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US version of the Galaxy S 4 uses separate image processor for eye tracking

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by Jared Peters on
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Everyone knew Samsung was offering different variants of the Galaxy S 4 based on region, but according to an IHS iSupply teardown, that difference goes a little deeper than just the CPU.

According to the teardown, the US variant of the phone uses a separate Fujitsu image processor to handle functions such as the eye tracking and scrolling features that Samsung has heavily promoted. The reason behind this is that the Snapdragon S600 apparently couldn’t handle the processor intensive tasks alone, so Samsung improvised. The Exynos version of the phone doesn’t have the extra processor. Overall, it’s not really a huge deal, as most users probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway. And, honestly, that’s a pretty smart move by Samsung to make both versions of the device perform roughly the same.

The teardown also revealed that the US version uses different hardware for WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc., although I’m sure that had more to do with cost and availability than performance.

source: iSupply

via: ComputerWorld

Samsung Roma will be LTE-equipped tablet with Nexus 10 specs

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by Jared Peters on
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The rumor mill spotlight is on Samsung today, as some details have popped up about another 10 inch tablet manufactured by Samsung. The device is code named Roma and is expected to essentially be a TouchWiz version of the Nexus 10. It packs the same internals, from the 2560 x 1600 10.1 inch screen to the dual core Exynos 5 processor. It will, however, have a micro SD card slot and on-board LTE, which is a plus. No official word from Samsung, but now that the S4 is out in the open, we should expect to see some confirmations about the next tablets in Samsung’s lineup fairly soon.

source: GSM Arena

Report says 70% of first 10 million Galaxy S 4s to have Snapdragon 600 processors

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by Nathan Alvarez on
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A Korean news report suggests that 70% of the initial 10 million units of Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 smartphone will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 processors rather than Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa processors. According to the report, Samsung’s LSI team, who is responsible for the next generation of Exynos processors, were unable to correct all the performance and production issues in time for the Galaxy S 4 launch in late April. Samsung confirmed production issues when they announced a couple of weeks ago that the Exynos 5 applications processor would not be mass produced until the second quarter of 2013, well after its initial launch.

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UK to See Quad-Core Galaxy S 4 Instead of Octa-Core Version

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by Jack Holt on
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We knew that the Galaxy S 4 would have two different versions coming out. One will house the new Exynos Octa-core processor and the other will carry the quad-core Snapdragon 600 series. While some expected, and others hoped, that the UK would see the Exynos version, that appears to not be the case. According to Samsung the UK will see the Snapdragon variety. When questioned by various UK blogs they were quoted to say:

“Samsung Galaxy S4 is equipped with a 1.9GHz Quad-core AP or a 1.6GHz Octa-core AP. The selection of AP varies by markets … In the UK, the Galaxy S4 will be available as a 4G device with a 1.9GHz Quad Core Processor.”

While most of you may not notice the difference in your day to day use of it, it certainly does deflate the “my phone can beat up your phone” argument. For those of you across the pond, does it affect you decision to buy the device? Sound off below.

source: Eurodroid

Samsung Galaxy S IV to feature a plastic build, but still feature awesome performance

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by Roy Alugbue on
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We have no doubt that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV will be one hell of a device, but will it have some similarities as its predecessor? It sure seems to be the case as more details are surfacing about the upcoming device. Notorious info leaker Eldar Murtazin claims that he has not only seen the device, but it will feature a few characteristics that was previously seen in the Galaxy S III. Murtazin claims that while at MWC, select members of the press got to see the secretive device and saw what is a plastic-type build— as opposed to a more premium build found in competing devices. Additionally, while the device will likely feature topnotch performance, the carrier-branded version out in the States will likely feature a Snapdragon chip compared to Sammy’s in-house chip on the international versions— just like with the Galaxy S III.

Murtzain also alludes to some of the noteworthy specs of the device, while hinting the device will be ready for primetime upon its imminent release. The device will come with a 4.99-inch 1080p display, the aforementioned Exynos or Snapdragon chips, a 13MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facer and 16GB or 32GB of internal storage.

Naturally these leaks may all be hearsay, but it is certainly tough to dispute Murtazin’s claims. At least we won’t need to wait too much longer for this puppy to come out already.

source: Mobile-review (translated)

Samsung’s Galaxy S IV rumored to use different CPUs in different regions

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by Jared Peters on
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We’re all ridiculously excited for Samsung to officially unveil the most hyped up phone of the year in March, but that’s not going to stop us from listening out for every little rumor that pops up. The latest comes from the Taipei Times and says the Galaxy S IV will indeed use different processors for different models of the phone, depending on the market. US variants will pack a Snapdragon 600, while international versions will use Samsung’s own Exynos octa-core processor. This was the case with the Galaxy S III, as Samsung’s in-house chip had some LTE problems. LTE is a huge selling point for US phone carriers, so it is possible that Samsung will have different models to make sure LTE performance is up to snuff in each area the device is released in.

This still isn’t official, and there’s a little wiggle room for speculation. Benchmarks showed an S IV using what appeared to be a Qualcomm S4 Pro in both Korea and the US, which could mean Samsung will fully adopt Qualcomm’s chips for the phone. It could also mean Samsung is intentionally or unintentionally leaking some specs of prototypes that may not represent the hardware that’s in the final product. Whatever the case may be, we’re going to find out in a little over two weeks.

source: Taipei Times

Hyundai to release T7 tablet with serious Samsung influence

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by Jared Peters on
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Hyundai will be releasing a pretty cheap Android tablet that shows more than a little inspiration from Samsung. It’s got the same Exynos 4412 quad-core chip as the Galaxy S III, as well as a design that would easily be mistaken for the upcoming Galaxy Note 8.0. It also packs 1 GB of RAM, a Mali-400 GPU, and a 1280 x 800 resolution 7-inch screen, all while running on Android 4.0.4. Best of all, it will supposedly be priced under $200. Not bad at all. If Samsung really wants to undercut Google’s Nexus 7, looks like they’re going to have a bit of competition.

source: Pocket Now

Exynos kernel exploit patch starting to roll out for some devices

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by Jeff Causey on
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In December we reported on an exploit that had been discovered in Samsung’s Exynos chips. We have not heard of any malicious activity related to the security hole, though it became a popular vector for rooting devices. After looking into the issue, Samsung has started the process of issue a fix for the vulnerability. The devices and networks include:

  • Sprint Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch: Sprint’s update FL24 will push out to customers over the course of the next month and will receive Sprint’s Connections Optimizer as part of the update.
  • T-Mobile Galaxy Note II: The T-Mobile version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II is getting an update dubbed T889UVALL4. T-Mobile is pushing this out over-the-air or users can manually update via Kies.

There are other devices on several carriers that have the same chipset and are vulnerable to the exploit. We anticipate seeing patches and updates rolling out for these devices over the next several days as well now that the ball has started rolling.

source: Android Central

Samsung Formally Announces The 5 Octa Processor… And Yes– The “Octa” Stands For The Chipset’s 8 Cores!

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by Roy Alugbue on
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You knew that it was only a matter of time before we saw the next wave of weapons to be used in the wonderful world of processors here at CES. NVIDIA struck first by introducing its Tegra 4 processor– then hours later, Qualcomm introduced what was presumably the chipset series to beat– and now we have yet another chipset that trumps both. Samsung has announced the newest addition to its Exynos family called the 5 Octa. There’s a special reason for the Octa branding in this newly unveiled chip: this is Samsung’s first Octa-core processor! The 5 Octa is based off the ARM big.LITTLE / Cortex A15 infrastructure and has two sets of quad cores that power the entire chipset system. The impressive thing is that preliminary tests indicate the new chipset is at least 2x faster than the fastest chips on the market. Ladies and gentlemen— you may proceed to drooling now.

At the moment, there’s no word on when we’ll see the new chipset available in upcoming devices— but we suspect we’ll see something in the upcoming Galaxy S IV or any one of Sammy’s upcoming powerhouse tablets.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S IV Unofficially Rendered, Invites The World To Take A Sneak Peek Into The Future

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by Roy Alugbue on
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As the world patiently awaits for the “Next Big Thing” from Samsung, some ambitious folks took some time to give us an idea of what to possibly expect from Samsung’s next superphone. A recent hands-on video has surfaced which is more or less giving us a teaser of what the Galaxy S IV should bring including a thin profile complimented with an incredible 2GHz quad-core processor, full 1080p AMOLED display, 13MP camera and Android 5.0— aka Key Lime Pie. The real kicker isn’t just what’s inside of the device, it’s the potential accessories that may accompany the device. The hands-on video highlights what looks to be a revolutionary keyboard dock: a “projection laser keyboard dock” that beams a keyboard layout to whatever surface it’s sitting on and can be typed on— as if it was a real keyboard in front of you.

Naturally viewers of the video should take extreme caution: the hands-on video is by no means real or what the Galaxy S IV will look like. All it is really is a sort of wish-list of items that would make it more awesome than other phones out there.

I know you’re all itching to see what all this potential hubbub is about, so be sure to hit past the break to check out the video.

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