Samsung SM-G8750 and SM-G8850 to be launched as Galaxy S8 Lite and Galaxy A8 Star

One major mystery regarding Samsung’s upcoming devices has finally been solved, if the latest tweet from Twitter leakster MMDDJ_ is to be believed. Remember that Galaxy S9 for China – model number SM-G8850 – that popped up on TENAA with specs from the Galaxy S9+ and an iPhone-like design? Well, that device’s TENAA listing has now been updated with mid-range specs and it will reportedly be launched as the Galaxy A8 Star. The SM-G8750, meanwhile, is confirmed to be the Galaxy S8 Lite, just as we had speculated recently.

Galaxy A8 Star is an upgraded Galaxy A8+ (2018)

The Galaxy A8 Star seems to be an upgraded Galaxy A8+ (2018) for China, possibly as an answer to phones from companies like Vivo and Oppo as suggested by the 24-megapixel and 16-megapixel rear camera pair. The front camera resolution isn’t mentioned, but the pictures suggest the A8+’ dual front camera isn’t coming along for the ride. The screen size has been increased to 6.3 inches (though the resolution remains Full HD+) and the battery capacity is 3,700 mAh, 200 mAh more than the A8+.

The processor and RAM seem to be the same – an Exynos 7885 processor with eight cores and 4GB of RAM. A 6GB RAM variant is probably in the works as well, as it would otherwise be a downgrade over the A8+. TENAA says there’s 64MB of storage, which likely means 64GB, and on the software front, you get Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. Yes, your Galaxy A8 (2018) or A8+ might not be getting the Oreo update anytime soon, but the Galaxy A8 Star will certainly be running the latest and greatest version of Android upon launch, as any device should.

As for the Galaxy S8 Lite, the specs seem to be similar to the A8 Star. It was spotted with the Snapdragon 660 SoC (which should be comparable to the Exynos 7885), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and Android 8.0 Oreo. The display resolution is 2220×1080 pixels, and while Samsung’s flagships come with Full HD as the default resolution even though the display can go up to Quad HD (or HD+, if it’s an Infinity display), it’s unlikely that the same will be the case for a Lite version of the Galaxy S8 with a mid-range processor.

And, as usual, these phones will have to go official before we can believe any of the leaks and rumors, as solid and accurate as they may seem at the moment. These devices are also likely to be exclusive to China as the company looks forward to reclaiming some of its recently lost popularity in the country, though the Galaxy A8 Star looks better poised to help Samsung do that compared to the Galaxy S8 Lite.

The post Samsung SM-G8750 and SM-G8850 to be launched as Galaxy S8 Lite and Galaxy A8 Star appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2HnaEzi
via IFTTT

Lawsuit filed against Samsung in Israel over Galaxy S9 calling issues

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ may be some of the best smartphones available today, but that doesn’t mean they are without problems or complaints. Calling issues are one of the major complaints many users have against the new Galaxy flagship smartphones. Given how vital the calling function is to a smartphone, it is understandable that users will be angry when their brand-new flagship smartphone fails at the most basic function.

Frustrated with the Galaxy S9’s calling issues, some users in Israel have filed a class action lawsuit against Samsung Electronics and its regional importer Suny Cellular Communications Ltd. The lawsuit mentions that the plaintiff purchased two units of the Galaxy S9+ and had been facing calling issues on both of them. It is worth pointing out that even one of our units has issues like calls going mute abruptly and having distortions from time to time. Here is how the issue is described in the petition:

The applicant has discovered that during cellular conversations, the user encounters alternating loss of hearing on the other side of the call for a few seconds at a time (usually between 5 and 10 seconds). In other cases, the fault is expressed in a fragmentary sound (which creates a feeling of distorted reception) that does not allow for an audio conversation at all, and requires the severance of the conversation and the creation of a renewed connection.

Apart from the above calling issues, the petition also mentions that Samsung has removed the ability to record calls by popular third-party software. The plaintiff says none of this is informed to the customer during the unveiling or marketing of the devices.

Updates reportedly failed to fix the issues

According to the lawsuit, when the complainant reached out to the network operator Cellcom regarding the calling issues, the operator informed that the issue is not related to the network but the software on the device. The operator also informed that Samsung is working on a software update to fix the issue. The plaintiff also reached out to Samsung who acknowledged the problem and said two software updates had been released to address the issue. According to the plaintiff, however, none of the two updates seem to have fixed the calling issues.

The petition also says that the plaintiff did some investigation and concluded that calling issues are not because of the software but due to the incompatibility of the processors used in these devices with cellular networks in Israel. The petition doesn’t offer any details about the nature of the investigation and how the plaintiff arrived at the above conclusion.

The petition alleges that “out of greed or at least negligence,” Samsung continued selling the defective devices even after being aware of the calling issues. The lawsuit is requesting the court to entitle the members in the suit to return their phones for a full refund along with compensation for each day the devices were in use.

Let us know in the comments section if you are facing similar issues with your Galaxy S9 and S9+. You can read more about the lawsuit here.

The post Lawsuit filed against Samsung in Israel over Galaxy S9 calling issues appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2vJfD8a
via IFTTT

SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: April 24, 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, and 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—so 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 (the same link also has links to all previous editions of the magazine for those interested!)

The post SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: April 24, 2018 appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2K8l3g2
via IFTTT

T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update rollout is currently on hold

North American carrier T-Mobile started rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Galaxy Note 8 right on April Fools’ Day, but it looks like the company didn’t pull a prank on its customers until two days later. If you have a Galaxy Note 8 from T-Mobile and haven’t yet received the Oreo update, that’s because the rollout has been put on hold by the magenta carrier on April 3. T-Mobile hasn’t offered any information on what caused it to pull the update, and the update still hasn’t been released three weeks later, leaving T-Mobile as the only US carrier to not have sent out Oreo to all of its Galaxy Note 8 users.

T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update on hold

T-Mobile pausing the rollout of a major OS update for a flagship device is yet another instance of these updates having issues that should have been sorted out during the months Samsung took for testing. Now, this particular instance might be the carrier’s fault and not Samsung’s, but it’s disappointing to see how consumers have to wait so long — it’s been eight months since Google first released Android 8.0 Oreo — for major software updates on flagship devices that cost an arm and a leg.

Hopefully, Project Treble will bring the much-needed change it was designed for, and considering how we are already reaping the benefits of Project Treble in the form of smaller update sizes on the Galaxy S9, fingers crossed that major OS updates (like Android P) will arrive much faster on Samsung devices launched with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

Have you received the Oreo update on your Galaxy Note 8 on T-Mobile? If yes, have you run into any issues that might suggest why the rollout was paused?

The post T-Mobile’s Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update rollout is currently on hold appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2Jlwr72
via IFTTT

Galaxy A3 (2017) Android 8.0 Oreo update rolling out in Russia

Yet another Samsung phone is receiving the Android 8.0 Oreo update before the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. The Galaxy A5 (2017) was the first, with its Oreo update having debuted in Russia, and now the Galaxy A3 (2017) is getting the update in the same country. The update comes three weeks after the A3 and A5 were certified with Oreo by the Wi-Fi Alliance, although the rollout is currently limited to Russia for both devices as far as we know. And the update might not expand to other markets too quickly, either, given both phones are mid-range devices.

Galaxy A3 (2017) Oreo update

It’s also worth mentioning that Russia was the first market where the Android 7.0 Nougat update was released for the 2016 A series phones. Samsung Turkey currently says that Oreo for the Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), and Galaxy A7 (2017) is estimated to arrive in June, though we have our fingers crossed the wait won’t be as long for owners of these devices in other countries.

In any case, if you own a Galaxy A3 (2017) in Russia, you should be able to download the Oreo update from the Settings » Software update menu. We also have the complete firmware available in our database, which you can use to upgrade to Oreo using a PC if the update isn’t available for your phone over the air just yet.

The update includes the April 2018 security patch and should have the same changelog as the Galaxy A5 (2017) update. If you have updated to Oreo on the A3 (2017), do send us a few screenshots through email at am@sammobile.com and also let us know your thoughts on the update in the comments section.

The post Galaxy A3 (2017) Android 8.0 Oreo update rolling out in Russia appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2qUFULT
via IFTTT