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If you head over to Galaxy Apps on your Galaxy Note 8  today, you will see updates to a slew of Samsung’s proprietary apps. Most of these are updates to basic apps like messages, contacts, clock, and the Samsung video player, but for the Note 8, you will also see updates to the Air Command and Live Message features. The Live Message update is a substantial one. On the newest version, you can now create smaller sized GIFs by selecting the standard quality option, and Samsung has also added a few default live message templates, so you can send them to your friends and family without needing to create a message yourself. For the other apps that have received an update, improvements to integration with Bixby is a common theme if you check the changelogs. Bixby Vision is also getting an update, and so are Game Tools and Game Launcher. You should see some of these updates on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ as well; to download them, open Galaxy Apps, tap the three-dot menu button on the top right,

When designing the successor to the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 , Samsung had two choices: come up with something entirely new that pushes the boundaries, or play it safe by taking something it knows works—cough, cough, the Galaxy S8, cough—and adding to it. The firm took the latter approach. The result is the Galaxy Note 8 , a handset that’s been dubbed a “Galaxy S8+ with an S Pen” by various members of the Android community; however, that’s not strictly true. It’s actually a unique, powerful, plus-sized smartphone that brings a number of fantastic features to the table. But is it worth your hard-earned cash? Let’s find out. Galaxy Note 8 review: Design Samsung has adopted a tall, but narrow, boxy design aesthetic for the Galaxy Note 8. The handset sports slightly sharper edges and a larger 6.3-inch edge-to-edge Infinity Display (18.5:9) than both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, making it impossible to use with one hand, even with the dedicated one-handed operation mode turned on. T

You can currently snag yourself a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand for $31.49 (8% 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 Qi-enabled smartphones. 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. The post Daily Deal: Take 8% off a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand appeared first on SamMobile .

Samsung is finally releasing an update to the Galaxy S8 and S8+ to fix the Blueborne vulnerability , following a slew of other devices that were updated earlier this month . Once again, the update keeps the security patch date at August 1, although the changelog does mention that the latest Google security patches are applied. We’re guessing Samsung has either implemented the September security patch without changing the patch date or will be including this month’s vulnerability fixes in the update for October. The latest Galaxy S8 update also brings stability improvements to wireless charging and the navigation bar. We’re not sure what kind of navigation bar stability Samsung is talking about, but we’ll take all the improvements we can get (perhaps this fixes the navigation bar’s finicky nature when you set it to hide instead of being always visible; we’ll just have to wait and see). Should you want to confirm that the update does indeed patch the Blueborne vulnerability, you can do

If you’ve been irked by them, there is a way you can block ads on Samsung Galaxy smartphones running Nougat. You may not even remember that you checked this option during your phone’s setup process. That’s because most users just fly through the setup process without really paying attention. When you agree to all of the terms while setting up your phone, you actually agree to receive these ads twice. Fear not, this guide will teach you how to block ads on Samsung Galaxy smartphones running Nougat. The procedure is the same whether you have a Galaxy Note 8 or any of Samsung’s Nougat-powered devices. You may remember that earlier this year, Samsung’s Game Optimization Service pushed ads for a free game download in the notifications shade. There are also the endless Galaxy Apps notifications and reminders about the apps and services you can use. This minor tweak will put an end to all of that. How to block ads on Samsung Galaxy smartphones running Nougat Step 1: Launch the Settings

Samsung India is celebrating the anniversary of its online store, called Samsung Shop, and offering discounts on a slew of devices. The sale started yesterday and will go on until September 30, and the highlights include a Rs. 4,000 cashback on the Galaxy S8+ for HDFC bank credit card holders, a free Galaxy S8+ for those who buy the company’s new QLED TV, and an additional 5 percent discount on all deals for those paying with an ICICI bank credit card. Some of these deals, such as the huge discount on the Gear IconX earphones and the free S8+ for buyers of the QLED TV, have been active for quite some time , so they aren’t exclusive to the anniversary sale. Unfortunately, most of the other deals are on budget handsets such as the Galaxy On Max (the online cousin of the Galaxy J7 Max ) and the Galaxy J3 Pro. However, if you don’t mind picking up last year’s Gear S2, the reduced price tag of Rs. 15,900 is an attractive deal. Oh, and Samsung’s launch offers for the Galaxy Note 8 in India

The global rankings released by US consultancy firm Interbrand reveal that Samsung has overtaken Toyota for the first time to become the most valuable brand in Asia. The Best Global Brands 2017 list from Interbrand has 11 companies from Asia. South Korean companies have improved their positions on the list compared to their Japanese rivals. Interbrand’s valuation of top global brands now puts Samsung in sixth place, it’s up one position from last year. That’s quite an achievement given the recent challenges that the company has faced, including the conviction of its heir Lee Jae-yong on charges of bribery. “Samsung has made it a policy of strengthening its brand in the past 10 years,” said Interbrand Japan’s CEO Masahito Namiki. Despite the turmoil at the top, this strategy has helped Samsung limit the impact of its brand image. The top five spots on the list are all occupied by US companies. Apple is at the very top followed by Google, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Amazon. Samsung is th

Amazon has temporarily slashed the price of the first-generation Gear 360, which is Samsung’s award-winning camera that’s capable of taking 360-degree photographs and videos, down to just $94.00 (73% off). If you want to take advantage of this promotion, hit the  Buy Now  button below. We strongly advise you to hurry though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available — and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The post Daily Deal: Take 73% off a first-generation Gear 360 appeared first on SamMobile .

Samsung today announced that it has started producing the industry’s first embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) solution that’s meant to be used for next-generation automotive applications. It’s producing 128GB and 64GB versions of the memory solution. Samsung’s new eUFS solution has been designed for advanced driver assistance systems, next-generation dashboards and infotainment systems that provide a wide range of connected features for drivers and passengers. Embedded UFS memory solutions have been used in mobile devices since early 2015 . The high performance of the UFS solution has led to its wide adoption initially from flagship smartphones to now in mid-market devices. Samsung’s new eUFS solution for cars will provide enhanced data transfer speeds and data reliability. The new Samsung 128GB eUFS has a read speed of up to 850 MB/s. That’s nearly 3.4 times faster than the 250 MB/s speed of today’s eMMC 5.0 solutions. The new solution also offers almost 6.3 times faster ran

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it is introducing the industry’s first embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) solution for use in next-generation automotive applications. Consisting of 128-gigabyte (GB) and 64GB versions, the new eUFS solution has been designed for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), next-generation dashboards and infotainment systems that provide comprehensive connected features for drivers and passengers worldwide.   “We are taking a major step in accelerating the introduction of next-generation ADAS and automotive infotainment systems by offering the industry’s first eUFS solution for the market much earlier than expected,” said Jinman Han, Senior Vice President of Memory Product Planning & Application Engineering at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is taking the lead in the growth of the memory market for sophisticated automotive applications, while continuing to deliver leading-edge UFS solution

We saw the first Galaxy A5 (2018) specifications earlier today and now we’re seeing purported case renders of this handset. The new Galaxy A (2018) series isn’t due until early next year. However, we’ll get to see a lot of rumors and reports in the weeks to come. That’s just how it is every year. We reported earlier today that the Galaxy A5 (2018) will be powered by Samsung’s new Exynos 7885 processor . It’s a 1.59GHz octa-core chip coupled with 4GB of RAM. It’s likely going to feature 32GB of storage and will be powered by Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Previous reports have suggested that the Galaxy A (2018) series might feature an Infinity Display . Some models are reported to have a dual camera system as well. We can expect the fingerprint sensor and water resistance to carry over from the Galaxy A (2017) series. These purported Galaxy A5 (2018) case renders are from an unofficial source in China. The cutouts don’t betray the presence of a dual camera system at the back. However, the so

Samsung has introduced its V-NAND based storage solutions to meet the requirements of next-generation data processing. The company also showcased solutions based on an array of solid state drives (SSDs) at this year’s Flash Memory Summit that was held in August in Santa Clara, California. Samsung announced that it would launch 1Tb V-NAND chips next year, which will be the industry’s first three-dimensional NAND chip . The role of flash memory has become critical in accelerating data that needs to be extracted for real-time analysis. The South Korean semiconductor giant hopes that SSDs will be at the forefront of enabling today’s most data-intensive tasks such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, real-time analytics and parallel computing. Samsung plans to start the mass production of these storage components in Q4 2017 while trying to standardize the form factor with industry partners. Jeong Jae-heon, the executive vice president of Samsung’s Solution Development arm, intr

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. Bixby Bixby Voice review: A story of unfulfilled potential Business Samsung Electronics’ Q4 2017 operating profit estimated to hit $13.6 billion Deals Daily Deal: Take 73% off a first-generation Gear 360 Firmware News SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: September 25, 2017 Samsung rolls out security patches to fix BlueBorne vulnerability Phones Foldable Samsung smartphone surfaces yet again Galaxy A5 (2018) specifications surface online Galaxy A5 (2018) and Galaxy A7 (2018) may launch in these countries Samsung to make chips with dedicated cores for processing AI-related data Sketchy rumor claims Galaxy A (2018) series will feature Bixby button The post

The aim of this Bixby Voice review is to determine whether Samsung has done a good enough job with its new virtual assistant. There are some things that set it apart from the competition. It leaves a lot to be desired in other aspects. Bixby Voice right now is a story of unfulfilled potential. There is a long way to go before it can be crowned king of the virtual assistants. First, some background. Samsung introduced Bixby with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ earlier this year. Bixby Voice, the conversational assistant, was delayed for a few months. It was finally released for users across the globe last month . Bixby Voice only has support for English and South Korean. It’s also available on the Galaxy Note 8 . In case you’ve not done it yet, here’s how you setup Bixby on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 . It will take around ten minutes or so. You will help Bixby learn your voice and your pronunciation style by speaking generic sentences. Bixby Voice Review You summon Bixby by pr

There have been a few rumors and leaks in the last couple of months claiming to offer details on Samsung’s 2018 iteration of the Galaxy A series. While we cannot confirm whether or not these leaks are accurate, we have managed to get the names of the countries where the Galaxy A5 (2018) and Galaxy A7 (2018) may be made available. This list is by no means final, and it’s possible these phones might not launch in all the listed countries and even launch in those not mentioned here. As for the Galaxy A3 (2018), we do not have any information on that device, but we’ll let you know once we do. Find the list of countries, along with their region codes, down below. Galaxy A5 (2018) : AMO – Spain (Orange) ATO – Open Austria AUT – Switzerland BTU – United Kingdom CAC – Uzbekistan CAM – Cambodia CPW – United Kingdom (Carphone Warehouse) DBT – Germany ETL – Czech Republic EUR – Greece FTM – France (Orange) GLB – Philippines (Globe) ITV – Italy LUX – Luxembourg MM1 – Singapore

We’ll soon start hearing a lot of rumors and reports about the Galaxy A (2018) series as Samsung is due to launch it early next year. The first Galaxy A5 (2018) specifications have now surfaced online. A benchmark listing for the SM-A530F has been spotted which gives us an idea of what the Galaxy A5 (2018) specifications might be. The Geekbench listing for the Galaxy A5 (2018) reveals that it’s going to be powered by Samsung’s new Exynos 7885 processor . It’s likely the 10nm version of the Exynos 7880 that can be found on the Galaxy A5 (2017). According to these Galaxy A5 (2018) specifications, the octa-core Exynos 7885 has a clock speed of 1.59GHz. It’s paired with 4GB of RAM. That’s going to be a welcome improvement over the Galaxy A5 (2017)’s 3GB of RAM. According to the listing, the handset is powered by Android 7.1.1. Whether or not Samsung launches it with Android 8.0 Oreo when the time comes remains to be seen. No further details have surfaced online but it’s a good bet to as

Samsung, the largest chip maker in the world, is in urgent need to make chipsets that have dedicated cores for processing artificial intelligence-related data. Although the company has released its AI-powered digital voice assistant Bixby for the Galaxy S8 duo and the Galaxy Note 8, the Exynos 8895 chipset that powers the phones do not have a dedicated processing unit for AI-related tasks. Samsung has now embarked on research and development of AI chips and is planning to commercialize them in the next few years. Huawei has announced that it will release its Mate 10 smartphone with its new Kirin 970 chipset that has a neural processing unit. Even Apple has launched three new smartphones – iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X – which use the A11 Bionic SoC, featuring a “Neural Engine” that will help in machine learning tasks.  “(Samsung) is in the middle of developing several types of chips that will be capable of processing massive data from AI applications on devices, eliminating th

Samsung Electronics became the most profitable technology firm in Q2 2017 , leapfrogging Apple, thanks to solid revenues from its chipset and display manufacturing arms. The company was recently named among the top five influential Asian brands by Forbes . Now, it is being reported that the company could hit an estimated operating profit of $13.6 billion for the fourth quarter of this year. Samsung Electronics Q4 2017 Operating Profit Estimation According to a report by FnGuide Inc. , Samsung Electronics’ operating profit could surge past KRW 15.5 trillion ($13.6 billion), which is an improvement compared to an earlier estimation of KRW 1.47 trillion from last month and KRW 13.7 trillion from three months earlier. This new report was generated by taking assessments and inputs from 23 Korean brokerage firms. This new number exceeds Samsung’s second-quarter operating profits of KRW 14.7 trillion. If the company’s operating profits for Q4 2017 meet market expectations, it will exceed t

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. 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

We recently reported that software updates released this month for several Samsung smartphones lacked the September 2017 Android security patch . The Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S6 duo, Galaxy S5, and the Galaxy A5 (2016) received updates this month sans the September security patch. Yesterday, the Galaxy S7 received a new software update, and we found out that it contains the fix for the recently surfaced BlueBorne vulnerability. The BlueBorne vulnerability allows remote hackers to gain complete control over a Bluetooth-enabled device even when it is not paired with the hacker’s device or even set to discoverable mode. It can affect smartphones, tablets, PCs, and even IoT devices. The software update released for the Galaxy S7 contains a fix for this vulnerability. Samsung has also plugged this vulnerability with a software update for the Galaxy Note 8 , Galaxy  S5 , and the Galaxy A5 (2016) . For other Android smartphones, a fix for the BlueBorne vulnerability was fixed with the Septe