Galaxy A7 (2017) gets its Wi-Fi certification

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A (2016) series in December last year so the new lineup is due. We’ve seen countless rumors and reports about the upcoming Galaxy A lineup. An invite leaked last week suggested that the Galaxy A7 (2017) could be unveiled in the near future. The Galaxy A7 (2017) has now received its Wi-Fi certification which is often considered as an indication that the launch is just around the corner.

The Galaxy A7 (2017) is going to be the premium model of this series. It’s expected to be the first non-flagship smartphone from Samsung to feature IP68 water and dust resistance. Specifications might include a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, Exynos 7780 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, 16-megapixel front and rear cameras, a USB Type-C port and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Samsung will offer a rounder design with the new A series handsets this year and even though there were rumors that at least one model could have a dual-edge curved display, that’s not going to be the case. The company is going to unveil the entire Galaxy A (2017) series at the same time but it’s yet to confirm when that’s going to happen.

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We’ve removed all Galaxy Note 7 firmware from our servers for your safety

The Galaxy Note 7 had the potential to be Samsung’s best-selling smartphone but fate had other plans. Battery fires caused Samsung to recall the handset once and even though it thought the issue was fixed, it really wasn’t. Samsung then recalled the device again and ended production. It has been running an exchange and refund program ever since to get people to return the Galaxy Note 7. Latest figures show that the progress has been good but not good enough.

That’s why Samsung is taking steps like remotely disabling the Galaxy Note 7 in the United States and limiting battery charge to 30 percent in Europe. The company has still not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the battery fires so these handsets remain a fire hazard. Those who are still holding on to their Galaxy Note 7s should try and understand that it’s just not worth it anymore.

Since the safety of our readers is of paramount importance to us, we here at SamMobile have decided to remove all Galaxy Note 7 firmware from our servers. This has been done in the interest of ensuring that people don’t continue to use a device that the manufacturer has recalled due to it being a potential fire hazard.

You can access our firmware section to easily download firmware for any and all Samsung smartphones but we will no longer offer firmware downloads for the Galaxy Note 7.

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Samsung reportedly increasing investment in India

A new report out of South Korea claims that Samsung Electronics is increasing its investment in India by hiring more than 300 engineers before the end of this year. The engineers will be working at its research and development centers located in the country. If it does end up doing this, it’s likely that Samsung would be employing the largest number of students graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology this year. Samsung India currently employs around 45,000 people in the country.

Samsung has already taken a few steps this year to increase its investment in India. Earlier this year it decided to expand its manufacturing facilities in Noida, Uttar Pradesh at a cost of $306 million. The investment would double smartphone production volume in the country. In a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong said “We will maintain our cooperative relationship with the Indian government and Samsung India will become one of our most important strategic points.”

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Galaxy C5 Pro and Galaxy C7 Pro release allegedly delayed until January, 2017

If a new post shared on Weibo by a reliable tipster is anything to go by, it would appear that the much-rumored Galaxy C5 Pro (SM-C5010) and Galaxy C7 Pro (SM-C7010), which were both believed to launch in China this month, have been delayed and aren’t expected hit the shelves in the region until January, 2017.

You may recall that both handsets were recently brought into India for testing and evaluation purposes, and have since appeared on popular benchmarking databases. With regards to internals, the Galaxy C5 Pro is rumored to be powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor and will sport at least 3GB of RAM.

Fortunately, we have more detailed purported specifications for the Galaxy C7 Pro. The handset has been spotted on Geekbench sporting a 5.7-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 16MP front- and rear-facing camera and a 3,300mAh non-removable battery.

As always, it’s best to take these alleged specs with a considerable pinch of salt as they’re far from confirmed. Even with their delayed release, we don’t have to wait too much longer to find out what Samsung has up its sleeve for the latest devices in its rapidly-growing range of aluminum-clad Galaxy C smartphones — so be sure to stay tuned.

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Samsung Pay Mini may not launch on iOS after all

Apple has rejected an application submitted by Samsung to launch Samsung Pay Mini on the App Store, reveals ETNews. It’s unclear why exactly the filing was refused, but it’s been reported that the South Korean company isn’t planning to resubmit the request and will instead focus its attention on ensuring the Android client is ready in time for its expected launch at CES in January.

For those unaware, Samsung Pay Mini is rumored to be a stripped down version of Samsung Pay that can only be used to process online payments. Users will store their card information within the application, then when they go to purchase a product on their smartphone from an online store or marketplace, the payment platform will input their details, pay for the goods, then store a copy of their receipt.

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Experts believe it’s too soon for Samsung to wave a goodbye to flat screens with Galaxy S8

It is being rumored that Samsung will release two flagship smartphones in Q1 2017 and that both will feature screens that are curved on all the sides. The South Korean smartphone giant is expected to release two versions of the Galaxy, one with a 5.7-inch display and the other with a 6.2-inch display. However, experts believe that it’s too soon for the company to wave goodbye to flat screens.

The Galaxy S8 is expected to have a screen-to-body ratio of over 90 percent. Despite radical changes in the design, experts have expressed doubts whether customers would be happy to wave flat screens goodbye. Samsung adopted curved screens into its smartphones to distinguish the design of its products from other vendors, but the Chinese firms are catching up fast.

Choo Dae-young, who’s an analyst of the electronics industry at Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, said, “There appears to be no high demand for dual-edge screens because some still find them inconvenient because they mistakenly touch the sides of the smartphones. The utility of a bezel-less display does not seem that much higher for small, portable smartphones compared to televisions.”

Samsung is seemingly developing two foldable smartphones, one with a display that can be folded inwards and the other with a display that can be folded outwards. These phones can be used as tablets when they’re unfolded. Practically speaker, such foldable devices can be pretty useful. On the other hand, Apple seems to be adopting curved displays for its iPhones that will be unveiled next year.

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Daily Deal: Snag yourself a pair of Level U headphones for just $29.99

If you’re after a new pair of Bluetooth earphones, Amazon has your back. For a limited time, you can pick up a pair of Samsung’s lightweight Level U in-ear headphones for just $29.99. That’s $18 cheaper than the price tag the manufacturer has attached to the product on its own online store.

What’s neat about the Level U headphones is that they feature a magnetic clasp along the side of the earbuds, which not only prevents them from tangling while in a case or around your neck, but also enables you to control your music and accept/decline telephone calls without having to pull out your phone.

If you like the sound of the Level U earphones 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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Samsung envisions its smart contact lens to have ‘energy harvesting’ capabilities

You may remember Samsung’s smart contact lens patent that we detailed last spring. Now, a new patent application published recently in South Korea sheds more light on the concept. Particularly, the documents reveal how power is to be supplied to, or rather by, the lens.

Last June, Samsung filed an application for a patent ominously titled Contact lens with an energy harvesting unit (PDF), which was published a few days ago. The contact lens described in the new patent application is equipped with a power supply unit that converts dynamic energy generated by the movement of the wearer’s eye into electricity, using a piezoelectric element layered within the lens.

 

150: piezoelectric element, 165: power storage

Since the user will obviously not be moving his or her eyes constantly, the lens will need at least some limited form of energy storage in the form of a capacitor, as the document indeed describes. Samsung reckons it can include all required components, next to several bio-sensors and an AR display or projector, in a lens that is thin enough to remain comfortably wearable.

Now, despite this patent application bringing some much-needed detail to the contact lens concept described in Samsung’s earlier patent, this is no indication whatsoever that a commercial product using this technology is anywhere near launch, or even being developed. Samsung is clearly exploring concepts and ideas here, claiming some important but largely unexplored territory for itself. However, whether real smart contact lenses will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. And even when they do, they will likely bring ethical dilemmas that make those associated with, for example, Google Glass look like child’s play.

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Samsung reportedly developing two totally different foldable smartphones

It has long been rumored that Samsung is working on foldable smartphones. Recent rumors suggest that the company might launch one next year. The latest from Korea suggests that Samsung is actually developing two totally different foldable smartphones as it’s pursuing a “two-track strategy” for these devices.

It’s claimed that Samsung is developing a “dual-screen” smartphone that features a flat display on either side and a foldable smartphone that features a single flexible OLED display. Samsung is said to launch the dual-screen handset first and it’s only after it sees the market response that it’s going to decide whether or not the proper foldable smartphone will be released.

The dual-screen smartphone is basically going to be the Project Valley device that we exclusively told you about. Even though the panel itself doesn’t have a bend, the device is said to feature a hinge in the middle with a flat display on either side. It won’t have a separate display when it’s folded.

Remember the Galaxy Round? Samsung tested the waters with that handset for curved displays and perfected the idea with the Galaxy S6 series. It’s believed that the dual-screen smartphone will do the same for Samsung’s foldable smartphone ambitions. Samsung’s truly foldable smartphone will likely feature a flexible OLED display that the company makes itself.

Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed anything related to foldable smartphones at this point in time so take this information with a grain of salt until there’s more to go on.

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