So Samsung Returns to MicroSD and Waterproofing. Are we surprised? Also CAT FLIR phone, HP does Windows, LG goes Modular and Nokia confirms return

A few notes from the smartphone wars

Samsung has now shown the new S7 class Galaxy flagships. And yes, was it a mistake to take out the microSD slot and waterproofing they did last year? Well, if they rush to return those features, I guess more than this blog told them that it was a MORONIC move. Now they are back. Good for you Samsung. Good luck with the Galaxy series for 2016.

Cross-town rival LG is doing something different. They are introducing modular items and accessories and changes to their line. Nice. Lets see how that plays, so far the modular items aren't exactly breathtaking. But this could bring us good things.

Caterpillar has given us cool military tech in its Android S60 smartphone - FLIR. What is that? Forward-Looking Infra-Red. The night vision stuff we see in millitary goggles. It can be very useful to see heat in construction from which pipes carry hot water vs cold, to actually seeing through walls. Nice idea but obviously very niche. Still, its kind of 'Superman vision' being able to see through walls or seeing at night.

HP returns to smartphones. With yet another dead OS. Can you believe they actually bothered to launch on Windows? Idiots.

And Nokia? CEO has just confirmed that yes, they will be returning to smartphones but are not in a hurry to do so.

Ok, thats a quick summary of whats happening in smartphones, more as we get more news.

Comments

[steve epstein]

HP..going with windows phone OS.

Just imagine all the product development meetings in SV.
12 to 20 people all looking at their iPhones and Androids as they design a Wiley Coyote 'Acme' anvil phone.
beep beep....

sheeeesh....

[abdul muis]

Tomi

In LG & Samsung MWC 2016 event, both of them mention your stats the 150x/day we see our phone.

Here's the samsung's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R5HN6oWdC4&t=2980
(I already set the time at 2980 seconds, where it say 150x/day)

Here's the LG's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyC1fUBqnaU&t=540
(I already set the time at 540 seconds)

[Tomi T Ahonen]

Hi steve and abdul

steve - ROTFL yes..

abdul - wow thanks! How awesome is that. Now they only need to learn the NEW stat that its 221 times not the old number 150 times per day haha.. but gosh, thanks for even having the video jump to the right spot (I didn't know you could do that). Hey, on the second vid, LG, that is yet another thing I talked about back in 2011 - that one of the smart things Nokia did with Symbian (and MeeGo) was the always-on clock, that Windows Phone couldn't do. Now LG doing it with Android. It is a good idea but many mocked me here. And once again, Nokia WAS far ahead of the industry and led the way. Yet one more little thing that some people loved about their particular Nokia phone, vs any other phone, was that permanently on clock display that you could tell the time without having to fumble for some button or swiping (yeah. Its all old news now on this blog haha)

Tomi Ahonen :-)

[abdul muis]

@Tomi

Perhaps both Samsung & LG trust your stat more than the new 221 times by not-Tomi.

Actually both Samsung & LG were introducing the feature of permanent clock display, and mentioning your stat as the main reason their incorporating the feature.

[cornelius]

@Tomi
How about this Gartner report which you never mentioned?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3035100/phones/android-leads-and-windows-phone-fades-in-gartners-smartphone-sales-report.html
According to Gartner Apple sold this Q4 less phones than the previous Q4. And the iOS lost market share.
I was under the impression that they sold slightly more phones this year and their market share in Q4 was more or less the same as last year's Q4.
And the good news is that WP was at 1.1% in Q4. But now, with HP in the fold who knows? Maybe WP will get to totally dominate the mobile market. Just kidding, I wish I could see your faces.

[sarek]

@cornelius

"How about this Gartner report which you never mentioned?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3035100/phones/android-leads-and-windows-phone-fades-in-gartners-smartphone-sales-report.html
According to Gartner Apple sold this Q4 less phones than the previous Q4. And the iOS lost market share."

The two are not mutually exclusive. Apple's figures are about sell-in (into the channel), Gartners' are about sell-through (they estimate sales to the end-user).

So Apple sold a little more but their inventory increased by around 3 million units.

[Per "wertigon" Ekström]

Now that Samsung has gotten it's shit together I expect they once again will raise their share in the premium segment.

Then again, the consumer industry is a fickle business, so nothing is certain. But it looks like Samsung has created a piece of hardware able to rival Apple - if only their software could match... (Yes, TouchWiz is the worst of the Android flavors by far)

[chithanh]

Paul Thurrott wrote a bit about the HP Elite x3:
https://www.thurrott.com/hardware/64677/elite-x3-hp-takes-windows-phone-enterprise

The Elite x3 is actually a curious device. They won't sell it at retail or through carriers. Also he purported reasons why HP did not go with Android, citing lack of "security and management infrastructures". I wonder why BlackBerry managed to overcome this but HP couldn't.

[Tester]

@chithanh:

" I wonder why BlackBerry managed to overcome this but HP couldn't."

I'd say the reason is $$$.
I wonder what deal they struck with Microsoft to use their zombie-OS on their phones. Maybe better conditions for Windows OEM licenses for other devices?

@Wayne Brady:

When it comes to such decisions there's rarely any sane reasoning behind, but often some short term gains that are not obvious to the public. My bet is on what I wrote above.

[cornelius]

@sarek

It seems that your are right. Apple has more excess inventory than previously thought. I just read the breaking news that Apple will scale back the production again. The new estimate is 190M phones for this year, an 18% drop compared to last year.
http://seekingalpha.com/news/3126396-smbc-nikko-risk-new-apple-shock?uprof=82#email_link

[Per "wertigon" Ekström]

@cornelius: If 190M is the end result of this year, then Apple will be in dire dire straights indeed for next year (that would be a market share of 12-13% or so). That sounds suspiciously low.

Yet if the numbers are true... Holy cow the hangover from the last year sales party is going to hit Apple hard! :)

It also points to 2017 being a better year than 2016 though, and then we will see a convergence on maybe 215-220 Million units from Apple, yearly.

[chithanh]

@Wayne Brady
Windows is already free for devices with 9" screens or smaller. Reducing that price further would mean Microsoft is now paying HP to pre-install Windows.

BB is a much smaller company than HP, and HP isn't exactly new to the enterprise sector either. I am neither convinced that HP would have to start from scratch nor that it would be a big obstacle for them.

@Tester
My current theory is that it has to do with Microsoft patents. Why else would they make a device but not market it openly.

[Tester]

qchithanh:

There's a lot to speculate about HP's plans - but whatever it is, I'm quite certain that Microsoft is pulling the strings here. Whether it's money, license rebates or patent deals doesn't really matter. What matters is that this thing is only marketable to idiots.

[Earendil Star]

So, let's see: "security and management infrastructures".
Security is the usual MS FUD, which is fun to hear given that Windows is the most malware ridden OS in circulation. Tick: certified MS marketing
Infrastructure is clear. Or should be. It should be that a Windows phone is better at linking with MS Windows, which is what PCs typically run. And to Windows Domains. In enterprise environment. But we all know that Windows sucks, so I would not be surprised to learn that on some (older?) Windows versions linking to Windows 10 mobiles could be a problem.
Never underestimate MS ability to screw up things.
In short: HP is exploring to see if the continuum marketing drive helps them selling some additional pc, which is what WP 10 mobiles would like to be. Most likely also this is being subsidised by MS.
Chances are this won't work. Once again.

[Nvior]

I bought my Galaxy Note 3 more than 2 years ago and looking at these flagships I still can't see a reason to buy a new phone.

I think there is a big problem with the lack of innovation. Look at the S7 new features:

- MicroSD. What were they thinking to remove it in the first place?
- IP67. Sony has been doing that for years and Samsung did it with S5 in 2014.
- Camera with bigger pixels for better low light performance. That sounds so HTC... but at least Samsung isn't doing it with those ridiculous 5 Mpx. That's a point for Samsung.
- Active display. I had a cheap Nokia C7 with that feature in 2010-2011 (not sure when Nokia released the app).
- Better CPU and more Ram. It's not like somebody needs it but I guess it's a requirement for a flagship. I wonder when more internal storage will be a requirement because 32Gb when you can record 4k videos is not enough. At least now we have MicroSD support. Yayyy

You expect these kind of 'NEW' features from Apple, but Samsung used to be more innovative. The S7 is a good phone but this lack of innovation is becoming a trend in the last years and right now the only BIG thing that could sell phones like hotcakes would be new batteries in my opinion. There are a lot of news about companies and universities investigating, but Tomi, do you know if there's a company that could start producing batteries with new technology soon? If I was Apple or Samsung, considering their market share, I would try to secure an exclusivity deal with the first company that could manufacture a battery that doubles the capacity of current batteries.

[ch]

Windows phone on Intel might work but HP is just useless arm windows

[Tomi T Ahonen]

To all in this thread

I have just published VERY rare regional mobile stats, based on analysis and extrapolation of today's Pew global survey of mobile and smartphone ownership. Enjoy!

Tomi Ahonen :-)

[Tester]

@Wayne Brady:

"some pent up demand. I just don't think it will have legs."

Reminds me somewhat of what Apple is facing right now...

"The mid level "carrier good enough" phones also have memory card slots, and run Android. And they are "good enough" for most people."

Those will definitely cannibalize the high end. But don't you ever think that Apple is immune from this effect. Their resistance may be higher but if the price difference becomes too steep I wouldn't bet on them anymore.

[Earendil Star]

"iPhones sell over Galaxies because of iOS, the complete Apple ecosystem, Apple stores etc."

Crap. iPhones sell because of design and status. Other alleged advantages are just marketing.

A good product overall, but in essence an overpriced fashionable commodity. Actually, I'm not even sure it sells over Galaxies.

Ah, and not all of the offering is in the top segment. Previous year models cover the low price segment for the iPhone, to cater for those wannabies not willing to spend a fortune on the latest iteration.

[Per "wertigon" Ekström]

@Lullz:

It depends on your purpose.

If your purpose is to get shitfaced drunk then yes, the blended whiskey is perfectly fine, as is the Aldi beer.

If your purpose is to simply enjoy a good drink and then call it a night, then you will be more picky about what you drink.

Many people today buy the single malt when they want to get shitfaced drunk. That's just a waste of good money. :)