Samsung invites people to discover the world of possibilities at its Middle East and North Africa Forum 2013

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today unveiled new products and services that define its vision for the consumer electronics industry, where technology enables consumers to discover a world of possibilities.

Presenting at the company’s Middle East and North Africa Forum, Samsunglaid out its vision of creating new, richer experiences for consumersthrough its deep understanding of the region and its relentless pursuit of discovery and innovation.

“Thanks to our understanding of consumers and their lifestyles in the Middle East and North Africa, Samsung has seen tremendous growth in the region,”said Kyung-tae Bae, president of Samsung Electronics in Middle East and North Africa. “We have achieved 65 percent sales growth in 2012 and stand as a leading consumer electronics brand, and we plan to continue pushing the company forward this year. From Smart TVs that are redefining the TV experience to hyper-connected cameras, intelligent home appliances and the most versatile PCs, our regional product line up this year reflects our commitment to delight consumers, bringing not just what they expect, but what they’d never dreamed was possible.”

Delivering on this promise, Samsung today unveiledsignificant innovations in television, home appliances, connected cameras, PCs and printers. It demonstrated how it is redefining product categories across virtually all of its product lines; and reinvigorating the consumer electronics market with seamless content discovery, intuitive control, and personalized user experiences.

Samsung’s complete portfolio will be on display at the Samsung Middle East and North Africa Forum at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai.

Setting new standards in TV technology and design

In 2012, Samsung demonstrated leadership across all of its categories, including the TV market. The company achieved 18 percent growth in revenue and 19 percent growth in unit sales in the total regional TV market last year.

Following this success, Samsung is opening a new world of possibilities in home entertainment this year.Leading its charge to bring premium TV design to consumers in the Middle East and North Africa, Samsung launched its flagship F8000 LED TV,the first Samsung television to feature a quad-core processor. Available in sizes up to 75-inches, the F8000 features an ultra-thin profile, a quarter-inch thick bezel and a wave inspired Arc stand that makes the TV look as if it is simply floating in the air.

Samsung also introduced itsfirst 85-inch Ultra High Definition TV (UHD TV), the 85S9.The 85S9’s stunning Timeless Gallery design sets a new standard for TV craftsmanship, with the TV appearing to float within its frame and juxtaposing its classic minimalism with the imposing 85-inch display.

Samsung’sUHD TV85S9offers four times the resolution of Full HD displays to deliver unmatched picture detail and clarity. It also includes an up-scaling engine that can automatically up-convert HD and Full HD content to UHD resolution, offering a whole new world of viewing experiences. The 85S9also makes Samsung the first TV brand to offer support for the new high compression video codec, HEVC, which delivers higher streaming video quality over lower bandwidth so content will consistently look amazing. 

TV and audio for the ultimate lean-back experience

Samsung’s 2013 Smart TVs provide a new world of possibilities in search, navigation and content discovery. Samsung has completely redesigned its newSmart Hub, which intelligently organizes a viewer’s content into clear, dynamic menu panels to provide a simple, more intuitive way to discover and experience television.The three panels include:Apps; Photos, Videos & Music; and Social.

Drawing on Samsung’s mobile leadership, the navigation experience of the new Smart Hub is reminiscent of that featured on its smartphones or tablets. It is further augmented with Samsung’s enhanced motion control capabilities, which make navigating Smart Hub’s three panels convenient and fun with a simple flip motion.

This advanced TV user experience has been expanded to smartphones and tablets, thanks to Samsung’s leadership in connectivity. Viewers can use their devices as a remote control or simultaneously enjoy two different pieces of content from a TV or Blu-ray player on a second screen. They can alsomirror their Smart TV content on a tablet to take it with them around the home.

Additionally, Samsung is delivering on its 2012 promise of bringing the next evolution of TVs with the introduction of its 2013 Evolution Kit. By simply adding the Evolution Kit to a Samsung Smart TV, users can haveimmediate access to the latest Samsung Smart TV offerings, including quad-core CPU power and the newly updated Smart Hub.

Exclusive to the Middle East and North Africa region, Samsung and content partner OSN launched a new platform called ‘OSN Play,” which allows consumers to watch TV online anytime, anywhere with a variety of devices, such as Samsung smart phones and cameras. OSN Play will soon be available on Samsung Smart TVs.

Finally, to deliver an audio performance to match the company’s screen excellence, Samsung introducedthe HT-F9750W andHW-F751 to the region.

The HT-F9750W is Samsung’s flagship 7.1 channel home theater system that is the perfect companion to its 2013 Smart TVs.The system features a 1,330-watt sound system for unprecedented sound quality and exceptional viewing experience, and it is powered by Samsung’s Gallium Nitride amplifier and vacuum tube amplifier to create a pure, natural sound. Additionally, HD content can be up-scaled to UHD picture quality, thanks to Samsung’s 4K Scaler Processor.

The HW-F751 is Samsung’s first AirTrack, a sound barthat can connect with a TV via Bluetooth, or double as a wireless speaker for smartphones or tablets. Its integration of a vacuum tube intoAirTrack—also a world’s first—delivers a warmer, more immersive sound with virtually no distortion. Its silver, slim metal design separate, wireless subwoofer complement the premium design of any Samsung Smart TV.

Showcasing tomorrow’s digital appliances

Based on an in-depth understanding of consumers’ needs, Samsung offers fresh perspectives with its new range of appliances for the Middle East and North African region.

The new Samsung refrigerator (RT38) was built with durability in mind. Powered by Samsung’s Digital Inverter Compressor, the new refrigerator automatically makes small adjustments between five different speed levels to respond immediately to cooling demands, allowing consumers to save energy. The compressor is backed-up by a 10-year warranty to guarantee its long-life durability.

Samsung’s new refrigerator also offers maximum control and space usage with features like MoistFresh Zone, which controls the air circulation to maintain optimal humidity for perfectly stored vegetables and fruit, and Multi-Storage Basket, which provides 5-liters of storage space.

In the washer category, Samsung’s new Samsung ecobubble washer (WF80F5E) uses its unique bubble generator to create bubbles that are mixed with detergent. The result is faster fabric penetration, powerful cleaning performance using cool water, and the ability to save consumers more energy.

Additionally, Samsung today announced its Smart Oven(MC32F606), which comes equipped withexpert cooking capabilities to change and enhance the way families eat. The Smart Oven makes it easier to follow a nutritious and balanced diet, thanks to its smart sensor cooking and features like pre-programmed recipes, a yogurt maker and slim fry setting. The Smart Oven revolutionizes cooking and how home cooks approach meal time.

Capturing images for every moment

Samsung is also staying true to its SMART CAMERA vision, delivering the latest and greatest camera technology and driving change in the digital imaging landscape. As the newest addition to its NX-range, the NX300 blends highly functional and simplified Wi-Fi sharing with exceptional image quality, fast Hybrid Auto Focus, and 3D still and video capture.

The NX300 is complemented by the new SamsungNX 45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens, the first one-lens 3D system for a consumer camera, capable of capturing both still pictures and full 1080p HD video. This new lens opens up an exciting world of 3D imaging possibilities and makes the Samsung NX Series the only interchangeable lens camera supporting both 3D stills and 3D movies.

Central to the NX300’s outstanding imaging performance is its new 20.3 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, capable of capturing high-quality images for every user. A newly designed Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) system delivers fast, accurate phase and contrast detection AF, while its 1/6000 second top shutter speed and 8.6fps continuous shooting mode ensures every moment is captured perfectly. Also, Samsung’s latestDRIMe IV imaging engine provides outstanding developments in speed and quality;it enables better color reproduction and greater noise reduction. Support for full 1080p HD video capture in both 2D and 3D—when combined with Samsung’s new 45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens—is also available through the DRIMe IV’s engine capabilities.

For a seamless photography experience, the NX300’s 84mm (3.31 inch) AMOLED screen comes complete with a tilt display allowing cherished memories to be captured from any angle, high and low, while making it effortless to review images. Completing the intuitive feel of the NX300, the distinct AMOLED screen is combined with touch-screen capabilities and a 5-way manual key interface. 

Combining design, performance for hands-on computing

Samsung’s new PC line-up in the Middle East and North Africaconsists of two new devices that combine powerful performance with design excellence. The powerful new Series 7 Chronos and the portable Series 7 Ultra Notebook are equipped to handle both work and entertainment applications.

The new Series 7 Chronos delivers a professional performance in a thinner and lighter form factor, with a quad-core performance, as well as a new software solutioncalled RAMaccelerator, which provides up to a 150 percent increase in speed for browsing and running apps,to act as a true desktop replacement. Its 15.6-inch FullHD display with 10-point multi-touch screen provides an optimized multimedia experience in Windows 8. Matching power with style, the Samsung Series 7 Chronos is just 20.9 millimeters thick; and with a back-lit keyboard and 11-hour battery life it lets users work on-the-go, longer.

The Series 7 Ultra embodies superior mobility and performancein an ultra-slim and light, full aluminum body. Combining an eight hour battery life, a beautiful 13.3-inch Full HD displaywith a 10-point multi-touch screen, aluminum frame, a i5 / i7 CPU for fast-processingand up to 256GB SSD of storage, this PC provides the computing power required by even the most demanding users; and like the Series 7 Chronos, it will run on Windows 8.

In addition, Samsung introduced its ATIV Smart PC line-up to the Middle East and North Africa. The ATIV Smart PC and the ATIV Smart PC Pro combine exquisite craftsmanship on the exterior with unmatched performance, featuring the versatility of Windows 8 OS and compatibility with Windows 7.

When it comes to form factor, the Smart PC is only 9.9mm thin while the Smart PC Pro is just 11.9mm thin. Both devices feature an incredibly vivid 11.6-inch display, as well as a detachable keyboard-docking system that allows consumers to easily switch between a clamshell notebook PC and a tablet PC form factor.

Adding to the powerful mobility products, Samsung underscored its leading position in the global monitor market with the introduction of the Series 7 Touch(SC770), which is Samsung’s first multi-touch display optimized for Windows 8. Supporting up to 10 points of simultaneous multi-touch, users can drag, rotate or select objects on the monitor using their fingers.

Empowering the B2B Market

At today’s press conference, Samsung also highlighted how innovation in the B2B market can facilitate change in the era of e-learning, or Smart Education.

There is much interest and investment from governments around the world in Smart Education, and in the Middle East and North Africa, Samsung is helping to fuel this investment by bringing Smart Education experiences to schools throughout the region.

Samsung will be equipping five demonstration classes in four countries with easy-to-use, immersive technologies, such as Note PCs, e-boards and mobile solutions. Also, more than 6,000 online textbooks will be available via an open market content platform.

Beyond education, Samsung also announced the results of its joint study with research leaders IDG regarding the attitudes of IT executives and consumers toward ‘bring-your-own-device (BYOD)’to work policies. The results revealed that an overwhelming majority of IT executives believe that BYOD programs will become standard in business within the next two years, and consumers expect the mobile device to be the primary computing device for work within five years. 

Understanding that the success of such BYOD programs depends on whether hardware and software providers can address the security concerns of IT executives, Samsung has launched its Samsung For Enterprise (SaFE) program, which is comprised of security standards that will help companies to find mobile devices that are safe to use. SaFE devices provide immediate business benefits such as advanced data features and device-based verification.

SaFE is Samsung’s commitment to the B2B market. It’s a comprehensive suite of security standards, apps, on-device encryption, VPNs and mobile device management solutions. With the development of SaFE, Samsung is simplifying mobile device administration and removing concerns about the fragmentation of the Android platform.