What to expect from Samsung at MWC 2017

The Mobile World Congress 2017 is one of the world’s largest consumer electronics trade shows. Samsung has used this stage almost every year to unveil new products, particularly new Galaxy S series handsets, but the company confirmed a few weeks ago that it won’t launch the Galaxy S8 at this event. So if not a new flagship, what does the company have in store for us? Here’s what to expect from Samsung at MWC 2017.

Galaxy Tab S3

The new flagship Android tablet is most certainly going to be on the agenda, even Samsung hinted as much in its invite for its MWC 2017 press conference. Reports suggest that the Galaxy Tab S3 will have a 9.7-inch QXGA Super AMOLED display with a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM, a 12-megapixel rear and a 5-megapixel front camera all packaged inside a metal body that’s 5.6mm thin. An S Pen may be shipped with it as well. The device is most likely going to be powered by Android 7.0 Nougat. Some images that were leaked recently suggest that it could have a metal and glass build much like Samsung’s premium smartphones.

Galaxy TabPro S2

It has been a while since Samsung launched a Windows 10-powered device and the company is expected to rectify that by launching the Galaxy TabPro S2 at MWC 2017. It’s the successor to the Galaxy TabPro S and is likely going to feature a 12-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display, a 3.1GHz Intel Core i5 7200U 7th Gen Kaby Lake processor with 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD storage, a 13-megapixel rear and a 5-megapixel front camera. It may also come with an S Pen, a detachable keyboard cover and a 5,070mAh battery. Samsung is expected to offer this tablet in both LTE and Wi-Fi-only flavors.

Foldable smartphone

We’ve been hearing for a couple of years now that Samsung is working on a foldable smartphone. Recent reports suggest that this device might be launched at some point later this year. Samsung has obviously confirmed nothing about such a device so far but there has been ample circumstantial evidence to support the theory about a foldable smartphone being in development. A report came out from South Korea a couple of weeks ago and claimed that Samsung is going to show off its foldable smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2017. It will apparently do that behind closed doors with some of its biggest carrier and retail partners to gauge their response to the new product.

Galaxy S8 short teaser

While Samsung has confirmed that it’s not going to unveil the Galaxy S8 at Mobile World Congress 2017 this month, reports suggest that the company is going to show a short teaser for its next flagship smartphone during its press event. What this means is that it might roll a clip that’s a minute or two in length and gives us a glimpse of what’s to come. It may not confirm everything about the device but it will certainly get the press talking about the Galaxy S8.

Galaxy S8 launch date

Since we already know that Samsung isn’t going to launch the Galaxy S8 at this event, we’re more interested in finding out when it’s going to unveil it. Samsung confirmed last week that it’s going to officially reveal the Galaxy S8 launch date during its press event at MWC 2017. Reports suggest that the Galaxy S8 is going to be launched at a special event in New York City on March 29 with shipments of the new handset beginning by mid-April.

That’s about it on the hardware front. Samsung will make some demonstrations at MWC 2017 as well which include some new augmented reality and virtual reality experiences created by its internal incubation lab as well as some of the advancements that it has made in 5G technology.

Samsung’s MWC 2017 press conference kicks off at 19:00 CET on February 26 at Palau de Congressos de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. We’ll be there to bring you all of the latest updates as they come in.

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Samsung Carnival offers discounts on smartphones and tablets via Amazon India

Customers in India who are looking to pick up a new Samsung smartphone or tablet should head over to Amazon India and find out if the device they want to purchase has been discounted as part of the Samsung Carnival. This online sale event is being conducted via Amazon India and it will end tomorrow, February 23. Customers can pick up products like smartphones, tablets and even TVs at a discount.

Reasonable discounts are being offered on smartphones like the Galaxy On7 Pro, Galaxy On5 Pro and the Galaxy On8. Don’t expect to find flagships in this list, though, discounts appear to be limited to low-end and mid-range options. Similar discounts can also be had on tablets such as the Galaxy Tab A, Galaxy Tab E and Galaxy J Max. Customers who are looking for a new TV can pick up 32-inch and 24-inch models at lower prices.

Additional discounts are also being offered on products like refrigerators and air conditioners so it’s definitely worth checking out the Samsung Carnival on Amazon India.

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Samsung Q1 2017 operating profit expected to jump 40 percent

Things may not be looking good for Samsung’s top management but these troubles are not likely to have an impact on its business in the short term. This is why analysts who cover the company are of the view that it’s going to showcase robust growth in the first quarter of this year. According to a forecast shared with investors by KB Investment and Securities, Samsung’s Q1 2017 operating profit is expected to jump 40 percent year-over-year to 9.3 trillion won or $8.14 billion.

It was previously estimated that the first quarter operating profit would fall slightly due to the low season that’s normally seen this time of the year. However, analysts are of the view that the strong prices of semiconductors and display products will help push Samsung’s quarterly profits higher. As some of you might already be aware, semiconductors and display products are two of Samsung Electronics’ biggest cash cows.

It’s estimated that the company’s semiconductors and display divisions will contribute to 71 percent of the higher operating profit, up from 53 percent during the same time last year. The mobile division is expected to show improvement as well but the true financial impact of the Galaxy S8 will not be properly visible until the second quarter of this year considering that it will arrive towards the very end of Q1 2017.

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Galaxy A5 (2017) will reportedly cost $500 in Canada

Samsung launched the new Galaxy A (2017) series last month and since then the company has been gradually rolling it out across the globe. Some customers in North America might be waiting for these devices and at least those who are waiting for them in Canada now have an idea of what the mid-range model in this series is likely going to cost.

According to the folks at MobileSyrup who claim to have obtained an internal document, the Galaxy A5 (2017) is going to cost $499.99 off contract in Canada. Several Canadian carriers such as Telus, Bell, Rogers and their sub-brands are reportedly going to sell this handset. No word as yet on how much other handsets in the new Galaxy A series are going to cost and if they will be made available in Canada at all.

The Galaxy A5 (2017) offers a blend of respectable specs at an affordable price. It features a 5.2-inch full HD Super AMOLED display with an Exynos 7880 processor under the hood coupled with 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage and a 3,000mAh battery. This water and dust resistant smartphone also features 16-megapixel cameras on the front and back. To find out how this handset does what it’s supposed to do, check out our detailed review of the Galaxy A5 (2017).

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Sprint starts rolling out Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge

Those who own the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge on the fourth largest carrier in the United States will be delighted to find out that the carrier has now started rolling out the much-awaited Android 7.0 Nougat update for these flagship smartphones.

It’s not uncommon for carrier-locked handsets to receive updates quite a while after they’ve been released for the unlocked variants. Like its rivals, Sprint also holds up updates to perform additional tweaks before it sends it out. All of this results in additional wait for the users who just want to get their hands on the latest software as soon as possible.

This major update for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge contains all of the new features and enhancements that Google detailed when it introduced Nougat. If you’re curious to find out how those features work on Samsung’s devices, look no further than our What’s New with Nougat series to get all of the answers that you seek.

Bear in mind that Sprint is currently rolling out Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge to those who participated in the Galaxy Beta Program. Assuming that there are no hiccups it should expand the roll out to all those who own these handsets on its network over the coming days.

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Gear VR controller receives Bluetooth certification

Less than two days after it was spotted at the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in the United States, the Samsung-made Gear VR Controller (ET-YO324) has been granted Bluetooth certification; meaning it’s now passed all of the tests required to launch on the open market.

Unfortunately, we don’t know a great deal about the device. Recent leaks and rumors point towards it being a one-handed controller that’ll hit the shelves alongside the new Gear VR. If a sketch included in the FCC filing is anything to go by, there’s also a possibility it could sport a similar design to the PlayStation Move handset, though we doubt it.

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Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus seen together with soft Home button

The leaks keep coming in and we’re bound to see more in the days leading up to the launch of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus next month. A leaked image has surfaced online which shows the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus side-by-side and reiterates what we’ve heard so many times in the past, that the Galaxy S8 will have a 5.8-inch display and its bigger sibling will tout a massive 6.2-inch display. We can also see the soft Home button in this image.

It has been reported time and again that Samsung is going to ditch the Home button for the Galaxy S8. Photos leaked recently show that it’s going to have soft buttons instead. Even though it’s going to be a software-based button it will offer similar functionality compared to a physical Home button so that there’s not much of a learning curve for users.

We hear that pressing down on it with a bit of pressure is going to wake up the display and that even double tapping the software button is going to launch the camera app much like double pressing the Home button does the same on the Galaxy S7 and other Samsung handsets.

This is obviously going to reduce the learning curve for users who will be picking up a device without a physical Home button for the very first time. It’s small things like this which will make it easier for them to adjust.

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