Samsung announced the low-range phones to carry its own bada OS back in June, naming them the Samsung Wave 2, and Wave 2 Pro. The company took care of the mid-range with the Samsung 723, which we reviewed recently. Afterwards it announced a successor to the first Samsung Wave, calling it the Samsung Wave II.

To avoid duplication, the low-end members of the bada family are now ready to enter the markets, but with names consisting strictly of numbers. The Samsung Wave 2 is now the Samsung Wave525 and the Samsung Wave 2 Pro, which adds a QWERTY keyboard, is Samsung Wave533. The new addition to the bada OS line seems to be the Samsung Wave575, which actually has 3G connectivity, whereas on the other two you can only browse with EDGE speeds.

The other specs are shared among the three phones – 3.2″ WQVGA screen with 240×400 pixels of resolution, 3MP camera with video recording, 100MB of memory, 1200mAh battery, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and… that’s about it. The handsets will be available in three colors – black, white and pink. The usual goodies coming with Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 UI can be found on all three – Samsung Hub, Dolphin 2.0 browser, and image editing capabilities.

The Samsung Wave525 is already available in Russia, and its keyboarded brethren the Samsung Wave533 will be arriving there by the end of the month. These two will be available later on in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa. The 3G Samsung Wave575 will be coming to Sweden soon, and will be gradually rolled out in Europe, Southeast Asia and China. No word on pricing yet, but we’d imagine you won’t have to start a second job for one of these.
source: Samsung

Samsung Wave533

Samsung Wave525 and Samsung Wave575

Looks like Samsung Wave owners will soon be graced with an official firmware update to bada 1.2, supposed to make the mobile OS more responsive, and including Swype. The leaked software showed up on SamsungFirmwareWorld, but you have to register to retrieve it. It is clearly for GT-S8500, i.e. the original Samsung Wave.

The process requires an additional tool, thus don’t rush to update your Samsung Wave yet. Moreover, it looks slated for the European market versions of the handset. It won’t be long before it pops into your Samsung Kies software, so stay put for the official news.
via SlashPhone

Now we know the overarching question when you read the title of this news bit – why would Samsung dispose of its competitive advantage in smartphone land for the Wave II? The first Samsung Wave introduced the best the company can offer – 1GHz Hummingbird chipset, and a 3.3″ Super AMOLED screen.

The chipset was so snappy, and the screen so vibrant, that we were willing to overlook the nascent operating system with hardly any applications yet written for it. After that, the company announced some low-end additions to the Wave portfolio – Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro – which are yet to see the daylight. Then it launched the Wave 723, a mid-range bada phone, which we reviewed not long ago.

Now, out of the blue, Samsung is announcing the high-end successor of the original Wave, but this time with a 3.7″ WVGA Super Clear LCD screen, where the touch coating is applied directly on the screen, with no air gap in-between. A similar technology Samsung uses for its Super AMOLED displays. The Wave II is running the same 1GHz Hummingbird chipset, as its predecessor, and features 5MP camera with LED flash, capable of HD video recording. It also sports Bluetooth 3.0 and Trace, a novel text input method, similar to Swype, but tailored for bada.

We have no doubts in the merits of the Super Clear LCD screen. After all, the iPhone 4 proved you can have a thin handset with a power-sipping screen, even if it is not Super AMOLED. The question is why would Samsung dispose of its main advantage in the cut-throat smartphone business for a high-end handset?

We know that the Koreans, like the rest of the world, are running low on production capacity for AMOLED screens, and everything goes towards the Galaxy S and its entourage. With the announcement of the Wave II sporting a 3.7″ SLCD, we are more inclined to believe it. Moreover, the plant that will increase the AMOLED capacity of the company tenfold, is not going to be operational until next summer, so Samsung does what it can. Moreover, it holds a controlling stake in the joint venture with Sony that makes the Super LCDs, which go into the 3.7″ HTC Desire and Droid Incredible, after supply issues held them from receiving the intended 3.7″ AMOLEDs. Still, that doesn’t prevent the company from charging 428 EUR (~$585), for the Wave II, when it appears in Germany come November.
source: Samsung (translated)