الغريب: فبراير 2018

الأربعاء، 28 فبراير 2018

Best smartphone display ever? It’s on the Galaxy S9, as expected

The pace at which Samsung has been making improvements to its flagship smartphone displays, it was only a matter of time before things reached a peak, and that seems to have finally happened with the Galaxy S9. DisplayMate, the experts who go through the pains of testing smartphone displays so we don’t have to, say the Galaxy S9 has the best display of any smartphone ever. To be fair, Samsung’s flagships have been taking home the mantle of best display for a long time now, and it was only the Apple iPhone X, which features an OLED made by Samsung, that managed to steal the limelight and put a blemish on its archrival’s long-standing track record.

Color accuracy “visually indistinguishable from perfect”

Since the iPhone X’s OLED display was deemed to be so darned good by many publications, we were expecting Samsung to hit it out the park with the Galaxy S9. We weren’t expecting it to do so well, however – according to DisplayMate, the color accuracy of the Infinity display on the Galaxy S9 is “visually indistinguishable from perfect.” That’s high praise indeed, but we’re not too surprised that color accuracy has reached a point where further improvements seem unimportant. That’s not to say the Galaxy S10 (or whatever the next one is called) won’t top what the S9 offers. In fact, we wouldn’t put it past Samsung to impress us again much earlier with the Galaxy Note 9.

Other than the “perfect” color accuracy, the Galaxy S9 display also achieves 20 percent higher brightness over the Galaxy S8 display in high brightness mode. That’s when the display goes into overdrive when you step outdoors and into bright sunlight, and the S9 can reach 1,130 nits of brightness in such situations. The 1,000 nits+ brightness is also what gives the Galaxy S9 true Mobile HDR certification, just like the Galaxy Note 8, although DisplayMate recorded the Note 8 display reaching over 1,200 nits. The S9’s screen also has the lowest brightness and color shifts with a change in viewing angles for a smartphone.

The source link has all the in-depth info you need to learn exactly why the Galaxy S9 is so good when it comes to the viewing experience. Don’t forget that Samsung’s latest flagship also has stronger front glass and higher shock resistance, so that beautiful display is also more resilient. Not that we would recommend using the phone without a case, but hey, instead of letting us dictate how you use a phone you might be paying nearly a thousand dollars for, check out if you can save a few bucks when buying the S9 or S9+ through the deals we’ve curated over in this post.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S9 hands-on

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McAfee extends partnership with Samsung

Samsung has been preloading the McAfee anti-malware solution on their Galaxy smartphones for some years now. In case if you haven’t observed it, you can find it in the Device Maintenance menu in the settings, under the Device Security option. While some users may label it as bloat, Samsung believes it offers an additional layer of security to its users.

McAfee will come pre-installed on Galaxy S9

At the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, McAfee has announced that it is extending its partnership with Samsung to safeguard its users from cyber security threats on smartphones, smart TVs, PCs, and notebooks.

Accordingly, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 8 will come pre-installed with anti-malware protection powered by McAfee VirusScan. Samsung will also pre-install Secure Wi-Fi, a VPN service which relies on backend infrastructure from McAfee. Previously, this app was apparently preloaded on the Galaxy Note 8 only in the US, but we’ve seen it come to devices in Europe and elsewhere through recent software updates. The Secure Wi-Fi VPN service will offer 250MB of monthly bandwidth for free, with the option to purchase an unlimited plan.

McAfee Security for TV, which was launched in the US and South Korea last year, will now come pre-installed on Samsung SmartTVs in 175 countries. Finally, Samsung’s 2018 PCs and notebooks will also come preinstalled with a 60-day trial version of McAfee LiveSafe, a cross-device security offering.

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2018 Samsung QLED TVs will be revealed on March 7

At CES 2018, Samsung showcased its vision for TVs and other home appliances in the IoT era. Though the company showcased ‘The Wall,’ its first 146-inch modular MicroLED TV, and an 8K QLED TV at the event, it didn’t launch any of the mainstream QLED TVs for 2018 at the event. The more mainstream SmartTVs were expected to launch at a later date.

2018 Samsung QLED TVs will feature Bixby

Earlier this month, a report from Korea stated that Samsung is going to launch a new Bixby-powered TV in New York in March. In line with the news, Samsung has scheduled an event titled ‘The First Look’ for March 7 at the American Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York. It will be part of Samsung’s global launch event for its 2018 QLED TV lineup.

Samsung has already outlined the new features coming to the 2018 SmartTV lineup. In line with the messaging at CES 2018, Bixby will play a central role in the new SmartTV experience. Most of the features are centered around a connected and AI-driven lifestyle powered by Bixby and SmartThings. Some of these features include using Bixby for seamless setup, effortless content discovery and sharing, smart home control, etc.

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Samsung expands DeX capabilities with Linux on Galaxy

Samsung launched the DeX platform along with the Galaxy S8 and S8+. It allows users to connect their Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S9+ to a monitor and use Android apps in a PC-like environment. The idea behind DeX is to transform the smartphone into a mobile computing device when connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Developers can now code on the go

With the new Dex Pad launched along with the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung changed the form factor from a docking station to a pad. Instead of docking the phone, the new Dex Pad requires users to place it flat like on a wireless charging pad. It also allows for the smartphone screen to be used as a touchpad and keyboard when in the desktop environment.

Along with the form factor changes and other improvements, Samsung is also trying to expand the DeX ecosystem with the Linux on Galaxy initiative. Installed as an app, Linux on Galaxy allows users to run desktop Linux software on their Galaxy flagship smartphones and in the DeX environment.

Samsung says Linux on Galaxy can run multiple operating systems, probably referring to the different Linux distros. The company believes Linux on Galaxy will enable developers to code on-the-go on their phones and effortlessly switch the task to a larger display with Dex.

Samsung says Linux on Galaxy is still a work in progress, and those interested in the idea can sign-up here.

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Benchmark reveals new Galaxy J8 may be in development

It appears Samsung is gearing up to revamp the Galaxy J series this year. Benchmarking websites are flooded with seemingly new Galaxy J series models which may launch sometime soon. Many of these devices were also part of the unannounced Galaxy devices list found in the leaked Galaxy Note 8 Oreo firmware.

After the alleged Galaxy J4, Galaxy J6, and the US variant of the new Galaxy J3, a device bearing the model number SM-J800FN has been spotted in the Geekbench database. If we go by the current model numbers and respective names, the SM-J800FN will probably launch as the Galaxy J8. Apart from the benchmark listing, there is also evidence supporting firmware development for the Galaxy J8.

Powered by an Exynos 7870 chipset

As per the benchmark result, the Galaxy J8 is powered by an Exynos 7870 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz and 3GB of RAM. The device runs Android 8.0, which should (hopefully) be a given for any new Galaxy device from here on. The Exynos 7870 is an octa-core processor that is already used in other Galaxy J series phones like the Galaxy J5 (2017), Galaxy J7 (2017), and Galaxy J7 Prime, etc. The revealed specs are similar to the current Galaxy J7 and other J series phones, begging the question if this is another rebranded Galaxy J series phone for a specific market or a retailer.

Samsung Galaxy J series is already a crowded lineup with dozens of models and dozens of variants which differ from market to market. Some of these models have such minor differences making you question Samsung’s rationale behind creating a new device altogether.

While Samsung may be aggressively working on the new Galaxy J series phones, there is no guarantee any of these offerings will help the company in combating the products from the Chinese OEMs like Xiaomi. Smartphones from the Chinese players offer better value for money than any of the Samsung’s budget options. So, unless Samsung ensures better prices or more specifications, Chinese OEMs may continue to pose a threat to Samsung.

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Here’s how small the Galaxy S9’s bezels are compared to the Galaxy S8

The Galaxy S8 was a significant milestone in smartphone design, not just for Samsung but the entire industry. So, when Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and S9+ on Sunday, they didn’t change much in terms of design compared to the predecessors.

The Galaxy S9 does bring some design changes to the table, but they are all subtle refinements to the Galaxy S8’s design, like a repositioned fingerprint reader, increased durability, and also slightly smaller bezels. The bezels on the Galaxy S8 were already quite small even after packing a crazy amount of tech. The S9 and S9+ come with even smaller/narrower bezels while adding more tech to the front of the phone.

Smaller, less distracting bezels

Exactly how small are the bezels on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+? The top bezel on the Galaxy S9 is 8.18 mm, 0.48 mm narrower than the Galaxy S8. The bottom bezel is 6.96 mm, which is 0.76 mm smaller than its predecessor. The narrower bezels together make the Galaxy S9 1.2 mm shorter than the S8 while retaining the same display size.

The Galaxy S9+, on the other hand, has an 8.21 mm bezel at the top and 6.99 mm bezel at the bottom, resulting in 0.39 mm and 1.01 mm smaller bezels respectively compared to the Galaxy S8+. This makes the Galaxy S9+ 1.4 mm shorter compared to the S8+; once again, the display size remains the same.

The story about bezels doesn’t stop there. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ also have less visually distracting elements in the top bezel. Samsung has applied a low-reflective film to make the display flow more seamlessly into the bezel. The company also managed to make the iris sensor blend into the bezel in a manner that makes it impossible to know the sensor is there when it’s not scanning your eyes.

The Galaxy S9 duo may have smaller bezels, but the rear camera protrudes 0.2 mm and 0.15 mm more than the S8 and S8+ respectively. Samsung attributes this increased camera protrusion to the high-speed sensor and Dual Aperture in the Galaxy S9. Not a bad trade-off we think.

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الثلاثاء، 27 فبراير 2018

See some Galaxy S9 super slow-mo videos here!

Between the adjustable aperture and the option to record “super” slow-motion videos, it’s hard to say which of the two Galaxy S9 camera features Samsung is prouder of. For the regular consumer, slow-motion videos make for better marketing material, and Samsung has certainly not been shy about touting how its new flagships can take awesome slow-mo clips. For those who haven’t been keeping up, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ can take slow-motion videos at 960 frames per second – that’s the slowest you can go on any smartphone out there with a motion detection feature that automatically captures slow-mo clips every time there’s movement in the frame.

Galaxy S9 super slow-mo videos

That’s not all. The camera also adds a music track to every slow-motion video, with the option for you to choose between various preloaded tracks or your own music. We’ll be holding back a detailed look at the Galaxy S9 and S9+’ slow-motion capabilities for our review, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to catch a few real-life examples of slow-motion videos recorded by the new Samsung flagships. We’ve managed to capture a couple of super slow-mo videos around the streets of Barcelona, and they’re embedded below for your viewing pleasure. Check them out and let us know your thoughts down in the comments section!

If you haven’t already, read our hands-on experience and also check out some high-resolution photos of the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+. Also read how Samsung went about making the Galaxy S9 and S9+ more durable compared to the company’s previous flagships. We also have a few deals that you can take advantage of to get discounts and other bonuses on the S9 or S9+, sorted by country.

Last but not the least, the official wallpapers from the Galaxy S9 are available as well. For other coverage on the new phones, we have a list of all our articles in this post, so go ahead and get up to speed with what the latest and greatest Galaxy flagships offer.

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A new Galaxy J3 model is probably headed to the US

The United States may be the biggest market for premium smartphones, but there is enough demand for low-cost devices as well for Samsung to launch budget models every year. Samsung launched the Galaxy J3 with support for all US carriers last year under different names and model numbers. Device benchmarks and Wi-Fi certification point to a new Galaxy J3 launch in the US this year as well.

A new Galaxy J3 likely headed to the US

Last year’s Galaxy J3 in the US launched with the model numbers SM-J327A, SM-J327V, SM-J327T, and SM-J327P on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint respectively. Hinting at a successor, devices with model numbers SM-J337A, SM-J337T, and SM-J337P have surfaced online at different places, revealing some of their specifications. Of these devices, the SM-J337T model has already received Wi-Fi certification on February 22, hinting at an imminent launch in the US.

In terms of specifications, these devices will run Android Oreo 8.0 out of the box and sport a 5-inch 720p display, 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage. The Geekbench results point to an Exynos 7570 processor for the SM-J337A model and an Exynos 7885 chipset for the SM-J337P variant. It is not clear if Samsung will indeed use different processors for the same model on different carriers. Also, the Exynos 7885 is a premium mid-range chipset found in the recently launched Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+. It is doubtful Samsung will use this chipset for a budget device like the Galaxy J3.

Samsung has also filed trademark applications for the names ‘J7 Refine’ and ‘J3 Achieve’ with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on February 23. Nothing else is known about these two devices currently. Earlier this month, Samsung has also filed trademark applications for the ‘J3 Star’ and ‘J7 Star’ names with the same office. Last year’s Galaxy J3 model was sold as J3 Eclipse on Verizon Wireless and J3 Emerge on Sprint, Boost, and Virgin Mobile. So, it is possible that the new Galaxy J3 models will launch under the new trademark names.

It is worth remembering Samsung’s Galaxy J series models differ in specifications and naming from market to market. Last year’s Galaxy J3 in the US was different from the one available in the rest of the markets. The same may be true for this year’s models as well.

As usual, nothing here is final until Samsung makes the official announcement. So, take all this information with a pinch of salt.

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Galaxy J6 possibly outed in benchmark listing

Last month we came across many unannounced Galaxy device codenames and model numbers in the leaked Galaxy Note 8 Oreo build. Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6 were two of the budget devices spotted in that list. At the time of the leak, there was nothing more than a few codenames and model numbers about the existence of these devices. In the last couple of weeks, however, we have come across more circumstantial evidence about the existence of these devices.

Yet another budget Galaxy device

First, we came across the alleged Galaxy J4 in the Geekbench database. Now, a device bearing the model number SM-J600F has made an appearance on the same benchmarking website. Going by Samsung’s naming convention it could point to a new handset called the Galaxy J6.

The Galaxy J6 will be a budget device with modest specs according to the benchmark. The device runs on Android 8.0 which should bring Treble support out of the box. The device is powered by an Exynos 7870 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz and comes with 2GB of RAM. It’s the same chipset found in other Galaxy J series phones such as the Galaxy J5 (2017), Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Prime, etc.

Samsung has been facing stiff competition in the budget segment from the Chinese OEMs, particularly Xiaomi. Whether the strategy of adding more and more Galaxy J series smartphones to its budget lineup helps Samsung in battling the onslaught from Chinese players remains to be seen.

While Samsung working on a new Galaxy J series phone is hardly surprising, it still doesn’t mean this benchmark is indisputable. Benchmark results can be faked without much difficulty, and so any information derived from these benchmarks should be taken with a dose of skepticism.

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Here’s how the Galaxy S9 is more durable than the Galaxy S8

The glass-heavy design language of Samsung’s mid-range and flagship smartphones these days warrants the use of a case for anyone not willing to risk seeing the glass shatter and pay a huge price to get it fixed. When your phone has a slab of glass on the front and back, it’s prone to damage no matter how durable it may be. Of course, luck’s a huge factor in deciding whether a drop will let your phone get by with a few minor scratches or make it shatter on impact, but Samsung isn’t sitting around idle, either. For its latest flagships, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the company has made a few key design changes to improve durability compared to the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Stronger metal, thicker glass equals higher durability

First, the front glass has been made slightly thicker – the S9’s front glass’ thickness value stands at 0.6T, while the S8’s was 0.5T. Just thicker glass isn’t enough, however, so Samsung has also upgraded the metal on the sides of the device. The company has used AL 7003 high-strength aluminum on the S9, and AL 7003 doesn’t deform as much as AL 6013, the aluminum used on the Galaxy S8. The metal rim on the S9 and S9+ is 0.2 mm thicker, and thanks to the stronger type of aluminum, the metal transfers 1.2 times less shock to the glass around it upon drop impact.

That might not seem like much, but when that glass is curved, as on every Samsung flagship these days, we’re guessing even such small improvements can do wonders. These build changes do mean the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are slightly thicker (0.5 and 0.4 mm respectively) than the S8 or S8+, but we’re told that’s also partly because of the repositioned fingerprint sensor and because Samsung wanted to keep the same battery capacities (3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh).

Again, when fortune smiles on you, you can get away with dropping a flagship phone bought with your hard-earned money without much damage. But there’s only so much luck can do for you, so it’s great to see Samsung has taken the necessary steps – however minor – to make its latest flagships more durable than the ones that came before.

For more on the Galaxy S9, check out our extensive coverage.

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How to use the Galaxy S9 in landscape mode

So the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are in our possession, and we’re working on getting a review out as soon as we can. Playing around with the devices, we’ve already discovered a slew of minor and major changes and new features. As we had revealed earlier, the Galaxy S9 finally makes it possible to use the home screen (and app drawer) in landscape mode, something many Samsung fans have been asking for for years. This follows another change the company had recently made to screen rotation: On the latest iterations of the Samsung Experience UX, you can lock the screen to landscape or portrait orientation, and landscape mode for the home screen was the logical next move.

Samsung still isn’t allowing the lock screen to work in landscape orientation, but hey, one step at a time, right? Also, landscape mode for the home screen isn’t enabled by default, so we’ve decided to write this post to help (future) Galaxy S9 owners activate landscape mode on the device inside apps, the regular user interface, and on the home screen.

How to use the Galaxy S9 in landscape mode

Part I: Switching to landscape mode via quick toggle

Many of you already know how you can switch to landscape orientation on a Samsung device (or Android devices in general), but those who don’t can follow the steps below. This particular option will enable landscape mode for everything except the home screen, although some apps that don’t deliberately work in landscape will continue to work in portrait orientation because, well, that’s what the developer of that particular app deemed would offer the best user experience.

Step 1: Access the notification shade by swiping down from the top of the screen (this can be done from anywhere in the interface), then swipe down again to access the quick toggles.

Step 2: Here, tap the screen rotation toggle repeatedly till it says Auto Rotate.

Step 3: Then, rotate the phone to make the screen flip to landscape (horizontal) orientation. Now, while the phone is in landscape orientation, bring up the toggles again (that is, follow steps 1 and 2 again) and tap the screen rotation toggle till it says Landscape. This will fix the screen orientation to landscape and prevent it from flipping to portrait unless an app doesn’t support it.

That’s it for switching to landscape mode and keeping it that way. To go back to portrait orientation, simply follow the reverse process: Enable auto rotate by tapping the screen orientation toggle, flip the phone to portrait (vertical) orientation, then tap the rotation toggle again until it says Portrait.

Part II: Enabling landscape mode for the home screen

The option to enable the home screen to work in landscape orientation doesn’t have a quick toggle but is found in the home screen settings. Follow the steps below to enable landscape mode for the home screen. Needless to say, if you prefer your home screen in portrait orientation, you can skip this part altogether.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on the phone, then go into display settings by tapping Display.

Step 2: Tap the Home screen option to go to home screen settings.

Step 3: Here, at the bottom, you should see an option named Portrait mode only. It will be turned on by default, so tap the option to uncheck it and enable the home screen to work in landscape.

That’s it. Once you’ve enabled landscape mode for the home screen, you can enable screen auto rotation on the phone (following the steps in Part I of this guide) and the home screen will also switch to landscape every time you tilt your phone horizontally.

Check out the images in the gallery below to see how the home screen (and app drawer) looks in horizontal orientation.

We’ll be covering more Galaxy S9 tips in the coming days, so make sure to bookmark our dedicated landing page for all such tips.

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Rumor: Galaxy S9 launching in India on March 6

After months of anticipation and endless leaks, Samsung finally unveiled the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ on Sunday at a special event in Barcelona. Now that the official unveiling is done, details about availability and pricing are beginning to flood the Internet.

Fastest Galaxy flagship launch in India?

We have received a tip that the Galaxy S9 could launch in India on March 6. Samsung has not officially confirmed the news but considering that the company is already accepting pre-booking money in India, it won’t be surprising to see a launch event so soon. If the Galaxy S9 launch indeed happens on March 6, then this may be one of the fastest Galaxy flagship launches in India.

It is worth noting that while the official launch in India may be on March 6 in the form of a launch event, actual sales will probably kickstart from March 16 or later like most other markets. Pricing, variants, and availability should be officially announced at the event, but we have already seen credible reports about possible pricing in India today. From the information available so far, we also know that India will get the Exynos variant of the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

The Galaxy S9 brings many incremental updates to the already well-received Galaxy S8 lineup. It is not yet clear if any of the new features that Samsung launched with the S9 and S9+ are compelling enough for users to upgrade. While Samsung is confident that the Galaxy S9 duo will outsell their predecessors, it will be interesting to see how cost-conscious markets like India respond to an incremental upgrade.

In case if you have missed our exhaustive coverage from the Galaxy S9 unveiling, you can check our hands-on and specs comparison to get started.

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Possible Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ prices for India leaked

What impressed us most about the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ is that Samsung isn’t asking for an exorbitant premium over last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ despite the new features and improvements. Sure, the prices of the new flagships will vary from market to market, but the difference between the S9 and S9+ and their predecessors seems to be around $50/€50 in general. This seems to be the case in India as well – prices of the S9 and S9+ for the country have leaked online, and they suggest the company is going to be following its usual course as far as raising prices for its flagships in the world’s second-largest smartphone market is concerned.

Possible Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ prices for India leaked

91Mobiles has gained access to a document that lists out the maximum retail price (MRP) for both the 64GB and 256GB models of the Galaxy S9 and S9+: Rs 62,500 and Rs 71,000 for the two S9 variants, and Rs 70,000 and Rs 79,000 for the 64GB and 256GB S9+ variants respectively. The markup on the 256GB model, which is the only higher storage variant set to launch in the country according to Samsung India’s website, is similar to what we saw with the 6GB RAM + 128GB Galaxy S8+ that launched in India last year. The 256GB model is only listed with the black color option, but Samsung is thankfully launching the higher storage model (and at least three color options) more widely this year.

It’s also worth noting that the Korean giant doesn’t usually release new phones at their MRP value in India, so the actual prices are bound to be lower. The document lists deal prices lower than what the S8 and S8+ cost at launch, so Samsung is also likely to have offers such as credit card cashbacks for early bird customers. Of course, we’ll have to wait for official word on how much these handsets will cost. The Indian market is expected to get Samsung’s new flagships faster than usual this year, as evidenced by the company already charging a prebooking amount for the S9 and S9+ in the country, so the wait shouldn’t be so long.

Don’t Miss: Here’s all our coverage of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+

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After Galaxy S9, Samsung no longer obsessed with ‘being the world’s first’

Smartphone manufacturers liberally throw around buzzwords like “world’s first” in their press releases to create hype for their phones. Samsung is one of those manufacturers even though it has introduced some genuine world-firsts with its flagship devices. However, the company is changing its strategy after the Galaxy S9 to developing more meaningful products instead of chasing after buzzwords.

Samsung’s mobile division boss DJ Koh mentioned during a press conference with Korean reporters in Barcelona that Samsung is changing its strategy after the Galaxy S9. He said that the company had been obsessed with being the first to bring new technology to market but that’s going to change in favor of developing more meaningful products.

Samsung wants to launch more meaningful products

Koh’s comments were in response to questions from reporters about Samsung’s roadmap for hardware innovation compared to its Chinese rivals who have already brought in-display fingerprint sensors and foldable smartphones to market. Samsung has long been rumored to be working on both but hasn’t launched them as yet.

“We developed mobile phones earlier than Chinese firms, and we were obsessed with being the world’s first and industry’s first, rather than thinking about how this innovation could be meaningful to consumers,” he said, adding that being first is no longer important today. Samsung’s strategy now will be to launch something that consumers find to be meaningful and valuable at the right time.

This basically means that Samsung will not launch devices with new technologies just for the sake of being the first to market. If that were the case we would have probably seen its in-display fingerprint sensor and foldable smartphone by now. The company will wait instead and only launch devices with such new technologies when they’re fully ready for the market.

Koh reiterated this strategy when asked about Samsung’s Bixby Speaker. He said that the company will only launch its AI-powered smart speaker “when it’s ready with top-notch quality.” Koh also said yesterday that Samsung’s Bixby Speaker will likely be launched in the second half of this year.

What do you think about Samsung’s new strategy? Should the company perfect new technologies before it brings them to market or participate in the race to be the first with Chinese rivals who don’t seem to be in a mood to slow down? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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الاثنين، 26 فبراير 2018

Galaxy S8 Oreo firmware available on SamMobile can now be flashed without issues

The Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has caused a fair deal of problems. Samsung didn’t waste much time in rolling out the official update to beta testers after the beta program concluded, and there was unsurprisingly a mad rush from Galaxy S8 owners who weren’t getting the update to grab official Oreo firmware and flash it on their device. Only Samsung had a surprise in store: The Android 8.0 Oreo firmware uses a new compression algorithm that the existing Odin tool – which is used to flash firmware on Samsung devices – couldn’t read.

A few workarounds were posted on the internet, mainly employing a modified version of Odin, but here at SamMobile, we decided to wait for a proper solution. Samsung also pulled the plug on the Oreo update a few days later to fix a critical reboot issue, ultimately releasing a newer build that is now available over the air in many regions. Well, we are happy to report that we also finally have the proper solution for flashing Oreo firmware on the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Galaxy S8 Oreo firmware can now be flashed without issues

A new version of Odin is now available from our database; you can download it here or from the individual pages for each firmware file for the S8 and S8+ or any other recent device. You have to use this new version of Odin to be able to flash Oreo firmware on the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and it will also be required for future releases of Oreo for other devices. If you have been holding out on upgrading to Oreo because of the reported problems with its firmware, well, you can finally make the jump to the latest and greatest version of the OS.

Of course, if Oreo isn’t available for your country yet, we would recommend waiting until Samsung officially releases the update. If Oreo firmware is available for your country, the latest build of Oreo is G950FXXU1CRB7 and G955FXXU1CRB7 for the S8 and S8+ respectively. You could also flash the first release – build number XXU1CRAP – but since Samsung didn’t deem it to be stable enough, we’d caution against doing so.

Download Android 8.0 Oreo firmware for the Galaxy S8 here and the Galaxy S8+ here. For a rundown on all that’s new with Oreo, check out our coverage and also Samsung’s official infographic detailing the new version of the Samsung Experience UX.

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Here are the regions where the Exynos and Snapdragon Galaxy S9 will be launched

After a mere six months since the last flagship announcement from Samsung, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are finally here. In case you’ve missed the extensive flooding of information, here is the glorious official spec sheet for the S9 duo. If you consider yourself a Samsung fanatic, then you already know that Samsung releases two CPU variants for its flagship devices, one being the Qualcomm Snapdragon and the other its homegrown Exynos processor. With the exception of the Galaxy S6 in 2015, this has been the case for quite some time. Let’s break down which markets will receive either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 or the Samsung Exynos 9810 for the S9 duo in 2018.

Exynos or Snapdragon in your market?

As usual, one of the largest markets for flagship devices, the United States, will receive the Snapdragon 845 model. As we saw last year with the Galaxy S8 duo, the S9’s will be the first devices to rock the latest processor from Qualcomm. China is also a consistent recipient of the Snapdragon processor and this year is no different. Latin America and Japan are included in the bunch as well. The rest of the world, including the whole of Europe, will receive the native Samsung Exynos 9810 processor.

Now, both processors are similarly clocked and contain eight cores. The Exynos contains four 2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 cores coupled with four 1.7 GHz Cortex-A55 cores. The Snapdragon sports four 2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold cores coupled with four 1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver cores. Despite the similarities, historically, the Exynos processor outperforms the Snapdragon. So far, benchmark information for the Snapdragon 845 and Exynos 9810 has made its way to the public, and both variants do look rather promising.

Well, enough spec talk. Take a look at our hands-on review of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ and also check out the rest of our coverage of Samsung’s latest flagships.

The post Here are the regions where the Exynos and Snapdragon Galaxy S9 will be launched appeared first on SamMobile.

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Here’s all our coverage of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+

After months of rumors and never-ending leaks, Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy S9 and S9+ at a special event in Barcelona. Even though almost everything about the devices was leaked well before the announcement, there was still a lot to cover after the official unveiling.

Missed our Galaxy S9 MWC coverage? No problem

Post the launch event, carriers and retailers have announced pre-order dates and prices for the Galaxy S9. Samsung has posted detailed information about various Galaxy S9 features and published marketing videos on its YouTube channel. We have covered almost all of this yesterday, but in case if you missed it, you can find all our Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ related coverage below.

The post Here’s all our coverage of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ appeared first on SamMobile.

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Check out our pictures of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+

We’ve had the chance to play with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Mobile World Congress, and so have other publications, but it will be a while before the new flagships are seen in stores so regular folks can check them out in person. Yes, the wait can be excruciating, especially when the newly announced devices are as good as the Galaxy S9 and S9+, and pictures and hands-on videos are the closest one can get. We’ve seen a few requests for putting up more Galaxy S9 pictures, so that’s exactly what we’re doing with this article.

For those who haven’t been following our Galaxy S9 coverage, Samsung’s latest flagships are packed to the brim with impressive features. The S9 and S9+ sport a rear camera with a mechanically adjustable aperture for improved photography in both low-light and bright conditions (the S9+ also gets dual rear cameras), with support for slow-motion videos at 960 frames per second. You can use the AR Emoji feature to create emojis that look and emote like you, and last but not the least, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ also come with stereo speakers. The speakers are tuned by AKG and support Dolby Atmos for virtual 360-degree surround sound.

Don’t Miss: Download the official Galaxy S9 wallpapers here!

The technical specs include the new Exynos 9810 chip that’s a monster when it comes to benchmarks (the US and China variants will be powered by the Snapdragon 845), 6GB of RAM on the S9+, 64/128/256GB of expandable storage, Android 8.0 Oreo, IP68 water and dust resistance, and the same displays and batteries as the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Iris and facial recognition have been improved and can now be used together; the fingerprint sensor has been relocated below the rear camera and supports a new one-swipe gesture for registering fingerprints.

Our full review of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will come in a few weeks; we’re trying to get it done by March 16, the official release date for the phones, so you can go in prepared if you’re thinking of buying either of the two handsets. Now, without further ado, go ahead and check out all the images of Samsung’s latest and greatest below!