Samsung has launched a new smartphone to target the entry-level market in India today. The Galaxy J2 (2018), which launched earlier this year as the Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) in Vietnam, is set to go on sale in India starting tomorrow, April 27, with a price tag of Rs. 8,190. Despite the removal of the Pro tag from the phone’s name, the Indian version of the 2018 Galaxy J2 is better equipped in one key area: It has 2GB of RAM as opposed to 1.5GB of RAM on the J2 Pro (2018).
Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) launched in India
The Galaxy J2 (2018)’s focus, according to the company, is on online shopping and social media, two things young consumers are doing more and more these days. For the shopping part, the phone comes loaded with Samsung Mall, an India-exclusive app that Samsung recently launched to enable users to find new products through visual search (by using the camera for shooting pictures of a related product) and buying products from various online stores from a single location. For the social media aspect, Samsung says the phone allows users to move data to the external memory. We’re not sure how that helps social media fanatics, but the company says it’s a proprietary feature, so we’re guessing it does more than just move installed apps to the external storage.
The specs of the Galaxy J2 (2018) include a 5-inch qHD (960×540 pixels) Super AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.4GHz, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, a microSD slot, and a 2,600 mAh battery. Samsung doesn’t say what Android version is on-board, but our bet is on Android 7.0 Nougat as this is a device that was already launched elsewhere instead of being a completely new offering.
The Galaxy J2 (2018) will be available in gold, black, and pink, and those on the Jio network will receive a Rs. 2,750 cashback in their My Jio account on a recharge of the Rs. 198 or Rs. 299 data plans, along with 10GB of extra data on 10 subsequent recharges.
Samsung seems to have made Samsung Pay available for some users in France without an official announcement. One of our readers has sent in screenshots showing Samsung Pay working for a Caisse d’Epargne card, and Google Play is apparently letting users in the country download the Samsung Pay app instead of saying it’s incompatible. Caisse d’Epargne is one of two banks (the other is Banque Populaire) Samsung said would be supported when Samsung Pay launches in France sometime before summer, and it looks like the company has made good on its promise.
Samsung Pay comes to France
It’s unclear at this point if everyone in France can use Samsung Pay. It’s possible the initial rollout is a test run for some users, although even if that is the case, it shouldn’t be long before availability spreads across the country. The best way to check if you’re residing in France is to open the Play Store on your phone and see if the Samsung Pay app is downloadable. If Samsung Pay is already installed on your device, open the app and see if it lets you register and start adding your cards (you might need to download an update before it can be used). The timing is right for Samsung’s promise of launching Samsung Pay in France before the summer, so an official announcement from the company is likely to arrive soon.
Samsung Pay for France comes with the Samsung Pay Rewards program enabled, and support for more banks will arrive in the second half of 2018.
Samsung announced Q1 2018 earnings today, and they beat market expectations due to the stellar performance of the company’s semiconductor business. Samsung’s display division, however, suffered a decline in earnings due to the weak demand for flexible OLED panels and increased LCD production by the competitors.
Samsung’s earnings from TVs also suffered a year-on-year decline, which Samsung attributes to changes in the product lineup. Samsung believes the revenues from TVs will grow in Q2 due to the growing sales of new models. Interestingly, under the H2 Outlook heading in the earnings summary, the company talks about the launch of its MicroLED TVs by quoting “Expand premium lineups for products such as ultra-large-size QLED TVs (75” and up) and 8K TVs; solidify leadership in premium market by launching innovative products like Micro LED TVs.”
Unveiled at the CES 2018
The statement in the document pretty much confirms the commercial launch of the MicroLED TVs in the second half of this year. At the CES 2018 in January, Samsung already showcased the world’s first MicroLED TV named The Wall, a 146-inch modular TV. The company didn’t announce pricing or availability information at the time of the unveiling. If Samsung sticks to its plans outlined in the earnings summary, then the world’s first MicroLED TV should hit the market this year.
Though Samsung is the market leader in televisions, the company has been facing fierce completion in the premium TV segment from rivals’ OLED TVs. Samsung’s decision to abandon making OLED TVs in favor of QLED TVs has given a competitive edge to rivals selling OLED TVs. With the launch of the MicroLED TVs, considered by Samsung to be technologically superior to OLED, the company hopes to reclaim the lost ground and narrative.
It was first rumored late last year that the Galaxy S9 might be launched earlier than its predecessor and that’s precisely what happened a couple of months ago. Since it was launched early, Samsung also released the Galaxy S9 almost a month before the Galaxy S8 came out in 2017 and it doubled down on that by ensuring that the handset was released in many of its markets across the globe on March 16. That strategy has paid dividends for Samsung in the first quarter of 2018.
Samsung reported its official earnings results for Q1 2018 today and acknowledged that the increased sales of its flagship devices particularly the Galaxy S9 helped drive its record first-quarter revenue.
Early Galaxy S9 release
Samsung’s mobile division posted 28.45 trillion won or $26.3 billion in revenue this past quarter compared to 23.5 trillion won or $21.8 billion in the same period last year. It posted an operating profit of 3.77 trillion won or $3.5 billion compared to 2.07 trillion won or $1.9 billion in Q1 2017.
The company mentioned in its earnings release that the overall market demand for smartphones tablets declined during the quarter due to weak seasonality however, Samsung saw its smartphone shipments increase quarter-over-quarter due to the early release of the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+. Continuing solid sales of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ helped as well.
So while it was able to reap the benefits in the first quarter of this year, Samsung will now have to put in an extra effort to at least sustain the momentum in the second quarter. That’s because those who really wanted to buy the Galaxy S9 have already bought one so the company now has to find new customers. Samsung now expects earnings for the mobile division to decrease in the second quarter due to the slowdown in sales of its flagship models.
It will also have to increase its marketing spend to address the decline. Samsung says that it will try to maintain the sales momentum for the new flagships by setting up more experiential stores, improving its cooperation with retail and carrier partners as well as offering more promotional programs such as trade-ins to entice new customers to switch to the Galaxy S9.
Samsung will release another contender in the high-end segment of the market later this year which should provide a lift to the mobile division in the second half of 2018. That device will obviously be the Galaxy Note 9 which, if recent rumors are to be believed, may be launched ahead of schedule as well.
Unlike the Galaxy A3 (2017) and Galaxy A5 (2017), the Galaxy A7 (2017) Oreo update didn’t debut in Russia. Vietnam was the first market to get the A7 (2017) Oreo update, but it looks like Samsung Russia wasn’t too far behind and is also rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo for the largest of Samsung’s 2017 A series phones. That’s not all. The update is also available in Trinidad and Tobago, which suggests the Galaxy A7 (2017) has the highest priority right now, possibly because it’s the best-selling model in the 2017 Galaxy A lineup.
Galaxy A7 (2017) Oreo update
Like all of the Oreo updates released for devices in April, the A7 (2017) update includes the month’s security patch. If you own the phone in any of the countries mentioned above, you should be able to grab the update over the air by tapping the Download updates manually in the Software update section of the Settings app. We also have the firmware available in our database if you want to upgrade using a PC; if you’re using a PC, the Oreo update should also be available through Samsung Smart Switch in the near future.
Don’t forget to tell us how you’re liking Oreo if you have updated your Galaxy A7 (2017) or one of the other two Galaxy A (2017) phones by leaving a comment. Getting the update in a different country? Let us know where so other readers can be informed about its availability.
The Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition (FE) has started receiving the update to Android 8.0 Oreo in South Korea today, following a certification for the device by the Wi-Fi Alliance with the new version of Android on-board earlier this week. The Galaxy Note 7 isn’t getting the update, of course, even if it was also submitted to the certification process, but now that Oreo for the Fan Edition is available, it should only be a matter of time before it comes to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition Oreo update
The Note 7 FE Oreo update is rolling out for the LG Uplus and SK Telecom variants, and the other major South Korean carriers should soon be pushing out the update as well. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on what features and changes Oreo brings to Samsung’s 2016 flagships and just how much of the user interface will be made consistent with that on the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and Galaxy S9+.
It also remains to be seen when the global unlocked variant of the Note 7 FE will receive the update, though chances are it will only take a few days at this point. That’s what we hope, at least, as the arrival of Oreo on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge might be dependent on the update first going out to all of the Note 7 FE variants.
Oreo firmware for the Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition can be downloaded from our firmware database, and the update should also be available over the air from the Settings » Software update menu on the device. For those wondering, the update includes the April 2018 security patch.
Samsung didn’t stick around long for the Google Play Edition program that the maker of the Android OS envisioned a couple of years ago, and neither did other manufacturers. What was the Google Play Edition program? Well, it was what many had always dreamed of: Samsung’s flagship hardware running a stock version of Android and software updates coming directly from Google. The manufacturers still were in charge of pushing out the updates, but they only needed to make sure the new software worked with their proprietary hardware instead of adding any custom skin or features on top. In any case, that program didn’t go on for long, and Google soon buried it in its backyard (probably next to one of the Android statues).
Stock Android the answer for Samsung’s budget phone problems?
Google later turned its attention to the budget segment with the Android One program, which saw a few OEMs launch affordable phones with stock Android and, again, direct updates from the internet giant. The Android One program still exists, but Samsung didn’t show any interest in putting out Android One phones, probably because the price segment targeted by Android One is one which allows the company to offer hardware good enough to run its heavy TouchWiz – now renamed Samsung Experience – user interface. For ultra-budget smartphones, Samsung turned to Tizen, its proprietary operating system, and even has plans to bring Tizen handsets to more markets around the world.
But, as the benchmark for an upcoming Samsung device has revealed, the company could be planning on launching an Android Go smartphone. Android Go is Google’s attempt to have Android run well on devices with less than 1GB of RAM, exactly the kind that Samsung puts Tizen on, and it’s a rather surprising development. Well, maybe not surprising since Tizen phones can never be expected to match parity with the features and apps available on Android, but a company that sells smartphones on the very idea that its consumers have a consistent experience will find itself under the spotlight with an Android Go smartphone.
And, frankly, it’s a good step, one that Samsung should have taken a long time ago, only Google wasn’t offering something like Android Go until Oreo came out. Now that Samsung is making the move, however, we here at SamMobile have been wondering if the Korean conglomerate should start using stock Android for its regular budget smartphones – the Galaxy J series in particular – as well.
Other than the recently launched Galaxy J7 Duo, Samsung’s J series phones have always been underpowered. Not only underpowered because of their specs, but because the company’s custom Android software isn’t optimized enough to run well on budget hardware. Using Android One or just regular stock Android, perhaps with a custom version of the camera app and other really important features, would allow Samsung’s budget phones to offer a considerably smoother and faster user experience. We know it can’t match Xiaomi or other Chinese OEMs when it comes to equipping affordable phones with hardware from a price segment or two above, but getting rid of TouchWiz/Samsung Experience would make it much easier for people to recommend and buy its budget phones.
As always, one can point out that Samsung’s customized version of Android has features that you don’t get on stock Android and that it also enables a consistency in user experience for the company’s millions of consumers. What’s the point of all that, however, if Samsung’s phones start to lag and stutter in a few months and make the user tear their hair out in frustration? TouchWiz/Samsung Experience isn’t getting any more optimized, and unless Samsung can work some magic, perhaps letting go of its custom UX is a cheaper, faster, and more sensible thing to do.
What do you think? Is it high time Samsung realized that stock Android would be better for its budget phones as far as performance and the user experience is concerned, or do you think it should just focus on optimization and perhaps try offering better hardware for lower prices? Vote in the poll below to let us know what you think, and also leave a comment to get a discussion going!
Should Samsung start using stock Android for budget phones?
Yes! 75%, 3 votes
3 votes75%
3 votes - 75% of all votes
No, better to optimize its software 25%, 1 vote
1 vote25%
1 vote - 25% of all votes
It should just quit the budget market altogether 0%, 0 votes
0 votes
0 votes - 0% of all votes
It should use stock Android on all of its devices 0%, 0 votes
The full Samsung Q1 2018 earnings have been posted today. Samsung’s operating profit hiked 58.03 percent to 15.64 trillion won or $14.49 billion in the first quarter of this year. It has posted 11.7 trillion won or $10.8 billion in net profit which is a 52 percent increase from Q1 2017. Sales surged nearly 20 percent year-over-year to hit 60.5 trillion won or just over $56 billion.
Samsung Q1 2018 earnings
Samsung’s semiconductor business has been behind the stellar performance of the company in recent quarters and it’s the same story in Q1 2018 as well. The company acknowledges in its earnings release that its memory business primarily led its first quarter revenue. It also mentions that increased sales of its flagship smartphones such as the Galaxy S9 also made a significant contribution.
Demand for memory chipsets was high in the quarter which led to higher revenues for the company as well as the early global launch of the Galaxy S9. Samsung has reaped the rewards of quickly rolling out its latest flagship smartphone in most markets across the globe soon after the launch.
Amid reports that Apple had cut OLED panel orders to Samsung, the company says that its Display Panel division had its profits affected by slow demand for flexible OLED panels and competitors’ increased production in the LCD market.
Samsung now expects the semiconductor division to maintain its performance in the second quarter but cautions that generating overall earnings growth across the various divisions is going to be a challenge because of the hurdles in the Display Panel segment as well as a decline in profitability for the mobile division particularly due to more competition in the high-end segment of the market.
