Watchface Friday: Here are four of this week’s best watchfaces

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another edition of Watchface Friday! For those unaware, every Friday, we highlight a selection of our favorite watchfaces for the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3 frontier. All of the offerings are available to download through the Galaxy Apps Store, so you can rest assured that you won’t have to search all over the Internet to find something we’ve listed.

Gear S3 classic

Digi Rough by Michael Wickens

Lion Time: CG 01 by Wearable Tech

Gear S3 frontier

Proton by Alexander Schlei

SMZ “Special Balck” by Daehyun Jeon

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SamMobile Daily Recap: June 30, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Active and more!

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what we shared today.

Camera

Camera comparison: Galaxy S8 vs the Galaxy S7

Firmware News

First security update now arriving on the Galaxy A3 (2017)

Future Samsung phones may feature explosion-proof batteries

Galaxy S6 edge+ now receiving June security update

June security patch for the Galaxy S7 released in India

Phones

Face recognition has trickled down to Samsung’s budget lineup with the Galaxy J7 Max

Galaxy Note 8 to come in 64GB and 128GB variants

Virtual Reality

Samsung patents magnetic controller for VR headsets

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Daily Deal: Snag yourself an S-View Flip Cover for the Galaxy S8+ for $25

While stock lasts, you can pick up a S-View Flip Cover with Kickstand for the recently-released Galaxy S8+ for just $25, which is an impressive saving of $34.99 (58%).

Here are some of its best selling points:

• Instant, full screen access to critical information when the cover is closed
• Press the power key to check the time, weather and other status items like missed calls and texts with cover closed
• Accept or reject incoming calls with just a swipe
• Allows you to see the entire front cover

If you the sound of the S-View Flip Cover with Kickstand and want to bag yourself one, press the Buy Now button below.

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Samsung patents magnetic controller for VR headsets

Samsung is very serious about competing in the mobile virtual reality space. The Gear VR has given it a good footing and the company is now expanding its influence in this space by working hard to bring new and exciting virtual reality content. It’s also working on new VR-focused devices.

The company has been granted a patent for magnetic VR hand controllers. The description provided in the patent suggests that the peripherals will be used for more accurate hand-tracking with the Gear VR headset.

The method explained in the patent is “based on a magnetic field generated by a source, obtaining a coordinate of a user’s hand; and reflecting the obtained coordinate of the user’s hand in a virtual reality environment based on a change of a location of the source due to a movement of the user.”

The actual design itself appears to be similar to the existing Gear VR controller but with a new strap that secures the controller to the back of the hand. This will allow users to move their hands freely without having to worry about holding the controller.

Even though the implementation makes perfect sense, it’s just another patent, and Samsung has a lot of them. Whether or not it’s ever going to bring this product to life is a different matter altogether.

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Future Samsung phones may feature explosion-proof batteries

Samsung would have saved billions of dollars if the Galaxy Note 7 didn’t have a battery flaw that caused handsets to catch fire. The company has taken a lot of steps since then to ensure that something like that doesn’t happen again. It’s battery-making division, Samsung SDI, is hopeful that it will be able to supply explosion-proof batteries in a few years.

Samsung SDI has said that it will be able to produce solid-state batteries that are safe from explosion for smartphones in a couple of years. Samsung SDI is a major battery supplier for Samsung Electronics, the division that makes the smartphones, so it’s likely going to have dibs on the new battery technology.

It remains to be seen, though, how quick Samsung Electronics is to adapt this new technology. “Our technological level to produce a solid-state battery for smartphones will be mature enough in one to two years. However, it depends on Samsung Electronics whether it will be used for phones,” a Samsung SDI official told The Korea Herald.

Solid-state batteries will replace existing lithium-ion batteries that are widely used in smartphones and other mobile devices today. The next-generation battery technology relies on solid electrolytes instead of liquid and thus has significantly lower risk of combustion or explosion. Lithium-ion batteries normally explode when the liquid inside flows out and comes into contact with air or water.

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Face recognition has trickled down to Samsung’s budget lineup with the Galaxy J7 Max

Out of all the security features that are offered on the Galaxy S8, face recognition is the least secure. Samsung says so itself, and face recognition is meant to be a quick way of unlocking a device compared to fiddling with a fingerprint sensor or entering a PIN or pattern. Face recognition is easy to implement, as it simply uses the front camera on a device, and it might be why Samsung has built the feature into one of its new budget phones.

That phone is the Galaxy J7 Max, which was recently launched in India alongside the Galaxy J7 Pro (which is the Galaxy J7 (2017) rebranded for the Indian market), and unlocking the device seems to be as quick as it is on the Galaxy S8. It’s interesting to see Samsung offering face recognition on the J7 Max but not on the new Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017). It’s possible the J7 Pro might also have the feature in India, although we can’t be sure as we haven’t had the chance to play with the device yet. We do, however, have the Galaxy J7 Max in our possession, and you can look forward to a hands-on in the coming days, followed by a full review.

Face recognition isn’t the only highlight on the Galaxy J7 Max. This phone is also the first Samsung phone to use a MediaTek processor. MediaTek had confirmed last year that it was doing business with Samsung, and there will likely be more Galaxy phones with MediaTek chipsets launching in the future. MediaTek isn’t exactly known to make high-performance mobile processors, though, so here’s hoping the Galaxy J7 Max manages to hold up well in day-to-day usage.

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June security patch for the Galaxy S7 released in India

Galaxy S7 owners in India should keep an eye out for a new firmware update today. They will soon receive an over-the-air update notification if they haven’t already. The update that Samsung is rolling out for the Galaxy S7 in the country today brings the June security patch.

It’s an incremental update for the handset in that it doesn’t bring much in the way of new features for the handset. All it does is update the security patch level on the handset to June 2017.

Samsung detailed the June security patch a couple of weeks back. It brings 96 fixes for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the core Android operating system. The patch also brings fixes for 23 additional vulnerabilities found in Samsung’s own software.

Users shouldn’t expect to find any new features on their handset after they’ve installed the update, then again, the Galaxy S7 is already running on Android 7.0 Nougat so they already have access to all of the latest features.

Those who haven’t already received an over-the-air update notification on their Galaxy S7 in India should head over to the Settings menu and try to manually download the update from the Software Update section. The notification should land on their handset automatically in the near future.

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First security update now arriving on the Galaxy A3 (2017)

The Galaxy A3 (2017) is receiving its first security maintenance update in Europe. From what we can tell, the upgrade bundles all of the changes included in May’s release — 54 patches provided by Google and 11 from Samsung — alongside a number of other performance and stability enhancements.

It’s a little disappointing that Samsung wasn’t able to roll out this month’s maintenance update for the Galaxy A3 (2017), but we aren’t going to complain as it’s still nice to see the firm rolling out somewhat timely quarterly upgrades for its mid-range devices, even if they aren’t the latest patches.

Read more: Samsung details contents of May security patch

You can check to see if the OTA is available for your handset by navigating into Settings, hitting Software Update, then tapping Download Updates Manually. If it’s ready, you’ll be prompted to download and install it, but if it isn’t, don’t panic. You’ll receive a push notification when it reaches your unit.

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Camera comparison: Galaxy S8 vs the Galaxy S7

For a long time now, Samsung has been at the top of its game when it comes to smartphone cameras. The Galaxy S7 had the best overall phone camera on the market for quite a long time, and with the Galaxy S8, Samsung has made minor changes to further improve the quality of images captured by the 12-megapixel rear camera. We’ve talked in detail about the Galaxy S8′s camera in our official review, but we haven’t yet talked about how it compares to its predecessor. Well, we’ve decided we’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

The photos you see below were taken in auto mode (with HDR set to auto as well); we didn’t reach for the pro mode for any picture, as we feel most folks simply use their phones as a point-and-shoot camera instead of fiddling around with advanced settings. What we should point out here is the Galaxy S7′s camera still holds its own more than a year later, especially in daylight. Nighttime is where the Galaxy S8 leads the way, doing better with detail and color. The colors in low-light shots aren’t perfect on the S8, either, as they look too white compared to their real-life counterparts. But again, it does better at night compared to the S7, and part of the reason for that is no doubt the new multi-frame processor on the S8.

Well, enough talk. Go ahead and enjoy the pictures below (photos from the S8 are on the left while the S7′s images are on the right), and let us know what you think!

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Note: We’re aware that it’s a bit hard to see the differences between two images without being able to see them in a bigger format. We’re working on adjusting our site to fix this, so that our camera comparisons are more useful than they might be right now for some folks. 

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Galaxy Note 8 to come in 64GB and 128GB variants

A new report has surfaced online claiming that Samsung will launch two variants of the Galaxy Note 8: one with 64GB and another with 128GB of storage. Both handsets are also expected to support microSD cards, which can be used to bump the memory up to 256GB.

Recently, it was revealed that the Galaxy Note 8 will be Samsung’s most expensive smartphone to date, with an eye-watering price tag of around $1,000 in South Korea and more than $1,100 in Europe, North America and South America.

If leaks and rumors are anything to go by, the Galaxy Note 8 will sport a 6.3-inch edge-to-edge Infinity Display, an Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835 CPU, 6GB of RAM and a 3,300mAh non-removable battery. It should also ship running Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Unfortunately, it’s looking like Samsung has decided to position the fingerprint reader on the back of the Galaxy Note 8, even though it has the technology required to embed it in the handset’s display.

Nothing is confirmed at this precise moment in time, so all of this information should be taken with a relatively hefty pinch of salt. However, we shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to find out more as the device is tipped to hit the shelves by the end of September.

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Galaxy S6 edge+ now receiving June security update

Samsung’s in the midst of distributing the June security patch for the Galaxy S6 edge+ in Europe. The upgrade bundles all of the patches included in this month’s release, as well as a plethora of additional stability improvements.

For those in need of a refresher, the June update transports 96 fixes for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the Android operating system and 23 patches developed exclusively for Galaxy-branded smartphones.

Related content: Samsung highlights contents of June security patch

If you own a Galaxy S6 edge+, reside in Europe and want to check to see if the upgrade is ready for your handset, open up Settings, tap Software Update, then hit Download Updates Manually.

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

We’re back with Themes Thursday! We’ve chosen seven new themes for you this week, and we think there’s something for everybody. There are three great dark themes and four bright themes and all of them have brilliant designs.

The [Anup] Novel Black (AOD), [Binod] HongUI, and Infinity Dark themes have dark backgrounds, and you might prefer them since such themes tend to showcase the brilliance of Super AMOLED displays in reproducing punchier colors. Greight and Greight W/ Background themes by Felipe Lelite have good-looking Material design wallpapers and backgrounds.

The Summer Background and [WHL] Desert Landscapes theme packs look great too, and might be preferred by some. Which theme did you like out of the 479 new themes that were released in the Theme Store this week?

[Anup] Novel Black (AOD)

[Binod] HongUI

[WHL] Desert Landscapes

Greight

Greight W/ Background

Infinity Dark

Summer Wave (AOD/Iris)_Hwang Gayeon – THENEW

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SamMobile Daily Recap: June 29, 2017 — Galaxy J5 (2017), Galaxy S8 and more!

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what we put live today.

Business

Samsung confirms $380 million appliance plant in South Carolina

Samsung to build a ‘super OLED factory’

Deals

Daily Deal: Save 31% on a Gear VR (2017) with Controller

Display

Samsung remains top smartphone display manufacturer in Q1 2017

General

Argentina gets its very own Samsung Newsroom

Laptops

Samsung Flow now works with any Windows 10 PC, supports unlocking and file transfers

Phones

Galaxy Note 8′s dual-camera rumored to be better than others

MWC Shanghai 2017 awards ‘Best Smartphone’ honor to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+

Rose Pink Galaxy S8+ will be released tomorrow

Samsung launches the unlocked dual-SIM Galaxy S8+ in Europe

TV

Samsung to release ‘See the Unexpected’ video series on extreme sports with Red Bull

Samsung TVs with LG display panels might be developed starting next month

Watches

Samsung’s wearable device sales overtake Fitbit for the first time ever

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Samsung partners with soccer star Oliver Kahn to promote its smart TVs

Samsung has announced that it has partnered with German soccer star Oliver Kahn to promote its new QLED TVs. The former German goalkeeper will be the face of Samsung’s new QLED smart TVs and a representative of the new ways in which users can enjoy soccer on these TVs. The South Korean electronics giant announced its QLED TVs at CES 2017 earlier this year.

Oliver Kahn will feature in the new Goalplay app, which is exclusive to Samsung’s smart TVs. The app will search for soccer-related content from broadcasting channels as well as from Video On Demand (VoD) services. It will also offer exclusive content from Oliver Kahn such as match analysis and goalkeeping tips. These TVs are also the first to offer 100% color volume.

Samsung’s new QLED TVs not only offer great picture quality, but also exclusive content and apps, making them a preferable choice for many consumers. It recently added support for HDR10+ to its QLED TVs. The company wants to offer everything it can before the start of this year’s soccer season so that consumers pick up QLED TVs over products from the competition.

“The QLED TV’s Smart Hub interface is one of the most mature on the market, and the One Remote Control makes navigating the platform incredibly intuitive. As someone who enjoys watching television, I find this to be a key criterion in addition to picture quality and design. That’s why I decided to launch my new app exclusively on Samsung’s QLED TVs,” said Oliver Kahn, CEO of Goalplay.

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Samsung to build a ‘super OLED factory’

Samsung is the largest OLED manufacturer in the world, and it plans to solidify its position even further by making a “super OLED factory”. The company is planning to build a new production facility which is expected to exceed the production capacity of its A3 plant in China by 30%. The new factory could be named A5, and could be built in Korea.

According to industry sources, Samsung’s board of directors will meet next month to determine the final investment plant for its next OLED factory. If the company starts building its new plant in the second half of this year, it will take another six months or a year before the plant is built, and the production of OLED units could begin in 2019.

Samsung could invest up to KRW 16 trillion for purchasing the equipment that’s required to kickstart the production of OLED panels. Furthermore, the company will keep on investing till 2021 to expand the factory as the plant will be built in two phases. The company had started expanding its A3 plant in 2015 to supply OLED panels to Apple.

Samsung is the leader in small and medium-sized OLED market, capturing around 98% market share. However, manufacturing OLED panels is a chicken-and-egg problem where the production costs keeps falling as the yield increases, and Samsung has the first-mover advantage, so it can make better quality panels at a lower cost than its competitors

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Samsung’s wearable device sales overtake Fitbit for the first time ever

If the latest data from market research firm Strategy Analytics is believed, Samsung’s wearable devices have achieved a major milestone. Sales of Samsung’s wearable products have overtaken those of Fitbit for the first time ever. That is, without a doubt, a big achievement for the company.

Fitbit has long been one of the strongest competitors in the wearable device market after Apple. It has occupied the second position on the list for a very long time. Samsung has been catching up to it and the data now shows that it passed Fitbit in the first quarter of this year.

Samsung’s market share of wearable device sales was just 6.6 percent in the second quarter of last year. It rose to 7.5 percent by the third quarter. Samsung’s market share surged to over 10 percent and settled at 12.8 percent at the end of the first quarter of this year.

This is the first time that Samsung has overtaken Fitbit, a company that specializes in wearable devices like fitness bands and activity trackers. Fitbit’s market share in the first quarter was 12.2 percent. Samsung’s gain is attributed to the success of the Gear S3 and a decline in Fitbit’s sales.

Apple still remains the leader in the global wearable device market even though it hasn’t differentiated this product lineup by offering smartwatches, fitness bands and activity trackers. It just sells the Apple Watch which has performed well for the company since it came out a couple of years ago.

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Argentina gets its very own Samsung Newsroom

In a bid to better connect with its millions of fans across the globe, Samsung has been setting up dedicated information hubs for key markets. These hubs, or Newsrooms as Samsung calls them, feature content in that country’s native language so that consumers can get information relevant to their market in their own language.

The company is already running ten different Newsroom websites for key markets like Russia, India, Mexico, Vietnam, Germany, United States, Brazil and South Korea. Samsung Newsroom Argentina takes eleventh position on the list. It’s the second Spanish-language site in the region after Mexico.

Samsung Newsroom Argentina will host latest information about the company, its recent innovations and CSR activities, Samsung’s corporate vision and business insights. It will now be the official company site for Argentina and will regularly feature videos, photos, feature articles, infographics and live streams of important Samsung events.

The company has a long history in the Argentinian market, one that’s over two decades old. It’s one of the leading companies in the country today. Apertura Magazine’s annual magazine ranked Samsung fifth amongst “Innovative Brands” on its “Top 100 Brand Image” list.

Samsung Newsroom Argentina is live now and can be accessed at the following URL: http://ift.tt/2tWg622.

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Daily Deal: Save 31% on a Gear VR (2017) with Controller

For a limited time only, you can pick up a Gear VR (2017) with Controller, which ships with both a microUSB and USB Type-C connector, for $89.92, a 31 percent saving on its recommended retail price of $129.99.

If you like the sound of this promotion and want to take advantage of it, hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll need to act fast though, as inventory won’t be around for too long — and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

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Samsung launches the unlocked dual-SIM Galaxy S8+ in Europe

Samsung always releases dual-SIM variants of its flagship smartphones in select markets so it’s never known for sure which markets will get them. Samsung fans in Europe can rejoice as the company has now launched the unlocked dual-SIM Galaxy S8+ in the region.

The launch for European markets comes a fortnight after Samsung released the unlocked dual-SIM Galaxy S8+ in the United Kingdom. It’s only being sold through the company’s online store in the country for £779. The handset is being sold in Midnight Black and Orchid Gray colors.

Customers in Germany and the Netherlands can now head over to the respective Samsung online store and purchase the unlocked dual-SIM Galaxy S8+ for €899 in the aforementioned hues.

There is nothing different about this variant save for the fact that it can power two SIMs simultaneously. The second SIM slot is a hybrid slot so it can either be used as a microSD card slot or a second SIM slot.

Customers in the Netherlands who purchase the unlocked dual-SIM Galaxy S8+ before July 30 will receive a free Gear VR with Controller from Samsung as well as a free €50 Oculus content voucher.

It’s possible that this variant of the Galaxy S8+ might soon be available in other markets across Europe as well.

Thanks, Henk!

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Samsung Flow now works with any Windows 10 PC, supports unlocking and file transfers

Samsung launched its Apple Continuity and Handoff competitor – Samsung Flow – three years ago, and it has been improving the software ever since. It works with Samsung smartphones, tablets, PCs, and laptops. However, we came to know four months ago that the company has plans to support more Windows 10 PCs.

Now, Samsung Flow has received an update that makes it compatible with almost all Windows 10-based PCs, laptops, and tablets. All you need is a compatible Galaxy smartphone. Users can now unlock their Windows 10 devices using the fingerprint sensor on their Galaxy smartphone, sync texts, transfer files, automatically connect to the phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot, and more.

You can download the latest version of Samsung Flow on your compatible Galaxy smartphone or tablet from the Play Store or from our APK section. For your non-Samsung Windows 10 device (which should support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi), you can download the app from Windows Store or from Samsung’s official website.

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Galaxy Note 8′s dual-camera rumored to be better than others

Thanks to all the leaks and reports in the past few weeks, we’re confident that Samsung will debut the Galaxy Note 8 with a dual-camera system. Moreover, the company showcased its new ISOCELL Dual camera sensor yesterday at MWC 2017 Shanghai, giving more credibility to all those Galaxy Note 8 rumors. Now, we’ve heard some great things about the Galaxy Note 8′s dual-camera.

According to an insider, the Galaxy Note 8′s dual-camera will offer better image quality and better background defocus (in portrait mode) than competing smartphones with similar dual-camera solutions. Samsung is expected to use a dual 13MP+13MP (RGB+Monochrome) camera setup with f/2.0 lens and OIS on the Galaxy Note 8 for improved colours and sharpness as well as reduced noise.

The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to be announced sometime in August with a 6.3-inch Infinity Display, Exynos 8895 processor, 6GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 3300 mAh battery. The phone is also expected to continue offering an iris scanner, a rear-placed fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack that we saw with the Galaxy S8.

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Samsung showcases official Galaxy S8 protective cases in a new video

Samsung releases various official protective cases for its flagship smartphones, and this year has been no different. The company launched seven types of official protective cases for the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. Now, the company has published a new video showcasing three cases: Alcantara Case, Clear View Standing Cover, and 2Piece Cover.

The video starts by promoting the Clear View Standing Cover (costs $25), which can not only protect the phone’s dual-curved display but also allow users to take calls, control music, and some additional functions without flipping it open. It can also act as a stand for the phone in landscape mode, so it can be useful while watching videos.

The Alcantara Case is shown next, and it features a soft-touch, suede-like material. The case is available in various colors, and the company claims that it is stain-resistant and durable. The 2Piece Cover, which has been controversial due to its design, has been showcased in the video as well. The Alcantara Case costs $37, while the 2Piece Case costs $19.99.

All the covers are available for purchase through Amazon in the US, and they’re available in colors matching your Galaxy S8 or S8+.

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Samsung to release ‘See the Unexpected’ video series on extreme sports with Red Bull

Red Bull is the energy drink that requires no introduction. The company has long aligned its brand identity with extreme sports. You would find it difficult to name an extreme sport that doesn’t have a Red Bull-sponsored top athlete.

Samsung has announced today that it has teamed up with Red Bull to release a new series of videos called “See the Unexpected.” The video series is going to feature top extreme sports athletes demonstrating their skills throughout some of the most iconic locations in Morocco. The new video series is going to highlight the talents of Red Bull athletes and Samsung TVs.

Red Bull athletes including motorcyclist Robbie Maddison, wakeboarder Felix Georgii and parkour athlete Jason Paul will be featured in this series. Morocco will serve as the backdrop in this series with the athletes taking their talents to unexpected places.

Each location has been selected to showcase the juxtaposition between the unique and colorful locations of Morocco and the extraordinary talents of the athletes.

The See the Unexpected video series has been launched alongside a 30-minute documentary piece on Samsung’s TV Plus channel as well as Samsung and Red Bull digital channels today. Select Samsung retail locations will play a four-minute video from the series on Samsung’s QLED TVs.

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Samsung TVs with LG display panels might be developed starting next month

Samsung found itself in a bit of a pickle when Sharp notified the company late last year that it would stop supplying it with LCD panels. Sharp decided to end supply to Samsung after being acquired by Foxconn, a decision that was likely meant to promote the company’s own TVs instead of backing Samsung in the lucrative LCD TV market.

Samsung then started to look for other suppliers who could fill the gap and crosstown rival LG Display seemed like the perfect fit.

It was then reported that LG Display might start supplying Samsung with LCD panels as early as June this year. Subsequent reports reiterated that claim and added that LG Display was planning on supplying 700,000 units of LCD panels for TVs.

The latest reports out of South Korea suggest that Samsung will start producing LCD TVs with panels from LG Display next month. LG Display is reportedly going to supply the company with 40-inch and 60-inch panels for its high-end TVs. The production is said to take place at Samsung’s P7 and P8 plants in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

Samsung remains the largest TV manufacturer in the world. It used to source up to five million LCD panels from Sharp. LG Display is said to supply up to 1 million panels which means Samsung still has ground to cover. It may consider sourcing panels from other manufacturers in China and Taiwan to fill the gap.

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Samsung remains top smartphone display manufacturer in Q1 2017

The latest market data from industry tracker IHS Markit shows that Samsung retained its position as the world’s top manufacturer of smartphone displays in the first quarter of this year. One of the reasons why the company was able to retain its position is said to be the robust growth in shipments of flexible OLED products.

IHS Markit’s data shows that combined global sales of LCD and OLED displays that are 9 inches or smaller in size raked in $13 billion in sales during the January-March 2017 period. Compared to last year, this was a 35 percent growth.

Samsung Display remained in the lead in this market as it posted sales of $3.5 billion during this period and thus accounted for 27.2 percent of the global market. The combined sales of flexible OLED products accounted for $1.1 billion, doubling year-over-year on the back of the Galaxy S8′s release.

Japan Display followed in second place with 17.8 percent. LG Display and China-based BOE Technology Group came in third and fourth place respectively.

The overall growth in the global smartphone display market is deemed to be significant by industry analysts as the first quarter of a new year is generally considered to be the “off season.” The numbers are certainly impressive.

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Samsung confirms $380 million appliance plant in South Carolina

It was first reported earlier this year that Samsung was considering setting up a plant in the United States to manufacture appliances. It was the company’s expected response to growing protectionism in the country following Donald Trump’s election to the office of the president.

The president had long claimed on the campaign trail that he would hike tariffs on products manufactured outside the United States for sale in the country in a bid to push manufacturers to set up plants in the country and create new jobs in the United States.

Recent reports had suggested that Samsung had decided to set up a plant in the state of South Carolina and that it would invest $380 million for the purpose. This has now been confirmed by the company.

Samsung is indeed opening a new factory in South Carolina that’s going to cost it $380 million. The plant will be used to manufacture washing machines and other appliances. Samsung will also conduct research and development at the site. It’s going to be established at a former Caterpillar plant in the town of Newberry.

The company later said in an email that it has been thinking about setting up a home appliance manufacturing plant in the United States for almost three years now.

If that’s true, President Trump’s claims of hiking tariffs may just have expedited the decision, not caused it. Nonetheless, it’s going to add almost 1,000 new industrial jobs in the state of South Carolina and that’s going to look good on his resumé.

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MWC Shanghai 2017 awards ‘Best Smartphone’ honor to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+

Samsung’s new flagship smartphone continues to bring in more awards for the company. Samsung today announced that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ earned the “Best Smartphone” honors at the 2017 Asia Mobile Awards. The awards are held annually to recognize game-changing innovations in the mobile industry at Asia’s largest mobile event, Mobile World Congress Shanghai.

MWC 2017 Shanghai has been organized in partnership with GSMA and it runs from June 28 through July 1. The 2017 Asia Mobile Awards were held on the evening of June 28 at the DaGuan Theatre in Pudong, Shanghai. The awards are a celebration of companies whole mobile products have shown exceptional innovation.

The Best Smartphone award that the Galaxy S8 brought home was adjudicated by a panel of leading journalists, analysts and market influencers. They considered a variety of factors such as physical design and user experience to the simplicity of use, performance, sheer innovation and value for money.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ tick all of the boxes and have thus been honored as the Best Smartphone at the 2017 AMOs. It’s a pretty big honor for the company’s latest and undoubtedly its greatest smartphone. Well deserved, might I add. The handset really is worthy of all the praise being heaped on it.

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Rose Pink Galaxy S8+ will be released tomorrow

Samsung confirmed earlier this week that it was going to offer the Galaxy S8+ in a new color option that it’s calling Rose Pink. The confirmation came from Samsung Taiwan’s official Facebook page which said that the device would be released in the country next month and that it would only be available for a limited time.

Samsung has now sent out a press release confirming that the sixth color option for the Galaxy S8+ is going to be released in select markets including South Korea and Taiwan starting tomorrow, June 30.

The company says that this new hue has been “inspired by nature” and that it envelops the device to create a sense of unity and fluidity between the glass and metal of the handset’s body. The Rose Pink color has been described as “sophisticated and modern” which only adds to the overall aesthetics of the Galaxy S8+.

As Samsung mentioned, this is the sixth color option for its flagship smartphone. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are already available in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold colors.

The specific availability details will be confirmed by Samsung’s regional arms in the markets where this handset is going to be released.

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Wallpaper Wednesday: Gradients

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week, we’re highlighting a total of four backgrounds featuring gradients. All of the images are available in a suitable resolution for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and just about any other smartphone on the market.

If any of the following images float your boat and you want to download and set one as your wallpaper, simply tap on the 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 press the image to set it as your background.

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Color Splash

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Melted Fuse

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Mini Triangles

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Red Attack

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Download

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