SamMobile Daily Recap: June 1, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Gear VR and more!

We publish a decent amount 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 with every post. But, we think we’ve come up with an ideal solution — a daily recap.

So, without further ado, here’s what went live today:

APK

Always On Display with Clear Cover support released on Google Play

Business

Samsung identifies 80 key districts in India to boost sales

Deals

Daily Deal: Save 37% on a Keyboard Cover for the Galaxy S8

Phones

Galaxy J5 (2017) release in Europe may take place on June 22

Galaxy J7 (2016) Nougat update being tested by Samsung

Galaxy S8+ with 6GB RAM launched in India

Leaked render shows off Rose Gold color variant of the Galaxy S8+

Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 to carry a price tag of around $620

Themes

Themes Thursday: Take a look at this week’s five best new themes

Virtual Reality

Samsung’s new display for VR headsets has 3.5x more pixels at 858ppi

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Always On Display with Clear Cover support released on Google Play

Samsung is keeping up with its penchant for unbundling system apps from its Galaxy smartphones and releasing them as standalone apps on the Google Play Store. This enables them company to quickly send out updates for these apps without having to bundle them with software updates. Always On Display is the latest to receive this treatment.

The Always On Display provides users with several clock designs and displays key information about notifications. Users can configure what they want to see on the AOD, they can even select an image from the gallery as a wallpaper for the AOD screen.

Users can experience different widgets on the AOD screen by double-tapping the clock area, set an active clock that has a running second hand, pin images and text to the AOD screen and download AOD-exclusive themes from the Theme Store.

The company today released Always On Display as a standalone app on the Google Play Store. That’s not all. It even has support for Samsung’s Clear View cover so AOD will be useful even when users have that cover installed on their supported Galaxy handset.

Always On Display is available as a free download from the Google Play Store. It used to be updated only via Galaxy Apps previously. Since this feature is only available on select Galaxy smartphones like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7, you need to have a compatible device to take advantage of AOD.

Thanks, Henk!

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Galaxy J7 (2016) Nougat update being tested by Samsung

The upcoming Galaxy J (2017) series may be getting all of the attention these days but there’s something that existing Galaxy J series handset owners can look forward to: the Nougat update. Samsung is yet to roll out Android 7.0 Nougat for these devices. A GFXBench listing reveals that the Galaxy J7 (2016) Nougat update is now being tested by Samsung.

The listing reveals that benchmark tests are being conducted on the Galaxy J7 (2016) model number SM-J710 with Android 7.0 Nougat onboard. This is normally taken as an indication that the update is not that far off. Nevertheless, it can’t be said with absolute certainty at this point when Samsung is going to release Nougat for this handset.

The Nougat update for this device will bring all of the features that are part and parcel of Android 7.0. Some of Samsung’s own features like the Blue Light Filter and Secure Folder might be included as well.

It’s also not known at this point in time when the other handsets in the Galaxy J (2016) series will receive their Nougat update. Hopefully, Samsung will provide more clarity on the matter soon.

Those who are looking forward to the Galaxy J (2017) need not be concerned, the refreshed series is likely to come with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

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Daily Deal: Save 37% on a Keyboard Cover for the Galaxy S8

For a limited time only, you can snag yourself a detachable QWERTY Keyboard Cover for the recently-released Galaxy S8 for just $37.90, which is a cool 37% off its recommended retail price.

“The Samsung Galaxy S8 Keyboard Cover provides the protection of a standard protective cover with the convenience and functionality of a mechanical QWERTY keyboard,” reads the product description.

“Pairing or separate battery not required. Simply clip the keyboard to the front of your device with the included protective cover installed – your screen interface adjusts automatically to accommodate the keyboard.”

To go ahead and purchase the Keyboard Cover for the Galaxy S8, hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll probably want to hurry though, as it inventory won’t be around for too long.

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Leaked render shows off Rose Gold color variant of the Galaxy S8+

An alleged press render of a Rose Gold color variant of the Galaxy S8+ surfaced on Weibo on Thursday — and we have to say, it looks absolutely fantastic. We’re unable to trace its provenance, though, which means it should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt.

That said, it doesn’t seem too unrealistic for Samsung to release another hue for the Galaxy S8. After all, it released two additional colors for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge a couple of months after they hit the shelves, and Rose Gold will certainly be a welcomed addition.

It should go without saying that if this turns out to be true and the handset hits the shelves, it will sport identical internals to all of the other variants of the Galaxy S8+, meaning it’ll have a 6.2-inch Infinity Display, an Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835 processor and a 3,500mAh battery.

Fingers crossed!

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Themes Thursday: Take a look at this week’s five best new themes

Welcome to Themes Thursday! 357 new theme packs have been published in the Theme Store for compatible Galaxy devices from Samsung. We’ve checked all the new themes and shortlisted five interesting ones for you.

The [Anup] Translucent UI 2 (AOD) theme has a mix of neon colors and a black background. If you want to match your phone’s theme with your blingy outfit, check out the [HIO] Gold Hexagon theme. PEARL, [Kendi] Dream UI, and [Walk On Mars] Mystery Green themes have stock (or near-stock) icons and good-looking backgrounds.

You can check out screenshots of all the mentioned themes below.

[Anup] Translucent UI 2 (AOD)

[HIO] Gold Hexagon

[Kendi] Dream UI

[Walk On Mars] Mystery Green

PEARL

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Galaxy S8+ with 6GB RAM launched in India

Samsung may be selling the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in most markets across the globe with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage, but it has made a variant of the larger model that has 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage. This variant has only been released in a handful of markets and it will soon be released in India as well.

We heard that this variant could be launched in markets outside Korea and that’s what Samsung is now doing. The company today launched the Galaxy S8+ with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage in India. It will thus cater to customers who want to have more memory and storage on their handset, even though more RAM doesn’t necessarily mean more performance.

One of the reasons why Samsung made this variant in the first place was to take part in the numbers game. It’s normal for most Chinese OEMs to release handsets with 6GB RAM, so in markets where the numbers are taken at face value, it doesn’t look good if Samsung’s new flagship smartphone is perceived to be less powerful just because it doesn’t have more RAM.

The Galaxy S8+ with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage will be available in Midnight Black. Customers in India who want one can pre-order it at Samsung Shop or Flipkart starting tomorrow.

Samsung has an introductory offer on this handset and it will give all customers a free wireless charger. The handset has been priced at 74,990 ($1,162) and will be released in India on June 9.

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Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 to carry a price tag of around $620

If a recent leak originating from South Korea is anything to go by, it would appear that the refurbished variant of the Galaxy Note 7, which has been dubbed the Galaxy Note FE, will carry a price tag of 699,600 won ($623) when it launches in the region in the not-too-distant future.

While the Galaxy Note FE has been rumored to sport the exact same design as the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, a hands-on image that surfaced online earlier this week actually points towards there being one difference: the latest model has a big “R” on the back to indicate that it’s a refurbished unit.

As you’d expect, the Galaxy Note FE will also feature almost identical internals to the original Galaxy Note 7, meaning it’ll have the same 5.7-inch display, Exynos 8890 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 12MP rear-facing camera, though it should pack a slightly smaller 3,200mAh battery.

It’s believed that out of the three-to-four million Galaxy Note 7 units recalled, just 300,000 will go on sale in South Korea.

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Samsung identifies 80 key districts in India to boost sales

In a bid to boost sales of its consumer electronic devices, Samsung has devised an “attack district” plan to target 80 key districts in India. The new strategy is aimed at replicating the success that the company has seen in the country’s smartphone market and leveraging that experience to become the country’s largest white goods maker.

This happens to be the first time that Samsung India is focusing on a district-level business strategy for consumer electronic devices like televisions, refrigerators and washing machines.

The company is interested in significantly increasing its consumer electronics business in the country. Over 75 percent of Samsung India’s sales are generated by the mobile phone business so clearly, there’s room for the consumer electronics business to contribute more. It’s the second largest consumer electronics company in India by revenue.

The plan includes rolling out affordably priced models in entry-to-mid segments initially, expanding the number of branches from 35 to 47 and devising a separate investment plan for market development, confirmed vice president marketing of the consumer electronics business Rajeev Bhutani.

The company has identified districts that have long-term business potential based on purchasing power. It’s going to build its service capabilities in these markets. “We expect almost 2.5 times growth in smaller markets with such a strategy. We are making huge marketing investment for this,” Bhutani added.

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Galaxy J5 (2017) release in Europe may take place on June 22

There have already been countless leaks and rumors concerning the Galaxy J (2017) series. We know that the company has made certain improvements to the series and that it shouldn’t be long before they’re officially announced. If a retailer’s listing is to be believed, the Galaxy J5 (2017) may be released in Europe starting June 22.

Reports suggest that the Galaxy J5 (2017) will have a full metal body. It’s also believed to feature a 5.2-inch 1280×720 pixel resolution Super AMOLED display with an octa-core 1.6GHz processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB storage.

Additional features may include Android 7.0 Nougat, dual-SIM support, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, a fingerprint sensor and a 2,600mAh battery. The handset will be available in pink, gold, blue and black colors.

German retailer Cyberport now has a listing up for the Galaxy J5 (2017). The listing contains renders of the device itself alongside its full specifications. It mentions that the handset will be available starting June 22.

If that is the case, we should see listings for the handset go up at other online retailers across Europe soon. It’s also possible that the other handsets in the Galaxy J (2017) series may be released around the same time. Samsung is yet to confirm the release date for these handsets officially, though.

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Samsung’s new display for VR headsets has 3.5x more pixels at 858ppi

Samsung unveiled a new display panel, which is specifically designed to be used in VR headsets, at Display Week 2017. It’s a 3.5-inch display panel with a resolution of 2,024 x 2,200 pixels and pixel density of a whopping 858ppi. It has twice the pixel density compared to what HTC Vive and Oculus Rift have to offer, and around 3.5x more pixels.

Apart from its higher pixel density, the company’s new display panel also has a refresh rate of 90Hz and up to 100 nits brightness, which will help the company in offering its users sharper images and improved virtual reality experience. It will also help people who feel nauseated due to lower pixel density of current-generation VR headsets.

The company hasn’t announced the amount of added processing that’s required to drive those extra pixels, though. Samsung has not announced whether it wants to sell these new display panels to other VR headset makers or use it for its own virtual reality headset. You can have a look at some images of the new display panel below.

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