March security update now arriving on the Galaxy A5 (2017) in Europe

Samsung’s in the midst of distributing the first monthly maintenance update for the recently-released Galaxy A5 (2017) in Europe. The upgrade — dated March 1, 2017 – bundles patches for 73 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures in the Android OS and 12 fixes specifically for Galaxy smartphones.

If you haven’t received the OTA yet, but would like to see if it’s ready for your device, open up Settings, then select the relevant option from the Software Update section. Alternatively, you can always wait until you receive a notification prompting you to install the update.

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Some Galaxy S8 prototypes appear to have featured a dual-camera setup

Before the launch of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, some reports suggested that Samsung was working on a dual-camera setup for its flagship smartphones for 2017. However, the devices debuted last week with a single rear-facing camera, disappointing optimistic fans. Some images of an early Galaxy S8+ prototype unit have now surfaced, showcasing a dual-camera setup.

These images lead us to believe that Samsung might have tested some Galaxy S8 and S8+ prototype units with dual-camera setups but ended up using a single camera in the final version. Apart from two camera sensors, a heart rate monitor, and an LED flash, you can clearly see the model number SM-G955F mentioned on the device in one of these images. There doesn’t seem to be a fingerprint scanner on the device, though.

Samsung is known to develop multiple prototypes of its high-end smartphones before choosing the final version. It is possible that the South Korean smartphone giant was working on a Galaxy S8+ prototype with a dual-camera setup and a fingerprint sensor embedded into its screen. Let us hope that the Galaxy Note 8 debuts with a similar feature set.

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Google Daydream doesn’t work on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ yet

The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ are one of the most feature-packed and most powerful smartphones that have ever been released. They are also compatible with Oculus VR, the most famous VR platform in the market right now. However, they are not compatible with Google’s Daydream VR platform right now.

Hardware-wise, Samsung’s new flagship smartphones are the most eligible devices for mobile VR, thanks to their pixel-dense, Super AMOLED Infinity Displays with high refresh rates as well as powerful 10nm octa-core processors (Exynos 8895 or Snapdragon 835). However, if you try to install Google’s Daydream app on any of these devices, you’ll see an error message that says the phones aren’t compatible with the app.

Yes, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ aren’t compatible with Google Daydream right now, and we don’t know if they would ever be. This might be due to Samsung and Google not reaching a distribution agreement that doesn’t conflict with the former’s current partnership with Oculus. It is true that Oculus VR has more content than Daydream, but what if a potential Galaxy S8 or S8+ buyer already owns a Daydream VR headset?

Users can root the S8 and S8+ to modify system permissions to use the Daydream app (if they absolutely need to), but we do not advise this solution to our readers as they would end up losing warranty on their brand new smartphones. What do you think about this situation? Do you prefer Google Daydream or Oculus VR? Let us know your preferences in the comments section below.

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