Samsung finally rolls out Marshmallow update for the Galaxy A7 in Europe

With Nougat right around the corner, Samsung has finally started pushing out the long-awaited Marshmallow update for the European variant of the Galaxy A7. The upgrade — XXU2BPH4 — weighs in at a little over 1GB and bundles all of the changes you’d expect to find baked into Android 6.0.1. It also transports a more refined build of TouchWiz, similar to the version on board the Galaxy S7.

If you reside in Europe, own a factory unlocked Galaxy A7 and would like to see if the update is ready for your handset, simply head into the following menus: Settings > About Device > Software Update > Update Now. Alternatively, you could always wait until you receive a push notification prompting you to install the upgrade, but this has proven to take slightly longer than manually scanning for it.

Thanks, Fernando!

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Samsung patents a foldable tablet with built-in keyboard and stand

We’ve seen a lot of rumors, reports and patents concerning Samsung’s foldable smartphone but the one that’s come up today isn’t about a smartphone, it’s about a tablet. Samsung has been awarded a design patent for a foldable tablet which features a built-in keyboard and stand. The illustrations show that this device will have a foldable keyboard as well as an integrated kickstand at the back. The device has three foldable segments which when opened would combine to form a large display area that would be good for both productivity and entertainment.

Since this is a design patent it doesn’t reveal which materials will be used by Samsung to actually create this device and which components will make their way inside the shell. It’s just a visual representation of what Samsung engineers think a foldable tablet should look like. Just because Samsung has patented something doesn’t mean it’s certainly going to bring it to market. We’re still waiting on the company’s foldable smartphone so it might be quite a while before it comes out with a foldable tablet. It might very well have an entire lineup of foldable devices in the future if the idea takes off with consumers.

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Galaxy Note 7 ads start airing again as Samsung expects to wrap up recall soon

We reported yesterday that Galaxy Note 7 customers in South Korea don’t appear to be in a hurry to exchange their faulty Galaxy Note 7 for a new, safe one. Samsung’s replacement program has been running for a few weeks now however the rate of replacement is lower in its home country when compared to markets like the US. Samsung is obviously concerned about this but it also wants to look ahead and resumes sales of the Galaxy Note 7. After having extended the refund deadline and delaying the relaunch of its new flagship in South Korea, Samsung has now started airing Galaxy Note 7 ads on domestic TV channels in the country.

The company has also said today that it expects to have exchanged more than 80 percent of all Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea by October 1 which is when it’s going to start selling the handset once again. In its statement the company once again calls on customers who have a unit that has been recalled to take part in the replacement program. To entice people to buy this smartphone after the entire debacle Samsung is promising customers who purchase a new Galaxy Note 7 that it will cover 50 percent of any repair costs for the screen should they end up damaging it.

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Samsung now investigating reports of replacement Galaxy Note 7 units overheating

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 replacement program has been underway for a couple of weeks now. It’s voluntarily replacing all Galaxy Note 7 units that have been shipped since the handset was released last month. There have been some reports of overheating issues with replacement Galaxy Note 7 units which are supposed to have a battery that doesn’t explode unexpectedly. Samsung has now said that it’s investigating these reports.

Samsung has confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that it’s looking into reports out of South Korea and the United States that new Galaxy Note 7 units are overheating. Some consumers who reported this issue said that the new handset would get too hot to place next to the ear during a phone call. Samsung has already promised to replace one such customer’s handset. “There have been a few reports about the battery charging levels and we would like to reassure everyone that the issue does not pose a safety concern,” the company said in a statement issued to the scribe, adding that in normal conditions “all smartphones may experience temperature fluctuations.”

The company has acknowledged these complaints and said that it’s working to resolve individual cases through its warranty process and customer service. It’s yet to confirm what might be causing this issue and whether it’s something that other Galaxy Note 7 owners need to be concerned about.

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Wallpaper Wednesday: Illustrations

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week we’re focusing our attention on six illustration backgrounds. All images are available in a FHD resolution, which is a perfect fit for the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5 and other flagships, but they can, of course, be used on different smartphones, too.

If any of the following images float your boat and you want to download and set one as your wallpaper, simply tap on a photo to maximise it, then click and hold to save it. Once the picture is stored locally, open up Settings, locate and select Wallpaper, then just tap the newly-saved image to set it as your background.

Alternatively, you can download a ZIP file containing all of this week’s backdrops by hitting the Download button at the very bottom of this post.

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Alice in Wonderland

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Big Bear

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Connection

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Rainy Day

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Space Monkey

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Stairway to Where?

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Download

Note: We’ve tried our best to identify the creators of all of the wallpapers featured in this week’s column. However, the images appear to lack copyright information, artist signatures or any real trace of origin. If you created a wallpaper we’ve posted and would like credit, or would rather we remove the image, kindly contact us.

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Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) clears the FCC

We first reported two months ago that Samsung was working on another mid-range smartphone and that it might be a refresh of the Galaxy Grand Prime which was first launched two years ago. Last month it surfaced on Geekbench to give us a glimpse at its specifications and just two weeks ago the handset received its Wi-Fi certification, suggesting that a launch isn’t that far off now. Those who have been waiting for it will be happy to know that the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) has now cleared the FCC as well.

The Federal Communications Commission needs to clear a handset before it can be sold and it has awarded the relevant certification to the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016). The FCC filing shows that there’s going to be a dual-SIM variant of this handset as well. As far as its specifications are concerned, the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) is expected to feature a 1.4GHz processor with 1.5GB RAM, a 5-inch HD display as well as an 8-megapixel rear and a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The specs won’t be anything to write home about but that’s what you can expect from Samsung’s mid-range handsets. Samsung is yet to confirm when the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) is going to be launched and how much it’s going to cost.

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Galaxy A8 is receiving the September security update as well

The September Security Maintenance Release is slowly making its way to handsets like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge even though it’s almost the end of September. Latest reports reveal that this update is also being sent out to other Samsung handsets. Those who own the Galaxy A8 are now receiving this Security Maintenance Release which brings crucial patches for the OS to ensure that users are protected against any and all threats.

This latest update for the Galaxy A8 weighs in at just under 300MB and it brings some overall improvements as well. Users will notice that the performance of Voice call has been improved and that battery usage has been optimized. They will also notice improved performance with efficient memory management, improved stability and security enhancements courtesy of the September 1 Android security patch level.

Samsung detailed the September patch about three weeks ago, it includes the 66 latest patches from Google and nine from Samsung. As per reports this update is currently being rolled out to the Galaxy A8 model SM-A800F which is the international unlocked model of this handset.

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