Samsung’s Ultimate Dream Phone
Samsung’s newest devices have the company’s greatest critics applauding the company for what may be the first time in a long time. And, for many, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have made their dreams come true: they’ve always wanted a Samsung smartphone with a lot less Samsung software, more of Google’s, and a design that just screams “premium.”
Finally, “the ultimate dream phone” has come, right?
Not even close.
The Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge (depending on which wins your eye and your money) may be your ultimate dream phones, but neither is Samsung’s.
That’s right, I said it: neither is Samsung’s.
While customers fall in love with each new device, Samsung’s got its sights set on a bigger fish that not only looks premium but also features nothing but Samsung parts – and runs on Samsung’s own Tizen OS.
That’s the vision Samsung has in mind.
Laying out the evidence
Whenever someone makes claims like I’ve made above, it begs the question: “how do you know?”
This is a simple question to answer, fortunately. You need only take a look at Samsung’s evolution over the years to see the answer.
Camera
Sony’s known as the top go-to source for camera sensor chips in the mobile world (that includes Apple for its iPhones), and even Samsung has had a history of implementing Sony camera sensor chips into its Galaxy line. Samsung has gone back to the Sony camera sensor chips into its Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 edge, but Samsung placed its own ISOCELL camera sensor chip into the Galaxy S5.
This isn’t to say that the ISOCELL camera tech didn’t have some flaws; indeed, even early Galaxy S5 adopters at US carrier Verizon reported fatal camera flaws where some cameras would not open upon pressing the camera icon on the mobile desktop. Samsung reverted back to Sony camera sensor chips for a reason, but that doesn’t mean Samsung is finished with its own camera chips. They’ll return center stage when the time is right.
Processor
Samsung’s been implementing its own Exynos processors into Galaxy smartphones outside of the US, but this year marks the first time an American-destined smartphone from Samsung features Samsung’s home-grown Exynos processor (and the first smartphone in the US with an octa-core processor at that!), and Samsung’s octa-core processor is blowing away all of its Android rivals in speed and performance.
Samsung’s processor has come to not just Korea, or certain intended regions, but worldwide to the US, UK, and other countries. Exynos is another piece of the puzzle that will ultimately lead to the arrival of Samsung’s ultimate dream phone.
Operating System
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are playing nicer with Android than the company’s smartphones have in years past. If you’re a Samsung diehard who enjoys Air View and Air Gesture, you may not find the same experience in the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.
As many a tech reviewer has noted, Samsung’s behavior and cooperation with Google is better than it has been since the company’s smartphone lineup was created. At the same time, however, Samsung has been Tizenifying (yes, I coined this word) TouchWiz on its devices. The Galaxy S5 TouchWiz UI bears a strong resemblance to the UI on the Z1 (which runs Tizen), so the company certainly sees Tizen in its future for its smartphone lineup. While Samsung said in a recent interview that it chooses the best OS for each product, the company has also been trying to warm up Galaxy users to the idea of a high-end Tizen smartphone.
Galaxy S6 and S6 edge users, you may hold your shiny new device in your hands and think that Samsung’s accomplishments couldn’t get any better, but for Samsung, they can. Tizen didn’t arrive on the Z1 without reason. What many critics have said is nothing more than “a dabbling adventure” for the Korean manufacturer is actually a significant piece of the puzzle. When the dust settles, Android will forever be Google’s software. If you think Samsung’s okay with having to play nice with Google by placing Google apps at the forefront of its experience and being told to “play it down a lot” in the software department, you’re in for a real disappointment.
Conclusion
These are just a few examples to show that Samsung’s latest devices aren’t the very best of Samsung. True, they are excellent, phenomenal, and a whole host of other positive adjectives you can brainstorm, but they’re not Samsung’s ultimate dream smartphones. Not even the Galaxy Note 5 and Note Edge 2, scheduled for an announcement this coming Sept, will be Samsung’s ultimate dream phones.
What is Samsung’s ultimate dream phone? A high-end smartphone whose hardware and software scream Samsung: top-of-the-line camera sensor (ISOCELL), Exynos processor (that will blow away the competition even more than the current Exynos 7420 processor), a Super AMOLED display (Samsung’s own), and software that runs on Tizen OS (Samsung’s own OS), done Samsung-style. That’s right: Samsung will no longer be told to “play it down, you’re doing too much, users don’t want that” kind of talk.
In the final analysis, the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, Note 4, S6 Active, Note 5, and Note Edge 2 will be seen for what they truly are: small milestones on the path to total success. When Samsung’s dream phone arrives, all these other top smartphones will be seen as pioneers in the company’s journey to greatness.
You may or may not like or care for Tizen now, and you may still hate Samsung’s smartphones, but Samsung’s working on the ultimate dream phone – and you – in the process.
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Tizen is great on my Gear 2! I very much look forward to a high end smartphone with Tizen. Well, just as long as a reasonable number of third party apps are available. 🙂
If Samsung can just get same core options/touchwizz features in a Tizen flagship phone, many people (including me) won’t mind jumping in. I mean, i’m so used with Android for the last 5 years that i don’t really mess with new apps now like a few years ago. Touchwizz is/was gathering all essentials options/features necessary without needing to install some additional useful apps : call blocking, sms filtering, blocking mode, complete quick settings, message tones/vibration pattern customization, complete defaut camera, enhanced defaut media player and all other more advanced functions using sensors/gestures (note that a few are used now by… Read more »
JohnK, I agree with you. I think that Google has been known for doing this in Android: copying from the innovations of its OEMs, and diehard Google fans have been okay with that. I listened to a recent podcast about Google and the future of Android, and the majority of the participants in the podcast said, “Google’s pretty much gonna take all the stuff from these other OEMs and throw it into Android…so the innovations of other companies is good for Android.” While those innovations may benefit Android, Google should also be a pioneer into new research. This is the… Read more »
There was battery saving apps LONG before Samsung even imagine doing in their own rom, and Samsung has its own history of copying others companies ideas.
Its not that Android is growing from the inovation of others OEMs, Android is growing from the inovation of its own community and there is nothing wrong in doing that.
I don’t know how you define inovation, but Google is certainly doing a lot of inovation with Android. Its currently the biggest OS in the world, with phones, tablets and watches, so its not easy to integrate features when you have such scale.
There was a battery-saving mode with Android OEMs before Samsung, but none of those were popular or have been popular since Samsung integrated its own. I think it’s easy to give Google credit from your end, but Google only integrated a power-saving mode directly because of Samsung. In fact, Samsung’s KNOX program was integrated into Android — even though Google could’ve clearly done more on the security end to integrate its own work security measure before utilizing Samsung’s. Google has done some innovations in Android (after all, Android wouldn’t have evolved to what it is were it not for Google),… Read more »
When Samsung integrate others apps functionality into their own ROM is innovation, but when someone do it after Samsung, its copying Samsung? I don’t get your point here. And the software approach that Samsung has, adding every possible gimmicky feature its not working also. Recently, release after release Samsung is toning Touchwiz down (and I say that by using S, SII, SIII, S4, S5 and Note 4 now), and thanks god for that. I love Samsung’s hardware, and while I do like some functionality that Touchwiz has, its clearly bloated with a lot half baked functionality that Samsung ended removing.… Read more »
And while the Knox is truly a Samsung innovation, given the time, Google could built something from zero, that was incompatible with Knox, but that inevitably will end on Touchwiz, as every feature that Google integrate on Android. We all know how this clash of Google and Samsung solutions ends. Here in my country I remember that Samsung shot down Music, Games, Video, Books, WatchOn, ChatOn.. all that was gimmicky duplicated functionalities that nobody ended up using and that Samsung just offered because it wanted to compete in software with Google (and others). Its a win-win situation for the custumer… Read more »
You tell ’em Deidre like it is! 😀 People think Samsung owns Tizen and that’s why they want to use it. Simply not true and it’s actually a good thing it’s actually a Linux Foundation Completely Open Standards Project! Samsung has simply contributed much of the code to it and the Linux kernel to support it, in becoming one of the Top 5 Open Source Contributors in the World. By leaving it alone and only bringing in new Open Source Tizen Touchwiz. Which is now entirely based on Open Source Enlightenment Desktop Environment or better termed for Linux as a… Read more »
i am really excited about tizen. i have this z1 with me. On the very first day when samsung releases the so called perfect smart phone I’ll definitely buy that.
ironbat, Thanks so much for writing in. I am so ready for the high-end Tizen smartphone. I’ve been saying it to myself ever since Samsung announced Tizen in the Z1. For me, the ultimate dream phone will be my ultimate dream phone. Samsung’s software innovation in Android makes me perfectly content with leaving Android and going full Tizen all the way. I already own the Tizen Gear S, and I’m ready to own a Tizen tablet and smartphone. We don’t have the Z1 here in the States, so I’m jealous that you do have it 🙂 Count yourself as having… Read more »
Only an idiot could believe that there are companies who do not care about money. A company is made to bring money. Apple model, to sell products with very low production costs, at excessively high prices even demonstrates the desire to make money by any means, so cut the crap.
well said. finally someone talks sense. These people don’t get the point.
hmmm you speak about note 5 and note edge 2 so there will be 3 way screen in note / about tizen its not bad at all the success of z1 should continue to high end phone but still early maybe in 2016 samsung will be free but they still going to be sucks at software you tell me they may support your device like apple not cause samsung only care about money nothing else very true 🙁
Every word you said screams that you are a Samsung hatter. think and experience before doing or saying something. i am a Samsung lover but i don’t criticise other oems.