Galaxy S8 cases also include one with Alcantara leather

Samsung is due to announce the Galaxy S8 in just a couple of months from now. We’ve now received information about the official accessories that the Galaxy S8 is going to be launched with. Aside from one new option, the upcoming flagship will more or less have the same accessories that were launched with the Galaxy S7 series earlier this year.

First up we have the conventional screen protector and Protective Cover for the new flagship. A Clear Cover is also going to be launched for this handset alongside the Clear View Cover, Keyboard Cover and LED View Cover case. Samsung is also going to release a premium Protective Cover kitted with Alcantara leather which will be swanky, to say the least. Galaxy S8′s official accessories also include a 2,600mAh Backpack for charging the handset on the go. A Multimedia Dock which provides enhanced connectivity options is going to be offered for the Galaxy S8 as well.

These are all of the official accessories that the Galaxy S8 is going to be launched with. Third-party manufacturers will obviously make tons of accessories for this flagship once it does hit the market. Samsung is due to unveil the Galaxy S8 at the Mobile World Congress 2017 early next year.

Galaxy S6 running Android 7.0

It seems that Samsung is in the final stages of testing the Android 7.0 update for the Galaxy S6 as a model of the handset running a build of Nougat has surfaced on the GFXBench online database. Typically, when a device is benchmarked operating a new flavor of Android, it indicates that a rollout is right around the corner.

It’s worth noting, however, that it’s relatively easy to falsify benchmark results, but seeing as we reported last week that the South Korean company had already started developing the Nougat firmware for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that this revelation is somewhat plausible.

If the upgrade follows the same timeframe as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, it shouldn’t be too much longer until it starts rolling out to International variants. For comparison, it started making the rounds to the firm’s flagship handsets a mere two weeks after it was spotted on a benchmark results website.

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Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge

Samsung launched the Galaxy Beta Program recently to provide builds of Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. The program has been launched in the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea and China. Interested users first have to register through the app and it’s only after they’re selected do they get access to the beta firmware. Those who do get selected for the program should keep in mind that Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge doesn’t have support for the Gear VR.

Firing up the Oculus app once Nougat beta has been installed brings up the “Network error occurred. Try again later” error. It stops the virtual environment from loading so the Gear VR can’t be used with the handset. The reason behind this error is simple. The Oculus app hasn’t been updated for Android 7.0 beta and it’s unlikely that an update will be sent out to enable support while the firmware is still in beta. The update can be expected to arrive prior to the public release of Nougat for the flagships.

Those who want to continue using Gear VR after they have upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat have no option but to downgrade to the latest version of Marshmallow. They can do that by deregistering from the Galaxy Beta Program through the app, once they do, they will receive a link to a file which lets them downgrade to the most recent stable version of firmware for that device.

Samsung is yet to confirm when Android 7.0 Nougat is going to be officially released for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge.

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Galaxy C5 Pro surfaces on Indian

A little more than two months ago, we exclusively reported that Samsung was working on a souped-up model of the Galaxy C5 called the Galaxy C5 Pro, and now the handset — carrying the model number SM-C5010 — has been imported into India for testing and evaluation purposes. This news comes shortly after the long-rumored Galaxy C7 Pro entered the region for similar reasons.

Unfortunately, the documentation accompanying the prototype doesn’t shine any light on the internals it packs. If a recent report is anything to go by, however, it looks like the Galaxy C5 Pro will be powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor and will sport at least 3GB of RAM. Although, it’s worth noting that neither of those specifications have been confirmed as of yet.

You’ve probably noticed that the unit carries a price tag of INR 20,483 ($300) in the import listing, but it’s extremely unlikely that this will be the final price tag it’ll carry when it hits the shelves. In fact, it’s actually expected to be quite a bit more than this figure seeing as the Galaxy C5 currently retails for around INR 23,000 ($337) in India.

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Galaxy Note 7 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage

A lot of folks were disappointed to see that the Galaxy Note 7 doesn’t feature 6GB of RAM, despite so many rumors that said that that would be the case. Of course, it makes sense that Samsung chose to stick with 4GB of RAM, as there really isn’t any use case for 6GB of RAM in this day and age on a smartphone. Apps have only gotten leaner (and so has Android) when it comes to memory usage, and having too many background apps running in a phone is only going to be detrimental for battery life.

But that hasn’t stopped people from berating the Galaxy Note 7, and it looks like Samsung could oblige naysayers with a 6GB RAM variant of the device, at least in the Chinese market. The 6GB RAM variant can be seen listed online on the Geekbench website, and also on the Chinese Industry and Information Technology Ministry. It would also have 128GB of storage out of the box – Samsung had released a 128GB storage variant of the Note 5 in South Korea last year, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the company throwing in 6GB of RAM for the 128GB model of the Note 7.

China, especially, would be a good choice for this variant. Chinese consumers are likely to be more critical of the Note 7 not having 6GB of RAM when manufacturers in the country are making it a feature on most of their new high-end smartphones. The OnePlus 3 is the most recent example of a phone with so much RAM from a Chinese OEM, and it wouldn’t hurt Samsung to offer a Note 7 variant with 6 gigs of memory to make sure it doesn’t lose a few customers to the extremely strong competition in the country.

Of course, it’s always possible this device won’t ever see the light of day, and all we can do is wait and see what Samsung plans to do. What do you think? Are you still hoping to see 6GB of RAM on the Note 7, or do you think the 4GB variant is enough?

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Galaxy On7 (2016) spotted on Geekbench with Exynos 7870 processor and 3GB RAM

The Galaxy On7 (2016) is currently in the pipeline and previous benchmark results have shown that at least one variant of this handset is going to feature a 2GHz Snapdragon 625 processor with 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front camera, a 4.8-inch Full HD display as well as 16GB of expandable storage. The SM-G610F – believed to be the Galaxy On7 (2016) for India – has now been spotted on Geekbench feature an Exynos 7870 octa-core processor coupled with 3GB RAM. The variant with the Snapdragon 625 may only be released in China.

That’s not all. The Galaxy On7 (2016) might very well be the first mid-range handset priced below Rs. 15,000 in India to feature a fingerprint sensor. Import listings from Zauba show that Samsung has imported “fingerprint assembly, fingerprint unit” for the SM-G10F in the country for testing and evaluation. It certainly won’t be surprising to see if the Galaxy On7 (2016) features a fingerprint sensor as there’s ample evidence now to support the possibility. No word as yet on when Samsung will unveil this handset in India.

Thanks, Asgar53!

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delays Gear IconX release in the US

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 last week and it also confirmed that day when the Gear IconX activity tracking earbuds will be released in the United States. They have already been released in a handful of other markets and customers in the US have been waiting to find out when they will be able to purchase Samsung’s first activity tracking earbuds. The company was previously supposed to release them on August 15th but it has now delayed the Gear Icon X’s release date in the country.

Fortunately, it has only pushed back the release by a couple of days and that too for what could be described as theatrics. Instead of releasing the Gear IconX on August 15th as it had previously announced, Samsung has now updated its website to reflect that the earbuds will be out on August 19th. The date is of significance because on that very day the Galaxy Note 7 will be released in the United States and many other markets across the globe. Samsung basically thought that it would look better if its first activity tracking wireless earbuds were released on the very same day as its new flagship Galaxy Note handset.

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Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (2016)

Samsung appears to be working on yet another mid-range handset. It has nearly been two years since the Galaxy Grand Prime was launched and it appears that the handset might be up for a refresh. The original Galaxy Grand Prime bearing model number SM-G531 had a 5-inch qHD (540×960) display, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage with a microSD slot, an 8-megapixel rear camera, dual-SIM support and a 2,600mAh battery.

The latest from import tracker Zauba shows that Samsung has imported several samples of the SM-G532F in India for testing. This device first appeared on the import tracker back on July 12 and recently on August 6. A total of eight units of the Sm-G532F have been shipped to India so far and all of them have a 5-inch display of unknown resolution. Chances are that this could very well be the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) and it may just be another mid-range handset that Samsung adds to its lineup just to counter its rivals in this segment of the market. It’s unclear at this point in time what the full specifications of this handset will be, how much it will cost and when it’s going to arrive.

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Galaxy S7 edge 3,100mAh wireless charging battery pack review

I’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge since March 9th when it arrived at my doorstep (2 days before the phone went on sale worldwide, thanks to being a Verizon pre-order customer), but I’ve never been too keen on battery packs despite my love of battery cases.

Most battery packs tend to quickly wind down in terms of battery life after a month or two, and so many charges can quickly deplete the juice they have that it gets to a point where you’d rather just carry the phone with a sealed battery than carry a case that can only get you an additional hour of battery life (at most, after less than 500 charging cycles – though Mophie, for example, has promised up to 500 charges being covered under warranty).

But, when I saw that Samsung had provided its own take on wireless charging battery packs with one designed for the Galaxy S7 and another designed for the Galaxy S7 edge, I decided to take a leap of faith and invest in yet another battery pack that was designed to run out after so many charges.

Boy was I surprised.

The Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack has proven to be the go-to option for me with the company’s most beautiful smartphone yet (despite the Galaxy S7 acclaim, I still think the Galaxy S7 edge is the true flagship of the S line). As with everything, Samsung’s wireless charging battery pack has its strengths and drawbacks. What do I think about the battery pack? I’m not giving that one away until the end of this post, so keep reading.

Advantages 

Easy fit for the Galaxy S7 edge 

There are some advantages that make me really love Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack. First, the battery pack fits on your phone like a ball in a glove, and the S7 edge fits into the battery pack in the same way that you would step into your favorite pair of shoes. I assumed that it would be as difficult to remove as a Mophie juice pack or an Otterbox case from past phones, but it was easier than either of these: you need only place the phone on top of the case and lightly push the sides into the case, instead of having to press it down and keep snapping or pushing to get it to go in.

One gentle push is all you need to get the phone into the battery pack. When you prepare to take the case off the phone to just hold your phone in its fragile state (it’s fragile, I know, but beautiful), you need only lift up the bottom portion of the phone near where the speaker is located and the S7 edge just lifts out of the wireless charging battery pack. It’s as if the wireless charging battery pack was made for the Galaxy S7 edge – because it is.

Excellent build quality, elegant and rugged, all at once 

Samsung deserves credit for its Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack (3100mAh) because it’s not built like most Otterbox cases out there that are designed to protect your device. I will never forget how many times I was told by retail employees that Otterbox cases will protect your phone. Oh, they do; it’s just that they do little else, and when you pry your phone from them (yes, “pry” is the most fitting word to describe it), you could also break the case in the process.

With Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack, you’ll find yourself wanting to keep it on your phone, then loving when you take it off. Not only is it comfortable to take off your phone and comfortable to place your phone in, it also has an excellent build quality. The outsides of the battery pack that you use to grip the device in hand are made of soft rubber, while the back of the battery pack itself is made of a textured plastic that has a print design similar to that of Samsung’s Keyboard Cover for the Galaxy Note 5.

The battery pack doesn’t protect the speakers or micro-USB port, but then and again, it doesn’t need to. Samsung made the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge water and dust-resistant, so the device has great protection from the elements. With no need to provide this protection in a case because the phone has it by default, Samsung could devote more time to crafting a battery pack that would flaunt every curve of the Galaxy S7 edge.

The battery pack is elegant and rugged, both at once, making it the perfect battery pack for those who want to flaunt their Galaxy S7 edge. If you’re a “flaunter,” I don’t blame you.

Wireless charging implementation matches wireless charging expectations from Samsung’s charging pads 

Not only does Samsung’s wireless charging battery pack snuggle up your Galaxy S7 edge like you’d snuggle in your favorite blanket, but it also has excellent recharging implementation. When you need to recharge the device, you need only plug into the wall by way of a Samsung adapter, and the wireless charging battery pack will charge up on its own. If your Galaxy S7 edge has died along with the battery pack, just connect your micro-USB Samsung cable into the wireless charging battery pack USB port and the cable will charge both the battery pack and the phone.

For those who want to charge their devices via a cable but don’t want to charge them via the S7 edge’s USB port, you need only charge the battery pack and the phone will charge, too. It’s a remote charging method that allows you to have the kind of charging you want while still protecting the phone’s internal battery from any damage. If anything, the wireless charging battery pack will take the impact, not the phone (and anything that safeguards the S7 edge is worth applauding, right?).

The battery pack is called “wireless charging battery pack” for a reason: it works like all other wireless charging pads. If you’ve owned or currently own a wireless charging pad, you’ll know that when the phone is placed on the pad, there’s an on-screen animation that shows you the phone is charging. The same thing happens when you tap the button at the top of the wireless charging battery pack to start charging the device. There are 4 LED lights at the top to the right of the power button that light up as the battery pack charges, then flick green when the battery pack starts juicing up the Galaxy S7 edge.

To turn off the battery pack, just press and hold until you see the phone battery stop charging on-screen. When you charge the phone and battery pack together, the battery pack will give off a solid green light to let you know it is charged. Of course, it’s not a cylindrical green like what you’d find on the wireless charging pad, but the color matches and will prove familiar with what most individuals expect that have used wireless charging pads before.

Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack is light and keeps the phone easy to hold – even with the battery pack on 

While all this sounds good, someone will ask, “okay, this is great, but what about the battery pack itself? Isn’t it bulky?” In a word, “No.” Not. At. All. The Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack is quite slim, though it does add some slight heft to the device. I’ve tested it out with my own pants pockets and can confirm that it is still very portable and light, though. You won’t have any problems throwing it in your pocket – unless your pockets are too small, a matter of individual taste.

The quirks 

Doesn’t double the battery capacity 

Samsung’s S7 edge wireless charging battery pack is fantastic due to the three reasons above, but there are some quirks. First, the battery pack is only a 3100mAh battery pack that doesn’t match the exact size of the S7 edge’s battery (3,600mAh). The Galaxy Note 5′s battery pack that was on backorder here in the US was a 3,400mAh battery pack that would’ve doubled the internal 3,000mAh battery of the Galaxy Note 5, but such is not the case with the Galaxy S7 edge’s battery pack.

In the future, I’d like to see Samsung create a 3,600mAh wireless charging battery pack for the Galaxy S7 edge or the Galaxy S8 edge. After all, if you’re looking to add to the battery life you already have with a battery pack, why would you want to attach a battery pack that has a smaller battery capacity than that of your phone?

Even if the Galaxy S8 edge has a larger battery capacity next year, I’d still like to see Samsung create battery packs for future smartphones that match, if not exceed, phone battery capacity. Creating a 3,400mAh wireless charging battery pack for a 3,000mAh-endowed Galaxy Note 5 is acceptable, but creating a 3,100mAh wireless charging battery pack for a 3,600mAh-endowed Galaxy S7 edge is a bit underwhelming. I wondered why I couldn’t add another 3,600mAh battery capacity in a battery pack, and I’m sure many consumers who use this will eventually ask themselves the same thing.

The wireless charging battery pack’s 3100mAh battery only provides about 50% recharge, not 100% 

Here’s one of the largest quirks or drawbacks about the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge 3100mAh wireless charging battery pack: the 3,100mAh battery pack only provides a 50% battery recharge for the Galaxy S7 edge, not 100%. Of course, it doesn’t have the matching battery capacity, as I said above, but even then, with a 3100mAh battery, you should get at least a 65% battery recharge – not just 50%. I tried this on both wireless charging battery packs (both Samsung, both 3100mAh) that I received, to make sure that it wasn’t just a defective battery pack. It took two battery packs to charge the device, one after the other, before the phone’s internal battery reached 100%.

I’ve also done the math to see what battery charge I could expect. Since it would charge 3100mAh out of 3,600mAh, I should see an 86% battery charge, right? Nope, it’s only 50%, a staggering 36% battery transference loss in-between leaving the battery pack and heading into the phone’s internal battery.

What this shows is that there’s quite a bit of battery life lost in the transference process, so you may find one battery pack to be insufficient for your charging needs. Samsung says that its 3,100mAh Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack will get you “an extra few hours of power,” and the Korean giant’s battery pack doesn’t disappoint. Keep in mind, though, that these “extra few hours” will not translate into an entire additional day of battery; you’ll need two battery packs from Samsung to accomplish that.

In the future, I’d like to see Samsung provide greater battery life on a full recharge than that of its current 3,100mAh wireless charging battery pack for the Galaxy s7 edge. Even if the best Samsung can give is 75%, I’d like to see the battery capacity on these thin and light battery packs improve.

The wireless charging battery pack provides standard wireless charging, not fast wireless charging 

The Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack operates like a wireless charging pad, but it disappoints in one aspect of its wireless charging outside of battery capacity: it charges at the standard wireless charging rate and isn’t fast wireless charging-compatible. What this means is that it’ll take longer to charge the Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack than it will to charge your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge – both of which rely on standard wireless charging speeds and lack fast wireless charging.

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have fast wireless charging speeds, but the S7 edge will charge faster on the wireless charging pad than it will the battery pack Samsung has given here: 3-4 hours charging from 0 to 100% for the wireless charging pad, but 4.5+ hours for the battery pack to charge your phone from 0 to 100% (and that’s if you use two wireless charging battery packs rather than one).

I know, I know, most consumers don’t want something to take longer, and many do not rely on wireless charging because it takes double the time to charge their phones than wire charging does. Now, with that said, I should also advise you that wireless charging is a more “green” way to charge your device, maintaining your battery life in excellent condition without burning out your internal battery (as USB charging is wont to do), so wireless charging should be adopted by all Galaxy smartphone users. I am aware that there are many who’ll respectfully disagree with my statements, but you can’t say I didn’t try to help.

With the Galaxy S8 edge, I’d like to see Samsung bring out a fast wireless charging-compatible battery pack so that users can take advantage of the fast wireless charging tech already within their smartphones.

One More Thing… 

This could be considered a drawback in the eyes of many, though I see it as more of a personal wish fulfillment than anything else.

The Galaxy S7 edge 3,100mAh wireless charging battery pack lets you USB charge the battery pack, but it’s my wish that in future editions, Samsung would give the battery pack the same wireless charging capabilities that the Galaxy S7 edge has. In other words, the same way that you can drop your Galaxy S7 edge and Gear S2 smartwatch on the wireless charging pad to see them charge, you should be able to drop the battery pack on the charging pad and watch it charge as well. Of course, this isn’t necessary for Samsung, but, as with everything else, it’s something I’d like to see.

Conclusion 

The Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack (3,100mAh) is an excellent help with battery life and a great means of protection for your device. My phone (with the battery pack) dropped from a lampstand during the course of using the battery pack, and it didn’t have one scratch or crack on it – even though the battery pack went one way and the S7 edge went another.

There are some quirks, and these may influence your decision to buy or not, but I can live with them for now. And, while the $89.99 retail price for the Galaxy S7 edge wireless charging battery pack may throw off some, you can always pick them up for as low as $59.99 via renown online retailers (Amazon is a good source, as I purchased my own from there).

Galaxy Note 7 to launch in India on August 11th

The Galaxy Note 7 is set to go official later today at Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York, and the device is expected to hit retail shelves soon after, at least in the US and some European nations. In India, Samsung’s flagships usually take a month to arrive after their official announcement, but consumers in the country won’t have to wait so long for the Note 7 as Samsung has confirmed the phablet will launch in India on August 11th.

That’s just a little over a week from today, and we can expect the device to go on sale in the country a week or so after the launch. More details should emerge in the coming days and on the day of the launch; it will be interesting to see how Samsungprices the Galaxy Note 7 in India. The Galaxy Note 5 was priced rather well, at least when compared to the Galaxy Note 4, but the Edge screen and new features like the iris scanner mean the Note 7 might not be as affordable.

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Samsung appears to be testing a new Exynos processor

Import logs often reveal the components that Samsung runs tests on so they are a great source of getting an idea of what we can expect from the company down the line. Latest data from Indian import tracker Zauba shows that Samsung has imported a pair of boards in the country and the Exynos 8895 chipset is on each board. Samsung has not announced this processor yet and it’s not immediately clear which devices it will be powering.

Samsung’s existing high-end processor is the Exynos 8890 which powers the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. Some rumors have suggested that the Galaxy Note 7 could be powered by the Exynos 8893 processor in some markets but there’s no confirmation of that just yet. Technical specifications of the Exynos 8895 are not available at this point in time so any and all improvements made to the chipset remain a mystery right now. It would be too soon to assume that this is the chip that’s destined for the Galaxy S8 which is due to arrive early next year.

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Galaxy On5 (2016) clears the FCC

We reported about a month ago that Samsung had the Galaxy On5 (2016) in the pipeline and that the budget handset could be released in the coming months. Data from Import tracker Zauba showed that Samsung had imported several units of the SM-G5700 into India for testing, evaluation and R&D. The Galaxy On5 bears model number SM-G550 which makes it very likely that the SM-G5700 is the Galaxy On5 (2016). The handset is now closer to seeing the light of day as it has received the necessary FCC certification.

Rumored specifications of the Galaxy On5 (2016) include a 5-inch display, 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 7570 processor with 2GB RAM and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Samsung is yet to confirm when the Galaxy On5 (2016) is going to be released but considering the fact that the existing Galaxy On5 arrived in October last year it may not take more than a couple of months for its successor to hit the market. Whether or not Samsung will charge the same price for the new On5 handset remains to be seen.

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You’ll never guess which phone won Samsung’s flagship smartphone battery test

Samsung has posted a new video online in which it conducts a battery test on flagship smartphones. The company’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge go up against the Huawei P9, Apple iPhone 6s, HTC 10, Sony Xperia X and the LG G5. All devices are said to have been tested on equal terms, the same video is being played over and over again on all handsets. Which phone do you think won the test?

The LG G5 is the first to bow out after 6 hours 31 minutes and 49 seconds followed by the Huawei P9 which lasted 6 hours 51 minutes and 43 seconds. Sony Xperia X lasted 7 hours 15 minutes and 35 seconds while the HTC 10 kept fighting for 8 hours and 3 seconds. The iPhone was next to throw in the towel after 8 hours 13 minutes and 57 seconds. Unsurprisingly, it’s Samsung’s flagship smartphones that beat all of its competitors. The Galaxy S7 edge lasted for 10 hours 30 minutes and 14 seconds while the Galaxy S7 nearly made it a full 11 hours – it died after 10 hours 59 minutes and 11 seconds.

There’s no doubt about the fact that the Galaxy S7′s 3,000mAh battery and the Galaxy S7 edge’s 3,600mAh battery is more than capable of keeping up with users’ rigorous demands but the test isn’t really indicative of real world usage. It doesn’t take in a lot of factors like individual users’ screen brightness preferences or how much time they spend on call or online streaming videos. Your mileage is bound to vary if you stream a lot of videos on your Galaxy S7 edge while your friend with an iPhone 6s only uses the handset for emails and text messages. Nevertheless, you can get the point Samsung is trying to make here, which is simply: Buy the Galaxy S7.

Press renders of the Galaxy Note 7 and the new Gear VR leaked

There’s no stopping Galaxy Note 7 leaks. Even though we’re only a couple of days away from the official announcement the leaks just keep coming in. The official press renders of the Galaxy Note 7 and the new Gear VR headset have now been leaked online. We saw a blurry photo of the new Gear VR just yesterday but this render is crisp and clear so we get a really good look at the upcoming virtual reality headset.

As previously reported, the big difference between the existing Gear VR Consumer Edition and the new Gear VR is the color, aside from the USB Type-C port. The new headset is all black yet it retails the design of its predecessor. It doesn’t appear to have been changed in any major way but Samsung will have made some tweaks under the hood. The accompanying report mentions that the new Gear VR measures 207mm x 122mm x 98.5mm and that it offers 110° field of view as opposed to its predecessor’s 96°. Despite having a USB Type-C port the new headset remains compatible with the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S6 series. I don’t really need to explain the Galaxy Note 7 renders because they’ve been leaked so many times that you are all quite familiar with Samsung’s upcoming flagship handset by now. The report claims that the new Gear VR will be available next month while the Galaxy Note 7 will be released in France in early September. Another report today claimed that the Galaxy Note 7 will be released in Amsterdam on August 16.

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Galaxy Note 7 release date in Amsterdam said to be August 16

Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2. Previous reports have suggested that the company might release the handset on the very same day. A new report has surfaced which claims that the Galaxy Note 7 release date in Amsterdam is August 16 which means that the handset will be launched there a full two weeks after it’s unveiled in New York City.

Even though the report only mentions August 16 as the release date for this handset in Amsterdam, there is a possibility that the Galaxy Note 7 might be released on this very day across much of Europe. As far as the U.S. release is concerned it’s still believed that the handset could be released on August 2. T-Mobile is one of the carriers that’s expected to start taking pre-orders from next week while pre-orders in Dubai have already begun. From the looks of it, Samsung might release the Galaxy Note 7 in a handful of markets on August 2 and will make others wait until August 16. None of this has been officially confirmed as of now so take it with a grain of salt.

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Samsung files for ‘Gear S3 Frontier

We exclusively reported yesterday that Samsung’s next-generation smartwatch is going to be round and that it’s going to be unveiled in September. The Gear S3 is going to have a rotary bezel just like the Gear S2 and Samsung will announce it at IFA in Berlin this September. The company has now filed a trademark for “Gear S3 Frontier” in South Korea, the significance of the word “Frontier” is unknown at this time.

The trademark does deal with a wearable device as the details mentioned under the Designated Goods section of the application include “Smart watches,” “Smart watches to make mobile payments,” “Wearable computers,” “computer interfaces, namely, software interfaces with multi health devices to record health conditions,” among other similar descriptions. If these details are anything to go by, the Gear S3might offer improved health and fitness tracking features and might even be compatible with Samsung Pay right out of the box. We will continue to hear more about Samsung’s next smartwatch until it’s announced at IFA 2016 and might even see some leaked photos and renders before it’s made official.

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