Galaxy Android

Samsung introduces a very stylish ceramic bracelet for the Gear S2

The Gear S2 is certainly the best smartwatch that Samsung has ever created. It looks great and is very versatile and adaptable to user preferences. The bands can easily be swapped out allowing users to pair it with their outfits or just change up their style from time to time. Samsung has now introduced a ceramic bracelet for the Gear S2 which is very stylish, to say the least.

The ceramic bracelet for the Gear S2 is listed on Samsung France’s website. It’s distinguished by its design, strength and material and provides a balance between comfort and style. Samsung has developed this bracelet with hypoallergenic materials so it’s perfect for users who are sensitive to certain types of materials. It features an invisible clasp buckle which discreetly holds the watch in place on your wrist. This new accessory for the Gear S2 hasn’t been spotted elsewhere as yet but it’s quite likely that Samsung will introduce it in other markets soon.

Galaxy S7 24K Gold

UK-based gold-plating customization and personalization retailer Truly Exquisite has revealed that it will be the first company to offer Samsung’s recently-announced flagship smartphones of 2016, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, in three luxury finishes — 24K Gold, 18K Rose Gold and 14K Platinum, all of which you can pre-order today.

Pricing for these opulent handsets starts at €2,150 for the most basic model, which includes an 18K Rose Gold bezel, home button, volume rocker and camera module. Inventory will leave the firm’s warehouse on April 1st, 21-days after Samsung’s official release of the devices. All customers will receive a complimentary Gear VR and a Wireless Charger, too.

This isn’t the first Samsung device to face the gold-anodization treatment, though, and it certainly won’t be the last. The Galaxy A5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 5 have all posed in shiny gold colorways.

image of the S7 from the side

It was bound to happen at some point, and it just did: We’re getting our first look at a live version of what could be the Galaxy S7. A leaked image shows the back of theGalaxy S7 in the flesh, and the source of the image has also revealed – confirmed, more like – numerous specs of the device.ِ

The image certainly looks legit – the camera hump is gone, as rumors had suggested, and the phone curves at the back to either side. The camera module is colored like the phone itself, which is something Samsung started doing with its flagships in 2015, though the back doesn’t look like it is made of glass. That is likely because this is a prototype – after all, Samsung has been doing a great job at confusing people with various prototypes for a while now. It’s mentioned that the phone now has a magnesium metal frame instead of an aluminium frame.

According to the source, the Exynos version of the S7 has 15 percent better performance for both CPU and GPU, and both the Exynos and Snapdragon variants will come with a high-quality audio DAC (ESS Sabre 9018, the same as the one on the LG V10). The battery life is on par “with last year Note’s line”, and the battery can charge from 0 to 80 percent in an astoundingly low 30 minutes, making the recently rumored 100 minute charging time from zero to full a little hard to believe, unless the phone really does take 70 minutes to reach the final 20 percent of charge. It’s certainly possible though, if you are getting 80 percent of charge in just 30 minutes.

Water-resistance is once again mentioned, and also mentioned is the f/1.7 aperture of the 12-megapixel Britecell rear camera sensor. The Galaxy S7 will be priced at 16.49 million dong (roughly $740) and the S7 edge at 19.9 million dong (roughly $890), at least in Vietnam; the prices more or less match what we had exclusively leaked. The country will reportedly see an official introduction of the two devices on March 3, followed by a release on March 18th. According to previous leaks, the US and Europe are set to see a release a week earlier on March 11.

Vietnam has been the source of a few such leaks before, so we are inclined to believe this is indeed an actual Galaxy S7, even if it is a prototype. It’s also interesting to note that all the rumored features – like water-resistance and great battery life – have been iterated again and again, so it does look like all of it will make it into the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

What do you think of that purported Galaxy S7 in the image above? Go ahead and discuss in the comments!

Update: Here’s another live image of the Galaxy S7 edge (SM-G9350) scoring 134,704 points in the AnTuTu benchmark test. The device in the above image also looks like the S7 edge, given its really thin edges around the volume buttons.

Update 2: Here’s a photo of the Galaxy S7 from the side. See how the camera barely protrudes out of the phone?

Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow for Galaxy Note 5

When it rains, it pours. That might not be completely applicable here, but Samsung has started rolling out Android 6.0.1 for the Galaxy Note 5, soon after it announced the global rollout of the update for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. The update is currently out in Cambodia (for the SM-N920C) with build number N920CXXU2BPB6; it’s available via Samsung Smart Switch and through our firmware section, and it should be going out to devices over the air.

We gave our readers an exclusive look at Marshmallow running on the Galaxy Note 5, and the final update shouldn’t be any different. Expect new features like Doze, Google Now on Tap, a new Samsung browser with ad-blocking support, and a few other things in addition to various interface changes (including a new look for the status bar and notification area). Performance should see a small boost as well, though you’re unlikely to notice considering the Note 5 never was a slow device.

Head over to the Settings » About device » Software update menu to manually grab the update if it hasn’t already shown up on your Note 5. As always, it will be a staged rollout so not everyone will get the update at the same time. If you’re the impatient kind, the full firmware is also available from our firmware database.

Firmware Details:

Model	SM-N920C
Model name	GALAXY Note 5
Country	Cambodia
Version	Android 6.0.1
Changelist	110166628
Build date	Mon, 15 Feb 2016 06:40:05 +0000
Product code	CAM
PDA	N920CXXU2BPB6
CSC	N920COLB2BPB6

Android 6.0.1 Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge in the UK

Samsung announced the global rollout of Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge last week, but it is only now the update seems to be making it to actual devices. The Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F) and Galaxy S6 edge (SM-G925F) are getting Android 6.0.1 over in the UK on the Vodafone network, with the update featuring build number XXU3DPB8. The update should be hitting other networks in the country soon, in addition to regular unlocked units.

Android 6.0 brings an updated visual design on the software front, newer version of Samsung’s Internet browser, Cross App functionality in built-in apps, Google Now on Tap, Doze, and better permissions control. The Note 5 has already gotten the 6.0.1 in one market, and it looks like Marshmallow will now roll out in earnest as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have been officially announced. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge shouldn’t have too many bugs on the Marshmallow unlike the Note 5, considering Samsung did a thorough beta test before releasing the official update.

Expect the update to show up on your Galaxy S6 or S6 edge as a notification in the next day or two. If that doesn’t happen, you can take a trip into the Settings » About device » Software updates menu to rush things up, or grab the firmware from ourfirmware section to upgrade manually. Check out Marshmallow on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge here.