The September security patch got lost in the hubbub of Samsung’s focus on patching the BlueBorne vulnerability on its smartphones. We saw a slew of updates for Samsung phones in September without the month’s security patch and had guessed early on that the company would directly bring us the October security patch, and that is what is happening now. Only, Samsung has decided to make the Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2017) the first recipients of the latest security patch.
October security patch hits the mid-range first
Owners of recent devices, especially flagship ones like the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8, aren’t going to like this, but Samsung has been moving to a “we don’t care if flagships get the newest updates first” philosophy in recent years, at least for minor updates. With that said, the October security patch should be hitting more devices in the coming days. As Samsung had detailed at the beginning of the month, the October patch brings fixes for 215 vulnerabilities discovered in Android and six exploits that are exclusive to Samsung’s software.
The update is currently rolling out in the Netherlands. To see if it is available on your A5 (2016) or A5 (2017), head into the phone’s settings, tap Software update, then hit the Download updates manually button. As usual, you can wait for the update to show up on its own. You can also download the relevant firmware from our database and manually flash it on your phone; the A5 (2016) firmware hasn’t gone live yet, but that should change in the very near future.
Have the update with the October security patch on another device? Let us know in the comments!
For a limited time only, you can bag yourself Samsung’s Dual-Port Car Fast Charger, which is capable of charging a Fast Charge-enabled handset from 0 to 50% in around half an hour, for just $16.47 (65% off).
If you like the sound of this promotion and want to take advantage of it, hit the Buy Now button below. We advise you to hurry though as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available for this specific deal and it’ll probably sell out fast.
White Cane Safety Day, a national observance day for the visually impaired, will take place on October 15 and to show its support Samsung has taken to its Newsroom to reflect on a couple of the tools it’s developed in collaboration with people with reduced vision to improve the usability of its products.
Clear Browsing
Hoping to make the Internet a more accessible place, Samsung is set to release an update for its Internet application in the not-too-distant future that transports a new High Contrast Mode that makes text more readable, while maintaining the clarity of images, something its Invert Color option failed to do.
High Contrast Theme
The firm also recently released the second version of its High Contrast theme, Sky Black, on its Themes Store. Designed to help users with reduced vision capabilities read text more clearly, Sky Black makes use of a dark color palette to make holding a smartphone at close range a lot more comfortable.
“Our smartphones are now such an integral part of everyday life. It’s vital that everyone can interact with them easily and without restriction, wrote the firm on its digital Newsroom. “[We are] breaking down the barriers and enabling the best experience for everyone,” it added.
We exclusively reported four months ago that Samsung is working on the Galaxy Tab Active 2 for Europe and Latin America. We highlighted that there will be two variants, Wi-Fi and LTE+Wi-Fi, bearing model numbers SM-T390 and SM-T395 respectively.
Samsung launched the first-generation Galaxy Tab Active three years ago. It was the company’s first ruggedized tablet touting IP67 certification for water and dust resistance, and an anti-shock covering. We can expect these attributes to be retained for the Galaxy Tab Active 2.
Galaxy Tab Active 2
The Galaxy Tab Active 2 (SM-T395) user manual is now available online. It highlights some of the features that this tablet is going to come with. It will come with the S Pen which users can use to write, draw and perform touch actions on the screen.
The user manual also reveals that the back cover will be detachable, meaning that it will have a removable battery. A fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C port will be onboard.
Bixby will be onboard as well, however, it will be limited to its card-based contextual self. The tablet only features Bixby Home so don’t keep your fingers crossed for voice functionality powered by Bixby Voice.
The Galaxy Tab Active 2 was spotted at the FCC last month but it’s still unclear when Samsung is planning on launching this tablet. It may not be long now, though.
Samsung’s “Active” handsets have always been exclusive to AT&T in the United States but that might change soon. A render of the T-Mobile Galaxy S8 Active has been leaked online today. It was first reported two weeks ago that the Galaxy S8 Active might soon be launched on T-Mobile.
Samsung itself hinted at this possibility when the device was announced two months ago. It said back then that the Galaxy S8 Active will be an AT&T-exclusive “for a limited time.” This left the door open for the device to land on other carriers.
T-Mobile Galaxy S8 Active
This will be the first time that AT&T loses its exclusivity over an Active handset ever since the Galaxy S4 Active was launched in 2013. The handset, bearing model number SM-G892T, is likely to land on Magenta soon.
This render of the T-Mobile Galaxy S8 Active has been leaked by @evleaks. Nothing is different about the device itself. It’s the same handset. The only difference is that it’s going to run on T-Mobile. This is the Meteor Gray color but previous reports have suggested that it will be offered in Titanium Gold as well.
AT&T charges around $850 for the Galaxy S8 Active, customers should expect it to cost the same more or less on T-Mobile. Still no word on when it’s going to be launched on Magenta. Shouldn’t be long now, hopefully.
In an unexpected move, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon today announced that he’s stepping down. He will resign as the head of the Device Solutions Business and will also not seek re-election as a member of the board of directors and the Chairman of the Board after March 2018 when his term ends.
The announcement came after Samsung announced its Q3 2017 earnings guidance. It expects to post record profits for the second quarter straight.
In a letter sent to employees, Kwon said that announcing his retirement was the most difficult thing for him to do. However, he believes that the time is right and that this decision is in the best interest of the company.
Samsung CEO Resigns
“It is something I had been thinking long and hard about for quite some time. It has not been an easy decision, but I feel I can no longer put it off,” he said. Kwon added that as the company is confronted with an “unprecedented crisis” inside out, he believes that it’s now time for the company to start fresh, with a new spirit and young leadership.
Kwon joined Samsung in 1985 as a researcher in its Semiconductor Research Institute in the United States. He has been with the company for 32 years. Kwon also served as president and head of the System LSI Division and the Semiconductor Business.
He took over as CEO of Samsung Electronics in 2012. He has also been the CEO of Samsung Display of 2016, a position that he’s going to give up as well.
Samsung became the world’s most profitable tech company in the second quarter of this year. While some analysts expected the momentum to slow down, that might not be the case. The Samsung Q3 2017 earnings guidance has been released today and it predicts record profits for the second quarter straight.
Samsung reported 61 trillion won or $54.7 billion in revenue in Q2 2017. The operating profit came in at 14.7 trillion won or $12.67 billion, a whopping 72.7 percent surge compared to Q2 2016. Samsung earned more profit in Q2 2017 than Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google did in Q1 2017 combined. The company was on track to break its annual profit record.
Samsung Q3 2017 Earnings Guidance
Samsung is predicting revenues of 62 trillion won or $54.9 billion for the third quarter of this year. It also expects to post 14.5 trillion won or $12.8 billion won in profit. It would represent an impressive surge in operating profit of 170 percent compared to Q3 2016.
The Samsung Q3 2017 earnings guidance is largely in line with analyst estimates. The street already expects Samsung to post record profits for the second quarter straight. It goes to show that Samsung’s semiconductor business has maintained momentum as it really has turned into a cash cow for the conglomerate.
The company’s mobile business will have padded the bottom line as well since the Galaxy Note 8 has been very well received.
