Samsung Electronics aiming to achieve $25 billion in operating profits next year

Latest reports out of South Korea reveal that Samsung Electronics is going to hold a global strategy meeting by each business division this week as the conglomerate’s crown jewel is aiming to achieve the highest operating profits ever of more than 30 trillion won ($25.23 billion) in 2017. The information technology and mobile communications division of Samsung Electronics held its meeting yesterday which was led by President Shin Jong-kyun. The consumer electronics division met today under CEO Yoon Boo-keun and the device solution division will meet tomorrow with Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun in the lead.

Samsung Electronics operating profits hit an all-time high back in 2013 when it posted 36.8 trillion or $30.95 billion in operating profits. It has been unable to cross the milestone ever since. According to reports, Samsung Electronics has now created a strategy to help it cross this milestone in 2017. The rising price of displays and semiconductors aside from a strong dollar will help Samsung Electronics achieve this aim.

The company was expected to usher in an era of annual sales of more than 200 trillion won ($168.21 billion) and operating profits of well over 30 trillion won before the Galaxy Note 7 went up in flames. The ill-fated flagship caused a 7 trillion won ($5.89 billion) loss to the company which made it difficult to cross the 30 trillion won milestone in 2016. During these meetings, each business division of Samsung Electronics will discuss market conditions in detail and decide action plans for 2017.

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Galaxy C7 Pro one step closer to release as it gains FCC certification

We reported exclusively several months ago that Samsung has started working on the Galaxy C7 Pro, a new premium mid-range Android smartphone. Samsung was supposed to launch this device in December but recent reports suggest that it’s now going to do that in January. Specs and images of the Galaxy C7 Pro have already leaked and just five days ago the handset received its certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The Galaxy C7 Pro is now one step closer to release as it has made the customary FCC stop and received its certification. This is one of the final regulatory hoops that a new device has to jump through before it can be launched. The FCC filing did reveal that the Galaxy C7 Pro is going to feature a 3,300mAh battery.

The device is expected to feature a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with a 2.2GHz octa-core processor under the hood coupled with 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage. It may even feature 16-megapixel front and rear cameras. It may come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

Samsung is yet to confirm when it’s going to launch the Galaxy C7 Pro and how much it’s going to cost.

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140,000 Galaxy Note 7s have not been returned yet in South Korea

The Galaxy Note 7 return percentage has gone above 90 percent in most markets across the globe but that isn’t the case in Samsung’s home country where the return rate stands at 85 percent. According to a new report, there are around 140,000 Galaxy Note 7 units currently being used in South Korea. This presents a challenge to Samsung that’s hoping to finish the exchange and refund program for the Galaxy Note 7 by the end of this year.

Samsung sold more than 950,000 Galaxy Note 7 units in South Korea and even though 85 percent of all devices have been returned, the remaining 15 percent continue to post a safety risk to users. Samsung has been pushing Galaxy Note 7 holdouts elsewhere by cutting off network access, reducing battery charge limit to 30 percent and even remotely bricking the device. Samsung may not take similar measures in South Korea due to the fact that the return rate is already low comparatively. An industry source mentioned in the report predicts that if Samsung was to remotely brick the Galaxy Note 7 in South Korea it would cause “a strong backlash” from owners.

The company continues to extend its exchange and refund program deadline for customers in South Korea to ensure that no units remain on the street. Samsung is expected to start discussions with mobile carriers in the country about how and when to end the program once the rate of return picks up.

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Samsung will cut bonuses for mobile division employees

The Galaxy Note 7 could have done wonders for Samsung’s fortunes but it has ended up costing the company billions of dollars. While heads are yet to roll at the company’s mobile division, Samsung has reportedly decided to cut bonuses for its mobile division employees. Since bonuses are tied to the division’s annual profits and the Galaxy Note 7 has taken a substantial chunk out of them, the employee bonuses will be impacted in a similar fashion.

Samsung’s OPI reward program for employees pays up to 50 percent of their annual salaries as bonuses as long as they fall within 20 percent of the company’s excess profits. Samsung is due to dish out OPI incentives on January 26, 2017. According to local media reports from South Korea, the bonus percentage for the mobile division employees has been reduced from 50 percent to just 17 percent. The cut has primarily been made due to the Galaxy Note 7 recall.

Employees of the company’s mobile division have enjoyed receiving bonuses at the maximum rate of 50 percent for the past few years due to strong smartphone sales. This is the first time in almost six years that the bonus percentage has fallen below 20 percent. On the other hand, employees of Samsung’s memory division are expected to receive 50 percent of their salaries as bonuses.

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New report shows there are many Galaxy Note 7s still in use

Samsung’s exchange and refund program for the Galaxy Note 7 has entered the final stretch as the company recently mentioned that returns have exceeded 90 percent. It stopped producing and selling this handset about two months ago and has since been busy with getting people to return their units. It hasn’t exactly been easily and Samsung has had to offer them incentives and also make it harder to use the Galaxy Note 7 to get them to return it. Despite all of that, a new report shows that there are still quite a few Galaxy Note 7s in active duty, apparently there are more Galaxy Note 7s still out there than there are LG V20s.

The report from app research firm Apteligent gets its data from devices that check in with the company’s analytics. What this means is that these Galaxy Note 7 handsets are actively being used even though that’s something Samsung has been advising customers against since the past few months.

Samsung has been trying to make one last push by working with carriers in some markets to cut network access to the Galaxy Note 7 and reduce the battery charge limit to 30 percent. It’s also releasing a software update in the United States that will remotely brick the device. The company will certainly be hoping that these measures do the trick and people stop holding on to their Galaxy Note 7s, as unlikely as that may seem.

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YouTube’s global HDR content expanded to all 2016 Samsung Quantom dot TVs

Samsung has announced today that it’s going to support YouTube’s global HDR content on TV for the first time through an expanded version of the YouTube app. This app is going to be released for all 2016 Samsung Quantum dot TVs and UHD TVs, it’s going to be rolled out progressively across the globe from this month.

The YouTube app will be added to the TVs through an automatic software update, it will have support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) video streaming and will provide access to a wide range of HDR content. All 2016 Samsung Quantum dot TV and UHD TVs users will be able to stream HDR content by simply opening the HDR category in the YouTube app on YouTube’s 4K channel. The app is going to feature new HDR videos from popular YouTube creators Jacob + Katie Schwarz and MysteryGuitarMan to coincide with the launch.

“By combining Samsung’s commitment to picture quality and our desire to offer the best content available, we will work together to build a strong ecosystem that improves HDR content creation and allows users to enjoy more diverse content in the best quality possible,” said Heather Thompson Rivera, Director of Product Partnerships at YouTube.

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Samsung Galaxy J3 Emerge will be released on Sprint and its prepaid carriers on January 6

A new report reveals that Sprint is soon going to release the second-generation Galaxy J3 handset on its network as well as on its prepaid carriers, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. While Sprint is going to call this handset the Galaxy J3 Emerge, it’s more commonly known in the rumor mill as the Galaxy J3 (2017). A user manual reviewed by VentureBeat reveals that Sprint is going to brand the Galaxy J3 (2017) as the Galaxy J3 Emerge.

Think of this handset as the Galaxy J3 (2016) with a few minor changes because that’s what the Galaxy J3 (2017) is really going to be. It has the same 720p 5-inch display but features an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage instead of Exynos chipset, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB storage capacity of its predecessor. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow right out of the box. The Galaxy J3 Emerge also features a 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front camera as well as a 2,600mAh battery.

Pricing and availability information will be confirmed when Sprint officially announces the launch of this handset on January 6, 2017.

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Galaxy Tab S2 running Nougat surfaces on GFXBench

We confirmed last month after Samsung launched the Galaxy Beta Program for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge that the company has started developing Nougat for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge as well. We later reported that Nougat for the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy Tab S2 was also being developed. A benchmark result from GFXBench confirms that Samsung is indeed working on the Nougat update for the Galaxy Tab S2.

The benchmark results confirm that the 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab S2 (SM-T810) is being tested with Nougat. The 8.0-inch version of the tablet is yet to pop up on GFXBench running a test build of Nougat. Samsung hasn’t even confirmed yet when it’s going to release Android 7.0 Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge so it can’t be said for sure right now when other devices will receive the update.

Samsung is also expected to unveil the Galaxy Tab S3 early next year. While there’s not much information available about the new tablet at this point in time, it’s expected that the Galaxy Tab S3 will come with Nougat installed straight out of the box.

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You can now order the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge from Amazon in the United States

The long-awaited Blue Coral color variant of the Galaxy S7 edge is now available to purchase from Amazon in the United States. It carries a price tag of $619.99 and is currently listed as in stock. However, if you’re intending to pick one up as a Christmas present, it’s worth noting that there’s a possibility it may arrive after the big day — so that’s definitely something to bear in mind.

As you’d expect, the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge packs identical specifications to all of the other variants, meaning it continues to pack a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, an Exynos 8890 octa-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 12MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP selfie shooter and a 3,600mAh battery. It also ships running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but is scheduled to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update.

The only difference is that this particular unit is the International model, which means that it may not work with some carriers in the United States. With that said, it’s probably best to purchase this device if you’re locked into a contract with a GSM carrier, like T-Mobile. It’ll also work with the majority of operators in Europe as they tend to favor GSM over CDMA.

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Samsung to launch the Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017) in Western Europe in mid-January

Samsung will launch the Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017) in the Western European Union — Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain (yes, it’s still part of the EU until Article 50 is triggered), Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — in mid-January, reveals reliable tipster Roland Quandt. Both handsets will be available to purchase in Black, Blue, Gold and Pink when they hit the shelves.

With regards to pricing, it looks like the Galaxy A3 (2017) will carry a price tag of around €349 ($363), while the Galaxy A5 (2017) is expected to retail for €449 ($468). Unfortunately, Quandt added that it doesn’t look like the more powerful Galaxy A7 (2017) will make its way to the Western European Union in the beginning, though there’s always the possibility that it’ll launch in the 7 member states at a later date.

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Daily Deal: Get $50 discount on the Gear S3 Frontier when you order it from Amazon

The Gear S3 is Samsung’s latest smartwatch, and it is one of the best in the market right now. It looks like a proper watch, has a brilliant display, complete fitness and activity tracking, and long battery life. Even though it is priced at $349.99 in the US, you can grab it for just $299 from Amazon, which is a discount of 15 percent over its regular price.

The Gear S3 Frontier suits to those who want a more rugged look from their smartwatch. Its 46mm case is made out of tough 316L stainless steel material, and the bands are made using silicon. It is IP68 and MIL-STD 810G certified so that you can use it without worries. It has a 1.3-inch circular Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 768MB RAM, and 4GB RAM.

It runs Tizen, and you can use its iconic rotating bezel to navigate through its UI swiftly. It has GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a loudspeaker too. What’s more, it is compatible with standard 22mm straps, and you can customize it further using third-party watch faces. Click the source link to grab the deal before stock runs out!

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You can now download the dedicated Spotify application for your Gear S3

Good news for folk with a Gear S2 or Gear S3. Starting today, you can finally download the much-anticipated Spotify client for the wearable from the Galaxy Apps Store. As expected, the application allows users to control music playing on their paired smartphone using their watch.

To install Spotify for the Gear S3 and Gear S3, open up the Gear Manager application on your smartphone, navigate into the Galaxy Apps Store, then search for Spotify. If no results are generated, don’t panic. It merely means that the app hasn’t reached your location yet, but it should do by the end of the week.

Thanks, Henk! 

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Samsung may unveil the Galaxy S8 at a dedicated event in New York in April

Now that Samsung’s finally determined the cause of the Galaxy Note 7 fires, it’s being reported that it will hold off on unveiling the Galaxy S8 at MWC. Instead, it’s believed that it’ll launch the handset at a dedicated event in New York in April. The firm has allegedly made this decision so it can work with external agencies to execute plans to recover confidence from consumers before releasing a new product on the market.

It’s worth noting, however, that Samsung hasn’t officially announced its plans to take the wraps of the Galaxy S8 in New York. This news comes courtesy of participants at the global strategy meeting the firm is currently holding at it’s headquarters in South Korea. In line with what we’ve previously heard, Koh Dong-jin also used the conference as an opportunity to stress the importance of tightening security and minimizing the risk of leaks ahead of the release of its next flagship.

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