Apple

Samsung unveils Galaxy S7/Edge with Always-On Display, bigger batteries, better cameras & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 19, 2018

Sticking to its tradition, Samsung today officially announced its next-generation Galaxy smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. An evolution of last year's Galaxy S6, the new phones retain Samsung's quad HD Super AMOLED display while fixing some of the annoyances of the Galaxy S6.

Notably, this includes IP68 water and dust-proofing and support for microSD cards via a hybrid SIM card tray to boost storage capacity up to 200GB (in some select countries, the tray can be used with a dual SIM card).

The battery is still non user-replaceable, but the cameras have been improved. Yes, the camera hump is still present on the back, albeit much less pronounced than on the S6. The overall look and feel of the new handsets hasn't changed much from the Galaxy S6's seductive metal-and-glass industrial design.

Samsung to debut Galaxy S7 on February 21

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 8, 2017

South Korea-based Samsung revealed in a short teaser video published this morning on YouTube that it will be officially unveiling its latest and greatest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, at 7pm on Sunday, February 21, at a media event in Barcelona, Spain, one day before the Mobile World Congress conference.

The company also sent out official invites for its 'Galaxy Unpacked 2016' press conference and hinted it will be showing off a new Gear 360 virtual-reality camera.

Apple wins US sales ban on outdated Samsung phones that are no longer sold

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 19, 2016

Following its multi-year patent spat with Samsung, Apple has finally won a United States sales ban on some older Samsung smartphones, FOSS Patents reported Tuesday.

The sales ban covers certain features of some Samsung phones, but the injunction is practically useless as it affects outdated devices, not the flagship Galaxy lineup, which are no longer available in the United States.

Samsung jumping into Live Photos bandwagon: ‘Vivid Photos’ reportedly coming to Galaxy S7

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2016

Live Photos, a feature of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus which optionally captures 1.5 seconds of video before and after a picture is taken, is reportedly going to be replicated by Samsung's next-generation Galaxy S7 smartphones when it debuts later this year, according to sources who spoke with Marius Maria over at Android Geeks.

As there's no guarantee that Samsung's engineers will finish it in time for the handset's debut, it might arrive later this year with a software update.

Rumor: Samsung pouring $7+ billion into flexible OLED production for iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 14, 2016

Korean outlet ET News said Thursday that a contract between Samsung and Apple on supplying flexible OLED screens for future iPhones has practically been agreed upon, with the South Korean conglomerate committing to a whopping $7.4 billion in capital expenditure over the next couple of years to buy OLED manufacturing equipment needed to produce about 30,000 to 45,000 OLED sheets per month.

Although Apple is said to have secured agreements with other panel makers for OLED technology, the size of the investment suggests that Samsung is about to become Apple’s biggest flexible OLED provider.

Samsung’s latest external SSD comes with USB-C

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 4, 2016

If you're a proud owner of Apple's one-port MacBook, up until recently you could only connect a handful of USB-C accessories without using a USB-C-to-USB adapter. But if CES is an indication, 2016 is going to be the year of USB Type-C.

Earlier today, my colleague Jeff told you about several MacBook-friendly USB Type-C monitors and I wrote about Griffin’s USB-C power cable which brings MagSafe charging to the MacBook. Samsung, too, has jumped on the USB-C bandwagon with the Portable SSD T3, basically a next-generation, USB-C-enabled version of its external solid state drive series.

The switch to USB-C connection has made possible data transfer speeds of up to 450 megabytes per second, enough to handle 4K video editing. And with compatibility across multiple operating systems and devices, the T3 works not only with your MacBook but other USB-C-enabled notebooks and desktops.

Apple said to be close to signing OLED deal with Samsung and LG Display for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2015

A report Wednesday by ET News contends that Apple is “close” to signing a definitive supply agreement with both Samsung Display and LG Display concerning OLED screens for future iPhones.

Although iOS devices have used ubiquitous liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels since their inception, organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology features deeper blacks and requires less power because it doesn't need a power-hungry backlight module to illuminate the pixels.

Apple wants additional $180 million in supplemental damages from Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple wants a Christmas present from Samsung in the form of an additional $180 million in supplemental damages (damages for infringements after the cutoff date of the jury trial), FOSS Patents reported this past weekend.

The iPhone maker on Christmas Eve filed a motion seeking the additional $180 million on top of the initial $548 million settlement that Samsung has agreed to pay to Apple (though a reimbursement may be demanded later).

WSJ: Galaxy S7 with pressure-sensing display, USB-C, iris scanner and more due in March 2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 14, 2015

Giving credence to prior rumors surrounding Samsung's next-generation Galaxy flagship smartphone, The Wall Street Journal on Monday said that the Galaxy S7 will launch in March of next year outfitted with a pressure-sensing screen akin to Apple's 3D Touch technology on the iPhone 6s.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication claims the Galaxy maker is also considering adding a retina scanner “to some versions of the flagship device,” though that feature could change.

Samsung reportedly working on Gear S2 smartwatch companion app for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 7, 2015

Samsung is reportedly working on its very first iOS app, called Gear Manager, that will permit iPhone, iPod touch and iPad owners to use the South Korean firm's latest Gear S2 lineup of smartwatches, SamMobile learned from its sources last week.

While the Gear S2 works with all Android smartphones, not just the ones made by Samsung, it doesn't play well with iOS. Like Apple's own Watch companion app, the Gear Manager is said to include features to set up and customize the device for use.

Samsung to pay Apple $548 million settlement, but reserves right to seek reimbursement

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2015

The long-standing Apple vs. Samsung patent dispute has been dragging on for five years now without any meaningful resolution in sight, despite Samsung announcing a settlement payment of $548 million to the iPhone maker today.

According to patent blog FOSS Patents, even though the Galaxy maker will send the payment to Apple by December 14 it's found a loophole that would give it the right to seek reimbursement of all amounts required to be paid as taxes, and then some more.

Samsung reportedly on the verge of supplying OLED screens for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Samsung, which uses AMOLED screens in many of its flagship smartphones and tablets, could become a major provider of OLED panels for the iPhone maker as a deal is all but secured, according to an ETNews report Friday citing a Samsung Display employee.

The report arrives hot on the heels of a research note that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo sent to clients earlier this week, in which he estimated that Apple won’t be switching to AMOLED screens for iPhones anytime soon and will continue using the existing LCD display technology for at least the next three years.