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Samsung wants to end year on a high note

by on14 August 2015


Galaxy Note and a larger curved-screen S6 edge 

Samsung has been showing off a new Galaxy Note phablet and a larger version of its curved-screen S6 edge smartphone.

The move is seen as an attempt by Samsung to revive momentum in its handset business which has been slumping lately.

The event announcing the new gadgets was attended by more than 1,000 people, almost filling the Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Centre in New York.

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ start on Thursday and the smartphones will be made available from August 21.

In the US, the Galaxy Note 5 will be available via AT&T at $739.99 for the 32GB variant, and $839.99 for the 64GB variant, while the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be priced at $814.99 for the 32GB and $914.99 for the 64GB.

samsung galaxy note 5

Samsung said the Galaxy Note 5 will only be made available in select markets, while the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be more widely available.

The Android 5.1 Lollipop-based Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge feature 5.7-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) Super-Amoled displays with a pixel density of 515ppi.

Both have a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 SoC with four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 2.1GHz, and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz, coupled with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM.

The Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ smartphones has a 16-megapixel rear cameras with f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilisation, apart from 5-megapixel front-facing cameras.

The camera app can be opened from the home button, which also bears the fingerprint sensor. There is also a Live Broadcast feature for tourists who think that people can't wait to be bored by their holiday snaps and want a live feed.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ both have no microSD card slots, and feature 3000mAh non-removable batteries.

Samsung said the batteries feature its Fast Charging technology for both wired and wireless (WPC and PMA) options. Wired charging will deliver full charge in roughly 90 minutes, and with the new wireless charger, full charge is delivered in roughly 120 minutes, said Samsung.

The Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be offered in 4G LTE Cat. 9 or Cat. 6 modems depending on the market.

The phones also feature NFC and MST, to power the Samsung Pay mobile payment technology. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ A-GPS, and Micro-USB 2.0. There was no USB Type-C which was one of the rumours we heard.

The Samsung Galaxy Edge+ measures 154.4x75.8x6.9mm, and weighs 153 grams, while the Galaxy Note 5 is both thicker and heavier, with dimensions of 153.2x76.1x7.6mm, and a weight of 171 grams. The two smartphones will be available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, and Silver Titanium colour variants.

Samsung said the stylus now features a one-click mechanism to eject it from the main smartphone body.

The company also unveiled BlackBerry-like Keyboard Covers, which fit like alpha-numeric condoms on the bottom of the phone making it look rather ugly.

They will fit on both the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ smartphones.

Samsung also announced support for its SideSync feature, which provides a 'wired PC-smartphone integration'. Both phones also feature Samsung Knox Active Protection, and the My Knox app. An Amanda Knox feature, which you can use to escape a murder charge in Italy by being American and a little bit pretty was not released this time.

The dual-edge display of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ comes with a new UI feature called Apps Edge to take advantage of the curved display, over and above the People Edge feature seen in the S6 Edge. It similarly allows users to pin commonly used apps to the side display, for quick access.

Samsung has high hopes for the Note. "Each new version has been more popular than the last," said Justin Denison, vice president of product strategy and marketing for Samsung Electronics America.

Last modified on 14 August 2015
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