First Samsung Android Go handset possibly spotted

Samsung is yet to confirm if it’s going to launch an entry-level device powered by Android Go but that possibility has now emerged as what could likely be the first Samsung Android Go handset has been spotted online. The unannounced device has been listed in the Geekbench database which is where a lot of upcoming devices are initially spotted.

Samsung Android Go handset

Announced last year, Android Go is an iteration of Android 8.0 that’s specifically meant for entry-level devices. It brings the best features of Android and packages them into a lightweight ROM that can even run on devices with less than 1GB of RAM.

Google has also developed Go versions of its core apps like Gmail, Maps, Files and more which are highly optimized for this iteration of Android. Moreover, popular online services like Facebook have also shipped versions of their mobile apps that are optimized for Go devices.

The first Android Go-powered handsets went on sale not too long ago and Samsung has yet to confirm if it’s going to launch one of its own. The as yet unannounced SM-J260G might be the first Samsung Android Go handset that may be launched as the Galaxy J2 Core.

The SM-J260G has been spotted in the Geekbench database with 1GB of RAM. This coupled with Android 8.1 as the OS version is a major indication that this is likely an Android Go device as it checks all the boxes for one. The processor appears to be an optimized version of the Exynos 7570 with four ARM Cortex-A53 cores at 1.43GHz, it’s mentioned in the benchmark listing as the “Universal7570_Go,” yet another indication of this device’s Android Go credentials.

Word on the street is that this device might be launched as part of Samsung’s Galaxy J entry-level series, specifically as the Galaxy J2 Core but there’s no official confirmation of that just yet. Granted, this may be circumstantial evidence at best, but it would certainly make sense for Samsung to launch its own Android Go handset. It already launches many entry-level phones in emerging markets, why not offer customers one that provides them a much better user experience.

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Samsung reportedly shipped 8 million Galaxy S9/S9+ units in the first month

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are minor upgrades over their predecessors. The new Galaxy flagship smartphones retain the same design language of last year’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ while introducing many incremental changes on the inside. Even with the improved cameras, stereo speakers, AR Emojis, etc., the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are not very different from the Galaxy S8 series unless you specifically need those new features.

With increased saturation in the premium smartphone segment, selling large quantities of the Galaxy S9/S9+ was always going to be a challenge for Samsung. At the time of the launch, DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung’s mobile division, expressed confidence that the Galaxy S9 will outperform the Galaxy S8 in sales. While Samsung hasn’t released any official sales numbers for the Galaxy S9/S9+ so far, Canalys has come out with launch-month shipment numbers for the new Galaxy flagships.

The Galaxy S9+ is doing better than the smaller variant

According to Canalys, Samsung shipped over 8 million units of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the first four weeks after launch, which closely matches with the launch-month shipment numbers of the Galaxy S8 series but falls short of the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge’s 9 million mark in March 2016. Out of the 8 million Galaxy S9/S9+ shipped worldwide, the US accounted for 2.8 million units while South Korea clocked close to 1 million in shipments. Between the Galaxy S9 and S9+, the latter fared better in shipments, due to the dual-camera setup which the smaller and cheaper Galaxy S9 lacks (and probably because bigger phones tend to do better in general in many markets).

Canalys attributes the relatively good shipment numbers of the Galaxy S9/S9+ to the wider availability of the smartphones at launch, aggressive trade-in programs, and generous discounts. Remember, these are not official numbers from Samsung and so may not be entirely accurate. However, given the reluctance of Samsung to share sales information for different models, reports from market research firms like Canalys are still our best resources on this subject.

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Samsung’s Bixby Speaker might be able to detect whether you’re in the room

Imagine a computerized voice greeting you every time you walk into your room, asking you if you’d like to listen to some music, and then playing a song that’s suitable for the “surrounding environment and mood” and also changing the lights in the room to match that mood. Sounds creepy, right? Well, for Samsung, that could just be one way its Bixby Speaker could stand out from competitors like Google Home and Amazon Echo, according to one of the company’s recently approved patents regarding a smart speaker.

A smart speaker that checks if you’re in the room

According to the patent’s description by Patently Mobile, the Bixby Speaker could come with an array of sensors, more so than other smart speakers, going as far as being able to detect if a human being is in the room. Well, it’s something any smart speaker can do by keeping the microphone on and listening for human voices, but Samsung might also opt for an infrared sensor that sweeps the room to detect human movement and perhaps even a camera, though the latter might raise privacy complaints similar to the hue and cry around Samsung smart TVs being able to listen in on conversations.

The patent also describes the use of either a temperature or humidity sensor in addition to GPS for location detection so it can speak out the current weather information, and we’re guessing the temperature/humidity sensor might also be used to decide the mood when the speaker is asked to play music. That’s just an assumption, though, and with every patent, everything described in this one may never see the light of day on an actual product. We certainly hope Samsung doesn’t use the generic design seen in the patent application, which makes it look like a subwoofer from regular music systems.

DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung’s mobile division, said earlier this year that the company would be launching the Bixby Speaker (the name isn’t yet finalized) in the second half of 2018, and Samsung’s lofty aim of connecting appliances in every home to the internet certainly makes a Google Home competitor an important part of the plan. And knowing Samsung’s habit of throwing everything but the kitchen sink into its devices, the functionality described in the patent application may actually turn out to be a part of the final product, though the company will most likely make all of it optional instead of keeping it enabled by default. Here’s hoping the feature list also includes support for more languages for voice recognition.

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Samsung launches exclusive episodic shows for the Gear VR

Samsung has announced the launch of a new initiative this week called Pilot Season through which it’s bringing exclusive episodic content to the Gear VR platform. The initiative is going to feed new exclusive original episodic virtual reality content into the Samsung VR Video service. This new program is part of Samsung’s efforts to bring more engaging virtual reality content to its platform.

Pilot episodes for six original series out now

Through the Pilot Season program, Samsung provided grants to a select set of independent filmmakers who created original virtual reality episodes. They were also given the opportunity to utilize Samsung’s 360 Round camera which is the company’s professional-grade 360-degree camera. The professional 360-degree camera is a rig made up of 17 cameras that can both capture and livestream content. It supports real-time calibration of stitch lines as well as color and light correction capabilities.

The selected filmmakers also get exclusive distribution through a dedicated channel on the Samsung VR Video service.The pilot episodes for the six exclusive original series developed as part of this initiative are now available via Samsung VR Video on the Gear VR. Those who own the headset can access the Samsung VR Video service from the Oculus store. The Pilot Season episodes will be listed in the “Featured” section of the service.

The six original VR series cover a wide range of topics. They include one that highlights how design is going to change the way we look at the world to even a scripted sci-fi virtual reality comedy series.

There’s bound to be something for everyone so if you’ve got a Gear VR lying around, do check out the Pilot Season episodes on the Samsung VR Video service. Don’t forget that you’ll require a Samsung handset compatible with the Gear VR such as the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ to access the episodes. We can expect Samsung to work with more filmmakers to add even more VR episodic titles to the service down the line.

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Leaked Galaxy S9 Active specs hint at 4,000mAh battery

It was only a matter of time before there were whispers on the street regarding the Galaxy S9 Active specs and we’re hearing them now. Samsung has a habit of launching ‘Active’ variants of its Galaxy S flagships every year to cater to those who want a more durable device and a larger battery. If a new leak is to be believed, the Galaxy S9 Active is going to feature a 4,000mAh battery just like its predecessor the Galaxy S8 Active.

An image of a purported Galaxy S9 Active spec sheet has emerged online and it bears model number SM-G893. It’s in line with the series as the Galaxy S8 Active is SM-G892 and the Galaxy S7 Active’s model number is SM-G891.

Galaxy S9 Active specs

Previous Active variants of Samsung’s flagship smartphones were limited to AT&T in the United States but that changed last year when the Galaxy S8 Active was also launched on T-Mobile and Sprint. We can expect that to happen for the Galaxy S9 Active as well.

The Galaxy S8 Active had specs similar to the regular Galaxy S8 with one major difference being the display. It has a 5.8-inch 18.5:9 aspect ratio display which is flat and not curved on both edges as it is on the regular variant. That’s because flat panels tend to be a bit more durable than their curved counterparts and since the very premise of these variants is added durability, a curved panel would defeat the purpose.

It’s going to be a similar story on the Galaxy S9 Active as well. It will have a 5.8-inch flat panel as well and will be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chip from Qualcomm with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

The front and rear cameras would be similar to the Galaxy S9. You won’t get the dual camera on the Active variant, though. What you will get is a 4,000mAh battery that’s a considerable step up from the Galaxy S9’s 3,000mAh battery.

Samsung’s Active variants tend to launch over the summer so that’s when we can probably expect to see the Galaxy S9 Active this year. We’ll likely see more leaks concerning this device in the days to come.

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Galaxy A7 (2017) Oreo update is rolling out in Vietnam

The Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017) have been receiving the Android 8.0 Oreo update in Russia for a few days now, and it looks like the Galaxy A7 (2017) is joining the Oreo party today, only this time the update has been released in Vietnam. One of our readers has sent us screenshots of the Oreo update from the A7 (2017); the build number is getting a jump to A720FXXU3CRD3, and the update includes the April 2018 security patch.

Galaxy A7 (2017) Oreo update now rolling out

With the Galaxy A7 (2017) Oreo update rolling out, all three 2017 Galaxy A series models are now making the transition to the latest version of Android. However, as we had said earlier, the update is likely to take a few weeks to reach countries other than the one where it debuted for each device. The way Samsung works – leaving each of its regional arms to do things of their own accord – makes it impossible to say when an update will arrive for a particular region, and we’re even seeing the A7 (2017) getting the April security update in a few markets this week without Oreo, which should give you an idea of how things will proceed for many (if not most) countries.

You can, however, keep checking if Oreo is available for your Galaxy A series device by tapping the Download updates manually option in the Settings » Software update menu. The Galaxy A7 (2017) Oreo update is 1.3GB in size, so it’s recommended to use a Wi-Fi for the download unless you have lots of data bandwidth available on your mobile data plan. For details on everything Android 8.0 Oreo brings to the table, check out our extensive coverage, but keep in mind that you may not get all of the new features and functionality that are included in the Oreo update for Samsung’s flagship devices.

Seeing the Oreo update on your A7 (2017)? Let us know if you are by leaving a comment!

Thanks, Lê Vũ Minh Khang!

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Xiaomi beats Samsung again to secure the top spot in India

Samsung has been facing fierce competition from Xiaomi in India. The Chinese OEM has made considerable gains in 2017 to emerge as Samsung’s biggest smartphone competitor in the country. Reports from many market research agencies have either put Xiaomi ahead of or close to Samsung’s market share in India during the second half of 2017.

Canalys was one of the market research firms that placed Xiaomi at the top spot in India in Q4 2017. The company has now released Q1 2018 market share numbers for India, and they don’t look good for Samsung. According to Canalys, Xiaomi shipped over 9 million units and secured the top spot in India again with a market share of 31%, up from 27% in the previous quarter. This is the highest ever market share for a vendor since Q1 2014 when Samsung held 33% market share.

Samsung is placed second with 25% market share and just under 7.5 million smartphone shipments in Q1 2018. For comparison, Samsung secured 25% market share with 7.3 million shipments in the last quarter of 2017. Clearly, Samsung has stagnated while Xiaomi continues to make considerable gains in the Indian smartphone market.

Galaxy J series is losing to Xiaomi’s Redmi lineup

Unsurprisingly, Canalys attributes the strong performance of Xiaomi to the popular Redmi smartphone series. While Redmi 5A was Xiaomi’s bestseller with 3.5 million shipments in the last quarter, Galaxy J7 Nxt was Samsung’s best performer with 1.5 million shipments. Samsung’s Galaxy J series is certainly falling short in combatting the value-for-money offerings from the Chinese OEMs.

When Canalys crowned Xiaomi as the largest vendor in India in Q4 2017, Samsung rubbished the findings by quoting sales numbers from a German research firm GfK, which placed Samsung far ahead of Xiaomi in India. We have to wait and see if Samsung adopts a similar approach towards the Q1 2018 shipment numbers as well. However, considering the pace at which Xiaomi is growing by many counts, Samsung probably has to refute reports from more than just Canalys this time.

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