Nougat Tip: Use ‘beauty mode’ in the rear camera on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

Do you ever rue the fact that you can make your face look shinier and blemish-free when taking selfies on your phone, but can’t do the same when taking pictures from the rear camera? If you have upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat on your Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, that should no longer be a concern, as the upgraded camera app allows you to change skin tone in both front and rear camera modes.

You can find the skin tone option on the right side of the screen (near the shutter button), and it works just as well with the rear camera as it does with the front-facing camera (although it might not fare so well if the subject is standing too far away). It seems to work with videos as well, but the difference is negligible based on our testing. Unfortunately, other “beauty mode” controls like slim face and large eyes continue to be exclusive to the selfie camera, but maybe that will change with the next major version of Android?

Wondering what else is new in Samsung’s version of Nougat? Check out other Nougat tips and a list of all the major new features (click here to watch a small video if you don’t want to read), and let us know if you have discovered something we haven’t noticed!

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kT1BGA
via IFTTT

Apple edged past Samsung in the global smartphone market during Q4 2016

Apple edged past Samsung during the fourth quarter of 2016 in the global smartphone market. According to a report from Strategy Analytics, Apple captured a market share of 17.8 percent, while Samsung captured 17.7 percent share of the market. Chinese smartphone vendors Huawei (10.2%), Oppo (6.7%), and Vivo (5.8%) stood third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

Samsung shipped 77.5 million smartphones worldwide during Q4 2016, which is a dip of 5 percent annually from 81.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015. This dip was mostly due to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, and Apple took advantage of the situation pretty well. It sold 78.3 million iPhones worldwide, edging past Samsung. Despite a 3 percent rise in global smartphone shipments, Samsung and Apple collectively shipped 26.4 million fewer units.

Samsung sold 309.4 million smartphones in 2016, capturing a 20.8 percent market share for the full year. This is the South Korean smartphone giant’s lowest market share since 2011. The company will now be banking on the upcoming Galaxy S8 for a rebound. Apple had a market share of 14.5 percent in 2016, thanks to impressive iPhone 7 sales.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kT2HCi
via IFTTT

Samsung schedules its MWC 2017 event for February 26, could unveil the Galaxy Tab S3

Samsung has just sent out a press invite for its MWC 2017 event. However, unlike the past few years, it won’t unveil its flagship smartphone at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Instead, it will likely unveil a brand new tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3, during its press conference. The press conference will be live streamed on Samsung’s website.

The press invite image for Samsung’s MWC 2017 event teases a tablet with a front-facing fingerprint sensor. We expect it to be the Galaxy Tab S3. The event starts at 19:00 CET on February 26 at Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. We’ll be there covering the press conference to bring you the latest updates.

The Galaxy Tab S3 is expected to feature a 9.7-inch QXGA Super AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM, a 12-megapixel primary camera, a 5-megapixel secondary camera, and a 5.6mm thin metal body. As per the latest reports, the device will most likely run Android 7.0 and will be available in cellular as well as Wi-Fi only variants.

Big news is on its way. Don’t miss out. https://t.co/ChwhlkYISP http://pic.twitter.com/rblHI0BkPq

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 1, 2017

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kpI2c5
via IFTTT

January security patch now arriving on the Galaxy S5 in Europe

The factory unlocked variant of the Galaxy S5 is the latest smartphone in Samsung’s lineup to receive this month’s security patch in Europe. The upgrade, which weighs in at approximately 30MB and transports a flurry of fixes for bugs present in the Android operating system and the firm’s budget-friendly, flagship and former flagship devices, started making its way to the handset earlier today.

It should come as no surprise to hear that the upgrade is making the rounds in stages. To see if it’s ready for your unit, simply head into Settings » About Device » Download Updates Manually. Alternatively, you can always wait until you receive a notification prompting you to install the update, but you’ll need to have at least 50% of battery to initiate the installation process.

Read more: Verizon releases January security update for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S5

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kOlXFl
via IFTTT

Samsung might be preparing to launch a variant of the Galaxy S8 with 6GB of RAM

Over the course of the past few weeks, the rumor mill has been spinning at warp speed with regards to what Samsung has in store for its next-generation flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8. We’ve already heard that the handset is destined to sport a Snapdragon 835 CPU, but a reliable tipster is now claiming that it’ll also be available in two storage sizes — 64GB and 128GB — with varying amounts of RAM — 4GB and 6GB, respectively — when it launches in China and South Korea.

S8 4/6GB+64/128GB

— 萌萌的电教 (@mmddj_china) January 31, 2017

Prior to this revelation, speculation hinted towards a variant of the Galaxy S8 launching with 256GB of internal storage on board and a colossal 8GB of RAM. The tipster, who operates under the handle @mmddj_china on Twitter, has reportedly heard from their sources that this won’t be the case and that the only variant that’ll be released in Europe, North America and South America will be the 4GB/64GB version — so it looks like those hoping for a high-capacity model in the regions are out of luck.

It would be wrong if we didn’t point out, however, that this information is far from confirmed, which means that it should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt until Samsung finally takes the wraps of the Galaxy S8 and its larger sibling, the Galaxy S8 Plus. Word on the street is that the firm’s planning to do so at a dedicated event on Wednesday, March 29, with a worldwide release penciled in for mid-April, though that could easily change if production doesn’t go according to plan.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kmVtcG
via IFTTT

Nougat Tip: Enable ‘tap to take selfies’ on your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge

In Android 6.0, the front camera on Samsung devices would allow you to take selfies by tapping anywhere on the screen instead of reaching for the shutter button or the volume keys. If you have upgraded to Nougat on your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge recently (especially if you wiped your phone clean after the upgrade), you might have noticed that this feature no longer works. Don’t worry – it’s not a bug, and the feature has simply been turned off.

To be able to take pictures by tapping on the screen, open the camera app, then click the gear icon to go into the camera settings. Here, under the Front Camera section, tap Ways to take pictures. Here, enable the Tap to take pictures option. You should now be able to use the entire screen as the shutter button when you’re taking selfies. With Nougat, this feature is in your hands, so you can choose to turn it off if you so desire.

Click here for more Nougat tips for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, and check out this video to see all the new features in Android 7.0.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kL8b2L
via IFTTT

Daily Deal: Save 15% on a brand new Gear S3 frontier

If you’ve read our comprehensive review of the Gear S3 frontier, you’ll know how highly we think of the device, which is why we’re pleased to announce that while stock lasts you can pick one up through Amazon for just $299 (15% off). Not to be confused with the Gear S3 classic, this model comes with built-in GPS for enhanced fitness tracking and 4G LTE connectivity.

Read more: Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review: Outclassing most smartwatches in the market

If you like the sound of the Gear S3 frontier 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 and once it’s gone, it’s gone. We should note, however, that this particular promotion is only available for customers in the United States.

Buy Now

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2jPEsak
via IFTTT

Galaxy S7 and S7 edge Nougat firmware for Vodafone Germany now available

Vodafone seems to be the most active carrier in Europe when it comes to the Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. It was the first to release the update to the two devices in France, and it is now rolling out the update in Germany. You can find the full firmware files for both devices in our firmware section, and the update should also be available over the air (which you can check by going into the Settings » About device menu and hitting the Download updates manually button). 

Nougat brings a slew changes and new features, and you can see a list of major attractions in this post. Not a fan of reading? Check out this video for a visual walkthrough of what is on offer in the latest version of Android for Samsung’s 2016 flagships.

Firmware Details:

Model	SM-G930F
Model name	Galaxy S7
Country	Germany (Vodafone)
Version	Android 7
Changelist	10273029
Build date	Sat, 14 Jan 2017 02:26:18 +0000
Security Patch Level	2017-01-01
Product code	VD2
PDA	G930FXXU1DQAO
CSC	G930FVFG1DQAO

 

Model	SM-G935F
Model name	Galaxy S7 edge
Country	Germany (Vodafone)
Version	Android 7
Changelist	10273029
Build date	Fri, 13 Jan 2017 14:04:07 +0000
Security Patch Level	2017-01-01
Product code	VD2
PDA	G935FXXU1DQAO
CSC	G935FVFG1DQAO

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2jQlRc4
via IFTTT

Verizon releases January security update for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S5

Samsung has gradually been rolling out the January security maintenance update to compatible handsets over the past few weeks directly and through its carrier partners. Verizon is now following through by releasing said security patch for the Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy Note Edge and the Galaxy S5. Just yesterday, Sprint released the same patch for the Galaxy S5 on its network as well.

The January security patch comes in at just under 30MB and brings fixes for 67 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in Android OS as well as 28 security patches that are exclusive to Galaxy handsets. The idea behind these monthly security updates is to ensure that these Android-powered devices offer users the best possible software security at all times.

Verizon is now rolling out software version MMB29M.N910VVRS2CQA1, MMB29M.N915VVRS2CQA1 and MMB29M.G900VVRS2DQA1 for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge and the Galaxy S5 respectively. These updates are being sent out over-the-air so they should go live for all Verizon users across the United States in the very near future.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2kmmSf9
via IFTTT

Galaxy Tab S3 specs and price revealed in new report

A new report out of Korea today “confirms” that the Galaxy Tab S3 is going to be unveiled by Samsung at the Mobile World Congress 2017 late next month. The report also shares the specs and price of Samsung’s upcoming flagship Android tablet. This tablet is the successor to the Galaxy Tab S2 that Samsung first released in Korea back in August 2015. It’s likely going to be the only flagship product from Samsung at MWC 2017 given that it has already confirmed that the Galaxy S8 won’t be launched at this event.

According to the report, the 9.6-inch Galaxy Tab S3 features a 2048×1536 pixel resolution display with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor under the hood coupled with 4GB of RAM. It’s said to be available in both LTE and Wi-Fi only models with a 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. Android 7.0 Nougat will come pre-installed. The Galaxy Tab S3 is also said to be thinner than its predecessor.

Samsung is reportedly going to release the Galaxy Tab S3 in South Korea at some point in March, prices are said to start at around 700,000 won ($600).

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2jpteuR
via IFTTT

Report suggests that the Galaxy S8 could sport a 3,250mAh battery

If a new report originating from South Korea is anything to go by, it would appear that Samsung has provided its battery suppliers with an updated production roadmap, which includes 3,250mAh and 3,750mAh cells; leading many to believe that they’re the respective batteries that’ll power the much-anticipated Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus.

While there’s nothing in the way of evidence to support this claim, we’re not going to rule it out entirely as it certainly seems feasible. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge sport 3,000mAh and 3,600mAh cells, so it’s only to be expected that Samsung will grace their successors with an incremental capacity upgrade.

As usual, only time will tell. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll have to wait too much longer to find out more, though. Samsung’s expected to take the wraps off the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus at a dedicated event on March 29, with a worldwide release expected to follow in mid-April.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2jpoJk4
via IFTTT