After a barrage of leaks, speculations and rumors, the entire Galaxy A (2017) series is now officially confirmed and detailed by Samsung. They will be released in Russia in a few days and from thereon, the line-up will be made available to other countries as well. Here's a look at everything Samsung has revealed so far.
Galaxy A3 (2017)
Network: LTE Cat.6
Display: 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.6 GHz, octa-core
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Camera: 13 MP (F1.9) rear, 8 MP (F1.9) front
Additional features: MST Technology (Samsung Pay) Option, Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM support, IP68 certification, 3D glass rear
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth® v 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC (UICC)
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall, Fingerprint Scanner, Barometer
Memory: 2 GB RAM + 16 GB Storage, MicroSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Dimensions: 135.4 x 66.2 x 7.9 mm
Battery: 2,350 mAh
Color Options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud
Galaxy A5 (2017)
Network: LTE Cat.6
Display: 5.2-inch FHD Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.9 GHz, octa-core
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Camera: 16 MP rear, 16 MP front
Additional features: MST technology (Samsung Pay), Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM support, IP68 certification, 3D glass rear
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC (UICC, eSE)
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall, Fingerprint scanner, Barometer
Memory: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB Storage, MicroSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Dimensions: 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9 mm
Battery: 3,000 mAh, fast charging
Color Options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud
Price: $378 (approximately)
Galaxy A7 (2017)
Network: LTE Cat.6
Display: 5.7-inch FHD Super AMOLED
Processor: 1.9 GHz, octa-core
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Camera: 16 MP (F1.9) rear, 16 MP (F1.9) front
Additional features: MST technology (Samsung Pay), Samsung KNOX, S-Voice, Dual SIM support, IP68 certification, 3D glass rear
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC (UICC, eSE)
Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity, Geomagnetic, RGB Light, Hall, Fingerprint scanner, Barometer
Memory: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB Storage, MicroSD slot (up to 256 GB)
Dimensions: 156.8 x 77.6 x 7.9 mm
Battery: fast-charging 3,600 mAh
Color Options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud
Price: $424 (approximately)
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
All new firmware updates for your Android smartphones are here and to flash them, you only need to know how to use Odin 3. If you already know how to do that, then select your smartphone's model from the list below and get going. Just in case you don't, here's a tutorial that will teach you how to flash firmware updates manually.
It was made official in November that OnePlus would be updating its current-gen flagship handsets to Android Nougat by the end of 2016. OnePlus has kept true to that promise as Carl Pei (CEO of OnePlus) confirmed that the company has managed to release the final stable version of the OS on 31st December, 2016. The Oxygen OS v4.0 firmware based on Nougat 7.0 is now live and rolling out to OnePlus 3 and 3T smartphones around the world via OTA.
Some of the changes that this update will bring to the two devices include the following.
Improved shelf customization
Redesigned notification menu and settings overlay
The ability to reply to messages from the notifications menu
The ability to change icons in the status bar
Multi-window support
Support for custom DPI
Quick Launch for third-party applications
Available only to the OnePlus 3 earlier, the Open Beta 1 program is now also available to the OnePlus 3T, as announced by the OEM. If you want, the beta firmware is available for downloading and flashing manually onto your OnePlus 3/3T, but keep in mind that this will make your device a part of OnePlus's beta release cycle and the subsequent OTA updates will keep coming accordingly. If you don't want that then just wait a few days until the official, stable version arrives for your smartphone.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
Although there have been some speculations that Samsung won't be continuing its Note line-up this year around, we did hear from the Korean electronics giant a while back that the Note 8 is indeed coming. Provided that Samsung hasn't changed its decision since then, here are a few features that we can expect to see on the next Galaxy Note smartphone.
The dual-curved display
At this point, it is quite likely that all Samsung flagship smartphones will feature the dual-curved Edge displays, which debuted with the Galaxy S6 Edge back in 2015. Of course, the one on the Note 8 will come with more functionality to support the stylus.
Iris scanner for security
Another one of the features that debuted with the Note 7, the iris scanner is sure to make its way onto the next Note. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the Galaxy S8 either.
Water-resistance
There is no doubt that the Note 8 is going to be water-resistant with at least an IP68 certification, if not with something even more advanced. Given that Samsung had figured out how to make the Note 7 water-resistant in spite of accommodating a vulnerable spot for nestling the S-Pen, there is no reason to think that they won't implement an improved version of the same on their next Note smartphone.
Keep in mind that the name "Note 8" may not be the actual name of the product this year as Samsung could opt for something else to steer clear of the bad reputation that the Note 7 has tainted them with. Also, there's already an old Samsung tablet with the same name present in the market.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
If you are wondering what Bixby is, then you probably do not know about Samsung's upcoming AI powered voice assistant that will probably debut with the Galaxy S8. In fact, Samsung had acquired Viv Labs with the primary intent of developing the AI based digital assistant for its next flagship handset. Viv Labs is responsible for the creation of Apple's voice assistant, Siri. Although the name Bixby isn't official yet, all reports are suggesting that's what it will be called on release.
It remains to be seen how well the new AI assistant stacks up against the likes of Microsoft's Cortana, Google Assistant and of course, Apple's Siri. Nevertheless, many are already calling it the most advanced AI assistant ever to be built for a smartphone. The main reason behind such lofty expectations is of course the fact that it is being developed by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham; the same people who developed Siri for Apple. Judging by how well Apple's voice assistant was implemented and how successful it became in the following years, it isn't unrealistic to expect that they will do something even more impressive with Bixby, given that they now have access to more information and technology than before.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
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