Tech lovers around the world are waiting for March 14 to take a peek at the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, and now it seems that the device is going to be very, very fast. At least if you believe the new benchmark results from Browsermark 2.0 browser benchmark for the Samsung Galaxy S4.

The tests were done on a GT-I9500 device, which is most probably the Samsung Galaxy S4, which runs Build JOP40D (Android 4.2.1) and Mobile Google Chrome 25. The device has managed an impressive score of 2710, which puts it ahead of all other smartphones around, including the iPhone 5 and different versions of the S3 and Note 2.

Keep in mind, there’s no way to be absolutely certain that the device they used for the tests is the S4 and even if it is we can’t say it’s completely accurate. The real world performance of the handset could be different. Of course, Samsung certainly won’t come out with a device that’s not enough to create trouble for rivals.

As for the specs of the device? Rumors suggest a 5-inch 440ppi 1920×1080 display, a 13 megapixel cam, and Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa eight-core chip. There are also reports suggesting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor will be used instead of Samsung’s own processor due heat issues with putting the Exynos 5 Octa into a smartphone. Earlier, the Galaxy S3 shipped in the US with a Qualcomm chip, but that was because of the lack of Samsung’s own LTE solutions. At the moment it is really hard to say what the ‘actual’ specs will be, but regardless we can expect a powerhouse.

Are you excited for the Samsung Galaxy S4?

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Moving forward, even though stable builds of CM10 are only becoming available now, the team has already started work on CyanogenMOD 10.1. This even newer version of the custom ROM will be based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. There are only a handful of new features, so they don’t feel that this newer version quite warrants being called CM11 just yet. We’ll have to wait on one built upon Key Lime Pie for that.

In the meantime, you can go to get.cm to look up your device and see if they’ve got a stable CM10 build for you. As always, loading custom ROMs and any other kind of hackery are done at your own risk and discretion.

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It starts with the screen. The original Note had a 5.3-inch 800×1280 (285ppi) Sumer AMOLED touchscreen, whereas the new Note II has a larger 5.5-inch 720×1280 display. It’s physically bigger but actually has fewer pixels (267ppi). This is because they’ve changed the aspect ratio, which changes the outward dimensions of the phone too. The new Note II is a little longer than the original (151.1mm vs 146.9mm), but it’s actually narrower (80.5mm vs 83mm) and thinner (9.4mm vs 9.7mm).

The overall design borrows a lot from the Galaxy S III too, so you lose the textured back of the Galaxy Note in favor of a slippery “river rock” like back on the Note II.

The new Note II is more powerful with a quad-core 1.6GHz processor compared to the 1.4GHz dual core in the original, though it retains the same 2GB of RAM. The Note II ships with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, whereas the original shipped with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, though a Jelly Bean upgrade is available. Naturally, they both use Samsung’s TouchWiz UI too.

The S Pen smart stylus is still here–as will be the case with the entire Note lineup–but it’s gained a few tricks, like Wacom-style “hovering” functionality. The Note II does have some additional features though, like a custom menu for one-handed operation of the dial pad, as well as some features borrowed from the S3, like Smart Stay. The battery is bigger (3100mAh vs 2500mAh) too, helping to improve battery life.

If you already have the original Samsung Galaxy Note, there isn’t as much of a motivation to upgrade to the Note II. However, if you’re looking to enter the phablet arena for the first time, I’d skip the OG Note and head straight to the Galaxy Note II. It’s a beast of a device.

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You may have heard earlier this week that Qualcomm has contracted Samsung to manufacture some of its Snapdragon processors. This is interesting, considering that Qualcomm competes directly against Samsung in the chip industry, even if the North American version of the S III uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. Well, it looks like Samsung is getting an order from Apple too.

The current rumors say that the upcoming Apple A6 quad core processor will indeed be based on Samsung’s Exynos 4 quad core processor. It’s unclear whether this will be essentially the same chip or if Apple has some “optimizations” for its version of the chip. I guess it’s not terribly surprising, since Apple doesn’t manufacture anything of its own, but with all the lawsuits going back and forth between the companies, it is interesting that they’re signing new contracts to work together.

In related news, another leaked photo has indicated that the iPhone 5 will have a 4-inch Retina display. The touch sensors are integrated on the LCD panel itself, helping to make the new iPhone even thinner.

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As far as American carriers are concerned, it looks like at least T-Mobile and Sprint are getting it, but there’s no official mention or word for Verizon or AT&T yet. The Sprint version will likely be equipped with the ability to use the upcoming 4G LTE network, whereas the T-Mobile version could make use of their HSPA+ network instead. It has been postulated that the T-Mobile version will be the only one with a quad-core chip, since the LTE versions would require either an external 4G LTE modem or a non-Samsung dual core chip with LTE (likely the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4).

Given the history, we’re expecting the LTE version to arrive at all of Canada’s big three (Rogers, Bell, and Telus) some time this summer, which should be the same launch window for T-Mobile and Sprint.

In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of some of the key specs and features: 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED 720p display, Android 4.0 ICS, 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera, S Beam, AllShare Play, AllShare Cast, S Voice, burst shot mode, Smart Stay, Social Tag, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 16/32/64GB storage, microSD expansion (up to 64GB) and a 2100mAh battery.

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While HTC has plans to release their newly unveiled S4 powered One S (T-Mobile) and One X (AT&T version) within the next two months, Microsoft is reportedly busy testing a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, which is intended for Sprint’s network, with the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset. The new info comes to us courtesy of the folks over at The Verge who were apparently tipped off by “sources familiar with the company’s plans”.

According to The Verge, at least one Windows Phone 8 handset will arrive later this year and the company is hoping that their device will exhibit impressive performance with the chip onboard as the S4 has been proven to be better than Samsung’s Galaxy S II (Exynos) and Motorola’s Droid 4 (TI OMAP) via many tests.

Reportedly, Sprint is interested in a Windows Phone 8 handset equipped with the chip and won’t be launching any new Windows phones before the introduction of WP8. The carrier has also contacted Nokia for sharing their LTE specifications.

But it is not known whether Microsoft will be checking out the quad-core Tegra 3 processor on the global version of the HTC One X. Although Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 has done remarkably well on previous tests, the latest benchmarks of the HTC One series show that the Tegra 3 is on par with S4 in processing power, and it actually is better when it comes to graphics performance.

The idea of multi-core processor support for future Windows Phones can never be pushed aside after this leak. And Qualcomm, when asked about the possibility of Windows Phone S4 devices, gave out answers that suggest they know about Microsoft’s tests.

We will keep you updated on the matter, so stay tuned.

The post Windows Phone 8 Dual-Core Smartphone For Sprint Being Tested? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The new device dubbed “Galaxy S II Plus” has popped up in a benchmark database, An3DBenchXL. According to available info, the handset sports a WVGA display and a 1.5 GHz processor, and it runs the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS.

This places the device ahead of the Galaxy S II’s 1.2 GHz Exynos processor. But it has to be seen whether the S II Plus will arrive with Samsung’s own Exynos 4212 processor or the TI OMAP 4470 which has been rumored to be coming with the Galaxy Nexus refresh.

And it won’t be a big surprise if they are indeed preparing a “plus” version as the company released the Galaxy S Plus last year as a refresh to their popular Galaxy S.

As you might already know by now, Samsung earlier announced that the Galaxy S3 will only be unveiled some time before the end of June. But they have promised “exciting new mobile products” for the upcoming MWC. Could the Galaxy S II Plus be one of those devices? A refreshed Galaxy Tab tablet is expected to be on display, and other tablets might arrive as well.

Stay tuned for updates.

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Rumors about the iPad 3 suggest that Apple has plans to bring out an awesome tablet to stay at the top of the market this year as well. But that does not mean that the task is going to be easy. It appears like Samsung has been secretly designing not one, but two different tablets (maybe even more) and the new slates will likely be unveiled at the upcoming Mobile World Congress later this month.

Two unknown devices, with model numbers GT-P3100 and GT-P5100, from the South Korean manufacturer have got Wi-Fi certifications issued by the WiFi Alliance.

Although these devices are being listed as smartphones, the GT-P prefix suggests that we might be looking at new additions into the company’s tablet line-up. Models beginning with GT-P7 have been part of their Android tablet range. Yes, the prefixes differ slightly, but Samsung might be trying to throw us off the trail here.

We doubt whether one of these devices is the earlier rumored monster tablet from the company which is said to be equipped with a quad-core Exynos processor and a 2560 x 1600 display that measures in at 11.6″. And the other one might end up as their answer to affordable slates like the Kindle Fire.

Whatever these are, we believe that MWC will witness at least one Samsung tablet introduced. We will let you know when any new info arrives prior to that. So stay tuned.

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First off, we’re looking at a launch window right around March of this year, though the exact date with each carrier will likely vary somewhat. The processor sounds like it could be the dual-core Exynos 5250. While it’s not quad core like Tegra 3, it does have a crazy clock speed of 2GHz, boasting enough grunt to power stereoscopic 3D on what will likely be a display in the Super AMOLED Plus HD family.

Given Samsung’s recent push toward bigger screens (the Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65-incher and the Note has a 5.3-incher), it’s safe to assume that the Galaxy S3 will be a little bigger too. I’m guessing it’ll be the same as the Galaxy Nexus, since it will likely launch with ICS too. The camera will probably get a notable bump too, possibly getting that 16MP unit that Samsung announced in October.

But these are all just rumors. What do you want to see in a Galaxy S3? Thinner? Brighter? How about some better battery life? Ice Cream Sandwich is a no brainer.

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It’s hard to believe that Samsung’s attempt to tackle the iPhone three years ago was the abysmal Samsung Instinct. My, how far have they’ve gotten since then. Samsung has skyrocketed to become one of the top manufacturers of Android smartphones and arguably one of their greatest creations to date is the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G.

The version I was offered to review is available through Bell Mobility in Canada. A US release through Verizon, Sprint and AT&T is expected shortly the next week.

Features at a Glance

Just unveiled earlier this year, the Samsung Galaxy S II is the official successor to the wildly successful Samsung Galaxy S. Most of the variants of that phone were largely the same, like the Vibrant and Captivate, save for some minor design cues. The guts were all pretty much identical.

In the case of the Galaxy S II, the specs have pretty much been bumped up across the board. This starts with the positively gorgeous 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. All of the original Galaxy S phones had the standard 4.0-inch screen. I don’t need to tell you that this screen is easily the most amazing one you’ve ever seen on a smartphone. Photos really don’t do it justice. The colors are amazing vibrant, making games and other graphic-leaning apps that much better. And yes, it’s damage-resistant Gorilla Glass to boot.

Of course, the processor is worth mentioning too. Whereas both the original Galaxy S and the Samsung-made Nexus S were doing the 1GHz single core thing, this phone gets bumped to a 1.2GHz dual core Cortex-A9 processor. The full gig of RAM certainly helps too.

Other highlights include the 8MP rear camera (which I’ll get to in a moment), 2MP front camera, 1080p video recording, accelerometer, proximity sensor, 16GB of internal memory, microSD slot (up to 32GB), WiFi-N, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, microUSB, and GPS (plus aGPS support).

Design and Layout

With the Google Nexus S, they did that curved oleophobic screen and a cheap-ish glossy black plastic back. With the Galaxy S II, Samsung abandoned both of those ideas. You get back to a regular flat screen and that’s perfectly fine for me. I’m also happy to see that they got rid of that cheap black plastic and opted for a slightly textured back. It offers just enough grip and just enough “class” to make this feel like a premium product.

Two things will still strike you immediately about the Galaxy S II. First, it’s thin. Like seriously thin. Like 8.49mm thin. That’s pretty amazing, easily outdoing many other smartphones in this realm. It’s also very light at 116 grams. When you compare that to something like the iPhone 4 (137 grams) or the Motorola Atrix (135 grams), the difference becomes immediately apparent.

In terms of layout, there’s not a lot to report. You get the volume controls along the left edge and the power button on the right edge. The microUSB connector is in the bottom, but unlike the first Galaxy S, the port is exposed. You’ll also notice that this phone gets rid of the usual “home” and “search” buttons that accompany most Android phones, relying on the “menu” and “back” buttons instead. There is a hardware button in the middle, seemingly taking a square-ish approach to the iPhone home button, that serves as, well, the home button.

Gingerbread with TouchWiz UI

If you want a stock Android experience, you’re not going to get it here. You’re probably better off getting the Nexus S or waiting for the Nexus Prime. That’s because, not surprisingly, this phone does TouchWiz UI v4.0.

Yes, it’s somewhat iPhone-esque in that the apps are arranged in pages and you swipe horizontally to get through them. This is quite different than stock Android or HTC’s Sense. For some, TouchWiz is going to be a turnoff, but I have no quibbles about it. Aside from that, the customizable homescreens (as usual) come in handy with all the widgets and such. Interestingly, the “main” home screen is screen 1 (all the way to the left), which is different from some previous Samsung Android phones where “home” was the middle screen (4).

Front and Rear Cameras

That’s an eight megapixel shooter on the back, but we all know that megapixels are not the same as image quality. I’m surprised that Samsung didn’t equip the Galaxy S II with some sort of specially-skinned camera app, but the resulting quality is quite good given the right lighting conditions.

Consider this shot and this shot, both of which were taken outdoors under natural light. The second one is challenging, because I was in a space between a darker shadow and overbearing sunlight, so there is some significant “washing out” of detail.
With more even lighting, this photo turned out quite well. A photo I took with flash shows how strong the flash is, but it can easily blast out the photo too. Even though the front-facing camera is only 2MP, the quality of this shot is perfectly reasonable too.

As far as smartphone cameras go, I have little to complain about here aside from the lack of additional controls. That can likely be saved with a better camera app, giving you options like zoom, color balance, and so forth.

Performance and Network Speeds

When it comes to so-called Android superphones, the Samsung Galaxy S II is currently among the top of the heap. Spec for spec, it beats out the HTC Sensation 4G in a few areas, for instance. The processor is fast, there’s plenty of RAM, and I experienced virtually no slowdown even when running more than a few apps and widgets. This was even true when streaming media over the Internet. Unless you’re doing some heavy lifting, though, it’s unlikely you’ll notice a huge difference over the single core 1GHz smartphones out there.

Interestingly, battery life is largely unaffected by the increase in clock speed and the addition of an extra core. With intermittent “normal” use, I was able to get a solid day out of the phone without having to reach for a wall outlet. This is with the automatic brightness settings activated, and with both GPS and WiFi mostly turned off. I would like to see even more battery life, but all Android phones face this challenge. Compared to single core smartphones, even with smaller screens, the Galaxy S II might even outperform their battery life.

In terms of network speeds, Bell is marketing this phone as the Galaxy S II 4G. It’s up to you to decide if HSPA+ is really 4G, but in a very real sense, it’s pretty fast. I used the iPhone mobile speed test, ensured I was on the H+ network with full bar of signal. The download was clocked at 16.32 Mbps (based on 7936KB in 4 seconds). That’s not quite the theoretical limit of 21Mbps, but it breaks the 14.4Mbps limit of the HTC Sensation 4G (also through Bell). Upload, though, was pretty abysmal at 0.37Mbps.

Conclusion

Unequivocally, the Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the best Google Android smartphones on the market today. It’s incredibly thin, the Super AMOLED Plus screen is simply breathtaking, and it has performance up the wazoo. The only thing that might hold you back is the TouchWiz UI, which isn’t everyone’s bag.

That and you know that there is always something nicer in Android land just around the corner. At some point, you need to draw your line in the sand and choose what suits your needs right now, rather than waiting for the next Android phone to come out a few months from now. And the Galaxy S II is a great place to draw that line right now. I just hope that Samsung keeps up with the Android updates.

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