Unlocked Galaxy smartphones will now receive monthly security updates in the US

One of the reasons why people buy a smartphone unlocked and off-contract is that they want to receive firmware updates quickly since mobile carriers tend to delay updates because of the tests they run. Unlocked units also don’t have all of the bloatware that you find on carrier versions. However, many who own unlocked Galaxy smartphones in the United States have been left feeling that they’ve been...

SamMobile Daily Recap: March 13, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Gear 360 and more!

We publish a fair few 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 a solution — a daily recap. In the list below, you’ll find the stories we’ve published today. Chances are, you’re not going to be interested...

Galaxy S8 launcher and app icons surface online

You may have read our what to expect from the Galaxy S8 article by now which tells you almost everything that you need to know about the upcoming flagship. However, we’ll continue to see new stuff related to the handset until it’s officially announced in a couple of weeks. One of our readers has shared some images of the Galaxy S8 launcher and updated app icons with us. According to the reader, these...

Nougat update finally arriving on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge in India

Samsung is finally pushing out the long-awaited Nougat update for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge in India. As expected, the upgrade bundles all of the stock features baked into Android 7.0, in addition to a multitude of additional bug fixes, speed optimizations and stability improvements. This news comes shortly after an identical release was distributed in Europe, following...

Daily Deal: Save 60% on a 64GB EVO microSD card

While stock lasts, you can bag yourself a 64GB EVO microSD card for $24.28 (60% off). That’s a fantastic price to pay for a chip that not only offers super snappy transfer speeds, but is also waterproof and resistant to extreme temperatures. If you want to take advantage of this promotion, tap the Buy Now button. Be warned, though — Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available for this specific deal (like usual) and it’s available worldwide,...

This might be the reason why the Galaxy S8 display doesn’t feature an integrated fingerprint sensor

It was rumored around five months ago that the Galaxy S8 was going to be the first smartphone with optical fingerprint recognition. This would mean that the handset’s display was going to feature an integrated fingerprint sensor. Samsung was already expected to ditch the physical home button so it had to put the sensor somewhere and integrating it with the display felt like the natural choice. However, we now know that the Galaxy S8′s fingerprint...

AT&T releases February security patch for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S5 Active

AT&T is now sending out a new firmware update for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S5 Active on its network. This isn’t a major update so users shouldn’t expect much in the way of new features. It’s actually rolling out the February security patch for these handsets now even though that’s no longer the latest security maintenance release from Google and Samsung. However, the March security update has only been released for a handful...

What’s new with Android 7.0 on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge [4K Video]

Samsung finally started rolling out the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge last week. Vodafone was one of the first carriers in Europe to release it in a handful of markets and those firmware files and now available for download via our firmware section as well. You might have already seen the photos of Nougat running on a Galaxy S6 edge but if you really want to understand what’s new with Android 7.0 on the 2016 flagship,...

Samsung releases Galaxy S8 TV ad early, likely a result of impressive LG G6 sales figures

With sales of the LG G6 off to a smooth start, Samsung has aired an advert for the Galaxy S8 on TV in South Korea three weeks ahead of its official unveiling. Typically, the firm releases similar promotional material one-to-two weeks ahead of a flagship release. “Samsung’s rare move to release a TV ad for the Galaxy this early appears to (be an attempt to) keep LG from dominating the nation’s premium smartphone market before the S8 rollout,”...

Galaxy S8 Plus 3,500mAh battery possibly leaked

As we mentioned in our what to expect from the Galaxy S8 article, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus might feature a 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh battery respectively. We’ve now spotted a leaked image of what appears to be the 3,500mAh battery of the Galaxy S8 Plus. If it’s the real deal it does confirm several things about the new flagship. First off, it confirms rumors that the larger variant is going to...

Galaxy S8 certified by China’s product quality testing agency

Less than a week after it was spotted at the FCC, Samsung’s much-anticipated Galaxy S8 has received its China Compulsory Certification (CCC) — which, alongside TENAA, is one of the final port of calls a handset makes before it hits the shelves in the region — bearing the model number SM-G9500. For those in need of a refresher, the Galaxy S8 is expected to pack a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display...

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 teaser was the most-watched corporate brand video last week

During its event at Mobile World Congress on February 26, Samsung released a (very minimal) teaser trailer for the Galaxy S8 — and it’s since blown up, amassing a total of 26.6 million views around the world last week alone; making it the most-watched corporate brand viral video from March 6 to March 12. Read more: Here’s what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S8 For comparison, LG took to its YouTube channel last week to share a video highlighting...