Items tagged with galaxy s7
After weeks of waiting and what seemed like an endless barrage of beta updates (it was really just a handful), Samsung is finally ending its Android 7 Nougat program for its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge handsets. A final release that will be polished and ready for mass consumption will be served up to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners next month in the form of version Android 7.1.1.Samsung opened its "Galaxy Beta Program" to eager Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners on November 9. It was intended to give users a feel for Nougat with Samsung's latest user interface and to gather feedback on performance, reliability, and usability, which it would use to shape future revisions. Samsung served...
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Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners waiting patiently for an Android 7.0 Nougat update for their handset may feel the way Bill Murray did in the movie Groundhog Day in which each new day was the same as the last. Only instead of reliving each day from start to finish, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners are stuck reading about new Android 7 beta updates for their smartphones with the promise that a final build is right around the bend. Eventually that cycle will be broken. In the meantime, there is a fourth beta of the Nougat update available.We won't rub salt in the wound by saying (yet again) that this is an indication that a final release can't be far off. We will just imply it instead...
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Samsung could use a boost in smartphone sales after dealing with the financial fallout from its Galaxy Note 7 recall. That is exactly that the South Korean electronics maker is hoping to get by borrowing a page from Apple's playbook, the one that focuses on design and color options rather than highlighting all the geeky details that appear foreign to everyday consumers. To that end, get ready for a new glossy black version of the Galaxy S7.The Galaxy S7 is Samsung's flagship smartphone. Fortunately for Samsung, it doesn't suffer the same overheating issue that caused the original and even replacement Galaxy Note 7 devices to catch fire. Now at around eight months old, a new color option could...
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Samsung has opened up beta registration for testing an early build of Android 7.0 Nougat on its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge devices (unlocked version). That means Samsung is one step closer to releasing an official Android 7.0 update for its flagship phones after having begun internally testing the latest version of Google's mobile operating system in mid-September.It may seem like Samsung is dragging its feet in getting an official Android 7.0 update out the door for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners, but these things take time. On top of all the testing and certification that is required, Samsung has been a bit preoccupied the past month dealing with the Galaxy Note 7 debacle that led to...
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Though Samsung's been a bit preoccupied with its global recall of Galaxy Note 7 devices, it hasn't forgotten about owners of Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones. The South Korean handset maker is in the process of testing firmware upgrades to Android 7.0 (Nougat) for both phones, though there's no mention of a specific release date just yet.Rolling out major firmware updates is not a quick and easy process. There's a lot of testing that's involved, both on the part of the handset maker and the wireless carrier, as both often times add their own custom software and features to the mix. That means several rounds of testing and validating, while simultaneously juggling newer smartphone releases.That's...
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Have you had your eyes on a brand new Samsung Galaxy smartphone, but have been turned off by sticker shock? If you’re looking to buy a brand new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge that is factory unlocked and off-contract from Samsung, it will cost you $669.99 and $769.99 respectively. And if you prefer to purchase a brand new Galaxy Note 7, the price is even more scary: $849 off-contract. For those that prefer to buy their devices unlocked and don’t want to go through installment plans via a wireless carrier, Samsung is looking to offer customers a cheaper way to purchase a Galaxy smartphone. According to Reuters, Samsung will offer factory refurbished smartphones at discounted prices direct to customers....
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Samsung is raking in the dough, partly thanks to strong Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge sales. Revenue for this past quarter was 50.94 trillion KRW or $45 billion, an 2.4 trillion KRW increase from last year. Operating profits were also eight times what they were last year. 343.3 million smartphones were shipped worldwide from all vendors in the second quarter, but Samsung remained the leader. Samsung and Apple netted similar revenue, however their smartphone sales were drastically different. Apple was only responsible for roughly 40 million of the smartphones purchased during the last quarter. Samsung sold twice as many and currently holds 22% of the world market. Many attribute Samsung’s success to the...
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Samsung's efforts to revitalize its mobile business after it'd grown stagnant under the old regime appears to be paying off. The South Korean electronics maker posted its earning guidance for the second quarter of 2016, noting that it expects to pull a profit of 8.1 trillion won (just over $7 billion in U.S. currency) on consolidated sales of 50 trillion won (~$43.3 billion).It's been two years since Samsung has seen a quarterly profit like that. It represents about a 17 percent jump from the 6.9 trillion won it posted a year ago, with revenue rising 3 percent 48.5 trillion won. These are estimates, of course, but the final numbers that Samsung reports later this month aren't likely to be drastically...
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While unlocked, international versions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have been available for U.S. customers to purchase since day one, they came with two BIG downsides. First, the smartphones don’t come with a U.S. warranty, which means that you’re up a creek without a paddle should a hardware failure occur. The second issue is that international versions of both smartphones lack support for Samsung Pay in the U.S. That all changes today, as Samsung is now selling unlocked versions of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge that are specifically geared towards an American audience. The phones are compatible with CDMA and GSM networks, which means that they’ll work on all four major wireless...
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Rumors of Samsung’s rugged Galaxy S7 Active have been making the rounds for months, but the South Korean electronics giant and AT&T today officially announced the follow-up to the Galaxy S6 Active. As its name implies, the Galaxy S7 Active uses the garden variety Galaxy S7 as a starting point, then throws everything but the kitchen sink at it to not only improve durability, but also battery life. Compared to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, the Galaxy S7 Active isn’t nearly as sexy — and with good reason. The Super AMOLED QHD display is not only covered in Gorilla Glass 4, but it also has an extra layer of polycarbonate on top to withstand additional abuse. The sides of the device have the...
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If you missed your chance to preorder a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge and receive a free Gear VR headset, it appears that the train is pulling into the station again. In celebration of Father’s Day, Samsung is once again throwing in the Gear VR freebie for flagship smartphone purchases. Unfortunately, getting the free Gear VR isn’t as easy as receiving the peripheral while making a retail purchase of a smartphone. Instead, you’ll have to purchase (or lease) the smartphone, visit Samsung’s promotional website and fill out an online claim form. Once your claim has been approved, Samsung will mail your Gear VR headset, which will also come with six games straight from the Oculus store. We...
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It’s no secret that Google and Apple have a strained relationship. Late Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs once openly declared thermonuclear war on Google for "theft" when it comes to the Android operating system, but that hasn’t stopped Google from bestowing on iOS a bevy of apps. Everything from Gmail to Maps to Chrome to YouTube to Gboard (which currently is an iOS-exclusive) is available on the iPhone. This is great for people that like Google services, but prefer Apple hardware. Given this embrace of cross-platform app support on the part of Google, it should come as no shock that its Chairman, Eric Schmidt, carries around an iPhone 6s during his daily travels. He was even seen taking...
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The latest global smartphone sales data is out from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, and things are looking decidedly rosy for market leader Android. Android’s growth is accelerating, with iOS and especially Windows Phone taking the brunt of its punches. For the first quarter of 2016, Android showed remarkable gains in the EU5 (Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain), where it picked up 7.1 percentage points to hit a 75.6 percent share of the smartphone market. Among the EU5, Android showed the biggest gains in Italy and France, where its share rose 12.1 and 9.7 percentage points respectively year-over-year. Android’s gains in the United States and China were no less impressive. Android grew...
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Owners of Galaxy S7 handsets on Verizon's network have been receiving a new over-the-air (OTA) update the past couple of days, one that was purported to "optimize device performance, resolve known issues, and apply the latest security updates." Those types of things are generally welcomed with open arms, though Galaxy S7 owners are getting a little more than they bargained for. A reddit forum member discovered a "bonus" not mentioned in the change log. It's called DT Ignite and it's a service that runs in the background so carriers can more easily (and stealthily) install unwanted bloatware onto handsets. DT Ignite's shenanigans have been chronicled in the past and not only does it retrieve carrier...
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Apple turned a few heads and sparked quite a bit of interest when it announced the iPhone SE in late March. The iPhone SE, which comes from a company notorious for launching high-priced smartphones, includes the high performance internals of Apple’s current flagships at an attractive $399 starting price ($249 less than the iPhone 6s). Apparently, $399 isn’t cheap enough for the Walmart, as the company is taking $100 off the price of the iPhone SE, which makes it an even more attractive proposition for the Apple faithful (and perhaps Android users that have traditionally thumbed their noses at Apple’s pricier smartphones). There is a catch, however; you must purchase the phone using an installment...
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As you can tell by Dave’s review of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung has hit it out of the park with its 2016 smartphone flagships. For those that were disappointed by deprecated features on last year’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung delivered in spades this go around with improved performance, a better camera, a microSD slot and waterproofing. And now, thanks to a leak committed by Samsung itself, we know that a third variant of the Galaxy S7 is on the way: the Galaxy S7 Active. Reference to the smartphone appeared in the description for the Samsung Level audio app on Google Play.Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge submerged in water. The big question that remains though is how Samsung...
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When it comes to technology, especially the fast-paced advancement of mobile technology, design cycles are often based on either innovation or iteration. Sometimes it's a blend of both, but often times, like Intel's tick-tock silicon design process, it makes perfect sense to innovate one design cycle and then iterate and perfect on the next. It's a common practice that Samsung's chief smartphone rival, Apple is well known for as well. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones are definitely iterative product designs, but my how iteration has served Samsung so very well on these two new flagship devices. Last year's Samsung Galaxy S6 And Galaxy S6 Edge, as well as the larger follow-on...
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Join us for another episode of HotHardware's Two And A Half Geeks webcast where Paul, Marco and Dave will be talking about the hot new Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung's super-fast T3 external SSD, HP's sweet Spectre X360 15 notebook, a killer Mythlogic gaming notebook with Killer Networking, a cool set of wearables for boxers, and a whole lot more! Show Notes: 01:54 - Samsung Portable SSD T3 Review: Fast, Sleek USB-C Storage 07:56 - Galaxy S7 Vs iPhone 6S Performance Showdown Shows Samsung Has The Upper-Hand 21:07 - Mythlogic Deimos Gaming Laptop Review: GeForce GTX 980M And Desktop Skylake 32:09 - HP Spectre x360 15t Review: A 4 Pound Convertible Beauty42:56 - Microsoft Lumia 950XL...
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The immediate comparisons are inevitable. Apple and Samsung are the two most dominant smartphone manufacturers in the world right now, commanding an overwhelming combined market share that dwarfs their competitors. So, when one of these mobile juggernauts releases a new flagship device, analysts, press, and consumers alike want to know how that new competitive product performs versus the other brand's current offering. The interest and buzz is logical. New doesn't always mean significantly more powerful or more innovative. Some product launches are mild refreshes, while others are major overhauls. To look at Samsung's new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, on the surface, you might might think it's...
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AT&T offered a rather compelling Buy One, Get One (BOGO) offer yesterday for Samsung’s excellent new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge flagship smartphones. Customers would have to purchase the first smartphone (upgrade or new line) and add a second phone as a new line. Once three months of service have been completed, you’ll receive $695 in bill credits spanning the course of 30 months to fully offset the cost of a Galaxy S7 or to put towards the cost of the more expensive Galaxy S7 Edge. T-Mobile CEO John Legere likely saw AT&T’s terms and let out an uproarious belly laugh, as the third-place wireless carrier has fired back with an even more enticing offer. T-Mobile customers can purchase...
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There's always that one kid who instead of playing with his toys, he takes them apart to see what makes them tick. He's the neighbor who turned his Rubik's Cube into a pile of squares, straightened out his Slinky, and disassembled his Voltron (fist bump if you get any of those references, your childhood rocked). And now? Those types of curious characters post teardown evaluations of pricey gadgets, perhaps none better than the brave folks at iFixIt, who just tore into Samsung's new Galaxy S7 handset.Android fans hold Samsung's Galaxy phones in high regard, and with good reason—they typically blend high-end hardware with desirable features, and starting with the Galaxy S6 series, premium construction...
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Wireless carriers are tripping over themselves trying to lure customers with special offers and promotions, but AT&T's newest deal might be the one to beat. Ma Bell's pitch is simple—purchase either of Samsung's fancy new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge handsets and get a free Galaxy S7 when adding a second line and buying both through AT&T's Next program. That's a pretty sweet deal considering how expensive smartphones are these days, Samsung's new flagship Galaxy handsets included. The way this new promotion works is the first phone must be a new line or an upgrade. As for the second phone, it must be a new line and purchased on AT&T Next 24. Add both phones to a qualified plan and...
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