Mexico now has Samsung Pay

It's second behind Brazil to get the mobile payments system which will be available for cards from three issuers and several banks.

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Australian carrier expects to send Android 7.0 Nougat to Samsung Galaxy A5 next month

Anybody care for a head-scratcher of an official news update on Samsung’s short-term Android Nougat upgrade plans? Here it goes: apparently, the newest version of Google’s mobile industry-dominating OS will be rolling out to at least one Australian carrier-specific Galaxy A5 model as early as the “end of Jan 2017.”

That’s unbelievably great news, which is precisely the problem. We find it very hard to believe the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer will pull off such a timely UI makeover for a mid-range device when the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are yet to wrap up their protracted open beta N program.

Optus further contributes to our confusion and skepticism by not clarifying if it’s currently testing 7.0 software goodies on the original Galaxy A5 or the 2016 revision. The latter made its global commercial debut around a year ago with Lollipop out the box, while the former saw daylight way back in the fall of 2014, already getting bumped up from KitKat to Lollipop and then Marshmallow.

There’s absolutely no way the ancient 720p 5-incher will score Nougat so soon, and it actually may never leave OS build M behind, hence Australia’s second largest mobile operator must be talking about the second-gen 1080p 5.2-incher. And even that one wasn’t expected to jump on the Android 7.0 bandwagon before the Note 5, S6 Edge+, S6, S6 Edge or A7 (2016). But perhaps when it rains, it pours.

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Entire mid-range Samsung Galaxy A (2016) smartphone family ‘confirmed’ for Nougat updates

In a way, it certainly pays off to flood the smartphone market with dozens of different models each year, covering every specific size, build, processing and pricing need consumers around the world may feel.

That’s actually one of the reasons why Samsung is still the number one mobile hardware vendor, even after the Galaxy Note 7 snafu, with so many low, mid and high-end product rosters to choose from. But software support is often the reverse of the medal.

Seeing as how Android 7.0 isn’t quite ready for primetime yet as far as a single Galaxy flagship is concerned, you’re probably wondering what that means for older, humbler Samsung devices. Long waiting times, most likely, but no shocking snubs, fortunately.

It’s reportedly “confirmed” now that the 2016 editions of the mid-range Galaxy A3, A5, A7, A8, A9 and A9 Pro will all leave Marshmallow behind to embrace sweet Nougat goodies… eventually. Yes, even the 4.7-inch Snapdragon 410/Exynos 7578 Galaxy A3 (2016), released back in December 2015 with Lollipop out the box.

Sadly, we don’t have update ETAs to share at the moment, although it’s safe to assume the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, S6, S6 Edge, Edge+, and Tab S2, at the very least, will jump on the Android Nougat bandwagon first. And then you need to consider the looming 2017 Galaxy A lineup, which may well run Marshmallow off the bat, switching to OS build N soon after their commercial launches.

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Five banks support Samsung Pay in Russia

MasterCard holders in Russia can now link up a selection of Samsung smartphones to Samsung Pay. The mobile payments system, which allows for NFC tap-and-go payments as well as MST cardswipe simulation payments, has expanded into its ninth global market.Alfa-Bank Banking, VTB24, MTS Bank, ...

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Samsung Galaxy A phones receive 11 exclusive themes

When given the option to spruce up how their phone looks, people will often take it. That said, they often don’t go beyond the bounds of what’s already built-in to their phones. That includes themes stores. It’s hard to sell people on any given peripheral, but especially when it comes to OEM-provided software features.That said, if you own one of the recently-released Galaxy A phones from ...

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European retailer reveals Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016), A5 (2016) release date

They definitely look great, even by more than mid-range standards, following the Galaxy S6 design language almost to the letter, they cover every little niche of the sub-flagship market segment, and… they’re apparently roughly a month away from their old continent commercial debut.We’re talking of course about the new Galaxy A lineup, or at least two of the three family members. The A3 (2016) and A5 (2016) are already up for pre-orders in the Netherlands, shipping on January 8 as long as ...

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Uncertainty comes to Samsung Galaxy A5 rumors as sources clash over specs

Samsung’s been prepping some new additions to its Galaxy A series of Android smartphones, and at least some of those models look like they could be nearly ready to launch. In addition to all-new hardware, we’re also expecting new editions for a few of last year’s models, like the Galaxy A5. We’ve already seen a lot of evidence for this new model, including a number of hardware ...

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Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016) flaunt premium bodies in newly leaked pics

Samsung heard the outcries of its fans for more emphasis on smartphone designs and build quality loud and clear, entering a new chapter of the company’s evolution with the aluminum-framed Galaxy Alpha over a year ago.The full-metal Galaxy A roster quickly followed, then the Galaxy S6 and

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