Engulfed by all the mobile tech innovations, amidst a hectic and ever-so-dynamic realm, we often tend to overlook the business side of things. Operating on an international scale is no mundane task and quarterly market reports tend to reveal trends and processes on a bigger scale that can make or break an OEM.

The latest Counterpoint research numbers are now in and from the looks of things Samsung is still king of the smartphone world. It seems that the Korean giant has managed to skillfully counter declining sales of its current Galaxy S6 flagship, thanks to a wide variety of other offers, both in the premium and mid-range segments. Samsung managed a 19 % global share, compared to 10% for Apple, which is a distant second and 7% for Huawei in the third spot.

There are, however, a few clarifications to be made. The aforementioned numbers are for mobile phones as a whole, when we narrow things down to smartphones only, which currently have about 75% market share, Samsung shines with an even more respectable 21% globally, followed by Apple with 14% and Huawei with 9%.

Breaking things down by continent reveals an identical picture, except for North America, where Apple leads with a 31% share and Samsung is second with 24%. Also, bear in mind that the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have just hit user markets today and their sales in the following weeks are sure to change the picture in Q3.

But, apart from Apple and Samsung, this batch of sales report does offer insight on a few other trends. Most notably, the impressive growth from various Chinese OEM’s on international markets.

Huawei has really been doing great for itself, while Xiaomi is another major success story as it already has a 5% share in the global smartphone market. In fact, in Asia alone, Xiaomi managed to surpass Apple with 11% of the market, compared to Cupertino’s 10%.

This trend will likely continue in the following months. Asian brands are on the rise – Asus, for instance, has been the fastest growing brand with 500% raise in shipments, followed closely by vivo with a growth of 400%. This, combined with major market expansions in India and Africa, where growth rates can exceed global values by as much as seven times, means that Chinese manufacturers are quickly becoming a strong force in the mobile realm.

Source |…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1KGWpvJ
via IFTTT

As per tradition, further spurred by last year’s iPhone 6 Plus bendgate, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus drop and bend test videos have started flooding YouTube.

Many tech blogs and vloggers have rushed to acquire the iPhone 6s duo only to start torturing it. And you can bet the new 7000-series aluminum that Apple uses for the latest iPhones will be the major thing to test.

In fact, here’s an interesting, and rather funny video, of two guys trying to bend an iPhone 6s Plus.

And now for a couple of drop tests. Those aim to put Apple’s claim of strongest glass in business to the test.

There’s a plethora of videos like this available, and certainly a lot more to come. If you want to check more iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus torment, the source link below is your…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1Kz8VQ0
via IFTTT

The new iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus is now available for purchase. Both models can now be purchased in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK and the US.

In the US, customers can get their new iPhones with $0 down payment and $27 or $31 (for the 6s and 6s Plus, respectively) monthly payment for 24 months from the retail outlets, Apple.com, select carriers, and authorized retailers. Also, exclusively at Apple’s retail stores in the US, customers can choose the iPhone Upgrade Program that gets them a new iPhone every year unlocked from the carrier of their choice with AppleCare+ for $32 for the 6s and $37 for the 6s Plus per month for 24 months.

Apple will also be selling all the new accessories alongside the new iPhones, including the new leather and silicone cases and the color-matched metallic finish Lightning Docks.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are available in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB in gold, silver, space gray, and rose…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1MN7a5l
via IFTTT

It’s the same every year come September for iPhone fans the world over – long lines forming overnight in front of Apple stores. There’s that dedication, and then there’s fly-half-way-across-the-world-to-Australia dedication to be among the first to get your hands on an iPhone 6s, and that’s exactly what repair specialists from iFixit have done.

The crew picked up this year’s hero Rose Gold color option, as an extra bit of flair can never hurt the disassembly. As usual, the process starts with undoing two proprietary Pentalobe screws, which keep the screen in place. Stronger adhesive gives more resistance than the old generation, but suction cups emerge victorious eventually.

It’s the 4.7-inch display assembly that accounts for the biggest changes thanks to the 3D Touch tech. The complete module now weighs a massive 60g – 15g more than the old iPhone 6 and the single heaviest component of the smartphone. The fact that the display is the first to come off earns the iPhone 6s points for repairability – it’s the part that gets replaced most often.

Underneath is the battery, with capacity reduced to 1,715mAh from the 1,810mAh of last year’s model. It’s removed by simply pulling on the adhesive that holds it in – easy to access and replace. The Taptic engine gets the X-ray treatment, in action too. The crew then walks us through the cameras and the logical board with all the expected circuitry – the A9 chip, 2GB of Samsung-made RAM and, in this case, 16GB of storage.

In the end the iPhone 6s scores a 7/10 repairability rating, a rather impressive feat these days. The Samsung Galaxy S6, in comparison, gets a lowly…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1KGspju
via IFTTT

Meizu recently announced their new flagship series of smartphones, the first of which is the Pro 5. The phone will be available in China in October with the Flyme OS 5.0 update arriving on November 15.

While talking about the company’s India plans, Meizu clarified that the Pro 5 will not be launching in India this year but early next year, with the Flyme OS 5.0 update out of the box.

Talking about the existing devices, Meizu also confirmed that the existing range of devices in India, the m2 note and the MX5, will be getting the Flyme OS 5.0 update later this year.

You can read out quick hands-on of the phone…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1KTO8YP
via IFTTT

The Motorola-made Google Nexus 6 smartphone – which was released back in November last year – is now up for sale on Expansys USA, which now selling the 64GB variant of the device for as low as $370.

That’s around $180 in savings as the model usually sells for $550. Although color options include both Cloud White and Midnight Blue, the latter seems to out of stock currently.

The price cut comes just days before Google’s September 29 event, where the company is expected to unveil the next generation of Nexus devices made by LG and Huawei – the handsets are expected to debut as Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.

What’s also worth mentioning that the Nexus 6 will probably be one of the first devices to get Android 6.0…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1FkvJEa
via IFTTT

Verizon has announced a new plan that will allow you to turn in your old iPhone and upgrade to a new one every year. However, only those who purchase Apple’s new iPhones – the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus – with the carrier’s Device Payment option will be eligible for the upgrade.

Those who’ve already pre-ordered any of the two new iPhones and elected the Device Payment option are automatically enrolled in this program, Verizon said in a press release, adding that those not willing to upgrade can can pay off the full price of their iPhone in 24 monthly payments.

“That’s a better option than those lease plans offered by other companies, which can include surprise balloon payments just 18 months into your agreement, or ask you to turn over your phone without getting anything for it,” the company…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1QCj9jU
via IFTTT

While we already know that the next generation of Nexus devices – which are expected to be announced during Google’s September 29 event – will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box, it wasn’t clear when the new Android version would start rolling out to older devices. However, that was until now.

According to an updated software release schedule (see image above) from Canadian carrier Telus, Android Marshmallow will begin rolling out on October 5, with the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 becoming the first handsets to get it. The carrier, however, says that the date is subject to change.

For the uninitiated, two Nexus phones – made by LG and Huawei – are expected to be unveiled on September 29. The devices are expected to debut as Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, respectively – you can take a look at their leaked press renders here and…

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1Kypsnf
via IFTTT

Samsung and Oculus took the wraps off an updated and more affordable Gear VR headset. The virtual reality accessory will begin shipping in the United States in November with a $99 price tag.

The latest Gear VR will be compatible with Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note5, as well as the Galaxy S6 edge+ via microUSB connection. At 310 grams, the headset is also lighter and more comfortable to enjoy than last year’s first iteration.

In addition to the new Gear VR, Oculus also announced a bevy of upcoming content for the platform. It includes various TV shows from the likes of Lionsgate, Netflix, Hulu, and 20th Century Fox among others, as well as gaming titles that include Minecraft….

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1KEXQuC
via IFTTT

The popular note taking application Google Keep finally made its way to Apple iOS. The app is available for both iPhone and iPad devices running iOS 8 or later.

As expected, Google Keep for iOS offers the same functionality as its Android sibling. It allows users to create notes and lists, add multimedia to them, as well as share them with other Google Keep users.

Invested in Google Keep for iOS? Head over to the source link below to download and install the app.

Source …

from GSMArena.com – Latest articles http://ift.tt/1NWPYL1
via IFTTT