Galaxy S8 Oreo manual uploaded on Samsung Brazil’s website

Back when we were waiting for the Nougat update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Samsung had revised both devices’ user manuals for Nougat a month before the official update started rolling out. We’re not sure when the Oreo manual for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ was uploaded, but the manuals are now available for download from Samsung Brazil’s website.

Final Galaxy S8 Oreo update on its way?

Samsung has said it will try to release the stable build of Oreo for beta testers by the end of January, but it remains to be seen if the company will be able to actually do so. In any case, with the manuals now available online, it’s only a matter of time before we’re treated to Android 8.0 Oreo on Samsung’s 2017 Galaxy S flagship.

We’ll let know when the update starts rolling out. If you’re interested in taking a look at the manuals, hit the source links. Running the Oreo beta on your Galaxy S8 or S8+? Let us know how it’s working for you in this poll!

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Samsung denies slowing down phones with older batteries once again

It was first reported a couple of months back that old iPhones with low-capacity batteries were slowing down. Apple eventually confirmed that it does slow down older iPhones that have naturally degraded batteries. The company has taken a lot of flak for this decision and even though it has since apologized, it’s now having to deal with multiple “planned obsolescence” lawsuits.

People have naturally wondered if other manufacturers like Samsung do this as well. Samsung already confirmed three weeks ago that it doesn’t do this and after Italian authorities launched an investigation, it has reiterated that claim.

Samsung doesn’t believe in planned obsolescence

While conspiracy theorists believe that Apple slows down older iPhones intentionally to get customers to purchase a new one, it actually does that to prevent accidental shutdowns. Devices with older batteries can’t deal with the surge in power requirement when the processor comes under heavy lead. This can cause the device to shutdown unexpectedly.

Apple limited the processor speed on older devices to ensure that there wasn’t a spike big enough that the battery was not able to cope with. That obviously involved slowing down customers’ iPhones, no matter how noble the intention. The company has been heavily criticised for this decision and it has now promised to release a software update which will let users opt out of this functionality.

No such claims have been made against Samsung. The company previously said that it does not reduce CPU performance through software updates over the lifecycles of its smartphones. The Italian Authority for Market and Competition announced yesterday that both Apple and Samsung did not tell their customers that they release software updates which intentionally slow down their smartphones and that it’s now investigating the matter.

Samsung has denied the planned obsolescence claims yet again. The company issued the following statement today:

Samsung does not provide the software updates to reduce the product performance over the life cycle of the device. We will fully cooperate with Italian Authority for Market and Competition’s investigation in Italy to clarify the facts.

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Is Samsung revamping the Galaxy J series as well?

Samsung revamped the Galaxy A series recently and the new Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) handsets certainly appear to be promising. They’re the first premium mid-range smartphones from Samsung with an Infinity Display, support for the Gear VR and also the first Samsung devices with a dual front camera.

Is Samsung going to revamp the Galaxy J series as well? One can argue that it’s about time this lineup was overhauled and while some details have surfaced that might hint at this possibility, the chances of that actually happening appear slim right now.

Is this the Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018)?

A device bearing model number SM-J720F has been spotted on GFXBench in several listings. Only the US variants of the Galaxy J7 have model number SM-J727. Samsung has not used this model number for the Galaxy J7 variants released across the globe in 2016 and 2017, those handsets had model numbers SM-J710F and SM-J730F respectively.

Since the model number in these listings is SM-J720F it’s evident that this handset isn’t a US-only model. Samsung skipped a version so it can, at least in theory, use this model number for a next-generation Galaxy J handset. Perhaps it might call the revamped handset Galaxy J8 (2018) to bring the nomenclature in line with its premium mid-range offering.

The benchmark listings reveal that this handset has a 5.5 inch 1280×720 pixel resolution HD display and is powered by Samsung’s new Exynos 7885 processor with 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, this is the exact same chip that powers the new Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ (2018).

Now that’s a combination that doesn’t make sense particularly when you look at the Galaxy J7 Pro. Samsung doesn’t upgrade the processor and downgrade the screen resolution on a new device and since the J7 Pro has a Full HD display, this combination immediately becomes sketchy. Something’s amiss.

It would make absolutely no sense for Samsung to use the Exynos 7885 processor on a device with an HD display. We’ve already explained how the Exynos 7885 SoC is arguably the Galaxy A8 (2018)’s best feature as the significant performance improvements are much appreciated. The chip’s potential will certainly be wasted on a device like this.

The listing also mentions a 12-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front camera. While previous handsets in this series have had 13-megapixel front cameras, an 8-megapixel setup is possible in case the device is to have a dual camera. That’s the setup that the Galaxy A8 (2018) has and the Exynos 7885 is certainly capable of powering it.

That’s not all, though. The listing mentions that this device runs Oreo “Android Samsung-ss Edition” ROM. There has never been such a ROM so either it’s carrier or retailer-specific or GFXBench hasn’t got the details right. We can confirm though that we see firmware development for a device bearing model number SM-J720F so perhaps there’s more to this than meets the eye.

So what’s the deal with this listing? Well, for starters, don’t believe the simple reports based on these listings that they reveal information about a next-generation Galaxy J series handset. There are a few possibilities you have to consider aside from the fact that details on benchmark listings like these can easily be faked.

What we see here is either an early test device that we’ll end up seeing in more listings down the road with better specs or it’s a prototype for a next-gen Galaxy J series handset but the model number in the listing is incorrect.

We’re not writing off a new device completely because we see firmware development which suggests that Samsung is working on something. However, it feels unlikely that it’s going to be a complete overhaul of the Galaxy J series, even though we feel that it should happen now.

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Galaxy A8+ (2018) receives the January security patch update

The Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) aren’t available for purchase in many markets yet, but Samsung isn’t using that as an excuse to sit idle as far as software support is concerned. The Galaxy A8+ is receiving an update with the January 2018 security patch in India, just a day before the phone is set to go on sale in the country. It’s a 220 MB download, and the build number for the new software is A730FXXU1ARA6.

Galaxy A8+ (2018) January 2018 security patch

The January 2018 patch fixes six critical Android vulnerabilities and 13 exploits in Samsung’s software, in addition to a few vulnerabilities that haven’t been disclosed to prevent misuse before the update has reached all devices. We don’t see anything other than a newer security patch date after installing the update, but we’ll dig in deep to check for other notable changes or new additions. The changelog doesn’t mention anything, though, so it’s likely that enhanced security is what this update is all about.

The update can be downloaded from the Settings » Software update menu on the Galaxy A8+ and also from our firmware section. It should be expanding to other countries and to the Galaxy A8 (2018) in the coming days, and we’ll be sure to let you know once that happens. If you’re still wondering whether the Galaxy A8 or A8+ are worth a purchase, check out our initial impressions, and be on the lookout for our full review in the near future.

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Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ January update rolling out now

Samsung has finally started rolling out the January 2018 security patch to its flagship devices. As expected, the company started off with mid-range handsets like the Galaxy A5 (2017) and the original Galaxy A8. Samsung has released the latest security maintenance update for flagship devices this week starting with the Galaxy S6 edge in India and the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in China just yesterday.

The company is now rolling out the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ January update. The firmware has been released for both handsets in China.

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ January update

Samsung is now rolling out firmware version G9500ZCU2AQL2 for the Galaxy S8 (SM-G9500) in China. It’s a minor update that brings the January 2018 security patch. It’s available for download from our firmware section.

It has also released firmware version G9550ZCU2AQL2 for the Galaxy S8+ (SM-G9550) in the country. It’s also readily available for download from our firmware section.

This year’s first security maintenance release for Samsung handsets brings fixes for five critical Android vulnerabilities and fixes for 13 Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) in the company’s own software.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ January 2018 security patch may only have been released in China right now but it’s only a matter of time before it’s rolled out elsewhere.

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