Samsung placed a heavy emphasis on the camera capabilities of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ to distinguish them from their processors. Of the many new camera features, Super Slow-motion video is one of the major selling points for the newly launched Galaxy flagship devices. The company has been going to great lengths to market the camera prowess of the Galaxy S9 duo to the customers.
More than 30 super slow-motion videos
Continuing the marketing efforts, Samsung has announced a partnership with BuzzFeed and The Dodo to showcase the Super Slow-mo capabilities of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. As part of the advertising campaign, BuzzFeed and The Dodo will publish entertaining and ‘highly-shareable’ super slow-motion videos on various social platforms with the hashtags #withGalaxy and #SuperSlowMo, reaching hundreds of millions of people globally.
More than 30 super slow-motion videos shot with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be shared by Buzzfeed and The Dodo over the next two months. Buzzfeed’s super slow-motion videos will focus on relatable everyday moments and how-to videos, while The Dodo will share stories of animals, as to be expected from the brand.
“Partnering with BuzzFeed and The Dodo is a natural fit and a great way to showcase how consumers can make everyday moments epic by using the Galaxy S9 and S9+’s Super Slow-mo camera,” said Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics.
The Super Slow-mo camera on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ can capture slow-motion videos at 960 frames per second. It also has a Motion Detection feature to automatically capture slow-motion videos when there is movement in the frame. You can check our super slow-motion videos shot with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ here and our review of the devices here.
Formula One is a hot topic here in the Netherlands thanks to Max Verstappen, which is probably why Samsung Benelux must have decided to jump onboard the F1 bandwagon and make a special case for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in association with Vodafone and the Red Bull Ring racing circuit in Spielberg, Austria. Enter the Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Racing Edition.
Hands-on with the Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition
The Red Bull Ring Galaxy S9 cover comes in dark blue with a matte finish and a logo of the racing circuit on the back, which gives it a racier feeling than what just the Red Bull logo would have allowed, so it’s a good choice if you ask us. The case does manage to pick up too many fingerprints, though, so that’s one disadvantage when it comes to the look of the case.
Of course, the case itself is not the main feature here. That’s the NFC chip inside the case; when put on the phone, the case changes the look of the software by applying an exclusive Red Bull Ring theme. Naturally, the theme is installed from the Theme Store the first time the case is used. As we had reported earlier, the Red Bull case might be the first of many custom cases that Samsung will allow theme designers to sell through the Theme Store, although details on that are currently limited.
The first thing you will be welcomed by after the theme is applied is a lock screen screensaver of old Red Bull sponsored cars racing on the track. The lock screen feels a bit cheap, but the changing wallpapers make up for that. The lock screen also gets shortcuts to two F1 websites (F1today.net and racingnews365.nl) and an app called Racing Media, which isn’t finished at this time. The other app shortcut takes you to a gallery album containing beautiful, high-quality pictures of different F1 cars and drivers.
Over on the home screen, you’ll see a themed clock in blue, red, and white and an F1 wallpaper, of which a new one will be released every week. Samsung’s proprietary app icons also get themed and, basically, the entire OS gets a Red Bull makeover. The interface uses colors from the Red Bull logo, so you’ll see a lot of dark blue, red, and a little bit of yellow and white. You can also set the logo of the Red Bull Ring racetrack on the Always On Display screen.
Since this isn’t just a regular theme, you also get new ringtones and notification sounds. For messages, you’ll hear the iconic whoosh of an F1 car racing past, and the ringtone switches to a song that suits the racing theme that flows throughout the Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition. Once you take the case off the phone, your previous theme gets applied, and you get an on-screen message that says “Goodbye Champ.” A cool detail, though we’re guessing it will become annoying if you tend to remove the case from your phone every now and then.
All in all, the Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition case is for those who want to go through the F1 season with cool features and content on their Galaxy S9 to really feel the Formula One fever. It’s also an indication of how custom cases that Samsung will one day sell through the Theme Store will work, and a nice extension of the extensive theming possible on the company’s Android smartphones.
You can win a free Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition
Now for the good part: Samsung and Vodafone have given us two Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition packs (no S9+, unfortunately) and eight Red Bull Ring cases to give away to our readers. Unfortunately, the phones are provider-locked, so we can only give these out to our Dutch readers. The cases, however, can be won by everyone around the world.
What do you need to do to win one of these prizes? Just follow us on Twitter and tweet us a photo of yourself that shows that you’re a Red Bull F1 fan; also tell us what version of the case you want, as we have four Galaxy S9 cases and four Galaxy S9+ cases.
It looks like the April 2018 security patch has finally debuted on one of Samsung’s flagship phones. T-Mobile’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are currently receiving a new update that includes the latest security patch. G960USQU2ARC6 and G965USQU2ARC6 are the build numbers for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ updates respectively, and T-Mobile says the update also includes “various bug fixes.”
T-Mobile pushes latest security patch to the Galaxy S9
This is the first software update rolled out by the magenta carrier for Samsung’s 2018 flagships, and the rollout began on April 13, which means it should be available for all Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners on T-Mobile at this point. To download the update, open the Settings app on your phone, tap Software update, followed by Download updates manually. And if you’re wondering what the April 2018 security patch offers, you can check out this link for all the details. A short version: the patch fixes seven critical vulnerabilities in Android and eight vulnerabilities that can only be taken advantage of on Samsung’s software.
Got the update on your Galaxy S9 or S9+? Let us know in the comments if you see anything new or different after the update has been installed.
It’s raining updates for Samsung’s family of wearable devices. We’ve seen the company roll out major updates to the Gear S2, the Gear Fit2, and the Gear IconX in recent weeks, and the Gear Sport, the latest smartwatch in Samsung’s lineup, is also getting an update with new functionality. The Gear Sport update bumps the Tizen OS version to 3.0.0.2 and carries build number R600XXU1ARC4 and is rolling out over the air right now as an 80 MB download.
Gear Sport gets a software update
The update brings improved layout of exercise information and readability, an option to add custom notification intervals during training, and the ability to add a personalized target heart rate. An option has also been added to disable the alarm that sounds when motion is recognized after a long bout of inactivity, and general performance and stability improvements are on-board as well. Not a small changelog by any means, and given the focus of the Gear Sport on fitness tracking, it’s not surprising that the new features are related to making the fitness tracking experience better.
If you own a Gear Sport, you should be able to download the update from the Samsung Gear app’s settings menu on your connected phone. As usual, it will take some time for the update tor each all regions, so don’t sweat if you’re told your Gear Sport is on the latest software.
Samsung has teamed up with Vodafone in the Netherlands to launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ Red Bull Ring Edition devices for Formula One fans. The Red Bull Ring edition comes with an NFC-equipped cover that, when put on the phone, applies a unique theme that changes the wallpaper, app icons, and even the look of Always On Display. Wallpapers include images of Red Bull-sponsored drivers and cars from the Red Bull Ring racetrack in Austria; these wallpapers will keep changing on their own from time to time, and owners of these devices will also receive a new wallpaper every week.
A Galaxy S9 for serious Formula One fans
In addition to changing the look and feel of the software, the Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition will also give users access to Grand Prix video content from Dutch sports channel Ziggo Sport. That’s not all. Those who purchase this special edition of the S9 or S9+ between April 16 and May 27 with Vodafone’s Red Bull subscription plans will also get two weekend tickets to the Austrian Grand Prix (of course, the cost of the flights and stay will not be included). Samsung isn’t charging anything extra for the Red Bull Ring Edition compared to the regular Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, but like such special edition variants, stocks will be limited.
The Red Bull Ring Edition looks to be the precursor for the custom smartphone covers that Samsung will be offering through the Theme Store at some point in the future. We’ll have a hands-on of the Galaxy S9 Red Bull Ring Edition later today and also holding a giveaway for one of these devices, so keep an eye out for more details on the first smart cover for the Galaxy S9 and S9+.
The lack of a backlit keyboard on a laptop or notebook device is often a sign of cost-cutting, but cost-cutting is not something one expects on a premium product. That was unfortunately the case with the Chromebook Pro that Samsung launched last year, which offered attractive features such as a rotating touchscreen display and a built-in stylus but didn’t include a backlight for the keyboard. It was later discovered that Samsung was working on bringing a version of the Chromebook Pro with a backlit keyboard, and it looks like the company has quietly put up the newer version of the Chromebook Pro up for sale on its website.
Only the backlit keyboard is new
The new Chromebook Pro seems to be the same as the original version from last year except for the addition of a backlit keyboard, although Samsung is continuing to list the first version on its retail website, with both variants carrying the same price tag of $599. It looks like the company wants people who like fumbling for the keys on the keyboard in the dark an option as well, or it’s just waiting for stocks of the first version to be depleted before it kicks it out of the lineup, as a software option to disable the keyboard backlight is all one needs if they don’t like the keys lighting up.
The specs of the Chromebook Pro include a 12.3-inch display with a resolution of 2400×1600 pixels and Gorilla Glass 3 protection, an Intel Core M3 processor that goes up to 2.2GHz, 4GB of RAM, 32GB eMMC storage, a 720p camera, two USB Type-C ports, and a 39 Wh battery. It has stereo speakers and, thanks to Google Play certification, can run Android apps from the Play Store.
Earlier this year, Samsung started rolling out an unexpected update to the Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) which brought some new camera features found in the latest Galaxy smartphones. The smaller Galaxy A3 (2017) model was left out without any information about the update availability. Nearly three months later, Samsung is now rolling out a similar update to the Galaxy A3 (2017).
The update brings Selfie Focus and AR Stickers
Among all the new camera features the update brings, AR stickers and Selfie Focus mode are the most notable ones. The AR stickers allow users to add objects and effects to the photographs to make them interesting and funny. On the other hand, Selfie Focus, as the name suggests, enables the front camera on the Galaxy A3 (2017) to take selfies with blurred backgrounds – a feature becoming increasingly common in the recent smartphones. Of course, without a dual-camera setup, there are limitations to how well the feature works on older smartphones like the Galaxy A3 (2017). Nevertheless, it’s still nice to see Samsung bringing new features to older models even after the launch of their successors.
Selfies have become a huge cultural phenomenon and smartphone brands like Oppo have made considerable gains in market share by focusing on selfie-centric features. To make its budget devices more competitive, Samsung seems to be working towards making features like Selfie Focus a standard option of budget Galaxy devices. Camera feature updates to older models appear to be part of the same strategy.
Along with the new camera features, the new update also brings the Mach security patch to the Galaxy A3 (2017). Even here, the Galaxy A3 (2017) is lagging behind other A series models from 2017 as Samsung has already started rolling out the April security patch to many devices, including the Galaxy A5 (2017), in the last couple of weeks.
Currently, the update is rolling out to the unlocked variants of the Galaxy A3 (2017). If you have a carrier-branded version, maybe you need to wait a little longer to receive the update. The Oreo update for the Galaxy A3 (2017) is expected to arrive in May. So, don’t be surprised if some carriers decide to skip this update altogether and club it with the upcoming major update. You can check if the update is available for you by going into the Software update menu in the Settings app and tapping the Download updates manually option.
Samsung may say otherwise, but it has been clear from the beginning that the AR Emoji feature on the Galaxy S9 was inspired by the iPhone X’s Animoji. Only Samsung didn’t have the kind of technology that made Animoji possible on the iPhone X, so the Galaxy S9 simply makes use of the front camera to let users put their expressions on a digital avatar and share them with their friends and family. Striking a deal with Disney for AR Emoji may have been a masterstroke, but the emojis you can create using the feature are far from a faithful reproduction of your face, and the company that provided the code that powers AR Emoji has now explained why that is the case.
The lack of something like Face ID isn’t the primary reason
For AR Emoji, Samsung decided to obtain a license for the technology from a startup called Loom.ai, the same company that recently brought a character from the original Star Wars movie (A New Hope) back to life in the Star Wars spin-off movie Rogue One years after the actor who played that character passed away. That’s how the Korean giant was able to come up with an Animoji competitor so quickly, but in an interview with CNET, Loom.ai’s co-founder has explained why AR Emoji can’t create a digital likeness of the user as nicely as one would like.
The answer? Well, AR Emoji isn’t great because the Galaxy S9 doesn’t take enough time to create that digital likeness. Loom.ai’s original technology would take up to seven minutes to map a person’s face onto a computer-generated avatar, and that’s the kind of time the average consumer wouldn’t be willing to spend. Also problematic is the fact that the Galaxy S9 needs to create a real-time avatar of the user, which makes the speed at which things are processed even more important.
Another limitation with AR Emoji is that the Galaxy S9 only uses a selfie of the user, which means it has to make do with a 2D image. Apple, meanwhile, gets to use a 3D image because of the components that make up its Face ID technology, giving it a leg up over all of its competitors, not just Samsung. Loom.ai does say that AR Emoji will get improvements, such as better tracking of the user’s facial expressions and more options for body types and hair colors, with a software update, though Samsung hasn’t said anything on the matter just yet.
For CNET’s complete story on Loom.ai and AR Emoji, hit the source link.
It would seem Samsung is wasting no time in bringing the Infinity display to its budget lineup, following its debut on the mid-range segment with the Galaxy A8 (2018). The FCC has recently certified the Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6, two of Samsung’s new smartphones for 2018, and the documents for the Galaxy J6 reveal that it will come with software navigation keys. That’s as good an indication as any that the phone will have a display with 18:5:9 aspect ratio, although it will probably have bezels as big as those on the Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+, which is to say the Infinity display might not be as infinite as it is on Samsung’s flagship phones.
Infinity display coming to the budget segment
The dimension of the display on the J6 is 142.8 mm, which means the screen size will be 5.6 inches. The display resolution will probably be HD+ (1480×720 pixels), and according to benchmark listings for the device, powering all those pixels will be the Exynos 7870 octa-core processor and up to 3GB of RAM. Android 8.0 Oreo will be on-board as well. That’s pretty much all that’s known about the specs of the Galaxy J6 at this point, but with the FCC certification now complete, more details are likely to surface in the coming weeks as we inch closer to the official launch of the device.
As for the Galaxy J4, its FCC listing reveals a single spec: a 1,500 mAh battery. That’s the kind of battery capacity we see on entry-level phones like Samsung’s Tizen handsets, which is a good indication of where the Galaxy J4 will stand in Samsung’s Galaxy J lineup. The phone will be powered by the Exynos 7570 SoC and 2GB of RAM and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, and according to the FCC, the screen size will be 5.5 inches. It will also come in a dual SIM variant, which is standard fare for all Galaxy J smartphones.
