Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date Tipped for March, Round Smartwatch Also in Plans

Samsung’s next-gen flagship is without a doubt one of the most anticipated devices of the year. A new report coming from Business Insider appears to be confirming what previous reports have indicated: that the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date has been set for March and that the handset will be available in two variants.

Unfortunately, the report doesn’t bring anything new to the table, because it matches Samsung trend of releasing two market-dependent Galaxy S variants. The BI report also corroborates with other reports saying Samsung will introduce the Galaxy S6 at Mobile World Congress tech fair in February. It seems that the South Koreans have set the Samsung Galaxy S6 release date for March, when the device will be made available for purchase on select markets.

It seems though that the Galaxy S6 will be accompanied by another important Samsung device. The rumor mill speculates that the company is planning to announce a new smartwatch at MWC. It might be completely round, helping Sammy to compete against the likes of Motorola Moto 360 and LG G Watch R.

If rumors are to be believed, Samsung Galaxy S6 would arrive with beastly technical specifications. We’ve heard of a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD (1440 x 2560) resolution, 3 GB of RAM, and a new 20 MP rear-facing sensor. As I was mentioning above, Galaxy S6 will be available in two variants, depending on the market on which is sold: one powered by 64-bit Snapdragon 810 SoC and the other one underpinned by a new Octa-core Samsung Exynos chipset.

There were also reports of the Galaxy S6 being made of metal and a couple of spy shots leaked by Toranji.ir seem to suggest that. Unfortunately, there’s no way to verify the veracity of the photos, therefore we are advising you to take them with a pinch of salt.

New Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat Update Now Rolling out at Sprint

If you got your Samsung Galaxy S3 from Sprint then you might have a software update waiting for you. The carrier officially announced on their support page that a new Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 update is now being pushed to their users.

Because all the KitKat-specific goodies such as transparent status bar, white status bar icons, immersive mode, cloud printing, new location menu, full screen album and movie art in the lock screen, or color emoji support where patched in the previous Android 4.4.2 build that was released in the first half of 2014, the new update only comes to add minor changes. According to the official changelog posted by Sprint, the new Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 update brings HD Voice Icon and Google Security Patches.

As usual, the new Android 4.4.2 update for Samsung Galaxy S3 is being rolled out in phases, which means that some of you might not be able to download and install it right away. Once your terminal becomes eligible to receive the new firmware, you should be able to see a system update message in the notifications bar. All you need to do is tap on it then follow the on-screen instructions. If the system update message failed to appear, you would also want to check for the update manually under Settings > General > About phone > Software updates > Check for software updates now. Alternatively, you can grab the USB cable, connect your smartphone to the PC, and check for the update via KIES.

You should also know that the new update has build number L710VPUCNJ2 and that it might weigh in around 100 MB. We are recommending you to download the update file using a Wi-Fi network in order to avoid unwanted data charges.

New Android 4.4.2 Update for Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Now Being Pushed to Sprint Users

If there’s a Sprint Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 laying somewhere around you, you should pick it up and see whether there’s a new software update waiting for you. Sprint’s support page says that a new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Android 4.4.2 update is now being pushed to users.

Because the Galaxy Tab 4 runs Android 4.4.2 out of the box, all the KitKat-specific features such as transparent status bar, white status bar iconography, improved Location menu, immersive mode, cloud printing, full screen album art in the lock screen, or color emoji support have came pre-loaded. The new firmware update is minor and according to the official changelog it “adds Kids Mode application.” Whether you want that app or not, it’s recommended to install the latest update as it also arrives with bug fixes and improved system stability.

The new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Android 4.4.2 update is labeled T237PVPU1ANL1 and it should have a size below 100 MB. Even so, we are recommending you to download it using a Wi-Fi network in order to avoid damaging your data plan.

Of course, the new update is being rolled out in phases, meaning that some of you might have to wait a bit longer before being able to download it. If you can see the system update message in the notifications area, all you need to do is tap on it, choose ‘Download now’, wait until the download is completed, then select ‘Install now’. Your tablet should reboot and install the new firmware. You can also check for the update manually under Settings > General > System updates > Update now or via KIES after you have successfully plugged in your Tab 4 to the PC using the USB data cable.

Samsung Galaxy A7 Goes Official; 6.3mm Thin Full Metal Body In Tow

The Samsung Galaxy A7 has finally been announced by Samsung and comes with a full metal body. The smartphone is the slimmest Galaxy smartphone yet with a very impressive 6.3mm thin profile. The device is the latest addition to the Galaxy A-series of smartphones and follows the previously launched Galaxy A5 and A3. The A7 is the most impressive A-series smartphone yet and comes with better specifications than the A5 and A3 smartphones that were launched earlier.

The Galaxy A7 comes with a 5.5” HD Super AMOLED display and will be offered with two different chipsets depending on the market. The dual-SIM LTE/3G model will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core 64-bit chipset while the single-SIM variant will be powered by the Samsung Exynos 5430 Octa-core chipset. Both variants come with 2GB RAM and offer 16GB of internal storage. The memory is expandable, unlike the Galaxy Alpha. At the back, you will find a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and support for 1080p video recording. On the front there is a 5MP camera for selfies, with unique features like Wide Selfie, Rear-cam Selfie, and Beauty Face Features. You might think Samsung may have compromised with the battery capacity on the A7 like the Alpha for the ultra-thin body, but you would be surprised to know that the A7 actually comes with a higher than average 2,600mAh battery. The dimensions of the devices are 151 x 76.2 x 6.3mm and weighs in at 141 grams.

Samsung has included a number of software features as well to round off the excellent hardware package. The Ultra Power Saving Mode and Private Mode from the more recent Galaxy high-end devices is present on the Galaxy A7 as well. The smartphone runs on Android 4.4 KitKat but it is expected that Samsung will release an official update to Android 5.0 Lollipop soon after launch. The device will be arriving in select markets around the world by the end of this quarter in three color options – White, Dark Blue and Gold. No pricing information has been revealed yet but Samsung does mention that the A7 will be priced very competitively. More details about availability in various markets and pricing can be expected soon.

Sony Xperia T3 Android 4.4.4 KitKat Update Rolling Out Now

Sony has released the official Android 4.4.4 KitKat OTA Update for select Xperia T3 models worldwide. Check your phone’s notification panel starting today in order to find out if there are new KitKat builds available for installation.

The new OTA Update is being released in phases for multiple variants of the Sony Xperia T3 phone. Android 4.4.4 KitKat is the version of this release and it has been released for the T3 LTE D5103 and D5106 models, D5102 3G model. Up until now all these devices were running the Android 4.4.2 KitKat firmware and all the Sony Xperia T3 users were thinking that the next update will be to Android 5.0 Lollipop. Now they will have to wait a while longer before Sony drops the Lollipop firmware upgrade.

Since this Android 4.4.4 KitKat update has been released for different Sony Xperia T3 models, then there are two different firmware version: 18.1.A.2.25 build for the T3 LTE D5103 and D5106 models, and the 18.1.A.2.32 build for the D5102 3G HSPA+ Xperia T3 device. There is no official changelog listed by Sony, but we can speculate that Android 4.4.4 KitKat brings bug fixes and stability improvements, so that all the Xperia T3 users will now run improved software.

This will most probably be the final Android 4.4.4 KitKat build that we will see released for the Xperia T3. Now, Sony will begin work on testing the Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware and, hopefully, we will see the future OS upgrade getting released sometime in Spring.

Android 4.4.4 KitKat OTA Update, 18.1.A.2.25 and 18.1.A.2.32 firmware builds, is currently being pushed out only for stock Sony Xperia T3 LTE and 3G models all over the world. The update is rolling out in phases, which means that not all users will be getting the new KitKat 4.4.4 firmware at the same time. The update is rolled out only for Xperia T3 devices that are running 100% stock OS. Tell us in comments if you’ve received any new firmware upgrades. If you did, then feel free to test all the new features and post below if there are any new major features that were added to your Sony Xperia T3 by the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update.

Samsung Galaxy S5: Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Rollout Update

Galaxy S5 Lollipop update was the first update sent out by Samsung. The update rollout started out slow, but has picked up pace in the past two weeks, with more regions recently receiving the update. Here’s the latest news on the Android 5.0 Lollipop rollout for the Galaxy S5.

Samsung has always been one of the fastest OEMs with regard to Android software updates. Samsung flagship Galaxy smartphones have consistently been among the first non-Nexus smartphones to receive updates to the latest Android versions. This year, other OEMs such as LG, Motorola, Sony, and HTC announced their update plans publicly and promised quick rollouts of the Lollipop update for their flagship smartphone users. Samsung has never been very public about its future update plans and decided to keep its plans private this time as well. However, the company did manage to surprise us when it started the Android 5.0 Lollipop update rollout for Samsung Galaxy S5 users in Poland last month. The official Android 5.0 Lollipop update for users in Poland was a beta test of sorts and the company rolled out two more updates in the weeks that followed before expanding the Android Lollipop rollout to other regions in Europe. Samsung also jumped straight to the 5.0.1 version of Lollipop, instead of Android 5.0.

Lollipop Update Progress

Samsung rolled out the first Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update firmware to Galaxy S5 G900F owners in Poland and later expanded the update to a few other regions in Europe. South Korea was the next major market to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update, followed by Spain. Recently, the update has also been seeded to Galaxy S5 owners in Russia and Malaysia. So far, the update has only been available for the Galaxy S5 international variant, the G900F. No other model of the Galaxy S5 has received the Lollipop update except the three carrier variants in South Korea. The Lollipop update is available OTA as well as via the Samsung Kies PC suite.

More Regions Expected to Receive Lollipop Update This Month

We expect that Samsung will be rolling out the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update to Galaxy S5 users in a number of other markets. Although we cannot be sure if any other variants of the Galaxy S5 will receive the update this month, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A model definitely will. The LTE-A model of the Galaxy S5 was launched in June last year and comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset. The Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900H Exynos Octa-core model hasn’t received the update yet either, and we expect the Lollipop rollout for this model to begin this month for at least a few select regions. What does remain to be seen though is when the European carriers will be rolling out the Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S5 Mini and the Galaxy S5 Active variants are also expected to see an update, but we’re not sure when the rollouts for these devices may begin.

Lollipop Rollout for US Carrier Variants of the Galaxy S5

The Samsung Galaxy S5 US carrier variants are also expected to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update this month. The Android 5.0 Lollipop test build for the Sprint Galaxy S5 variant was leaked recently, which confirms that the Lollipop update is undergoing testing with the carrier. Update details for the US market were revealed by a Samsung rep last month, who spilled the beans on the update plans for the US market. Samsung is currently training its staff ahead of the update rollout. Even though the update might begin this month, not everyone will receive the update by the end of this month, as major updates are rolled out in phases by Android OEMs. So while the Lollipop update may show up this month for some users, others may need to wait until next month to receive it. This applies not just to the US market but also other regions. Samsung is also expected to begin the Android Lollipop rollout for other models such as the Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge, Note 3, and the Galaxy S4 this month, which is likely to put greater pressure on Samsung’s update servers.

New Samsung Galaxy S6 Concept Design Emerges

Samsung Galaxy S6 concept images have always been the most interesting ones and that’s not just because of the fact that these concept images often accompany a speculated spec sheet but also because it is amusing to watch just how creative one could be. Today, we’ve brought you a new concept image for the Galaxy S6.

The new Samsung Galaxy S6 concept image shows a double curved display and a strange circular framing on the wallpaper. The buttons also seem extra bulky, so it’s a bit of a disappointment when compared to the other images we’ve seen so far. It looks pretty odd, and very uncomfortable to hold, but we doubt that this is what the final product will look like. We’ve already seen a lot of variation in concept images, and all of the previous ones were pretty elegant and slick. Anyway, putting opinions aside, the new concept image shows a double stereo speaker build, a wider display than initially speculated, a waterproof case, as well as the dual curved edges. Some people may take more of a liking to this design than others, but if opinions are split, then it doesn’t bode well for sales. It wouldn’t be the first time Samsung surprised us with a peculiar new design, and here we remind you of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which drew a lot of attention upon its announcement.

This isn’t the first concept design of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and won’t be the last one either. Of course, the final product will probably be different than all the concept images so far, but it helps us to get a general idea of what Samsung is planning for this release. The tech giant is most likely aiming at a spring release, so the device should be announced pretty soon. Putting the design aside, their next flagship will almost certainly pack some very impressive tech specs.