SamMobile Daily Recap: August 8, 2017 — Galaxy S8 Active 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.

Here’s what we published today.

Business

Samsung’s smartphone sales improve in Japan during Q2 2017

Firmware News

Samsung starts rolling out Nougat to the Galaxy A7 (2017)

Phones

Samsung may ship the Galaxy Note 8 with a free case

Specs comparison: Galaxy S7 Active vs Galaxy S8 Active

TV

Samsung makes 4K and HDR content available in Europe through its TV Plus service

Wallpapers

[Download] Stock Galaxy Note 8 wallpapers may have just leaked

The post SamMobile Daily Recap: August 8, 2017 — Galaxy S8 Active and more! appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2vN7b76
via IFTTT

Samsung starts rolling out Nougat to the Galaxy A7 (2017)

After rolling out Nougat to high-end Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series smartphones, Samsung has started rolling out Android 7.0 to the Galaxy A7 (2017). The higher mid-range smartphone was launched in January, but it came running Android 6.0 out of the box. The new software update with firmware version A720FXXU2BQGB has a file size of 1394.40MB, and is now rolling out to all Galaxy A7 (2017) users in Thailand.

Apart from Android 7.0, the update also brings a newer user interface, improved notifications, quick setting buttons, and multi window experience. Similar to the Galaxy J (2017) smartphones, the Galaxy A7 (2017) will get the Dual Messenger function with this update. The feature lets users to setup two accounts of the same social networking or IM app on the phone. The update also brings improved AOD feature, newer settings menu, and Samsung Pass.

As always, the Nougat update also improves speed and reliability of the phone. Installation of downloaded apps and system upgrades should be faster as well. We expect Samsung to rollout the same update to other countries soon. Have you received this update on your phone? Let us know in the comments section below.

Thanks for the tip, Oves Shaikh!

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSaveSaveSave

The post Samsung starts rolling out Nougat to the Galaxy A7 (2017) appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2wq3MrQ
via IFTTT

Daily Deal: Grab Samsung’s Fast Charge Dual-Port Car Charger for 65% off

For a limited time only, you can bag yourself Samsung’s Dual-Port Car Fast Charger, which is capable of charging a Fast Charge-enabled handset from 0 to 50% in around half an hour, for just $16.12 (65% off).

If you like the sound of this promotion and want to take advantage of it, hit the Buy Now button below. We advise you to hurry though as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available for this specific deal and it’ll probably sell out fast.

The post Daily Deal: Grab Samsung’s Fast Charge Dual-Port Car Charger for 65% off appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2wG6AAt
via IFTTT

Samsung makes 4K and HDR content available in Europe through its TV Plus service

Samsung has introduced its TV Plus video streaming service in Europe, and users in France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom can use it to stream 4K (UHD) and HDR video content on their compatible Smart TVs. The company has rolled out this service in partnership with Rakuten TV, a leading provider of 4K and HDR movies and TV shows. Popular UHD movies like Passengers, Moneyball, and Hotel Transylvania are available on TV Plus.

The TV Plus service was first launched by Samsung in South Korea. The video streaming service was later launched in Germany, North America, and Southeast Asia. TV Plus’ user interface is designed to make it appear similar to navigating cable or satellite TV channels. It’s easy to use, and it has a lot of high-quality content. Video on demand content on TV Plus is broken down into three categories: New Releases, Family and UHD. Each category is filled with new and top selling content every week.

“Our goal at Samsung is to create innovative and valuable technology that makes our consumers’ lives easier and more enjoyable when it comes to watching their favorite content. With the European expansion of TV PLUS, we are thrilled to provide additional consumers access to new movies in UHD and HDR quality,” said Heeman Lee, Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

TV Plus has more than 8900 titles in the US. Samsung has also partnered with BBC to make exciting shows like Planet Earth II available to TV Plus users. More than 480,000 people in Korea and Southeast Asia use TV Plus. 70% and 41% smart TV users in Korea and Vietnam, respectively, use the TV Plus service. The company is planning to launch the service in more markets across the globe.

SaveSave

The post Samsung makes 4K and HDR content available in Europe through its TV Plus service appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2vN3SwD
via IFTTT

Specs comparison: Galaxy S7 Active vs Galaxy S8 Active

AT&T finally unveiled the Galaxy S8 Active officially yesterday. It will start taking pre-orders for the device from today. Samsung says that the Galaxy S8 Active is the most toughest Galaxy smartphone it has ever made.

The device is built to military grade durability standards so it’s shatter, shock, water and dust resistant. It also has the same internals as the Galaxy S8 with one or two major changes which are immediately noticeable.

The Galaxy S8 Active is a big step up from the Galaxy S7 Active though. The chart below will give you a good idea of the specs comparison between these two handsets.

Samsung has said that the Galaxy S8 Active will be exclusive to AT&T for a limited time so it may be the first Active handset to eventually be available from other carriers as well. Who knows, Samsung might end up releasing an unlocked variant as well.

	Galaxy S7 Active	Galaxy S8 Active
Display	5.1-inch Super AMOLED, Quad HD, 16:9	5.8-inch Super AMOLED, Quad HD+, 18:5:9
Processor	2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 64-bit	2.45 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 64-bit
RAM	4GB LPDDR4	4GB LPDDR4
Rear camera	12-megapixel, OIS, F1.7 aperture, phase-detection autofocus, 4K video recording	12-megapixel, OIS, Dual Pixel, phase-detection autofocus, 4K video recording
Front camera	5-megapixel, F1.7 aperture, QHD video recording	8-megapixel autofocus, F1.7 aperture, QHD video recording
Storage	32GB internal, microSD slot (up to 256GB)	64GB internal, microSD slot (up to 256GB)
Software	Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, upgradeable to Nougat	Android 7.0 Nougat
Battery	4,000mAh, Adaptive Fast Charge and fast wireless charging	4,000mAh, Adaptive Fast Charge and fast wireless charging
Connectivity	4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack	4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Dimensions	148.8×74.9x 9.9mm, 184.8g	151.9×74.9×9.9mm, 208.1g
Other features	Samsung Pay, IP68 water resistance, fingerprint sensor	AKG earphones, 32-bit audio, Bixby virtual assistant, Samsung Pay, IP68 water & dust resistance, fingerprint sensor, iris/face recognition, pressure sensor, military standard durability

The post Specs comparison: Galaxy S7 Active vs Galaxy S8 Active appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2wG2NDp
via IFTTT

Samsung may ship the Galaxy Note 8 with a free case

Samsung doesn’t bundle a free case with its flagship smartphones but that might change this year. A new report out of South Korea suggests that the company is going to ship the Galaxy Note 8 with a free case.

It won’t be a fancy case or one that’s made out of special materials like Kevlar for added durability. It’s said to be a simple transparent plastic case that will be similar to the one Samsung shipped with the Galaxy Note Fan Edition.

Since the case will be transparent, it will show the design of the Galaxy Note 8 while also protecting it from getting chipped or scratched. Samsung has reportedly minimized the thickness of this case as much as possible to ensure that it doesn’t add too much heft to the device.

The report adds that this case is going to cost in the range of 20,000 – 30,000 won ($17-$26) respectively when purchased separately. This move may have an impact on the business of third-party accessory manufacturers as quite a few users are likely to stick with the case that comes inside the box.

Samsung may only ship the case with the Galaxy Note 8 in select markets, though. The case will reportedly not be bundled with the handset in Europe, Russia and the United States.

The post Samsung may ship the Galaxy Note 8 with a free case appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2wG3E71
via IFTTT

Samsung’s smartphone sales improve in Japan during Q2 2017

The second quarter of 2017 has been pretty great for Samsung. Not only did it achieve record profits, but it also became the most profitable tech company in the world. It beat Apple’s numbers after a huge gap of four years. It is now being reported that Samsung’s smartphone sales increased in Japan during Q2 2017. The South Korean smartphone giant saw its sales reach a four-year high in the country.

According to the numbers published by the analytics firm Strategy Analytics, Samsung sold 700,000 smartphone units in Japan during the second quarter of this year, acquiring 8.8 percent of the smartphone market in the country. This is a sharp rise from its 3.8 percent market share during Q2 2016. Apple is currently the biggest smartphone brand in Japan with 41.3 percent market share, selling 3.3 million iPhones. Sony stands at the second position with 16.3 percent (1.3 million units) market share.

Samsung had a market share of 10 percent in Japan during mid-2013, but it gradually decreased due to increased competition from Apple. Industry experts attribute the increase in Samsung’s smartphone market share in the country to the robust sales of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. The company is planning to launch a new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, later this month with a dual-camera system and increased memory.

The post Samsung’s smartphone sales improve in Japan during Q2 2017 appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2wFvGQ2
via IFTTT

[Download] Stock Galaxy Note 8 wallpapers may have just leaked

In just two weeks, Samsung will take the stage in New York City to take the wraps off the Galaxy Note 8. There isn’t a lot we don’t know already know about the phone; in fact, pretty much everything has been put out in the open thanks to recent leaks, and someone has now managed to grab the stock Galaxy Note 8 wallpapers and released them online.

These wallpapers match the theme Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S8 wallpapers, so we have reason to believe they are the real deal (they also come from a usually trustworthy source). Not all wallpapers take after those found on the S8, however, and the ones with the subtle yet noticeable 8 in the middle stand out in particular. The only oddity here is that the wallpapers have a resolution of 2560×2560 pixels when they should be 2960×2960, but that’s not enough reason to believe these images won’t be loaded by default on Samsung’s upcoming flagship.

In any case, you can download the Galaxy Note 8 wallpapers in their full size at the source link (or at this alternate link) and try them out on your device. For stock wallpapers from other Samsung devices, don’t forget to check out our wallpaper archive.

The post [Download] Stock Galaxy Note 8 wallpapers may have just leaked appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/2uDdCV4
via IFTTT