Samsung’s profit may reach all-time high in Q2 because of the Galaxy S8

Samsung hasn’t revealed its earnings report for the first quarter of this year yet but the market expects the results to exceed expectations. Even though the mobile division may not contribute as much as it would have wanted, Samsung’s Q1 2017 is likely going to be salvaged by its lucrative chip business which continues to see tremendous growth. However, things might be a bit different in the second quarter.

Samsung last posted a record quarterly profit back in the third quarter of 2013. It earned 10.1 trillion won and the Galaxy S4 played a major role in that. With the Galaxy S8 looking to dominate the smartphone market this year, analysts at IBK Invest & Securities believe that the Galaxy S8 is going to help Samsung boost operating profits in Q2 2017 by 49 percent. They expect it to reach 12.1 trillion won or $11 billion.

The company’s annual operating profit is expected to rise by 69 percent this year due to strong demand for 3D NAND flash memory and OLED panels. Samsung has reportedly inked contracts worth billions of dollars with Apple to supply it with OLED displays for the next iPhone.

Samsung also expects its new flagship smartphone to perform well. It feels that sales will outperform the Galaxy S7 which set a new internal record for sales last year. Samsung has doubled the initial stock of the Galaxy S8 compared to the Galaxy S7 to ensure that there are no supply issues at launch.

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

Samsung and Rakuten Wuaki bring 4K HDR movies to customers across Europe

Samsung has announced a partnership with Rakuten Wuaki at the Marché International des Programmes de Télévision in Cannes which will make the latter the first Video on Demand service to sell newly released 4K HDR movies to Samsung’s TV customers across Europe. Rakuten Wuaki is a leading provider of 4K high dynamic range or HDR movies and Video on Demand content.

This is part of Samsung’s TV Plus service that was first launched last year. Samsung calls it the world’s first virtual TV channel service as it allows users to watch online videos by flipping channels just as they would on a conventional TV service. TV Plus was initially launched in South Korea before it was expanded to Thailand and Vietnam. Earlier this year, Samsung expanded TV Plus to the United States and Europe.

The TV Plus service will be available in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Rakuten Wuaki will power the fastest way to discover the latest 4K HDR movies and content on Samsung’s new QLED TVs. The content will be separated into different categories like Newly Released, Kids, Action and Comedy movies and will be available from IP-based TV channels run by Rakuten Wuaki.

“Rakuten is excited to grow our partnership with Samsung as we continue to look for new, innovative ways for users to consume the content they desire,” said Jacinto Roca, chief executive officer of Rakuten Wuaki.

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

Samsung Pay acknowledged as the best payment service in Russia

Samsung launched its mobile payments service Samsung Pay in Russia back in September last year. The service appears to have done well in over six months in the country as it has been acknowledged as the Best Payment Service in the country. Samsung Pay has received the Financial Sphere award (Banks and Payment services section) that has been established by Russia’s leading banking media Banking Review or “Bankovskoe obozrenie.”

“From the very first day, we in Samsung believed in future success of the Samsung Pay on the Russian market,” said Samsung’s head of mobile marketing in Russia Seif El Hakim, adding that the company plans to expand the Samsung Pay network to connect every bank in Russia to its payment service.

The Financial Sphere award in the Payment service category recognizes financial institutions and companies without a banking license that have announced or launched a banking product which achieved major results within a year or more. An expert council determines the recipients of the award. All nominees are evaluated on a five-point scale with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. The applicant with the highest score is declared the winner.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2oAw95R
via IFTTT

Samsung’s marketing costs hit $10 billion last year

Samsung is known for spending a lot of money on marketing for its new products, it normally spends several multiples of what some of its rivals can manage to spend. The latest industry data shows that while LG spent around $1.6 billion on marketing last year, Samsung spent $10.2 billion in comparison during the same period.

Samsung’s advertising budget which is part of this $10.2 billion total saw a 15 percent increase year-over-year as the company spent a lot of resources to push products like the Galaxy S7. Industry watchers feel that Samsung spent the bulk of this money on promoting its smartphones. It may have had to make additional efforts to maintain its brand reputation following the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco last year.

The company is expected to continue with its aggressive marketing strategy in 2017 as well. It has all the more reason in the world to do so given that the Galaxy S8 has turned out to be one of the best Android smartphones to come out this year. We can expect Samsung to leave no stone unturned in pushing the Galaxy S8 to potential customers far and wide.

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

Samsung announces Galaxy J3 Pro in India

Chances are, you’ve heard of Samsung’s more budget-friendly Galaxy J series along with its particular phones such as the Galaxy J3, Galaxy J5, and even the Galaxy J7. The Galaxy J7 Prime and Galaxy J5 Prime are presumed to be the best of the Galaxy J experience, but Samsung has started “priming” the J3 with the announcement of a phone in China nearly a year ago after a press render leaked, revealed as the Galaxy J3 Pro for the Chinese market.

Well, Samsung has been silent as to whether or not the J3 Pro would make its way to other market, but Samsung India answered the question for consumers in its own country today. The Galaxy J3 Pro has now been announced for India, bringing interesting specs such as the same 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage with a microSD card slot for expandable storage, a 5MP front/8MP rear camera combo, and a 2,600mAh battery.

The specs seem to match those of the J3 Pro for China, with some slight differences, however: the 1.2Ghz quad-core SoC for the China J3 Pro turns into a faster, 1.5Ghz quad-core SoC for India, and the 2,650mAh battery for the China J3 Pro turns into a 2,600mAh battery for the Indian market. All other specs and features remain the same, but Samsung has included “Made for India” features such as Ultra Data Saving Mode (present on the company’s Z3 smartphone, for example) and S Bike Mode (pre-installed on the Galaxy J3 2016).

The J3 Pro has arrived in China and India, but it may arrive in other markets: after all, Samsung has trademarked the Galaxy J7 Sky Pro moniker for a presumed upcoming J7 release in the US market.

The Galaxy J3 Pro carries a price tag of 990 Yuan ($150 USD) for China, but Indian customers will pay Rs. 8,490 (~$130 USD) and will be sold exclusively through Paytm on April 6th in Black, Gold, and White colors.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2nHNpC6
via IFTTT

Gear S2 firmware updated in the Netherlands, brings Tizen 2.3.2.2

The Gear S3 Frontier, Gear S3 Classic, and new Gear S3 Classic LTE are the new smartwatches on the block (at least for another few months until the Gear S4), but Samsung still maintains its commitment to the Gear S2.

We’ve seen small, incremental updates to the Gear S2, released in no small part to maintain a solid user experience while by eliminating bugs (such as in the case of email notification issues with a recent Gear Manager update). Today’s update for the Gear S2 in the Netherlands brings the firmware versions to R732XXU2EQC1 and R7320XA2EQC1 and fixes Bluetooth stabilization issues. That’s practically all this new update brings, weighing in at 19.64MB, outside of updating the Netherlands Gear S2 to Tizen 2.3.2.2.

While this update fixes Bluetooth issues, one 60MB update to the Gear S2 that brought full-fledged sleep tracking shows that small updates can be significant, too. As with life, don’t judge updates by their cover or their size.

Head on over to your Gear Manager app to grab the small update. Then, come back and let us know if you notice any changes in Bluetooth stability or bugs.

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

S Health becomes Samsung Health in latest update, brings promised online doctor visits

We reported exclusively several weeks ago that Samsung would bring online doctor visits to S Health with the Galaxy S8, and today’s S Health update brings the claim to fruition. Samsung has updated S Health with a new “Ask An Expert” feature that the company introduced at its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ announcement a few days ago.

The Ask An Expert feature allows 24/7 doctor visits but is only available for the US at this time. In addition to the new Ask An Expert/online doctor visits feature, the Korean giant has renamed S Health to “Samsung Health,” a change that will prove beneficial for a company that wants users to be aware of its own unique software experience.

Six main types of health management devices have been added to the accessories section alongside of a new custom pace-setter. Step challenges and the ability to save them, and messages to cheer on friends in step challenges were added in recent updates to the application.

For those interested in taking the new update for a spin, you can download the latest version from our APK Archive.

What do you think of the new online doctor visits and name change?

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

SamMobile Daily Recap: April 4, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Galaxy X and more!

We publish a decent amount of stories on a daily basis. Sadly, most 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. But, we think we’ve come up with the perfect 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 in all of them. To help you find what’s important to you, we’ve split them into their respective categories — so if you want to see the latest Galaxy S8 news, locate the Phones subheading.

Business

Samsung inks Android patent licensing agreements with Google, LG and HTC

Deals

Daily Deal: Take 69% off a 32GB EVO microSD card

Firmware News

Samsung details contents of April security patch

Phones

DisplayMate reviews Galaxy S8′s display, crowns it as the best smartphone display

Galaxy S8′s gigabit LTE speeds won’t be of any use to customers in South Korea

Galaxy S8 launcher rearranges home screen icons with a tap to make up for the large display

Rogers Galaxy S8 pre-order gifts include $100 Visa card, 6-months free Netflix and Gear VR

Samsung Display predicts foldable phones will be commercialized in 2019

Samsung gives us a rundown of the Galaxy S8′s design story

6GB RAM variant of the Galaxy S8+ will reportedly cost over $1,000

TV

Samsung cuts TV prices in India as competition rises

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2o6hLl9
via IFTTT

DisplayMate reviews Galaxy S8′s display, crowns it as the best smartphone display

Samsung has been improving the display quality on their smartphones every six months. DisplayMate, a brand that specializes in display calibration and optimization, recently conducted an in-depth testing of the Galaxy S8‘s display and came out pretty impressed. As per DisplayMate’s testing, the Galaxy S8 has the best smartphone display in the market right now.

The test has revealed that the Galaxy S8′s Super AMOLED Infinity Display with close to 3K resolution (2960 x 1440 pixels at 570 ppi) can reach a peak brightness of above 1,000 nits. It can accurately cover 113% of the DCI-P3 Color Gamut and 142% of sRGB / Rec.709 Gamuts, resulting in higher color accuracy even in the high ambient light. Moreover, the Galaxy S8 is the first smartphone to be certified by the UHD Alliance for Mobile HDR Premium, which means users can enjoy videos with higher dynamic range.

The Galaxy S8′s bezel-starved screen is 18% larger in screen size compared to the Galaxy S7′s screen, offering an immersive experience while using the device. Similar to the Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy S8 has dual ambient light sensors for better control over automatic screen brightness. DisplayMate’s tests suggest that the Galaxy S8 supports four screen modes, three color gamuts, and an option to adjust the white point. Each of these screen modes is said to offer higher absolute color accuracy compared to the S7.

There seems to be an improvement in viewing angles compared to the S7′s display. The Video Enhancer mode on the smartphone provides HDR-like expanded dynamic range while watching photos and videos that don’t have HDR coding. Moreover, Samsung seems to have employed a dedicated IC in the Galaxy S8 and S8+ for the Always On Display mode which results in even lower power consumption. However, when you look at the power consumption numbers, there doesn’t seem to be an improvement compared to the S7, but Ray Soneria, President of DisplayMate Technologies said this:

“Increasing the Color Gamut of a display requires more saturated primaries, which are inherently less efficient, so it takes more power to produce the same brightness as a display with a smaller Color Gamut. The reason why all displays and all display technologies struggle to increase their Color Gamut is due to this particular issue.

Since the display power on the Galaxy S8 did not increase compared to the Galaxy S7, which has a smaller Color Gamut, that means the optical efficiency of the new OLED materials in the Galaxy S8 were improved, with a total improvement of around 10 percent.

Producing the much more saturated Red used in the Galaxy S8 is particularly challenging, which is why I mention the new “Deep Red” OLED in the article. Note that all displays are struggling to reach 100% DCI-P3, but the Galaxy S8 has 113% DCI-P3, which is impressive, and Samsung did it without any increase in display power. See the article Color Gamuts Figure”

Click on the source link below to read more about DisplayMate’s in-depth review of the Galaxy S8′s display.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2oxCEX4
via IFTTT

Daily Deal: Take 69% off a 32GB EVO microSD card

Amazon has today further slashed the price of Samsung’s super-fast, waterproof 32GB EVO microSD card, meaning you can now pick one up for a mere $11.95 (69% off).

If you like the sound of the 32GB EVO microSD card and want to bag yourself one, hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll need to be quick, though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2o5u153
via IFTTT

6GB RAM variant of the Galaxy S8+ will reportedly cost over $1000

Samsung is planning to launch variants of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ with 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. These variants were certified by TENAA just before the official unveiling of Samsung’s newest flagship smartphones. It is now being reported that the 6GB RAM variant of the Galaxy S8+ would cost upwards of $1,000.

A new report from ETNews says that the Galaxy S8+ with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage will only be released in China with a price tag of KRW 1,155,000 (or $1,030). Those pre-ordering this variant of the Galaxy S8+ will also get a DeX dock (which costs KRW 160,000 or $150) for free.

Samsung launched the 128GB storage variant of the Galaxy S7 last year in South Korea and then released it later in a few other markets, including India and New Zealand.

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

Galaxy S8 launcher rearranges home screen icons with a tap to make up for the large display

Those tall screens on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ may make for striking visual appeal, but they are no doubt going to need some getting used to for pretty much every customer out there. Features like one-handed mode are sure to come in handy, and Samsung has also made an interesting change in the same vein on the TouchWiz launcher.

With a single tap, you can make the shortcuts on a home screen automatically arrange themselves at the upper or lower part of the home screen, depending on where you want them. Naturally, having all icons in the lower part of the home screen would be better suited for easier access, especially when you are using the Galaxy S8 or S8+ (especially the S8+) with a single hand. Arranging the icons on top puts them on the top left of the display, while arranging them at the bottom will align them to the bottom right portion. Selecting either arrangement removes your custom arrangement of icons if you have one.

This is one of many minor yet rather useful changes we have discovered on the Galaxy S8, and you can bet our review will detail everything there is to know about the device, including those gigantic (yet narrow) displays are in real-life usage.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2nWVC8i
via IFTTT

Rogers Galaxy S8 pre-order gifts include $100 Visa card, 6-months free Netflix and Gear VR

Not only are customers in Canada going to receive the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ ahead of schedule but one of the country’s biggest carriers is also offering them additional pre-order gifts over and above the free Gear VR with Controller that Samsung is giving to all pre-order customers.

Rogers has said that all new and existing customers who pre-order a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ on a 2-year Share Everything plan will receive a 6-month free Netflix subscription that’s a $59.94 value as well as a $100 bonus Visa Prepaid Card upon online purchase, activation or upgrade on select 2-year plans. The Visa card can be used to purchase whatever the customer wants so that’s essentially $100 off on the price of the new handset.

These incentives are being offered over and above the free Gear VR with Controller pre-order gift that will be given to all customers regardless of where they buy the new flagship from. If you’re interested in taking advantage of this deal then you must be based in Canada and you will also want to read the fine print carefully before you proceed.

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

Samsung inks Android patent licensing agreements with Google, LG and HTC

In pursuit of patent peace which Google says coincides with innovation and healthy competition which benefits consumers, the company has launched a new patent licensing initiative called PAX. As a member of PAX, Samsung has signed patent licensing agreements with other members which include Google, LG, HTC, Foxconn, HMD Global, Coolpad, BQ and Allview.

All PAX members grant each other royalty-free patent licenses which cover Android and Google Applications on qualified devices. Google says that this “community-driven clearinghouse” that it has developed with its Android partners will ensure that innovation and consumer choice continues to be the key drivers of the Android ecosystem and not patent threats. It has made PAX free to join to anyone.

Google believes that PAX will further expand the openness of Android for all of its members particularly by promoting patent peace that’s going to free up valuable time and resources for members who can then use those resources to create new ideas.

Samsung and its fellow PAX members collectively own more than 230,000 patents worldwide and the number will only continue to grow as more members join the initiative in the future.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2n6DFFm
via IFTTT

Galaxy S8′s gigabit LTE speeds won’t be of any use to customers in South Korea

We reported last week that the Galaxy S8 is the first smartphone on the market that can hit gigabit LTE speeds. The Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895-powered variants of this handset both feature integrated modems capable of hitting mobile data speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

T-Mobile even gave us a demonstration of the Galaxy S8 reaching gigabit speeds recently. However, there’s no wide network infrastructure in place so this particular feature is currently a bit ahead of its time.

So the gigabit LTE feature won’t be of any use to customers in Samsung’s home country as well where existing network environments allow for a maximum theoretical speed of 600 Mbps and that too in major cities. The maximum speed doesn’t exceed 300 Mbps in smaller cities.

However, the country’s major carriers which include KT and SK Telecom are currently testing the Galaxy S8. They are capable of supporting the four-band carrier aggregation but it will take time to reach speeds of up to 1 Gbps and the actual available speed is obviously going to differ from region to region.

Simply put, it’s going to be a while before the full potential of the Galaxy S8′s gigabit LTE modem can be realized.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2n6r7h6
via IFTTT

Samsung cuts TV prices in India as competition rises

Samsung has reportedly cut the prices of its 32-inch to 42-inch LED TVs in India by as much as 15 percent as a preemptive measure against rising competition from local companies like Micromax and Chinese competitors like LeEco, Xiaomi and TCL. Samsung’s rivals LG and Sony have reportedly taken a similar step in the country to counter the rising tide of cheaper TV units.

All three manufacturers – Samsung, LG and Sony – currently account for more than 80 percent of the Indian TV market. Samsung obviously has an interest to ensure that this lead doesn’t erode over time and end up with companies offering cheaper models. Samsung and its rivals have already seen their market share being evaporated in China which is one of the largest TV markets in the world.

India is a significant market as well and a local industry source cited in the report suggests that this price cut is going to add to an increase in the price competition as more than 25 brands are currently trying to make their mark in the country’s TV market.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2nSbC9S
via IFTTT

Samsung Display predicts foldable phones will be commercialized in 2019

Samsung Display’s principal engineer has revealed that foldable phones may not be commercialized until 2019 as there are still technical challenges to be addressed. This news comes shortly after a report surfaced online claiming the firm will take the wraps off the handsets later this year.

“Because the bezel-free display currently sells well, we still have enough time to develop foldable display. The technology is expected to be mature around 2019,” said Kim Tae-woong, Samsung Display’s principal engineer. It’s believed that as demand for bezel-free devices slows, foldable displays will be introduced.

Bad news for folk hoping to pick up the long-rumored Galaxy X this year, then.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2nS88UW
via IFTTT

Samsung gives us a rundown of the Galaxy S8′s design story

Earlier today, Samsung took to its Newsroom to explain how it was able to come up with the “completely renewed and unique” design of the recently-announced Galaxy S8. In the post, the firm details why it settled on the Infinity Display, the reasoning behind the gorgeous launch colors and much more.

If you have any questions about the design (and functionality) of the Galaxy S8, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be answered in the post — so be sure to hit the source link below to read it. Even if you don’t, we’d still advise you to check it out as it’s pretty interesting.

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

Samsung details contents of April security patch

Samsung has taken to its official Security Blog to share the contents of this month’s maintenance update. As per the changelog, the upgrade addresses a total of 49 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the Android OS and an additional 16 patches for the firm’s Galaxy-branded smartphones, which include a fix for a weakness that allowed prying eyes to access crash log files.

As we’ve said time and time again (we’re starting to hate saying it as much as you hate hearing it), the majority of the patches are listed as “privately disclosed” — and that’s because Samsung can’t go into great detail as there are some bugs that may not have been discovered by hackers yet, and they may attempt to exploit them before the firmware is distributed.

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