SamMobile Daily Recap: March 27, 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.

In the list below, you’ll find the stories that went live today. We understand that you’re not going to be interested in all of them, so to help you find what’s important to you, we’ve split them into their respective categories. If you want to see the latest Galaxy S8 news, for example, locate the Phones subheading.

Business

High-end devices accounted for 29% of Samsung’s smartphone sales in Q1 2017

Deals

Daily Deal: Save 21% on a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand

Display

LG Display may supply 700,000 LCD panels to Samsung

General

Qualcomm apparently blocked Samsung from selling Exynos processors to other manufacturers

Opinion

Is Samsung now making up for smaller batteries by lowering display resolution?

Phones

Galaxy S8 launch event will be hosted by Samsung’s mobile chief

Galaxy Xcover 4 US launch may take place in a few months

Samsung confirms that it is bringing back the Galaxy Note 7 as a refurbished device

Samsung patents a thinner dual camera system

Snapdragon and Exynos variants of Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus appear on AnTuTu

Polls

[Poll] What Galaxy S8 feature are you looking forward to the most?

Reviews

Our video review of the Galaxy A5 (2017) is now online!

TV

Samsung will release 22 additional curved TV models worldwide

Watches

Future Gear smartwatches may have a rotary dial display

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Unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge finally get March security update in US but that’s not enough

Samsung has taken a lot of flak from unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge owners in the United States. Despite the fact that factory unlocked devices normally receive updates sooner than their carrier-locked counterparts, the unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge last received an update in the US back in December.

Samsung released Android 7.0 Nougat for last year’s flagships and carriers in the country have rolled it out yet Nougat still eludes the unlocked version in the US. You can understand why customers are not feeling happy about this.

The company apologized for the delay a couple of weeks ago which it chalked up as the consequence of “various circumstances.” It committed to sending out monthly security updates for unlocked devices in a timely fashion. It has now followed through. Both the unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are now receiving an over-the-air firmware update in the United States which brings the March security patch.

Firmware versions G930UUES4AQC1 and G935UUES4AQC1 have been rolled out for these handsets respectively. The files are now available for download via our firmware section for the unlocked Galaxy S7 SM-G930U and the Galaxy S7 edge SM-G935U.

It’s a step in the right direction but it’s not enough. Now that devices like the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 are being updated to Nougat, it’s due time that Samsung roll out Android 7.0 Nougat for unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in the United States.

It hasn’t even confirmed when it’s going to do that and that’s not fair at all to those customers.

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Our video review of the Galaxy A5 (2017) is now online!

A little over a month ago, we published our comprehensive review of the mid-range Galaxy A5 (2017) — and now we’ve released our accompanying video review. If, after reading our thoughts, you’re still torn between whether to pick it up or not, the short, in-depth clip should help you make a decision.

Check it out below:

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Samsung confirms that it is bringing back the Galaxy Note 7 as a refurbished device

We had reported a few weeks ago that Samsung might sell the Galaxy Note 7 as refurbished units shortly. The South Korean smartphone giant has now confirmed that it will bring the Galaxy Note 7 as a refurbished smartphone in some markets depending on regulatory approvals and local demands.

In an official blogpost, Samsung has announced that it has established three principles to ensure that all the Galaxy Note 7 units are recycled and processed in an environment-friendly way. First, the smartphone will be considered to be used as a refurbished or rental phone wherever applicable.

Second, reusable components and parts of the device would be detached for reuse. Third, valuable metals and other such parts shall be extracted using environment-friendly methods. This appears to be a walk back from the company’s plan to not bring back those units to the market.

Regarding the use of the Galaxy Note 7 as a refurbished or a rental device, the company will consult with local regulatory authorities, carriers, and local demand before releasing it in any market. The company will announce the release date of these refurbished units accordingly.

For the remaining Galaxy Note 7 units, components such as processors and camera sensors would be detached by firms that specialize in this area, and those components would be used for testing and sample production purposes. It is being rumored that the refurbished units would feature smaller capacity batteries.

The company has also announced that it will extract precious metals such as copper, gold, nickel, and silver would be extracted from the remaining components by eco-friendly companies. Moreover, as a part of the company’s ongoing commitment to recycling, it will join EU’s R&D and test efforts to develop new eco-friendly processing methods.

Last month, Greenpeace protestors interrupted the company’s MWC press conference, demanding to know what the company would do with the 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 units.

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Is Samsung now making up for smaller batteries by lowering display resolution?

Android 7.0 Nougat brought many new features to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, and we discovered a slew of minor changes the new version of the OS made across the board. One important change post Nougat was the lowered screen resolution, as the S7 and S7 edge default to Full HD after being upgraded from Marshmallow. Recent leaks are now suggesting that Samsung will be making Full HD the default resolution on the Galaxy S8 as well, and it makes me wonder if the company is doing this to make up for smaller batteries.

With a 3,000 mAh battery, I’m not expecting the Galaxy S8 to offer great battery life with that 5.8-inch display up front. The Galaxy S7 barely managed to get through the day with the same battery capacity, and it had a display that’s considerably smaller than its upcoming successor. Use the S7 with two SIMs inside, and it further reduces its overall endurance, so I’m very worried the Galaxy S8 will be a repeat of the Galaxy S6. Yes, Super AMOLED displays are rather efficient and there’s also the promise of the new 10 nm processors inside the S8, but the small battery is still likely to be an issue.

Many will argue that Full HD is enough for displays up to 6 inches in size, and I would agree. Quad HD display resolution doesn’t serve any notable purpose in everyday usage, so it wouldn’t be odd if Samsung decided that the Galaxy S8 will only run at Quad HD (or WQHD+, as its new resolution will be called) when it is hooked up to the company’s Gear VR handset. Again, I wouldn’t normally have a problem with this, but it looks like defaulting to Full HD could be an excuse for what seems like insufficient battery capacity, at least for the regular Galaxy S8.

Or it may not be so, as reducing screen resolution doesn’t have any noticeable effect on battery life on the Galaxy S7. Maybe Samsung has improved the feature for the Galaxy S8, but in any case, it would be disappointing if Samsung takes this route for its flagships this year rather than attempting to put in larger batteries by making its phones a tad thicker. As usual, there is no telling what Samsung is up to, and we will only get details when the phone is made official on March 29th.

What do you think? Could Samsung be using a lower screen resolution on the Galaxy S8 to make up for the small battery inside the device?

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Daily Deal: Save 21% on a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand

While stock lasts, you can pick up Samsung’s latest Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand for $39.34 (21% off). What’s particularly neat about this promotion, however, is that it’s not limited to the United States. It can actually be shipped to just about any country Amazon is available in.

Review: Samsung fast wireless charging stand makes charging very convenient

As you’d expect, this particular charger has compatibility for Samsung’s proprietary wireless fast charging technology, which can charge your device from 0 to 100 percent in less time than a standard wireless charger. It also supports regular charging speeds for non-Samsung Qi-enabled devices.

If you like the sound of the Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand and want to take advantage of the deal, hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll probably want to hurry as Amazon has only assigned a small amount of inventory for this specific promotion and once it’s gone, it’s once.

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Snapdragon and Exynos variants of Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus appear on AnTuTu

The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, which are to be officially unveiled on March 29, have appeared on AnTuTu benchmark’s database. Specifications of both Exynos and Snapdragon variants of these upcoming smartphones have been revealed, as a result.

The Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F) appears to be running Android 7.0 and featuring Exynos 8895 processor, a 12-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel secondary camera, 4GB RAM, and 64GB internal storage. The SM-G9500 appears to be a Snapdragon 835-equipped variant with an Adreno 540 GPU.

The Galaxy S8 Plus (SM-G955F) has the same specifications as the Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F), including the Exynos 8895 chipset. The SM-G955U appears to be a Snapdragon 835 variant of the Galaxy S8 Plus. As per previous leaks and reports, the front-facing cameras in the phones would reportedly feature autofocus mechanism, a first in any Samsung smartphone.

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Samsung patents a thinner dual camera system

Samsung has quite a few patents detailing dual camera technology but it may be a while before we see Galaxy handsets with two cameras on the back. A new patent application filed by Samsung in South Korea has surfaced online today which reveals that Samsung has plans to make its own dual camera sensor that’s not only thinner than what’s out there currently but also better in low light conditions.

Previous rumors had suggested that perhaps the Galaxy S8 would feature a dual camera but given all that we’ve seen about the handset by now, it’s clear that Samsung is not going to introduce its dual camera system with the Galaxy S8. Whether or not it’s going to do that with the Galaxy Note 8 remains to be seen as it’s very early to speculate about that.

The patent titled “Camera module-including multi-lens and electronic device having the same” makes it evident that Samsung is interested in making its own dual camera system. It goes into detail about how the module will be thinner and light sensitive. The patent also mentions that this dual camera system will have the ability to capture 3D photographs and incorporate the dimensions and distances in them.

It obviously can’t be said for sure right now if what Samsung has detailed in this patent is ever going to see the light of day but given the increasing popularity of dual rear camera systems, it may only be a matter of time before the company adopts it for its flagship smartphones.

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[Polls] What Galaxy S8 feature are you looking forward to the most?

The Galaxy S8 is rumored to ship with a slew of exciting features, like Bixby, an edge-to-edge Infinity Display and on-screen navigation keys. But what one are you looking forward to the most? Cast your vote in the poll below and if you want to elaborate on why, be sure to leave a comment.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Future Gear smartwatches may have a rotary dial display

Most of the flexible display patents that we’ve seen from Samsung so far have been limited to bendable and foldable smartphones but a new patent application has been published by the US Patent & Trademark Office which suggests that future Gear smartwatches from Samsung might feature a rotary dial display.

Samsung introduced its rotary dial design with the Gear S2 and it retained it for the Gear S3. The rotating dial makes it very easy to navigate the interface. This new Samsung patent details a secondary display that would be placed around the rotary dial area. The design illustrated in the patent shows that the rotation of this display will be limited to 90 degrees.

The patent details that this rotary dial display will provide “simple information, such as a current date, a current weather, a current playing song, etc.” This will be a completely different function than what the rotary dial serves right now which is to enable users to easily navigate the entire user interface.

It remains to be seen when Samsung transforms this patent into reality, just because something is patented doesn’t mean it’s going to be brought to the market, but this seems like a natural evolution for the rotary dial on Samsung’s Gear smartwatches.

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Galaxy Xcover 4 US launch may take place in a few months

Samsung announced the Galaxy Xcover 4 smartphone earlier this month and confirmed that the handset would be released in select markets initially. We later brought you a list of all the markets where the Galaxy Xcover 4 is going to be released. It appears that the device will eventually make its way to the United States as well since it has been cleared by the Federal Communications Commission.

The Galaxy Xcover 4 has a 4.99-inch TFT 720×1280 pixel resolution display with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor under the hood coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage. The handset has a 2,800mAh battery, NFC, runs Android 7.0 Nougat and is certified to US military standard MIL-STD 810G for guaranteed toughness.

The Galaxy Xcover 3 did make its way to the United States last year but it wasn’t offered by any of the carriers. It was sold exclusively through Amazon so while it won’t be surprising if the Galaxy Xcover 4 lands in the United States, it will be interesting to see if any carriers offer the newer model this time around.

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LG Display may supply 700,000 LCD panels to Samsung

Sharp notified Samsung three months ago that it would soon stop supplying the company with LCD panels. Samsung has been looking for other suppliers since then and it has turned to LG Display. Reports suggest that LG Display may start supplying Samsung with LCD panels as early as June this year. According to a new report, LG Display is planning to supply 700,000 units of LCD panels for TVs to its rival this year.

Japan-based Sharp decided to end supply to Samsung after it was acquired by Foxconn. Market analysts believe that this decision was intended to promote the sales of the company’s own TVs instead of providing support to Samsung in the lucrative LCD TV market.

LG and Samsung are both competitors in multiple markets across the globe. This is going to be the first such deal between the two behemoths. No official confirmation has come in as yet but LG Display did say last month that discussions continue with Samsung on the supply of LCD panels. An official from Samsung reiterated that no official agreement has been signed as yet.

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Galaxy S8 launch event will be hosted by Samsung’s mobile chief

Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus later this week on March 29 and the company has now confirmed that the event is going to be hosted by Samsung Electronics’ mobile business chief Dong-jin Koh. He was given this position last year and has since hosted the launch events for the company’s new flagship smartphones, including that for the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung’s flagship events are normally attended by quite a few executives and employees in order to celebrate the launch of a crucial product. However, due to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco of last year, Koh is believed to have asked for fewer executives and employees at the event.

A Samsung official cited in the report claimed that “Koh has told most of the executives and employees to stay at their workplaces and to focus on quality control.”

Koh will be present on March 29 in New York to finally unveil the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, but it’s not like we don’t already know what the company has in store for us.

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Qualcomm apparently blocked Samsung from selling Exynos processors to other manufacturers

Even though Samsung’s Exynos chipsets are quite capable of holding their own against the best of them, we’ve not seen a lot of other manufacturers adopt them, so Exynos chipsets have more or less been limited to Samsung’s own smartphones. According to a new report, it’s not that Samsung is unwilling to sell them to others, it may actually be because of a contract that it has with Qualcomm.

A report out of South Korea claims that Samsung did try to sell its Exynos chipsets to others with it was blocked by Qualcomm. The company apparently “abused the standard essential patent” license to stop Samsung from selling its modems and integrated chipsets for more than 25 years.

This unfair practice was pointed out in the resolution of the Fair Trade Commission of South Korea pertaining to the case of Qualcomm abusing its market power. “Samsung Electronics has been blocked from selling its modem chipsets to other smartphone manufacturers due to a license deal it signed with Qualcomm,” it said in the resolution.

The Fair Trade Commission has already levied an estimated $873 million in fines on Qualcomm following an investigation which concluded that the chipmaker had used its market position unfairly in Korea by refusing to give licenses to other chipset manufacturers and also by demanding high fees for its patents used by manufacturers. Qualcomm has filed an appeal and an application for a stay of the decision in a court of law.

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Samsung will release 22 additional curved TV models worldwide

A new report out of Korea suggests that Samsung is going to release 22 additional curved TV models worldwide. This is a bit surprising given that its rivals Sony and LG decided against bringing curved TVs to the market this year. Many reviewers and consumers feel that the curved TVs are nothing more than a gimmick which is probably by some of Samsung’s rivals have decided to stop making them altogether.

The unique selling point for a curved TV is that it should, at least in theory, provide an immersive wraparound effect. Manufacturers like Samsung often compare it to the curved that’s present in IMAX screens. However, a comparison between a massive IMAX screen and a TV isn’t always going to be entirely true.

Samsung will essentially be the only premium television manufacturer selling curved TVs so it will be interesting to see how they perform for the company. Samsung will reportedly focus on offering models that are 65-inches or bigger and at least one model will be a part of its new QLED TV range.

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High-end devices accounted for 29% of Samsung’s smartphone sales in Q1 2017

It’s been revealed that high-end smartphones accounted for 29 percent of Samsung’s combined handset sales in the first quarter of 2017; marking the first time the figure has dropped below 30 percent.

As noted by The Investor, the portion of top-of-the-range devices once reached 75 percent during the second quarter of 2013, when the Galaxy S4 hit the shelves. It gradually declined afterwards, however.

With the release of the much-anticipated Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus right around the corner, it’s more than likely the figure will creep back up during the second and third quarter of this year.

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