Samsung unveils Smart Hub 2.0 and Smart Built-In devices at CES 2017

Just as we countdown to the start of CES 2017, Samsung has unveiled a couple of new innovations in the form of new Family Hub 2.0-enabled refrigerators and Smart Built-In cooktops. These Family Hub products will support Samsung Pay in South Korea very soon, so there’s no dearth of innovative features with these products.

Family Hub 2.0 will be integrated with a range of three-door, four-door French Door as well as the four-door Flex models. Customers will be able to perform a wide range of functions using these Family Hub 2.0 powered refrigerators. Thanks to the 21.5-inch touchscreen onboard, family members can create individual profiles and share photos, to-do lists, memos and much more.

Samsung is collaborating with services like Grubhub, Nomiku, Glympse, Ring, Spotify, and iHeartRadio to provide the best service and entertainment to the customers. As for the internal features of the refrigerator, customers can use the View Inside cameras to check which items need to be restocked.

Speaking about the new arrivals, Byung-Sam Seo, President of Home Appliances at Samsung Electronics, said “After just one year of availability, the Family Hub has transformed the concept of the connected kitchen by enabling users to order and manage grocery shopping, connect with family and friends, and access entertainment right from the comfort of their kitchen.”

Samsung also announced new Smart Built-In cooktops ahead of CES 2017. These new features will be enabled by default on Built-in Double and Single Wall Ovens, Built-in Gas Cooktops, Built-in Induction Cooktops, Built-in Electric Cooktops, and Built-in Range Hoods. Features like the Samsung Smart Divider will allow cooks to efficiently use three different oven spaces for different purposes.

The entire range of appliances will be shown off in detail over the coming days by Samsung.

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Samsung foldable smartphone patents consider multiple biometric ID forms

What was on your mind at the end of 2016? It’s likely the case that you were planning a New Year’s Eve party with relatives and friends, making resolutions for the New Year that you may live to love or regret later on. If this was your situation, you’d be surprised to know that you had something different on your mind than the Korean giant. Samsung ended 2016 with foldable smartphone patents on its mind – looking to the future of its devices and what will likely be called the “Next Big Thing” when patents become leaked prototypes beyond the one we’ve been shown so far (this one, too).

While we’ve seen some photos of prototypes that are already in existence, Samsung has not yet completed its work on the foldable smartphone (codenamed Project Valley). These new patents show Samsung contemplating the use of multiple forms of biometric identification such as the fingerprint scanner and iris scanner/camera, though the Korean giant intends to use additional forms of biometric ID beyond these: palm print, face, voice, palm line, and other means of authentication. In other words, the fingerprint scanner and iris scanner are but two forms of authentication that Samsung intends to co-exist within its “Galaxy.” There will be others added to these, a glimpse into the future for those who believe smartphone interest has peaked.

These last 2016 patent filings also show that Samsung is viewing the foldable smartphone as a scrolling device that will allow users to “open the scroll” when viewing weather, date, time, and other pertinent information. A scrolling foldable smartphone will make the device more portable than just a foldable smartphone that bends in half. Scrolling capabilities for mobile devices could transform the electronics industry (there’s a day when even smart TVs could have the same scrolling capabilities).

Samsung is said to have two foldable smartphone models in mind for the market, one with a dual-display setup, the other with a single flexible display, despite its hesitancy over market demand for mobile’s next frontier. The industry still seems to point to 2018 or 2019 as the ideal timeframe for these futuristic smartphones, but there is some expectation that Samsung will push forward with at least one foldable smartphone this year.

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Daily Deal: You can currently pick up a 16GB EVO microSD card for 47% off

You can never have too many microSD cards and now you can add another one to your collection for just $7.99 (47% off). This isn’t a regular memory card, though. It’s a 16GB offering from Samsung’s EVO range, which provides one of the fastest transfer speeds on the market; making it perfect for snipping high-resolution pictures.

What’s more, the 16GB Evo microSD card is also waterproof and resistant to extreme temperatures, so if your camera or smartphone happens to take a swim in the ocean while you’re on vacation, you can rest assured all of your precious memories are safe.

If you like the sound of the 16GB EVO microSD card 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.

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Latest Galaxy S8 leak hints at proper PC-like functionality

Samsung will certainly introduce several new features with the Galaxy S8 that help set it apart from the competition. If the latest Galaxy S8 leak is believed, the upcoming flagship might provide users with proper PC-like functionality courtesy of the Samsung Desktop Experience feature. From the looks of it, the feature will be similar to Windows Mobile’s Continuum which enables Windows smartphone owners to extend their experience to a monitor and use windowed apps with a keyboard and mouse.

Microsoft’s Continuum feature offers Windows smartphone owners with a full-fledged PC experience when they hook up the phone to a monitor via a dock. That’s not how it may be for the Galaxy S8 since it’s going to be on a completely different platform but it’s possible that Samsung might work with app developers, particularly those that develop productivity suites like Microsoft Office, on apps that take full advantage of the Samsung Desktop Experience and enable Galaxy S8 owners to run windowed apps that they can use with a keyboard and mouse on a monitor.

If this feature does make its way to the Galaxy S8 then Samsung’s new flagship will surely be a productivity powerhouse, allowing users to be more productive with true multi-tasking. Samsung has not yet commented on this report so there hasn’t been a confirmation or denial about this yet. Samsung is due to unveil the Galaxy S8 at a special event in New York City come April.

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Samsung Electronics CEO cautions company against compromising on product quality

It’s not uncommon for companies to face quality issues with some of their products from time to time but when a product fails as spectacularly as the Galaxy Note 7 did for Samsung, people start asking all kinds of questions. A lot has been said and speculated about Samsung’s ability to get a handle on the situation and as the company gears up for its first flagship launch after the ill-fated phablet, Samsung Electronics CEO Kwon Oh-hyun reminded employees that the company should not compromise on product quality under any circumstances.

Samsung Electronics CEO Kwon Oh-hyun said this to employees during his New Year’s speech. He also asked them to further improve the manufacturing processes and safety inspections. It goes without saying that the company is being extra cautious now following the disaster that it suffered due to the Galaxy Note 7. Aside from dealing a big blow to the company’s reputation, the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco also cost Samsung billions of dollars.

One of the reasons why Samsung is believed to be launching the Galaxy S8 in April instead of the usual venue of the Mobile World Congress in February 2017 is that it’s going to take extra time to be absolutely sure that it doesn’t see a repeat of the problem that caused the Galaxy Note 7′s downfall. It was reported earlier today that Samsung has concluded its investigation into the Galaxy Note 7 fires and that it’s going to make the results public soon.

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Specs comparison: Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) vs. Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)

By now you’re probably well aware that Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) earlier today. We’ve already put the Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017) head-to-head with their predecessors to pick out all the differences in specifications, and now we’re following suit with the Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2017).

The Galaxy A7 (2017) is actually pretty similar to the Galaxy A5 (2017). It sports the same 1.9GHz Exynos 7880 octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM and 16MP front- and rear-facing camera. However, it also bundles a slightly larger display and a bigger 3,600mAh battery, which should see it through over a day of medium-to-heavy use. Although, that’s unconfirmed at present.

A detailed comparison of the Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2017) can be seen in the table below. For more specifics on the handset’s internals, click here.

	Galaxy A7 (2016)	Galaxy A7 (2017)
Display	5.5-inch FHD Super AMOLED, 424ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4	5.7-inch FHD Super AMOLED, 424ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Always On Display
Processor	Exynos 7580 Octa, 1.6GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T720MP2 GPU	Exynos 7880 Octa, 1.9GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T830MP3 GPU
RAM	2GB	3GB
Rear Camera	13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording	16-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording
Front camera	5-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording	16-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording
Storage	16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 128GB)	32GB internal, microSD slot (up to 256GB)
Software	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, upgradable to Android 7.0	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, upgradable to Android 7.0
Connectivity	Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, microUSB v2.0 with OTG	Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, USB Type-C with OTG
Battery	3,300 mAh, fast wired charging	3,600 mAh, fast wired charging
Other features	Samsung KNOX, Fingerprint sensor, Samsung Pay (NFC model only)	Samsung Pay (NFC and MST), KNOX, fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance, and USB Type-C port

 

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[Poll] On-screen navigation keys on the Galaxy S8: Yay or nay?

Samsung tends to use capacitive buttons on its smartphones not only for convenience but to constantly recreate the rounded-bottom, centralized home button appearance that people usually associate with its devices. However, there’s a rumor being bandied about suggesting that the firm may switch things up with the much-anticipated Galaxy S8.

Word on the street has it that the Galaxy S8 and its larger variant, the Galaxy S8 Plus, will both sport on-screen navigation keys. Personally, I’m not too keen on the idea. I love having the facility to quickly open the camera by double tapping the home button on my handset. Although, I’d quite like to see extra space used to improve hardware.

By eliminating the traditional physical buttons and repositioning the internals, Samsung has a canvas to bundle a bigger battery or maybe even reduce the width of the bezels on its next flagship smartphone. The harsh reality is that phsycial keys take up too much space, and sooner or later they’ll be phased out — so why not start now?

We’d love to know your thoughts on the matter, so be sure to cast a vote in the dedicated poll below and drop a comment in the section at the bottom of the page to elaborate on your response. Let’s get a conversation going! As usual, I’ll be responding to comments submitted on Facebook and Twitter.

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Specs comparison: Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) vs. Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)

Earlier today, Samsung took the wraps off three new handsets as part of its Galaxy A series — the Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017). They’re all essentially revamped versions of last year’s models and will go on sale next month. But how to they compare to their predecessors? We’ve already pitted the Galaxy A5 (2016) against the Galaxy A5 (2017), and now we’re doing the same for the Galaxy A3 (2016) and Galaxy A3 (2017).

The Galaxy A3 (2017) sports a slew of upgraded internals, including an Exynos 7870 Octa CPU with a 1.6GHz clock speed, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage with support for 256GB memory cards, a 8MP front-facing camera, IP68 dust/water resistance and a 2,350mAh battery. It also ships running Android 6.0.1 (upgradable to Android 7.0 upon release) as opposed to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and has compatibility for Samsung Pay.

A detailed comparison of the Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2017) can be seen in the table below. For more specifics on the handset’s internals, click here.

	Galaxy A3 (2016)	Galaxy A5 (2016)
Display	4.7-inch Super AMOLED (720 x 1280 pixels), 312 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 4	4.7-inch Super AMOLED (720 x 1280 pixels), 312 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Always On Display
Processor	Exynos 7578, 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, and MaliT720MP2 GPU	Exynos 7870 Octa, 1.6GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T830MP3 GPU
RAM	1.5GB	2GB
Rear Camera	13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording	13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording
Front Camera	5-megapixel, f/1.9, 1090p video recording	8-megapixel, f/1.9, 1090p video recording
Storage	16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 128GB)	16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 256GB)
Software	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, upgradable to Android 7.0	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, upgradable to Android 7.0
Connectivity	Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, microUSB v2.0 with OTG	Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, USB Type-C with OTG
Battery	2,300mAh, regular charging	2,350mAh, fast wired charging
Other Features	S-Voice	Samsung Pay (NFC and MST), KNOX, fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance

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Galaxy S7 Active running Android 7.0 Nougat surfaces on GFXBench

Following in the footsteps of the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 5, the Galaxy S7 Active has today been spotted on the GFXBench online database running Android 7.0, which indicates that Samsung is in the final stages of testing the long-awaited Nougat update for the handset.

That said, it is relatively easy to modify a unit’s model number to falsify benchmark results, but seeing as Samsung’s already rolled out a handful of beta builds for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge as part of its beta program, we’re pretty certain this is a genuine sighting.

Just like before, there’s no official word on when the firmware will start making the rounds. However, last week the South Korean company promised to do its best to release the official version of Android 7.1.1 for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge this month. It’s possible that the Galaxy S7 Active will receive it shortly after.

For a comprehensive overview of what the Nougat upgrade brings to Galaxy-branded smartphones, be sure to check out our 15-part What’s New with Nougat series.

 

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Specs comparison: Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) vs. Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

Today, Samsung has unveiled three new Galaxy A smartphones – Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), and Galaxy A7 (2017) – and they will go on sale early next month. The Galaxy A series has always been about style and premium build. However, Samsung has added a bunch of new and useful features this year including the Always On Display mode and IP68 certification.

The Galaxy A5 (2017) features a newer Exynos 7880 processor with a higher CPU clock speed and a more recent Mali-T830 GPU, more RAM and internal storage, a high-resolution front-facing camera, and Samsung Pay. Let’s have a look at a detailed specifications comparison of the Galaxy A5 (2016) and the Galaxy A5 (2017) in the table below. For a more detailed comparison, click here.

	Galaxy A5 (2016)	Galaxy A5 (2017)
Display	5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED, 424ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4	5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED, 424ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, Always On Display
Processor	Exynos 7580 Octa, 1.6GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T720MP2 GPU	Exynos 7880 Octa, 1.9GHz octa-core CPU, and Mali-T830MP3 GPU
RAM	2GB	3GB
Rear Camera	13-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording	16-megapixel CMOS, f/1.9, autofocus, OIS, 1080p video recording
Front camera	5-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording	16-megapixel, f/1.9 aperture, 1080p video recording
Storage	16GB internal, microSD card slot (up to 128GB)	32GB internal, microSD slot (up to 256GB)
Software	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, upgradable to Android 7.0	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, upgradable to Android 7.0
Connectivity	Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, microUSB v2.0 with OTG	Dual-SIM, LTE, FM Radio, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, USB Type-C with OTG
Battery	2,900 mAh, fast wired charging	3,000 mAh, fast wired charging
Other features	Samsung KNOX, Fingerprint sensor, Samsung Pay (NFC model only)	Samsung Pay (NFC and MST), KNOX, fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance, and USB Type-C port

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[Poll] Does Samsung’s decision to stop offering a White color option irk you?

It appears that Samsung has quietly decided to stop offering the White color option with its smartphones for some reason. We first noticed it with the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. Samsung introduced the gorgeous new Blue Coral color option for that device but didn’t offer it in white. It has now done the same thing with the new Galaxy A (2017) series that it just announced today. A White color option is missing from this new series so we’ve got to ask, do you mind that Samsung is no longer selling some of its best smartphones in White?

Cast you vote and let us know in the comments what you make of this.

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Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017) prices confirmed

After months of countless rumors and reports, Samsung finally announced the new Galaxy A series officially today. The new series is a good evolutionary update as it brings several design changes, more powerful hardware and new features. It’s also the first Galaxy A series to tout IP68 water and dust resistance.

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy A (2017) series is going to be available for purchase in Europe early next month. The company has also confirmed prices of the two models that will be available in this market. The Galaxy A3 (2017) and the Galaxy A5 (2017) will be sold in Europe for 329 euro and 429 euro respectively. It appears that the Galaxy A7 (2017) will not be making its way to this part of the world.

The company is yet to confirm precisely when these devices will be launched in other markets across the globe. It’s likely that the new Galaxy A series will be released in some markets across Asia by the end of this month.

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