Samsung likely to become world’s largest chipmaker in the coming quarter

Intel has held on to the throne of the world’s largest chipmaker for 24 years. That’s a pretty big achievement but now it’s time for Samsung to take up the throne. Samsung is predicted to become the world’s largest chipmaker in the coming quarter, thus displacing Intel from the top spot after 24 years.

Intel has been the world’s top chipmaker since 1993 when it came out with its Pentium processors. However, Samsung has been catching up fast recently due to rising prices and demand for memory chips.

“If memory market prices continue to hold or increase through the second quarter and the balance of this year, Samsung could charge into the top spot and displace Intel, which has held the No. 1 ranking since 1993,” predict Bill McClean, president of the market research firm IC Insights.

Intel is expected to post chip sales of $14.4 billion in the second quarter of this year while Samsung’s chip sales are expected to account for $14.6 billion in revenue and registering a 4.1 percent year-over-year growth.

If this does end up happening, it would be a big achievement for Samsung as it will become the only competing chipmaker to dethrone Intel from its position of dominance.

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Samsung Pay for Gear S3 launched in South Korea

Samsung today announced that it has launched Samsung Pay for the Gear S3 smartwatch in its home market of South Korea. The feature will enable Gear S3 owners to make payments on the go without having to even take out their Samsung smartphone from their pocket. All they need to do is bring the smartwatch close to the payment terminal and it will do the rest.

The company had actually planned on launching Samsung Pay for Gear S3 in September last year but it had to delay the launch as talks with local card companies took longer than it was anticipating.

Samsung Pay can now be used on the Gear S3 by users who have a Samsung, Hyundai, Lotte or Hana credit cards. Samsung says that it will add nationwide support for KB Kookmin cards in the country later this month.

If you’re curious about how this works, check out our post on how to use Samsung Pay on Gear S3.

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Unlocked Galaxy S7 edge Nougat update finally released

The last major update that Samsung released for the unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in the United States was back in December. Samsung released Nougat soon after for the 2016 flagship and yet the unlocked models, which should, in theory, receive updates sooner, were not updated to Nougat. Naturally, Samsung had to take a lot of flak from customers who own the unlocked units.

Samsung apologized for the delay last month and committed to sending out monthly security updates for the device. It also mentioned that Nougat would arrive soon for the SM-G930U and SM-G935U.

The company has now released Android 7.0 Nougat for the unlocked Galaxy S7 edge (SM-G935U) in the United States. The firmware hasn’t been rolled out over the air but it can be downloaded manually using Samsung Smart Switch on a computer. It has released firmware version G935UUEU4BQD2 for this handset.

Samsung hasn’t released Nougat for the unlocked Galaxy S7 as yet but it shouldn’t be long now before it follows through for that device as well. It may take a few days before this firmware is also rolled out over-the-air.

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Best Buy is offering discounts on some Galaxy Tab S3 accessories

The Galaxy Tab S3, which was announced two months ago at MWC 2017, is currently available for sale in the US. Samsung had also unveiled a few official accessories for the tablet, including a keyboard case, a magnetic case, and the S Pen Stylus. Now, some of them are being sold at discounted prices in the US.

Best Buy has listed some Galaxy Tab S3 official accessories with discounted prices. The Keyboard Case now costs just $64.99 (originally priced at $129.99). The Folio Case, which was launched for $59.99, is now being sold for just $24.99. The S Pen stylus, which debuted for $79.99, is now priced at just $24.99 on Best Buy’s website.

It looks like a great time to pick up some accessories for your brand new Galaxy Tab S3 tablet. Are you buying one?

 

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Verizon Gear S3 frontier release delayed

Verizon is the biggest mobile carrier in the United States and it still hasn’t released the Gear S3. Its rivals started selling Samsung’s smartwatch several months ago but Verizon customers have done nothing but wait for Big Red to release it. They’ll have to wait some more before Verizon has delayed the Gear S3 frontier’s release.

Big Red previously said that it would release the Gear S3 frontier on April 21 alongside the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. That obviously didn’t happen. It has now confirmed on its website that the release has been delayed without offering any reason or explanation.

It’s unclear at this point in time when Verizon is going to launch the Gear S3 frontier now. Reports suggest that it might not happen before the end of the second quarter. If that is true, Verizon users will have to wait until the end of June before they can purchase the Gear S3 frontier from Big Red.

If they can’t or don’t want to wait that long, they can either purchase the smartwatch from one of its rivals.

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SamMobile Daily Recap: May 1, 2017 — Bixby, Galaxy S8 and more!

We publish a ton 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.

Here’s what happened today.

Firmware News

First proper Galaxy Tab S3 update brings April security patch

T-Mobile Galaxy S6 edge+ Nougat update release will take place this week

General

Samsung gets approval to test its self-driving car on public roads

Phones

Bixby released for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in South Korea

Galaxy S7 sales top 55 million units

Samsung’s Marshmallow parental control app teaches kids healthy smartphone usage habits

This might be the best Galaxy Note 8 concept yet

Tips & Tricks

Galaxy S8 Tip: Change screen density to fit more content on the display

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Samsung Pay may launch in the UK on May 16th

We don’t always believe Samsung’s customer care executives and social media reps when it comes to information on things like software updates. Samsung UK has a particularly bad track record, but it looks it might be right about the possible launch date of Samsung Pay in the UK. We’ve seen many of our readers complaining about how Samsung Pay is not available in the country after all this time, but it looks like their wait will soon be at an end.

One of our readers has sent us a record of his chat with two different Samsung representatives, and both mention May 16th as the date of launch of Samsung Pay in the UK. Given the support reps are giving out a concrete date, it certainly seems like the information is based on fact. As in other countries, Samsung Pay will support both NFC and MST payments in the UK to cover a large range of payment terminals.

As usual, there’s a possibility Samsung’s plans might change, and we’ll keep you updated with anything we hear on Samsung Pay for the UK.

Thanks, Alex!

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Boost and Virgin Mobile are offering the Galaxy S8 for the cheapest

Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in the US on April 21. Both these smartphones were being sold by all the big carriers and retailers in the country for no less than $720 off contract. However, Boost and Virgin Mobile are selling the Galaxy S8 for much cheaper.

If you don’t mind buying the Galaxy S8 from Boost or Virgin Mobile (Sprint’s prepaid brands), you can get it for just $649.99. However, you can only buy it in its black avatar. Moreover, you can get it unlocked for free after 12 months of usage. After you buy the phone from these carriers, you need to activate it online and choose a prepaid monthly plan starting at $35.

If you were wondering, Boost and Virgin Mobile haven’t started selling the Galaxy S8+ yet.

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Samsung might acquire micro-LED developer PlayNitride

If a new report is believed, Samsung might be interested in acquiring PlayNitride. This Taiwan-based company manufactures micro-LED panels. Samsung is said to be interested in manufacturing micro-LED displays for its VR headsets and may even use the technology for some TV models as well.

Micro-LEDs aren’t that popular as yet but market analysts believe that this display technology has the potential to be brighter and more efficient than OLED displays. Significant technical challenges exist, though, so the technology may not be properly commercialized before 2020.

Samsung isn’t the only company that’s interested in this technology. Apple acquired micro-LED company LuxVue in May 2014. Sony is working on this display technology as well while Oculus has acquired InfinitiLED, another micro-LED company.

This acquisition will enable Samsung to get a foot in the door, so to speak, as far as this next-generation display technology is concerned. Nothing is confirmed at this point in time but Samsung is reportedly going to pay $150 million for the company. Only time will tell if it decides to do that.

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Daily Deal: Save 51% on a 32GB EVO microSD card

For a limited time only, you can pick up a 32GB EVO microSD card for $18.48 (51% off), which is a great price to pay for a chip that not only offers super-fast transfer speeds, but is also waterproof and resistant to extreme temperatures.

If you like the sound of the 32GB EVO microSD card and want to take advantage of this promotion, hit the Buy Now button below. We should note, however, that orders won’t ship until May 7.

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Samsung patent shows what the Galaxy S8 might have looked like with a physical home button

Looking at the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, it’s easy to think that Samsung had always envisioned these devices with the virtually bezel less Infinity Display, with no physical home button or company logo to ruin the beautiful design. But every new smartphone goes through multiple iterations and usually has different prototypes before the final design is decided, and a Samsung patent shows what a Galaxy S8 might have looked like had it come with a physical home key.

It’s unclear if the design was patented just for the sake of having a patent, or whether it’s based on an actual prototype, but it does make it clear that a physical home button had no place being there at the front of the phone. It would simply have ruined the beauty that is the Galaxy S8, although it’s too bad Samsung threw the fingerprint sensor next to the camera instead of placing it in a more sensible position. The small size of the button, as seen in the image below, would also have made ergonomics an issue.

What do you think?

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Samsung Gear S3 receives an official price cut in the US, now available for just $299.99

The Gear S3 classic and the Gear S3 frontier, which were launched in the US last year with price tags of $349.99 each, have received an official price cut. Bluetooth variants of both these smartwatches are now available for just $299.99 through Samsung’s official online store as well as Amazon.

The LTE variant of the Gear S3 frontier for AT&T’s network is now priced at $299.99, but the T-Mobile variant will still set you back by $349.99. The Gear S3 is compatible with Android smartphones from Samsung as well as other brands. Moreover, it is also compatible with recent iPhones, but with limited functionality.

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Samsung’s compatibility list shows which Gear S3 features work with the iPhone and non-Samsung devices

With the Gear S3, Samsung finally opened up its smartwatch platform to non-Galaxy Android devices, later bringing support for the watch to the iPhone. But the Gear S3 works best when paired with a Galaxy device, and Samsung has published a list today which reveals how its latest smartwatch works with Android devices from other manufacturers and with the iPhone.

As we had noted in our experience of using the Gear S3 with the iPhone 7, the watch’s functionality is severely limited on Apple’s flagship, and things haven’t improved since then, no doubt because of Apple’s tightfisted control over iOS. Non-Samsung Android devices fare much better, only missing out on some functionality in messaging, calling, and email, while getting full functionality even with Samsung Pay. The next Gear S smartwatch will hopefully bring full support for all Android devices; for now, go ahead and check out Samsung’s official list below.

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This might be the best Galaxy Note 8 concept yet

Samsung has reiterated multiple times that it’s going to launch a new Galaxy Note flagship later this year. The new flagship will presumably be called the Galaxy Note 8 if Samsung decides to stick with the same brand name.

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been hearing more rumors and reports about what we can expect from the Galaxy Note 8. Samsung has a lot to make up for after the disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7 so it may work hard to regain the Note’s lost appeal.

We’ve come across what might be the best Galaxy Note 8 concept yet. It completely reimagines the phablet as a slimmer and sleeker device with the gorgeous Infinity Display that Samsung has introduced with the Galaxy S8.

It also imagines that the Galaxy Note 8 is going to have a dual camera system on the back. That remains a possibility given that Samsung was also expected to introduce such a system with the Galaxy S8. Many believe that Samsung’s first dual camera smartphone will be its next Note flagship.

None of this has officially been confirmed yet so it goes without saying that you should take this all with a grain of salt until we have more information to go on.

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Samsung’s Marshmallow parental control app teaches kids healthy smartphone usage habits

We exclusively reported six months ago that Samsung was working on a new parental control app for Galaxy smartphones. We told you in detail what features the app was going to offer and what the interface would look like. Samsung has now officially launched its parental control application.

The app is called Samsung Marshmallow. It’s a smartphone management and parental control app that helps kids develop healthy smartphone usage habits. It teaches them how to use a smartphone naturally by making their own usage plans, achieving goals and getting rewarded in the process.

Kids earn points – called Marshmallows – when they use their smartphones properly and lose them if they don’t. Kids will be able to set daily smartphone usage time limits themselves, which seems a bit counterproductive since most kids will not willingly limit their own time.

Parents are able to set bedtime, choose apps that they don’t want their kids to use, get information about their usage habits, and more.

Samsung Marshmallow is now available as a free download from the Google Play Store. It’s compatible with the Galaxy A, Galaxy J and Galaxy S series handsets running Android 5.0 and up. The Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 5 are supported as well.

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