SamMobile Daily Recap: February 8, 2017

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the bulk of the news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to follow every post that goes live on SamMobile. But, we think we’ve come up with an ideal solution — a daily recap. In the list below, you’ll find the stories we’ve published today. Chances are, you’re not going to...

Roses are red, smartphones are blue: Galaxy Note 7 Blue Coral color option gets a heavily-inspired admirer

Xiaomi announced its Mi Note 2 back at the end of October 2016, and the phone bears more than just a coincidental resemblance to the Galaxy Note 7. The Mi Note 2 features a 5.7-inch, curved OLED display (rather identical to the Galaxy Note 7′s 5.7-inch, curved AMOLED panel), quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (to the Galaxy Note 7′s quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820), 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB...

Wallpaper Wednesday: Summer

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week we’re focusing our attention on five summer-themed backgrounds. All images are available in a FHD resolution, which is a perfect fit for the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5 and other flagships, but they can, of course, be used on different smartphones too. If any of the following images...

Daily Deal: Score yourself a SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit for 11% off

If you’re looking to modernize your home, you’ve come to the right place. While stock lasts, you can bag yourself a SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit for $220.96 (11% off). Using the two multipurpose sensors, motion sensor and outlet adapter included in the bundle, you’ll be able to connect even the most basic appliances — like a lamp — to the Internet and use your smartphone or tablet to control them. Like the sound of the SmartThings Home Monitoring...

Samsung’s Q4 2016 tablet shipments see double digit decline

The tablet market has been in a state of constant decline and the final quarter of last year was no different. Global tablet shipments fell 9 percent in Q4 2016 according to a report by Strategy Analytics. Apple and Samsung, the two largest tablet vendors on the market, both contributed to this decline as they saw their tablet shipments post a double digit decline. Samsung shipped 9 million units...

Samsung to showcase a prototype foldable smartphone at MWC

If a new report is anything to go by, it would appear that Samsung is preparing to showcase a prototype foldable smartphone, alongside a folder panel, at Mobile World Congress later this month. The device and display technology won’t be kept on the show floor, though. They will, instead, be housed in a private exhibition room and it’s thought that only select individuals will be able to enter. Speaking...

Samsung smartwatch market share stood at 15% during 2016

Samsung was one of the first big-name brands to enter the smartwatch market, and it released some great smartwatches over the past few months. However, the company’s efforts still did not land it the first place in the global smartwatch market. According to an estimate from market research firm Canalys, Samsung stood third in the smartwatch market share during 2016. As per the reports, Apple...

Size comparison: Galaxy S6 vs. Galaxy S7 vs. Galaxy S8

Samsung’s rumored to take the wraps off the much-anticipated Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus at a dedicated event in New York City on Tuesday, April 18. Renders point towards the former sporting a 5.7/5.8-inch display (up from the 5.5-inch one found on the Galaxy S7 edge), while being roughly the same as the Galaxy S7. The Plus variant, on the other hand, is expected to pack a colossal 6.1/6.2-inch screen. For this reason, it’s believed to be both taller...

Samsung giving away free 256GB microSD cards to Galaxy S7 customers

Samsung is trying to move as many units of the Galaxy S7 as it possibly can ahead of the launch of the Galaxy S8. That’s why we’re seeing the company offer some great promotions to get people to purchase last year’s flagship. The latest promotion promises a Samsung 256GB EVO+ microSD card, a $249.99 value, to those who purchase the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge or Galaxy S7 Active between now and February 14. The aforementioned devices can either be...

Samsung Pay is now available in Thailand

After launching its mobile payment service in a few markets around the world, Samsung has now launched Samsung Pay in Thailand. The service was officially launched in the country today in the presence of Thai government officials as well as Samsung Pay partners. The South Korean smartphone giant said that Samsung Pay aligns with Thailand’s full transition to a cashless society. Samsung Pay works with credit cards issued by MasterCard, Visa, KCC,...

Latest Galaxy J7 Prime update brings February security patch

Samsung is now rolling out a new firmware update for the Galaxy J7 Prime. The update brings the February 2017 security patch for this handset. It’s great timing when you consider the fact that the company officially detailed this security patch just yesterday. The new update is live now and rolling out for the Galaxy J7 Prime in India. Galaxy J7 Prime owners will soon receive an OTA update notification informing them that firmware version G610FDDU1AQA2...

Samsung has had to delay key business decisions due to corruption investigation

Samsung Group has been ensnared in South Korea’s corruption and influence-peddling scandal. The conglomerate allegedly paid bribes of more than $35 million to win the government’s backing for a controversial merger that enabled the founding Lee family to cement its grasp on the conglomerate. Samsung heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has been questioned at length and narrowly dodged arrest but as he’s not out of the woods just yet and the investigation is...

Apple vs Samsung lawsuit sent back to where it all started

The Apple vs Samsung patent infringement lawsuit has made its journey through the entire legal system of the United States over five years and now it has been sent back to square one. Samsung had its day before the Supreme Court which ruled in its favor and said that damages in design patent cases should only apply to individual components of a device and not the entire device. It reached a conclusion that damages related to patent infringement could...

Samsung SDI’s China factory catches fire

Samsung SDI is the battery-making affiliate of the Samsung Group. Samsung Electronics sources a big chunk of the batteries for its mobile devices from this company, and yes, Samsung SDI was one of the suppliers for the Galaxy Note 7′s battery as well. It’s actually going to be supplying the bulk of the batteries for the Galaxy S8 as well. Following reports out Weibo, a spokesman for Samsung SDI confirmed...