Android News

Samsung has  been working on a ruggedized variant of the Galaxy S8 for a while now, and it’s starting to look like its release is right around the corner — so we thought we’d take this opportunity to recap everything we’ve heard about the Galaxy S8 Active. Availability In line with previous Active-branded handsets, the Galaxy S8 Active will launch exclusively through AT&T. It’s rumored to hit the shelves on August 1, with pricing set at around $650, but you should be able to pick it up for less when the carrier kicks off its summer sale. Related:  New Galaxy S8 Active render appears online, launch expected soon Battery According to a hands-on image that surfaced online on Monday, the Galaxy S8 Active packs a 4,000mAh battery, which should see it through two-to-three days’ worth of intermediate use, judging by how well the Galaxy S8+ performs  with its 3,500mAh cell . Design The Galaxy S8 Active features a similar design to the Galaxy S8 , but it will reportedly be constru

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. Business Samsung’s lobbying costs in the US have tripled in the first half of this year Deals Daily Deal: Bag yourself a pair of Active InEar headphones for 49% off General Samsung conducts first 5G fixed wireless access trial in the UK with Arqiva Seven Samsung SDI employees get recognized as ‘Tech Meisters’ Phones Dual Messenger on Galaxy J (2017) devices lets you use two accounts in social networking apps Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) specifications leaked already? Poll [Poll] How much do you care about Android updates? Samsung Pay Samsung Pay now supports Financiera El Corte Inglés private label card in Spain Virtual Reality Samsung’s PhoneCast app makes va

Ever longed for the possibility of using two different WhatsApp accounts on your phone, or inside other social networking apps that don’t let you use two accounts? Of course you have, and Samsung has been offering a way to do that via Secure Folder, a feature you find on the company’s flagships and now, on most of its handsets running Android 7.0 Nougat. Secure Folder creates a dedicated environment that’s sandboxed from the regular data on the phone, which means you can install WhatsApp, Facebook, and other apps inside Secure Folder and log into a different account. With the new Galaxy J (2017) handsets, Samsung is removing Secure Folder from the equation and offering a direct way to use separate accounts on social networking apps. The Galaxy J (2017) devices come with a feature called Dual Messenger, and it does exactly what the name suggests. Dual Messenger works by installing a separate copy of the app on the device; you see two shortcuts for the same app in the app drawer, so you

Samsung’s network solutions business has been focusing on rapidly commercializing 5G network technologies. It has teamed up with many partners across the globe to conduct 5G trials in key markets . It announced a statement of intent back in February this year to conduct the first 5G fixed wireless access trial in the United Kingdom and Samsung has now done just that. Samsung has teamed up with Arqiva, a leading communications infrastructure company in the United Kingdom, for this trial. The first field trial of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology in the UK and Europe is now live in Arqiva’s central London headquarters. The field trial is powered by Samsung’s 5G network solution that equipment that uses Arqiva’s 28GHz mmWave spectrum. In this trial, a Radio Access Unit has been installed on the rooftop of Arqiva’s Fitzrovia office. It links wirelessly to an easily installable customer premises equipment. Samsung’s system then provides high bandwidth connectivity. The commercial

Amazon has slashed the price of Samsung’s InEar headphones by 49% — so you can currently pick up a pair for just $15.38. For those unaware, these are the same earphones that ship in the box of the firm’s smartphones, with the Galaxy S8 being the only exception. If you want to take advantage of this particular promotion, hit the Buy Now button below. We’d advise you to hurry, though. Like most of the deals we highlight, Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available and it’s safe to say it won’t be around for too long.

Spain’s largest department store El Corte Inglés has added support for Samsung Pay to its Financiera El Corte Inglés payment card. Financiera El Corte Inglés is now the first private label card provider in the country to have support for Samsung Pay. Customers of the department store can now integrate their private label cards with Samsung Pay to easy make mobile payments. Samsung Pay went live in Spain last year . It was actually the first country in Europe where Samsung launched its mobile payments service. Samsung continues to expand the presence of its payments service in the country. Store customers can easily enroll their payment cards online with Gemalto’s TSH platform. Their card credentials are turned into tokenized data that’s stored on Samsung’s mobile payments platform. Now that customers can integrate their Financiera El Corte Inglés payment cards with Samsung Pay, they won’t need to carry the physical card with them while shopping. They will be able to access and pay u

Even if you aren’t watching 360-degree videos, the Gear VR is a great way to consume videos content. The internal video player brings you an experience of watching the content on a 200-inch screen. However, third-party apps are not compatible with the Gear VR. Now, Samsung has released a new app that makes various third-party apps compatible with the Gear VR. The company’s PhoneCast app offers users an experience of watching streaming video content on a 200-inch virtual screen. It is compatible with various apps, including YouTube, Plex, Kodi, Hulu, Xfinity, Sling TV, Epix, and Crackle. It is also compatible with VLC and MX Player. Samsung will add support for more video streaming apps soon. Amazon’s Prime Video app is currently disabled, though. When the PhoneCast app is launched, users are presented with a scenic background with lakeside campfire, and any compatible video streaming app can be launched. Users can not only change the brightness of the video, but also the size and p

While Samsung has been working harder than earlier to release software updates to more smartphones and tablets, there have been a few instances where devices are running two-year older versions of Android. For example, the South Korean smartphone giant is yet to release Android 7.0 to the Galaxy A7 (2017), and it’s still running Android 6.0, which was released by Google back in 2015. Google released the fourth beta version of Android O yesterday, and it’s a matter of weeks before the final version is released. However, we also know that Samsung brings a lot of features earlier than Google. Features like iris recognition, Secure Folder, themes, and Always On Display, which are available on Samsung’s phones are not available in the stock version of Android. So, we wanted to know how much our readers care about Android updates for their smartphones, tablets, and other devices. How important are Android updates and security patches for you? Cast your vote in the poll below, and let us kn

The major shift in the policies of the US administration has forced many companies to ramp up their lobbying efforts to ensure that they don’t fall out of favor with the folks in power. The latest figures from the US Senate Lobbying Disclosure Database shows that Samsung’s lobbying costs have tripled in the first half of this year. Samsung hasn’t just responded to the changes in Washington by spending more on lobbying. The company hedged its bets against growing protectionism in the country by announcing that it’s setting up a new appliance plant in the state of South Carolina. The $380 million plant will be used to manufacture washing machines and other appliances that will be sold to customers in the United States. The investment by Samsung is also going to create almost 1,000 new industrial jobs in the state. It has spent $1.47 million on lobbying so far which is considerably more than what it did in the same period last year. Samsung spent $680,000 on lobbying in the first quar

Samsung had unveiled the Galaxy A (2017) smartphone series earlier this year . The series consists of the Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017), and the Galaxy A7 (2017), and they  might soon receive the Android 7.0 update . Now, it appears that the successor to the Galaxy A7 (2017) has been spotted already. The Galaxy A7 (2018) or SM-A730 has appeared in GFXBench’s database, revealing most of its specifications. Going by the details available on the website, the phone might feature a 1080p display (most probably, a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED one), a 2.1GHz octa-core processor with Mali-G71 GPU, 4GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, and Android 7.1.1 operating system. Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy A7 (2018) could come with a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. The front-facing camera appears to have QHD video recording abilities, so it is possible that the company could upgrade the rear-facing camera’s video capture resolution to QHD or 4K, but we’re

Following a statement of intent in February, leading UK communications infrastructure company Arqiva and Samsung Electronics have today announced that the first field trial of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology in the UK and Europe is now live in central London.   Powered by Samsung’s 5G network solution and customer premises equipment (CPE), and using Arqiva’s 28GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum, the 5G FWA system consists of three main components:   A Radio Access Unit located on the rooftop of Arqiva’s Fitzrovia office wirelessly links to an easily installable CPE – or router – located by a window inside Arqiva’s nearby headquarters. Samsung’s system – which implements intelligent beam-forming technology and high-frequency mmWave spectrum – then provides high bandwidth connectivity. In commercial implementations, the compact access unit can be mounted on lampposts or similar street furniture to provide reliable gigabit-per-second service to neighbourhoods and busi

When the weather's nice, it's time to head out to the mountains and get climbing. Record the full experience in 360 degrees on the Gear 360, from base to summit—even the spills. Learn more: http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-360/ From: Samsung Mobile

Wireless chargers have in recent years transformed the mobile landscape by making the smartphone charging process more convenient. By simply placing their mobile device on top of an inductive charger, rather than plugging it in, smartphone users can easily charge their battery, without having to mess around with ports or wires. And, if they’re in a rush, can just as quickly grab their phone and be on their way.   Samsung’s Wireless Charger Convertible, which was released with the Galaxy S8 and S8+, features a modern, highly versatile design that beautifully blends into just about any home or workplace environment. While it offers users a more convenient and intuitive means to charge Qi-compatible mobile vices, it’s only the newest of the company’s wireless charging products, which have evolved both in function and form since they were first developed.       Taking Charge of New Tech In late 2000, Samsung created a special team designed exclusively to focus on wireless chargin

I’ve used every flagship Samsung smartphone that has released over the past three years, including the Galaxy S5 . Earlier, I had also used the Nexus S , Galaxy S2, and the Galaxy Nexus as my primary devices. Now, I’ve switched from last year’s Galaxy S7 edge  to the Galaxy S8+ . My colleagues Josh and Adnan have already written about what they  like about the S8+ and the features that have made their life easier , and in this post, I’m listing out my  favorite features of Samsung’s 6.2-inch flagship after more than three months of using the device. Infinity Display & New Home Button Undoubtedly, the best thing about the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ is their almost bezel-less, Infinity Display. It’s big, bright, and colourful, and makes everyone go wow. HDR videos look brilliant, but I was only able to test a few short clips and movie trailers . Netflix should soon bring support for HDR videos on the Galaxy S8. Compared to other bezel-less phones like the LG G6 and Mi Mix, t

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 we published today. Business Samsung will triple chip business market share within five years 10 percent of Samsung’s revenue came from its home market South Korea Deals Daily Deal: Save 60% on a Gear VR (2016) Opinion Samsung’s budget smartphone cameras have finally come of age Phones Galaxy J7 Nxt announced in India New Galaxy S8 Active leaked images and video reveal 4,000mAh battery These are the countries where the Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt (SM-J701F) will be launched Unlocked Galaxy J3 and Galaxy J7 launched by Samsung in the United States

Samsung has long offered budget smartphones alongside its premium mid-range and flagship devices but the company doesn’t normally release those models in the United States as unlocked and off-contract models. This is why it was a bit surprising to see the company announce today that it’s launching the unlocked Galaxy J3 and Galaxy J7 in the United States. The unlocked Galaxy J3 will be available to customers in the United States in black color. It has a 5.0-inch HD TFT display with a quad-core 1.4GHz processor under the hood, 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, it features a 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front camera. The handset has a 2,600mAh battery and a price tag of $149.99. The Galaxy J7 is slightly more expensive but it does feature a 5.5-inch HD TFT display and an octa-core 1.6GHz processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage. It has the same cameras and operating system. The battery is a chunky 3,300mAh cell that promises up to 40 hours

The chip business has been a significant contributor to Samsung’s bottom line over the past few years. Samsung wants to keep the momentum intact so it’s going to work diligently to ensure that it’s able to solidify its position in this market and grow further. A senior company executive has said that Samsung is planning to triple its contract chip manufacturing business market share within the next five years by aggressively adding new clients. Samsung spun off the chip manufacturing business as a separate entity of its semiconductor division earlier this year in May. The new entity is solely responsible for manufacturing mobile processors and other non-memory chips. Its clients include the likes of Qualcomm and NVIDIA. Samsung executive vice president and head of the new foundry division E.S. Jung said that the company is looking to clinch a 25 percent market share in this industry within five years. It’s going to pursue smaller customers alongside big-name clients to fuel growth

Samsung launched yet another variant of the Galaxy J7 in India earlier today . Priced at INR 11,490 (approximately $179), the Galaxy J7 Nxt ( SM-J701F ) features a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display. The phone’s 13-megapixel rear-facing camera has autofocus, f/1.9 aperture, LED flash and 1080p video recording. The 5-megapixel front-facing camera has a fixed-focus f/2.2 lens and an LED flash. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The Galaxy J7 Nxt is equipped with a 1.6GHz octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 3,000mAh battery. The phone has a plastic build and weighs 170 grams. Although it has been launched only in India as of now, the company is planning to launch it in more markets. It could be launched with a different name, though. Here’s a complete list of countries and markets where the smartphone would be launched in the near future: Afghanistan Algeria Bangladesh Egypt Ghana India Indonesia Iran Iraq Kenya Kazakhstan L

If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, we have a fantastic deal for you. For a limited time only, you can bag yourself a third-generation model of the Gear VR for just $39.99 (60% off). This particular variant is identical to its successor, the Gear VR (2017), supporting both microUSB and USB Type-C via an adapter. Like the sound of the third-generation Gear VR (2016) and want to pick one up for the reduced price? All you need to do is hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll probably want to hurry though, as at the time of publication Amazon only has a few up for grabs, and they’ll likely be gone within the hour.