Galaxy S8+ more popular with pre-order customers in the US, says Samsung

A lot of people expected that customers will prefer the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 over the 6.2-inch behemoth that is the Galaxy S8+ but that doesn’t appear to be the case, at least in the United States. Samsung has said that pre-orders for its new flagship are already performing better than the Galaxy S7.

The company told CNBC that “The majority of consumers have been selecting the Galaxy S8+,” pointing out that the larger model is selling better than its 5.8-inch counterpart. Samsung also said that it has seen “double digit growth” in pre-order numbers for the Galaxy S8 as compared to last year ever since pre-orders went live two weeks ago.

This goes to show that appetite exists in one of the most lucrative markets in the world for flagship smartphones for handsets that have massive displays. It makes sense, more and more content is being consumed on mobile devices these days, so display size as well as display technology is becoming increasingly important.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will be released in the United States come April 21. That’s also when retail sales of the new flagship will begin.

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Five more startups are being spun off from Samsung’s Creative Lab program

Samsung launched its C-Lab or Creative Lab program back in 2012. It’s a startup business program for the company’s employees that encourages them to work on innovative ideas. Samsung provides them with support and successful ideas are subsequently launched as independent companies that are supported by Samsung. 25 C-Lab projects have been turned into businesses so far.

Samsung today announced that five more startups launched by its employees are being spun off from its C-Lab division. The five projects select this year are applying innovative thinking and the latest technology to create new products.

These products include Bebefit which is a baby carrier that protects infants in an easy and smart way, chikapong – Kids’ Toothbrushes that help them develop good dental habits, Internet-connected devices for kids that connect to toys called TagPlus, the S-Skin home skin care solution and a portable device that recommends cosmetics based on skin analysis called Lumini.

The teams also demonstrated their products at CES 2017 earlier this year and have incorporate feedback from consumers and industry experts to improve them.

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Galaxy S8 could get Android 7.1 soon, and maybe other Samsung devices as well

Android 7.0 Nougat is currently out for numerous Samsung devices, and while you might say these run on the latest version of Android, that isn’t completely true. Samsung’s Nougat builds are based on Android 7.0, while Android 7.1 has been out for a few months. Usually, Samsung incorporates features of newer point upgrades without changing the version number on its devices, but the lack of features like Google Daydream VR support on the Galaxy S8 suggests it isn’t the case with Android 7.0.

But it seems that Samsung is finally ready to introduce Android 7.1 to its devices and could start with the Galaxy S8. The latest version of Samsung’s S Health and Game Tuner apps now support Android 7.1 (as seen on the APK Mirror website), the first time we’re seeing this on any of the company’s apps. Game Tuner’s changelog for the latest version also says that support for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has been added, so it certainly looks like Android 7.1 could be released for Samsung’s latest flagships at some point in the near future.

Perhaps the update will go live as soon as the phones go on sale, but at this point there is no saying if and when it will happen. It also remains to be seen whether existing Samsung devices will get Android 7.1 anytime soon and whether Samsung will be pulling in features from Android 7.1.1 into the 7.1 build that it will make available to its devices. In any case, we’ll let you know should the update get released and if there is more information on the same.

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Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime with 32GB internal storage to go on sale in India

Samsung had launched the Galaxy J7 Prime in India last year along with the Galaxy J5 Prime. Both smartphones were launched with 16GB of internal storage. However, most competing smartphones in the lower mid-range price category come with at least 32GB of internal storage. The company might have realised this, and it is now preparing to launch the 32GB variant of the Galaxy J7 Prime in the country.

As per a tweet by an independent Indian retailer Mahesh Telecom, Samsung will soon launch the Galaxy J7 Prime (SM-G610FO) with 32GB internal storage with a price tag of INR 16,900 (approx. $260). The Galaxy On Nxt, which is essentially a Galaxy J7 Prime with 32GB internal storage, was launched exclusively on Flipkart. The company is now making the same device available through brick and mortar stores.

The Galaxy J7 Prime features a 5.5-inch 1080p PLS TFT display, a fingerprint reader, a 13-megapixel primary camera with 1080p video recording, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It uses a 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 7870 processor, 3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot (up to 256GB). It’s a dual-SIM smartphone with LTE (and VoLTE) connectivity, and a 3,300 mAh battery.

The New #Samsung #J7Prime G610FO will now come with 32GB Internal storage for ₹16900/- .
₹1000 more than the 16GB ver.
(Stocks in few days) http://pic.twitter.com/Jlegjms8op

— Mahesh Telecom (@MAHESHTELECOM) April 4, 2017

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Samsung might confirm Magneti Marelli acquisition later this year

It was first reported last year that Samsung was interested in acquiring Fiat Chrysler’s auto parts subsidiary Magneti Marelli. Progress was reportedly being made in the talks but the deal had to be set aside as Samsung dealt with the fallout from the Galaxy Note 7 disaster.

It was later reported that Samsung had actually given up on the Magneti Marelli acquisition partly because it had already spent $8 billion on acquiring Harman International. It was then reported last month that this story isn’t over yet.

Samsung may still be trying to acquire the auto parts giant from Fiat Chrysler, previous reports suggest that it’s offering $885 million for the company while Fiat Chrysler is asking $2.65 billion. A new report out of South Korea claims that Samsung is now in final talks with Fiat Chrysler to acquire Magneti Marelli later this year.

An industry source quoted in the report that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong had decided that the company will go ahead with this acquisition even before the corruption scandal that put him behind bars started. Lee Jae-yong has been on the board of Fiat Chrysler’s holding company Exor since 2012.

In Lee’s absence, Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun has reportedly been leading the Samsung delegation in the talks. The report claims that a tentative agreement on the price has been reached. Both companies have not commented on this report so nothing is confirmed as of now.

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Sprint launches the Galaxy J7 Perx

Good news for Sprint customers looking to pick up a Galaxy J7 (2017): it’s now available through the operator, though it carries the moniker Galaxy J7 Perx. Don’t let its name fool you, though. It’s the exact same as the Galaxy J7 V that’s listed on Verizon’s website.

For those in need of a refresher, the Galaxy J7 (2017) (or Galaxy J7 Perx in this case) sports a 5.5-inch display, a 2.2GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP selfie shooter and a 3,300mAh battery.

With regards to pricing, Sprint’s selling the Galaxy J7 Perx for $265 outright on a prepaid tariff. However, customers also have the option to split the cost of the device over 24 months for $11 per month with no upfront payment, making it that little bit more affordable.

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Samsung Premium Care launched for the Galaxy S8

Samsung has launched the Premium Care enhanced warranty program for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. It has teamed up with HelloTech and Dish in the United States to enable customers to have a service representative meet them at their desired location. The representative can help with setup, troubleshooting, repairs and even replacements all within a few hours.

Bear in mind that the new flagship’s one-year warranty is not extended by Premium Care, rather, it’s enhanced. The program includes accidental damage from spills, drops and cracks aside from normal wear and tear due to daily usage.

Samsung Premium Care offers one business day delivery for replacement devices and users can get up to three per year by paying a $99 deductible every time. HelloTech provides the in-home onboard service for those who need help in figuring out how their Galaxy S8 works.

All those who pre-order the Galaxy S8 in the United States by April 17 can sign up for Premium Care and they will get the first month for free after which the program costs $11.99 per month. It doesn’t require any contracts so Galaxy S8 owners can choose when they would like to have this added layer of protection.

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