Samsung might manufacture OLED displays for 2018 iPhones

A recent report from Korea suggests that Samsung might be providing OLED displays for the 2018 iPhone lineup which could increase the influence of Samsung’s display division. So far the South Korean giant has already struck a deal to supply various Chinese OEMs like Huawei and it will probably compete with LG for Apple’s business. For this to happen Samsung and Apple will have to renew their contracts so it will be interesting to watch this develop. Currently no agreement has been reached but Samsung is in talks with Apple, and the outcome is unknown.

This wouldn’t be the first time Samsung and Apple work together. Samsung is already supplying Apple with OLED displays for the Apple Watch and they’re also supplying LED displays for iPad units. This could potentially expand to the 2018 iPhone line. In any case, we’ll be watching this closely because it’s entirely possible that Apple might use LED displays instead of OLED as LED displays are cheaper to manufacture.

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Sprint cuts lease price for the Galaxy S6 in half, offers free Amazon Prime on select Galaxy phones for Black Friday

Every year Black Friday brings amazing deals and discounts on products that many of us have had on our shopping lists for the past few months, this year is not going to be any different. Black Friday deals are gradually being revealed as we enter into the holiday week, Sprint today revealed its Black Friday 2015 deals which include a 50% discount in lease price for the Galaxy S6 as well as a year’s worth of Amazon Prime for free on activation of select Samsung smartphones.

New or existing Sprint customers can sign a lease for the Galaxy S6 32GB for $9 per month, that’s a 50% discount over the usual $18 per month price. Additionally customers who purchase the Galaxy S6 can also get $50 in cash from Samsung by simply activating Samsung Pay on their device. Sprint will provide a year of Amazon Prime free for customers who activate the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 edge, the Galaxy S6 edge+ or the Galaxy Note 5 on its network. The Prime promotion was actually announced a couple of weeks back and is already available for the entire month of November, 2015.

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To encourage market adoption, Samsung should give free wireless charging pads for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 6

The word “free” is a word that many consumers like. “Buy One, Get One Free” is a favorite phrase heard at retail stores during summer sales, holiday sales, and even at an upcoming Black Friday sale or two. While most consumers have in mind what they mean by free, however, retail stores often have another. This is why, more often than not, you’ll read “get this free if you buy this,” or “get this free when you purchase 2 or more,” and so on. The whole point of “free,” in consumer minds, is to get something for nothing: you get a free pair of headphones without paying for them.” Retail stores and businesses use the word “free” in a different manner: to give something only if they get something (money, usually) in return.

When it comes to free, I think that manufacturers shouldn’t be so quick to give something away. Giving away lots of free stuff at once looks desperate, seems to be a desperate move by companies that can’t compel customers to buy their products, one way or the other. At the same time, however, giving away something for free may be a way to help one company stand head and shoulders above the rest – especially if that company is pioneering in a field where many fear to tread.

This seems to be the case for Samsung, the Korean giant whose 2015 smartphone arsenal consisting of the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, and Galaxy Note 5 is gaining a reputation for wireless charging capabilities. Samsung masterfully incorporated wireless charging into the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge earlier this year, but the Korean giant turned things up a notch when it made wireless charging faster in the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5. The end result is that faster charging times will compel customers to adapt wireless charging as a necessary part of their lives.

Yet, Samsung is in a good place to push wireless charging because of the rise of USB Type-C charging, which is a new USB standard that finds itself in a rare position at the moment. Outside of OnePlus with its new OnePlus 2, and Google with the Nexus 6P, few other companies (though there may be others) have adopted the new USB charging. Samsung’s wireless charging technology is as rare as USB Type-C – meaning that, in contrast to the old USB Type-B, there is no hold over the market right now. One complaint made about USB Type-C charging at the moment is that, although its grand advantage is that you can connect the cable to your device in the dark without paying attention, there are few places that have USB Type-C cables available. Being an early adopter of USB Type-C means that you will find your home surrounded with micro-USB and USB 2.0 cables, but none of these will help you if your current USB Type-C cable breaks and you need a new one right away. Such is the price we early adopters pay, huh?

Samsung intends to bring USB Type-C charging to the Galaxy S7 (and, of course, the Galaxy Note 6 in Fall 2016), but USB Type-C will only compete with wireless charging. I think wireless charging is superior because of the remote charging that prevents my phone from a mild electric shock each time I plug it into a wall, thus saving my battery for the long-term, but customers will readily accept whichever technology is most readily available. If USB Type-C takes off as a new industry standard, then wireless charging, for many, will remain a “niche accessory” that only early adopters care to dabble into. I want to see wireless charging become standard, out of the box, for all high-end Samsung smartphones; I want it to become as standard as USB cables are, out of the box.

To do that, I give Samsung a suggestion here. I don’t intend to criticize the company for its stance – if I crafted wireless charging tech, I’d want to charge for it, too – but I want to see Samsung’s efforts go far and wide. To that end, I propose that wireless charging pads be given as a necessary accessory in the same box as the company’s future high-end smartphones. Samsung has set the standard for minimum storage (32GB across all its high-end devices), cameras (world-leading, best-in-class), battery life (Galaxy S6 edge+), and hardware (the edge) – and I now want to see Samsung set the tone for wireless charging. If wireless charging is offered as a free accessory, like USB Type-C cables will be, then customers who don’t want to pay an extra $70 for a wireless charging pad may be more willing to adopt it as an out-of-the-box accessory.

Samsung has told us that relentless and restless innovation is all about “offering what’s next now.” Giving wireless charging pads in the same box as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 6 is the next step.

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Samsung Pay now supports eight more credit and debit card issuers

Samsung has just announced that they have added support for eight more credit and debit card issuers including Chase and SunTrust to Samsung Pay. The payment service will now support Chase Visa® credit, debit and Liquid® cards, Citizens Equity First Credit Union, Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union, Security Service Federal Credit Union, State Employees’ Credit Union, SunTrust and Virginia Credit Union.

As an added bonus, the mobile payment service will also support Navy Federal Credit Union Visa® credit and debit cards, which means that owners of these cards will be able to perform transactions without using actual physical cards as some latest smartphones from Samsung can mimic the payment through MST or NFC.

The purpose of Samsung Pay is to basically make things as easy as possible, which is why it’s important that it supports as many credit and debit card issuers as possible. Here’s what Injong Rhee, EVP of Samsung Electronics, Global Head of Samsung Pay had to say about the matter:

With expanded support from eight additional issuers, including Chase and SunTrust, we look forward to building even more momentum around Samsung Pay

With the addition of these new cards, Samsung Pay is expected to increase its influence in the US. The mobile payment service is already expected to launch in China, Spain and the UK, which will further increase its reach. What’s more is that Samsung could be adding Samsung Pay support to other devices other than their own, which would greatly affect its impact.

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Is BlackBerry testing Samsung’s Exynos 7420 chipset in its devices?

The Samsung-made Exynos 7420 is considered as one of the best SoCs of this year as it turned out to be more stable than the rival chipsets. The chipset was used exclusively in Samsung’s high-end devices and Meizu used it in the Pro 5 smartphone. Now, it seems that BlackBerry is testing its devices with Exynos 7420.

We’ve stumbled upon entries of an unknown BlackBerry smartphone with code number STV100-1 on GFXBench, which uses the Exynos 7420 64-bit octa-core processor clocked at 2.1GHz. It seems to run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, and it is equipped with a 5.1-inch QHD display, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a 16-megapixel primary camera, and a 5-megapixel secondary camera.

Going by the specifications, this device is quite similar to the Galaxy S6, so don’t get your hopes too high as anyone can edit the build.prop file and make it look like a BlackBerry device. However, if this device turns out to be true, would you be interested in it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Rumor: Samsung may re-introduce the microSD card slot with the Galaxy S7

Samsung received a lot of backlash from long-term fans over its decision to remove the microSD card slot in the company’s high-end smartphones released this year. Now, there’s a rumor claiming that Samsung might be mending its ways with its upcoming high-end smartphone.

According to the folks over at HDBlog.it, Samsung will release two devices, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge, early next year. It is rumored that the Galaxy S7 will feature a 5.2-inch flat display and the Galaxy S7 edge will feature a 5.7-inch curved edge display. However, it seems that the S7 display will be curved on the top and the bottom.

More importantly, the blog states that Samsung might bring back the microSD card slot with these smartphones. The rumor certainly may turn out to be nothing more than a beacon of light for those that held out on this year’s handsets over the omission of microSD slots, but unless we hear something official from Samsung, there is no credibility to the claims.

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Samsung Galaxy J1 mini specifications point towards a 4-inch display

After launching the Galaxy J1 and the Galaxy J1 Ace, it seems that Samsung is working on one more smartphone in the series. Specifications of a new device with model number SM-J105F have been leaked through GFXBench, and the name of the device has been confirmed through Spreadtrum’s website. The South Korean smartphone giant is currently testing the device.

According to the information available on GFXBench’s website, the SM-J105F will run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, and come equipped with a WVGA display, a quad-core Spreadtrum SC8830 processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage, a 5-megapixel primary camera, and a 1.3-megapixel secondary camera.

As per Zauba’s listings, the device was imported by Samsung into India multiple times for testing purposes. It also reveals that the smartphone will have a 4-inch display. Spreadtrum’s bug tracking website lists the device’s name as the J1 mini, which seems apt considering its screen size. The device might be launched with a price tag below $100.

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Gear S2 receives firmware update, gets new features

The Gear S2 is available only in certain markets around the world right now, but the smartwatch has already started receiving firmware updates. Today, Samsung has rolled out a new firmware update for the Gear S2 in South Korea.

A senior member of the XDA Developers Forum who goes by the name supersoulfly has been kind enough to list down all the details regarding this update. According to the member, the new firmware update with build number R732XXU2BOKF doesn’t come with any change log, but the software adds little new features that makes the device easier to use.

New features and enhancements

• ‘Add Widgets’ label: There’s a new ‘Add Widget’s label under the plus symbol, which makes the action easier to understand.
• Auto Open Apps: When you activate this new option, apps open automatically once you stop rotating the bezel on an icon.
• Vibrate When Disconnected: Under the connection settings, you can use this  option so that the watch vibrates as soon as it gets disconnected with your smartphone.
• Screen timeout options: 15 secs, 30 secs, 1 min, or 5 minutes.
• New apps: World clock, Starbucks, a navigation app (for South Korean), and Flipboard News Briefing app.
• New watchfaces: Nothing new, but the same watchfaces that were showcased during the device announcement.
• Notification Indicator: There’s a little orange circle that acts as a notification indicator. It appears only when notifications aren’t set to wake up the screen.
• Larger Notification Text: When you double tap on a notification, the text grows bigger so you can easily read the information. Also, when you swipe up from a notification to dismiss it, a trash can symbol appears.
• Notification Reply: A smiley symbol has been replaced with a simple and more traditional icon.
• Watch Face Template: When you scroll right from the watchface menu, you can use the ‘Add Template’ option to customise the watchface and save it as a template.

Since the Gear S2 isn’t available in a lot of markets, we think that this firmware will be pre-installed on the devices where Samsung plans to release the smartwatch in the coming days. Also, the update might soon be released to the Gear S2 units in markets where the wearable is already available.

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Gear VR has already sold out online

it was only about two weeks ago that Samsung announced that pre-orders for the new Gear VR headsets were now open, interested customers could purchase the $99 virtual reality headset from Amazon and Best Buy aside from the company’s own website. It looks like the device is doing well for itself because it has already sold out online, both Amazon and Best Buy list the Gear VR as out of stock.

Best Buy listing for the Gear VR mentions that the device is “sold out online,” Amazon has plastered a similar “temporarily out of stock message” on its listing, adding that it will update customers when an estimated delivery date becomes known. Customers in the United States can still purchase one from Samsung’s website or even through T-Mobile later this week, it’s the only carrier in the country right now that’s going to sell the headset. A Samsung spokesperson has said that the company is “working hard to fulfill all orders as quickly as possible.”

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