Check out Samsung’s first ad for the Galaxy Note 9

The Galaxy Note 9 will officially go on sale on August 24 in many markets around the world. Samsung has already started taking pre-orders for the same. The company and carriers are bundling many freebies to entice the customers to purchase the latest Galaxy flagship. On expected lines, the company is now gearing up for an ad campaign on TV.

Samsung has released its first ad for the Galaxy Note 9 on its YouTube channel, which is the same one that leaked ahead of the phone’s launch. It’s a straightforward ad which tries to highlight the main features of the device. From its massive battery to the Bluetooth-enabled S pen – all the Note 9 attractions are listed in the ad. Judging by the past ad campaigns, it is safe to say the 30-second commercial will feature prominently, if it hasn’t already, on prime-time television.

Galaxy Note 9 Unpacked event highlights

Samsung packed a ton of details into its Unpacked event, making the live stream go on for more than an hour. If you’re too busy to watch the whole Unpacked event video, you can check out the event highlights video from Samsung. Alternatively, you can also follow our extensive coverage of all the news from the Note 9 launch event. From hands-on impressions to official wallpapers, we have you covered.

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Gear Sport update brings improvement to battery charging algorithm

Samsung has released a new software update for the Gear Sport. The update comes with a changelog similar to the one for the recent Gear S3 update. It improves stability by making changes to the battery charging algorithm and also improves device security. Quite a vague changelog, which is par for the course for minor updates such as this.

Gear Sport update released

The Gear S3’s update was more important than the update now released for the Gear Sport, as it was intended to fix the overheating issues that had plagued Gear S3 units after the Tizen 3.0 update. The Gear Sport doesn’t have any such problems, but the update will hopefully fix any battery life woes you may be having. With Samsung’s attention diverted to the recently announced Galaxy Watch, it may be a while before another update comes out for the Gear Sport, so here’s hoping no negative effects will be introduced by whatever improvements are packed inside.

The update brings with it software version R600XXU1ARG1 (the Tizen version remains at 3.0.0.2). If you own a Gear Sport, you should be able to download the update from the Samsung Gear app’s settings menu on your connected phone. Do let us know if you notice anything new or different after the update has been installed.

Gear Sport

• Model: SM-R600
• Dimensions: 42.9x44.6x11.6mm
• Display: Circular 1.2" (30.2 mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 3250
• Camera:

More specifications

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SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: August 13, 2018

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Firmware Magazine. You can think of it as your go-to resource to find out which of your Samsung devices has received a new update or if it’s going to receive a new firmware update in the near future.

To keep things interesting, we present the Firmware Magazine in new designs every week. It will always include the important details about firmware updates such as the firmware versions, device model numbers, Android OS versions and the country where said update is out already.

SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine

Keep in mind, however, that these firmware details are based on the firmware that are available in our database. In some cases, the latest updates might not show in the same week as the full firmware files take additional time to make it to our database.

The purpose of this magazine is to bring all of that important information about firmware updates to you, the reader, in a manner that’s easy to comprehend. Even if you’re new to the world of firmware, you’ll have no trouble making sense of it all.

Click on the image below to grab the latest firmware magazine!

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Galaxy A5 (2016) gets update with August 2018 security patch

For the first time in many months, we saw Samsung release the latest Android security patch for its flagships ahead of mid-range and budget phones. The Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, and the Galaxy Note 8 have all been updated with the August 2018 security patch in many markets, and Samsung seems to now be working its way down the ladder. The Galaxy A5 (2016) is receiving an update with the August 2018 patch.

August 2018 security patch update available for the Galaxy A5 (2016)

The Galaxy A5 (2016) update is available in the Netherlands at the moment with software version A510FXXU6CRH1. The August 2018 patch plugs four critical Android OS vulnerabilities and 11 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items that only affect the software running on Samsung devices. The A5 (2016) update can be downloaded by tapping the Download updates manually option in the Software update menu in the phone’s Settings app. If the update doesn’t show up this way for your phone, you can either wait a few hours and check again or update through the firmware available from our database.

Galaxy A5 (2016)

• Model: SM-A510F
• Dimensions: 144.8 x 71.0 x 7.3mm
• Display: 5,2" (132mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 7580
• Camera: 13 MP, CMOS F1.9

More specifications

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Galaxy Note 9 battery is completely safe, says Samsung mobile CEO

The Galaxy Note 7 is a blemish on the otherwise enviable track record of the Galaxy Note lineup. It was poised to be one of the best-selling Galaxy Note flagships but ended up being discontinued due to a flaw in the battery. Many had wondered after its demise whether the Galaxy Note series would even survive but Samsung proved its detractors wrong with the Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung identified the root cause of the problem soon after discontinuing the Galaxy Note 7. It has since adopted additional safeguards to ensure that something like that doesn’t ever happen again. The company wants to reassure customers that it certainly won’t happen again with the Galaxy Note 9.

Galaxy Note 9 battery safety

There were countless reports about Galaxy Note 7 units catching fire soon after they were released. Samsung put the blame on faulty batteries after conducting a lengthy investigation. It also discontinued the device and began a long process to get the units that had been shipped out of customers’ hands.

Some people may have expressed concerns about the Galaxy Note 9 battery safety given that Samsung has tried to push the envelope in this department merely one generation after the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

The Galaxy Note 9 has the largest battery ever on any Galaxy smartphone. The 4,000mAh battery is unquestionably one of the biggest selling features of this handset and Samsung wants customers to know that it’s completely safe.

The CEO of Samsung’s mobile division DJ Koh said earlier today that engineers are confident about the safety of the Galaxy Note 9’s 4,000mAh battery. “The battery in the Galaxy Note 9 is safer than ever. Users do not have to worry about the batteries anymore,” he added.

Samsung put together a new quality control team last year that’s dedicated to making sure that the company’s products meet stringent quality guidelines. It has also made changes in other parts of the production cycle to ensure that there’s not a repeat of the Galaxy Note 7.

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Galaxy Note 9 sales expected to exceed the Galaxy Note 8

Samsung has a habit of being bullish on its new flagship smartphones. What smartphone manufacturer wouldn’t?. While the jury’s still out on Samsung’s initial claim that the Galaxy S9 sales would outperform the Galaxy S8, Samsung today said that it expects the Galaxy Note 9 sales to beat the Galaxy Note 8.

The Galaxy Note 9 was unveiled on August 9. It appears to be a return to form for the Galaxy Note series as the handset has a chunky battery, a more capable S Pen, new intelligent features and more.

Galaxy Note 9 sales expectations

The Galaxy Note 9 gets many “firsts” for this series. It’s the first Galaxy Note flagship to feature an S Pen that’s Bluetooth compatible and it’s also the first with a 4,000mAh battery

“The Galaxy Note 9 boasts the very best performance with the specialized S-pen, as well as the intelligent camera. We hope the sales (of the new device) will outpace the Galaxy Note 8,” said the CEO of Samsung’s mobile division DJ Koh.

It may be aided in achieving this aim by the updated specifications of the handset as well as its new S Pen that offers features users have never experienced before with the stylus. It doesn’t hurt that the Galaxy Note 9 also happens to have a 4,000mAh battery.

Koh also provided his views on recent reports that the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ sales weren’t up to the company’s expectations. Koh saying that looking at the trend of the Galaxy S9 sales reveals that the figure has been increasing and that in some markets it has already outperformed the Galaxy S8.

“The Galaxy S8 was released in April last year, and the Galaxy S9 went on sales in March. When we look at the first six months, sales rather increased by 6 percent,” Koh added, pointing out that “It is not too late to make a judgment (on the Galaxy S9) at the end of the year.”

What many Samsung fans will be most interested in finding out is whether or not the Galaxy Note 9 sales live up to the company’s expectations.

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Samsung may shutdown a smartphone factory in China

It’s no secret that Samsung has been facing tough competition in the Chinese smartphone market. There’s intense competition in the market not only from Apple in the high-end segment but local manufacturers that are targeting customers in all segments of the world’s largest smartphone market.

Samsung’s market share in China fell below 1 percent yet again in the second quarter of this year. While the company has promised to do more in order to reverse its fortunes, it remains to be seen whether that will actually happen. Perhaps the company is now thinking about cutting its losses as it’s reportedly going to shut down one of its two smartphone factories in China.

The struggle continues in China

According to a new report, Samsung is thinking about shutting down one of its two smartphone planets in China due to lackluster sales and increasing labor costs. The company is expected to suspend operations at the Tianjin Samsung Telecommunication (TSTC) factory in Tianjin, northern China as early as next year.

It has reportedly informed its suppliers of this decision. “Samsung says there will be no more orders from Tianjin,” a source told ETNews, adding that “That means suspending production there.”

The factory in Tianjin was set up in 2001 back when Samsung made its big push in China. It played an important role as Samsung’s global production hub but was later reduced to cater to the local market as the company shifted production facilities to emerging markets like Vietnam.

Samsung also has a production plant in Huizhou, southeastern China in addition to the Tianjin factory. It may remain the last smartphone factory that Samsung owns in the country if this report is accurate. While the company hasn’t officially confirmed the impending shutdown, an unnamed Samsung executive tells the scribe that “We have reduced production at the Tianjin plant and will continue to do so in the future. But we have not yet decided on its shutdown.”

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