Samsung still the top smartphone vendor in India CyberMedia says

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BY Unknown 16:54 0

Samsung still the top smartphone vendor in India CyberMedia says

Last week, a report from market research firm Canalys said that Micromax has overtaken Samsung as the leading smartphone manufacturer in India. However, the South Korean company was quick to refutethe report, claiming that it’s still the top player in the market, based on numbers released by GfK India.

Now, a latest report from market research company CyberMedia Research (CMR) also suggests that Samsung hasn't been dethroned yet, although it points out that the tech giant is “losing its earlier firm grip."

As per the report, total handset shipments in India last year stood at around 257 million units, with Samsung claiming 16.5% share, down from 20.3% at the beginning of the year, while Micromax and Microsoft (Nokia) claiming 13.3% each.

"However, Samsung was seen to be losing its earlier firm grip on market, as its share of the market showed a downward trend during the year, as compared to Micromax that gained primarily in April-June 2014, but then continued to remain flat during the rest of the year," the research firm said in a statement.

The report noted that Samsung has been losing grip in the smartphone segment too, with market share falling to 29.3% at the end of 2014, compared to 43.2% at the beginning of the year. On the other hand, Micromax registered some gain, with market share rising from 17.5% in January-March 2014 to 18.9% in the last quarter of the year.

The new batch of week's smartphone announcements

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BY Unknown 15:44 0

The new batch of week's smartphone announcements

The week opened with the announcement of the low-end Asus ZenFone C. It's a minor update to last year's ZenFone 4, retaining the Intel chipset with a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and 1GB of RAM. Screen size has seen a slight bump to 4.5 inches, requiring an increase in battery capacity to 2,100mAh.

Wednesday was rather eventful, with Meizu's highly-anticipated press conference. The Meizu m1 was unveiled, packing a 5-inch 720p screen and respectable hardware in a colorful body, all for $110. Camera department is where the m1 offers the most bang for its buck, offering a 13MP main sensor and a 5MP selfie snapper.

The ZTE Blade S6 is a more capable LTE-enabled 5-incher rocking a Snapdragon 615 SoC, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. A 13MP/5MP camera combo adds up to a respectable $250 midrange package.

The HTC Desire 526+G slides in between the last two, pricewise. For $170 the Taiwanese company will sell you a 4.7-inch qHD screen, a 1.7GHz octa-core processor, coupled with a single gig of RAM and 8GB of on-board storage. A 16GB version is available for a nominal price increase.

Samsung unveiled a new smartphone as well, pushing its range to even lower grounds. The entry-level Galaxy J1 packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a modest 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory, thankfully expandable. The new base model runs KitKat on a 4.3-inch screen.

Motorola quietly launched an LTE-enabled version of the current Moto G, dubbed Moto G 4G (2015). Offering vanilla Android experience and timely updates, the new handset offers dual-sim functionality and retains the hardware of the non-4G version.

LG's Ice Cream Smart flip smartphone now officially launched in Korea

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BY Unknown 14:32 0

LG's Ice Cream Smart flip smartphone now officially launched in Korea

LG took the wraps off the Ice Cream Smart flip smartphone in Korea. The casually characterful handset is the second flip phone from the Korean manufacturer after the LG Wine Smart that debuted in September last year.

In terms of specs, LG Ice Cream Smart packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of expandable memory. The device’s display is a 3.5” unit with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels.
                                   

An 8MP main camera, VGA front-facing snapper, and full connectivity suite that includes LTE and DMB-TV round up the highlights in the device’s specs. LG Ice Cream Smart boots Android 4.4 KitKat.

Physical measures of the smartphone are 118.6 × 59.4 × 16.9mm. A removable 1,700mAh battery powers the device.

Don’t expect to see the LG Ice Cream Smart outside of Korea. The handset will clearly be aimed at younger users in its motherland.