Samsung is the only Android OEM other than Huawei to be known for longer software support. At times, both these companies exceed expectations by rolling out updates for devices that have reached their end of support. This phenomenon is happening for the second time for the almost 5-year-old Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.

Samsung dropped software support for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ in May 2021. Despite that, the phones received September 2021 security update a few months later.

Now, three months from that, the handsets have started receiving November 2021 security update, reports SamMobile. The latest system update for the smartphones arrives with firmware version G95xFXXUCDUK1.

As of now, the fresh software release is only live in France. But it should make its way to other markets in the coming days.

Samsung debuted the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with Android 7.0 Nougat. They were updated to Android 8.x Oreo and Android 9.0 Pie.

Since the South Korean tech giant did not have the 3 Android updates policy back then, users of the handsets couldn’t enjoy Android 10 on them. But at least, their phones are being showered with more security updates than they are eligible for.

If you are an owner of a Galaxy S8 or a Galaxy S8+, then do share your experience with Samsung’s software support in the comment section below.

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The popularity of local brands from China such as Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, OnePlus and Xiaomi have surpassed Samsung in the past few years. The South Korean company is now working on covering the lost ground in China. In the recent past, the company has worked on launching phones that are customized for the Chinese markets and now its gearing up to release Android 9 Pie update for its devices. Today, Samsung China has released the Android 9 Pie update roadmap for its smartphones and tablets.

Samsung Galaxy S9 (SM-G9600 / G9608) and Galaxy S9+ (SM-G9650) models along with Galaxy Note 9 (SM-N9600) will be treated with Android 9 Pie update in February in China. In March, the Pie upgrade will be available for Galaxy A9 Star (SM-G8850).

The Galaxy A9 Star Lite (SM-A6050), Galaxy A9 2019 (SM-A9200), Galaxy A9 Star (SM-G8858), Galaxy S8 (SM-G9500 / G9508), Galaxy S8+ (SM-G9550) and Galaxy Note 8 (SM-N9500 / N9508) are scheduled to receive Android 9 Pie update in April In China. In May, the Galaxy A9 Start Lite (SM-A6068) smartphone and Galaxy Tab S4 (SM-T830 / T835C) tablet will be provided with Android 9 Pie OS update.

• Read more: Samsung Galaxy A50 key specs appear; Likely to debut after Galaxy S10, S10 Plus

Samsung will be releasing Android 9 Pie update to W2019 flagship clamshell phone in August. In September, the latest Android version will be coming to Samsung Phoenix aka Galaxy A6s (SM-G6200), Galaxy S (SM-G8750), Galaxy Tab S3 tablet (SM-T820 / T825C) and W2018 clamshell phone (SM-W2018) will be upgraded to Android 9 Pie update. The Galaxy J8 (SM-J3300 / J3308) and 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab A 2018 tablet (SM-T590 / T595C) are scheduled to receive Android 9 Pie upgrade in October.

Samsung users will be receiving One UI along with Android 9 Pie OS update. Even though the South Korean company has released the aforementioned, the arrival of the update for some devices may vary if it is not ready for release.

(via)

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After releasing the list of top 10 high performance Android phones for June month, AnTuTu has now released the list of top 10 most favorite smartphones for the same month. The following list contains Android phones that were highly rated by users on the AnTuTu app between June 1 and June 30.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is leading the list with a positive rating of 95 percent. The handset was launched in early 2017. It features a regular 4K HDR display of 5.5 inches and is powered by Snapdragon 834. Other specs of the XZ Premium include SD835, 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, 19-megapixel rear camera and 3,230mAh battery.

The Meizu PRO 6 Plus that was launched at the end of 2016 follows XZ Premium with a positive rating of 94 percent. It includes 5.7-inch 2K display, Exynos 8890 SoC, 4 GB RAM, 12-megapixel rear camera with 4-axis OIS and 3,400mAh battery.

The OnePlus 6 and Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 are tied on the third spot with a positive score of 93 percent. The OP6 is a 2018 flagship phone that features a 6.28-inch notched Optic AMOLED display, SD845 SoC, 6GB / 8GB RAM, 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB storage, 20-megapixel + 16-megapixel dual camera and 3,300mAh battery. The Mi MIX 2 has 5.99-inch 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Snapdragon 835, up to 8 GB RAM, up to 256 GB storage, 12-megapixel rear camera and 3,400mAh battery.

The Xiaomi Mi Note 3, Mi 8, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are on the fourth position with a positive score of 92 percent. The fifth spot is occupied by Xiaomi Mi Max 2 and Redmi Note 4X phones that managed to salvage a positive rating of 90 percent.

Read More: AnTuTu Releases Global Android Phone Users Preference For May 2018

The above list is mainly dominated by older phones and the only new phones to make it to the list are OnePlus 6 and Xiaomi Mi 8. Surprisingly, the list does not include a single phone by Huawei. Newer smartphones are expected to appear in the forthcoming list of top 10 most favorite Android phones by AnTuTu.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus have received a price cut in India after the company launched its successors — Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.

The previous generation devices are now available at a reduced price through online stores as well as offline stores. The Galaxy S8 now costs Rs. 49,990 for 64GB storage model while the Galaxy S8 Plus for the same storage model is priced at Rs. 53,990.

The 128GB storage model of the Galaxy S8+ is now available for Rs 64,900. The Galaxy S8 has received about Rs 8,000 discount while the 64GB Galaxy S8 Plus has got discount of Rs 11,000. The costliest variant, i.e. Galaxy S8 Plus with 6GB RAM has been discounted by Rs 6,000.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus feature a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch display respectively. The Super AMOLED QHD display comes with 1440 x 2960 pixels screen resolution and is certified by the UHD Alliance as Mobile HDR Premium.

The India variants are powered by the Samsung Exynos 8895 processor. The phones come with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage option, which is expandable up to 256GB using external microSD card. The 128GB variant of the Galaxy S8 Plus features 6GB RAM.

Both the smartphones come with a 12-megapixel rear camera with ‘Dual Pixel’ technology. The camera features include optical image stabilization and f/1.7 aperture. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel snapper with autofocus for taking selfies and video calling.

The smartphones are nearly identical in terms of specifications. The primary differences are battery capacity, dimensions, and screen size. Connectivity options on the device include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, NFC, and GPS.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are powered by 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh battery respectively, along with support for wireless charging and fast-charging.

Read More: Samsung’s Upcoming Flagship Smartphone Galaxy Note 9 Could Launch In July – Report

Last month, Samsung launched its latest flagship smartphones in the Indian market — Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, with a starting price of Rs. 57,900 (approximately $891). Recently, the South Korean giant also introduced the 128GB storage variants in India.

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The Android 8.0 Oreo beta program was made available for Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in November 2017. It took over three months for the South Korean company to rollout the stable edition of Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S8 duo. However, the firm has abruptly halted the Oreo update for S8 and S8+ within a week of making it available.

Samsung’s servers had contained G950-FXXU1CRAP and G955-FXXU1CRAP Android 8.0 Oreo firmware files respectively for S8 and S8+ phones. However, these files are no longer available for download. As of this writing, there is no official announcement on why it decided to halt the Oreo update for S8 and S8+.

The aforementioned Oreo build was made available for users of Galaxy S8 duo in countries like Belgium, France, Germany, India, Norway, Poland, Turkey and the UAE who did not enroll in the beta testing of Android 8.0. The owners of Galaxy S8 and S8+ in Netherlands are slated to get the Oreo update in the coming week. As of this writing, there is no confirmation whether Samsung will be delaying it.

It is speculated that the South Korean company is preparing a new edition of Android 8.0 Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.  However, there is no timeframe available on the arrival of the new update.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S9 Official Promos Released to Slow-Mo Camera, Animated Emoji

Those who have already installed the update can continue to user their devices as Samsung has not released any official statement on whether the current build contains any bugs. The Android 8.0 Oreo update that was released for Galaxy S8 and S8+ in the previous week had also brought along Samsung Experience 8.0 UI.

Leaked information has revealed that the South Korean company will be releasing Android 8.0 Oreo to wide range of devices such as Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy W2018, Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S7. Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy A8+ (2018), Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), Galaxy A7 (2017), Galaxy A8 (2016), Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Prime (2017), Galaxy J7+ (2017), Galaxy J7 Duos (2017), Galaxy J7 Max (2017), Galaxy J7 Neo (2017), Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J3 (2017). The upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to arrive pre-loaded with Android 8.0 Oreo flavored Samsung Experience 9.0.

(source)

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The LG G7 has been listed on LG’s official page for smartphones that carry support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology. Since the webpage states that the “Future LG G7” supports Quick Charge 4.0, some tech sites are speculating that the smartphone may feature Snapdragon 835.

The Snapdragon 835 mobile platform is the first 10nm chipset from Qualcomm. When the U.S. based chip maker had announced the chipset November 2016, it only carried support Quick Charge 4.0. However, in June 2017, Qualcomm had introduced Quick Charge 4+ for Snapdragon 835. The chipset also supports Quick Charge 3.0.

The newly unveiled Snapdragon 845 which is the second-generation 10nm chipset from Qualcomm that carries support for Quick Charge 4.0 as well as Quick Charge 4+. Since the “Future LG G7” listing states that it only carries support for Quick Charge 4.0 and not 4+, it is being speculated that the Snapdragon 835 chipset will be powering it. However, there are many Snapdragon 835 chipset driven smartphones in the market that include Quick Charge 3.0.

Last year also, Samsung had received the starting stock of the Snapdragon 835 for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones, because of which other smartphone OEMs could not release SD835 powered phones before the Galaxy S8 duo arrived in the market. Hence, the LG G6 that was launched before the Galaxy S8 and S8+ came with Snapdragon 821. The other reason why LG included Snapdragon 821 inside the LG G6 is that the company had not used the SD821 in any of its smartphones.

The initial stocks of the Snapdragon 845 have been acquired by Samsung for powering its Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones. Hence, it is speculated that the Snapdragon 835 powered LG G7 may get unveiled may get unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 to take on the Galaxy S9 duo.

The Snapdragon 821 chipset powered LG G6 as well as the LG V30 that is driven by Snapdragon 835 carry support Quick Charge 3.0. This shows that the smartphones OEMs can choose the desired Quick Charge version on any of the supported chipset by Qualcomm.

Read More: LG To Reportedly Rebrand Its G-Series Smartphone Lineup

A South Korean publication had reported yesterday that the LG G7 would be debuting in March followed by a market release in April. Since the report claims that the LG G7 will be arriving in the market after the Galaxy S9 duo, it is likely that the Snapdragon 845 chipset will be powering it. As far as the listing of the “Future LG G7” with Quick Charge 4.0 support on the official site is concerned, it may so happen that the smartphone may include support for QC 4.0 and not 4+ as the chipset supports both the fast charging technologies.

Do you think LG will settle with Snapdragon 835 for LG G7 or it will feature the new Snapdragon 845? Express your thoughts by posting your comments below.

(source|via)

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A report from the previous month had revealed that Samsung would be debuting the new DeX Pad docking station alongside the upcoming Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones. It appears that the South Korean company will indeed launch the new DeX Pad soon as it has trademarked the “DeX Pad” moniker on Dec. 29.

The Samsung DeX Station that is currently available in the market is compatible with Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8. The DeX Station requires users to place any of the aforementioned Galaxy phone in an upright position. However, the upcoming Samsung DeX Pad will allow users to lay the smartphone flat on a surface so that it can be used as a touchpad and a keyboard. It is speculated to carry support for wireless charging.

Read More: Samsung Nautilus Chrome OS Powered High-End Detachable Tablet in Works

However, there is no telling whether users will be to connect the Samsung DeX Pad with an external display wirelessly. Rumors have it that it will be compatible with the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 phablets. When Samsung had launched these smartphones, in some regions it had provided DeX Station for free as a pre-order bonus. There is a possibility that the new DeX Pad will be available for free for customers who pre-order the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Without the offer, it is expected to carry a price tag of $150. Samsung may sell the original DeX Station at a reduced price after the arrival of DeX Pad. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ along with the DeX Pad are slated to get unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018.

(source|via)

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In the previous week, a new issue had surfaced on Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Its users are complaining that they are unable to charge the phone once its battery comes down to 0 percent. Not only the users of Galaxy Note 8 are facing this issue, but also the owners of Galaxy S8 and S8+ are encountering this problem. In an official statement, Samsung has said that only few users have encountered the issue and it can only comment on it after more users come across it.

After the debacle of Galaxy Note 7, Samsung has been using a strict procedure to check the quality and performance of the batteries of its devices. Unlike the issue on the Note 7, the battery related problem that has appeared on the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 do not seem to be a hazardous problem. However, the South Korean tech giant is in the process of investigating the issue.

Preliminary reports claim that the issue could be associated only with the carrier variants of the affected phones in the U.S. Samsung is selling the Snapdragon edition of the aforementioned flagship phones through the U.S. carriers. However, it could not be confirmed whether the Snapdragon models are the only ones that are affected.

Read More: Samsung and LG also confirm they do not slow down phones with older batteries

According to Samsung, only a few customers have complained about the issue. The company claims that only when it receives more information about the affected devices, it will be able to comment on it and find a proper solution for the problem. Here is the official statement:

“Of course, Samsung is taking all reports of this kind seriously, we only received a very small number of customer inquiries that could be linked to charge management, and unfortunately we can only comment on the matter further if we have more detailed information about the affected devices.”

Users who are facing this issue are advised to contact Samsung’s customer support department. One of the representatives from the company has suggested users on the official forum site to seek a replacement device if their S8, S8+ or Note 8 have bricked after the batter was completely exhausted. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on whether the company is sending out replacement units.

(via)

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Samsung’s recent Galaxy S flagship phones have gained huge popularity in the recent years. The company is now working on the launch of Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Fresh information coming from a South Korean publication has revealed that the firm is working on improving the performance of iris scanner on Galaxy S9 duo.

Iris scanner can identify the user by detecting the complex patterns of each iris. The Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 smartphones are equipped with a dedicated 2-megapixel lens for iris scanning. After the launch of Galaxy S8 duo, hackers from Germany had revealed that the iris scanner available on both phones could be easily spoofed by using a photograph of the eyes or contact lens of the user. At that time, Samsung had retorted by saying that the hack is unrealistic as it requires hackers to steal the smartphone and snap a photo of the owner’s iris.

According to The Korea Herald, Samsung will be adding 3-megapixel iris scanning lens on Galaxy S9 and S9+ that will be able to identify users instantly even if they are wearing glasses or when they are in very bright or dim light conditions. A spokesperson from Samsung has said that compared to other biometric recognition feature such as fingerprint and facial authentication, iris scanning is the safest one when it comes to carrying out banking transactions on smartphone.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ May Get Unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2018

As of this writing, fingerprint and iris scanning are the only biometric recognition technologies that are available on Samsung Pay for authenticating payments. The South Korean company is reportedly working to bring more mobile banking apps to support the iris scanner feature. The company is also aiming to bring iris recognition feature on budget phones by late 2018 or early 2019.

In related news, Synaptics has recently announced the world’s first in-display fingerprint scanner called Clear ID. It is speculated that the company is mass producing Clear ID in collaboration with Samsung. Since then the rumor mill has been claiming that the new fingerprint scanning technology may be made available on the Galaxy Note 9 that is rumored to debut in the latter half of 2018. There is no confirmation on whether the in-display fingerprint scanner would be arriving on Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.

(source)

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Samsung has used the Mobile World Congress (MWC) platform to unveil the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 smartphones. However, the unforeseen Galaxy Note 7 issues caused the company to launch the Galaxy S8 through its own launch event in March this year. Hence, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are rumored to get unveiled at the MWC 2018.

Some reports have claimed that the South Korean company will be holding a launch event for the Galaxy S9 duo a day prior to the MWC 2018 that will be beginning on Feb. 26. Hence, the Galaxy Unpacked 2018 event may be held on Feb. 25.

Read More: Purported Samsung Galaxy S9 Real Pictures Leaked, Flaunting Higher Screen Ratio

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to arrive with similar design as the Galaxy S8. However, it will be coming with improved specs and functions. The Galaxy S8’s Infinity Display design offered 84 percent screen-to-body ratio. However, the Galaxy S9 is speculated to deliver a higher screen-to-body ratio of nearly 90 percent through its Infinity Display. Its rear-mounted fingerprint scanner will be placed below the dual rear cameras.

(source)

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Shortly after the launch of Samsung Galaxy S8, it was widely reported that Microsoft would be selling the “Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition.” However, Samsung claims that such a version of the Galaxy S8 never existed.

After the launch of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones, Microsoft also started selling these phones with no modifications to their hardware and software. However, the Galaxy S8 duo available at the Microsoft Stores came preloaded with apps such as Office, OneDrive, Cortana and Outlook. The Redmond giant began selling these phones by providing some training on how to use the apps provided by Microsoft.

It seems that “Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition” was nothing but a PR stunt to compel buyers towards Microsoft Stores to make them aware of the various apps by Microsoft. Here is the official statement from Samsung.

“Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note8 devices are available in the Microsoft online and retail stores with a unique Microsoft experience which ensures their customers, particularly small-to-midsize business owners and entrepreneurs, a best-in-class productivity experience. There is not a ‘Microsoft Edition’ brand of any Samsung Galaxy products.”

Read More: Purported Samsung Galaxy S9 Real Pictures Leaked, Flaunting Higher Screen Ratio

The above statement has surfaced at a time when the Redmond giant has just begun the sales of the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 on its online store. By the way, the Galaxy S8 is the first Android smartphone to be available on Microsoft Store. The Redmond giant has stopped the sales of Lumia branded sales. The only other smartphones that are available at Microsoft’s online store are Razer Phone, HP Elite x3 Bundle, Alcatel IDOL 4S, and Acer Liquid Jade Primo.

(source)

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Smartphone manufacturers such as Sony, HTC and Nokia have already started rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo update. Samsung smartphones users are also eagerly waiting for the company to release the latest version of Android. A leaked image showing the list of Samsung phones that will be upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo has been leaked on Weibo by a well-known tipster.

The above image shows that the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ flagship smartphones from 2015 will be receiving the Android Oreo update. It is likely that the Oreo would be the last major Android upgrade for Galaxy S6 models that were launched with Android Marshmallow OS.

Around a month ago, Samsung had begun the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphone users in the U.S., the U.K and South Korea. The second beta firmware was released around two weeks ago. There is a possibility that the Galaxy S8 duo may receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update by early 2018. The Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note FE, and Galaxy Note 5 will be also receiving the latest Android version.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)’s Front Panel Leaked; Reveals Dual Selfie Cameras, Infinity Display

The leaked image suggests that the 2015 versions of Galaxy A3, A5 and A7 won’t be receiving the Android Oreo update. As far as Galaxy On series are concerned, only the Galaxy On Max is expected to receive Android 8.0 Oreo update. The South Korean company also seems to be keen on releasing on rolling out Oreo update for a handful of Samsung tablets.

Samsung has been always slow in releasing major Android versions for its devices. Hence, it seems that the company will be gradually rolling out the Oreo update in a bid to release stable builds.

(source|via)

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Samsung’s Infinity Display full screen design can be found on flagship smartphones that have display sizes between 5.8-inches and 6.3-inches. Recent reports have revealed that the South Korean company will introduce Infinity Display design on smaller smartphones like Galaxy A7 (2018) and Galaxy A5 (2018). However, a tipster from China has revealed that the company is also working on a compact-sized Infinity Display smartphone.

Speculations are rife that the 2018 Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 smartphones would be featuring Infinity Display ranging between 5.2-inches to 5.7-inches. The tipster claims that there is a mysterious compact phone from Samsung that features an Infinity Display of less than 5-inches. Like the larger Infinity Display phones, it is likely to carry support for an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. However, he has not revealed any information on its specifications or its launch.

Read More: Galaxy S9 Mass Production Begins in December as Company Kills Plans for Under Display Fingerprint Scanner

Compact-sized smartphones are still popular as they are pocket-friendly devices. Last year, Apple had launched a 4-inch iPhone SE smartphone. Speculations are rife that the company may debut a second-generation iPhone SE 2 in first quarter of 2018.

Some may speculate that the alleged small-sized smartphone Infinity Display could be the Galaxy A3 (2018). As mentioned above, the upcoming Galaxy A5 (2018) and Galaxy A7 (2018) are pegged to arrive with Infinity Display design. However, the rumor mill is silent on the existence of Galaxy A3 (2018).

Should Samsung launch a under 5-inch Infinity Display smartphone? Share us your views by posting your comments below.

(source)

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have received good response from the critics and general users. However, one of the features of the Galaxy S8 duo that have been criticized heavily is the placement of fingerprint scanner. Since it is placed very close to the rear camera, many users end up smudging the lens every time they try to unlock their phone. To avoid such an issue on the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung has placed the LED flash unit and the heart rate monitor between the rear camera and fingerprint scanner. An industry insider from China has claimed that Samsung would be revamping the rear design of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus that are speculated to launch in Q1 2018.

The leakster has not elaborated on what changes will Samsung introduce on the backside of the Galaxy S9 duo. Speculations are rife that the S9 and S9+ will arrive with improved dual rear cameras than the one present on the Galaxy Note 8. Samsung may also want to re-arrange the position of the fingerprint reader on the Galaxy S9 duo.

The LG V30 has a horizontally stacked dual camera setup with a fingerprint scanner placed below well below it on its back panel. Samsung may also place the fingerprint a bit away from the dual camera system. The South Korean company may also reposition of the LED flash and heart rate sensor in a bid to give the 2018 Galaxy S series phones a different appeal.

A report from the previous month had claimed that the Galaxy S9’s rear camera will carry support for recording super slow-motion videos at 1,000 fps. Since the Galaxy S9 duo are speculated to arrive with such high-end camera features, it may not want to disturb the camera experience by placing the fingerprint scanner very close to it.

The Galaxy Note 9 that is slated to launch in Q3 2018 could be the first phone from Samsung to feature under-display fingerprint reader. Recent reports have revealed that the smartphone may feature a new 3D sensor on the frontside in order to deliver better facial recognition functionality.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S9 Rumors Indicate Early Launch in January 2018, Market Release in Mid-February

Rumors have it that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have respective model numbers of SM-G960 and SM-G965. It is expected to arrive in Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 chipset variants. Speculations are rife that the Exynos SoC will be accompanied by neural engine processor for AI capabilities.

(source|via)

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Samsung wants to bring seamless desktop experiences through its smartphones. During the Samsung Developer Conference 2017, the South Korean company has announced that the forthcoming Linux on Galaxy app will bring Linux environment on the makeshift desktop through Samsung DeX.

Samsung DeX was introduced earlier in this year alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ to allow the users of these phones to enjoy full-blown Android desktop environment on a larger display. The feature is also available on Galaxy Note 8. Linux is preferred by many users when it comes to servers and software development. This is the reason why even Windows 10 has a subsystem for Linux.

Read More: Galaxy Note 8 Planning Was Focused on Fan Needs and Wants

Samsung wants to bring Linux environments and tools through the Linux on Galaxy app. The app will allow users to conveniently access the Linux OS environment whenever they want on their smartphone. With Samsung DeX, developers will be to work on Linux OS environment on a larger display. The South Korean company is still working on Linux on Galaxy and is expected to release it soon. The following link can provide information on its availability.

Samsung DeX is also designed to deliver immersive gaming experience on a desktop setting. The South Korean tech giant has partnered with game developers such as Super Evil Megacorp, Game Insight, Eric Froemling and Netmarble for respective games like Vainglory, Survival Arena, BoomSquad and Lineage 2 Revolution. It has also announced that the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will deliver enhanced gaming experience for Vulkan and DeX in the near future.

(source)

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Couple of smartphone makers such as HTC, BlackBerry, Huawei, Nokia, and Sony have officially confirmed on the smartphones that would be upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo. Fresh information suggest that Samsung too is working on Android 8.0 Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and S8+.

The Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are expected to be the first smartphones from the South Korean company to receive the Android 8.0 upgrade. It appears that the Galaxy S8 duo could be getting the update soon as fresh reports have revealed that the first has begun the development of Oreo update for these phones.

The Android 8.0 Oreo firmware version G955FXXU1BQI1 may possibly arrive for the Galaxy S8 whereas the larger S8+ may receive the firmware version G950FXXU1BQI1. As of this writing, there is no information available on the exact timeline of the release of Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade for the Galaxy S8 duo.

Read More: Unlocked Galaxy S8 Active May Release Soon As SM-G892U Gets Wi-Fi Certification

Samsung is not very famous when it comes to quickly rolling out the latest version of Android to its smartphones and tablets. Google had officially announced the Android 7.0 Nougat on Aug. 23 and it took 143 days for Samsung to release the official software update for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in China and the U.K. It took 180 days for the Nougat update to arrive in the U.S. and T-Mobile was the first one to release it. Verizon was the last among the popular U.S. carriers to release the update few weeks later.

Last year, Samsung had started a beta testing program for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge so that the users of these phones could test the beta version to iron out all the issues and bugs. Hence, it is likely that before releasing the final version of the Android 8.0, the South Korean firm may begin a beta testing program for Galaxy S8 duo. Also, the Android Oreo update from Samsung would be overlaid with the latest version of the Samsung’s Experience UI.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ users are likely to receive the update in the last quarter of this year.  There is a possibility that Galaxy Note 8 could taste the Oreo update before the end of 2017. The other Samsung phones that are expected to get upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo include Galaxy S8 Active, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy Note FE 2017 version of Galaxy A3, A5, A7, J7, J5 and J7 Prime.

(source)

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The rumor mill has started churning out leaked details of the Galaxy S9 smartphone. Yesterday, plenty of information on the Galaxy S9 had appeared. A fresh report coming from South Korea reveals that the Samsung would be debuting the 2018 Galaxy S9 flagship in January next year.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones were launched in March this year and their sales had started in April this year. However, fresh information suggests that Samsung may launch the successors of the Galaxy S8 duo earlier next year. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are now speculated to debut in January in the coming year. These flagship phones are expected to go on sale in February.

What could be considering for launching the Galaxy S9 duo earlier next year? Apple is the number one rival of Samsung smartphones. Reports that the launch of the most advanced special edition iPhone dubbed as iPhone 8 could be the reason that is influencing the arrival of Galaxy S9 and S9+. The early arrival of Galaxy S9 duo hints that they would be available in the market around two months earlier than their predecessor models.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S9 Rumors Hint Repositioned Fingerprint Reader, SD 845, 4 GB RAM, Android Oreo

The early arrival of the Galaxy S9 is supported but a report that states that Samsung Display is poised to ship OLED panels for the next generation S series smartphones in November. Compared to other components of a smartphone such as camera modules and cases, display panels are shipped earlier. It takes around three months to ship the entire assembly of the phone. Judging by the schedule of phone’s assembly, it appears that the Galaxy S9 may debut at the end of January, to be precise and its global launch could be in mid-February.

Previous reports have also revealed that Samsung has begun the works on Galaxy S9 early this year. The panel development began in April 2016. It appears that the South Korean company is around three to four months ahead of its schedule for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ that are rumored to be respectively codenamed as Star and Star 2. The early arrival of the Galaxy S9 is speculated as a strategy to defend its flagship smartphones against the most special iPhone that is launching next year.

In related news, the South Korean media has revealed that the LG G7 would be also launching it January 2018. Unlike the LG G6, the LG G7 is speculated to arrive flagship specs.

(source|via)

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Samsung is currently holding the numero uno position in the global smartphone market and the South Korean company has also attained record breaking sales in the second quarter of 2017. The company has managed to achieve impressive sales record in this year mainly because of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship phones. A market research conducted by Strategy Analytics has revealed that the Galaxy S8 is the world’s bestselling Android phone in Q2 2017.

The market analysis by Strategy Analytics has revealed that 360.4 million units were shipped globally in the second quarter of this year. The research firm has revealed that Apple shipped 16.9 million units of iPhone 7 in the same quarter. This makes it the world’s most famous phone. The second spot belongs to the iPhone 7 Plus with shipments of 15.1 million units. This means that the top two smartphones in the world are the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

With shipments of 10.2 million units the Samsung Galaxy S8 is sitting on the third position. In other words, the Galaxy S8 is the world’s highest selling smartphone in Q2 2017. The Galaxy S8+ with shipments of 9 million units in Q2 makes it the fourth popular smartphone in the world.

Currently, the iPhone 7 has a market share of 4.7 percent and the iPhone 7 Plus has a market share of 4.2 percent. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have respective market share of 2.8 and 2.5 percent. The fifth smartphone to make it to the list of bestselling smartphones in Q2 2017 is Xiaomi Redmi 4A with shipments of 5.5 million units and a market share of 1.5 percent. An interesting thing to note here is that the Redmi 4A is the only low-priced smartphone among the top 5 bestselling smartphones of Q2 2017 that is mainly occupied by flagship phones.

Apple and Samsung are both expected to achieve very impressive sales with their upcoming flagship smartphones. The IPhone 8 that is expected to debut as Apple’s tenth anniversary iPhone and it is speculated to turn Apple into the world’s first trillion dollar company. Looking at the impressive sales of the Galaxy S8 duo, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is also pegged to receive tremendous market response from the audience.

(source)

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The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ does not feature a pressure sensitive display, but they carry limited support for it in the portion where the pressure sensitive virtual Home button is located. Earlier rumors had suggested that Samsung would be introducing pressure-sensitive screen on the upcoming Galaxy Note 8. Fresh information revealed by the South Korean media reveals that the Note 8 will be coming with a pressure-sensitive “force touch” screen that will allow the display to respond in a different way according to pressure applied by the user.

Apple had introduced pressure-sensitive display on Apple Watch in 2014 and in 2015, the feature was brought to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus smartphones. The feature was introduced as 3D Touch by Apple. The Galaxy S8 duo has the feature only in the Home button. The new information coming from South Korean media only claims that force touch will be available on Note 8, meaning that it does not clearly mention whether its entire screen will be a pressure-sensitive one or it will come with a force touch Home button. The latter seems to be possible since the Note 8 will be also lacking a Home button. However, it would be even better if the massive 6.3-inch display of the Note 8 responds differently to different pressures of taps and presses.

The report also reveals that instead of just using the feature for navigation, the Galaxy Note 8 will allow users to access hidden menus that will let users to open shortcuts and other features. This may result in the mainstream adoption of force touch on Android devices. The Huawei Mate S from 2015 was the first Android smartphone to adopt the feature, but it only allowed users to carry simple tasks like zooming on images present in the gallery.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s First Real-Life Images Leaked: Bezel-less Monster!

Samsung is slated to debut the Galaxy Note 8 on Aug. 23 in New York and it is expected to release on Sept. 15 in South Korea. It is expected to be available on pre-orders between Sept. 1 to 10. It will be driven by Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 depending on the market it releases. It will feature a dual rear camera and will be packed with a 3,300mAh battery.

The Galaxy Note 8 will be coming as a successor for the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 that was re-launched as Galaxy Note Fan Edition in July. Samsung had released it in limited edition of 400,000 units to ensure that it sells out before the Galaxy Note 8 makes its debut.

(source)

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The Galaxy Note 8 leaked renders have been surfacing every now and then. Even though many tech sites including us have been reporting on it technical specifications, its exact specs have remained under the wraps. Well-known leakster, Evan Blass, has revealed the entire specifications of Samsung’s highly anticipated flagship phablet.

Citing an unnamed person who is aware of the final configuration of the Galaxy Note 8, Blass has revealed that the phablet will be sporting a IP68 certified body and it will be measuring 162.5 x 7.46mm and its weight is 8.5mm.

As the rumor mill has been claiming, its screen will be slightly bigger than that of Galaxy S8+ that features a 6.2-inch display. The Galaxy Note 8 will be coming with a 6.3-inch S-AMOLED display and like the Galaxy S8 duo, it will be supporting QHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.

Read More: Strong Galaxy S8, S8+ Sales Increase the Average Selling Price of Samsung Phones

In the U.S., Samsung will be selling the Snapdragon 835 powered Galaxy Note 8 whereas rest of the world will be getting its Exynos 8895 model. Both the chipset variants will be coming with 6 GB of RAM and they will also feature an internal storage of 64 GB. The Note 8 will also have a microSD card slot.

For photography, the Galaxy Note 8 will be coming with a pair of 12-megapixel sensors. One of them will be a f/1.7 aperture wide-angle lens with dual autofocus and the other one will f/2.4 aperture telephoto lens enabled with 2x optical zoom. Both the camera sensors will be supporting optical image stabilization. The frontside of the phablet will feature an 8-megapixel f/1.7 aperture lens with autofocus.

It will be equipped with an S-Pen stylus. However, Blass has not revealed whether the Note 8 will be supporting augmented reality. The phablet is expected to come loaded with Android Nougat and like the Galaxy S8 duo, it is also likely to carry support for Google’s Daydream VR.

A 3,300mAh battery with fast charging capabilities through USB-C will be powering the Note 8. It will also carry support for wireless charging. It will be coming in color choices such as Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey and Deep Sea Blue. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be announced on Aug. 23 through a launch event in New York City. In Europe, it would be priced around 1,000 euros (~$1,185) and its shipping would start in the coming month.

(source)

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have been receiving overwhelming response since the time it was made available on pre-orders. A research conducted by Strategy Analytics has revealed that the Galaxy S8 duo have increased the average selling price (ASP) of Samsung smartphones in the second quarter of this year.

During Q2 2017, Samsung’s ASP on phones reached $235 which is the highest ever figure in the last three years. According to Strategy Analytics, it has happened solely because of the strong sales of Galaxy S8 and S8+. In 2016, the ASP of Samsung’s phones was $232 and it had fallen to $227 in the second half of 2016 when the South Korean company had abruptly suspended the production of the Galaxy Note 7 because of its faulty batteries. Samsung’s highest ever ASP on smartphones was in 2013 when it had reached $289. At that time, the company had sold flagships like Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3.

The research firm has also claimed that Samsung had sold 19.2 million units of Galaxy S8 duo in the second quarter of this year. It also revealed that the South Korean firm sold 93 million smartphones in the same quarter which is around 21 percent of the global market. Its budget phones have also been well-received by the consumers.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ Sales Have Surpassed S7 Series by 15%

Samsung had disappointed its fans when it had to discontinue the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 phablet. However, by releasing Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with stellar features, it managed to regain the trust of the consumers. Its ASP is expected to increase all the more in the remaining half of this year with the launch of the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 8.

At present, Samsung is sitting on the numero uno position in smartphone market across the world. However, the only country where it has been failing to achieve good sales is China which is also the largest smartphone market in the world. Currently, Samsung occupies the sixth spot in the Chinese smartphone market.

There are numerous popular smartphone brands like OPPO, Vivo, Huawei, and Xiaomi as well as lesser known brands in China that are selling smartphones with dual rear cameras. However, Samsung has not released a single phone that is enabled with dual rear cameras in China. Hence, rumors have revealed that the South Korean company will launch several dual camera phones in the near future. Some of the rumored dual rear camera phones that are expected to release in China are Galaxy J7 (2017) Chinese edition, Galaxy C7 (2017), Galaxy C10 and Galaxy Note 8.

(source|via)

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Samsung and Google had confirmed after the launch of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that both the smartphones would be soon supporting Daydream VR. The Daydream VR support for these Samsung flagship phones were also promised by the U.S. carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon, but there was no confirmation on global availability of Daydream VR.

The ASUS ZenFone AR includes Snapdragon 821 chipset, 8 GB of RAM and 5.7-inch QHD display. It is the first smartphone in the world to support Daydream VR (Virtual Reality) and Tango AR (Augmented Reality). When Samsung had introduced the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones in March which came with Snapdragon 835, 4 GB of RAM and QHD+ resolution supporting larger screens that of ZenFone AR, the flagship specs of these phones suggested that they are also capable of supporting Daydream VR. However, it was surprising to see that Samsung did not include the feature on Galaxy S8 duo on launch or release. Fortunately, Google has now confirmed that the Daydream VR will be supported by Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+

The Gear VR platform is a collaborative effort between Samsung and Oculus for Samsung smartphones. The agreement between the two companies reportedly did not allow Samsung to reach an agreement with the search engine for making the Daydream VR available on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones. The Daydream headset and controller are presently available with a discounted price of $59 against its usual price of $79. However, Samsung Gear VR is priced at $129.

At the Google I/O 2017 event in May, it was made official that the Daydream VR would be soon coming to Galaxy S8 duo. through a firmware update this summer. By making Daydream VR available for Galaxy S8 duo, the popularity of Google’s VR would increase all the more.

The Daydream-ready update is rolling out now to @SamsungMobile Galaxy S8 and S8+. Explore new worlds with #Daydream. https://t.co/KaRNJEcURi pic.twitter.com/PEeC6RfyyZ

— Google AR & VR (@GoogleARVR) July 31, 2017

The above tweet from the official Google VR Twitter handle is another confirmation that Daydream-ready update would be soon coming to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The Huawei Mate 9 Pro and its Porsche Design edition, Motorola Moto Z, and ZTE Axon 7 are some of the other phones that will be soon getting the Daydream VR update.

As mentioned above, some of the U.S. carriers also confirmed on the arrival of Daydream VR. However, it was only when Google initiates the server-side support, Daydream VR can come to the Galaxy S8 duo. A simple way to confirm the arrival of Daydream VR is to clear the data of Google VR Service app. Doing so will enable Daydream VR on the S8 and S8+.

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It was recently reported that the arrival of the English version of the Bixby AI was delayed in the U.S. because of insufficient language resources. However, the English Bixby has been officially released in the U.S. The rumor mill had predicted Samsung would be launching a smart speaker equipped with Bixby AI. Newer information suggests that Samsung is not working on such a device.

The beta version of Bixby was made available to the users in the U.S. in June. It was the found that beta testers did not enjoy using the Bixby assistant as it could not respond to questions and requests in English. Now that the English edition has finally arrived, Samsung seems to have resolved the major issues. So, the Bixby AI is available on the Galaxy S8 duo in the U.S. and South Korea. The Galaxy Note FE and Galaxy A7 (2017) are the two smartphones that support Bixby AI in South Korea even though these smartphones do not feature a dedicated launcher button for Bixby

To use Bixby in English, users need to update to the latest version of the software. And then, users can use the dedicated Bixby button to launch it. Users can say “Hi Bixby” to launch it. Bixby can learn and understand the preferences and behavior of the user. Switching between voice, touch and text commands is a seamless experience on Bixby and this is something that sets it apart from other digital assistants. It is well-integrated with core apps from Samsung, but its support for third-party apps is not that efficient. However, Bixby Labs is working on integrating Bixby with more apps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWXIDwHTg-8

Read More: Samsung Says It Will Recover 157 Tons of Minerals from Note 7 Recycling

Earlier in this month, the Wall Street Journal had reported that Samsung is working on a Bixby enabled smart speaker and the device is codenamed as Vega. All the major brands like Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft have their smart speaker system and Samsung was also expected to join the bandwagon. The official stated by the South Korean company puts to rest all the rumors surrounding the Bixby powered smart speaker.

Here is the official statement from the company:  “Samsung currently does not view Al speakers as marketable, as the global market is already dominated by unbeatable Amazon and the Korean market is too small to make profits.”

Speculations claimed that once the English version of Bixby is made official, Samsung may work on the smart speaker. It was expected to be equipped with Harman Kardon speaker and support other smart home products from Samsung.

(source 1,2)

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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 seems to be working on a new smartphone. It could be the cheaper edition of the Galaxy S8. The alleged device is dubbed as Galaxy S8 Lite or S8 Mini by well-known leakster Roland Quandt. These speculations are about a new Samsung phone that has appeared on Geekbench as Samsung SM-G9600.  Interestingly, it is powered by a new Qualcomm chipset that is mentioned as sdm 840. It could be the upcoming Snapdragon 840 chipset.

According to Quandt, since the Snapdragon 840 features a quad-core processor, it could be a revised edition of Snapdragon 820 chipset. Qualcomm has recently launch Snapdragon 630 chipset as an upgraded version of Snapdragon 625 SoC and it also introduced Snapdragon 660 chipset as an improved version of Snapdragon 652/653 SoC. The Snapdragon 835 chipset that powers several flagship smartphones of 2017 including the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ features an octa-core processor.  So, the sdm 840 could debut in the market as Snapdragon 840 Mobile Platform.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Launching on August 23, Claims South Korean Media

Coming back to Geekbench listing of SM-G9600, the smartphone is running on Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. The chipset is supported by 4 GB of RAM. The quad-core processor of sdm840 chipset works at 1.77 GHz. It has scored 1782 points on single-core test and 4212 points on multi-core test. There is no information available on the GPU of the new chipset from Qualcomm.

The Galaxy S8 has a model number of SM-G950 and in China, its model number is SM-G9500. Some may speculate that it could be the Samsung Galaxy S9, the 2018 flagship phone. However, since the SM-G9600 phone is powered by a non-flagship chipset, it seems that the SM-G9600 is not the Galaxy S9. However, the model number suggests that it would be released exclusively in China and it may release as lighter version or a mini version of Galaxy S8.

Recently, a Samsung executive had reportedly  confirmed that there is no mini version of Galaxy S8 in works. Also, Samsung has not released a mini version for Galaxy S6 from 2015 and Galaxy S7 from last year. Hence, it may possibly release as Galaxy S8 Lite. This smartphone may compete with the LG Q6 that was recently released with lower-end specs and Full Vision full-screen display available on the LG G6. These are just speculations. More information on the Samsung SM-G9600 is expected to appear in the coming weeks.

(source|via)

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Apple is expected to launch an iPhone with advanced features this year in celebration of the tenth anniversary of iPhones. This iPhone is dubbed as iPhone 8 or iPhone X. The upcoming Galaxy Note 8 would be facing stiff competition from the iPhone 8 as both have been pegged to debut around the same time. Fresh information suggests that Samsung may debut the Galaxy Note 8 earlier because of two reasons. The first one is the sluggish sales of the Galaxy S8 duo and the second one is fierce competition from the upcoming iPhone 8.

Even though Samsung has been claiming that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have met with stupendous reception from consumers as well as critics, analysts from a South Korean publication called The Bell has stated that the Galaxy S8 duo’s sales are not that impressive. According to The Bell, the sales of the Galaxy S8 is slower than the Galaxy S7 that released last year.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note FE Global Launch May Happen this Month

It has further reported that in the starting three weeks of the launch, Samsung confirmed that it shipped 10 million units of Galaxy S8 duo. However, the publication claims that Samsung sold only 9.8 million units of the S8 in the first two months of the launch. In 2016, Samsung sold 12 million units of Galaxy S7 in two months. The Bell’s analysts have compared these states of the Galaxy S8 and S7 and have to come a conclusion that the Galaxy S8’s sales are slower than Galaxy S7. The publication has reported that the slower sales of Galaxy S8 are because of saturation of the market in the high-end smartphone segment and aggressive competition from the Chinese brands.

The slower sales of Galaxy S8 has apparently made Samsung to decide on revising the launch strategy for the Galaxy Note 8 this year. The Bell has reported that Samsung may debut the Galaxy Note 8 on Sept. 10. However, the Galaxy Note 7 from last year had debuted in early August and it went on sale within the same month. In 2015 too, the Galaxy Note 5 was launched in August and it was available for buying in the same month.

Like Samsung has been doing since the past years, it expected to debut the Galaxy Note 8 ahead of the iPhone 8 that is expected to come with overhaul improvements like full-screen design, edge-to-edge OLED screen, all-glass display, under display fingerprint scanner, dual rear cameras, AR support, wireless charging and more. According to Evan Blass, one of the most reliable leaksters, the Note 8 will be unveiled in the second half of September. It is rumored to debut as the most expensive Galaxy Note phablet ever.

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Since the official launch of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is couple of months away, the rumor mill is spilling newer information on the phablet. Fresh information that is said to be revealed by an industry insider reveals that Samsung may release an 8 GB RAM variant of Galaxy Note 8 this year. The same source even claims that the Galaxy Note 9 phablet that will be arriving in 2018 will have an astonishing 12 GB of RAM.

According to the source, the 8 GB RAM model of the phablet will be introduced to the world as Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition. This could be variant that will be aimed towards the Chinese markets. There is huge competition between smartphone OEMs to release smartphones with high-end specs in China. For instance, the recently launched ZTE Nubia Z17 is the first Snapdragon 835 chipset smartphone with 8 GB RAM. It is the second 8 GB RAM phone after the ASUS ZenFone AR that is powered by Snapdragon 821 SoC.

Hence, in order to stay competitive with other brands that may release an 8 GB RAM phone in the near future, there is a possibility that Samsung may push its limits and launch an 8 GB RAM edition of Galaxy Note 8.  As far as international model is expected to feature 6 GB of RAM.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 in Blue Coral Spotted; Rumored to Launch at August End

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ featuring 6 GB RAM and a native storage of 128 GB was introduced as Emperor Edition in markets like China and Japan. For the international markets, the South Korean tech giant had released the Galaxy S8+ with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of inbuilt storage.

Since the source is speculating that the Galaxy Note 9 coming in 2018 will be featuring 12 GB of RAM. There is a possibility that the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ that are speculated to launch at the start of the next year may feature 10 GB of RAM. These models could be dubbed as Emperor Editions. However, these things sound too good to be true.

Samsung has been struggling in China which is the largest smartphone market in the world. The market is dominated by domestic smartphone brands that are selling even flagship smartphones with affordable pricing. It has recently appointed Kwon Kye-hyun to pioneer and revive the phone business in China. Hence, there is a possibility that Samsung may launch Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition in China to attract flagship buyers.

More and more leaked information on Galaxy Note 8 are expected to surface in the coming weeks as Samsung is expected to introduce it at the end of August this year \just ahead of the IFA 2017 event that will be held at the beginning of September. It could be the first smartphone running on the upcoming Snapdragon 836 chipset.

(source|via)

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Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones are available in South Korea from April 17 and it is releasing in various markets in this week. Guys at iFixit have already done a teardown of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ to reveal its innards and also how easy is it to repair.

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ has glass panels on its front and rear sides. Samsung has used a strong adhesive to keep these glass panels in their place. However, since the phone sports a dual-edge curved screen, it is almost impossible to replace the front glass without causing damage to it. The usage of the tough adhesive does increase the resilience of the phone.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S8 Red Tint Problem: How to Resolve It

The other component that is extremely difficult to remove is the non-removable battery. The usage of strong adhesive to firmly attach it to glass panel of the phone makes it very difficult to replace it. Hence, iFixit has given a repairability score of 4 to Galaxy S8 and S8+. The Galaxy Note 7 had received a repairability score of 4 whereas the Galaxy S7 Edge had got scored 3 on repairability score. iFixit has also claimed that the battery voltage, capacity and design tolerances of the battery of Galaxy S8 is almost similar to the Galaxy Note 7.

The internals of the Galaxy S8+ is found to be resemble the innards of Galaxy Note 7. Both Galaxy S8 and S8+ are equipped with a heat pipe which helps in cooling the device. In January, after concluding the investigation on Note 7 explosions that were caused by faulty batteries, Samsung announced that its new eight-step battery quality check will ensure that the batteries of the upcoming devices are safe and will not explode.

The Galaxy S8 duo are packed with several modular components such as fingerprint scanner, headphone jack, UBS Type-C connector and so on, which means they can be replaced easily. As far as specifications are concerned, they were found to be the same as what’s mentioned on the official specs sheet of Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Source

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Several images of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have surfaced on social sites that show that their screens have an easy noticeable red tint. Samsung did release a statement on it by saying that it is not caused because of a quality issue and it can be fixed by the user on the phone. Samsung has also revealed how to fix the issue by navigating to the color optimization settings for the screen.  If the red tint cannot be fixed, the South Korean company has advised its customers to approach its service centers for further assistance.

The issue became viral on April 17, the day when the Galaxy S8 duo debuted in South Korea. Curious users uploaded Images of Galaxy S8 with red tint on social media websites. Since Samsung has revealed how to fix the problem, it is does not seem to be a very serious issue. However, speculations are rife that it may be a manufacturing defect associated with faulty chips present on the device that results in the failure of its GPU. Other claims that the 18.5:9 aspect ratio available on the S8 duo has resulted in stability issues with the screen.

According to Raymond Soneria from DisplayMate, the red tint issue on Galaxy S8 could have been caused because of miscalibration and it is something that can be fixed through the settings of the phone. Soneira added that his two Galaxy S8 phones are correctly calibrated and there is no red tint on both of them as the display settings are set to the Factory Defaults.

Read More: Galaxy Note 8’s Dual Rear Camera Will Rival iPhone 8, Claims Analyst

In order to get rid of the red tint on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, one can adjust the White Point and Color Balance controls present inside Display Settings that respectively allow the users to make the display reddish or bluish. Even the Night Shift Blue Light Filter control available in Display Settings can make the screen appear red.

Soniera has further said that the issue can be caused by defect in the OLED panels, misadjusted screens at the manufacturing facility or software bugs. However, he feels the most likely way to fix the issue is by accessing the Color Balance settings. This can be done by going to Settings > Display > Screen Mode > Color Balance.

(source|via)

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After several months of leaks, Xiaomi has finally announced the Mi 6 flagship smartphone. Speculations have it that Microsoft may start selling a Microsoft Edition of Xiaomi Mi 6 in the near future.

Just before the launch of Xiaomi Mi 6, the Chinese edition of Microsoft Store added listings of two Xiaomi products. The first one is Windows 10 powered Xiaomi Mi Air Notebook and the second one is Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus which is not a Windows Phone device. The Chinese online store of Microsoft does not have a single Windows Phone smartphone, but it has suddenly began selling the Mi 5s Plus Android smartphone.

The reason why Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus is available on the Microsoft Store is that the smartphone is loaded with apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and Skype. The Standard Edition of Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage in colors like Gold, Rose Gold and Gray are selling for 2,299 Yuan ($334). The High Edition having 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage with same color choices are available for 2,599 Yuan ($377).

Read More: Xiaomi Mi 6 Dual Camera Samples: Xiaomi Takes on Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus

Microsoft is also providing two-year Microsoft Store warranty. In the U.S., the Redmond giant is now selling Galaxy S8 Microsoft Edition which includes its bundled apps. Hence, there is a possibility that a Microsoft Edition of Xiaomi Mi 6 may soon become a reality.

The Redmond giant has not released a Lumia phone after releasing the Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL and Lumia 550 in 2015. Rumors are rife that Microsoft may have discontinued the Lumia series of smartphones. Moreover, the new Windows 10 Creators update is available to a limited number of six Lumia phones. The present market share of Windows 10 Mobile is dismally low compared to Android and iOS. Some rumors claim that the Redmond giant Microsoft may shut down the Windows 10 Mobile OS. There are rumors that predict Microsoft will re-enter the smartphone market with a more powerful Surface branded smartphone. As of this writing, there is no official information available on Microsoft Surface Phone.

(source)

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At the beginning of this month, a leaked photo had revealed a Samsung Galaxy S8+ prototype featuring a vertically positioned dual rear camera system. It is speculated that Samsung may have considered adding dual rear camera feature on Galaxy S8+. Now, more leaked photos of the Galaxy S8+ prototype have surfaced once again with a pair of cameras sitting on its backside.

The front panel of the smartphone resembles a lot to the Galaxy S8+. The rear has two cameras placed in a vertical design and below them is the LED flash. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanners cannot be seen.

Read More: New Samsung SM-G888 Phone Gets WiFi Certification: Is it the Galaxy S8 Sport or Galaxy X?

In the past year, the rumor mill had predicted that Samsung Galaxy S8 would be sporting a dual rear camera module, but it did not come true.  In December 2016, a tipster from China had revealed that the South Korean company had decided to dump the idea of using dual camera feature on Galaxy S8.

However, the presence of dual camera setup on a Samsung phone has given birth to rumors that the next generation flagship phones will feature it. Samsung is expected to launch Galaxy Note 8 by August this year. Speculations are rife that the Note 8’s design will be based on the Galaxy S8.  Now that the Galaxy S8 has arrived with single lens rear camera, rumors are suggesting that the Note 8 will come with the much-awaited dual rear snapper.

One of the recent reports have revealed that the Exynos 9 series chipset that may power the Galaxy Note 8 carries support dual rear lenses. Hence, there is a possibility that the phone revealed through the leaked photo may be the upcoming Note 8 with twin rear-facing cameras. However, there is no concrete evidence to confirm it.

Samsung is yet to introduce on it smartphones. However, many of its rival phones such as iPhone 7 Plus and LG G6 already feature dual rear lenses. Even the leaked shots of the Xiaomi Mi 6 hint that the smartphone would be coming with a twin rear camera.  A leaked photo of an alleged protective case of OnePlus has suggested that the OnePlus 5 would be also coming with a dual lens camera feature.

(Source|via)

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The new flagships from Samsung, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, appear quite premium and aesthetically pleasing compared to predecessor Galaxy S series smartphones. Both the phones are flanked with glass panels on the front and rear sides. Their dual-edge curved screens occupy maximum portion of their front side. A Samsung Galaxy S8 drop test has been created by the folks at TechRax to reveal its durability. The same video also reveals the durability of the Red iPhone 7.

At the beginning of the video, a Red iPhone 7 is dropped from a height of 5 feet for a side-drop test. The iPhone was not damaged even though the screen of the iPhone had hit the ground. However, the red color at the bottom left corners of the phone was chipped off. Next, the Galaxy S8 is dropped from the same height for side-drop test. One of the top corners of the phone hit the floor very hard, but the Galaxy S8 did not receive any scratch on its front and rear sides. However, there was a slight discoloration on the corner of the phone that touched the ground first.

Related: Samsung Says the Galaxy S8 Will be its all-time Bestseller

The front-facing drop test for the Red iPhone 7 cracked its screen. Also, the device could not start. The same frontal test for the Galaxy S8 caused damage to the screen. There are cracks on both the top corners of the phone. Its screen is not completely shattered, but the fall did result in the formation of spider web sort of lines on it. However, the phone did not switch off and its touchscreen worked fine.

Samsung is selling a wide range of protective cover and cases for the Galaxy S8 such as silicone cover, clear cover, keyboard cover, alcantara cover and the ugly 2Piece cover.  These accessories can help in protecting the screen of the Galaxy S8 from occasional drops. Hence, we suggest our readers that if they are planning to purchase the Galaxy S8 and S8+, it is advisable to invest on a protective gear to shield the front and rear glass panels of both phones.

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Samsung is having very high hopes from its recently introduced Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagships. A recent report from South Korea has revealed that both phones will not encounter any shortage in supply.

Samsung is quite confident about the success of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones as it has already said that it anticipates to sell more number of Galaxy S8 units than it sold Galaxy S7 in 2016. According to industry experts, Samsung has sold more than 48 million units of Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge by the beginning of this year. Hence, the Galaxy S7 duo phones have set a new in-house record for the company for first-year sales.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are respectively priced at $749 and $849. The Galaxy S8 duo are costlier than the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Still, Samsung expects Galaxy S8 to outsell Galaxy S7 as the company have made all the preparations to meet the demand for its newest flagships.

Related: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Hands On: Beautiful Infinity Display Experience

Speaking on the supply of Galaxy S8 duo, Koh Dong-jin, the Head of Mobile Business with Samsung Electronics said that the Galaxy S8’s initial supply will be twice more than that of Galaxy S7.  He further added that since the company is able to prepare the supply of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ without difficulty, the company won’t meet any problem of supply delay. For the initial sales, Samsung is preparing 20 million units of the new flagships.

The preparation for the initial sales of Galaxy S8 duo suggest that the company is ready for record-breaking sales. Moreover, the customers across the world will have no problems in purchasing a Galaxy S8 or S8+. However, the only thing that can somewhat disturb the sales of Galaxy S8 and S8+ is their costlier price tags.

The Galaxy S8 duo will go on sale from April 21 in the U.S. and some other regions. Both phones will subsequently arrive in other markets of the world. Industry watchers are of the view that the company would be selling over 46 to 60 million Galaxy S8 units this year.

(source)

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Check out our Galaxy S8 hands-on video from the launch event:

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ phones are now available on pre-orders with color options like Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Arctic Silver in the U.S. Customers who pre-order the S8 or S8+ can avail a free Gear VR with Controller as well as Oculus Bonus Content.  Pre-orders across AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular will begin on March 30 at 12:01 AM ET and last until April 21.

Unlocked Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+

The unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ would be available for purchase through Best Buy in the U.S. with a respective pricing of $724.99 and $824.99. The unlocked models are cheaper than carrier counterparts. The shipments of the unlocked units will begin from May 9.

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AT&T

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $750, Availability at AT&T Stores – April 24

• AT&T Next – $25 monthly payments for 30 months
• AT&T Next Every Year – $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $850, Availability at AT&T Stores – April 21

• AT&T Next – $28.34 monthly payments for 30 months
• AT&T Next Every Year – $35.42 monthly payments for 24 months.

Promotional Offers:

Apart from the usual freebies like Gear VR with Controller as well as Oculus Bonus Content, the following promotional offers are available with AT&T:

• $750 as credits for another Galaxy S8 or S8+
• $49 for Samsung Gear S3 with two-year service agreement
• 99 cents for Samsung Tab E or Samsung Gear S2 with two-year service agreement.

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T-Mobile

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $750, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21

• $30 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months
• Jump on Demand – $0 down payment, $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $850, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21

• $130 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months
• Jump on Demand – $130 down payment, $30 monthly payments for 24 months.

Promotional Offers:

Apart from Gear VR with Controller and Oculus Bonus Content freebies, customers who pre-order at T-Mobile store s will get a DeX desktop docking station for free.

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Verizon

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $720, Availability at Verizon stores – April 21

• $30 monthly payments for 24 months

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $840, Availability at Verizon stores – April 21

• $35 monthly payments for 24 months

Promotional Offers:

Apart from the usual pre-order freebies, users can spend $99 more for Experience Box that consists of Gear VR with Controller, Hardon Kardon earphones and 256 GB microSD card from Samsung.

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Sprint

Galaxy S8 full retail price – $744, Availability at Sprint stores – April 21

• 18 months lease plan with $25 down payment and $29.62 monthly payments
• $31.25 monthly payments for 24 months.

Galaxy S8+ full retail price – $844, Availability at T-Mobile stores – April 21

1. 18 months lease plan with $25 down payment and $33.78 monthly payments
2. $35.42 monthly payments for 24 months.

Promotion Offers:

Besides the Gear VR and Oculus bundle, Sprint is also providing another offer for $99 which includes Gear VR with Controller, Hardon Kardon earphones and 256 GB microSD card from Samsung.

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US Cellular

US Cellular has not announced the full retail pricing of Galaxy S8 and S8+. It is an offering an trade-in offer that allows customers to either trade an eligible smartphone (iPhone 5S or later; Galaxy S6 or later) to avail the Galaxy S8 for free whereas the S8 will come for $3.64 monthly payments for 30 months. If there is no phone available for the trade-in offer, the carrier will provide $100 promotional gift card. However, customers need to avail Total Plan or Shared Connect plan and also subscribe for Device Protection + program.

Galaxy S8, S8+ UK Pre-orders, Pricing

In the U.K, the pre-orders have started from March 29 until April 19 on the official UK website of Samsung and operators like Carphone Warehouse, EE, Sky Mobile and Tesco Mobile. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones will be respectively available for £689 and £779 and will come in color options like Midnight Black and Orchid Grey. The Arctic Silver color be made available soon.

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Samsung has announced a couple of cases and covers for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship phones. Both phones are aesthetically beautiful as they feature a widescreen with super-slim bezels and their rear sides are flanked with glass panel. The various cases that have been announced for Galaxy S8 duo such as Clear View Standing Cover, Alcantra Cover, and Keyboard Cover do not hamper their beauty, but the only word that can be best used to describe the Galaxy S8 2Piece Cover is – Ugly.

The 2Piece Cover is rumored to be priced around $20. It features two clip-on parts, one for the top and the other one for the bottom. It comes in multiple colors. As it can be seen in the image of the 2Piiece Cover, a major portion of the glass back of Galaxy S8/S8+ remains exposed.  Also, there is a risk of getting those pieces detached instantly when the handset is dropped. It is interesting to note that the 2Piece Cover was internally called as “bikini case.”

Related: Samsung Galaxy S8 Official: 2K AMOLED, IP68 Water Resistance, Bluetooth 5.0 & More!

This is how Samsung advertises the 2Piece Cover for Galaxy S8 and S8+ on its official site, “Liven up your phone with colorful shapes. The complementary hues of each cover add a unique geometric vibe that enhances Galaxy S8 and S8+’s design while the suction pads make the pieces attach and detach with ease.” On the contrary, the image showing the Galaxy S8 and S8+ wearing the 2Piece Cover show how ugly they appear. It can be easily assumed that the $20 2Piece Cover will do no good in protecting a $749 priced Galaxy S8 flagship phone when it drops.

The 2Piece Cover is already receiving poor reception from the audience. Cases and covers are meant to protect and amplify the beauty of the phone. However, the 2Piece Cover for Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ seems to fail in both aspects. Hence, we wonder whether it will attract many buyers. What about the rest of the Galaxy S8 accessories? Well, they all seem to appear fine.

What do you think about the Galaxy S8 2Piece Cover? Will you buy it for you Galaxy S8? Do let us know your thoughts by posting your comments below.

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After tons of leaks, Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones. For better user experience on the new Galaxy S8 duo, the South Korean company has included the all new Bixby AI assistant.

Here is what Samsung has to say about the new virtual assistant, “Bixby is not an ordinary voice assistant, but rather an intuitive and comprehensive interface that leverages contextual awareness to learn users’ habits and respond accordingly.” It seems it is indeed a new way to interact with the phone.

The other existing virtual assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and Cortana fetch information on the web and then answer the query of the user. Bixby is different as it is not a search engine. It is an assistant and it is aimed towards simplifying the user experience while using the phone, apps and services.

It is built to assist users in almost everything they do on the device such as cropping an image or sharing a captured image on social site. Bixby can be launched through the dedicated button present below the volume rockers and users can simply call “Bixby” to launch it. Bixby provides users with four main features:

Related: Samsung Galaxy S8 Official: 2K AMOLED, IP68 Water Resistance, Bluetooth 5.0 &; More!

Bixby Voice

Bixby has the ability to understand natural language, Through voice commands, Bixby can perform various tasks with Samsung apps like phone, SMS, contacts, reminders, gallery, settings, and camera. If Bixby is unable to understand the language of the user, it will prompt user to provide more information to finish the task. At the beginning, Bixby will carry support for languages like U.S. English and Korean. Bixby is expected to support Chinese and U.S. Spanish in the near future.

Bixby Vision

Bixby Vision make use of the augmented reality camera to identify the objects users are looking at in real time and then provide relevant information to the user. It can be launched within the camera app or through the Bixby Home. It can also translate text, scan QR codes and identify locations all inside the camera app. Bixby Vison can be used by pointing the camera at an object and wait for the information it provides.

Bixby Reminder

Based on the routine and location of the user, Bixby is smart enough to provide contextual reminders. Users can create task alerts at specified time, place or circumstance. It can also create place marker in content like books or videos and remind users where they left off.

Bixby Home

Bixby Home is a common place in the form a single screen to see all the contextually relevant apps and services. Every time it is accessed, it arranges information on the basis of the schedule, routine and personality of the user.

Bixby is an ambitious effort from Samsung, but it currently works with around 10 Android apps from Samsung. At the Samsung Galaxy S8 Unpacked event, the company claimed that Bixby would work with third party apps as well as Samsung Connect smart home devices.

The post What is Bixby Assistant? 4 Major Features of Bixby for Enhanced User Experience appeared first on Gizmochina.

KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo is well-known for spilling information on Apple products before they are officially announced. However, the analyst has also revealed a lot of information on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 phones.

According to Kuo, the Galaxy S8 would be arriving in two models. The Galaxy S8 will have a 5.8-inch screen whereas its larger sibling, the Galaxy S8+ would be coming with a 6.2-inch display. Both the screens would be support WQHD+ resolution of 2,960 x 2,400 pixels. Kuo added that both phones will be sporting dual-edge curved screens. The S8 is expected to include 3,000 mAh battery whereas the S8+ would be packed with 3,500 mAh battery.

The analyst has claimed that the users in United States, Japan and China will be getting Galaxy S8 smartphones powered with Snapdragon 835 chipset. The European and Asian countries would be getting Galaxy S8 models fueled by Exynos 8895 chipset.

Related: New Real Images of Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ Surfaces

The rumor mill has been claiming since a couple of months that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ would be arriving with 4 GB of RAM. However, Kuo is of the view that Samsung may release 6 GB RAM models of S8 and S8+ in countries like South Korea and China as “users in those two markets are particularly sensitive to DRAM specs.”

The analyst has claimed that because of “immature dual-camera ISP design, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will not feature dual rear camera. Both phones are expected to arrive with 12-megpaixel rear camera and 8-megapixel selfie camera.  The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge did not feature USB Type-C port. Since the upcoming Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones will feature USB Type-C port, Kuo speculates that users will be able to take advantage of PC mode feature by using a dock.

Recent reports claimed that the Galaxy S8 release date has been pushed to April 28 from the previously rumored date of April 21.  Kuo has said that the Galaxy S8 phones would be available for buying from April 21. Both phones are confirmed to get announced on March 29. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are expected to be available in seven color variants such as gold, silver, bright black, matte black, blue, orchid and pink

Kuo has predicted that Samsung will ship 40 to 50 million Galaxy S8 units this year. This is comparatively lower than 52 million Galaxy S7 shipments in 2016. As far as Galaxy S8 and S8+ shipments are concerned, Samsung is expected to sell them at a ratio of 6:4.

There are two probable reasons behind more sales of Galaxy S7, the first one is that the Galaxy S8 would be available for purchaser later than its predecessor and the second is that apart from Galaxy S7 there was no other flagship smartphone in the previous year

(source)

The post Ming-Chi Kuo Reveals Galaxy S8, S8+ Specs, April 21 Release Date, 6 GB RAM Variants, Desktop Mode, 7 Color Variants and More appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Galaxy S5 was the first Samsung smartphone to come with a fingerprint scanner.  Since then, Samsung has launched several smartphones with this biometric recognition feature. However, a leakster said that the company would be soon ditching the fingerprint reader to replace it with facial recognition feature.

A fingerprint scanner can be used not only to unlock a smartphone but also to authenticate the user. Samsung is now rumored to bid goodbye to the fingerprint scanning feature as a tweet coming from an alleged Samsung employee has said that “We will kill the fingerprint, it’s obsolete.”

"We will kill the fingerprint,it's Obsolete."A Samsung staff said.

— 萌萌的电教 (@MMDDJ_) March 10, 2017

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ both are expected to arrive with rear-facing fingerprint recognition. These flagships are also expected to come with an iris scanner. Rumors have stated that since the iris scanner seems to be working slowly on Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung has added facial recognition feature that can unlock these flagship smartphones within .01 seconds.  It is likely that Samsung will launch its future flagships like the Galaxy S9 and 2018’s Galaxy Note 9 without a fingerprint scanner but include other security features such as iris scanner and facial recognition.

Related: New Real Images of Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ Surfaces

In the previous week, KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo revealed that the upcoming iPhones would be equipped with a revolutionary 3D sensor enabled front-facing camera. The depth information generated by the camera will be merged with the 2D snaps that can be used for various features like face detection, iris scanning and 3D selfies.

This year is the 10^th anniversary of Apple iPhones. Hence, the company is rumored to launch an iPhone that will be featuring an edge-to-edge screen that will cover its entire front side. It means the front is unlikely to house the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Speculations have it that it could be replaced with the new facial recognition feature. There is a possibility that the upcoming iPhone 8 may arrive with a Touch ID fingerprint scanner under its display as well as a facial detection feature.

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagships are slated to get announced on March 29. Both phones are expected to be available for buying in April.

(source)

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Fresh information coming from South Korea suggests that the Galaxy S8 was secretly showcased to select few during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 that was held between Feb. 26 to March 2. However, the official launch date of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ is March 29. With the official launch drawing closer, the rumor mill has been revealing lot of information on Samsung’s upcoming flagship. A fresh batch of photos allegedly coming from a case making company have surfaced.

A Korean publication has revealed that Samsung had built a temporary makeshift demonstration room to showcase a prototype of the Galaxy S8 to the local media outlets at the Hotel Porta Fira. The venue is located very close to the venue where MWC 2017 was held.

Only those who had received special invitation were able to see the Galaxy S8 before its upcoming official launch. There was only a temporary wall to prevent others from viewing the flagship. Samsung partners who received could get the glimpse of the Galaxy S8 stated that it was “very impressive.” However, they did not reveal any details on the specification and features of the S8.

Related: Confidential Samsung Galaxy S8 Video Surfaces As Launch Date Draws Near

Also, no leaked photos have surfaced from the secret event. However, a case maker has reportedly reveal fresh and good quality images of the flagship phone.  From the images it cannot be confirmed whether the handset shown is Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+. However, some of the images carry “For Galaxy S8” text at the top whereas one image that shows the rear side of the phone carries “For Galaxy S8+” text.

The images suggest that the front is mainly occupied by the dual-edge curved screen with narrow bezels at the top and bottom. The display shows the presence of an on-screen Home button.

The image that seems to show the rear side of  Galaxy S8 Plus features the LED flash, main camera and fingerprint reader. Speculations have it that it could also function as a physical Home button.  The other images show all the four sides of the Galaxy S8. Both phones are expected to be available for pre-orders from April 10 and their shipments are likely to begin on April 21.

(Source 1 | Source 2)

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The rumor mill has revealed several leaked photos of Samsung Galaxy S8 in the past few months. Now, a new video clip showcases the alleged Galaxy S8. The device in the video appears to the upcoming Samsung flagship smartphone that have been spotted in the leaked photos.

The video clip by Slashleaks lasts only for 5 seconds, but it does reveal the front and rear sides of the alleged S8. It appears quite sleek with the back featuring the LED flash, camera and fingerprint reader. There is no physical Home button on the front.

The black colored variant Galaxy S8 that can be seen in the video seems to be a under production unit as it carries a label with texts like CONFIDENTIAL (Unauthorized use prohibited), No photo allowed, Not For Sale, and Do not leak info. The rear also contains logos for Samsung and Galaxy S8.

Related: Actual Galaxy S8 Surfaces; Reveals Front and All Four Sides in Multiple Photos

The Galaxy S8 is expected to come with a huge dual-edge curved display of 5.8 inches. However, the device shown in the video is not turned on. Hence, nothing much can be understood about the display from the short 5-seconds video except. Rumors have it that the recently trademarked “Infinity Display” moniker by Samsung will be the name given to display that will come on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus (aka Galaxy S8+). The larger sibling is expected to feature 6.2-inch dual-edge curved screen.

The Galaxy S8 with model number of SM-G950U was recently spotted on Geekbench benchmarking platform running on Android 7.1 Nougat, 1.9 GHz Snapdragon 835 and 4 GB of RAM. It is expected to feature 3,000 mAh battery. Its single-core and multi-core are 1916 and 6011.

The S8+ was also spotted on Geekbench running on same software, chipset and RAM. It is pegged to come with 3,500 mAh battery. It scored 1929 on single-core test and 6084 on multi-core test.

The Seoul-based company confirmed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 that it would be launching Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ on March 29. It expected to release in market by April 21. New information has revealed that the Galaxy S8 pre-orders will start from April 10.

(source)

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