BARCELONA -- Samsung's annual Unpacked event is more than just a flashy coming-out party for its flagship smartphones and wearables. It also gives us great insight into the highly competitive market for mobile devices, and Samsung's place in the constellation.
You might call it the State of the Union address from Samsung Mobile CEO President JK Shin.
So what did we learn this year? What's important to Samsung?
Battery life is still critical. We're still pining for our smartphones to last an entire day on a single charge, and Samsung has made it clear that it wants to help. Last year, it introduced its own Ultra Low-Power Mode, which, like a government shutdown, slashed all non-essential services so that the phone could limp along with basic communications until you find a power outlet. It was a great idea that didn't pan out.
This year, Samsung tacitly admitted that it has no silver bullet for the all-day battery conundrum. Instead, it focused on making charging as painless as possible. It added Quick Charge to juice up the Galaxy S6 faster -- twice as fast, the company says, as the iPhone 6. And it also built in new wireless charging capability, a technology that gained a lot of momentum at the show.
You might call it the State of the Union address from Samsung Mobile CEO President JK Shin.
So what did we learn this year? What's important to Samsung?
Battery life is still critical. We're still pining for our smartphones to last an entire day on a single charge, and Samsung has made it clear that it wants to help. Last year, it introduced its own Ultra Low-Power Mode, which, like a government shutdown, slashed all non-essential services so that the phone could limp along with basic communications until you find a power outlet. It was a great idea that didn't pan out.
Samsung Pay, coming this summer, will be built around LoopPay, a recent Samsung acquisition. It will use NFC, or near-field communications, just like Apple Pay and Google Wallet. But it can also mimic magnetic stripes, which could help it leapfrog competitors by supporting older payment systems as well.
Better cameras. That's plural -- the front-facing camera as well as the rear-facing unit. The Galaxy S5 enjoyed a major camera upgrade, with 16 megapixels, HDR capabilities and editing enhancements. For the Galaxy S6, Samsung bumped the oft-ignored front-facing camera to 5 megapixels from 2 MP in the S5 -- and it also added HDR for better selfies in high-contrast settings. And it improved low-light performance.
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