This is how Samsung will rule the smartphone market in the second half of 2016

As expected, Samsung has exhibited robust performance in the second quarter of this year with the handset business being the clear winner. The earnings release sent out today shows that the mobile division’s operating profit surged by 57 percent in the second quarter mostly because the Galaxy S7 series has proven to be a massive hit. Market data showed that it shipped more than 80 million handsets in Q2 to remain the world’s largest smartphone vendor. Samsung certainly wants to keep this momentum going and it has detailed in its earnings release just how it’s going to go about that.

The company does mention in the earnings release that the handset division’s fortunes improved quarter-over-quarter due to strong sales of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. It improved its overall product mix by raising sales proportion of the Galaxy S7 edge to over 50 percent. The company also attributed growth in the second quarter to maintaining profitability of mid to low-end models like the Galaxy A and J series. Samsung forecasts demand for smartphones to increase in the second half of this year but recognizes that market competition is going to get tougher as other companies come out with new devices. The upcoming iPhone is expected to arrive in September and it will directly compete with Samsung’s flagship handsets. Despite the threat of increased competition, Samsung is going to focus on increasing earnings year-over-year by strengthening its high-end lineup and maintaining robust profitability of mid to low-end devices.

Samsung says that the release of the Galaxy Note 7 is going to help maintain solid sales of high-end smartphones in the third quarter of this year. It will certainly be aided by the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge that will remain their flagship status until the Galaxy S8 comes out early next year. Samsung will also be focusing on expanding smartphone sales including its new Galaxy A and J series as well as the China-specific Galaxy C series. The company is also going to focus on increasing sales during the strong holiday season later this year with the launch of a new model but it also expects marketing expenditure to increase during that time.

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Samsung shipped 80 million handsets to remain world’s largest smartphone vendor in Q2 2016

Samsung revealed its Q2 2016 earnings today which show that this has been the company’s best quarter in over two years primarily because the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge have performed exceptionally well. While Samsung hasn’t broken down handset sales by number in its earnings release, data from research firm Canalys shows that the company shipping nearly 80 million handsets in this quarter and thus retained its position as the largest smartphone vendor in the world.

Apple came in second place as usual with 40 million units shipped in Q2 2016, however, the company saw its second straight annual decline in shipments. The Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge have done wonders for Samsung’s mobile business enabling its operating profit to surge by 57 percent. Samsung says in its earnings release that it expects the solid performance of its handset business to continue in the second half of this year even as it forecasts a significant increase in marketing expenses as it gears up to unveil the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2.

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Samsung’s Q2 earnings show just how big of a hit the Galaxy S7 series has been

Samsung is most certainly enjoying the fruits of its labor with the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. The company announced its earnings for the second quarter ended June 30 2016 today. Revenue touched KRW 50.94 trillion ($45 billion) in the quarter which is an increase of KRW 2.40 trillion year-over-year. As expected, the company’s operating profit for the quarter hit KRW 8.14 trillion ($7.17 billion) registering a growth of KRW 1.24 trillion year-over-year. This is actually the highest operating profit of any quarter since the first quarter of 2014.

Samsung’s IT & Mobile Communications (IM) Division was a clear winner in this quarter. It saw its operating profit jump 57 percent to KRW 4.32 trillion while operating margin for the handset business jumped to 16.3 percent which is now at the highest it has been in two years. The company itself says that this substantial improvement in earnings is led by sales of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge while a streamlined mid to low-end lineup also contributed to the improved profitability.

The component business did come under pressure this quarter. Overall earnings declined 28 percent year-over-year primarily due to the fall in average selling price of display panels and chips. The company did note that demand for mobile semiconductors and SSD increased during the quarter.

Samsung expects its solid performance to continue in the second half of 2016 primarily driven by an earnings increase in the component business due to sales growth in high value-added products as well as stable demand and supply conditions. The mobile division forecasts that its marketing expenditure will increase over the coming months. Samsung expects the component business to maintain good performance as demand and supply conditions for memory chips and LCD panels improve.

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AT&T Wi-Fi calling for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge arrives at last

The second largest mobile carrier in the United States has finally released Wi-Fi calling for two of the best Android smartphones money can buy. AT&T Wi-Fi calling for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge arrives a few months after this feature was first launched by the carrier with the LG G4. Wi-Fi calling was later rolled out for the Galaxy S6 Active and the LG K10. Now the carrier has finally released it for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge.

Software version MMB29M.G930AUCU2APG1 and MMB29M.G935AUCU2APG1 is now being rolled out for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge respectively by AT&T. The update also includes the latest security patches as well as tweaks for some existing features. It comes in at around 600MB so you’re definitely going to need a strong Wi-Fi connection to download this update that’s finally going to add Wi-Fi calling to your flagship handset on AT&T.

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Wallpaper Wednesday: Games

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week we’re focusing our attention on eight great game-inspired 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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Just Cause 3

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Mortal Kombat X

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Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Star Wars: Battlefront

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Street Fighter V

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Syndicate

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The Last of Us

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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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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Samsung shares a video detailing how its new Turbo Speed Technology (TST) works

On Monday, Samsung unveiled the latest smartphone in its Galaxy J lineup, the Galaxy J2 Pro. The handset was developed with the intention of succeeding in the areas where the Galaxy J2 (2016) didn’t hit the mark. To do this, the firm bundled an extra 0.5GB of RAM on the device and doubled the amount internal storage. It also integrated its new Turbo Speed Technology (TST) RAM management engine, which it claims is capable of loading “ applications up to 40 percent faster than a unit with double the RAM capacity.” Unfortunately, at the time of announcement, it was unclear how the utility functioned, but the company has taken to its YouTube channel to share a short video detailing what goes on when TST is running behind the scenes.

Check it out below:

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Samsung releases HDR+ update for 2016 SUHD TVs

Samsung today announced that it’s releasing an HDR+ firmware update for all 2016 SUHD TVs. According to Samsung, this firmware update has been designed to enhance High Dynamic Range quality to its highest picture quality capacity even if the content source isn’t in HDR format. Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs already have support for HDR, the technology that makes bright areas of the screen pop even more, expands the range of the contrast ratio and enables the TV to display new colors.

One major benefit of HDR+ is its ability to upgrade Standard Dynamic Rage (SDR) content to HDR-like picture quality which enables viewers to watch their favorite content in the highest picture quality possible. HDR+ further improves HDR native content by uncovering previously hidden images from darker content scenes as it supplements the level of brightness to bring up objects hidden in darker shadows. In bright content scenes, HDR+ increases the level of contrast ratio to make objects stand out from the background while also depicting more image details on the screen for an overall improved viewing experience.

The Expert Mode enables viewers to customize HDR effects to suit their preferences, they can calibrate contrast ratio, brightness and gradation to the finest degree. These settings are present in the “Picture – Special viewing” mode options, from where HDR+ can be activated. The HDR+ firmware upgrade is meant for all 2016 SHUD TVs, Samsung says it will be available for the HDR-compatible 2016 UHD TVs models by September this year.

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Samsung expanding R&D center in Austin to bring in more tech talent

Samsung is in the process of expanding its research and development center in Austin, Texas to bring in more tech talent for its future growth areas which include artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. The research and development center in Austin currently handles system large-scale integration for the company’s premium handsets, it said last week that its relocating to a new larger 112,000 square-foot space in northeast Austin.

“Our new office space is twice as large as our current space and offers a more efficient, innovative layout,” said Keith Hawkins, vice president, Samsung Austin R&D Center, adding that the company hopes its new state-of-the-art location will “inspire, support and attract even more great talent.” The relocation process is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Analysts are of the view that Samsung’s expansion of the R&D center in Austin really will help the company to bring in more talent people as it looks to new avenues of growth.

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