Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge Oreo update inches closer

Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge seems to be just around the corner. Two weeks ago, both devices were certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance running the newest version of Android, and all the major US variants have now been certified with Oreo as well. These include the carrier variants for Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, and also the unlocked models that Samsung sells in the country. When North American carriers submit a new version of Android for a particular device for certification, you know a major upgrade is on the cards, so the wait for Oreo for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge owners should soon be coming to an end.

Galaxy S7 and S7 edge US variants certified with Oreo

In fact, US carriers no longer tend to be as late with major OS upgrades as they used to be a couple of years ago, although unlocked variants of Samsung devices outside North America continue to get preference when it comes to software updates. Not to mention Samsung has had a working version of Oreo for the Galaxy S7 for a long time now, and with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 Oreo out of the way, it’s the turn of Samsung’s 2016 flagships to leave Android 7.0 Nougat behind. And unless the company decides to extend the software support period for its flagship phones, Android 8.0 Oreo will be the last major update for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, although monthly security updates will continue for at least another year.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell exactly when the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge Oreo update will start rolling out. Samsung Turkey’s official schedule had suggested April 13 as the ETA, and while that date has now passed, one can certainly hope the update will be released before the month is over. As usual, not everyone will get the update at the same time as it will be released in a phased manner in different countries, with added delays for models locked to carriers and network operators in some regions (including the US).

Have a Samsung device other than the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S8, or Galaxy Note 8 and are wondering if it will be updated to Oreo? Check out our exhaustive list to see if your device will make the cut.

Thanks, Allan!

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Samsung Flow updated with major new features

Samsung launched the Flow app back in 2015 as a Samsung Galaxy exclusive. Later, the company opened up the PC app to all Windows 10 users with Creators Update or above. The Samsung Flow app is a successor the company’s SideSync app. It allows users to connect Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and PCs to share content, sync notifications, unlock Windows 10 PCs with Samsung smartphones, create an instant hotspot, and more.

Unlock your PC with your Gear smartwatch

Samsung is pushing out a new update to the Flow app on Android with two major features. First and foremost, Samsung is adding Flow support for Gear smartwatches with Tizen 3.0 and above (essentially the Gear S3 and Gear Sport), allowing Gear users to sync notifications and unlock PCs with their Gear smartwatches. The other major new feature is the Smart View support in the Flow app, allowing users to mirror their phone screens on linked computers.

Before you rush to install the new update and link your Gear smartwatch, be aware that the Flow Gear app is not yet released by Samsung. The company says it will be available in a couple of days.

The Samsung Flow app was buggy at launch and resulted in poor reviews. The app has improved a lot since then with many updates from Samsung. If you haven’t tried the Samsung Flow app recently, maybe it’s worth giving it another try. It definitely offers enough functionality to warrant a place on your smartphone and PC.

If you don’t see the update on Google Play yet, you can download the latest APK from our database. The Windows counterpart can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store.

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Samsung lists its major TV innovations in a new blog post

Samsung is the largest vendor of televisions in the world, and it has held the top spot for 12 consecutive years now. In spite of the stiff competition from LG in the premium TV segment, Samsung continues to be the market leader globally. It took Samsung years of hard work and many innovations to become a market leader in the TV space.

In a blog post accompanied by a detailed infographic, Samsung has listed down all its major TV innovations from 2006 to the current year. While some of these are genuine innovations, others are just marketing tricks.

Samsung made the world’s first OLED TV

The premium design of the ‘wine glass-inspired’ Bordeaux LCD TV in 2006 was a major success for Samsung with more than a million units in sales. The company also introduced the world’s first edge-lit LED TV in 2009 which was one-third thinner than most TVs then. The list goes on with the world’s first 3D LED TV in 2010, the world’s first curved UHD TV in 2014, and so on.

The most interesting entry in the list, however, is world’s first OLED TV in 2013. As some of you may be aware, Samsung stopped making OLED TVs a couple of years ago and started selling QLED TVs instead. On the other hand, Samsung’s main rival, LG, made long-term bets on OLED TVs and is now reaping the benefits in the premium TV segment.

While Samsung is selling QLED TVs for now, the long-term plan is to shift to the superior MicroLED panels to gain a competitive advantage over OLED TVs. Samsung showcased its first MicroLED TV at CES 2018 earlier this year, but it is not yet available for purchase. If and when Samsung publishes the next infographic on its major TV innovations, expect the world’s first Micro LED TV to be on the list.

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Report: Galaxy S10 will have an Infinity display, 3D camera, in-display fingerprint sensor

“Wait, what? The Galaxy S10 will not have a foldable display? Impossible!” That’s probably the thought that’s crossed your mind after reading the title, and reportedly, the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ are going to feature an Infinity display just like the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S8. That’s right: Samsung’s tenth anniversary Galaxy S flagship won’t come with a major redesign, according to a report by Korean publication The Bell. It should, however, have a fingerprint sensor under the display and “3D sensing camera modules.”

Galaxy S10 won’t be a foldable device

Now, if the report is correct, it’s not hard to believe Samsung will be keeping its first foldable phone separate from its primary flagship lineup, as it will make for a drastically different user experience for consumers. The Korean giant has taken upon itself to not innovate for the sake of innovation, and Samsung mobile division CEO DJ Koh has made it clear that its first foldable device won’t be a gimmick and will only be launched once the company is confident of “delivering the best user experience.”

Samsung has reportedly finalized the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ display specifications and shared them with Samsung Display. The screen sizes are said to be 5.8 inches and 6.3 inches for the S10 and S10+ respectively, although it’s unclear if this is based on factual information or just an assumption from the publication’s sources. The same goes for the mention of the Galaxy S10 moving the fingerprint sensor under the display, which also sounds like an educated guess considering how in-display fingerprint technology is bound to be ready for prime time by the time the Galaxy S9 successor comes to market.

As for a 3D sensing camera, The Bell is reiterating a previous report that said Samsung is working on a 3D camera with Israeli startup Mantis Vision, although the camera module supplier is now mentioned as Woodgate and not Namuga (it’s possible the company will be using both suppliers, just as it turns to Sony for the camera modules on its flagship smartphones). A 3D camera would certainly be an interesting addition, if only because it will make facial recognition — both for security and emoji purposes – much better than it is right now. Samsung might also add more advanced features, such as shooting 360-degree pictures and video, made possible by Mantis Vision’s technology, but the report doesn’t mention anything of the sort.

And that’s the problem with this particular report: Most of it seems to be based on assumptions and, in the case of the 3D camera, based on previous information with a few changes thrown in. The Bell has a pretty good track record with information on Samsung’s upcoming devices, but with many months to go before the Galaxy S10 is unveiled, more rumors and leaks will be required for us to get a better idea of Samsung’s grand plan for the tenth anniversary Galaxy S flagship.

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Samsung launches Orchid Gray Galaxy Note 8 in India

Samsung seems to have taken a keen interest in enhancing sales of its 2017 flagships in India following the launch of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The company kicked things off by giving a substantial price cut to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ and followed it up by launching the Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 and S8+ in the country just a week later. While the Galaxy Note 8 isn’t getting any cheaper just yet, Samsung India today launched the Orchid Gray version of the Galaxy Note 8, bringing the total color choices to three for prospective consumers (the other two are Midnight Black and Maple Gold). Sales of the Orchid Gray variant start today, April 17th.

Galaxy Note 8 now available in Orchid Gray in India

With the Galaxy Note 8 currently the latest and best iteration of Samsung’s Note flagship lineup, it’s not surprising the company isn’t reducing the phone’s price — currently set at Rs. 67,990, Rs. 3,000 higher than the Galaxy S9+ — and only bolstering the color options. Samsung is, however, offering a Rs. 10,000 cashback to customers who pay for the device through the Paytm wallet at all “leading retail stores.” For those who don’t need the creative and productive possibilities added by the S Pen and/or aren’t attracted by the Orchid Gray paint job, the Galaxy S9+ stands to be a better option, especially with the 128GB storage variant costing only slightly higher than the Note 8.

Don’t Miss: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review

Sadly, Samsung still hasn’t launched the Orchid Gray version of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, despite showing off the color at the phones’ unveiling at the Mobile World Congress. Not that the lack of Orchid Gray makes it an easy choice between the other non-black color options: Coral Blue and Lilac Purple. If you need help deciding, we have pictures of the blue and purple Galaxy S9+ side by side that you can take a gander at.

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Consumer Reports impressed by Galaxy S9 and S9+ durability, speed, and sound

Samsung’s efforts to make the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ faster and more durable and equipping them with fantastic stereo speakers seem to have paid off, at least when it comes to Consumer Reports’ smartphone rankings. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ sit at the top of the ratings at Consumer Reports thanks to their impressive performance in the durability, speed, and sound categories. Not surprising, given these are the segments in which Samsung’s latest flagships offer the most substantial upgrades, in addition to the primary camera.

Galaxy S9 and S9+ are stronger, faster, and sound better

For the durability test, Consumer Reports puts phones through 100 drops in a tumbler, and the Galaxy S9 was able to make it through the entire test with only minor scratches. The Galaxy S9+ didn’t fare so well, getting through the first 50 drops but cracking in the next 50. Still, both the S9 and S9+ did better than the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the displays on which “were badly broken and not functional” after 50 drops. The stronger metal and thicker glass on Samsung’s latest flagships are clearly working their magic as far as durability is concerned, although we’d still recommend slapping a case on your Galaxy S9 or S9+, or at least a screen protector.

In the speed and sound categories, the new Snapdragon 845 processor (the variant tested) and the Dolby Atmos-equipped stereo speakers allowed the Galaxy S9 and S9+ to take the lead over all other smartphones. However, battery life was found to be lower than the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The Exynos variant has already been criticized for having poorer battery life than the Snapdragon version, but it looks like the latter didn’t do better than Samsung’s first phones with an Infinity display, either, despite the official battery life figures suggesting otherwise.

Consumer Reports also “penalized the phones for oversharpening photos,” though the publication agrees the S9 and S9+ take better low-light photos than their predecessors, even if the improvement isn’t easily noticed until pictures are compared side by side (and we have plenty of those in our Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S8 camera comparison, so don’t forget to take a look). All in all, the publication thinks that while the Galaxy S9 and S9+ aren’t a giant leap forward for Samsung’s flagship lineup, these phones are still worth a look for anyone shopping for a top-end phone.

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