Galaxy S9 is coming: Samsung teases 're-imagined' camera

MANILA - Samsung teased improved camera performance in its flagship Galaxy S9 phones, which will be launched on Feb. 25, according to a post on its official Twitter page.

The camera will be "re-imagined" in the new device according to the post, which features a large number "9" in purple against a plain black background.

Last year's Galaxy S8 and S8+ marked Samsung's return to form after it recalled its Galaxy Note 7 in late 2016 due to faulty batteries. 

The S9 and S9+ will likely sport a similar design compared to the S8 line according to various leaks. The larger S9+ plus will have dual lenses on the back, like the Galaxy Note 8 from late 2017.

 The S9 line's unveiling one month earlier compared to the S8 will give Samsung a better shot at competing with Apple's 1,000-dollar iPhone X, which went on sale before Christmas, according to analysts.

The Note 8's camera got a 94 score from mobile camera reviewer DxOMark, making it the fourth best mobile camera available today behind the Google Pixel 2, the iPhone X and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro.

The S8 line scored 88 and has fallen out of the DxOMark top 10 since its release in early 2017.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Samsung offers financial incentives to stem Note 7 bleeding

SEOUL - Samsung Electronics on Thursday offered financial incentives for customers in South Korea who exchange Galaxy Note 7 smartphones for other Samsung models, as it scrambles to shore up its reputation in the wake of a damaging safety crisis.

The South Korean giant is in damage-control mode as rivals like Apple Inc. and LG Electronics try to steal market share from the global smartphone leader after it was forced to scrap its latest flagship device.

Samsung is boosting its marketing and promotional efforts around other Galaxy-series smartphones to cushion the blow from the demise of the premium Note 7, which it finally abandoned this week after failing to resolve overheating problems which caused some of the phones to ignite.

"Industry experience, such as the decline of Nokia and BlackBerry, shows how successful manufacturers can lose market share particularly quickly in the handset business," Fitch ratings agency said in a report.

In the United States, Samsung began sending fireproof boxes and protective gloves to customers returning potentially explosive Note 7s, drawing humorous barbs from social media commentators.

In its home market it started to offer refunds or exchanges for other products. Customers who returned their Note 7s, priced at about $880, were offered a coupon worth 30,000 won ($26.91), while those who chose an exchange for another high-end Samsung phone were promised an additional 70,000 won mobile credit.

The incentives would compensate consumers for their "big inconvenience," Samsung said in a statement.

Samsung's shares had rebounded 2.4 percent by 0355 GMT in a flat broader market, following days of heavy losses.

On Wednesday the firm slashed its quarterly profit estimate by $2.3 billion to reflect the impact of the Note 7 withdrawal, giving some investors hope that the financial cost of the debacle had been largely accounted for.

"Samsung reflected most of the costs from the Note 7 in the Q3 earnings, reducing uncertainty about Q4 profit," analyst Jay Yoo at Korea Investment & Securities said.

But many analysts say the real risk to Samsung lies in the reputational damage it suffers in a cut-throat industry, which was harder to determine than financial costs.

"Potential long-term brand damage ... is a greater threat to its credit profile than the direct financial impact, which will be buffered by ample liquidity and a strong balance sheet," Fitch said.

Customers will have plenty of choice in the weeks ahead, with South Korean mobile carriers including SK Telecom planning to take pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 7 starting Friday. LG Electronics also recently launched its V20 smartphone.

Meanwhile South Korea's central bank said the Note 7 failure could undermine economic growth, although it needed more time to assess the effects.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Samsung recall crisis deepens; Yonhap reports Note 7 production halt

SEOUL, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has suspended production of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones following reports of fires in replacement devices, South Korean media said on Monday, a further setback for the tech giant trying to manage its worst ever phone recall crisis.



Samsung's decision to temporarily halt Note 7 production was done in cooperation with authorities in China and the United States, as two U.S. carriers have stopped exchanging or selling new Note 7 phones, Yonhap News Agency cited an unnamed source at a Samsung partner firm as saying.

Samsung did not immediately comment on the Yonhap report.

Problems with replacements for the Note 7 model would create a new and potentially costly chapter to a global scandal which has hurt the reputation of the world's biggest smartphone maker. It also could add new dangers for consumers.

AT&T Inc, the No.2 U.S. wireless carrier, said on Sunday it will stop exchanging new Note 7 smartphones due to reports of fires from replacement devices that Samsung has said used safe batteries.

No.3 wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc said it was temporarily halting sales of new Note 7s as well as exchanges while Samsung investigated "multiple reports of issues" with its flagship device.

T-Mobile offered customers who brought in their Note 7s a $25 credit on their phone bill.

Samsung announced on Sept. 2 a global recall of 2.5 million Note 7s in 10 markets including the United States due to faulty batteries causing some of the phones to catch fire.

A Southwest Airline flight was evacuated earlier this week after a replacement model Note 7 smartphone began smoking inside the plane, according to the family who owns the phone.

Samsung earlier said it was investigating reports of "heat damage issues" and would share its findings when the investigation is complete.

"If we determine a product safety issue exists, Samsung will take immediate steps approved by the CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to resolve the situation," Samsung told Reuters in a statement.

Samsung shares were down 3.3 percent as of 0125 GMT, compared with a 0.1 percent fall for the broader market.

"I thought the Note 7 matter was coming to an end, but it's becoming an issue again," Alpha Asset Management fund manager CJ Heo said.

Samsung should be able to recover from the short-term reputational damage of the recalls, but fourth-quarter sales of the Note 7 would be hurt, he added.

South Korea's largest mobile carrier, SK Telecom , said it was closely monitoring the situation and would not comment further. KT Corp, the No.2 South Korean carrier, said it had taken no steps in regards to sales or exchange of new Note 7s.

(Additional reporting by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru and Nataly Pak in Seoul. Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Miyoung Kim; and Stephen Coates)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

VIRAL: Woman claims Samsung S7 Edge went up in smoke in Antipolo

MANILA - A woman has claimed her Samsung S7 Edge phone went up in smoke, causing panic at a beauty salon in Antipolo City.

Makeup artist Weng Briones, 36, posted photos of the charred gold phone on Facebook, which has been shared over 13,000 times.

Samsung is in the middle of a recall of 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 phones, a larger stylus-equipped version of the S7 Edge, due to overheating and exploding batteries.

The South Korean electronics giant has not admitted to defects on the S7 Edge and S7 phones, which were released ahead of the Note 7.

Briones said her 16-year-old daughter was tweeting on her phone when the handset heated up and started emitting smoke.

"Natakot kaming lahat naglabasan lahat ng nasa loob ng salon [We were all so scared so we went out of the salon]," she told ABS-CBNNews.com.

Panicked salon patrons splashed water on the phone. A female staff then covered it up with a wet towel then stepped on it, she said.

"Puro smoke lang po tapos kusang bumuka yung phone dahil lumobo na yung battery [It was all smoke then the phone broke because the battery became swollen]," she said.

Briones she said she brought the unit to the Samsung store in SM Tatay, which initially offered to replace her phone for free.

"Sabi ko gusto ko ng refund kasi kung papalitan lang din nila. Ganun pa rin. Andun pa rin yung fear ko na maulit. They did not resist naman. Sabi lang nila na tatawag sila sa main office. Then after a rew minutes ay inabot na nila sa kin yung pera. P39,990," she said.

[I said I want a refund because they would just replace it again. I was afraid that it would happen again. They didn't resist and said they would just contact he main office. After a few minutes, they gave me P39,990.]

Store staff did not explain why the phone overheated and emitted smoke said Briones. But on the same night, the company's marketing head told her that they would investigate the matter, she said.

ABS-CBNNews.com is still trying to contact Samsung as of posting time.


In the United States, a man named Daniel Ramirez has sued the company after he sustained second and third-degree burns from the S7 allegedly exploding in his pocket, said the Tech Times.


In the United Kingdom, a woman named Sarah Crockett also said her S7 blew up while she was inside a cafe. Samsung said there were "no known safety issues" with the device but that it would investigate what happened, according to The Sun.

source:  www.abs-cbnnews.com

Samsung wins US appeal in Apple patent case

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - A US appeals court on Friday handed Samsung a win over Apple in a long-running patent fight, overriding a jury verdict ordering it to pay $119.6 million to the iPhone maker.

The court ruled that two Apple patents at issue were not valid, according to a copy of the decision posted online.

"We are delighted with the resounding victory from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which found that two of Apple's patents should never have been issued," Samsung said in a statement.

"Today's decision is a win for consumer choice and puts competition back where it belongs -- in the marketplace, not in the courtroom."

Apple originally filed the suit against Samsung in early 2012, accusing the South Korean consumer electronics giant of infringing on an array of patents related to smartphones.

Samsung denied it had done anything wrong and filed a countersuit saying that Apple had infringed on some of its patents.

The number of patents involved was whittled down during the lengthy litigation process.

Three Apple patents and two Samsung patents were at issue in the appeal ruled on Friday.

Apple had sought some $2.2 billion at trial, only to have a jury award the California-based company $119.6 million.

The panel of appeals court judges ruled that Samsung did not infringe on one of the Apple patents and that the remaining two, which involved auto-correct and slide-to-unlock features, were not valid, nullifying the jury award, according to a copy of the decision.

The appeals court endorsed the jury's decision ordering Apple to pay Samsung $158,500 for infringing one of the South Korean company's patents.

Samsung in December paid smartphone rival Apple just over $548 million in a different years-long patent battle in federal court in California. That case has been appealed to the US Supreme Court.

Arch-rivals Samsung and Apple decided in 2014 to drop all patent disputes outside the United States, marking a partial ceasefire in a seemingly relentless legal war between the world's two largest smartphone makers.

The companies have battled in close to a dozen countries, with each accusing the other of infringing on various patents related to their flagship smartphone and tablet products.

But neither has managed to deliver a knock-out blow with a number of rulings going different ways, and the announcement they agreed to drop all litigation outside the United States suggested a line was finally being drawn.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Samsung mobile executives to leave as profits slide

SEOUL - Three deputies to the head of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's  mobile division are leaving, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, as the world's largest smartphone maker faces a rapid decline in profit.

The person, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the executives directly report to division chief J.K. Shin, who this week retained his post despite sagging smartphone sales and expectations the company will see its worst annual profit in three years in 2014.

The departures included global marketing chief D.J. Lee, the source said, confirming earlier media reports.

Samsung Electronics declined to say if any executives were leaving the company as it announced its annual reshuffle for executive-level staff.

But the announcement showed Samsung had made 165 executive-level promotions, the lowest number in at least four years, underscoring the strains the South Korean company is under.

"Shin was given another chance, given his past contributions, but he will definitely continue to feel the pressure going forward," said IBK Securities analyst Lee Seung-woo ahead of Samsung Electronics' staff announcement.

Samsung's share of the smartphone market has fallen year-on-year for the last three quarters, squeezed by Chinese rivals like Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd at the low-end and Apple Inc's iPhones in the premium segment.

Samsung Electronics is expected to announce its annual business reorganisation plan by next week.

The company has kept mum about the details but the Joongang Ilbo newspaper reported earlier that Samsung will reduce executive-level positions for its mobile communications business by 25 percent. Other media reported the company could hive off its medical equipment business.

Samsung earlier this week said it will sell its fibre optics business to U.S. speciality glass maker Corning Inc, its second exit from a non-core business this quarter.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com