Latest news with #GalaxyA
Phone Arena
3 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Samsung's US mid-range product launch ‘strategy' is making my blood boil
The world's top smartphone vendor is selling a new mid-range device in one of the world's biggest smartphone markets (as well as one of the most populous nations out there) starting at the reasonable price of $499.99. That sounds like a huge story... very few of you paid much attention to late last week for a number of pretty obvious reasons. The fault lies almost entirely with Samsung, which inexplicably delayed the US release of the Galaxy A56 5G and perhaps even more curiously "forgot" to build buzz around the handset's long overdue regional commercial debut. But this is actually far from the first mid-end phone the company has bafflingly set up for failure right off the bat over the last few years, making me wonder if Samsung even wants to see the Galaxy A family succeed stateside. Unlocked, 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM, Exynos 1580 Processor, 6.7-Inch Super AMOLED Display with 2340 x 1080 Pixel Resolution and 120Hz Refresh Rate Technology, IP67 Water and Dust Resistance, Android 15, 50 + 12 + 5MP Triple Rear-Facing Camera System, 12MP Single Front-Facing Camera, 5,000mAh Battery, 45W Charging Capabilities, Two Color Options Buy at Samsung Unlocked, 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM, Exynos 1580 Processor, 6.7-Inch Super AMOLED Display with 2340 x 1080 Pixel Resolution and 120Hz Refresh Rate Technology, IP67 Water and Dust Resistance, Android 15, 50 + 12 + 5MP Triple Rear-Facing Camera System, 12MP Single Front-Facing Camera, 5,000mAh Battery, 45W Charging Capabilities, Awesome Graphite Color, $50 E-Gift Card Included Buy at BestBuy Not at all. Not at its core, at least. That 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen is pretty much all you can hope for in the mid-range segment nowadays, the 45W charging speeds are somehow higher than what the high-end Galaxy S25 supports (because why not?), and the system performance is deemed as "acceptable" in our comprehensive Samsung Galaxy A56 5G review. In short, you're looking at the kind of device no Android power user would be caught dead owning, while the vast majority of "normal", unpretentious smartphone buyers on a budget would probably get without thinking twice... at the right price. And that's where the aforementioned $499.99 tag comes in to totally ruin the A56's US value proposition. Not bad and not great, the Galaxy A56 5G should really be cheaper by now. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena" What are some other phones you can buy at that price... or less? Well, how about the OnePlus 13R with more storage, more memory, a faster processor, better cameras, bigger battery, and faster charging? Or Google's Pixel 9a with better cameras, wireless charging, and most likely, vastly superior long-term software support? Or even the Motorola Edge (2025) with an arguably prettier and somehow more robust design, as well as better cameras, more storage space, a bigger battery, faster wired charging, and wireless charging capabilities. Now here's the thing. If Samsung had released the Galaxy A56 5G in the US back in March, the phone would have had a little time to steal some of the spotlight away from its key rivals, two of which went on sale after that date. Perhaps more importantly, an earlier release would have probably created the opportunity (or rather multiple opportunities) for retailers like Amazon and Best Buy to lower that $499.99 price point by now. Instead, the best we're getting is a $50 gift card as a launch deal sweetener in both of those places, as well as a pitiful $150 trade-in offer on Samsung's official US website. And that, my friends, is how you make an unremarkable phone not just instantly forgettable, but outright disposable instead of exploiting its full budget-friendly potential. The Galaxy A51 was probably the last big hit of its kind. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena In some weird way, that made me optimistic that the company would come back stronger this year with the Galaxy A56 , but evidently, that's not the case. At least not in the US. Instead, Samsung appears to have put its mid-range portfolio on autopilot stateside, setting a navigation path that can only end in total ruin. Perhaps worse yet, the once mighty Galaxy A series doesn't seem headed for a particularly spectacular or shocking death either, but rather a slow and drawn-out demise that's likely to see many Samsung fans shrug their shoulders in indifference when it's eventually sealed and officially announced. It's almost as if the world's top smartphone vendor is sabotaging lower-cost and lower-margin devices to favor higher-end models that generate bigger profits, which may sound like a sensible business decision, but is likely to come back to haunt Samsung in the long run in terms of its market presence.
Sinar Daily
15-07-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Samsung alone records growth in shrinking global smartphone market
According to data from market tracker Canalys, Samsung accounted for 19 per cent of the global smartphone market in terms of shipments. 15 Jul 2025 11:03am A visitor touches the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 smartphone at a Samsung store in Seoul on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) SEOUL - Samsung Electronics Co. maintained its lead in the global smartphone market in the second quarter, supported by sales of its competitively priced Galaxy A models, industry data showed on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported. According to data from market tracker Canalys, Samsung accounted for 19 per cent of the global smartphone market in terms of shipments. A visitor examines the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 smartphone at a Samsung store in Seoul on July 10, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) iPhone maker Apple Inc. ranked second with 16 per cent, followed by China's Xiaomi Corp., which took up 15 per cent. Samsung was the only smartphone maker that posted an on-year growth of 3 per cent, while Apple declined by 2 per cent and Xiaomi remained unchanged. The global smartphone market recorded its first decline in six quarters, shrinking by 1 per cent amid a slower-than-expected recovery in consumer demand and economic uncertainties. However, the impact of the US government's tariff policies, coupled with healthy inventory levels of newly released devices, could impact the supply and demand in the market, Canalys said, leaving room for growth in the second half of the year. - BERNAMA-YONHAP More Like This
Barnama
15-07-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Data Shows Samsung Maintains Top Spot In Global Smartphone Market
SEOUL, July 15 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. maintained its lead in the global smartphone market in the second quarter, supported by sales of its competitively priced Galaxy A models, industry data showed on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported. According to data from market tracker Canalys, Samsung accounted for 19 per cent of the global smartphone market in terms of shipments. iPhone maker Apple Inc. ranked second with 16 per cent, followed by China's Xiaomi Corp., which took up 15 per cent.
Android Authority
08-07-2025
- Android Authority
I've tested every cheap Samsung phone: Here are the ones you should buy in 2025
The secret to Samsung's ultra-cheap success is its commitment to software updates. Like the rest of the Galaxy A series, the Galaxy A16 is set up for a full six years of support, carrying it right into the start of the 2030s. That works out to a per-update cost of around $30, better than the Galaxy A26's per-update cost of $50 or the Galaxy S24 FE's price of around $90 for each major patch. Granted, you're paying for much more than just software support, but it's a good place to start if you want a cheap phone for your kids or an older loved one. Unsurprisingly, the camera hardware on the Galaxy A16 has to take a bit of a step back to thrive within its limited price, but I still came away impressed with the primary sensor. It's the same 50MP, 1/2.76-inch sensor that the Galaxy A26 uses and is pretty similar to the one Samsung has used on its last few Galaxy A1X launches, so it's had plenty of time to fine-tune the image processing. The 5MP ultrawide and 2MP dedicated macro sensors that round out the trio aren't the most flexible, but we can chalk that up to the very tight budget. An excellent update commitment is enough to have the Galaxy A16 5G punching above its price tag. Perhaps the perfect positioning for the Galaxy A16 5G is what I described above: It's a great phone for kids and the not-so-tech-savvy people in your life. Its combination of lower-grade Gorilla Glass and plastic means you don't have to worry too much about damaging it, and even if you do, the repair bill won't be very steep. Its IP54 rating against water and dust falls slightly behind the other options on this list, but it should still be good enough for rainy days and the occasional beach trip as long as you treat it with just enough care.
Morocco World
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Samsung Embeds Israeli Surveillance App on Phones Across MENA
Rabat_ Social Media Exchange (SMEX)—a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa — is warning that Israeli-linked software secretly embedded in Samsung phones across the MENA region poses a serious surveillance threat. According to SMEX, Samsung's A and M series devices either come preloaded with the app 'Aura' or install it automatically through system updates, without the user's consent. The application reportedly collects a wide range of personal and device-specific data, including IP addresses, device fingerprints, hardware details, and network information. These data points, SMEX warns, can be used to easily identify users—especially when location tracking is enabled on any apps installed via Aura. This creates a grave security risk in a region where Israel has repeatedly used technology as a tool of surveillance and violence. While the app's privacy settings claim users can disable data collection by turning off 'AppCloud' in the app list, deletion requires submitting a form that does not exist—effectively making it impossible to fully remove unless the user possesses advanced technical knowledge. In 2022, Samsung MENA partnered with Israeli tech company IronSource, integrating its Aura software into Galaxy A and M series phones across the region. The partnership was publicly marketed as a way to 'enhance user experience' with AI-powered apps and content suggestions. However, the scale and stealth of the data collection have triggered growing concern, which became terrifyingly real in September 2024, when Israel carried out a terrorist attack in Lebanon using booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies allegedly linked to Hezbollah members. These devices were remotely detonated in public spaces, killing 42 people, including children and health workers, and injuring over 3,500—many left with long-term serious physical injuries and psychological trauma. Disturbingly, the attack was praised by pro-Israel politicians and Western media outlets—a reaction that ignored the chilling implications for anyone with a cellphone. If digital proximity to a targeted individual is enough to get you killed, then no one is safe from the expanding reach of Israel's tech-driven warfare.
