Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge start receiving September 2020 security patch

Samsung has upped its game when it comes to rolling out software updates to its smartphones and tablets. The company has started rolling out a new software update to the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge, which were released close to five years ago, and the updates bring along a new security patch.

The Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge have started receiving the September 2020 security patch. The updates are currently rolling out in Canada and the UK. The download size of the updates is around 70MB, and they carry the firmware versions G930W8VLS8CTI1 or G935W8VLS8CTI1, depending on whether you are using the Galaxy S7 or the Galaxy S7 edge. Firmware versions for the UK variants of the smartphones are G930FXXU8ETI2 and G935FXXU8ETI2. The new software updates also improve device stability, fixes some bugs, and improves performance.

It is impressive to see that Samsung is updating smartphones that it launched close to five years ago. It must be a critical update, which is why the South Korean smartphone giant has decided to roll out the update even after it decided to stop updating the Galaxy S7 series earlier this year. The new software update could roll out to other markets soon.

If your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge hasn’t received the update, you can manually check for it by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping Download and install on the phone. Alternatively, you can also download the new firmware from our firmware section and flash it manually.

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Find My Mobile offline functionality is now widely available outside the USA

Find My Mobile’s offline functionality is now widely available outside of the USA after Samsung released a new update to the app that bringing it up to version 7.2.07.19. As discovered by our friends at GalaxyClub, the new offline function for Find My Mobile is available on virtually any Galaxy smartphone running Android 10, as well as the Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Watch range of wearables.

Offline finding was first added to Find My Mobile in late-August but it was subjected to a staged roll out that limited availability to the USA. We expected the feature to eventually become widely available and, sure enough, it now is. You’ll have to update the Find My Mobile app via the Galaxy Store before you can take advantage of this new offline finding feature. Simply visit the Updates section in the Galaxy Store and check if the latest version is available for your device.

As to how offline finding works, Find My Mobile can connect your smartphone to other Samsung devices in its vicinity, presumably via Bluetooth, and pinpoint its location even if the phone is not connected to a Wi-Fi network. This can make the difference between losing your phone for good or being able to find it, particularly in situations when you may have misplaced it in public where you might not have access to a Wi-Fi network.

Once the app is updated, you can enable offline finding by opening Settings on the phone, accessing Biometrics and security, followed by Find My Mobile. You can also choose to encrypt offline location and prevent other people from finding your phone if they don’t have your pre-set code.

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Find My Mobile offline functionality is now widely available outside the USA

Find My Mobile’s offline functionality is now widely available outside of the USA after Samsung released a new update to the app that bringing it up to version 7.2.07.19. As discovered by our friends at GalaxyClub, the new offline function for Find My Mobile is available on virtually any Galaxy smartphone running Android 10, as well as the Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Watch range of wearables.

Offline finding was first added to Find My Mobile in late-August but it was subjected to a staged roll out that limited availability to the USA. We expected the feature to eventually become widely available and, sure enough, it now is. You’ll have to update the Find My Mobile app via the Galaxy Store before you can take advantage of this new offline finding feature. Simply visit the Updates section in the Galaxy Store and check if the latest version is available for your device.

As to how offline finding works, Find My Mobile can connect your smartphone to other Samsung devices in its vicinity, presumably via Bluetooth, and pinpoint its location even if the phone is not connected to a Wi-Fi network. This can make the difference between losing your phone for good or being able to find it, particularly in situations when you may have misplaced it in public where you might not have access to a Wi-Fi network.

Once the app is updated, you can enable offline finding by opening Settings on the phone, accessing Biometrics and security, followed by Find My Mobile. You can also choose to encrypt offline location and prevent other people from finding your phone if they don’t have your pre-set code.

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Clues hint at Samsung’s Nightfury Chromebook entering production

Samsung’s mysterious QLED Chromebook codenamed Nightfury has entered the production stage, at least according to a commit found in the Chromium Repositories by Chrome Unboxed. The commit message suggests that the developers have made the necessary BIOS changes for Nightfury to leave the manufacturing stage behind and enter the production phase.

The commit doesn’t reveal much else about the mysterious Samsung Nightfury Chromebook but the BIOS change was made in the Intel management engine (ME) and the device is expected to feature a 10th-generation Intel processor. It’s unclear if this will be the exact same 10th-gen Intel CPU that was employed by Samsung’s first AMOLED-based Galaxy Chromebook.

Nightfury supposedly entered development in February, which would mean that Samsung has been working on this new QLED Chromebook for the past eight months. In theory, this should be enough time for the company to ready the new device for production, but of course, Chromium Repositories commits don’t always tell the full story. There’s a chance that Nightfury will be unveiled in the next few weeks, but there’s an equal chance that the Chromebook will fall back into obscurity for a while before more details emerge.

Time will tell exactly what price bracket Nightfury will occupy but it will probably be more affordable than the company’s AMOLED Galaxy Chromebook. And hopefully it will also deliver more battery life considering the fact that low energy efficiency is one of the very few issues the Galaxy Chromebook has. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we find out more. In the meantime, let us know if you’re invested in the Chromebook ecosystem and/or if you’re looking forward to the release of a new Samsung model.

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Samsung USA unleashes numerous 5G technologies at GSMA Thrive

Samsung USA has just announced a handful of 5G-related technologies ahead of the GSMA Thrive virtual event scheduled to take place later today. Samsung is leading the charge into the 5G era at the consumer and enterprise levels, and the latest solutions are meant to further democratize 5G while continuing to secure the company’s top spot in the segment.

Samsung is presenting numerous 5G products and services at GSMA Thrive, including the Samsung Link range designed for indoor 5G services, the vRAN and 5G SA E2E network solutions for operators, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), C-Band, and Compact Core. In addition, the company announced a new partnership with VMware that’s meant to accelerate the roll-out of 5G.

• Samsung Link is the complete in-building 5G solution from Samsung, comprising Link Cell – a mmWave indoor cell site announced in September – as well as Link HubPro and Link Hub. This product range covers the entire 5G spectrum and it’s meant to bring reliable indoor 5G to businesses.
• Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) is a technology developed by Samsung designed to help network operators migrate from LTE to 5G with relative ease. Samsung claims that this solution allows operators to gradually change the network’s spectrum resource allocation according to data usage.
• The 5G SA E2E network solution allows network operators to upgrade and launch new services for business clients while reducing operating expenses. The solution leverages AI technologies for easy monitoring and comprises 5G RAN, cloud native Core, and the Orchestration and Analytics platform.
• Samsung’s vRAN (virtual RAN) solution gives mobile operators the necessary tools for flexible scaling and resource pooling with the goal of improving efficiency and reducing deployment costs.
• Compact Core is a cloud-native all-in-one-box 4G/5G solution designed to support enterprises such as smart factories, R&D complexes, shipyards, and steel plants. Compact Core is compatible with any x86 off-the-shelf server and it will be available globally later this year.
• Samsung’s C-Band Massive MIMO radio solution was also unveiled today ahead of GSMA Thrive North America. The technology is actually already in use in South Korea and it will enable mobile operators in the USA to improve data speeds and increase 5G coverage. C-Band covers the mid-band spectrum from 3.7GHz to 4.2GHz and the product includes 64 antennas.

Samsung is collaborating with VMware once again

Back in 2017, Samsung and VMware announced a partnership meant to simplify Internet of Things. The two companies are joining forces once again, this time with the common purpose of accelerating the deployment of 5G solutions.

Specifically, VMware and Samsung have been working together in the Korean tech giant’s labs to optimize its VNFs (virtualized network functions) and CNFs (containerized network functions). In essence, this collaboration will help Communication Service Providers (CPS) accelerate the deployment of 5G technologies.

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Galaxy S20 FE already drops to lowest-ever price in India

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition just became an even more tempting offer for anyone currently seeking a new smartphone in India, especially if they really want to prioritize value over everything else. Only two weeks after hitting the market, the Galaxy S20 FE can already be bought for as low as Rs. 40,999, which equates to just about $555. Just half a month earlier, this Android handset released as the very latest and very much high-end, yet competitive device from Samsung, retailing at 20% more, or the equivalent of $680.

Now, not unusually, that lowest aforementioned figure isn’t as straightforward to reach on your own. So, pay attention: it only applies to Galaxy S20 FE models bought from Samsung India, which already drops the original Rs. 49,999 price tag to Rs. 44,999 ($67 off), and if you use an HDFC bank or debit card, you’re eligible for an Rs. 4,000 cashback, which is another $54 or thereabout that you save.

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition is the most well-rounded performer to beat in Q4 2020

Of course, you might prefer the better of the two Galaxy S20 Fan Edition configurations – the one using 256GB of flash storage space. That one will bring its original price from Rs. 53,999 ($732) to Rs. 48,999 ($664). Additionally, you can get a 50% discount on adding accidental and liquid damage (ADLD) insurance to your newly purchased smartphone or tablet during the ongoing festivities. The insurance itself is applicable to a wider range of both smartphones and tablets, but curiously, to be eligible for it, you need to actually buy one of the new Galaxy S20 FE versions. Though these current deals definitely make an already tempting product even more amazing than some would think feasible.

In any case, all of these newly confirmed offers will be live from today through November 17th, the company revealed in a prepared statement. Meaning that Samsung appears to be pretty much doubling down on its aggressive pricing, obviously hoping there’s still hope to salvage at least a portion of its enormous sales misses before the end of the year.

Well, the Galaxy S20 FE may legitimately help boost some of Samsung’s slowly recovering business across a variety of segments. And so, if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, check out our in-depth Galaxy S20 FE review if you haven’t already as that one pretty much says it all. This is a smartphone to watch out for this holiday season, and absolutely remains the one to beat, lowest-ever price or not.

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Samsung Pay users in Germany can earn credit upon phone purchases

Samsung Pay has successfully passed beta testing in Germany and the service will be widely available starting tomorrow, October 28, according to the original schedule. To mark the occasion, Samsung Germany announced today that Pay customers who sign up for the service and purchase an eligible Galaxy smartphone before November 18 will receive up to 200 EUR credit.

The Samsung Pay beta program in Germany was introduced in late September when the company revealed that the service will be provided through different means compared to other countries. Specifically, Samsung Pay is brought to Germany in collaboration with Solarisbank AG and Visa, and customers are able to link virtually any account even if the bank doesn’t support mobile payments.

Buy a new Galaxy device and receive Samsung Pay credit

New customers in Germany who plan on buying a new Galaxy smartphone through the mobile payment platform will benefit from up to 200 EUR Samsung Pay credit. This promotion is a part of what Samsung Germany calls the Happy Payday campaign.

The offer applies only to specific smartphone models. The list of eligible devices includes the original Galaxy S20 trio as well as the new Galaxy S20 FE, the Galaxy Note 20 series, and the Galaxy Z Flip along with its larger sibling, the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

As a quick reminder, Samsung Week commenced in Europe yesterday and customers can benefit from discounts on a wide variety of Galaxy products, ranging from smartphones to home appliances. In other words, it’s the perfect time to make use of the new Samsung Pay platform.

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[Poll results!] What new features do you want on the 2021 Galaxy A series?

Samsung sells a lot of units from its Galaxy A series every year. Much like their predecessors, Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 have both proven to be very successful. Samsung even gave them separate 5G variants this year. We’re now looking forward to the 2021 models of the Galaxy A series and there’s still a long wishlist of features that many Samsung fans would like to see on these handsets.

The Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 will likely be among the first 2021 Galaxy A handsets to be unveiled. While it’s unclear exactly when that will happen, chances are that we will start hearing some official information about the 2021 Galaxy A series towards the end of this year.

Samsung introduced the 120Hz refresh rate on its smartphones for the first time this year. It has only been limited to flagship devices so far. Although marketed as a flagship, the Galaxy S20 FE also has a 120Hz refresh rate display and it only costs a hundred dollars more than the Galaxy A71 5G. So it’s within reason to expect this feature to trickle down.

With many Chinese brands touting ultra fast charging speeds, a lot of fans would prefer seeing faster wired charging speeds on the Galaxy A handsets as well. Others may prefer ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensors found on Samsung flagships that are a tad bit better than the optical sensors currently in use.

Cameras have been a core area of focus for Samsung’s premium mid-range phones. The lack of a telephoto (zoom) camera has been sorely felt. Samsung fans will be very happy if a dedicated zoom camera is offered as well. There are reports that the Galaxy A72 could have a penta-camera setup which will include a 3x zoom telephoto camera.

Which of these features are you most excited about? Vote below and share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment.

Results: The majority of all respondents, 33% to be precise, want a 120Hz refresh rate display. 21% are in favor of stereo speakers while 14% and 12% want a telephoto camera and wireless charging respectively. Clearly, Samsung fans will be happy if its mid-range phones got a high refresh rate display, something that’s important now after OnePlus has made its move.

What new features do you want on the 2021 Galaxy A series?

• 120Hz refresh rate display 33%, 285 votes
  285 votes 33%

  285 votes - 33% of all votes
• Stereo speakers 21%, 183 votes
  183 votes 21%

  183 votes - 21% of all votes
• Telephoto camera 14%, 125 votes
  125 votes 14%

  125 votes - 14% of all votes
• Wireless charging 12%, 104 votes
  104 votes 12%

  104 votes - 12% of all votes
• Faster charging speeds 12%, 103 votes
  103 votes 12%

  103 votes - 12% of all votes
• Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor 8%, 71 vote
  71 vote 8%

  71 vote - 8% of all votes

Total Votes: 871

12 October 2020 - 27 October 2020

Voting is closed

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With new redesign, Samsung is sending a lot of mixed signals to Bixby

Over the past few weeks, Bixby‘s future as part of Samsung’s mobile app portfolio hardly underwent any radical changes, yet it also seems slightly less on a nearly daily basis. Because Samsung itself appears to be running out of ideas about what to do with its AI assistant, to the point it already shuttered some of its original functionalities, while also supporting them in other markets, or doing highly specific, almost random refreshes of some UI elements.

This latest development isn’t doing anything to help stabilize Bixby’s shaky position in Samsung’s Android plans, either. But with that said, the Voice Assistant service, that genuinely quality part of an otherwise polarizing package, is now getting a makeover that’s kind of minor, yet could also imply a more widespread UI refresh, as first spotted by one Reddit user. There’s a flashy new icon here as part of a revised bottom navigation bar, as well, but just based on the actual part of Bixby being updated, it’s probably safe to assume that of all its services, the Voice Assistant one would probably be the last one to get canned even if Samsung pulled the plug on everything this very second.

To Bixby or not to Bixby?

Ultimately, Bixby’s number one issue hasn’t changed much over the years – it’s still a poorly balanced experience that can simultaneously achieve almost unrivaled feats of Android voice navigation and follow some quite remarkably complex verbal commands while failing at being even the most rudimentary of AI assistants. You would think that some extra push toward third-party support, whether via even more capsules, a genuinely useful, applet-like ability, or more direct integrations, might be beneficial to such an interoperability-dependent solution. But Samsung recently also disbanded its Bixby dev outreach unit, which never grew beyond a handful of employees and contractors, anyway.

So, especially with Bixby’s AI shortcomings in mind, Google’s growing desire to get its own, industry-leading Assistant more tightly integrated into the world’s best-selling Android phones – those from Samsung – might be cause for alarm. Granted, it probably isn’t, not beyond the likelihood Google just pays for some extra visibility, and even that’s questionable. But Google Assistant has already been expanding across most of what remains of Samsung’s device ecosystem beyond smartphones, so we really wouldn’t bet on Bixby maintaining any popularity over the next few years, outside of still being a super convenient but not that widely used voice control solution.

This latest minor design touchup, though? Not exactly consequential, let alone explained on Samsung’s part, though the company will likely issue a short changelog stating this is actually a One UI 3.0 think, just distributed on an app- or service- level because who knows? It seems like everyone working on Bixby is just kind of chilling and doing its own thing.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 box may not include a charger and earphones

There are reports now that the Samsung Galaxy S21 box may not include a charger or earphones. By doing this, the company would be following in Apple’s footsteps. It recently launched the iPhone 12 which does not come with any of these accessories in the box.

Apple has said that it has made this decision for environmental purposes. However, there has been no revision of the price. Its phones don’t cost any less because they no longer come with a charger. This provides the company with an opportunity to increase its margins. Samsung is now believed to be thinking along the same lines.

Looks like Samsung may ditch earphones and chargers too

This is going to be ironic. Samsung’s social media team went pretty hard on the sarcasm when Apple made its announcement about removing the charger and earphones. It won’t be surprising if Samsung eventually goes down this road, though, because it would make sense for the business.

Korean media is reporting that Samsung is considering ditching both the earphones and the charger from the Galaxy S21 box. Such a move would apply to the entire lineup. Some insiders believe that even if Samsung doesn’t ditch both, it could remove earphones from the box and ship the device with a charger only.

Samsung already makes customers buy a charger separately if they want to use the 45W charging speeds that some of its devices support. Those devices come with a 25W charger in the box. We can expect that to remain the case even if the earphones are removed.

There’s precedent for Samsung not shipping earphones with a flagship smartphone. Customers in the US don’t get the AKG USB-B earphones with the Galaxy Note 20 series. They can get them for free by reaching out to customer service but not everyone who buys the phone will do that or even know that this is an option.

Whether or not Samsung will reduce the price of the Galaxy S21 if it removes these accessories remains to be seen. The company would obviously be aiming to increase individual sales of its chargers and nudge customers toward buying its Galaxy Buds wireless earphones. Either way, this will help Samsung increase its margins on the device, even if it makes some fans disappointed.

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