Is there actually a Galaxy Note 9 with 8GB of RAM?

Samsung is currently in the endgame as far as the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 is concerned. Following months of (not-so-many) rumors and leaks, Samsung started teasing Galaxy Note 9 features with a handful of short videos. There’s one for the bigger battery, another for more storage, and one for better performance as well. And the teaser video for better performance couldn’t be more unclear about what it’s actually hinting at. Is it general software optimization, or perhaps the fact that the top-end Galaxy Note 9 will have up to 8GB of RAM?

Galaxy Note 9 may have it all… except for 8GB of RAM

Actually, going by the teaser video, one would think Samsung is advertising faster data speeds. Why else would you turn off automatic updates, disable background data usage, and switch to Wi-Fi if your phone is unable to open a PDF file? Those are clear indications that faster data speeds may be a part of the marketing push. After all, the Galaxy S9 already trumps the iPhone X in LTE speeds, so it wouldn’t be wrong to advertise the Galaxy Note 9 on that front. Even if that isn’t the case, it seems unlikely that a Note 9 with 8GB of RAM exists.

The first piece of evidence (or the lack of thereof) is that we haven’t yet seen a Galaxy Note 9 benchmark with 8 gigs of RAM. Neither have there been any solid rumors that would confirm an 8GB RAM model. Not to mention that bringing 8GB of RAM just a year after 6GB of RAM was introduced on the Note 8 would make little sense. Samsung needs to make sure the Galaxy Note 9 has plenty to offer for those looking to upgrade to a new phone, but it also needs to hold something back for next year. And 8GB of RAM will ultimately look better as a highlight feature on the tenth-anniversary Galaxy S flagship.

If you have been hoping to see Samsung make the shift to 8GB of RAM with the Note 9, you’re likely to be disappointed. Should Samsung actually announce a Galaxy Note 9 with 8GB of RAM (with 512GB of internal storage, as the rumors say), no one is going to complain. But the company said in its earnings report today that the new Note “offers exceptional performance for a reasonable price.” And there probably isn’t going to be anything reasonable about the price of a Galaxy Note with 8GB of RAM.

What do you think?

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OnePlus surpassed Samsung to lead India’s premium smartphone segment, says Counterpoint Research

The Q2 2018 shipment numbers published so far have brought good news for Samsung in India. The company regained some of the lost ground and is showing signs of market dominance again. In the premium smartphone segment (>INR 30,000 or $437), however, it seems Samsung is having a tough time in India, at least according to a report from Counterpoint Research.

As per the latest data from Counterpoint Research, OnePlus reportedly surpassed Samsung to emerge as the leading premium smartphone brand in the country. Strong demand for the OnePlus 6 has helped the Chinese company register a staggering 446% YoY growth and capture 40% of the market share in the premium smartphone segment in Q2 2018.

OnePlus 6 is the best-selling premium smartphone

Samsung settled for the second spot with 34% market share, a drop of 25% when compared to last year. As confirmed by Samsung in its Q2 2018 earnings, Galaxy S9/S9+ sales have been slow globally, and the same applies to India as well.  Even Samsung’s arch rival, Apple, had a weak quarter with market share dropping to 14% – its lowest ever in the country.

The report says the premium smartphone segment in India grew by 19% YoY and 10% sequentially during the second quarter. The growth is primarily in the sub-INR 40,000 (~$583) category where OnePlus and other smaller brands have positioned their products. It shows that consumers are unwilling to pay substantially more for Samsung and Apple unless there is a strong product differentiation.

While Xiaomi is going after Samsung’s volume, OnePlus is going after its profits. It is clear Chinese brands are the biggest threat to Samsung’s dominance in India. The company has done reasonably well to counter Xiaomi in the last quarter by launching new models, but that’s not a strategy Samsung can easily adopt for the premium segment.

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Galaxy Tab S2 updated with July 2018 security patch in Canada

While we await the Galaxy Tab S4’s official launch, Samsung is pushing out the latest Android security patch to the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 over in Canada. That’s right, the Galaxy Tab S2 is getting a security update nearly three years after its retail debut. Or is it? Some markets, including Canada, saw the release of the Tab S2 much later with a newer version of Android on-board, so this isn’t as impressive as an update for an old device like the Galaxy S6.

July 2018 security update for the Galaxy Tab S2

The July 2018 security update for the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is available on various carriers in Canada; the build number is being bumped up to T818WVLS3BRG1. The July 2018 patch fixes four critical Android OS vulnerabilities and nine vulnerabilities discovered in Samsung’s software. Don’t expect to see any major changes or new features with the update other than the usual performance and stability improvements. But if you do notice something different after installing the update, do let us know in the comments.

To download the update, head into the Settings » Software update menu on your tablet. We also have the complete firmware available in our database should you wish to manually install the update, although you will also need to download considerably more data if you take this route.

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Do you like the selfie camera on Samsung’s current flagship phones?

Mid-range and budget Galaxy phones these days have up to 24-megapixel front-facing cameras. Meanwhile, Samsung is still using an 8-megapixel sensor for the selfie cameras on its flagship smartphones. Of course, despite the lower megapixel count, the flagship front cameras usually take better photos than the cameras on cheaper Galaxy devices thanks to higher-end sensor specs. But the front-facing camera on Samsung flagships is perhaps the least talked about whenever a new flagship is around the corner.

Selfies… selfies everywhere

Really, when was the last time you read a story on what the Galaxy Note 9 could offer when it comes to taking selfies? Sure, the Note lineup is for the professionals and business-minded folks, but it’s not like the front camera is talked about much in the rumors that come out for upcoming Galaxy S flagships. And the reason for that may be the fact that the front camera doesn’t get upgrades as often as other aspects of a top-of-the-line smartphone.

Samsung seems to stick to a two-year cycle for front camera upgrades. The 8 MP camera on the Galaxy S8 came two years after Samsung upgraded to a 5 MP front camera on the Galaxy S6. Samsung also made changes to aspects like sensor size and aperture and added software-based autofocus. In 2019, rumor has it that the Galaxy S10 will feature dual cameras at the front, which means we would see noticeable changes after a period of two years yet again.

What improvements would you like to see?

Samsung brought over the Galaxy S8 front camera to the Note 8 and the Galaxy S9. The same is likely to be the case for the Galaxy Note 9, and our question today is: Are you okay with the front-facing cameras found on Samsung’s flagships phones today?

Do you think they perform well, or do you think there’s room for improvement? What kind of changes would you like to see? Would a dual camera front setup make you happy, or do you think we also need more megapixels? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so go ahead and get a discussion started down in the comments section!

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Samsung seeks to drive growth with foldable displays

Samsung’s earnings releases tend to offer bits and pieces of information that help us understand what the company is focusing on for the coming quarters. Its full earnings results for Q2 2018 show that revenues were down 4 percent in the quarter due to sluggish sales of smartphones and display panels. Samsung also confirmed reports that the Galaxy S9 sales have indeed been slow.

Samsung’s display division was expected to take a hit in this quarter and it certainly has. There was weak demand for flexible OLED panels while shipments and prices for LCD panels also declined. The company is now relying on newer products such as foldable displays to drive growth for this crucial division.

First foldable smartphone due early next year

Samsung was expected to bring in around $22 billion in revenue when it was selected as the sole supplier of OLED panels to Apple for the iPhone X. Amid reports that Apple had cut its sales target for the flagship device, it was reported that Samsung had overestimated demand for OLED displays.

The company was said to be taking a step back to re-evaluate its investments in OLED production as it seemed to have overestimated demand from Chinese manufacturers as well. Most Chinese OEMs have stuck with LCD panels because of cost benefits and haven’t made the switch to OLED.

Despite improved factory utilization for rigid products, Samsung says that demand for flexible OLED products “from major customers” remained slow. This had a negative impact on the company’s revenues. It didn’t help that shipments and the average panel price for LCD products also declined during this period.

Samsung expects better performance from its display division in the second half of this year, though. It predicts that OLED sales will rebound on recovering demand for flexible displays. It will enhance technological and price competitiveness to actively address customer demand.

It pledges to reinforce its competencies in new products such as foldable displays. Samsung is expected to start mass producing its foldable OLED displays in the second half of this year. They will first be supplied to the company’s mobile division which is said to launch Samsung’s first foldable smartphone early next year. It’s only after that might the display division start thinking about supplying the foldable OLED display to other manufacturers.

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Samsung confirms Galaxy S9 sales have been slow this past quarter

When the Galaxy S9 was announced earlier this year, Samsung said that it expected the new flagship to outperform the Galaxy S8. Reports to the contrary soon started trickling in. They claimed that the Galaxy S9 sales were slow. Customers in Samsung’s home country of South Korea were said to be particularly uninterested as the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ reportedly hit record lows.

A recent report claimed that it’s the first time in the history of the Galaxy S series that Q2 sales are lower than Q1. All market reports pointed to an acute underperformance by the flagship duo. Some have even claimed that it’s Samsung’s worst-selling Galaxy S flagship since the Galaxy S3 which came out in 2012.

Samsung had hinted at this much in its earnings guidance for Q2 2018. The company released its full earnings for the quarter today and confirmed that the Galaxy S9 sales have been below expectations.

Galaxy S9 sales

Samsung’s earnings for the second quarter of this year are down 4 percent compared to a year earlier. The company blamed this on multiple factors including “slow sales of the Galaxy S9.” It mentions the stagnant high-end smartphone market as one of the reasons for the underperformance of this year’s flagship.

Samsung doesn’t reveal sales numbers for its smartphones in the earnings reports. It does mention that aside from the overall sluggish smartphone market, increased competition is also the cause of its smartphone shipments and revenues declining quarter-over-quarter. It mentions the slow sales of the flagship duo once again in addition to the phasing out of older low-end models for the decline in revenues.

The company’s mobile division posted 24 trillion won or $21.4 billion in revenue for the quarter with an operating profit of 2.67 trillion won or $2.38 billion. It’s a considerable decline from the 30.1 trillion won or $27 billion in revenue and the 7.59 trillion won or $6.8 billion in profit that the division posted during the same period last year. The Galaxy S8 was actually the world’s best-selling Android smartphone in Q2 last year.

One of the reasons why customers haven’t been that interested in the new flagship duo is that they’re not significantly different from their predecessors. Many customers who purchased the Galaxy S8 saw little reason to upgrade and with competition in the high-end segment heating up, it’s evident that the Galaxy S9 has been unable to generate the kind of response that Samsung was hoping for.

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Disney’s Frozen characters now available in AR Emoji

Samsung has brought over yet another popular Disney franchise to AR Emoji on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. AR Emoji now lets you create an emoji avatar of the characters Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff from the 2013 film Frozen. This is the second movie franchise to be a part of AR Emoji, with the first being The Incredibles.

AR Emoji gets more Disney characters

Samsung will continue to bring more such Disney characters to AR Emoji as the months go by, as it had announced earlier this year. We will hopefully see characters from some of Disney’s more iconic franchises such as Toy Story. AR Emoji also received a major update recently that improves facial tracking and introduces more customization options. Whether the Galaxy Note 9 will bring further improvements remains to be seen, although most of the improvements aren’t likely to factor into the Disney emojis, which are created in real-time with no further customization options once you’ve captured a photo.

To access the new Frozen AR Emoji pack, open the camera app and swipe to the AR Emoji mode. Then tap on the plus icon on the bottom right side, and you should see Frozen in the list of top stickers. If not, open the Galaxy Apps store, then search for ‘Frozen AR Emoji’ and install it manually. You can then access the newly added characters in the AR Emoji camera mode.

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Samsung’s Q2 2018 earnings show its record profit run is ending

Samsung has posted record profits in every quarter over the past year but it was expected that the momentum would be slowing down by the second quarter of this year. Many analysts had predicted that the company’s record profit run would be nearing an end by Q2 2018. The company’s own earnings guidance for the quarter suggested as much.

The company released its official Q2 2018 earnings results today and they show that the record profit run is indeed losing momentum. Overall revenues are down 4 percent compared to the same period last year.

Samsung’s Q2 2018 earnings

The earnings result is in line with the guidance that Samsung issued earlier this month. It posted 58.48 trillion won or about $52 billion in revenue compared to 61 trillion won or $54.7 billion in the same period last year, a 4 percent dip.

Samsung’s quarterly operating profit came in at 14.87 trillion won or $13.3 billion which represents a 6 percent increase compared to Q2 2017. Samsung posted an operating profit of 15.64 trillion won or $14.49 billion in Q1 2018. Q2 2018 is thus Samsung’s slowest quarterly profit growth in over a year.

The company puts the decline in revenues on softer sales of smartphones and display panels. Demand for memory chips remained robust. It’s a market that Samsung dominates but that wasn’t enough to prevent revenues from dipping this past quarter. The memory business did make a significant contribution to the higher operating profit.

The semiconductor business remains Samsung’s cash cow. It saw consistent demand for DRAM chips and NAND flash memory amid a decline in NAND prices. The display business remained under pressure this past quarter due to weak demand for flexible OLED panels with shipments and prices for LCD panels dipping as well.

The Consumer Electronics Division’s profits were lifted due to stronger sales of premium TVs such as the QLED models due to seasonality brought on by the global football event. Samsung expects demand for its memory chip products to remain strong going forward. Flexible OLED shipments may rise as well.

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Live images of Samsung’s Wireless Charger Duo leaked online

Samsung has a habit of launching new accessories alongside its flagship smartphones and that’s going to be the case this year as well. Several leaks have revealed that there’s going to be a new Wireless Charger Duo for the Galaxy Note 9. The accessory will let users charge two smartphones or one smartphone and the Galaxy Watch wirelessly at the same time.

Some new live images of the Wireless Charger Duo have been leaked online today. The accompanying report also mentions the price tag for this accessory in Russia. Recent reports have also suggested that this may not be the only dual wireless charger that Samsung launches with the Galaxy Note 9.

Samsung’s Wireless Charger Duo

These leaked images of the new Wireless Charger Duo come from Russia where it appears that the accessory is already available for purchase at retailers. It carries a price tag of 6,990 rubles which is equal to around $110.

The images are pretty self-explanatory with regards to what this accessory can do. It will let users charge two devices wirelessly at the same time. It can either be two smartphones or one Galaxy Watch with one smartphone.

For those who are unaware, the Galaxy Watch is a new smartwatch that Samsung will be unveiling alongside the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9, at least that’s what the rumor mill will have you believe. The Galaxy Watch is also expected to be released on August 24 alongside the new flagship smartphone.

It remains to be seen, though, if this Wireless Charger Duo will be offered as a pre-order incentive for the Galaxy Note 9 in some markets. It’s pretty clear that this accessory will be available for purchase on its own.

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Galaxy Watch certified by yet another regulatory authority

It is almost certain that Samsung will launch the Galaxy smartwatch (or smartwatches if you consider all the variants) alongside the Galaxy Note 9 at the Unpacked event on August 9 in New York. The smartwatch, officially named as the Galaxy Watch, has been acquiring all the necessary regulatory approvals in the run-up to the launch, with the most prominent being the FCC approval earlier this month.

Today, the Galaxy Watch has cleared one more regulatory obstacle by receiving certification from the National Radio Research Agency (NRRA). Four different variants of the Galaxy Watch – SM-R800, SM-R805N, SM-R810, and SM-R815N – have been certified by the NRRA. The multiple variants probably refer to the rumored screen-size options and LTE versions. This certification doesn’t reveal anything noteworthy or new about these devices.

Samsung’s first Tizen 4.0-based smartwatch

We already know a lot about the upcoming Samsung smartwatch from previous leaks and regulatory approvals. Due to the change in branding from what should be the Gear S4 to the Galaxy Watch, there were many rumors about Samsung ditching the Tizen OS and opting for Google’s Wear OS. However, we reported exclusively a couple of weeks ago that the Galaxy Watch will come with Tizen 4.0 OS out of the box.

Samsung accidentally revealed the Galaxy Watch on its website last week. With all these leaks, there is not much surprise left in terms of hardware when Samsung goes on stage to introduce the Galaxy Watch. Hopefully, the company has some innovative software features in store to get us excited about its first Tizen 4.0-based smartwatch.

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Galaxy Note 9 and Android 9.0 P update: How long will we have to wait?

No, we don’t actually know how soon the Android 9.0 P update will arrive on the Galaxy Note 9. But as someone who’s been getting extremely impatient about getting a Note 9 in my hands, I’ve come to realize that there’s one area where Samsung will probably fall behind once again, and that’s software updates. Not regular software updates, but major ones, like Android 9.0, which Google will officially release sometime in the next two months.

How soon will the Galaxy Note 9 get Android 9.0?

One thing is clear: The Galaxy S9, as Samsung’s mainstream flagship, will be updated to Android 9.0 before the Galaxy Note 9. This has always been the case for major OS upgrades, despite the Galaxy Note flagships commanding higher price tags. But that’s not a huge problem as a major update for a Note device arrives not long after the Galaxy S flagship from that year. The problem is a generic one: Samsung still takes too long to roll out big updates to its flagships.

And it makes sense as well. With the millions of devices the Korean giant sells, testing has to take longer in order to make sure things work properly once the consumers have installed the update. Of course, as 2018 has shown, all that time in the oven and more expansive beta testing hasn’t exactly helped Samsung release problem-free Oreo updates to most of its devices. But it’s still acceptable that Samsung takes the time it takes to release new versions of Android.

Well, it was acceptable. It may not be so anymore, now that Project Treble has entered the scene.

Project Treble may do wonders… or it may not

What is Project Treble? The simple version is that it is designed to make it easier and faster for OEMs to release software updates. And it has already been put to use by some companies, with Android 9.0 betas available for some non-Google devices. Those are mostly devices that run stock Android, but that doesn’t change the fact that those devices may quickly get the stable Android 9.0 update later this year. With Samsung’s phones, we don’t yet know if Project Treble will actually help.

The Galaxy Note 9, for all the awesomeness it will be packed with (big battery, more storage, more feature-packed S Pen, stereo speakers, and possibly better performance), may end up being just as disappointing as any other device before it as far as software updates are concerned. I’ll still be getting one, despite knowing that I might have to use Android 8.0 Oreo for months after Android 9.0 is released by Google. But it would be great if Samsung can increase its pace and bring us Android P ahead of the usual schedule, both on the Note 9 and on the Galaxy S9.

Does Samsung’s software update policy make a difference to whether or not you buy one of its flagships?

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Samsung may be working on a new Galaxy A model with Exynos 7885 SoC inside

Samsung’s Galaxy A series may not offer the best value for money, but they are compelling midrange smartphones for people who don’t place too much emphasis on specs. The company has already launched the Galaxy A8, A8+, A6, and A6+ in the A series lineup this year. It appears there may be more A series models in development.

A new Samsung smartphone with the model number SM-A750FN has surfaced on the Geekbench website. This is the first time we have come across this device, and we don’t know what name it will carry if and when it is launched. However, based on the model number, we can guess this will be a new offering in the Galaxy A lineup and could be one of the rumored new Galaxy A models we reported about recently.

Similar specs as the Galaxy A8

As per the Geekbench result, the mysterious device has 4 GB of RAM, runs Android 8.0, and is powered by an Exynos 7885 SoC clocked at 1.6 GHz. The specs are similar to the current Galaxy A8/A8+, which gives the impression it will probably target the upper midrange segment. While it is too early to talk about availability, there is information pointing towards a European variant in development.

Nothing else is known about this new device currently. Often, it takes months for a smartphone to go on sale after appearing on a benchmarking website for the first time. Also, since all of this device information is derived from a benchmark listing which can be easily faked, it is wise to be skeptical about it until further leaks pop up online.

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Samsung Galaxy On8 launching in India this week as online-only Galaxy J8 variant

Samsung is all set to launch a new device in the Galaxy On series of smartphones in India this week. The Galaxy On8 will be the online-only variant of the Galaxy J8, allowing Samsung to sell it at a slightly lower price. According to Business Insider, the phone will be available exclusively from Flipkart for nearly ₹18,000, around ₹1,000 less than the Galaxy J8.

Galaxy On8 arriving in India this week

The Galaxy On8’s specs aren’t expected to be different from the Galaxy J8. It will have an octa-core Snapdragon chipset (the Snapdragon 450) along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage, same as the J8. Other Galaxy On8 specs should include a dual rear camera (16-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors), a 16-megapixel front camera, a 3,500 mAh battery, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Android 8.0 Oreo. Of course, the 6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display will come along for the ride as well.

The Galaxy On8 will follow the Galaxy On6, which was recently released in India as the online-only variant of the Galaxy J6. The Galaxy J6 and Galaxy J8 have sold more than two million units in India since they were launched, and the On6 and On8 should further help sales thanks to the lower prices.

Don’t Miss: Samsung Galaxy J8 hands-on impressions

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Triple-cameras are reportedly coming to the Galaxy A (2019) series

If recent reports are believed, Samsung is now willing to spend a bit more on hardware for its premium mid-range smartphones in a bid to gain more market share. The company hasn’t launched a smartphone with a triple-camera at the back so far. The Galaxy S10 has been rumored to be the first Samsung smartphone with this advanced camera system but if a new report is believed, Samsung might introduce its triple-camera system on the Galaxy A (2019) series first.

Galaxy A (2019) triple-cameras

One of the other rumors we have been hearing about the Galaxy S10 is that it may be the company’s first smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. That may not be the case if a recent report out of South Korea is believed. It claimed that the in-display fingerprint sensor technology will actually debut with some models of the Galaxy A (2019) series.

The latest report claims that Samsung is looking to add features like the triple-camera and in-display fingerprint sensor to its Galaxy A lineup before they’re fully adopted for the flagship Galaxy S series. The global hardware development team that works on smartphones other than the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships has reportedly started researching for adding these key features to the next Galaxy A series.

One of the features they’re said to be considering is the “super-wide angle” triple-camera system that’s expected to be present on the Galaxy S10 as well. While the Galaxy S10 may feature an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, Samsung is reportedly considering a cheaper optical display-based fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy A (2019) series.

It’s not common for Samsung to work on major features like these at the same time for its high-end and mid-range lineups at the same time. However, Samsung is said to be renewing its focus on budget devices as sales come under pressure in the high-end segment.

Samsung has traditionally released the new Galaxy A handsets a couple of months before the new Galaxy S flagship. If the company doesn’t delay the Galaxy A (2019) launch next year then it’s quite possible that the Galaxy S10 may not be the first Samsung smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor or a triple-camera system.

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SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: July 30, 2018

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Firmware Magazine. You can think of it as your go-to resource to find out which of your Samsung devices has received a new update or if it’s going to receive a new firmware update in the near future.

To keep things interesting, we present the Firmware Magazine in new designs every week. It will always include the important details about firmware updates such as the firmware versions, device model numbers, Android OS versions and the country where said update is out already.

SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine

Keep in mind, however, that these firmware details are based on the firmware that are available in our database. In some cases, the latest updates might not show in the same week as the full firmware files take additional time to make it to our database.

The purpose of this magazine is to bring all of that important information about firmware updates to you, the reader, in a manner that’s easy to comprehend. Even if you’re new to the world of firmware, you’ll have no trouble making sense of it all.

Click on the image below to grab the latest firmware magazine!

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Cheaper Samsung Wireless Charger Duo surfaces

It became evident earlier this week that Samsung will launch a new dual wireless charger with the Galaxy Note 9 when images of the accessory were leaked online. The charger’s box revealed that it will allow users to charge two devices simultaneously, be it two smartphones or one smartphone and the Galaxy Watch.

Some new renders have surfaced online which suggest that this won’t be the only dual wireless charger that Samsung launches with the Galaxy Note 9 next month. There may also be a cheaper Samsung Wireless Charger Duo bearing model number EP-N3100.

Samsung Wireless Charger Duo

The dual wireless charger that first appeared online has model number EP-N6100. The two slots can wirelessly charge a smartphone or Galaxy Watch (Samsung’s as-yet-unannounced smartwatch) at the same time. It’s expected to be priced at around $75.

Some renders of this second Wireless Charger Duo have now been posted online. The charger itself appears to be smaller and will be available in black and white. It’s said to be capable of charging two devices wirelessly at the same time as well.

There’s obviously no official pricing available for this accessory right now but it’s expected to cost around $50 at launch. Whether or not Samsung will be offering these dual wireless chargers as pre-order gifts with the Galaxy Note 9 remains to be seen. The company will likely offer free Smart TVs as pre-order gifts for the Galaxy Note 9 in some markets.

Samsung may make both wireless chargers official on August 9 when it finally unveils the Galaxy Note 9. It hasn’t confirmed when the new handset is going to be released but word on the street is that the Galaxy Note 9 will be released on August 24.

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Galaxy Note 9 S Pen compared with the Galaxy Note 8 in leaked image

Countless leaks and reports have essentially confirmed that Samsung will be shipping a new S Pen with the Galaxy Note 9. The company does update the stylus with every new iteration of its flagship phablet. In addition to the host of new features that the Galaxy Note 9’s S Pen will bring to the table this year, there will also be subtle design changes.

A leaked image is making the rounds online in which the Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is compared with the Galaxy Note 8’s S Pen. The design changes are thus noticeable at first glance.

Galaxy Note 9 S Pen

We have already seen countless leaked renders of the Galaxy Note 9’s S Pen. The design changes aren’t as major as they are for the Galaxy Tab S4’s new S Pen. The Galaxy Note 9’s stylus does appear to be more angular compared to its predecessor.

That’s the impression one gets by looking at this leaked image as well. It shows the two-tone stylus from the blue Galaxy Note 9. The body of the S Pen is gold but the top’s color is matched with the frame. The stylus on the right is from the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 S Pen is expected to feature Bluetooth support. This will enable the stylus to offer features that users have never expected from the S Pen before. It will be able to double as a remote for music and video playback, a trigger for selfies and might even have some gaming functionality.

Samsung has already confirmed that it will unveil the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9 at a special event in New York City. Pricing will be confirmed at the event but recent leaks suggest that the Galaxy Note 9 price will start north of $900. The 512GB model might be priced as high as over $1,200, which is to be expected, given that it will offer customers a massive amount of internal storage that not many smartphones currently do.

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Galaxy Note 9 price revealed in leaked pre-order poster

The Galaxy Note 9 price has already been mentioned in a couple of recent reports but there’s a new leak from Indonesia which essentially confirms speculation about how much this device will cost. The leaked pre-order poster mentions prices for the 128GB and 512GB variants of the Galaxy Note 9.

It also backs up a recent rumor which claimed that the base model of the Galaxy Note 9 will have 128GB of storage. It appears that Samsung will only offer two variants of the Galaxy Note 9 this year with 128GB and 512GB of onboard storage.

Galaxy Note 9 price

The leaked pre-order poster appears to be from Samsung for customers in Indonesia who might be interested in placing an order for its new flagship smartphone. Aside from mentioning the prices, the poster also lists the available color variants with their names. They include Mystic Black, Engineered Blue and Artisan Copper. The Galaxy Note 9 is expected to be available in a total of five different colors at launch.

The pre-order price for the 128GB Galaxy Note 9 mentioned in the poster is 13,500,000 Indonesian Rupiahs which is around $935 going by the prevailing exchange rate. The 512GB model will cost 17,500,000 Indonesian Rupiahs or about $1,210. The Galaxy Note 9 will be priced in a similar range in other markets across the globe but it’s obviously not going to be a simple conversion from these figures.

Customers in Indonesia may also receive 32 inch and 40 inch Samsung Smart TV depending on the model that they pre-order in addition to mobile data. The company offers different pre-order gifts in other markets and it is as yet unclear what it will be offering to customers in markets across Europe and the United States.

We’ll come to know for sure on August 9 when Samsung takes to the stage in New York City to officially announce the Galaxy Note 9. What do you think about the expected price tag, is it reasonable enough to get you to spend your money on the device knowing everything that we do about the Galaxy Note 9?

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Galaxy J5 (2017) Oreo update may be based on Android 8.0, not 8.1

Another budget Galaxy phone has been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance with Android 8.0 Oreo onboard. This time it’s the Galaxy J5 (2017), following its little brother, the Galaxy J3 (2017), which was certified a week ago. And yes, it seems the Galaxy J5 (2017) Oreo update will not be based on Android 8.1. Android 8.1 was suggested by a benchmark listing earlier on, but the final update may be based on Android 8.0.

Galaxy J5 (2017) Oreo update certified

Wi-Fi certifications are ultimately more concrete evidence for such things. Benchmark listings can be manipulated but the same isn’t possible for the Wi-Fi Alliance, which has to give its blessings to each device for each major OS upgrade. This may mean that the J7 (2017) will also be updated to Android 8.0 and not 8.1. And we would prefer that over Samsung playing favorites like it did last year by upgrading the Galaxy J5 (2016) to Android 7.1 Nougat and the J7 (2016) to Android 7.0.

This does not mean users of these devices will be missing out on anything, as every existing Samsung phone that has received the Oreo update already is running Android 8.0 as well. Android 8.1 will be making its debut with the Galaxy Note 9 and the Galaxy Tab S4, along with various other tablets and phones that will be released in the coming months. That includes the Android Go handset that Samsung is preparing.

When will the update start rolling out?

Well, it could be a few months before the Oreo update arrives for the J series phones. The schedule mentioned in the Samsung Members app suggests some devices might be waiting for Oreo till December. Samsung Turkey, meanwhile, says the rollout could commence sometime in September. Only time will tell, and all one can do is keep their fingers crossed that the wait isn’t too long.

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Exclusive: Here are the complete Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 XL specs

Everyone has been talking about the Galaxy Note 9 these days, and in between all of that, the Galaxy Tab S4 has been getting some attention as well. The Galaxy Tab S4 will be Samsung’s latest flagship tablet, but the company has also been working on a few mid-range and budget tablets. The Galaxy Tab A2 XL falls in the former category. It’s expected to be one of the few non-flagship Galaxy devices to get a Bixby button and some of the tablet’s specs were uncovered through its firmware. And thanks to our sources, we can now fill in the blanks.

Galaxy Tab A2 XL specifications

The Galaxy Tab A2 XL has a 10.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels. Under the hood, there’s an octa-core Snapdragon 450 SoC paired with 3GB of RAM, along with 32GB of storage. The rear camera is an 8-megapixel sensor while the front has a 5-megapixel camera; powering all of this is a 7,300 mAh battery that can be fast charged via a microUSB port. On the software front, you get Android 8.1 Oreo. The tablet will come in both Wi-Fi-only and LTE-enabled flavors (model numbers SM-T590 and SM-T595 respectively).

Here are the specs in bullet points:

• 10.5-inch LCD display, 1920×1200 pixels
• Snapdragon 450 octa-core chipset
• 2GB of RAM, 32GB storage, microSD slot
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front camera
• 7,300 mAh battery, fast charging support
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, LTE, Bluetooth 4.2
• Android 8.1 Oreo

Now, the Tab A2 XL is expected to be yet another Samsung device without any physical navigation keys. But there isn’t going to be anything like an iris scanner or a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, so facial recognition is probably going to be the only secure unlock option other than the standard PIN and pattern options. There doesn’t actually seem to be a Bixby key on-board, either, but our source hasn’t clear on that front.

We are also unaware of exactly when the Tab A2 XL will go official. Firmware for both the Wi-Fi and LTE models have been available online for a few days. So has firmware for the Galaxy Tab S4, and with Samsung teasing a new device announcement next week, we may see both tablets make their debut around the same time.

Would you be interesting in picking up the Galaxy Tab A2 XL if the price is right?

The post Exclusive: Here are the complete Samsung Galaxy Tab A2 XL specs appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung Pay: Supported banks in Singapore

Samsung Pay is the most widely accepted mobile payment service, but it is ultimately up to the banks and card providers in a particular country to enable official support for their credit and debit cards so that they can work with Samsung Pay. This page lists the major banks and payment service providers that are on-board with Samsung Pay in Singapore.

Samsung Pay Singapore: Supported banks

• American Express
• Citibank
• DBS
• FEVO
• Maybank
• OCBC Bank
• POSB Bank
• Standard Chartered
• UOB (United Overseas Bank)

Not all cards from these banks may work with Samsung Pay. Some of them may not work with traditional card machines, either, only with NFC-machines. The list of supported banks and card providers will be regularly updated, so keep checking back if your current bank or card provider doesn’t support Samsung Pay. For more details, check out Samsung’s official website.

Have questions about Samsung Pay? Check out our dedicated page to see what Samsung Pay is all about, the devices it supports, how you can set up and use Samsung Pay, the difference between NFC and MST, and more.

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Galaxy Note 9’s official cases and covers revealed in leaked renders

While Wednesday was a dull day lacking any activity as far as Galaxy Note 9 leaks are concerned, we have been bombarded by reveals about Samsung’s upcoming flagship in the last 24 hours or so. Samsung itself has given us confirmation of some of the rumored Galaxy Note 9 features. We got a look at all the different S Pen colors through leaked renders, and the same source has now released renders of the various official Galaxy Note 9 cases and covers.

Galaxy Note 9 cases revealed

There aren’t images of every official case the Note 9 will get, but we can see the Protective Silicone Cover, Clear View Cover, LED View Cover, and the Silicone Cover. The Protective Silicone Cover will upgrade the Note 9’s IP68 certification with military-grade protection and has a built-in stand for propping up the device for viewing videos on the Infinity display. The rest are pretty standard cases, and we can also expect to see something like the Alcantara case that Samsung introduced last year. Of course, third-party developers will offer plenty of cases as well, and at lower prices than Samsung’s.

These renders also reiterate the color options the Galaxy Note 9 will be launched with: blue, brown, black, and purple. Brown is the newest addition to Samsung’s flagship line, although the blue version will likely attract the most limelight thanks to its bright yellow S Pen. A gray version of the phone (with a darker shade than the gray Note 8) is expected as well, although we are yet to see any solid leads that confirm the fifth color option.

Galaxy Note 8 case pictures

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