual-SIM phone packs in a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. While the internal memory remains a mystery, a microSD slot has been packed in for external storage. For photography, there is a 5 MP rear camera, but no front snapper.
The phone is available in China, but its availability for other countries is not known. Samsung seems to trying really hard to bring back the past, but will the users go for a Clamshell design in the year 2013, only time can tell. For now though feel free to browse the tech specs of this phone below.  

• Two 3.3" touchscreen TFT HVGA displays.
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor.
• 1 GB of RAM.
• MicroSD expansion slot.
• 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, microUSB connectivity.
• Measures 4.3" x 2.3" x 0.7" and weighs 208g. 
• 1500 mAh  battery.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4411/samsung-hennessy-flip-phone.html#sthash.CHynEOyg.dpuf

One might have considered that the trend of flip-phones had faded since 2005, but the Samsung does not think so. After its attempt with Galaxy Folder, it has now made another Android-based smartphone, SCH-W789 Hennessy, which is now up on its Chinese website. The Hennessy sports two 3.3" touchscreen TFT display with HVGA (320x480) resolution. Since it is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) it has three capacitive buttons for menu, home, and back functions.  Under the hood this dual-SIM phone packs in a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. While the internal memory remains a mystery, a microSD slot has been packed in for external storage. For photography, there is a 5 MP rear camera, but no front snapper.
The phone is available in China, but its availability for other countries is not known. Samsung seems to trying really hard to bring back the past, but will the users go for a Clamshell design in the year 2013, only time can tell. For now though feel free to browse the tech specs of this phone below.  

• Two 3.3" touchscreen TFT HVGA displays.
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor.
• 1 GB of RAM.
• MicroSD expansion slot.
• 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, microUSB connectivity.
• Measures 4.3" x 2.3" x 0.7" and weighs 208g. 
• 1500 mAh  battery.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4411/samsung-hennessy-flip-phone.html#sthash.CHynEOyg.dpuf

One might have considered that the trend of flip-phones had faded since 2005, but the Samsung does not think so. After its attempt with Galaxy Folder, it has now made another Android-based smartphone, SCH-W789 Hennessy, which is now up on its Chinese website. The Hennessy sports two 3.3" touchscreen TFT display with HVGA (320x480) resolution. Since it is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) it has three capacitive buttons for menu, home, and back functions.  Under the hood this dual-SIM phone packs in a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. While the internal memory remains a mystery, a microSD slot has been packed in for external storage. For photography, there is a 5 MP rear camera, but no front snapper.
The phone is available in China, but its availability for other countries is not known. Samsung seems to trying really hard to bring back the past, but will the users go for a Clamshell design in the year 2013, only time can tell. For now though feel free to browse the tech specs of this phone below.  

• Two 3.3" touchscreen TFT HVGA displays.
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor.
• 1 GB of RAM.
• MicroSD expansion slot.
• 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, microUSB connectivity.
• Measures 4.3" x 2.3" x 0.7" and weighs 208g. 
• 1500 mAh  battery.

- See more at: http://www.techtree.com/content/news/4411/samsung-hennessy-flip-phone.html#sthash.CHynEOyg.dpuf

Apple's iPhone, iPad 'engine' made in U.S., says Cook

Foxconn may assemble the iPhone and iPad in China, but key components are made in the good ol' USA, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking today at the D10 conference.

"This is not well known...but the engine for the iPhone and the iPad are built in the U.S. in Austin, Texas," Cook said.

Cook is almost certainly referring to Samsung's Austin chip plant, where the A5 -- and presumably the newer A5X -- chips are made.

Foxconn may assemble the iPhone and iPad in China, but key components are made in the good ol' USA, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking today at the D10 conference.

"This is not well known...but the engine for the iPhone and the iPad are built in the U.S. in Austin, Texas," Cook said.

Cook is almost certainly referring to Samsung's Austin chip plant, where the A5 -- and presumably the newer A5X -- chips are made.

"The glass is made in a plant in Kentucky," he added, referring to the Corning's Gorilla Glass facility.

 

These are points worth making as Apple has been primarily identified with Asia-based Foxconn in the production of the iPhone and  iPad.

And that has been a sticky issue for Apple as the U.S. grapples with high unemployment, which is partially the result of U.S. companies outsourcing more and more production to China.

Cook also talked about how manufacturing in the U.S. was a challenge because of the lack of tool-and-die manufacturing expertise, according to Reuters.

"On the assembly piece, could that be done in the U.S.? I hope so, again, one day," he said.