Samsung posted its worst quarterly profit in two years. From budget Chinese brands eating into its profits and slow smartphone growth to restructuring its pricing model and rivals like Apple and HTC, Samsung has a lot to worry about. The company recently announced three new budget phones in India, it has also been hitting headlines for two new high-end devices that are in the pipeline. Apparently, one will feature ‘new materials’ while the other will push the envelope for large-screen devices.
While there’s no explicit mention of the names, we can make an educated guess based on recent leaks and speculation.
Samsung Galaxy Alpha
Samsung is rumoured to launch the Galaxy Alpha smartphone also known as the Galaxy S5 Prime or Galaxy F on August 4, revealed a report by SamMobile. It was earlier rumoured to hit store shelves on August 13. This device has been doing the rounds on web for quite some time now and has also been spotted at FCC. Initially, known as the metal variant of the S5, looks like Samsung has tweaked its plans now. The company now appears to make it a complete iPhone ripoff that is likely to compete with the iPhone 6. For instance, it has dropped the large size displays, and opted for a 4.8-inch screen size instead. Just like the iPhone, it will also come with a semi-metal body, and you will find a metallic rim on the edges of the Galaxy Alpha.This could very well be the ‘new materials’ alluded to by Samsung.
Along with the 4.8-inch (720×1280 pixels) display, the Galaxy Alpha will also come with a fingerprint scanner and 32GB non-expandable built-in storage. After not so good start to the year, we hope Samsung better gets it right this time around.
Galaxy Note 4
In September, when Apple unveils its iPhone 6, Samsung is likely to play its trump card – Galaxy Note 4. The Note 4 is expected to get a QHD display, which could come from Samsung’s Yuom stable of flexible displays. This isn’t hard to believe as we’ve already seen Samsung roll out a phone with flexible display. Another rumour suggests the Note 4 will have a Ultraviolet sensor to go along with the rumoured eye scanner. This sensor would be used to measure UV radiation from the sun, letting you know how dangerous the radiation is at that point and suggesting you take some precaution. Other interesting APKs include SmartSelfShot, which could be a new method for taking selfies, as well as an updated version of S Health. A fingerprint scanner APK is also seen, but that was present on last year’s Note 3 leaks also, even though the device didn’t have a scanner.
One of the first rumours about the Note 4 earlier this year had pointed towards a 2k display, something we were expecting to come with the Galaxy S5. The report also spoke about water-proof abilities and a20.1MP sensor for the Note 4. On the processing speed front, the device is speculated to pack in a hexa-core Exynos CPU or a Snapdragon 801 coupled with 4GB RAM. The company might as well build both variants, and as seen earlier, it may launch the Exynos variant for India. The rumoured feature list also includes 128GB onboard storage, 4G network support, handwriting-recognition technology to unlock the device and a battery ranging between 3600mAh and 3800mAh.
The latest report highlights features like ‘Swipe to launch motion launcher’ and Aqua Capture, among others. Aqua Capture allows users to take pictures under water while motion launch feature lets users wake up the device, launch the camera and more by just swiping on the screen when the display is off. There’s also the smart fingerprint feature that lets users customize finger movements on the screen.
While the Galaxy Alpha is rumoured to launch soon, the Galaxy Note 4 is said to be in the testing phase yet. We will keep you posted as more details about these devices emerge, but Samsung does have two heavy-hitters on the bench as we build up towards one of the most exciting times for the smartphone market.
