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The iPhone 6 Plus (image: Ewan Spence) The first A9 chips have rolled off Samsung’s fabrication lines in Austin (reports the Korean Electronic Times ). The chips will be used in the next-generation iPhone from Apple, potentially exploiting Samsung’s 14nm technology. I’m confident that Phil Schiller will have a number of graphs ready for a presentation to show the A9 is faster, more efficient, and uses less battery power than ‘any other chip we’ve ever designed’. Questions remain over which device the A9 chip will power and when it will be launched. Many industry watchers are still considering the idea of two iPhone releases next year, one to coincide with the launch of the Apple Watch in early Q2 and a second in the traditional September slot. Apple iPhone 5c (image: Apple.com) Releasing an A9-powered smartphone after the A8-powered iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been on sale for just over half a year feels like a bad move that will affect customer goodwill. The initial ...

South Korean phonemaker Samsung, which has been losing market share to rivals in India, is gearing up to launch two premium devices — the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4 — to take on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The company has started talking to distributors and retailers to launch these devices in time for Diwali, ahead of the launch of the Apple devices in October. Unlike previous Samsung phones that were clad in a plastic body, these will be the first Samsung phones with an external metal casing, something that iPhones have had for long. Priced a little over Rs 40,000 a piece, the Galaxy Alpha is expected to be cheaper than the new iPhone 6 but will have better features, an offline distributor briefed on Samsung's plans said. The Galaxy Alpha, showcased by Samsung last month, has a partial metallic body, 4.7-inch screen and a top-of-the-line processor. It's the company's bet against iPhone 6 in the premium segment. Samsung also announced the allnew G...