A few days back, we reported that Samsung had started pushing a new software update for the Galaxy S8 series. The same update is now available for two more old smartphones, namely Galaxy S5 Neo, Galaxy S7 series, and Galaxy Note 8. Let’s check out what is it all about.

Galaxy S5 Neo, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, and Galaxy Note 8 are not eligible for software support, just like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. Despite this, all of these old flagship series handsets are being treated with a new software update.

The latest firmware for these phones neither brings new features nor bumps up the security patch level. Instead, it arrives with a fix related to GPS. As per GalaxyClub, Samsung is preparing to release this update for multiple older devices. 

Looks like the issue is critical as even the 7-year-old Galaxy J7 received the same update recently. Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S9 Plus are expected to be the next in line to get this GPS fix update.

If you are still using any of the aforementioned smartphones, then head over to Settings to download and install the update. If you don’t see the update yet, then try later as it may take some time to reach all regional variants.

It’s good to see Samsung issuing software updates for out-of-support handsets. Currently, the company is also ahead of the competition by promising 4 Android updates and 5 years of security updates for select devices.

What are your thoughts on Samsung’s software update policy for its phones? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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Samsung launched the Galaxy S7 series consisting of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge in March 2016. These devices are no longer eligible for security updates. However, despite being almost 5 years old, the South Korean tech giant is now rolling out September 2020 security patch to these two phones.

Previously, Samsung used to provide two Android updates and up to 4 years of security updates to its flagship handsets. Hence, the company provided security patches for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge up until March 2020.

But now, after 7 months, Samsung is seeding another update in the form of September 2020 security patch. There’s no need for the company to provide this update as the duo has received security patches for 4 years as promised.

As SamMobile suggests, this update may include certain critical patches and therefore, the world’s largest smartphone maker might have released it. Currently, the update is live in the US and Europe. It should be available in other regions in the coming days.

In August, HUAWEI Mate 8, a smartphone from 2015 also received a system update after the end of its support period. It not only brought July 2020 security patch but also a useful feature called “Smart Charge” for the battery.

Anyway, these handsets still pale in comparison with Apple’s track record of releasing iOS updates.

UP NEXT: Here’s the official list of Samsung Galaxy devices eligible for three generations of Android updates

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Samsung is currently working hard to roll out Android Oreo software version to all of its compatible units by the middle of May. In line with that, the South Korean giant is expected to roll out the new Android Oreo operating system update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

In the Samsung Members portal, the company posted an update recently, where the company said that it was “doing its best” to have the update rolled out by the middle of next month. While the schedule on the forum is designed for the South Korean users, though the updates are likely to be pushed all across the globe soon after its debut in the South Korean region.

The US carrier versions of the Galaxy S7-series, as well as the unlocked variants of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, have recently received Android Oreo certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance.  Samsung Canada previously suggested that the S7 Oreo update would land in the summer.

Alongside the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung is all set to bring the Android Oreo update to the Galaxy A5 (2017), Galaxy A7 (2017), and Galaxy Tab S3 LTE and Wi-Fi models in the first half of the year. Update rollouts for these devices are also subject to the development process and prior approval.

On the other hand, the Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) have already started getting updated to Android Oreo in some regions. The Android Oreo update from Samsung is also expected to include Samsung Experience 9.0 along with several interface-level tweaks.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018) And A6 Plus (2018) Prices Outed in a New Leak

Earlier this year, the South Korean giant rolled out Android Oreo for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. The update included features such as new launcher shortcuts, colored media notifications, dual messenger, and a revamped About Menu in Settings, among several other changes. It also came with several Android Oreo core features, including Notification dots, Smart Autofill, Picture-in-Picture mode, and faster boot time.

(Source)

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When the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were launched, initial reports had revealed that these flagship that come with full-screen design have met with overwhelming response all over the world. However, recent reports have claimed that the sales of Galaxy S8 duo are lagging behind the Galaxy S7 even though South Korean company did not reveal the official numbers. During a recent press meeting in Taipei, Samsung CEO DJ Koh debunked these reports by giving out some information on the sales of Galaxy S8 and S8+.

According to Koh, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ sales are 15 percent than the sales of their predecessors when compared to the same period in 2016. He added that the company is of the view that the sales of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will grow even more in the upcoming third and fourth quarters of this year. Koh has not given out any particular details on how many units of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were sold.

In the recent weeks, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been spotted with big discounts. Such price cuts could also help the sales number of the Galaxy S8 duo to increased significantly.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Renders & Details Surface

It was during this meeting that Koh gave out new information on Galaxy Note 8’s arrival. He revealed that the Note 8 would be launching at the end of the next month. The South Korean media have revealed in the past week that the Note 8 would be launching on Aug. 23.

Koh stated that Samsung would be using two-phase release strategy for the Galaxy Note 8. In the first phase that will start in early September, the Note 8 would be hitting markets like the South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K. The second phase would begin October during which the Note 8 will be released in other markets.

Samsung has recently released the Galaxy Note Fan Edition and it has too met with an overwhelming reception. Before the release of Note FE, the daily device activations in South Korea was 15,000. However, after the release of Note 8, the daily device activations have increased to 24,000 in the country. Samsung has planned to sell the Galaxy Note FE only in South Korea. However, an insider has revealed that the Note FE would be also releasing in some other regions in this month.

(source|via)

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Samsung has been rewarded with the SID Display of the Year Award for Galaxy S7 Edge’s quad-edge flexible display technology by the Society of Information Display (SID). Since the launch of Galaxy Note Edge, the South Korean company has been providing its customers with marvelous smartphones with curved-edge screens. Samsung has also inspired other companies to launch dual-edge curved screen smartphones.

The innovative flexible display products manufactured by Samsung Display have been used in its smartphones since 2013. The South Korean company had was awarded with SID Display of the Year award for a curved AMOLED and a bended AMOLED respectively in 2013 and 2015.

On Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung debuted the first ever quad-edge flexible technology used in the industry that curves at top and bottom apart from the sides. The radius of the curvature at the left and right edges of the AMOLED screen can be varied by using the special curved technology that makes it possible to have a curved screen with natural curve appeal and better grip. The circuit plan of the screen has cut down the dead space around the edges of the screen to 1.09 mm.

Read More: Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 to Arrive as Galaxy Note FE in June End, Claims Report

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones of 2017 feature larger quad-edge display with reduced bezels at the top and bottom. The display technology introduced on Galaxy S8 duo is known as Infinity Display.

The 2016 flagship phones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge respectively feature 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch quad HD AMOLED screens. However, the Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch S-AMOLED screen whereas the Galaxy S8+ has a 6.2-inch S-AMOLED display. The screens on Galaxy S8 duo offer a higher screen-to-body ratio and supports a screen resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Both the Galaxy S8 duo have received overwhelming response from the audience and critics.

The upcoming Galaxy Note 8 is also expected to feature Infinity Display. Rumors have it that the Note 8 would be coming with a 6.3-inch UHD screen that will support 4K resolution. It seems that Samsung has a very good chance of winning the SID Display of the Year again in the next year. The Galaxy Note 8 is speculated to get announced in August or September this year.

(source)

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At present, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are hogging all the limelight. However, its predecessors, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge from 2016 are also immensely popular flagship smartphones. A new report from Strategy Analytics reveal that Samsung has sold more than 55 million units of Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge until the end of the first quarter of this year starting from March 12, 2016. It further states that 7.2 million units of Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were sold in the first quarter of the year.

The higher sales of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge could have probably happened because of the discontinuation of Samsung’s other flagship of 2016, the Galaxy Note 7 and the late arrival of Galaxy S8 duo in April this year. According to the report, Samsung had a market share of 23 percent in the first quarter as it sold 80 million smartphones out of the 92.8 million units its sold.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Renders: Infinity Display, Thinner Bezels & Quad Cameras

Since the reputation of the smartphone business was marred by the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung aims to make a full-fledged recovery by the launch of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones. Hence, both the phones are available with unmatched features like larger dual-edge curved screens, iris scanner, facial recognition, Bixby AI assistant and more.

The sales of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are expected to surpass last year’s models. There were 550,000 reservations made for Galaxy S8 and S8+ in just two days of pre-orders in South Korea. It was 150,000 than the Galaxy Note 7 and 5.5 times more than the Galaxy S7 pre-orders for initial two days in the previous year. To meet such a high demand, the South Korean company has reportedly produced twice the number of S8 and S8+ units for 2017 in comparison to S7 and S7 Edge units in 2016.

According to KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo the Galaxy S8 and S8+ have received phenomenal market response since their launch. The analyst had previously forecasted that Samsung would ship 40 to 45 million units this year. However, the market feedback has significantly increased for the full-screen design of the Galaxy S8 duo after their launch because of which the analyst has revised his forecast by stating that Samsung may ship 50 to 55 million units of Galaxy S8 models.

(source|via)

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Once upon a time, there was the duo of Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge that went on to make a monumental record for the Korean company. Now Samsung has launched the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus which are the successors to the S7 and S7 Edge. Both the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus came with a stunning design, boasting of an infinity display as well as the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset.

The level of innovation on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, coupled with the powerful hardware they pack may have spurred Samsung to project that the combined lifetime sales of its new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to be more than the combined lifetime sales of its previous-generation Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ Differ Not Only in Size and Battery But Also in Performance

As at today, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge combined is Samsung’s all-time highest grossing smartphones having grossed up to 50,000 units in sales. Even though they are still being sold in markets around the world, Samsung expects the feat achieved by the duo to be surpassed by the new beautiful twin bride in town. Earlier rumours from South Korea had hinted that Samsung hopes to ship up to 60 million units of both the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. That might not be a baseless rumour after all.

(source)

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Samsung has been in the news since several months. In the second of 2016, it was in the headlines for the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. And from the last quarter of 2016 until today, the rumor mill has been consistently revealing leaked photos and specifications of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that are going to be officially unveiled today. The Seoul-based tech giant is also in the news today for denying a replacement device for a faulty Galaxy S7 Edge to a Singaporean man unless he signs a non-disclosure agreement that states that he won’t be publicly criticizing Samsung over the faulty device.

Lim Dao Qing Brian From Singapore had purchased the Galaxy S7 Edge on Feb. 17. The S7 Edge could last only till Feb. 23 as it died after overheating. It could never turn on again. He went to the Samsung store to get it exchanged under warranty. However, in order to avail an exchange, Lim was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which includes the following text:

“By accepting the Mobile Device, you agree not to directly or indirectly (including anonymously or by pseudonym) make, issue, release, disseminate, publish or re-publish to the media (including without limitation, Facebook, Twitter, or in any other way on the internet) or to any person or entity any statement, comment or remark that would tend to disparage, derogate, criticize, embarrass or humiliate Samsung (including, Samsung products, services, employees, agents or executives).”

Even though Lim was trying to avail a replacement as his S7 Edge is in warranty, Samsung’s NDA states that it “is a gesture of goodwill” on its part to provide him with an exchange. Here is the snapshot by Lim that shows Samsung’s NDA:

Related: Samsung Already Going Up in Flames Before Galaxy S8 Launch?

Since Lim refused to sign the NDA, he was not provided with a replacement phone for this faulty Galaxy S7 Edge. On sending an email to Samsung to address the issue, he was assured that someone was looking to the matter. On March 24, Lim contacted Samsung Mobile Singapore on Facebook and he was told that the customer care will look into the issue and get back to him next week.

Since there was no update from Samsung, Lim sent an image of the NDA to Samsung Mobile Singapore on Facebook. He was replied that the “this is a standard agreement and procedure between Samsung and our customer as one-to-one exchange is only applicable under special circumstances such as your case.”

The text on the NDA clearly suggests that after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco the South Korean company does not want to get publicly criticized and get into a new controversy for a faulty device. It is not known for how long the company has been asking its customers to sign a NDA to exchange a faulty phone. Also, it is yet to be known whether Samsung’s customers outside of Singapore have also been also been asked to sign such an agreement.

(source)

The post Galaxy S7 Edge Dies in a Week of Purchase, Samsung Wants Customer to Sign NDA to Get it Exchanged appeared first on Gizmochina.

Samsung has already started rolling out the Android Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in some regions. The time of update according to Samsung will vary from country to country.

The official Samsung account on Weibo has however said the Nougat update for residents in Mainland China will begin in mid-February. So if you own any of the devices listed below, you should prepare for the update next month:

• S7 and S7 Edge
• S6 and S6 Edge
• Galaxy Note 5
• Galaxy S6 Edge+
• Galaxy Tab A with S-Pen (2016)
• Galaxy Tab S2 (LTE unlocked version)
• Galaxy A3 (2016)
• Galaxy A8 (2016)

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy C5 Pro with 4GB RAM and Snapdragon 625 Appears on Geekbench

Samsung says the Nougat update will bring a new system UX, faster speeds for downloading apps, and a faster system operation speed. You will also get new android features like split-screen multitasking, threaded notifications, and an always-on Doze mode.

The post Samsung’s Android Nougat Update Schedule for China appeared first on Gizmochina.

Samsung has officially launched a new Black Pearl color variant of its Galaxy S7 Edge flagship phone. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Black Pearl variant comes as the seventh color variant of the popular Galaxy series device. It is the third color added to the lineup after the release of the Galaxy S7 Edge earlier this year and it brings to seven (7) the tally of color variants now available on the S7 Edge.

The Black Pearl color variant has a glossy outlook which radiates quality and luxury and will only be available on the top-end 128GB storage version. The color gives the device a stylish, sleek look and it covers the entire device, including the edges. The color even adds depth to the S7 Edge’s glass design.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is now available in White Pearl, Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium, Blue Coral, Pink Gold and the latest Black Pearl color. The Black Pearl version will be available in select market from December 9 but Samsung didn’t mention the specific market. However, rumor has it that Samsung’s home country, South Korea is one of the market the version will be available in. Also, the Black Pearl version is already listed on the official Samsung Lynx flagship store in China with a hefty price tag of 6288 Yuan ($911). This is an indication that the Chinese market will join the select market where it will be sold.

Related: Latest Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S8 Will Feature the USB Type-C Port

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge has come to be Samsung’s hottest smartphones presently, occasioned by the disappointing outingof the Galaxy note 7 which was supposed to take over the baton. The S7 Edge is set to be replaced, though, with the Galaxy S8 which is rumored to debut in March next year with an all-screen display without bezels and physical home button just like the Xiaomi Mi Mix.

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Love the dual edge curved display on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge? Well, you are not the only one! In fact, we have seen that the S7 Edge model easily outsold the flat screen Galaxy S7 flagship this year. And with the beautiful Note 7 now out in the market, there is no doubt that our love for curved screen smartphones will intensify further.

And now, there’s a new report that Samsung may actually stop making flat screen Galaxy S series smartphones. The report states that the company will put more focus on manufacturing curved screen smartphones in the Galaxy range, thereby hinting that it could eventually eliminate flat screen models in the flagship lineup. The report quotes the comment made by the head of Samsung’s Mobile division last week.

“Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup if the company can provide consumers differentiated user experience through software and user-friendly functions (for the curved screen),” said Koh Dong-jin, the head of the tech giant’s mobile business, in a media interview in New York last week.

RELATED: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Is the Best Selling Phone In 1H 2016

For the past couple of years, Samsung has traditionally unveiled the curved edge variant alongside the flat screen model. However, with the Note 7, things are a bit different, with the company just launching one variant with the dual curved screen. This is yet another indication about the company’s intentions of focusing on curved screen models, instead of a flat screen one. And it looks like the Note 7 is going to be the model which will help the South Korean giant to make the decision of scrapping flat screen models out of the lineup.

What do you think? Would you be happy to see just one curved screen Galaxy S8 model next year?

(Source)

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Samsung Mobile Korea has released the first Galaxy Note 7 TV ad. The advert which is just 30 seconds long confirms a couple of features like multiple phone lock options such as fingerprint and the regular pattern lock. The advert teases other features such as multiple old rotary dial telephones submerged in water which indicates the Note 7 will be waterproof (a first for the Note series), allowing the phone to be immersed in up to 5-feet of water for a duration of 30 minutes.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTWyapuLNdI[/embedyt]

There is also a lady holding a blurred out phone in one hand (which is probably the Note 7) trying to take a selfie while holding a light bulb to her face with the other hand. This translates into the Note 7 featuring a LED flash in front.

Another teaser is the presence of multiple highlighter pens used on different texts. We interpret this to mean that you will be able to copy multiple texts with the Note’s S-pen and choose which you want to paste when you want. So that eliminates the issue of a new copied text overwriting the previous one.

READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Wallpapers Leaked

We also see a bunch of neon numerical lights from 0 to 5 and a question mark, with a text above it that translates to ”5, then 6?”.

This isn’t difficult to decipher. It’s no news that Samsung is skipping the 6 and moving on to 7 in the naming. The reasons for this is to have a uniform name with the S-Line of the same year (S7 and S7 Edge) and stop the assumption that the Note series offers older technology because it has a lower number. (The latter reason is weird though).

Samsung ends the Note 7 TV ad by confirming the release date is in August. Next Tuesday to be precise.

The note series has been very successful since the first generation and every version is always keenly looked forward to. The Note 7 is going to be better by featuring the new Snapdragon 821 SoC, a bigger battery, an iris scanner, and a dual-edge curved display.

The post Galaxy Note 7 TV Ad Confirms Features appeared first on Gizmochina.

Now that we are officially into the second half of 2016, we can take a look at the top 10 smartphones in the first half of 2016. This is a list released by the popular benchmarking app AnTuTu. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of Snapdragon 820 powered smartphones. Another thing to note is that 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM have become the standard among flagships this year. While this configuration would have sounded a lot last year, this year, it looks like there could be even 8GB RAM phones! But more on that later. In this article, let’s look at the top 10 list!

On top is the mighty OnePlus 3 flagship powered by Snapdragon 820, 6GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone managed to reach an average score of 140,288, which is the best average scores we have seen till date on AnTuTu. The phone manages to reach this level because the Snapdragon 820 chip inside is not throttled, unlike some other flagship phones, which unleashes its full potential. So, despite entering the market late June, the phone has topped the AnTuTu benchmark’s top 10 list.

Next up is another Chinese smartphone, the Vivo XPlay 5 Elite edition which was also the world’s first 6GB RAM phone. The phone managed to score 138,706 points on average on the benchmarking website, thanks to its top-end specs that include Snapdragon 820 and 128GB ROM. Another thing to note here is that it is also the first Chinese dual curved display smartphone.

Next up is the Le Max 2, another Snapdragon 820 + 6GB + 64GB ROM phone. Well, now there’s a 128GB ROM model as well. This particular device managed to score 138,026 on an average, which is pretty good and just below the XPlay 5 Elite model. In the fourth and the fifth position are two more Chinese flagships namely the ZUK Z2 Pro and Xiaomi Mi5. In all, there are seven Chinese models (including Axon 7 and ZUK Z2) in the top 10 list which clearly shows the dominance of these phones in the first half of 2016. Non-

Non-Chinese phones  that made it to this list include the Galaxy S7 Edge, iPhone SE and the iPhone 6S.

So, these were the top 10 smartphones of the first half of 2016! These scores were calculated from the data collected from January 1 to June 30 and with at least 2000 scores registered on the app (v6.0) for each model.

We have reviewed almost all of these smartphones. You can check out each model’s review from the links above.

The post Top 10 Smartphones In the First Half Of 2016 (AnTuTu) appeared first on Gizmochina.

When it comes to the high-end smartphones, they usually cost a lot. But what if there is a device that challenges the concept of it. Meet the Xiaomi Mi5, the phone that costs as twice as less as the Samsung Galaxy S7. Can it really make the new Galaxy phone run for its money? Learn more in a full comparison review.

Check out Xiaomi Mi5 Review

Check out Samsung Galaxy S7 Review

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: VIDEO REVIEWS

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki-S5atjFkE[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKx1VmuOl_c[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBOG1UVZyaA[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEfBGXWe5zg[/embedyt]

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: DESIGN and DISPLAY

Both phones are very similar in a lot of ways. First, they are fairly compact as they have the 5.1” displays and thus the devices can be managed in one hand.

Both phones use metal and glass in the construction and both have curved edges on the back to help with the grip and add a little bit of aesthetics. The Galaxy S7 has one major advantage though. Its IP68 rating assures that the phone is water and dust resistant.

As for displays, the S7 brings the latest and greatest Amoled technologies. Whether you like Amoled or not, the panel is one of the best we’ve seen on any phone.

However, it doesn’t mean the Xiaomi has a bad screen. Well, its colours may not look as punchy or saturated, and the 1080p resolution means that it is not as pixel dense, the display is still very sharp, vibrant and it is pleasure to look at. It’s worth mentioning that the Galaxy phone uses a Gorilla Glass protection while the type of protection the Mi5 is not yet officially confirmed.

Just above displays we have a 4MP camera on the Xiaomi phone and 5MP snapper on the S7. Right next to it each phone has the LED light but only the one found on the Mi5 can be highly customised.

We have identical button layout on the bottom on each device that includes an embedded fingerprint scanner in the physical home button. Both scanners work equally fast but neither of them work straight from the standby mode. The Mi5 has an edge as its home button can be also tapped not only physically pressed. 

The glass back panels on both phones are enormous fingerprint magnets as any other glass surfaces. As for cameras, the Mi5 sports a 16MP Sony sensor with f/2.0 aperture, and dual LED flash. The Galaxy S7 has a 12MP shooter with a very bright f/1.7 aperture, single LED flash. Both phones sport OIS and PDAF.

The buttons on each device are clicky and tactile but I found the power key to be rattling on the Mi5 while the S7 does not have this issue. 

The Xiaomi phone has the IR blaster while the S7 does not and I don’t really understand why Samsung took this feature away this year. 

Also, Samsung decided to be more conservative as the phone still uses the micro USB port while the Mi5 has a more future-proof USB type C port.

Overall, both phones are worth being called flagships. However, the Galaxy S7 has an edge here. It is more rounded, it does not have sharp edges, its power button does not rattle and its metal frame looks and feels more premium.

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: USER INTERFACE

Xiaomi Mi5 UI:

When it comes to the user interface, both phones have different implementations.

People who say that the Touchwiz is a heavily customised version of Android, never saw the MIUI 7.2, which is built on top of Android 6.0 on Xiaomi Mi5.

All the apps sit on the home screens, you have your notification shade and quick settings toggles.

The Xiaomi Mi5 can be highly customised. You can choose from a ton of wallpapers, a huge variety of themes, fonts, assign different tasks to capacitive buttons and do other things to make the phone look your own. 

Most importantly, the UI is running fast and fluid. I didn’t have a single hiccup or lag and I’m really happy with the performance.

Samsung Galaxy S7 UI:

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is still a heavily skinned iteration of Android 6.0 but it offers more conventional look of the UI especially if you care about the app tray. 

In short, the performance of the user interface is fast. The transitions, animations, opening, closing and switching between the apps is fast and fluid. 

We have some features that we’ve seen on other Samsung phones for quite some time now. Just to name a few, you can run two apps simultaneously or open up the app in a pop-up window. Also, you can launch the camera straight from the standby mode.

In addition, we have some customisation options. You can choose from a variety of themes from a dedicated themes store, change the wallpapers, fonts and so on.

At the end of the day, it all comes to a personal preference as both user interfaces are fast and I didn’t have any stutter or lag. 

Just keep in mind that the Xiaomi Mi5 is currently released in the Chinese market only meaning that it comes without Google Services pre-installed. Sure, it is very easy to install them but you have to keep in mind that the phone does not have multi-languages and there are quite a few Chinese aspects like some apps or some missed translation left in the UI.

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: BENCHMARKS

Xiaomi Mi5:

Samsung Galaxy S7:

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

Samsung flagships have been known to bring all the best hardware components currently available and the Galaxy S7 is no exception.

I have an international model and it sports an octa-core Exynos 8890 chip with the maximum clock speeds of 2.6GHz, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is expandable via the microSD card slot.

But that doesn’t mean the Xiaomi Mi5 brings a knife to a gun fight. 

I have a standard model, which has a Snapdragon 820 chip with the clock speeds of 1.8GHz, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is, however, non-expandable. If you really need even more power, the Pro model offers a more powerful chip, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of local storage. 

The gaming performance is top-notch on each device. There is no stutter or lag and and graphics look stunning. 

However, I found the Xiaomi Mi5 to get a little warm quickly while the Galaxy S7 remained cool to the touch and that is thanks to the liquid cooling system. 

Anyway, you can be rest assured that neither of the devices have overheating issues.

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: MULTIMEDIA

The sound via earphones is great on each phone but the Mi5 has a much louder volume output that I could not even listen to music at the highest volume setting.

Both phones sport good but not great loudspeakers. The quality of sound that is coming out the Xiaomi Mi5 is good but I would love to hear more depth and bass. The Galaxy S7’s speaker has more depth but the sound is a little bit muffled due to its waterproof properties.

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: CAMERA

Xiaomi Mi5:

Galaxy S7:

The camera apps on each phone are similar but at the same time different. There are some shooting modes and settings to play with but I have to say that Samsung did a better job. The settings and shooting modes can be accessed quicker but most importantly, picture taking and video shooting modes are not separated like on the Mi5.  

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: IMAGE QUALITY

I have made a 17-min long camera comparison of these phones, so make sure to check that out.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqDaQf8SxaY[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGW1svD7bQ[/embedyt]

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQz47PXFxFk[/embedyt]

Xiaomi Mi5 camera samples:

Samsung Galaxy S7 camera samples:

In short, the Galaxy S7 has a better camera.

The daylight shots have more detail, sharpness and the dynamic range adjustment is better. However, its images tend to be overexposed and the colour reproduction is not always accurate as most of the shots have warm colours or even yellowish tint.

The Xiaomi Mi5 tends to do a better job with a colour reproduction but that’s the only department where this phone shines.  

The low-light image quality is a department where the Galaxy S7 shows its strength and a great implementation of powerful hardware. The photos have more detail and less noise than the ones taken with the Mi5. Also, the Galaxy S7 tends to brighten up the scene quite a lot in night shots. Some people may like it, some may not. 

Both selfie cameras can take good looking images but S7’s photos tend to have more detail.

When it comes to video, Galaxy S7 wins again. Its footage is sharper, the OIS works much better and continuos auto-focus is more graceful. In fact, the continuos auto-focus can become annoying on the Xiaomi Mi5.

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: CONNECTIVITY

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with neither of the phones. Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS worked fine. However, I found that the earpiece was louder and the sound had more clarity on the GS7.

If you live in the U.S., you have to know that the Xiaomi Mi5 does not support 4G connectivity with neither of the major carriers but the 3G network will work fine. 

Make sure to check out the 4G compatibility in your region and I will leave a link to a website where you can check that out in the description down below the video. 

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: BATTERY LIFE

Xiaomi Mi5:

Samsung Galaxy S7:

Both phones sport 3000mAh batteries but the Galaxy S7 tends to perform better. I could get 5 or 6 hours of screen-on time (depending on the usage).

I could reach only around 4 hours of SOT on the Xiaomi Mi5 and hopefully, this can be improved with future software updates.

A great thing that both phones support a fast charging feature and they can be fully charged in just 1:15 h. 

The Galaxy phone has an edge as it has an embedded wireless charging feature. 

Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is a better phone in almost each and every department and it’s got the Xiaomi Mi5 beat… but of course it does! But here’s the thing, the latest Galaxy phone costs as twice as much as the Mi5. 

If you are looking for a phone that has a better build quality, water resistance, higher resolution display, better camera or you just simply want one of the best devices the money can buy – the Galaxy S7 is your choice. 

If you are on a budget or simply believe that the S7 is overpriced, go with the Xiaomi Mi5. It is still a great phone. It sports a processing power that easily rivals the S7, its design and display are gorgeous, the UI is running fast and it has tons of features. 

At the end of the day, both phones are great at their respective price categories. It all comes to your personal preference – if you need a top-shelf phone for a premium price or saving money is more important for you. Of course, if you don’t mind a few shortcomings.

The post Xiaomi Mi5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 FULL Comparison Review appeared first on Gizmochina.

Late last month, Taiwanese media reported that Chinese manufacturers were looking to release smartphones with curved edge displays this year. In this regard, we saw Vivo release the Vivo XPlay5, making it the first smartphone manufacturer apart from Samsung to release a dual curved edged smartphone.

Now, according to industry insiders, there are several other Chinese manufacturers who are developing curved edge display smartphones and these phones are expected to hit the market by the fourth quarter of 2016. So, before the end of the year, you may have three to four choices of curved edge smartphones, with a majority of them being offered by Chinese makers.

This makes sense to some extent. Samsung developed a technology which was unique, however, the company must have spent millions, if not billions, in the successful development of its curved edge panel. Supplying its panels to Chinese companies who manage to sell millions of smartphones in China and outside, could generate further revenue for the company. But it does come at a cost, the S7 Edge is no longer the exclusive smartphone with dual edge display. So, it needs to be better and offer much more than other competitors, soon to be available in the market, to be considered by consumers.

As for the possible Chinese manufacturers who could release a dual edge curved display, it will most likely be Huawei and Xiaomi. Both these companies were earlier rumored to release such a device. It is said that the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 could be an ideal candidate for featuring a dual curved edge display. Other rumored specs of the phone include Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM and a pricing of around 3000 Yuan. But these are all just speculations at the moment, so make sure you take most of the information in the post with a pinch of salt.

We are almost into the second quarter of the year (time flies by!), and fourth quarter isn’t looking too far off.

So, what do you think? Is it a good idea for Samsung to supply its dual curved edge display to other manufacturers?

The post More Chinese Manufacturers to Release Curved Edge Display Phones By Q4 2016 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Last year we finally saw Samsung doing the right thing with its design. The company made the phones that look premium and expensive. This year we have the upgraded Galaxies and the S7 Edge is one of them. Will it once again be one of the best smartphones on the market?

This review is brought to you by TechLineHD.

VIDEO REVIEW:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEfBGXWe5zg[/embedyt]

Samsung Galaxy S7 Review:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKx1VmuOl_c[/embedyt]

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

When it comes to the design, we are looking at the device that has a gorgeous 5.5” 2K display. We all know that Samsung have had one of the best screens on the market and the S7 Edge is no exception. The panel that is covered by the Gorilla Glass 5, is sharp, vibrant, bright and definitely on of the best on any smartphone. 

You will be able to see this great screen even under water as the Galaxy S7 edge is IP68-certified, meaning that it can be used for 30 mins up to 1.5m under water. Also, it can survive a little bit of dust, too. I would say that is a huge advantage over the majority of the competition.

We have a really cool innovation – always-on display and this feature is really neat. Basically, what it does, it shows the clock, calendar and some useful stuff, and this feature uses a very low amount of energy. To be honest, it took me a few days to get used to it as I wanted to turn the display off manually but I really love this feature. 

As the name implies, the display has edges on both sides and it adds a lot of character to the design. Sometimes it even makes an impression that the display is bezel-less.

Of course, there is a functional part of those edges. For example, you can create shortcuts to some tasks, quickly access contacts, news, apps and so on. 

If you swipe your finger along the edge screen while the display is off, you’ll get some other useful info too.

On the front, we have a 5MP selfie shooter, notification LED and other usual stuff. On the bottom, there is a classic Samsung’s button layout – nicely backlit capacitive keys and the physical home button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

Speaking of which, it is very fast and accurate but I am disappointed that it does not work straight from the standby mode, meaning that you should press the home or power key first.

The back is made of another sheet of Gorilla Glass 5 and the edges of it are also slightly curved. I gotta tell you that those curves make a huge difference in terms of comfort and ergonomics while holding the phone in the hand. 

The camera has 12MP, which sounds like a downgrade but we have all sorts of tech going on here. It has a dual-pixel tech to assure crazy fast auto-focus and believe me, it is the fastest I’ve seen. Also, the camera has OIS, PDAF and a whopping very bright f/1.7 aperture. 

Next to the camera we have the LED flash and a heart rate monitor to help you track your exercise routines.  

The power button, which is on the right along with volume keys, which are on the left, are very clicky and responsive. 

On the bottom, we have the regular ports, the loudspeaker, and neither of them are covered by flaps despite waterproof properties of the phone. 

On the top, there is a secondary mic and the nano SIM and microSD card tray. Yes, Samsung finally brought a cheap storage expansion option and you can add up to 200GB of local storage.

It is quite an interesting choice that we don’t have the IR blaster anymore. Well, I’ve never used it anyway but it was cool knowing it was there on the Galaxy S6. 

Overall, the phone looks amazing and I love the design ot it. It screams premium and it sits comfortably in the hand despite being a device with 5.5”display. However, keep in mind that the glass back attracts fingerprints and smudges very quickly.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: UI

See the video review for the UI performance.

When it comes to the UI, we have Samsung’s Touchwiz, which is built on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. 

If you’ve used a Samsung device before, you will feel pretty familiar with the user interface. Most importantly, everything is running smoothly most of the times and I didn’t have any lags.

We have a bit cartoonish looking icons, a lot of quick settings toggles and what has become usual to the South-Korean manufacturer, quite a lot of features and customisation options.

Just to name a few, you can quickly launch the camera by double clicking the home button. Also, you can trigger one handed operation if click the home button three times.

There is pop-up window mode or split-screen feature for those who can’t live without multitasking.

There are some other features too. Some of them may sound gimmicky, while others are even called experimental. 

Finally, you can customise your Galaxy device with a variety of different themes, wallpapers and so on.

All in all, the Touchwiz UI runs fast and fluid and I had a pleasant overall experience. However, it uses around 8GB of internal storage, which is too much I would say. 

Also, the RAM management is not yet perfect. Seriously, this is 4GB RAM phone and there is only 1.2GB of RAM free after killing all the background tasks? Hopefully, this is what Samsung is going to fix with the software update soon.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: BENCHMARKS

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a few hardware modifications but you can be rest assured that either model will have bleeding edge specifications.

My review unit is the EU model and it sports a home-brewed octa-core Exynos 8890 chip with the clock speeds of up to 2.6GHz, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. 

See the video review for gaming performance.

If you are wondering what this combo of specs is capable of, all 3D games just fly. There is no stutter or any skipped frames, the graphics look awesome and the games load amazingly fast. 

In addition, there is a dedicated Game Tools app that provides some convenient features like the ability to turn off alerts during the game or record the gameplay.

Also, the phone does not heat up at all even after extensive periods of gaming and that is thanks to the Volcano API and liquid-cooling system. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: MULTIMEDIA

When it comes to multimedia consumption, the sound quality via earphones is near excellent and the volume output is loud. However, the external speaker could be slightly louder and it sounds a little bit muffled. I believe that may be due to its waterproof properties. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: CAMERA

CHECK OUT IN-DEPTH CAMERA VIDEO REVIEW:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQz47PXFxFk[/embedyt]

Once you fire up the camera app, you will be blown away by the blazing fast auto-focus speeds in any light. 

What we have here is typical Samsung, which brings quite a few settings and shooting modes, and you can even download more modes  if you wish. 

One thing I was really disappointed by is that the sensor uses a native 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning that the images will not be full screen if you shoot at the maximum resolution. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: IMAGE QUALITY

When it comes to the actual image quality, it is definitely on of the best in class. The daylight pictures look sharp, have lots of detail, the colour look natural and other aspects like dynamic range and exposure and handled well. 

It is a similar story with indoor and macro shots as the camera manages to capture a great amount of detail despite worse lighting conditions.

The low-light camera performance is fantastic. It not only focuses very fast but also manages to produce great looking photos. Naturally, there is less detail but the level of it is still very good. Also, the noise levels are kept to minimum. The only shortcoming is that the auto post-processing leads to a slight yellow tint in some of the pictures.

The front facing camera takes very good selfies even in low light and that is thanks to the bright aperture.

Both 1080p and 4K videos look stunning. The footage is sharp and very detailed, the OIS does its job very well and the videos are one of the best I’ve seen.

See video review for video samples or see in-depth camera review.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: CONNECTIVITY

All the connectivity options that include Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS are working fine. Also, the signal reception is excellent and the call quality is good.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: BATTERY

The S7 Edge has a 3600mAh battery and I was curious how it performs with the always-on display.

I gotta tell you that I was quite impressed with the results. I could get over 5 hours of screen-on time while taking lots of pictures, shooting a lot 4k videos, gaming, browsing the web and so on. 

If you need to top up the battery, the phone charges up really fast and that is thanks to the fast charging feature. Also, there is an embedded wireless charging feature that helps cut a few wires.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. This is the best Samsung phone ever and definitely on of the best on the market. 

The design is really flashy, the curved screen with the always-on display feature is fantastic, the UI is running fast and the phone has one of the best specs currently available that can handle even the most demanding tasks without a sweat or overheating.

Also, the S7 Edge has awesome camera, a great battery life and yeah, this thing is fully waterproof.

On the other hand, the glass backplate is a huge fingerprint magnet, the UI takes a lot of storage space and uses lots of RAM, and the current state of software does not support Android 6.0’s adaptable storage.  Also, the camera sensor has a native 4:3 aspect ratio and oh boy, this phone is expensive. It costs around $800 and perhaps not everyone is going to buy it.

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a fantastic phone and it will be one of the best devices out there for months ahead despite having a few shortcomings. Just remember, premium phone comes at a premium price.

This review is brought to you by TechLineHD.

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: The Best Smartphone Ever? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S7 launch is scheduled for February 21. While rumors have given us a fair idea about the device, earlier today we spotted three new variants of the Galaxy S7 flagship on the Chinese 3C certification website. While 3C certification tells us very little about the phone’s specifications, it confirms different variants of the device as well as the potential launch in China. Once a model passes 3C and TENAA certifications, it’s only a matter of time until the phone goes on sale in the country.

The three models namely Galaxy S7 model SM-G9308, SM-G9300, and Galaxy S7 edge model SM-G9350 are confirmed for now. All the three phones support fast charging at 9V 1.67A and 5V 2A. Unfortunately, nothing more can be confirmed about the S7 models from this certification. But hopefully, a TENAA listing will reveal most of the specs of these devices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g3O94WALV8

The company has also released a teaser video for the Galaxy UNPACKED 2016 event to be held on February 21. Even the video is uninformative to a large extent, with the only feature that we can take from it is VR. So, it looks like the upcoming Galaxy S7 models could have some special VR-centric feature.

Anyways, since the models have passed 3C certification, we hope to see more details in the coming days. So, stay tuned.

The post Three Galaxy S7 Variants Certified In China appeared first on Gizmochina.

We all know that we will soon see the awaited Samsung Galaxy S7 flagship. Next year, it is said that the South Korean giant will announce another variant of the S7 called as the S7 Plus in addition to the Galaxy S7 edge. We have already seen some leaked renders of the device, but now, our sources have given us exclusive pictures of the first Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Plus cases.

These cases confirm the renders that we had seen a few days back, with a rectangular home button, raised rear camera sensor and a similar design to the current generation Galaxy S6. The volume rocker keys are located on the left while the power button is on the right. Most of the ports are located at the bottom, including the MicroUSB (can’t say its a USB Type-C) port, 3.5mm headphone jack and there’s a speaker grill as well.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Plus comes with a larger display, and it’s much wider as well. But the basic design remains the same as the S7.

Although our sources have not given us exact measurements of the device, earlier leaks have pointed out that the phone will be quite large, with 163.32 x 82.01 x 7.82mm measurements. This looks to be the case, as these renders reveal that the S7 Plus variant is going to be huge, probably with a 6-inch display.

While we have not yet seen renders for the Galaxy S7 edge variant, our sources have said that there will be three models including a curved edge variant. So, in all, coming February, we will meet three new Galaxy models, the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Plus and the S7 Edge. Unfortunately, we still don’t know whether these models feature a MicroSD card slot.

As for the chipset inside, it is said that the S7 series will feature a variant that uses the latest Qualcomm flagship, the Snapdragon 820. The other variant will run on the Exynos 8890 chip.

This is all we have on the Galaxy S7 series at the moment. Let us know whether you like the design on the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Plus.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Plus Cases Leaked appeared first on Gizmochina.