Samsung rolls out February security update for all its flagship smartphones

Samsung has just begun pushing out February’s security update to all unlocked variants of the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 5 located in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. This release is identical to the firmware that Google pushed out for its Nexus lineup at the beginning of the month, and is targeted at fixing ten security loopholes and seven major vulnerabilities in...

It’s emoji galore on the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge

Samsung’s new flagship handsets come with 159 new emojis as well as a number of additional emoji font changes. This is the first time that Samsung has added a new set of emoji since it released the Galaxy S5 back in 2014. Most of the additions come from Unicode 7.0 and Unicode 8.9 releases, however as we’ve seen on other platforms, some previous Unicode characters given emoji status retroactively...

Samsung keyboard has quicker toggling for auto correction on Marshmallow

Autocorrection on smartphone keyboards is a helpful feature for correcting spelling and typing errors. But there are many users who prefer turning it off either because they don’t need it or because they find it more annoying than useful. Well, for those who don’t like it, Samsung has made it easier to turn off autocorrection – or Auto Replace as the company calls it – in the TouchWiz keyboard...

Samsung finally bags a win in patent dispute with Apple

Samsung has been fighting Apple in patent infringement lawsuits for years now and the latter has prevailed mostly. About three months ago Samsung announced that it was paying Apple $548 million in damages while saying that it reserved the right to reclaim the amount if the judgement was reversed, modified, vacated or set aside. Samsung is now calling on the Supreme Court of the United States to take up this matter and hopefully, settle this patent...

Stop with the hybrid SIM slot insanity, Samsung!

It started sometime last year, or maybe sometime in 2014. I don’t exactly remember, but the hybrid SIM slot made it to Samsung devices at some point to offer users with a dilemma they should never have to face. For those unaware, a hybrid slot is a dual SIM slot that supports both a SIM card and a microSD card in the second slot, but sadly you have to choose whether you want your device to be a dual SIM device or give it more storage. The...

Verizon’s giving customers the choice of either a free Gear VR or Gear S2 when they pre-order the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge

We previously reported that all customers who pre-ordered a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge would receive a complimentary Gear VR. However, US-based carrier Verizon has announced that it will be giving consumers a choice of either the virtual reality headset or Samsung’s Tizen-powered Gear S2 smartwatch, which sells for around $300. This is fantastic news for those of us who aren’t too keen on experiencing virtual reality, or for those who are pretty...

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) review: basic, beautiful, and a bit too expensive

Samsung’s been busy finding ways to keep their non-flagship devices competitive against a flood of cheaper brands pushing the value-for-money boundary. The Galaxy A3 (2016) is the cheapest device in the Galaxy A line-up, with the fewest features. Do its looks justify its price? Read on to find out, as we share our experiences in this review. Design Some things the Galaxy A3 (2016) gets right, and...

Following the Galaxy S7, using heat pipes on flagships might become a standard

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge utilize liquid cooled heat pipes in order to quell any potential fears of device overheating among the consumers. A new report now suggests that this might pave the way for more manufacturers to join the fray, which effectively means that heat pipe manufacturers can expect to get more business in the months to come. Smartphone OEMs have historically been hesitant to use proper heat pipes on devices...

You can pick up a brand new Galaxy S6 edge from eBay for $459.99

In readiness for the release of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge next month, independent retailers all around the world are slashing the price of Samsung’s former flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, in order to ensure that they don’t get lumbered with a ton of excess stock. This is great news for consumers who aren’t too concerned about having the latest handset on the market as it means they can pick up a powerful device for...

Samsung to produce 17.2 million units of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in three months

According to a report out of Korean media, Samsung is gearing up to produce a total of 17.2 million units of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge (combined) by April. This is quite a significant number for the three month period (Feb, March, April) and higher than last year’s production volumes, when the company only produced 15.2 million units during the first three months of its availability. Things are a little different this...

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to come without front Samsung logo in China as well

It was recently revealed that the South Korean versions of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will come without the Samsung logo on the front, and it looks like the same will be the case in China as well. It’s a move that we can readily get behind, especially if you pick up the black color option for either device – there’s a definite charm to seeing the deep AMOLED blacks gel with the black color of...

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have a flash option for the front camera

Nope, there is no LED flash on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge for the front camera. But Samsung has taken a feature from the competition and implemented a software-based flash option for the front camera on its new devices – taking a picture with the flash on will make the screen go all white for a moment in order to bring some light into your selfies. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge...