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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