Samsung has rolled out an unexpected software update for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8, nearly a decade after these smartphones first debuted. While the update does not introduce new features, its arrival has surprised users because official software support for these devices ended several years ago.

Samsung rolls out a rare update for ageing flagships

According to Android Authority, the latest firmware has started reaching Verizon variants of the Galaxy S8 series and Galaxy Note 8 in the US. Verizon’s official changelog states that the update focuses on performance improvements, while SammyFans reports that it also enhances overall system stability. Although the improvements are not detailed, Samsung appears to have fine-tuned the software to keep these aging devices running more reliably.

The Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8 were introduced in 2017 and received their last scheduled software updates in 2022. Since then, the phones have remained on Android versions and security patches that are several years old. Even after this latest rollout, the devices continue to run security patches from 2021, meaning they do not receive protection against the latest security threats.

Users should not expect a refreshed interface or additional functionality with this update. Instead, it is aimed at improving everyday performance and addressing stability-related issues behind the scenes. Such updates are uncommon for smartphones that have long crossed their official end of life, making Samsung’s decision an unexpected one.

The move also follows a similar approach seen earlier this year when Apple released a software update for the iPhone 5s to keep services like FaceTime and iMessage working properly. For Galaxy S8 and Note 8 owners who still keep these devices as backups or secondary phones, this update offers a small but welcome improvement.

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According to a Samsung official, the beta testing phase of Android Oreo for Samsung Galaxy S8 has been closed on February 9, and the global rollout of the stable update will be available in the upcoming days. The moment has almost arrived: the S8, together with its Plus version, should be the first Samsung devices to get updated to the latest version of the operating system. The update will come with Samsung Experience 9.0, a new version of the customized user interface by Samsung, which will contain several new features and improvements. According to a recent infographic surfaced online, Samsung Experience 9.0 will contain an improved keyboard with a customizable toolbar.

This toolbar will make it easy to open the clipboard, predictive text, voice input and one-handed mode, but it will also allow to quickly search among hundreds of old and new emojis, stickers, and animated GIFs. Everything the users will need to customize the toolbar is dragging the icons in the desired position. It will even be possible to customize the keyboard in a better way by choosing 4 high-contrast skins, and there will be many other options as well. The improvements in the upcoming update of the Samsung Galaxy S8 also tweak the Finder on the Apps screen, which will show intuitive cards on the search results page.

RELATED: Samsung Launches ISOCELL Dual: Better Dual Cameras For Non-Flagship Smartphones

The virtual assistant ‘Bixby’ will be improved as well with background music support, colors to match the weather, and much more information in a briefing screen. The new Color Lens feature will allow you to change the color of your Samsung Galaxy S8’s display if you find it difficult to read on a white display. There will be a new Samsung Cloud icon on the home screen, an improved Samsung Connect dashboard and much more. And obviously, do not forget the main improvements of Android Oreo, such as a longer battery life and better performance.

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From April this year, Microsoft started selling Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones in its brick-and-mortar stores. Now, the company has also started selling the devices through its online store.

The Microsoft Edition Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus comes pre-loaded with a range of productivity tools from Microsoft, including Cortana, MS Word, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook among others. It also comes with the new Microsoft Launcher which gives the ability to access calendar, documents, and recent activities in personalized feed.

The unlocked version of the Microsoft Edition Galaxy S8 costs $724.99, while its bigger variant — the Galaxy S8 Plus is priced at $824.99. The pricing is similar to the devices’ pricing on the Samsung’s official website. In addition, Microsoft is also offering carrier versions of the device from the likes of Verizon and AT&T.

Microsoft has already revealed that there will be a big discount on both devices as part of the company’s Black Friday deals. During Black Friday sale, both the smartphones will carry a discount of $150.

As a refresher, the Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch display while the Galaxy S8 Plus comes with a 6.2-inch display. The Super AMOLED display comes with a scree resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 18:5:9. Under the hood, both the devices are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset which provides eight Kryo CPU cores clocked at up to 2.35GHz along with an Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB of RAM. Both the smartphones have 64GB of internal storage and supports microSD card of up to 256GB for expanding storage.

Read More: Microsoft Edge’s iOS and Android Version Arriving Soon, Preview Version Is Now Available

There is a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilisation (IOS), LED flash and a f/1.7 aperture, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture and autofocus. While the Galaxy S8 is powered by a 3,000mAh battery, the S8 Plus packs a bigger 3,500mAh battery. Currently, the smartphones run Android Nougat OS but an upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo is already in the beta stage.

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus has continued to dominate media discussions surrounding its powerful Snapdragon 835 chip, amazing design and marvellous hardware. The Galaxy S8 has a fragile build due to the near bezel-less large display and glass body it features.

The glass covering and near bezel-less display makes the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus easy to get damaged in the event of a fall. For such an expensive phone, that is a red signal because it means the Galaxy S8 and its sibling will be expensive to fix in the event they took a fall and got shattered. However, a recent report on US tech blog Motherboard has revealed that despite the fragile nature of the Samsung flagship, the device is relatively affordable to repair. The report also quoted several independent shops of saying that the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus’ design allows for a relatively simple method of screen replacement

While we don’t hope to have to go to the repairer’s, we just can’t take away the possibility of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus sometimes slipping out of their owner’s hands. Standing at 5.8-inch for the S8 and 6.4-inch for the S8 Plus, the two Galaxy flagships are pretty large smartphones that are bound to take a fall someday. If peradventure that happens, you’ll have to dole out around $200 for a replacement screen. This amount is said to be $100 less than what the replacement screen of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge cost.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S8 China Release Date and Pricing

For a pair which retails for no less than $750, replacing a broken screen for $200 may still sound outrageous for some but it sure won’t be for anyone that can afford the flagship. Now, you may want to hold on carefully to your prized possession because the recent teardown of the smartphones revealed the internals are not going to be easy to repair.

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The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus went on sale in some markets yesterday. The new flagships cost more than the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge but those prices are justified. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus cost more to manufacture hence the reason for their high prices.

A report by IHS Markit has revealed the bill of materials of the 64GB Galaxy S8. It costs Samsung $307.50 to put together the 5.8-inch device. Of that amount, only $5.9 makes up manufacturing expenses. The rest is the cost of materials. That makes the Galaxy S8 $43.34 and $36.29 more expensive in terms of production than the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge respectively.

There is no breakdown of the cost of each individual component but the report says the 3000mAh battery costs $4.50 while the sum of the NAND flash memory and DRAM is $41.50.

You might wonder why Samsung is selling it for more than double the cost of production then. The cheapest price you can get the Galaxy S8 is $720 and that is a $412.50 difference.  To be fair to Samsung, they also have to bear the cost of shipping, marketing, and import taxes to destination countries. Retailers and carriers also get their cut and some is also set aside for research and development. There is also administrative costs which includes the salaries of executives and managers.

READ MORE: Samsung Ordered to Pay Huawei $11.6 million By Chinese Court Over Patent Case

The bottom line is Samsung does makes profit from the sales but not as much as what you get when you subtract the cost of production from selling price.

The Galaxy S8 Plus will cost a little bit more due to the fact that it uses a bigger display and has a larger battery.

(Source, via)

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

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

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

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

(source)

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Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy S8 Plus today which could actually be called a Galaxy S8 with a large display and battery. The flagship lives up to its name, coming with a plus-size build. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus packs similar design and hardware like the S8 save for a few differences in the battery capacity and display size.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Specifications

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus features a superior 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels and 529ppi. On the Galaxy S8 Plus, Samsung is also offering two versions which would be sold separately in specific regions. There is a Snapdragon 835-powered version which comes with an octa-core processor clocked at 2.35GHz. There is also an Exynos 8895-powered version equally clocked at 2.35GHz. Both the Snapdragon and Exynos versions come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD.

The camera configuration is the same as on the Galaxy S8 sporting a 12MP rear sensor with optical image stabilisation (IOS), LED flash and a f/1.7 aperture. Up front, users get an ample 8MP frot-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture and autofocus. There is an iris scanner at the top bezel up front and the device equally has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor which also unlocks the phone.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus packs a larger 3,500mAh battery under its hood. The flagship comes with a larger dimension measuring 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm. Since it packs a larger battery, it is a little weightier at 173g. You also get such stunning features like an IP68 water and dust resistance, Wireless charging support, LTE Cat.16, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, MST for Samsung Pay, USB Type-C port and lots more. Samsung still retained the 3.5mm audio jack on the Galaxy S8 Plus.  The Galaxy S8 Plus runs on Android 7.0 Nougat as well.

Pricing & Availability

Samsung also did not announce the official price of the Galaxy S8 Plus but the plus-size flagship will join its sibling in going up for pre-order tomorrow, March 30. It will also be available in Black, Gray, Silver, Blue and Gold variants. If you’re buying the Galaxy S8 Plus, you equally qualify to get a free Gear VR headset with a controller and a set of games. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will be available in stores from April 21.

	SAMSUNG GALAXY S8	Galaxy S8 Plus
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT	148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0 mm, 155 grams	159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173g grams
DISPLAY	5.8-inch 2960 x 1440p (570 ppi) OLED	6.2-inch 2960 x 1440p (529 ppi) OLED
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 @ 2.3 / Exynos 9 @ 2.3
MEMORY	4GB + 64GB MicroSD: Yes	4GB + 64GB MicroSD: Yes
CAMERA	12MP f/1.7 OIS 8MP f/1.7 Front Camera	12MP f/1.7 OIS 8MP f/1.7 Front Camera
BATTERY	3000mAh Fast Charging Wireless Charging	3500mAh Fast Charging Wireless Charging
OS	Android 7 Nougat	Android 7 Nougat
SPECIAL FEATURES	IP68 Certification	IP68 Certification
COLORS	Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.	Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
PRICE	$750 (Expected)	>$750 (Expected)

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Despite the fact that they are still a long way from becoming official, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have both been popping in and out of the news quite often of late. We haven’t been lacking renders of both as well as we have had cause to set our eyes on a couple of renders. If the purported renders were apparently inaccurate, then we’ll rely on the prototype of the protective casing to get an idea of how they will look like. Added to the leaked photo of the S8 and S8 Plus casing, a video has also leaked featuring the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus casing.

The leaked casing comes from accessory shop MobileFun one of Samsung’s accessory manufacturers. MobileFun apparent put up this video to analyze the likely features of the Samsung flagships like screen size, ports, and other external features. From the analysis, the Galaxy S8 may still come as a 5.1 or 5.2-inch device as its casing could fit the Galaxy S7 and a Note 7 dummy quite well. The Galaxy S8 Plus casing, however, shows a larger smartphone in its screen size. Even though the S7, S7 Edge and Note 7 squares up in length with it, there is a noticeable gap at the edges showing it is wider.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S8 Rumors: Official Launch Date in the U.S., Europe is March 29?

Also, the video gives an analysis of the port opening on the casing and it shows the ports on the upcoming flagships are rather weird looking, smaller than the standard ports on Samsung’s smartphones. Also, seems like Samsung will include an S-Pen stylus on the Galaxy S8 as there is an opening for that as well. You can check out the entire video from down below.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 is said to come in two version, one of which is a Plus version with a 6-inch display. This assertion seems to be corroborated by a new leaked photo said to contain the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus displays. The photo surfaced on Twitter a few days back, apparently from a Polish speaking poster who claims that the source of the leaked photos was an unnamed screen protector supplier in China, with a 100% authenticity track record.

As a way of further fueling speculations of two versions, the display panels which is held side by side on the photo comes in two different sizes with one obviously larger than the other. One other thing worthy of note is that the displays seems to have curved edges at the sides. We cannot say for sure, though, if this is actually the Galaxy S8’s displays.

Read Also: Samsung Galaxy S8 For April 21 Launch?

However, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected with a premium look and a design language different from what Samsung had done in the past. The leaked display panels reflects some of the features, such as the absence of a physical home button and a very high screen-to-body ratio, with the display occupying almost the entire screen. The Galaxy S8 is expected with a 5.7-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) Super AMOLED display, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC inside.  The device is also expected to run on Android Nougat out of the box.  The Galaxy S8 Plus, on the other hand, is expected as a 6.2-inch phablet.

(source)

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Latest report emerging from South Korea hints at the Samsung Galaxy S8 coming with some bit of innovations and one of the innovation is that both variants of the Galaxy S8 would sport curved edge displays which curve on the sides to meet the phone’s enclosure in an effect that makes the device look bezel-less. That means there is no flat screen model, according to the report.

Another difference that would be on the Galaxy S8 as highlighted in the report is that the two models would use the model numbers SM-G950 and SM-G955, meaning Samsung is skipping the number 4 as the Galaxy S7 shipped with the serials SM-G93x. This may not be unconnected with Korean superstition surrounding the number 4.

The version with model number G950 is said to feature a 5.7-inch display, slightly bigger than the S7 edge which came in at 5.5 inches, Galaxy S6 at 5.1 inches but at par with the Galaxy S6 Edge+ released in fall 2015. On the other hand, the SM-G955 model is said to sport a larger 6.2-inch screen and also adopt a different aesthetic appearance, thanks to a nearly edge-to-edge display. To achieve this appearance without pushing the limits of the device’s pocket-ability, it’s said to be the first Galaxy model to forgo physical and capacitive navigation buttons in favor of on-screen ones. Xiaomi Mix readily comes to mind on this. Furthermore, the two phones are rumored to come with the names, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

Read More: iPhone 8 Could Use OLED Display, Recent Apple Filing Suggests

As is customary over the past years, Samsung is expected to introduce the new lineup at Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. The company has so far ensured leaks surrounding the models are curtailed but how long can they do that? We’ll see.

via

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