Samsung’s abandonment of Android Wear has Android Wear OEMs applauding

I wrote some months ago that Android Wear fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about a 2016 Samsung Android Wear smartwatch, and I still stand by the statements I made then. What’s new, though, is that it appears as if even Android Wear agrees with Samsung.

Back 4 months ago, it seemed as though Samsung was rebelling against what appeared to be a united Android Wear front with its decision to forgo crafting another Android Wear smartwatch. ASUS, Motorola, LG, and Huawei all appeared to be onboard with Google’s plans to carry Android Wear through another year. LG had its Watch Urbane LTE Second Edition out (due to defect, the company had to re-launch the smartwatch; see, Samsung isn’t the only one that has issued product recalls and second launches), and Motorola, ASUS, and Huawei all looked set for primetime again.

Some have said that Samsung’s desire to forgo crafting an Android Wear smartwatch is a terrible mistake, while others applaud the move. I could spoil the evidence for you, but I won’t. Three new evidences have come to light in recent days that, with hindsight, help us see that Samsung’s move was a wise one indeed.

Evidence #1: Huawei and Motorola take a timeout from crafting Android Wear smartwatches, LG passes up making another

ASUS has released its $250 ZenWatch 3, but it appears as if LG, Motorola, and Huawei have all decided to let Android Wear stand still for the year. All three companies have gone on record as saying that they won’t be making any new Android Wear smartwatches through the end of this year, at least.

LG has said that it wants to see what sticks; Motorola says that cellular connectivity comes with some undesirable tradeoffs; and Huawei wants a more efficient processor before pushing forward with cellular connectivity. While all these reasons can be overcome in 2016, the decision of these companies to “sit out the smartwatch dance” shows that Samsung may have had more foresight than the Korean giant’s been given credit for.

The truth is that cellular connectivity, contrary to Motorola’s claim, doesn’t have any significant tradeoffs that can’t be overcome (that is, if you overlook the black bar, a.k.a. flat tire, on the Moto 360) and that Samsung has pushed cellular connectivity since 2014 with the Gear S (it had 3G data instead of 4G). Huawei wants a more efficient processor, but processors will always become more and more efficient over time – so that’s not really a significant decision to sit it out. I’ll return to Huawei shortly.

As for LG, the company said that its decision to refrain from another smartwatch this year is that “we want to see what sticks,” LG spokesperson Ken Hong said in an interview with CNET.

Perhaps we should give LG a break compared to Huawei and Motorola who haven’t put out a new smartwatch in the last 12 months, but any OEM who sits on the sidelines can’t expect to learn from mistakes and move forward. Just ask any athlete: sitting on the sidelines makes your knees hurt and gets you out of shape — the exact opposite of what LG thinks will happen if it sits out the rest of this year and the start of 2017 in Android Wear.

Evidence #2: Huawei flirts with the idea of a Tizen-powered smartwatch, alternative to Android Wear

One large piece of news this week comes from Huawei, who has been mentioned as trying to find an alternative to Android Wear because, in a Samsung representative’s words, “Huawei was looking for an operating system (OS) other than Google’s Android as the US firm had not been very collaborative.” Huawei and Google have been chummy, surfacing in Huawei’s own Android Wear smartwatches: Huawei Watch (men), Huawei Watch Jewel and Watch Elegant (both female smartwatch lines), not to mention the Nexus 6P announced in 2015 as a collaboration between Google and Huawei.

With Huawei’s relationship with Google, it just seems odd that Huawei would want to consider a platform such as Tizen when the Chinese OEM knows that it would seem to be a slap in the face of Google and Android Wear.

And yet, while Huawei has said nothing definitive, it’s at least flirting with the idea of a Tizen-based smartwatch with Samsung. That, in and of itself, shows the unrest that even Android Wear OEMs are having with Android Wear. With one of Android Wear’s most loyal OEMs (Huawei) considering Samsung’s wearables platform, Samsung’s decision to abandon Android Wear makes even more sense than before. If “loyal” Android Wear OEMs don’t want to stick with the platform, why should Samsung?

Evidence #3: Android Wear 2.0 delayed until 2017

The last piece of evidence to show that Samsung’s abandonment of Android Wear is a move in the right direction is Google’s decision to delay the release of Android Wear 2.0 until 2017. For whatever reason, the one major reason to support Android Wear (for consumers, at least) has been put on hold. Yes, I’m aware that Google has delayed the rollout to appease consumers in hopes of getting positive feedback, but it seems odd that Google would have to delay such a major update when it’s had an entire year (and four months after Google I/O) to perfect the update.

Whether or not Android Wear OEMs were aware of the delay is anyone’s guess, but in light of Google’s decision, it makes sense that Huawei, LG, and Motorola would refrain from making new AW smartwatches. Why make smartwatches that run the same operating system update as the 2015 ones, with slightly modified hardware and a more expensive price tag?

Conclusion

Samsung made its decision (despite saying that it wasn’t done with Android Wear just yet) to refrain from any Android Wear smartwatch development because of its own Tizen wearables platform, but the most recent developments between Google and its Android Wear OEMs is more than reason enough to say that, in hindsight, Samsung made the right choice.

I’ve been told time and time again that despite what I may think, Android Wear isn’t dead and that the platform is still thriving. However, the above evidences tell a far more grim story than advocates want to admit. With a major update stalled, Google being “anti-collaborative,” and Huawei, one of its major OEMs, considering Tizen as a better alternative, the only thing Android Wear has left is the sheer number of apps and developers (which are two things that can erode quickly in time, should Tizen’s appeal continue to grow).

At this point, Tizen looks to be not only Samsung’s refuge, but the refuge of Huawei and all other Android Wear OEMs, since Android Wear OEMs will only serve Google’s purpose if they remain with Google. No matter how great the apps and hardware, without having a unique pre-installed software experience, a device is as good as dead on arrival.

For the first time since its inception in 2014, critics must face the inevitable truth that Android Wear is headed nowhere.

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Latest Good Lock update brings a handful of much-needed bug fixes

Samsung has today updated its Good Lock application to Version 24.0.15 in the Galaxy Apps Store. Sadly, the upgrade doesn’t bring any new features to the replacement lock screen, but it does bundle a plethora of patches for bugs that have been frustrating users of the service for a while now.

The full changelog can be seen below:

• Restored Widget size on Lockscreen
• Enhanced launching “Application info” in Recent apps by long pressing App icon
• Fixed Flashlight won’t turn off (USA only)
• Supporting Flashlight Brightness controller (only Note 7)
• Select specific colors for all of the accent points
• Fixed laggy issue in StatusBar, QuickPanel, Lockscreen, etc.

To install the upgrade, head into the Galaxy Apps Store, tap the search field, type in Good Lock, select the application presented at the top of the results page, then click the button entitled Update. Alternatively, you can download the APK by hitting the link below to manually load it onto your device.

APK Download

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Samsung Pay updated with support for BB&T credit and debit cards

Samsung Pay has received a server-side update in the United States. The upgrade brings support for BB&T credit and debit cards in the region. It also bundles a handful of much-needed bug fixes and speed optimizations designed to improve the reliability of the mobile payment platform.

Like usual, Samsung wasn’t able to introduce compatibility for all of BB&T’s card offerings at once. This means that you’re going to need to head over to Samsung’s website to see which are compatible. If yours isn’t there, please don’t worry. The firm is constantly adding new cards to its lineup, so it should show up soon.

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Samsung Pay launches in Russia with support for 5 banks

Samsung has today launched its mobile payment platform in Russia. At present, Samsung Pay only works with five banks — Alfa-Bank Banking Group, VTB24, MTS Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, and Russian Standard Bank — in the region, but compatibility is expected to make its way to other providers in the near future.

Russia is the ninth country that Samsung Pay has been released in since its debut in South Korea back in August 2015. It’s currently also available in Australia, Brazil, China, Russia, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain and the US. It is, however, expected to make its way to Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and the UK later this year.

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You can now use the Galaxy Note 7 on aircrafts in India

India’s civil aviation authority DGCA has today announced that it has lifted the ban on using the Galaxy Note 7 during commercial flights. Before now, those in possession of the handset were not only barred from turning it on or charging it while on an aircraft, but were also banned from packing it in their checked-in luggage.

Airlines have, however, been instructed to inspect Galaxy Note 7′s to ensure that they’re sporting the green battery icon that indicates that it’s ‘safe’ and doesn’t pack the faulty cell that led to over seventy units catching fire while charging in the United States. If the green emblem is present, customers will be able to use the device and charge it during flights.

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Daily Deal: You’ll definitely want to pick up the Galaxy TabPro S and the Chromebook 3 at these prices

We’ve created our Daily Deals program to bring you some of the best deals on Samsung products. Today we have great deals for those who want a tablet or Chromebook from Samsung. First up we have the premium Galaxy Tab Pro S 12-inch tablet from Samsung which runs Windows 10. It’s actually the first Windows 10 tablet with a 12-inch Super AMOLED 2160×1440 pixel resolution display. It’s powered by a 2.2GHz dual-core processor with 4GB RAM and a 5,200mAh battery. The standard configuration with a 128GB SSD normally costs $899 but it can not be purchased at an 11 percent discount for $797 from Amazon.

Next up is the Samsung Chromebook 3. It was also unveiled earlier this year. This notebook features a reinforced metal body, a 1366×768 pixel resolution 11.6-inch display with an Intel Celeron N3050 processor under the hood. It’s powered by Google’s Chrome OS. The base configuration with 4GB RAM and 16GB SSD normally costs $229 but it can now be picked up at a 22 percent discount for $179.

Keep checking SamMobile daily to find out the best deals on Samsung devices.

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China’s state TV says Samsung’s handling of the Galaxy Note 7 recall is ‘full of arrogance’

When Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Note 7′s battery defect earlier this month it said that customers in China were not affected by the recall as the units officially shipped there had a safe battery. It only recalled less than 2,000 units in the country which were sent out prior to the actual release as test devices. However, China’s international state broadcaster CCTV has serious reservations over Samsung’s handling of the Galaxy Note 7 recall in the People’s Republic.

CCTV has slammed Samsung for its “discrimination” against customers in China. It posted a commentary piece on its website which said that Samsung’s handling of the Galaxy Note 7 in the country is “full of arrogance.” It pointed towards the video apology that Samsung issued to customers in the United States aside from providing them with multiple replacement options and even compensation for their troubles was in stark contrast to the treatment meted out to customers in China. “Samsung’s discriminatory policy has caused discontent from Chinese consumers,” CCTV added.

Some reports have emerged recently from China which suggest that there might be some issues with replacement Galaxy Note 7 units as well. Samsung has rubbished one such report saying that it was clear that external heat was applied to that particular Galaxy Note 7. However, following multiple reports Samsung China issued a statement yesterday saying that it’s going to look into the matter and even apologized to customers in China for “lack of sufficient explanation.”

Samsung China has not yet commented on CCTV’s piece.

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Samsung Galaxy A8 (2016) has finally been unveiled

There have been quite a few rumors over the past couple of months that Samsung has the Galaxy A8 (2016) in the pipeline. Benchmark results have brought us the expected specifications of this handset multiple times and it has recently received the relevant certifications. The Galaxy A8 (2016) user manual we spotted about a week ago revealed that the handset will feature the new Grace UX introduced with the Galaxy Note 7 as well as support for Samsung Pay. Samsung has finally unveiled the Galaxy A8 (2016) officially in South Korea.

Samsung doesn’t appear to have made any major changes to the design of the handset itself, it looks quite similar to its predecessor which also had a full-metal body. The Galaxy A8 (2016) does come with Always On Display which Samsung introduced earlier this year with the Galaxy S7 series.

The Galaxy A8 (2016) is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7420 processor hooked up to 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. It also features a 5.7-inch Full HD display, a 16-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front camera as well as a 3,500mAh battery. It comes with Android 6.0.1. The Galaxy A8 (2016) also has a fingerprint scanner and support for Samsung Pay.

Samsung’s carrier partners will soon start taking pre-orders for the Galaxy A8 (2016) in South Korea. It will be exclusively available for pre-order in blue color with a price tag of 649,000 won ($580) from SK Telecom starting October 1. Samsung is yet to confirm when the Galaxy A8 (2016) is going to be launched in other markets.

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Galaxy Note 7 remains popular with customers in South Korea

Samsung resumed Galaxy Note 7 sales for pre-order customers in South Korea yesterday and despite all of the bad press it has received over the battery defect the Galaxy Note 7 still remains popular in the company’s home market. The handset has been shipped by the country’s three largest carriers – SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus – to those who placed a pre-order for it in August.

South Korea was the very first market where the Galaxy Note 7 replacement program was launched. There has been some concern that existing customers are not in any hurry to replace their faulty units which is probably why Samsung not only extended the refund deadline but also delayed the relaunch of the Galaxy Note 7 in its home market.

According to local media reports, nearly 16,000 new units of the Galaxy Note 7 were activated in South Korea on the day sales resumed for pre-order customers. Local smartphone dealers say that customers don’t appear to have any special antipathy toward the Galaxy Note 7 despite all its troubles. Some actually expect the handset to sell as many as 20,000 units per day once sales are resumed for all customers in the country starting October 1. Samsung has already started airing TV ads for its latest flagship as it gears up to get down to the business of selling its latest and greatest flagship once again.

 

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Samsung completes $10 billion share buyback program

Last year Samsung announced that it was launching a $10 billion program to buyback its own shares. The program was going to be implemented in stages and Samsung said that it would be completed in one year. Samsung embarked on the fourth and final phase of this buyback program two months ago in which it was to purchase and cancel 990,000 common and 230,000 preferred shares. It has already repurchased 5.63 million common and 2.09 million preferred shares and canceled them in the previous stages.

Samsung has confirmed that its $10 billion share buyback program has now been completed, adding that the program has contributed to an increase of almost 20 percent in its stock price over the past year, the company’s stock price has been setting new record highs this year. We’ve already discussed Samsung’s $10 billion share buyback program in detail in a separate post. A buyback program is just one of the ways a publicly listed company can return money to its shareholders. It basically pays them cash to purchase their equity which it can either keep as treasury stock or choose to retire those shares. Samsung has canceled all of the shares it has purchased as part of this buyback program.

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Galaxy Note 7 sales in India may resume before Diwali

The Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to be launched in India on September 2 but it was never launched in the country as Samsung confirmed the handset’s battery cell defect and immediately suspended sales. Those who had pre-ordered a Note 7 in the country were told that their shipments would be delayed. Shipments are still awaited and Samsung is yet to confirm when the Galaxy Note 7 will be relaunched in India. A recent report claimed that the Note 7 will be relaunched in the country on October 7 but it’s now being claimed that sales will be resumed prior to the festival of Diwali.

Mashable India reports that Samsung is going to resume sales of the Galaxy Note 7 in India before the festival of Diwali. It’s normal to see a significant sales spike around the time of this festival as it’s much like Christmas in the West. Diwali is going to be celebrated on October 30 this year so if this report is correct customers in India should expect to get their hands on the flagship towards the end of next month.

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Samsung reportedly increases sales target for the Gear S3

Samsung is yet to release the Gear S3 smartwatch that it unveiled about a month ago but the company is apparently optimistic about its performance. News reports out of South Korea suggest that Samsung has increased its yearly sales target for the Gear S3 by as much as 60 percent more than the overall number of smartwatches and fitness bands it shipped in the previous year.

The company is yet to confirm the release date of the Gear S3 in most markets across the globe. Industry sources cited in the report claim that Samsung has ramped up the sourcing of components for this smartwatch from its suppliers and aims to start mass production of the Gear S3 next month. This is why it’s claimed that the Gear S3 will go on sale in most markets by the end of October. Samsung is reportedly expecting to ship five million units of the Gear S3. Market research organization IDC reports that Samsung shipped 3.1 wearable devices combined in the previous year which suggests that it’s quite bullish on the Gear S3.

In our hands-on with the Gear S3 we found it to be a story of refinement. Samsung has taken the Gear S2 which was already one of the best smartwatches of its time and made it even better so it would not be surprising to see that Samsung expects it to perform really well in the increasing wearable device market.

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Galaxy Apps update brings a cleaner UI, dedicated categories for watch faces

Samsung has updated its Galaxy Apps application. Unfortunately, the upgrade — Version 4.2.01-7 — doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of added functionality. However, it does transport a cleaner user interface, together with the facility to receive push notifications for upcoming promotions held by the South Korean company.

Aside from the sharper visuals, Version 4.2.01-7 finally introduces a dedicated category section for watch faces for Gear-branded devices, making it easier than ever for users to find options that will tickle their fancy without having to scroll through an endless list of tiresome offerings.

You can grab the update by heading into the Galaxy Apps Store.

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Samsung pushes out September security patch for the Galaxy S6 edge+

Samsung has been awfully busy today. Not only has it distributed the Marshmallow update for the Galaxy A7 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (Wi-Fi), but it’s also now pushing out this month’s security patch for the International variant of the Galaxy S6 edge+.

The upgrade is around 160MB in size and, just like the version that made its way to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge earlier this week, carries a truckload of much-needed patches for both the Android OS and the device to make it more stable and secure.

As we’ve come to expect from all major and minor firmware updates, the OTA is being pushed out in stages. However, if you’d like to see if it’s ready for your device simply follow these steps: Settings » About Device » Software Update » Update Now.

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Kookmin Bank will be the first to support the Galaxy Note 7′s iris scanner as a form of authentication

Customers of one South Korea’s largest banks, Kookmin Bank, will be pleased to hear that they will soon be able to use the Galaxy Note 7′s iris-recognition technology to access their mobile banking services.

At present, the only other banking-related application that iris scanning is compatible with is Samsung Pay. However, Samsung is hoping to bring the technology to more financial apps later this year.

“Last-minute preparations have been underway to link our mobile banking services to the iris-recognition capability of the Galaxy Note 7,” said a Kookmin Bank official.

Unfortunately, a specific date of availability hasn’t been provided as of yet. Although, a representative of the bank did reveal that the functionality is expected to go live in the not-too-distant future.

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Samsung now distributing Android 6.0.1 update for the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 in the Netherlands

Following its rollout for the Galaxy A7 earlier today, Samsung is now pushing out the Android 6.0.1 update for the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (Wi-Fi) in the Netherlands. The upgrade – XXU1CPHF — brings the latest build of Marshmallow to the slate, in addition to a multitude of bug fixes, stability improvements and speed optimizations.

If you own a Galaxy Tab S 10.5, you’re probably feeling as a little confused right now a little over a month ago a Samsung representative revealed that the tablet wouldn’t receive the firmware in Europe. Since then, it has made its way to Germany and is now available in the Netherlands. It’s expected to be available in other countries in the continent later today.

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Samsung reveals that over one million people are using a ‘safe’ Galaxy Note 7

Less than a month after it kicked off its voluntary recall of the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung has today announced that more than one million owners globally are now using a ‘safe’ model of the unit. This figure includes all variants issued as replacements and those initially sold in China that don’t sport the defunct battery that led to over seventy devices catching fire while on charge in the US alone.

Prior to the recall, Samsung had produced and distributed two and a half million Galaxy Note 7‘s. A substantial amount of this number accounted for unsold stock. Regardless, one million safe units it still a pretty big milestone. However, the firm isn’t out of the woods just yet as reports have started to emerge claiming that the replacement models are having issues with overheating and losing power when charging.

Samsung is confident that a faulty battery isn’t the cause of these problems, though. Instead, it’s putting them down to an issue with mass production. It has revealed that replacement models pack the same cell as the unaffected handsets in China, so users don’t have to worry about their device combusting, despite recent claims from Galaxy Note 7 owners in the region stating that their unit had burst into flames as the company has found that batteries weren’t at fault for the incidents.

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Themes Thursday: Take a look at this week’s three best themes

Samsung has released 85 themes in the Theme Store over the course of past one week, and we’ve shortlisted three themes that you might like: [V] Midnight 7, [V] Tictoc 7, and Sense UI Theme.

[V] Midnight 7 and [V] Tictoc 7 themes by Motiveflux Interactive are inspired by Samsung’s stock wallpaper for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. However, these paid themes feature colorful circular icons as opposed to Samsung’s ‘Squircle’ iconography. The Sense UI Theme by Faaiz Puthawala is a paid theme that imitates HTC’s Sense UI design that is used in the HTC 10.

Did you install any of these themes? Let us know in the comments section below, and stay tuned for next week’s Themes Thursday!

[V] Midnight 7 | Paid

[V] Tictoc 7 | Paid

Sense UI Theme | Paid

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Second MediaTek executive names Samsung as “partner”

As we reported six months ago, the Korean giant has been testing out MediaTek’s Helio X20 and X25 processors in the Galaxy S7, a sign that Samsung is considering using the chipset maker’s processors in not just low-end handsets but even premium ones, but information in recent days has made it apparent that Samsung’s testing several months ago wasn’t just a random act. According to a MediaTek representative last week, Samsung is a customer — thereby rendering MediaTek silent on the Galaxy Note 7 battery debacle. Well, today, a new report has surfaced showing that, once again, Samsung and MediaTek are linked.

A second MediaTek executive has outed Samsung as the company’s partner in a Romanian launch event around the Allview P9 Energy, in which the representative said “We cannot provide information about products that have not yet been announced by our partners.” This statement itself implies that Samsung is a “partner,” which is a second confirmation of Samsung and MediaTek’s work relationship (if the first MediaTek rep’s quote didn’t give it away).

We don’t know why Samsung and MediaTek are partnering together, but we can safely presume that it has to do with MediaTek’s processors since Samsung seems to have an interest in testing their performance in high-end handsets (though we wouldn’t rule out low-end handsets as well). With that said, Samsung never strikes a partnership deal without reason. Watching to see just what comes about because of it makes for interesting times ahead.

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Samsung and SAP open joint research center to improve in-memory computing

Samsung and SAP have inaugurated a joint research center in South Korea where the companies will conduct R&D on memory solutions to develop next-generation in-memory computing. In-memory computing is being developed by SAP to be used in servers for faster data processing and faster analyses of large amounts of data.

The president of Samsung’s memory business, Dr. Young-Hyun Jun, and Adaire Fox-Martin, President of SAP Asia Pacific Japan, were present at the inauguration ceremony. Both companies will push to improve in-memory computing using newer DRAM technologies, commercialize the technology, and offer it to customers. Engineers will test runs SAP’s HANA platform and also analysis performance of Samsung’s high-performance, high-density memory.

Currently, the server system in the joint research center uses a 24TB in-memory platform based on Samsung’s 128GB 3DS (three-dimensional stacked) DRAM modules built using 20nm technology. However, Samsung will soon start using 10nm 256GB DRAM modules in the setup to further improve power efficiency and performance. SAP HANA is an in-memory, column-oriented, relational database management system that is developed and marketed by SAP.

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Samsung Galaxy On5 Pro and Galaxy On7 Pro review

Last year, Samsung launched the Galaxy On series of smartphones in the Indian market. Unlike all its other smartphones, the Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 were exclusive to online retailers, in a bid to compete with the feature-packed affordable smartphones that Chinese manufacturers were selling through the online-only model. As the On5 and On7 were sold online, Samsung managed to save on costs associated with offline retailers and stores. As a result, the Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 had slightly better specs that what were expected from Samsung phones at those price points.

Fast forward to 2016, and Samsung has launched the On5 Pro and On7 Pro, which bring more RAM, storage and an upgraded version of Android. The Galaxy On5 Pro and Galaxy On7 Pro, like their predecessors, are targeted at those who like to be online all the time (hence the “On” in the phones’ names). At $— and $—, the On5 Pro and On7 Pro offer the best specs Samsung has ever offered in the segment. In fact, the Galaxy On5 Pro is priced lower than the Galaxy J2 (2016), which has abysmal hardware and only has its cool notification ring to boast about.

We have had both new On handsets in our possession for the last couple of weeks; we thought about doing a full review, but given their limited availability and the fact that they are minor upgrades over the original lineup, we’ll be doing a quick one to see how these handsets fare. Don’t worry, we did use these devices as our main phones for a couple of days, and we will just be keeping the review’s word count short.

Note: The Galaxy On5 (2016) and Galaxy On7 (2016) are the actual true successors to the On5 and On7 and were launched as the Galaxy J5 Prime and Galaxy J7 Prime in the Indian market. 

Design and Display

The On5 Pro and On7 Pro are pretty similar to their predecessors in terms of design. That is to say there is nothing impressive to be seen. The phones are made of plastic, with a soft touch material on the back for enhanced grip. The back curves at the sides to allow for even better handling, similar to what we have seen on Samsung’s flagship smartphones. Both devices have notable heft but never felt heavy, which is to say their weight feels just right whether you’re using the devices with one hands or two.

Samsung has used 720p LCD panels on both phones, with 5-inch and 5.5-inch-inch displays on the On5 Pro and On7 Pro respectively. These panels are slightly above average in terms of color contrast but are otherwise quite run-of-the-mill. The On5 has the sharper display here, as 720p stopped being enough for 5.5-inch screens a long time back. A Super AMOLED panel would have gone a long way in improving the viewing experience, and Samsung is thankfully rectifying that with the Galaxy On8. Brightness levels are quite high, but the lack of auto brightness means you will have to use the Outdoor mode when you’re trying to use the device on a sunny day.

Camera

The On5 Pro and On7 Pro have 8-megapixel and 13-megapixel rear cameras, and a 5-megapixel sensor at the front. As one would expect at these price points, the cameras do an unimpressive job. The rear camera on the On7 Pro captures slightly more detail thanks to the high-resolution sensor, but even this detail is something you will only notice when you zoom in on a photo. Photos are sharp in good lighting conditions, but indoors and in low-light situations there’s a considerable amount of noise and very less fine detail. The front camera on both devices takes nice selfies; they come out a tad soft and dark indoors, but there’s a sufficient amount of detail when there’s enough natural light around you.

The camera app is the same one we have seen on other recent Samsung devices, with the option to launch it quickly by double pressing the home button even when the device is locked. You get regular camera modes like Panorama, Beauty Face and Burst; the Pro mode offers general customization like white balance, ISO and exposure adjustment and nothing more. There’s no option to shoot in HDR. A variety of effects come preloaded for both front and rear cameras. For selfies, the phones support holding out your palm in front to automatically initiate image capture with a timer, and there’s also a Wide Selfie mode for when you need to fit in more people in your front-facing shots.

Software

The On5 Pro and On7 Pro run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box, with the latest iteration of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. You don’t get all the features seen on high-end Samsung devices, but there are a few additional things on top of what Android offers. There’s full support for the Theme Store, so you can change the look of the user interface by selecting from thousands of third-party themes. Other features include S Bike Mode (check our detailed guide on how it works), Ultra Data Saving Mode for data savings, and Samsung’s advanced power saving modes.

Both the On5 Pro and On7 Pro come with a one-handed operation mode, which downsizes the entire interface and makes it shift to one side of the phone. The On5 Pro doesn’t really need this option with its 5-inch screen, but it’s a welcome feature nonetheless for those who want to consistently operate the device with a single hand in a particular situation. Smart Manager also comes preloaded for managing memory and storage; you can download Samsung Smart Switch from the Play Store to transfer data from an existing device.

Performance

The On7 Pro might have a more pixelated display, but it manages to offer a smoother and faster experience thanks to the Snapdragon 410 chip inside. The Exynos 3475 in the On5 Pro is less powerful and results in animation stutters and some delays in launching apps. Multitasking is fine on both devices thanks to the 2GB of RAM, although gaming performance leaves something to be desired when you try playing any high-end title. Asphalt 8, one of the most optimized high-end games available on Android, is a stutter fest at anything but the lowest graphical setting on the On5 Pro and the medium setting on the On7 Pro.

Thankfully, Samsung has provided 16GB of internal storage, so you can at least install more apps and large games instead of running out of space like you do on other budget Samsung phones. The 2GB of RAM is also welcome and is what keeps the phones from stuttering too much when you’ve been using them for a while and have a few apps running in the background. It’s clear that the online-only sales model lets Samsung refrain from compromising on basic specs like the memory and storage. You also get support for USB OTG for connectivity external storage devices and accessories like mice and keyboards.

Battery Life

Long-lasting battery life was one of the best features of the original On5 and On7, and it has carried over to the Pro editions. The On7 Pro – with its 3,000 mAh battery and low screen resolution – can easily last a day and a half with general usage that involves social media, taking a few photos, listening to music and even going about the day on a 4G connection. The On5 Pro can get you through the day, too, but you will have to charge it overnight. Charging times are nearly 2 hours on both devices thanks to the lack of fast charging support, which means the long battery life becomes an additional advantage.

Audio Quality

Audio quality on the On5 Pro and On7 Pro is as average as it gets. The loudspeakers on these devices produce somewhat hollow sound, although the beats come off with considerable depth. The supplied earphones don’t particularly focus on either the lows, mids or highs; the volume levels are high, although your ears can start hurting after a few minutes of listening to music at the highest volume. Oh, and Samsung’s default music player isn’t installed on either device and cannot be downloaded from the Play Store or Galaxy Apps store, so you will have to make do with the pre-installed Google Play Music or a third-party alternative. Call quality through the earpiece is pretty good, if not really stellar.

Wrap Up

For regular Samsung devices, it makes sense that the company can’t offer the greatest of hardware at budget prices. After all, there’s profit to be made, advertising to be done, and funds to be allocated to research and development. Chinese manufacturers offer smartphones ten times better than Samsung’s offerings at the same prices, but since most of those are only available online, Samsung’s devices give consumers the benefit of walking into any local retail stores to pick one up.

But for the Galaxy On series, which, like the Chinese competition, isn’t sold offline, it becomes a completely different ballgame. Samsung’s smartphones lose all value here, except for when it comes to good after sales support. The Galaxy On5 Pro and Galaxy On7 Pro just don’t have any unique feature that would make us give them a recommendation. Again, after sales support is where these devices will give you peace of mind, but there are just too many Chinese smartphones that are a better proposition for your hard earned money.

Pros	Cons
Better hardware than any other Samsung device at this price	Average performance on the On5 Pro
Good battery life	Unimpressive rear cameras
Respectable selfie cameras	Run-of-the-mill LCD displays
Latest Samsung software	No ambient light sensor
Themes support	Poor loudspeakers

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Recently filed patent application could hint at a dual camera for the Galaxy S8

A patent application Samsung filed very recently in South Korea just might support earlier rumors about the Galaxy S8 having a dual camera setup.

In the patent application, which was filed on September 13, we see a camera interface with improved zoom control. Just like the one-finger exposure control Samsung currently uses in its camera app, zooming in and out can be a one-finger gesture as well. Currently, zoom can be controlled by pinch-to-zoom, or assigned to the volume keys, as it has been for years.

Why is Samsung looking to improve the camera’s zoom control, when its current digital zoom capabilities are nothing to write home about? One possible, though speculative, answer can be found in recent rumors about the upcoming Galaxy S8 having dual rear camera.

As we’ve seen on Apple’s new iPhone 7 Plus, a dual camera setup can be used to create zoom capabilities better than traditional single-lens digital zoom. A comparable feature would warrant the implementation of an interface with improved zoom control as described in the patent application published today.

Still, as always with patent applications, definitive conclusions about them should always be seasoned with a grain of salt. There is no telling if and when they will surface in an actual product, even if the idea of a Galaxy S8 camera with improved zoom capabilities will tickle the imagination of many.

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[Poll] Will you still buy a Galaxy Note 7 after October 28?

After the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung has announced that it will resume shipping the Galaxy Note 7 in Europe from October 28. If you did not preorder a Galaxy Note 7, would you still consider buying Samsung’s latest phablet when it goes on sale in your country?

Samsung will most probably release the Galaxy S8 early next year. Would you wait for the Galaxy S8 or S8 edge, or would you buy a non-Samsung smartphone this year instead? In any case, cast your votes using the poll below to let us know your choice.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Daily Deal: Buy a Lens Cover for your Samsung Galaxy S7 edge for just $96.69

As a part of our Daily Deals program, we are bringing you a good deal on Samsung’s Lens Cover for the Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy S7 today. The Lens Cover accessory for the Galaxy S7 edge has seen its price dropped from $149.99 to $96.69 on Amazon in the US. This is a discount of 36 percent over its original price. Amazon is now selling the Lens Cover for the Galaxy S7 in the US for just $89.99, which is a discount of 40 percent over its original price tag of $149.99.

Samsung unveiled the Lens Cover for the Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge during MWC 2016. The accessory package comes with a well-made protective cover for the smartphone and two high-quality detachable lenses, a 2x telephoto lens and an ultra wide-angle lens. We reviewed the Lens Cover two months back and found it to be quite useful. Make sure you pick up the right Lens Cover for your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

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Samsung finally rolls out Marshmallow update for the Galaxy A7 in Europe

With Nougat right around the corner, Samsung has finally started pushing out the long-awaited Marshmallow update for the European variant of the Galaxy A7. The upgrade — XXU2BPH4 — weighs in at a little over 1GB and bundles all of the changes you’d expect to find baked into Android 6.0.1. It also transports a more refined build of TouchWiz, similar to the version on board the Galaxy S7.

If you reside in Europe, own a factory unlocked Galaxy A7 and would like to see if the update is ready for your handset, simply head into the following menus: Settings > About Device > Software Update > Update Now. Alternatively, you could always wait until you receive a push notification prompting you to install the upgrade, but this has proven to take slightly longer than manually scanning for it.

Thanks, Fernando!

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Samsung patents a foldable tablet with built-in keyboard and stand

We’ve seen a lot of rumors, reports and patents concerning Samsung’s foldable smartphone but the one that’s come up today isn’t about a smartphone, it’s about a tablet. Samsung has been awarded a design patent for a foldable tablet which features a built-in keyboard and stand. The illustrations show that this device will have a foldable keyboard as well as an integrated kickstand at the back. The device has three foldable segments which when opened would combine to form a large display area that would be good for both productivity and entertainment.

Since this is a design patent it doesn’t reveal which materials will be used by Samsung to actually create this device and which components will make their way inside the shell. It’s just a visual representation of what Samsung engineers think a foldable tablet should look like. Just because Samsung has patented something doesn’t mean it’s certainly going to bring it to market. We’re still waiting on the company’s foldable smartphone so it might be quite a while before it comes out with a foldable tablet. It might very well have an entire lineup of foldable devices in the future if the idea takes off with consumers.

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Galaxy Note 7 ads start airing again as Samsung expects to wrap up recall soon

We reported yesterday that Galaxy Note 7 customers in South Korea don’t appear to be in a hurry to exchange their faulty Galaxy Note 7 for a new, safe one. Samsung’s replacement program has been running for a few weeks now however the rate of replacement is lower in its home country when compared to markets like the US. Samsung is obviously concerned about this but it also wants to look ahead and resumes sales of the Galaxy Note 7. After having extended the refund deadline and delaying the relaunch of its new flagship in South Korea, Samsung has now started airing Galaxy Note 7 ads on domestic TV channels in the country.

The company has also said today that it expects to have exchanged more than 80 percent of all Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea by October 1 which is when it’s going to start selling the handset once again. In its statement the company once again calls on customers who have a unit that has been recalled to take part in the replacement program. To entice people to buy this smartphone after the entire debacle Samsung is promising customers who purchase a new Galaxy Note 7 that it will cover 50 percent of any repair costs for the screen should they end up damaging it.

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Samsung now investigating reports of replacement Galaxy Note 7 units overheating

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 replacement program has been underway for a couple of weeks now. It’s voluntarily replacing all Galaxy Note 7 units that have been shipped since the handset was released last month. There have been some reports of overheating issues with replacement Galaxy Note 7 units which are supposed to have a battery that doesn’t explode unexpectedly. Samsung has now said that it’s investigating these reports.

Samsung has confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it’s looking into reports out of South Korea and the United States that new Galaxy Note 7 units are overheating. Some consumers who reported this issue said that the new handset would get too hot to place next to the ear during a phone call. Samsung has already promised to replace one such customer’s handset. “There have been a few reports about the battery charging levels and we would like to reassure everyone that the issue does not pose a safety concern,” the company said in a statement issued to the scribe, adding that in normal conditions “all smartphones may experience temperature fluctuations.”

The company has acknowledged these complaints and said that it’s working to resolve individual cases through its warranty process and customer service. It’s yet to confirm what might be causing this issue and whether it’s something that other Galaxy Note 7 owners need to be concerned about.

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Wallpaper Wednesday: Illustrations

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week we’re focusing our attention on six illustration backgrounds. All images are available in a FHD resolution, which is a perfect fit for the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5 and other flagships, but they can, of course, be used on different smartphones, too.

If any of the following images float your boat and you want to download and set one as your wallpaper, simply tap on a photo to maximise it, then click and hold to save it. Once the picture is stored locally, open up Settings, locate and select Wallpaper, then just tap the newly-saved image to set it as your background.

Alternatively, you can download a ZIP file containing all of this week’s backdrops by hitting the Download button at the very bottom of this post.

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Alice in Wonderland

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Big Bear

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Connection

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Rainy Day

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Space Monkey

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Stairway to Where?

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Download

Note: We’ve tried our best to identify the creators of all of the wallpapers featured in this week’s column. However, the images appear to lack copyright information, artist signatures or any real trace of origin. If you created a wallpaper we’ve posted and would like credit, or would rather we remove the image, kindly contact us.

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Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) clears the FCC

We first reported two months ago that Samsung was working on another mid-range smartphone and that it might be a refresh of the Galaxy Grand Prime which was first launched two years ago. Last month it surfaced on Geekbench to give us a glimpse at its specifications and just two weeks ago the handset received its Wi-Fi certification, suggesting that a launch isn’t that far off now. Those who have been waiting for it will be happy to know that the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) has now cleared the FCC as well.

The Federal Communications Commission needs to clear a handset before it can be sold and it has awarded the relevant certification to the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016). The FCC filing shows that there’s going to be a dual-SIM variant of this handset as well. As far as its specifications are concerned, the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) is expected to feature a 1.4GHz processor with 1.5GB RAM, a 5-inch HD display as well as an 8-megapixel rear and a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The specs won’t be anything to write home about but that’s what you can expect from Samsung’s mid-range handsets. Samsung is yet to confirm when the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) is going to be launched and how much it’s going to cost.

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Galaxy A8 is receiving the September security update as well

The September Security Maintenance Release is slowly making its way to handsets like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge even though it’s almost the end of September. Latest reports reveal that this update is also being sent out to other Samsung handsets. Those who own the Galaxy A8 are now receiving this Security Maintenance Release which brings crucial patches for the OS to ensure that users are protected against any and all threats.

This latest update for the Galaxy A8 weighs in at just under 300MB and it brings some overall improvements as well. Users will notice that the performance of Voice call has been improved and that battery usage has been optimized. They will also notice improved performance with efficient memory management, improved stability and security enhancements courtesy of the September 1 Android security patch level.

Samsung detailed the September patch about three weeks ago, it includes the 66 latest patches from Google and nine from Samsung. As per reports this update is currently being rolled out to the Galaxy A8 model SM-A800F which is the international unlocked model of this handset.

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Huawei reportedly working with Samsung on a Tizen smartwatch

Huawei has established itself as a major player in the smartwatch market by offering some great wearable devices that are powered by Google’s Android Wear. Samsung is its competitor in this market, the South Korean conglomerate has launched a couple of impressive Tizen-powered smartwatches which provide an alternative to Google’s operating system. A report out of South Korea claims that Huawei is working with Samsung to launch a smartwatch that’s going to be powered by Tizen.

It’s surprising because the company has not previously given any indication that it wants to move away from Android Wear. However, it would make sense for Huawei to adopt Tizen OS given that it was one of the first members of the Tizen Association which included the likes of Intel, Fujitsu, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic and others. South Korean local daily JoongAng Ilbo quoted a Samsung official as saying that “Huawei was looking for an Operating System (OS) other than Google’s Android as the US firm had not been very collaborative,” adding that both companies are going to collaborate on a Tizen smartwatch.

Neither company has officially confirmed such an effort so take this with a grain of salt for now until there’s more information directly from the proverbial horse’s mouth. However, given the market performance of Samsung’s Tizen-powered smartwatches it was only a matter of time before other OEMs decided to give it a shot as well.

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Daily Deal: Grab Samsung’s Level Box wireless speaker for just $62.40

We recently started notifying our awesome readers about deals on Samsung products that we come across every day, and today we are bringing you a brilliant deal on Samsung’s wireless speaker. The black variant of the Level Box Bluetooth speaker is being sold in the US for just $62.4 through Amazon, and it is a discount of 63% over its regular price of $169.99. The white variant is priced even lower at $44.99, which is a discount of a whopping 74% over its regular price.

The Level Box portable Bluetooth speaker from Samsung features aptX audio codec for improved sound quality over a wireless connection. You can pair your smartphone easily using NFC, and the speaker can also be used to take calls, thanks to its inbuilt microphone. It has a metal design and weighs less than 600 grams. There are dedicated buttons for adjusting volume and to play or pause audio playback. Samsung claims that it can last for up to 15 hours on a single charge.

 

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Woman’s view: Samsung Gear S2 Classic 18K Rose Gold

Before I got the Rose Gold Gear S2 Classic , I was not a fan of watches. I bought one a few years ago, wore it a few times, and after a short while I didn’t look at it again. Why wear a watch when I have my phone with me all the time?

When my boyfriend started wearing smartwatches, I laughed at him. He was just like me, unused to wearing watches. And his watch didn’t look like something you see at the jewellers. The watch bands were made of plastic or rubber, and the screen was a square instead of a circle. Some people called it a sporty look, but I just didn’t think it was pretty.

But when he switched to the Gear S2 Classic, I started to see the benefits of a smartwatch. The rounded screen and ribbed bezel looked way better than previous smartwatches. This one looks almost like a normal watch, especially after he bought a metal watch band. At that moment, I was kind of jealous, and when he showed me a picture of the 18K Rose Gold Gear S2, I was sold. I wanted one, and I wanted it right then.

The only thing was, I was using an iPhone, which didn’t work with Samsung’s smartwatches. So I made a decision and after six years, I switched from my iPhone 6 to the Pink Gold Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. A big change, but quite worth it, as I wrote in my review of the device.

I was over the moon when I received my Gear S2. The watch was just like I expected. It came with a white leather watch band a special charger. But I only had eyes for the shiny rose gold color and the perfect way it fit my wrist. It’s not too big, it’s not small, it’s just perfect.

After wearing it for a few days, the first thing I noticed was that the white watch band had turned black. It wasn’t hard to wash this dirt off, but the watch band didn’t become any prettier after doing so. I was kind of disappointed as the dirty watch band ruined the look of my pretty watch. I had to make a decision: order a metal watch band and spend more money on my week-old watch?

I chose to go to the jeweller where Danny bought his metal watch band and ordered one in rose gold, as it was otherwise kind of a waste purchasing this watch. Fortunately, the moment the new band arrived, all my disappointed faded away. The band gave my watch a totally new, and better, look. I work in a bridal shop and I receive complements about my watch every day. One of my clients actually said it looked just like a Michael Kors watch!

Besides the pretty look, the watch has more assets for a sales employee in a bridal shop. First, the notifications I receive on my watch. I can’t have my phone with me all day long. Most of the time, it stays in my handbag when I’m at work. So it’s a big plus for me that I can read my messages and dress a bride at the same time. I can’t check my phone all day long if somebody needs me. But I can check my watch and decide if a message is important or if it can wait.

Secondly, I think the pedometer is a big plus. Because of my work, I stand all day long and walk a lot. It’s always fun to see how many kilometers you walk during a working day. The pedometer is a part of S Health and you can also add more functions of the app to your watch. For example, the water and caffeine intake options. I don’t use them, but it’s definitely a good thing to be able to manage how many glasses of water you drink over the course of a day.

The last big plus is the quality of the metal and glass. I often scrape the watch against walls or doors at work (accidentally, of course); at the moment of writing this article, I have been wearing my Gear S2 every day for more than two months, but there are no scratches or damage to see on the watch. It means the quality of the watch is really solid.

While I’m a big fan of my Gear S2, there are also a few downsides. In my opinion, the battery life isn’t very good. When I’m working, it has to be fully charged otherwise it can often be dead by 4 o’clock. And that’s when I set the brightness of the screen to 4 (it goes up to 10). I can set the watch on airplane or power saving mode, but then I can’t use the watch like I normally do. I don’t know why the battery drains so quickly, but it seems it has nothing to do with the color of my watch face. Hopefully, a software update will help, or my particular Gear S2 has a hardware issue.

Talking about watch faces, I think it’s a pity there are so few watch faces that match the Rose Gold hue of my Gear S2. In the beginning, there were a maximum of five matching watch faces. There are a few more nowadays, but still not enough when you compare it to other colors of the Gear S2. Again, it’s a pity, especially for someone like me who loves changing watch faces all the time.

Overall, I think my Gear S2 is great. Okay, so I was disappointed that I had to spend more money on the watch band, but the watch did look better because of the same. The benefits truly do outweigh the disadvantages, and after two months, I can’t imagine a working day without my smartwatch. I miss it when I don’t have it on my wrist, and I have to say Samsung has done a marvellous job.

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Samsung has replaced more than 60 percent of faulty Galaxy Note 7′s in the US

Samsung has revealed that it has now exchanged more than 60 percent of Galaxy Note 7′s that were believed to sport a faulty battery in the United States. This news comes just two weeks after the US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued an official recall of over one million handsets in the region amid a little more than 90 reports surfacing from customers claiming that their handset had spontaneously bursting into flames while on charge.

The firm released this latest statistic six days after ‘safe’ Galaxy Note 7‘s started being distributed in the region. Within the first day, the company announced that it had exchanged 130,000 of the one million affected devices. Now, however, it has reportedly removed more than 600,000 faulty handsets from circulation. Although, reports have started to emerge claiming that the replacement models are just as dangerous as their predecessors.

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Galaxy Note 7 users in South Korea don’t appear to be in a hurry to exchange their phones

After confirming the battery cell defect earlier this month Samsung announced that it will voluntarily replace all Galaxy Note 7 phones shipped since the handset was released. The global replacement program is underway and yet it appears to not be performing as well as it should be in Samsung’s own backyard. Local news reports suggest that Galaxy Note 7 users in South Korea don’t appear to be in a hurry to replace their units which pose a potential fire hazard, many of them are actually planning to exchange them next year.

This is obviously making Samsung uncomfortable. The longer these faulty units stay out there the more chance there is of additional battery-related incidents taking place. It was the company’s aim to quickly get done with the replacement program and resume sales of the Galaxy Note 7 once again. Samsung has already had to extend the refund deadline in South Korea and even delay the resumption of sales in is home country because people just don’t seem to be in a hurry to take part in the replacement program.

According to estimates, almost 70 percent of all Galaxy Note 7 owners have exchanged their handsets in South Korea even though the replacement program was launched nearly three weeks ago. In other markets like the United States more than 50 percent of Note 7 owners exchanged their handsets within the first few days. Samsung will be resuming sales of the Galaxy Note 7 in South Korea starting October 1. In the meantime it’s making phone calls to remaining users in South Korea to urge them to participate in the replacement program.

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Galaxy Note 7 recall might seriously dent Samsung’s business in China

Samsung is already facing a tough time in China with strong competitors like Apple in the high-end segment and local OEMs like Xiaomi and Huawei in the mid-range and low-end market segments. It may have been looking to improve its fortunes with the Galaxy Note 7 but now it risks seeing the opposite happen. Surveys conducted in China reveal that quite a few people say they will no longer buy Samsung smartphones following the Galaxy Note 7 recall. If that does turn out to be the case it would seriously dent Samsung’s business in one of the most lucrative mobile markets.

In one survey 51.9 percent of the respondents in China said that they would not purchase a Samsung smartphone again due to the battery issues with its latest flagship. 37 percent of respondents said that they would buy an iPhone instead to replace their Samsung smartphone while others said they would go with local darling Huawei instead. Market analysts believe that the Galaxy Note 7 recall is going to result in a significant decline in Samsung China’s market share and that’s going to directly benefit the likes of Huawei, Apple and Xiaomi in mainland China.

It merits mentioning here that the Galaxy Note 7 recall has not affected customers in China as the units shipped to them had safe batteries from the get go. Only less than 2,000 units of the flagship were recalled in the country which were sent out as test devices prior to the actual release of the Galaxy Note 7 in China. However, it’s true that the damage to Samsung’s brand value is far greater than what the Galaxy Note 7 recall is going to cost it in dollar terms.

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Samsung Pay’s first anniversary in the US is being celebrated by adding support for coupons

Samsung Pay, the South Korean electronics giant’s mobile payment and digital wallet service, has officially turned one in the US. Samsung claims that its mobile payments platform now supports 500 banks in the US, which represents over 80 percent of the credit card and debit card market in the country.

To celebrate Samsung Pay’s first anniversary, Samsung has added an in-app service to search, store, and redeem coupons. Samsung has tied up with Coupons.com to integrate the new service. The company also talked about the new cloud storage feature that lets users restore gift cards, membership cards and Samsung Reward cards when they sign into a new device.

Samsung is also offering Samsung Pay users over $100,000 in prizes as a part of this celebration. The company has announced that 365 lucky winners would be eligible to receive a free Gear S2 smartwatch, which is now compatible with Samsung Pay using its NFC feature.

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Galaxy Note 7 sales in Europe will be resumed on October 28

Samsung will soon resume sales of the Galaxy Note 7 across the globe. It’s kicking things off from South Korea next week and will gradually resume sales in other markets across the globe. Samsung has confirmed today that its flagship handset will go on sale once again in Europe starting October 28. The company’s press release does leave the door open to the possibility of a delay as the resumption of sales is contingent on “full completion of the exchange programme.”

An exchange program is being run across the globe through which existing Galaxy Note 7 customers can turn in their old handset to receive a new one from Samsung that features a safe battery. This goes to show that Samsung is predictably prioritizing replacements first before it starts selling the handset once again. Samsung notes in the press release that 57 percent of all Note 7 owners in Europe exchanged their phones within a week of the exchange program being launched.

Of those who exchanged, 90 percent opted for a new Note 7 while 3 percent picked up an alternative Samsung handset, this means that 7 percent opted for a refund instead. The company expects to complete the exchange program in Europe by early next month so if everything goes as planned it’s going to have a couple of weeks after that to properly prepare for the resumption of Galaxy Note 7 sales across Europe.

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The Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 are more alike than ever: Samsung’s daring move makes perfect sense

The Galaxy Note 7 unveiling last month brought us a device that, as Samsung says, “was inspired by the Galaxy S7 edge” in reference to its dual-edge display. While Samsung referenced the display and its dual curves in making the statement, some consumers believe that more than just the dual-edge display was “borrowed” from the Galaxy S7 edge. Some have gone on to call the Galaxy Note 7 nothing more than just “a Galaxy S7 edge with an S Pen,” with a reference to the Galaxy S7 edge and the S Pen of the Galaxy Note line that has been a staple item of the phone series since its inception in 2011.

For some diehard Galaxy Note fans, Samsung’s move as of late is indicative of a company that is “watering down” the Galaxy Note lineup in favor of the Galaxy S customer base. Samsung hasn’t lowered the specs or performance of its devices to match its Galaxy S flagships (this is why the Note 5 had 4GB of RAM in 2015, before the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge got 4GB of RAM this year), but what consumers are seeing is that the best specs are being shared between the Note line and the Galaxy S line – and diehard OG Note fans aren’t too happy about it.

Some consumers don’t even believe the Note line is all that different from the S line anymore, but I disagree. Samsung has always had a particular purpose in mind for both series, and its daring move to “line up” the specs between them shows what Samsung’s had in mind all along. Let’s look at 3 reasons why it’s a good thing that the Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 are more alike than ever.

Reason #1: The Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 hail from the same OEM

This is the most obvious reason, but it bears mentioning: both the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy Note 7 hail from the same OEM – in this case, Samsung. It is a common trend with all OEMs and smartphone manufacturers that you will find traits on one phone (or features) that end up being given to other phones made by the same OEM.

In this case, the Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 are both phones made by Samsung, so we’d expect to see shared features and hardware. Specs are included in here as well. There are phone series owned by OEMs who have variations on specs. OnePlus, for example, was once rumored to have 4GB and 6GB RAM versions in store for the OnePlus 3 (though the company axed the 4GB RAM model some weeks before the OP3 unveil). These 4GB and 6GB RAM versions would have differed in nothing but RAM capacities.

In the case of Samsung’s most staunch rival in the smartphone space, the fruit company axed an iPhone 7 Pro that, with the exception of the dual camera lens setup, would’ve been the same phone as the iPhone 7 Plus. When flagship series are released under the same OEM, there will be some of what I call “carryover inspiration”; and, in many cases, though not all, the majority of specs in smartphones match. It’s as inevitable as the sun rising.

Reason #2: The unification of Samsung’s high-end experience

The Galaxy Note 7 has a number in its moniker that seems somewhat out of place to those who believe that the Galaxy Note 6 should’ve come to market (though the Galaxy Note Edge was the fifth Galaxy Note, and the Galaxy Note 5 was the “Galaxy Note 6,” according to one perspective), but the Galaxy Note Edge must be taken into account when counting “Galaxy Note” models (even if it wasn’t a mainstream model to which many had access). Samsung’s reason for giving the number “7″ to not only the Galaxy S but also the Galaxy Note series had something to do with not only properly counting its Galaxy Notes past and present but also the desire to unify its product line so as to better help consumers.

The same can be said for Samsung’s decision to unify its product lines in the spec department, too. In order to help consumers identify the exact device they want, Samsung has decided to give top-notch specs to both lines so that consumers can now decide whether or not they want the edge and S Pen or the edge only in hardware design.

Having a background in retail, I’m aware of the impact Samsung’s unification will have on retail and marketing. Retail representatives will be able to better communicate the differences between Samsung’s high-end smartphones because the specs will be nearly identical, with Galaxy S customers who want a bigger battery getting one in the Galaxy S7 edge. The Galaxy Note lineup is for those who want the S Pen and those who cherish the S Pen can still have their phone of choice without a bigger battery motivating customers to get a Galaxy Note but never use the S Pen.

It makes sense to offer a larger battery and larger display for the Galaxy S line. Think about it this way: you serve a seafood pasta with lots of shrimp and oysters but someone who prefers a regular pasta is forced to buy the seafood pasta and pick off the shrimp and oysters. Wouldn’t it be easier to craft a pasta with the same flavor sans the oyster and shrimp, rather than see consumers waste food because they’ll remove the seafood from the seafood pasta? Why not give them a pasta with equal flavor but refrain from “force-feeding” the consumer shrimp and oysters though they want everything but those?

Reason #3: The Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 are premium flagships

The Galaxy S7 edge, like the Galaxy Note 7, is a premium flagship, and what premium flagship should be denied premium specs? Now it’s been said by some diehard Galaxy Note fans that what once set the Galaxy Note apart from the pack was its impressive spec sheet as compared to the “S” line: the Galaxy S line was the more popular series, designed for the “everyman,” as opposed to the Galaxy Note line that was designed for “power users.”

But the problem with this distinction is that both the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note are flagships, and there’s no such thing as a “superior flagship” (Galaxy Note) and an “inferior flagship” (Galaxy S). Flagships are the best of the class, and inferior flagships don’t exist. If the phone is “inferior” in the product lineup, it isn’t a flagship. Some tech reviewers will refer to “mid-range flagships,” for example, but this too, is an oxymoron: any phone bearing the “flagship” label will be a high-end device. No one raises a flag for a mid-range phone or a low-end phone.

Samsung never intended to create a superior flagship and an inferior flagship. The Galaxy Note lineup was always a matter of acquired taste, but the Korean giant never intended it to be the “superior flagship” of the two, with the Galaxy S being treated as the bastard stepchild while the Galaxy Note line would be treated as the respected, favorite son. What Samsung has been doing is offering both flagships in an equally competing manner so that consumers could have their phone of choice without being forced into tolerating a certain phone because “power users buy the Note,” for example. What few may find hard to believe is that power users also buy the Galaxy S series.

If you don’t think this is true, just think back to 2015 when Samsung announced the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. Few could’ve seen the Korean giant waiting until the Fall of that same year to release not only the Galaxy Note 5 but also the Galaxy S6 edge+. Remember the dilemma promo campaign created with these two phones, with a girl debating which one to choose?

Remember the word “dilemma” being tossed around in a Samsung promo as though the Korean giant wanted to “build up” the idea of a dilemma of choice between these two smartphones? The dilemma marketing wasn’t done by mistake: it was done to show that the Galaxy S6 edge+, as a Galaxy S phone, was as equally important in Samsung’s lineup as the Galaxy Note 5. This is why the S6 edge+ had a 5.7-inch display with a 3,000mAh battery (specs that match that of the Galaxy Note 5).

Conclusion

“The Galaxy Note line once towered over its ‘sibling’” is a statement I’ve heard in a few recent Galaxy Note 7 reviews. And yes, I understand the sentiment. But I think that some diehard Note fans have confused temporary distinctions with permanent ones and assumed Samsung intended “temporary distinctions” to be permanent when it’s all too easy to analyze trends and see that the claim has little merit.

If you examine the differences in both screen sizes and battery capacities, you’ll see that the Galaxy S screen size has been slowly but surely increasing since 2011 when the Galaxy Note line came along. The 0.8-inch display size difference between the Galaxy S2 and the Galaxy Note (4.5 inches vs. 5.3 inches), for example, has shrunk to just 0.2 inches when examining the Galaxy S7 edge (5.5 inches) and the Galaxy Note 7 (5.7 inches). Last year’s Galaxy S6 edge+ completely leveled the display sizes and I can see Samsung releasing another Galaxy S device in the future that bears a 5.7-inch display.

The same trend can be seen in battery sizes. The 1,000mAh difference between the Galaxy Note 2 (3,100mAh battery) and the Galaxy S3 (2,100mAh battery) has now shrunk to just a mere 100mAh between the Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy Note 7 – with the battery scales now tipped in favor of the S line instead of the Galaxy Note line. The point behind this has not been to “obliterate distinctions” between the two, as some claim, because the truth of the matter is that these so-called distinctions were never intended to have permanence; they were only temporary. Temporary distinctions can never be defining features; only permanent ones can.

What one distinction separates these two devices is the S Pen found on the Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Note is not a superior flagship, but a different one. The S Pen is like Starbucks coffee: it’s an acquired taste and not everyone wants it. There are numerous coffee flavors sold by Starbucks, but no one coffee is declared “superior” to the others. Why? Because all flavors are palatable to their intended audience, and customers flock to the flavor that appeases them. Consumers can flock to either “Galaxy” they like in Samsung’s lineup: whether life with an S Pen or not is palatable, Samsung is happy to oblige either type of customer.

In the same way a parent shows love to both children who have different personalities, Samsung is showing love to both flagship “sons,” honoring their distinctions without obliterating the reasons for both to co-exist. Now, consumers can feel as though Samsung honors the S flagship as much as the Note flagship, and tech-savvy consumers can live in a post-inferior flagship era where the Galaxy S line steals as much attention as the Galaxy Note line – and vice versa.

The Galaxy Note doesn’t have to tower over the Galaxy S flagship line to be a great handset. It doesn’t have to be the better-specced of the two to still remain worth your hard-earned investment. It has always come with the S Pen and its added functionality, a permanent distinction that isn’t going anywhere, one that is good enough on its own without crafting a superiority complex around a spec sheet.

And despite the Galaxy Note 7 in your pocket, it turns out that power users buy the Galaxy S7 edge, too.

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T-Mobile Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge updated with Samsung Cloud and September security patch

If you’re on T-Mobile and own one of Samsung’s 2016 flagship smartphones you might be thinking that it’s almost October and yet your handset has still not received the September security update. The wait ends for you today as T-Mobile is now rolling out a new firmware update for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge which features the September Security Maintenance Release.

The update comes in at over 350MB because it also brings Samsung Cloud features for the handset which includes sync for photos, videos and other files. Backup and restore features for music, home screen, apps, documents, and more have also been added while a new cloud management menu is also onboard. Perhaps the most important addition is that of the September Security Maintenance Release, both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will have a security patch date of September 1 once users download and install this latest update on their handsets. The carrier hast just started rolling out the latest firmware update for both handsets so it might take some time for the update to go live across all regions of the United States.

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Daily Deal: You can pick up a 5,200mAh Samsung Fast Charge External Battery Pack for just $26.45

If you missed out on the opportunity to snag yourself a 10,200mAh Samsung Fast Charge External Battery Pack for $49.99 as part of our Daily Deal promotion yesterday, you may want to listen up as Amazon has just kicked off a great offer on the 5,200mAh model of the Fast Charge External Battery Pack. For a limited time only, you can pick one up for just $26.45.

Just like the 10,200mAh capacity variant, the 5,200mAh battery bank has compatibility for Samsung’s Fast Charge technology, which enables you to charge your battery from 0 to 50 percent in around 30 minutes. It also features compatibility for Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 – so you’ll be able to enjoy faster charging speeds on a wider range of devices.

If you like the sound of the 5,200mAh Samsung Fast Charge External Battery Pack and want to take advantage of this promotion, hit the Buy Now button below. We strongly advise you to hurry, though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available for this specific deal, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Buy Now

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Exclusive: Galaxy A (2017) series will get Clear View covers for the first time

Samsung releases Clear View covers for its flagship handsets, it most recently launched them for the Galaxy Note 7 but we can now confirm that for the first time the company is also going to release them for the Galaxy A series. We exclusively reported last month that Samsung is working on the 2017 iteration of the Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7, we can now tell you that the Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) will receive official Clear View covers from Samsung.

Samsung’s Clear View covers are made of see-through plastic and provide a soft leather touch on the inside. The phone is properly protected in it once the lid is closed and since a protector is placed inside users don’t need to worry about the cover scratching their phone. Even when the lid is closed users can see notifications in the status bar but it’s not possible to interact with them. Only the clock is fully visible and if music is being played then users will get music controls on the cover. To find out more about this accessory check out our review of the Galaxy S7 edge’s Clear View cover.

It’s not known right now when Samsung intends on launching the Galaxy A (2017) series and the new Clear View covers will obviously not be released before the smartphones themselves are out. Pricing information is not yet available.

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