Asus sends out invites for August 19 event

Asus has started sending out "save the date" invites for an August 19 event that is set to take place in the Philippines. The teaser image, however, doesn't reveal anything about the product that will be unveiled during the event. Could it be the Zenfone 4 series? Well, our guess is as good as yours at the moment. Reports so far point out to the series' Asia unveiling in Taiwan on August 17, and EU unveiling in Rome on September 21. The 5,000mAh battery totting Zenfone 4 Max has already arrived, so it's also possible that the device is landing in the Philippines on August 19. We'll...

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Android 7.1.1 update for Nokia 3 coming this month

HMD has confirmed that the Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for the Nokia 3 smartphone will be available this month. The news came in the form of a tweet from the company's Chief Product Officer who said the roll out will begin towards August end. Got a few questions on this so wanted to confirm that #Nokia3 will receive 7.1.1 update by end of August. @nokiamobile— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) July 29, 2017 While an exact date wasn't revealed, the executive made it clear that the roll out will be global as it'll only begin after they have all market-specific approvals. Global, we will...

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Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ Daydream support rolling out now

Google has announced that Daydream support for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ flagship smartphones "is rolling out now." The announcement came in the form of a Google+ post from the official Google VR account. It's worth noting that at-least a couple of major US carriers - T-Mobile and Verizon - have already rolled out updates that claimed to bring Daydream support, but users weren't able to use the feature. However now, it seems like a server-side switch has been made, so you should be able to enjoy the functionality on your S8/S8+ unit. Some of those who are now able to use...

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 press render leaked

Infamous leaker @evleaks just tweeted a full frontal photo of the Galaxy Note8. We've seen a couple of leaks that suggested the Note8 would have a larger top bezel than the bottom one, but that doesn't really make much sense. The picture we're taking a look at looks to be an official render of the phone. Though all we have is a photo of the front, which looks a lot like the Galaxy S8, the corners seem a bit boxier - in typical Note fashion. Samsung Galaxy Note8 (in Midnight Black) http://pic.twitter.com/QZii9xFarQ— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 31, 2017 Blass says the render is of the...

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LG V30 design confirmed, camera could also have f/1.6 aperture

There are a couple of new pieces of news pertaining to the LG V30. The first of which is that the user manual was allegedly leaked. The thing is... we don't have access to the supposed manual. @OnLeaks has released an image of the LG V30 in its 2D drawing goodness. In addition to my previous #LGV30 leak, just a little extract from its user manual... http://pic.twitter.com/6UYjBHwv4I— Steve H. (@OnLeaks) July 31, 2017 The new image shows us that the LG V30 looks a lot like the LG G6. In fact, the LG V30 looks like a larger version of the LG G6. Like the G6, the V30 will have a 2:1...

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SamMobile Daily Recap: July 31, 2017 — Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and more!

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what went out today.

Deals

Daily Deal: Save 16% on a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand

Firmware News

Firmware update magazine: July 31, 2017

Samsung starts rolling out Android 7.0 to Galaxy A3 (2017) in Russia

General

Samsung to start full-fledged sales of Harman products

IoT

New Data Monetization Solution for IoT launched by Samsung

Phones

Galaxy C7 (2017) support page goes online on Samsung China’s website

Galaxy J7 Pro goes on sale in India, comes with 64GB storage, Samsung Pay support

Live images of Samsung’s new flip phone leaked

Samsung Australia kicks off pre-registration for the Galaxy Note 8

Samsung to launch new flip phone on August 3

Samsung’s new 6CA LTE modem supports download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps

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Galaxy J7 Pro goes on sale in India, comes with 64GB storage, Samsung Pay support

The Indian version of the Galaxy J7 (2017), dubbed Galaxy J7 Pro, has gone on sale in the country today. The J7 Pro is the same handset as the J7 (2017) in most aspects but gets 64GB of internal storage (as opposed to 16GB on the J7 (2017) sold in Europe) and full support for Samsung Pay, which is a first for any Samsung phone outside the mid-range and flagship segments. The J7 Pro will cost you INR 20,900 if you purchase it from Samsung’s official online store (although the phone was out of stock last time we checked), and INR 22,300 if you decide to grab it from Amazon.

The Galaxy J7 Pro comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, the octa-core Exynos 7870 chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture (same as the excellent camera on the Galaxy J7 Max), a 13-megapixel f/1.9 front-facing camera with flash, expandable storage, dual SIM slots, LTE connectivity, and a 3,600 mAh battery. The phone runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, and gets the India-specific Instant Share feature for the camera, which lets users quickly share their images with their contacts right from the camera app. The phone also comes with Always On Display.

The Galaxy J7 Pro is available in gold and black, although Amazon only has it in gold. Look forward to our review of the Galaxy J7 (2017) this week to see whether the device is worth your money. We will also be publishing our review of the Galaxy J7 Max, which is a cheaper alternative to the J7 Pro for Indian consumers, in the coming days.

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Android will finally tell you the battery level of Bluetooth devices

With most stock versions of Android, there is one missing feature that has been seen on other factory skins of Android like OnePlus, LG, and Samsung. That is the Bluetooth device battery life indicator. I used to use a pair of Jaybirds X interchangeably with an iPhone 6S and some other Android phone. Every time I switched back to the Huawei Mate 8 I was using at the time, I would lose the ability to see how much battery I had on my Bluetooth headphones. According to a report from XDA-Developers, Google is finally including support to get battery information from a Bluetooth device in an...

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AMD announces Radeon RX Vega series of graphics cards

AMD has finally announced its long-awaited series of enthusiast-class gaming graphics cards running the brand new Vega architecture, the Radeon RX Vega. The series starts off with three models, the Radeon RX Vega 56, the Radeon RX Vega 64 and the Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition. Radeon RX Vega 56 The Radeon RX Vega 56 is the cheapest model for now, with 56 compute units, 1156MHz base clock speed, 1471MHz boost clock speed, 8GB HBM2 memory, 3584 stream processors, 256 texture units, 12.5 billion transistor count and 10.5 TFLOPs of performance. For reference, the GTX 1080...

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Gboard for iOS now integrates YouTube and Google Maps, also lets you draw

Google has updated its Gboard keyboard app for iOS today, adding three big features. First off, the keyboard is now integrated with Google Maps and YouTube. So after you tap the G icon you can choose from three actions - perform a web search like before, look up a video on YouTube, or share your location or the address of a specific place through Maps. All of the above is done in the keyboard, without opening an additional app and needing to switch back and forth. When you're messaging your friends and remember a cool video, all you need to do in order to quickly share it with them is look...

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Meizu Pro 7 Plus teardown: to reach the secondary screen, remove the main screen

The Meizu Pro 7 Plus is cool, but it has two screens that might break and need replacing. How hard could it be? Well, someone took the time to take one apart, so we can find out! The front seems to come off easily enough, though you need to watch out for the ribbon cable for the main Super AMOLED screen and the one for the mTouch fingerprint reader. The motherboard below is C-shaped, surrounding the 3,500mAh battery from three sides. Removing the main screen • disconnecting the secondary screen • the motherboard free at last Plunging deeper, you'll have to pop off the...

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Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) getting Android 7.0 Nougat in Russia

The Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) is now receiving the Android 7.0 Nougat update, just under two months after the 2016 model. The updates for the A5 (2017) and A7 (2017) are not out yet, even though they received Wi-Fi certifications before the A3 (2017) did. Back to the update in question. It's currently rolling out in Russia (has been for a couple of days, actually). It bears a firmware version A320FXXU2BQG5 and includes the July 2017 Android security update. We are guessing this is sort of a soak test and if all goes smoothly, wider availability should follow in a weak or two....

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Moto X4 colors leak in press render

The Motorola mid-ranger Moto X4 might be announced at IFA at the beginning of September but we already know plenty about the device. After being benchmarked on GFXBench and Geekbench, the phone that would cost €350 was leaked by Evan Blass, revealing its color palette. The colors from right to left are Nimbus Blue, Lunar Grey, and Pink. The last one is new for Moto, and it might come as Pink Gold, depending on how you look at it. The Moto X4 has two cameras and a dual LED flash, all bundled in a circular module. The images also reveal that the mid-range device follows the product...

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New Data Monetization Solution for IoT launched by Samsung

Samsung today announced the launch of a new Data Monetization Solution for Internet of Things devices using Samsung ARTIK Cloud. This service will enable users to monetize the data that’s shared by IoT devices, thus enabling an IoT data economy.

“Samsung ARTIKTM Cloud Monetization is out front in addressing a crucial need in the market. It can help hardware developers monetize solutions without necessarily putting in all the effort themselves,” said Dilip Sarangan, global research director, IoT & digital transformation at Frost & Sullivan.

Samsung ARTIK Cloud Monetization for the Internet of Things will allow device manufacturers and service providers to tap into an open ecosystem for the first time. They can then create service plans that generate revenue directly from the interactions of devices and services.

Device manufacturers can take advantage of Samsung ARTIK Cloud’s interoperability features to open up new revenue streams and implement new business models. Samsung’s aim here is to help device manufacturers recoup data costs associated with free apps.

IoT devices force manufacturers to shift their operating model from selling hardware to selling hardware products that are connected to digital apps. They have to launch free apps and support an ecosystem of third-party devices, apps and services.

Samsung ARTIK Cloud Monetization provides those manufacturers with a complete brokering, metering and payments service. Device manufacturers can easily make their devices interoperable with third-party devices and apps. Data usage can then be monetized using the service.

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Samsung to launch new flip phone on August 3

We have heard a lot of rumors and reports about Samsung’s new flip phone so far. The handset is referred to by its model number, SM-G9298. It’s not known right now what Samsung will end up calling it.

This week, we’ve seen multiple leaks concerning the upcoming handset. Purported press renders have already been leaked online. Live images of the device itself were leaked online earlier today.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed so far when it’s going to unveil this handset. If a new leak out of China is believed, it appears that the announcement will be made on August 3.

The leaked poster comes from Twitter user @mmddj_china who has a good track record in such matters. Samsung will conduct a press briefing in Beijing, China on August 3, according to the poster.

Samsung’s new flip phone is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. Additional specs include a 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. Samsung Pay, wireless charging and a 2,300mAh may also be onboard.

The images that have been leaked so far show that the handset has a 4.2-inch external and internal display. How well the 2,300mAh battery will be able to meet their power requirement remains to be seen.

Samsung will reveal more information about this device on August 3.

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Galaxy C7 (2017) support page goes online on Samsung China’s website

The Galaxy C7 (2017) (SM-C7100) looks to be nearing its official launch, as the device’s support page has now been put online on Samsung China’s website. The C7 (2017) may well become the first Samsung phone to hit retail with dual rear cameras, given the handset was recently certified by TENAA and has now been officially listed by Samsung.

The C7 (2017)’s user manual isn’t available for download just yet, but the FAQs on the support page confirm that the device will feature the Samsung Experience user interface that debuted on the Galaxy S8, although that shouldn’t be surprising as all new Samsung handsets that have launched after the S8 have the new UI. As for the dual camera, TENAA says it will be a combination of 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel sensors, with the two sensors laid out in a vertical fashion.

The front camera will be a 16-megapixel sensor, double that of the original Galaxy C7. Other known specs of the C7 (2017) include an octa-core processor with a maximum clock speed of 2.39GHz, 3GB/4GB of RAM, 32GB/64GB of storage, a 2,850 mAh battery, and Android 7.1.1 (also a first for Samsung devices, if it pans out). It should have a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display and a metal body like its predecessor. A basic version of Bixby might also be onboard, similar to the Galaxy Note 7 FE.

There’s no telling when the Galaxy C7 (2017) will go official. Samsung could quietly make the device available for purchase as it has done with previous devices in the series, although that wouldn’t be a sensible thing to do given the C7 (2017) could be the first handset from the company’s stable to sport dual rear cameras. Whether the new C7 will hit markets outside China, either in the stock form or as a variant like the C7 Pro that was launched in India (review), also remains to be seen.

The post Galaxy C7 (2017) support page goes online on Samsung China’s website appeared first on SamMobile.

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Google Play Services now boasts 5 billion installs

Google Play Services come pre-installed on just about every Android phone (well, except those sold in China). They are an essential mix of high and low-level stuff, everything from contact syncing to geo-positioning goes through these Services. Play Services became the first mobile "app" (if you can call them that) to reach 5 billion installs. That's 5 with nine zeroes. Granted, a good chunk of those are probably on devices no longer used, but as we said, there are also Androids not included in this count. Whichever way you look at it, it is an impressive number. And in a sense,...

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Samsung Galaxy Note8 dual camera to come with 3x Optical Zoom

The Galaxy Note8 leaks just keep on coming ahead of the August 23 launch. This latest one comes from Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the division responsible for the mobile camera modules. It posted on a guidance of how a dual camera module works. Since Galaxy Note8 is expected to be the first globally launched smartphone with such setup, it's a safe to assume that the guide will apply to the phablet's camera. The first feature in the guidance is called Super Night Shot. A comparison reveals how an image looks when taken with a single camera smartphone and how the second...

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HomePod firmware reveals iPhone 8 design, infrared facial recognition

With the fingerprint reader booted from the front of the iPhone 8, alternative biometric authentication methods were reportedly considered - including 3D facial recognition and iris scanner. Now we have our first solid bit of evidence - HomePod's firmware shows support for infrared face unlock in the BiometricKit. This is similar to what Lumias and Galaxys use and works in low light. Also hidden in the firmware is a graphic representation of the device - a bezel-less phone with a characteristic cutout on top, which will hold the selfie camera and likely the facial recognition hardware....

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Nokia 8 rumor bonanza: engineering sample on sale, specs revealed by benchmarks

Here's a detailed bundle of rumors for the Nokia 8. First, someone is selling an engineering sample on Taobao (China's eBay), a gold copper unit. You can tell it's an early prototype by the lack of a Zeiss logo next to the camera lenses. Nokia 8 engineering sample The seller did not confirm any of the specs, luckily a handful of benchmark results have that covered. GFXBench shows a 5.3" QHD screen fed by the powerful GPU of the Snapdragon 835 chipset. There's 4GB of RAM (after some deliberation) and 64GB built-in storage (of which around 51GB available to the user). The...

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Daily Deal: Save 16% on a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand

You can currently bag yourself a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand for just $33.49 (16% off). Don’t let its name fool you, though. This charger isn’t only compatible with Quick Charge-enabled devices; it also supports regular charging speeds on standard Qi-enabled handsets.

Review: Samsung Fast Wireless Charging Stand makes charging very convenient

If you like the sound of this particular promotion and want to take advantage of it, hit the Buy Now button below. We’d advise you to hurry though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available and it’s safe to say it won’t be around for too long.

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Live images of Samsung’s new flip phone leaked

Samsung will soon launch a new flip phone which bears model number SM-G9298. This particular handset previously made the rounds online bearing model number SM-W2018. It’s highly likely that like some of Samsung’s other flip phones, the SM-G9298 will only be released in China.

We’ve only seen leaked renders of the handset so far. Today, live pictures of the SM-G9298 flip phone have been leaked online, giving us a good look at Samsung’s upcoming handset.

The handset evidently features a 4.2-inch external display which will be complimented by an internal display of the same size. Both displays are said to be of full HD 1080p resolution.

As far as the specifications of this handset are concerned, reports suggest that it’s going to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and a 2,300mAh battery. It may also feature a 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera, wireless charging, NFC and Samsung Pay.

Samsung hasn’t even confirmed the existence of this handset so far. It’s unclear when the company is planning to launch the SM-G9298. If recent reports are to be believed, Samsung might launch it in China next month, possibly after it’s done unveiling the Galaxy Note 8 on August 23. Whether or not Samsung brings it to other markets remains to be seen.

The post Live images of Samsung’s new flip phone leaked appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung W2018 flip phone live images surface

Earlier today we showed you a press render of the new edition of the Samsung flip phone, codenamed SM-G9298. Now there are also live images of the device that probably will sport the name W2018 since it comes as a successor to last year's W2017. As you can see, the phone has touch screen both on the outer and the inner side. On the back is a camera with an LED flash on the left and a fingerprint scanner below the sensor. The outside screen supports Samsung's Always-On Display, while the inside display has a more basic user interface. An interesting feature is the Microsoft...

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LG Q6 sales set to begin August 2

Unveiled earlier this month, the LG Q6 will be launched this week. Тhe device will go on sale starting August 2 (this Wednesday), with South Korea being the first market to get it. The phone will be available through all the three major Korean carriers, including KT, LG U Plus, and SK Telecom. As for pricing, the device will carry a tag of KRW 419,100, which currently translates into around $375. The Q6 is expected to land in Europe towards the end of next month - Germany is tipped to get it on August 21. Source | Via

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Alleged Meizu X2 leaks with circular secondary display

While the Meizu Pro 7 duo featuring secondary display is yet to go on sale, the company is already working on another dual-display smartphone. A couple of images for the handset - allegedly dubbed Meizu X2 - have leaked. The images clearly show the secondary display is circular, unlike the rectangular-shaped one on the Pro 7 duo. Given the smaller size, it'd be reasonable to assume that this display won't be as feature rich - it'll likely show things like clock/time and battery status. The leak also reveals the phone features a single rear-camera sensor. Sadly, nothing on the...

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Samsung starts rolling out Android 7.0 to Galaxy A3 (2017) in Russia

We had reported earlier that Samsung could roll out the Android 7.0 update to the Galaxy A3 (2017) soon. All the smartphones in the Galaxy A (2017) series, including the Galaxy A3 (2017), had recently received certifications from the Wi-Fi Alliance while running Android 7.0. Now, the South Korean smartphone giant has started rolling out the update to the Galaxy A3 (2017) in Russia.

The Galaxy A3 (2017) with model number SM-A320F started receiving the Nougat update on July 26, but if you didn’t receive the update notification yet, you can download the full 2.21GB firmware file from our firmware section and flash it manually. Moreover, the update with firmware version A320FXXU2BQG5 also brings July 2017 Android security patch to the Galaxy A3 (2017).

If you’re in Russia, have you received the Android 7.0 update yet? Let us know in the comments section below. Also, let us know if you find any new feature after installing the update.

Firmware Details

Model	SM-A320F
Model name	Galaxy A3
Country	Russia
Version	Android 7
Changelist	11883096
Build date	Wed, 19 Jul 2017 07:47:50 +0000
Security Patch Level	2017-07-01
Product code	SER
PDA	A320FXXU2BQG5
CSC	A320FOXY2BQG5

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Firmware update magazine: July 31, 2017

Welcome to the newest 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. Keep in mind, however, that these firmware details are based on the firmware that are available in our database, and 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. So even if you’re new to the world of firmware you’ll have no trouble making sense of it all. Nevertheless, if you ever require assistance, you can always leave a comment down below.

We’ve embedded the magazine below so that you can check it out easily. Once you find the firmware that you’re looking for, just head over to our firmware section and download it for free.

The post Firmware update magazine: July 31, 2017 appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung Australia kicks off pre-registration for the Galaxy Note 8

Samsung is going to unveil its new flagship smartphone in New York City next month. It goes without saying that there’s a lot of excitement among fans for the new flagship. After all, it’s the successor to Samsung’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

The company hasn’t said much about the handset itself. It did mention recently that the Galaxy Note 8 is going to be the perfect device for media consumption. Everything else that we know so far about the Galaxy Note 8 is based on unverified leaks and reports from unofficial sources.

Samsung is only going to unveil the Galaxy Note 8 on August 23. It remains to be seen when the handset is actually going to be released. However, it’s likely that pre-orders will go live soon after the device is announced.

In order to drum up the hype for the new handset, Samsung Australia has already kicked off pre-registration for the Galaxy Note 8. Filling out the form isn’t going to save customers a spot in the line. They will just be the first to know about the new handset when Samsung reveals the official details.

Previous reports have suggested that the Galaxy Note 8 launch date in Australia might be August 25. It’s not known for sure right now, Samsung will confirm pricing and availability details on August 23.

The post Samsung Australia kicks off pre-registration for the Galaxy Note 8 appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung to start full-fledged sales of Harman products

Samsung has said that it’s going to start full-fledged sales of audio products from Harman International in its home country of South Korea. The company announced in November last year that it was going to acquire Harman for $8 billion. This was Samsung Electronics’ biggest acquisition yet, aimed it giving it a major presence in the connected and automotive technologies market.

Harman has long been working on designing and integrating sophisticated in-car technologies and already has deep relationships with major car manufacturers. It also owns a variety of premium audio brands that are known across the globe for their superior quality and performance. Brands owned by Harman include Lexicon, Revel, Infinity and Mark Levinson. It also licenses Bowers & Wilkins and Bang & Olufsen brands for automotive use.

Samsung has said that it will begin full-fledged sales of audio products from Harman International brands such as Harman Kardon, JBL and AKG. The company is going to sell these products through its shops and will also expand sales to its retail distribution network.

The company also confirmed that warranty services for these products will be provided by Samsung’s repair centers in South Korea. Samsung is also planning to open an exclusive Harman shop in its home country by the end of this year to address customer needs.

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Samsung’s new 6CA LTE modem supports download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps

Earlier this year, Samsung had unveiled the Exynos 8895 chipset with an integrated Cat.16 LTE modem (and 5CA) and download speeds of up to 1Gbps. Now, the South Korean smartphone giant has announced that it has developed a new LTE modem that employs 6CA (Carrier Aggregation) technology to support download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps for the first time in the industry.

Samsung has worked closely with Anritsu, a Japanese telecommunication measuring instrument provider, to achieve download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps using its new Cat.18 LTE modem with industry’s first 6CA support. This 20 percent improvement in download speeds would allow smartphone users to download full-length HD movies in just 10 seconds or enjoy buffer-less video calls and mobile live-broadcasting.

Carrier aggregation combines multiple component carriers with various bandwidths, thereby improving data transfer rates. Compared to the previous generation modem’s 5CA technology, the new 6CA technology offers more consistent and reliable data transfer. Moreover, the company has also equipped its new LTE modem with 4×4 MIMO and 256 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) schemes to maximize the data transfer.

“With the increase of high-quality online content services, the demand for high-performance LTE modems continue to rise as well. The 1.2Gbps maximum downlink speed with 6CA support highlights Samsung’s leading design capabilities and well-positions Samsung for the upcoming 5G era,” said Woonhaing Hur, Vice President of System LSI Protocol Development at Samsung Electronics.

A new Exynos chipset equipped with 6CA LTE modem is expected to be in mass production by the end of this year. It is being rumored that the new chipset will be named Exynos 9810 and that it will debut with the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ early next year. The Galaxy Note 8, which will be unveiled on August 23, will continue using the already proven Exynos 8895. Samsung is also working on two new 10nm Exynos chipsets: Exynos 7885 and Exynos 9610.

The post Samsung’s new 6CA LTE modem supports download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung delivers new LTE modem with a maximum speed of 1.2 Gbps

Back in March Samsung introduced its new chipset the Exynos 8895. It was an answer to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 that was the first to support 1 Gbps speeds. Now Samsung improved the modem of the 8895, and it comes with Cat.18 6CA (Carrier aggregation) technology for up to 1.2 Gbps downlink speeds. The Korean manufacturer said it worked closely with Anritsu, a Japanese telecommunication measuring instrument provider, to achieve the impressive results. This is 20% improvement in download speeds that in theory would allow you to download an HD movie in 10 seconds. Carrier...

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Upcoming Nokia 8 flagship to cost close to €500

While the upcoming Nokia 8 flagship has been the subject of several leaks and rumors so far, we haven't heard much on the pricing front, except for a rumor earlier this month that the phone will cost just under €600. Now, new price-related information has leaked, and it's bound to bring smile on the faces of potential buyers. Yeah, the leak suggests the phone will be priced even lower - somewhere around €515 - €520 including taxes. The leak comes from a leaked Vodafone Romania internal doc, which means it should be representative of the pricing throughout the EU. Granted, taxes vary...

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New update coming to fix Nokia 5 equalizer issue, company confirms

Some early adopters of the Nokia 5 have been facing an issue with the Dolby Equalizer that won't open from select apps like Google Play Music or Spotify. When they try to access these settings from the aforementioned apps, a white screen shows up instead. Well, when the problem was brought to the company's notice, it was quickly acknowledged, with a promise that a fix for the issue will be made available through an update. Sadly, there's currently no information on exactly when the update will arrive, although we expect that to happen sooner than later. Meanwhile, as the company has...

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Alleged Samsung Galaxy X foldable phone gets Bluetooth certified

A new Samsung phone has been granted Bluetooth certification by the Bluetooth SIG. The listing reveals the device carries a model number of SM-G888N0, with reports saying it could well be the long rumored Galaxy X foldable phone. The speculation is based on the fact that the model number doesn't belong to any existing series of Samsung devices and it must be the first member of an entirely new lineup. Previously, the device received WiFi certification, so it's not a one-off thing either. While there's no information on key specs, the listing does reveal Bluetooth 4.2 support,...

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Upcoming Samsung flip phone (SM-G9298) leaks in render

After passing China's TENAA, WFA, and the US FCC, Samsung's upcoming high-end flip phone has now leaked in a render. The image that has surfaced not only focuses on the front and back, but sides as well. The design this leaked image reveals is inline with what we've seen at TENAA and the FCC. According to information revealed by the Chinese agency, the device - which carries a model number of SM-G9298 - is powered by Snapdragon 821AB chipset, and sports 4.2-inch 1080p screens. RAM is 4GB, while internal memory is 64GB. The phone - which was previously referred to as the W2018 -...

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Now training manual for Samsung Galaxy S8 Active leaks

After a high-quality render for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active leaked this past weekend, the official employee training manual for the device has also leaked, confirming what all we know about the phone so far (including design and specs). In terms of specifications, the handset is powered by Snapdragon 835 SoC, and sports a 5.8-inch display of 2960 x 1440 pixel resolution. Memory configuration is 4GB/64GB, and camera combo is 12MP/8MP. Measuring around 152.1x74.9x9.9mm and weighing in at around 208g, the S8 Active runs Android 7.0 Nougat, and packs in a large, 4,000mAh...

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Samsung still leads the smartphone market in India

India is one of the most lucrative smartphone markets on the planet and Samsung continues to enjoy a strong leadership position there. The company has been able to hold on to its lead despite tough competition from Chinese rivals.

Some of China’s top smartphone vendors that also sell their products in India actually managed to push out all local manufacturers from the top five rankings in the final quarter of 2016. Samsung also shipped fewer smartphones in India during Q4 2016 due to mounting competition from Chinese rivals, but it held on to the lead.

The latest data from market analysis company Counterpoint Research reveals that Samsung leads the Indian smartphone market with a 24.1 percent market share. Samsung also leads the feature phone market with 26.6 percent market share.

It’s the same story in Q2 2017, as well. No local manufacturer is in the top five. Samsung is followed by Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Lenovo. All four of them are based in China.

Segment-wise break-up shows that Samsung retains its top position in the premium segment as well with a 55 percent market share. The country’s smartphone market overall saw a modest 4 percent year-over-year gain during the second quarter of 2017, according to Counterpoint Research.

Just because Samsung has held on to the lead doesn’t mean it can rest on its laurels. With the pace that Chinese manufacturers have shown, the company has to work extra hard to ensure that it doesn’t lose the top spot to any one of them.

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Press render of high-end Samsung flip phone leaked

It has consistently been rumored over the past couple of weeks that Samsung has a new flip phone in the pipeline. Like some of Samsung’s other clamshell smartphones, it’s possibly going to be released in China only. Reports suggest that this handset carries model number SM-G9298, though it was previously referred to as the SM-W2018, and that it’s going to have high-end specifications.

One of the first purported press renders of the SM-G9298 surfaced online recently. We can see that the handset has a 4.2-inch external display, as expected, as well as an internal display of the same size. The displays are said to be of full HD 1080p resolution.

A recent report claimed that the SM-G9298 is going to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. Additional specs are said to include a 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera, 64GB storage and a 2,300mAh battery.

Since the handset is expected to have NFC, it’s going to support Samsung Pay. Wireless charging is also said to be onboard. Reports suggest that the handset will come with S Voice and that Bixby will not be available.

Samsung is yet to confirm when the SM-G9298 is going to be launched and if it’s going to be sold outside China. Reports suggest that it may be announced at some point in August.

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Samsung’s foldable Galaxy X smartphone receives Bluetooth certification

For a couple of years now, we have been hearing rumors about Samsung working on a foldable smartphone. Samsung is said to have shown prototypes of the handset to partners on multiple occasions. The company hasn’t officially confirmed this device but the rumor mill believes that it may not be long before it does that. Now, it appears that Samsung’s foldable Galaxy X smartphone has received its Bluetooth certification.

A Samsung device bearing model number SM-G888N0 has been spotted at the Bluetooth SIG which has awarded the device the required certification. This model number doesn’t correspond to any device in Samsung’s lineup right now, hence the possibility that it belongs to the unreleased Galaxy X handset.

The same model number was spotted at the Wi-Fi Alliance four months ago where the SM-G888N0 received its Wi-Fi certification. The Bluetooth certification document shows that the SM-G888N0 is carrying Bluetooth 4.2.

This seems a bit odd because recent flagships like the Galaxy S8 have support for Bluetooth 5.0 so it wouldn’t make sense for the company to ship its first foldable smartphone with an outdated standard. It’s likely that the device may be bumped up to Android 5.0 before it’s eventually launched.

Samsung is yet to confirm when the Galaxy X is going to be announced officially. If recent reports are any indication, it may be released either by the end of this year or by early 2018.

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Samsung may have revealed some Galaxy Note 8 camera features

There have been countless rumors about the Galaxy Note 8’s camera. It’s widely believed that the Galaxy Note 8 is going to be Samsung’s first flagship with a dual camera system. We can expect the flagship to come with several new camera features as well, some of which might have been revealed by Samsung itself.

Previous reports have suggested that Samsung Electro-Mechanics will be supplying the dual camera system for the Galaxy Note 8. There’s informational material available on the company’s own website detailing some of the capabilities of its dual camera sensor. It’s highly likely that this sensor might be used for the Galaxy Note 8 so the new flagship may have some of these features.

One of the features powered by this camera module is called “Smart Zoom,” and as per recent reports, it enables 3x optical zoom. The “Refocus” feature is the logical application of a dual camera sensor as it measures depth which can be used to blur the foreground or background after a picture has been taken.

Since the dual camera sensor can absorb more light, it provides better performance in low light conditions. “Perspective View” and “Background Effect” features are also mentioned, they will allow users to apply some creative tricks to their pictures.

It’s possible that the Galaxy Note 8 may come with some or all of the camera features mentioned in Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ informational material. Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy Note 8 at an event in New York on August 23.

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Gear S3 frontier TUMI Special Edition blends luxury and technology

Samsung has teamed up with TUMI to launch the Gear S3 frontier TUMI Special Edition. For those who are unaware, TUMI is a leading global travel lifestyle brand. This smartwatch blends luxury and technology in a stylish design.

This special edition of the Gear S3 frontier takes inspiration from TUMI’s world-class design to serve as the ideal travel companion for users. The special edition watchband has been designed by TUMI in its signature Earl Grey colorway.

The band itself is made from an Italian canvas and features a stainless-steel buckle with stitched edge detailing. It’s also quite durable. The watchband is resistant to water, dust and rough conditions.

The custom look of this smartwatch is completed by a custom TUMI watchface. Everything else remains the same, it’s still the same Gear S3 frontier smartwatch that has been out for about a year now. All of the specifications and features are also the same so it’s not like customers will get more out of this smartwatch as far as functionality is concerned.

The Gear S3 frontier TUMI Special Edition is available for purchase online now for $449.99 on Samsung.com and BestBuy.com. It will also be available for purchase at select Best Buy retail retailers starting August 6.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 makes its way through the FCC

The Galaxy Note 8 is set to be unveiled on August 23, and if recent history is any guide, Samsung’s anticipated Note flagship should go on sale in markets like the US and South Korea within three weeks of going official. But no matter when the Note 8 will become available for purchase, it will need to be given the go ahead by the FCC, and the phone has now cleared that task.

As usual, the FCC certification isn’t giving us any details on the device. It does show the general shape of the handset, although the figure in the FCC listing looks too wide and short for it to be the official design. Samsung’s new Infinity displays on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are tall and narrow, and the Note 8 is going to following the same design scheme, as revealed by the company’s official press invite for the phone’s launch.

Also Read: Samsung says the Galaxy Note 8 will be the best handset for media consumption

The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to feature a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display and will be the first Samsung flagship to have a dual camera setup at the back. It is also expected to come with 6GB of RAM in all markets, with a 256GB storage variant also reportedly in the pipeline for select markets. For a rundown of everything that is known about the Galaxy Note 8 right now, check out this post.

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Leaked training manual reveals Galaxy S8 Active specs and official renders

The August 1 launch date of the Galaxy S8 Active is looking very probable at this point. Live images of the device were leaked online recently, and now, a leaked Samsung employee training manual obtained by Android Police is giving us more details on the Galaxy S8 Active’s features in addition to a few official-looking renders.

The renders show us the military-grade (and IP68-certified) body of the Galaxy S8 Active from all angles, including the dedicated Bixby key below the volume buttons. The body will surround a shatter resistant 5.8-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display (without the curves seen on the standard Galaxy S8 and S8+), and the battery will be getting an upgrade to a 4,000 mAh unit, same as last year’s Galaxy S Active handset, with fast wired and wireless charging carrying over intact.

The rest of the Galaxy S8 Active specs will match that of the standard Galaxy S8. There’s 4GB of RAM, 12-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front cameras, 64GB of internal storage, and Android 7.0 Nougat (yes, not 7.1.1). The processor is the Snapdragon 835, which also powers the S8 and S8+ that are sold in North America and is slightly slower in performance than Samsung’s in-house Exynos chipset.

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ review: Samsung brings us the future, but it’s not perfect yet

The Galaxy S8 Active will be exclusive to AT&T, but we will continue to hope that Samsung finds it in its heart to make the device available in other markets (or, at the very least, as an unlocked unit in the US). Details on pricing and availability aren’t available, but that should change as soon as the phone goes official.

Check out what you can expect from the Galaxy S8 Active in this post, and let us know whether you’re planning on picking one up whenever it goes on sale.

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