SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG LOSS

Above: The Samsung Galaxy Alpha! 

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG: LOSS?
PART ONE
Good afternoon, Synapse Circuit Readers. It’s great to see you today! It’s another scorching hot day and my fan is set to warp speed!

Gosh! The mighty Samsung making a loss! How?

#Samsung #GalaxyS5Prime #GalaxyS5Premium #GalaxyAlpha #GalaxyKZoom #GalaxyNote4 #GalaxyS5
SATURATION?
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KRX:005935) reported its second straight quarterly drop in profits mainly because of its loss-making flat-screen panel business and weaker demand for high-end smartphones in the first quarter of the year, but managed to narrowly surpass its revenue guidance for the quarter.

Hmmmm... The answer to the above is the competition on the rise... Remember this article: The Chinese Are Coming? Well, that’s what is happening at the moment; Chinese and other manufacturers are entering the market virulently!

Just go to your local supermarket here in the UK and you can pick up a HD 1080p flatscreen panel by unknown manufacturers at a relatively cost effective price compared to the known brands i.e. Samsung.

As far as smartphones go and a notion of a “weaker demand for high-end smartphones...” I am not too sure about that.
PIONEERS
Samsung faces a different market today whereby what used to be considered as a low-end phone is yesteryears high-end handset! Gosh! Shock? Horror? No! It is inevitable that with the advent of the Galaxy S4, S5, Note 2 and 3 that the S3 and Note were bound to come down in price. And, of course, we have the many competing manufacturer handsets such as the Sony Xperia Z1for as little as £18 a month line rental and the Huawei G6 for £14 per month – bargains! I don’t think that there is less of a demand for high-end handsets but due to austerity maybe some people are settling for less. And if that’s not enough there are manufacturers putting out high-end handsets at a lower price point such as Xiaomi’s recent announcement of its flagship Mi 4 that is said to be retailing at £190 and just look at what you are getting for that price: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5 GHz -core processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 5-inch 1080p screen. There’s a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 8-megapixel front-facing camera and a 3080 mAH battery! It’s hard to beat, right? But this market was made possible by Samsung as it pioneered low to mid and high end markets as they went toe to toe with Apple and won! While it is true that Samsung have suffered losses it is because they opened up all the markets as mentioned above. I feel as though it is a price to pay for being at the forefront – in a way Samsung can write off those costs as promotion!

Samsung may do well to rethink its low to mid range handsets...

DESIRE
Could it really be that there is a weaker demand for high-end smartphones? I don’t think so! I mean just look at how people are anticipating this Galaxy Alpha Prime F and Note 4! I think many people are waiting for the absolute best! I have learned that LG’s G3 has sold 14.5 million phones in total thus so far while the Galaxy S5 has sold around 11 million since the launch. So, what does that tell you? I don’t know about you but that tells me that the Galaxy S5 is a knockout handset and if I were due an upgrade at the time of release I would have upgraded from my S4. But as it stands I will be looking at the S6! Anyhoo, I reckon people are just waiting for Samsung’s finest to drop!

Then there is the Galaxy Note 4 to come and yes there are the usual speculations on what the Note 4 will feature... Flexible screen? Metal case? I am not going to bother to throw my speculative hat into the ring as there is no telling what Samsung has planned for definite at this stage. I would imagine that the design ought to be a departure as Samsung have been getting a bit of flak for recent unadventurous designs of late.

As always, and probably not to Google’s liking, Samsung is going after Apple. Going after Apple means that Samsung will be pitching a number of handsets to combat the iPhone 6 hotly rumoured 4.7” and 5.5” screens said to be coming this September! Watch out! This is going to be interesting! Samsung Galaxy Alpha Prime F vs. Apple iPhone 6 4.7”! And it’s the Galaxy Note 4 vs. iPhone 5.5”! Get your tickets now!!! Ha ha!

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SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG 2014 HYPE!

Above: Is this the Galaxy F? This one is supposed to be rockin' a QHD screen!

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG 2014 HYPE!
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #SamsungvsApple #GalaxyS5Prime #Unpacked2 #Gear #Apple

Good late evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that you had a wonderful day! And if your day is unravelling where you are there is still time!

Yes, reviews are coming this week! I just have to catch up on the latest Tech-News! Please be patient! I have some great products lined for you!

The official UK launch of the Galaxy S5 is a couple of days away and I hope to cover the event in East London! But in the meantime...

APPLE vs. SAMSUNG
The latest Tech-War battle has revealed a lot about Apple that has confirmed the speculative Synapse Circuit articles concerning the inadequacy of Apple products. Jobs, Cook and Schiller fears Android and Samsung (and I bet LG, Asus, Lenovo / Motorola and many Android manufacturers) and that the lawsuits are attempts to put a spanner in the works of Samsung especially as they are doing wonders in the smartphone and tablet market! No matter what Apple does in or out of court they give Samsung so much publicity inadvertently that it could render the lawsuits a total waste of time! I do think that Samsung is will claim more of a percentage of handsets this year over the iPhone. We’ll see...

APPLE WWDC 2014
You may be aware that Apple is going to have its developer conference in 2 – 6 June. So, my guess is that Samsung will launch the devices based on the S5 (such as S5 Zoom, S5 Active and perhaps this elusive “Prime” model that people are still talking about) not too far from the Apple WWDC!

Predicting the WWDC I can see an update to the iOS7, OS X, a smartwatch (iWatch), Apple TV and most likely the iPhone 6 that will sport a 4.7” screen and 4” screen for those who are happy with the screen as it is.

And there will probably be the second generation iPhone C – 5C.  

Also form Samsung it is possible that they could use the opportunity to launch the Galaxy F which may or may not be the “Prime” model.

S5 IS ALIVE!
Ooooh, yes! As has proven to be the case with Samsung’s designs from the S3 up – it’s only when you have the handset in your hands do you appreciate the beauty of it! I had one in my hand yesterday evening and I WANT ONE!!!! I can hardly wait to attend the official UK event in Stratford East London.

I hope to bring you footage of the London event!

GRAPHENE
Samsung is said to have made great progress in producing a material called “Graphene” that is used to make flexible screens. If it were up to Samsung they would have had a handset with a flexible screen out on the market already! Maybe, just maybe The “F” in this rumoured Galaxy F could stand for “Flexible”.

GEAR WATCHPHONE
Samsung is also said to be launching a Gear model that works as a standalone phone that uses a SIM card. I can envisage the use of a flexible screen in that model too!

IN CLOSING
Samsung has to keep up with its innovation and therefore we will be seeing a lot more from them this year! The S5 hasn’t quite reached the UK yet but there is the Galaxy Ace Style budget handset that’s on its way and the second generation Galaxy Camera is already on the market and it looks so much better than last year’s effort!

What do you reckon?

I am hoping that I can bring you reviews as soon as possible! Stay tuned!  

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG IN DENIAL

Hey, that design above looks very familiar...

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
SAMSUNG IN DENIAL!
#Samsung #GalaxyF #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime

Good late evening / early morning, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well with you! Hey, have you notice that Samsung are denying any rumour about a premium handset? Well, unsurprisingly they are keeping tight lipped! Well, it’s not as if they are going to admit there’s another handset to come when the launch of the Galaxy S5 is only 6 days away!

But there is speculation over the Galaxy S5 Zoom!

ZOOM, ZOOM
Yes, indeed, as expected there is some talk of the imminent Galaxy S5 Zoom. Here’s the rumoured spec:-

CPU
Exynos 5 hexa-core CPU running at 1.3 GHz

RAM / MEMORY
2GB RAM
16GB of storage

CAMERA
19MP output resolution of 5184 x 3888 pixels & full HD video recording
2MP front facing camera is also present.

DISPLAY
4.8" 720p

OS
Android 4.4.2, KitKat

Should the above turn out to be accurate then the Galaxy S5 Zoom looks pretty good. I would imagine that there will be an optical zoom on it otherwise the device wouldn’t be worthy of having “Zoom” in the title. With a bit of luck it will be able to record 4K video but there’s no telling; it stands to reason that if the S5’s 16MP camera can record 4K then so should the S5 Zoom! We’ll see!

As it stands the S5 Zoom, potentially, could be a great seller to those, like me, who love taking pictures and sharing instantly. It would be interesting to see how and if the design differs from the S4 Zoom.

POTENTIAL
The 19MP camera should do the business of delivering the compact digital camera experience within a decent handset. The S4 Zoom had mixed reviews and I think this is down to Samsung trying to keep the incentives going for the main two powerhouse handsets: S4 and Notes 2 & 3.

For a better camera I would be willing to accept a non-full HD smaller screen as I imagine would any keen mobile phone photographer. From what I have been told by a popular mobile phone vendor the S4 Zoom did sell rather well. This is the generation whereby photo and video sharing is a means to maintain bonds nationally and internationally and as 4G has managed to successfully establish itself in the UK / Europe people will want to share pictures and video in the best possible resolution. The S5 Zoom would be perfect!

WHEN?
That’s a question! Well, as this is just speculation I would imagine that the S5 Zoom will not get announced earlier than May or June. But I figure it’ll be announced this summer as it’s a great opportunity to take pictures in natural lighting courtesy of God!

PRIME CUT
It could very well be that the “Prime” model will be announced also at the same event for the S5 Zoom primarily as it is expected that the iPhone 6 will drop around June. Now either Samsung will announce the alternate S5 based models before the iPhone 6 in order to capture the disenfranchised iPhone users or announce them shortly afterwards to dissipate the impact of the iPhone 6 and, of course, give iPhone users something to think about!

As much as Samsung denies the “Prime” we have seen a third party case manufacturer advertise a case for it which has since been taken offline. They must have prior knowledge and they probably had it in mind that Samsung was going to announce both handsets at the launch!

Top: The Omnia. Bottom: A Samsung concept handset to show of the YOUM flexible screen. The hexagon shape looks very, very similar.

DESIGN PATENT DÉJÀ VU
There is a reason why I wanted that radical looking concept design based upon an alleged Samsung design patent. It turns out that the design is the... ...wait for it... It’s the i8910 Omnia HD!!!

I remember when that handset first came out... If I am correct it was the first handset to feature a camera able to record full HD! I wanted one but I heard about other prospects at the time and waited it out. I forgot which handset I got in the end... ...not that it matters! But I did think to myself back then that the i8910 Omnia HD design looked awesome – even if it looked massive compared to what was on the market at the time! Now imagine what if Android had been available at the time... Imagine if Samsung has now gone back to the design to redefine it and update it for today’s market... That design shows that Samsung were ahead of their time and it took several years before large screens took off in the way that they have! Imagine that design all in metal and slimmer! WOW!

Actually, when I think about it I WANT the Omnia design to remain that thick to house a nice big camera, CPU and RAM! Now we’re talking! It also could be that Samsung are going back to the Omnia design for this Tizen handset... Hmmmm...  Anyway, with a bit of tweaking that Omnia design can work wonders for Samsung!

What do you reckon?

Review of the Galaxy S5 coming very soon....

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT F-THE RUMOURS, SAMSUNG!

These concepts just keeps us guessing and possibly disappointed when the reality kicks in!

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
F-THE RUMOURS, SAMSUNG!
#Samsung #GalaxyF #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you tonight? I hope that life is treating you well – exceptionally so! The Samsung Galaxy S5 launch is still burning warm, however the heat is on with the launch of the next generation HTC One (M8) and the Oppo Find 7! As predicted there is a little twist surrounding Samsung... Yes, the Samsung Galaxy F!

Is the Galaxy F a codename for the S5 Prime?

SAMSUNG CODENAMES
Samsung has had some codenames in the past and the one that I remember was the “Galaxy Q”. The Galaxy Q turned out to be the Galaxy Note – if memory serves me correctly! I remember the excitement it caused as we speculated as to what it could be! The Galaxy Q actually exists as a small handset with a QWERTY keyboard. If the Galaxy Q, back then, was a codename for the Note then the “Q” stood for “quill”, it stands to reason.

So, I guess the “F” must stand for “future-proof”. I know that Samsung has taken out other naming standards that I can’t recall at this moment. However, I do think that Samsung will be looking to remain at the top of the game especially as HTC have created an alternative to the Galaxy S (and iPhone) with the One. Come March the 25^th we’ll be seeing what the next generation One entails! If that’s not enough there’s the aforementioned Oppo Find 7 to come in 10 days, 19^th March and the specs on it is similar to that of the would be Galaxy S5 Prime: a 5.5" screen with a massive 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, 13MP camera (at one time it was said to be 50MP) and it is driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor!

Certainly the Oppo Find 7 will effectively diminish Samsung’s position at the top of the Android handset throne. Therefore I am sure that Samsung will announce their next generation Galaxy range. The clues are in what Samsung Vice President for Brand Stephen Taylor had to say about the aftermath of the Galaxy S5 launch, "I don't think that people need radical re-designs every year..."

I can understand the idea here... The Galaxy S and Note range have a very distinctive look and why rock the boat if people have come to love that design theme?

"You have to create a design theme that people identify with. If you came out with a radical design right now, would that have fitted with the Galaxy story that we have created over the last 3 or 4 years? It's about making evolutions that matter, so I think the improvements to the covers, finishes and colours are a step forward for people...”

There you go! I agree with what Samsung did with the GS5 however, there is a very strong market for Techno-Fetishists, like me, who want the absolute best that technology has to offer!

"If you look at the feedback, it felt like making [the phone] more durable and keeping the sleek design was what people were after. Waterproof and dustproof elements are more important."

So, that tells me Samsung are not only listening to folks that want a practical phone for everday living they are also listening to the Techno-Fetishists too! Or at least I hope they are! I am expecting something out of this world from Samsung this year – apart from the Note 4! I am looking at the Note 4 come December when my contract for the Note 2 runs out!

Samsung announcing the Galaxy S5 as early as they did was, I suspect, to maximize awareness to the current owners of the GS3 who are due for an upgrade right about now! I know that several of my GS3 friends are definitely upgrading to the GS5 when it is available next month!



Many people become stuck in their ways when they are satisfied with a handset and will not budge. But there are folks who are looking for another experience! I am telling you right now that what LG, Huawei, Archos, HP and Oppo – to name a few –are doing at the moment is quite compelling!

I would imagine that people like me are that grey area where we can go for something else while we are waiting to upgrade; towards the end of the year more handsets come out and it gives us more of a choice when we’re considering upgrading. Samsung has got some stiff competition this year! How will they cope?

What do you reckon?

Review coming very soon.... Stay tuned (pun unintended but works so well)...    

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com