Buy the Galaxy S9 or wait for the Galaxy S10: What we think

It has been a few months since the Galaxy S9 was released and millions have already picked one up so far. Nevertheless, there have been countless reports about Galaxy S9 sales not being up to Samsung’s expectations because of a lack of major changes compared to the Galaxy S8. Customers in Samsung’s home country of South Korea seem to be particularly averse to buying the Galaxy S9 because of this reason.

Many Samsung fans who already own the Galaxy S8 don’t feel the need to upgrade and would much rather wait for the Galaxy S10 next year. This is a trend that’s being witnessed in the smartphone market as a whole. Premium smartphones have become more expensive and people are now holding on to their costly smartphones for longer.

So the question is should you buy the Galaxy S9 or wait for the Galaxy S10? Here’s what we think about it.

Buy Galaxy S9 or wait for Galaxy S10?

Danny Dorresteijn

If you’re a Galaxy S8 owner then it depends on your preferences. If you like to take a lot of photos on your smartphone then you should certainly buy the Galaxy S9 now because it offers the best photography experience of any Samsung device on the market today.

Even then, the question must ask yourself is whether you can live with your existing handset’s camera quality for another 6 months or so. If yes then you should wait for the Galaxy S10 because you’ll get a host of other improvements aside from the obvious camera improvements. Or if you feel the need to switch gears, maybe switch from the Galaxy S series to the Galaxy Note series by buying the Galaxy Note 9 which is due in a couple of months.

Martin Reinders

As previously mentioned, premium smartphones are getting expensive and it’s quite possible that Samsung may slightly increase the price of the Galaxy S10. If you have north of $750 to spend on a smartphone then I would suggest waiting for the Galaxy S10. It’s going to be Samsung’s 10th anniversary flagship and we can expect the company to pull out all the stops for the device so you can expect to get great value for money.

If you don’t want to spend that much on a new device then I would still suggest waiting for the Galaxy S10. That’s because the Galaxy S9 will become slightly cheaper when its successor arrives so it would then be the right time to purchase the Galaxy S9 which is a veritable powerhouse in its own right.

Abhijeet Mishra

I think it all depends on how excited you are to see what the Galaxy S10 brings to the table as the 10th anniversary Galaxy S flagship. And it also depends on whether you’re deciding over the regular Galaxy S9 or the Galaxy S9+. The Galaxy S9+ is a great overall package with no big negatives. In fact, it’s to the Galaxy S8+ what the Galaxy S7 edge was to the Galaxy S6 edge: Perfection of a new design language, fixing the few things that were wrong with the Galaxy S8+ (basically the problematic fingerprint sensor placement). If you have a Galaxy S8, it’s best to stick to it and wait for the Galaxy S10.

But, again, if you’re excited for what the Galaxy S10 may bring, like an in-display fingerprint sensor, then it’s worth waiting it out the next few months. If you don’t want to wait, get the Galaxy S9+. If it’s the 5.8-inch Galaxy S9 you’re looking at, well, get it if your current device is at least two years old and you’re okay with strictly average battery life, the lack of a dual camera setup at the back (and, therefore, the ability to zoom in and take Live Focus bokeh photos), and only 4GB of RAM. Don’t take the lower RAM lightly, though. Samsung’s software isn’t the most optimized out there, so the Galaxy S9+ benefits from the two extra gigs of RAM it has at its disposal at all times and will perform better over long periods of time.

Adnan Farooqui

The Galaxy S8 was such a departure from what Samsung had been doing in the years before that I, like millions of other people, instantly fell in love with the device and have been using it daily ever since it came out. Samsung improved on that winning formula with the Galaxy S9 but I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to the device if I had been just another user and not someone who follows Samsung’s every move for a living.

That’s likely the case with many Galaxy S8 owners who can’t justify the cost of upgrading to the Galaxy S9 because it doesn’t bring any significant changes. One also has to recognize the fact that smartphone manufacturers can’t rollout revolutionary changes to their smartphones every year which is why Samsung has given us evolutionary models like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S9.

Even if you own an older device like the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy Note 5, I would still suggest that you wait for the Galaxy S10 because it will likely give you more bang for your buck. Samsung is expected to introduce technologies such as an in-display fingerprint sensor and a triple-camera system. Not only that, it will come with Android P out of the box and will be guaranteed to receive major Android platform updates until 2021.

What if I absolutely need to buy the Galaxy S9?

You may have your reasons for that. Maybe your existing phone is damaged or you’re upgrading from a mid-range device because your usage requirements have changed. If you absolutely can’t wait then it would be best to seek out some of the best Galaxy S9 deals available online so that you save some money in the process. Lucky for you, we have highlighted all of the best Galaxy S9 deals what will save you money.

Already bought the Galaxy S9? Let us know in the comments below your reasons for picking one up and do share if you’re planning on buying the Galaxy S10 as well.

The post Buy the Galaxy S9 or wait for the Galaxy S10: What we think appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2xOHMeV
via IFTTT

Samsung Pay crosses 200,000 users in Mexico after just four months

It has been almost four months since Samsung Pay was launched in Mexico and the company’s mobile payments service has rapidly been expanding in the market. Samsung today announced that the service is now catering to more than 200,000 users in Mexico merely four months after it was launched in the country.

Samsung Pay is currently available in Mexico to customers of major banks which include Banorte, Banregio, Citibanamex, HSBC and Santander in addition to Acquirers Banks and aggregators such as Clip and iZettle.

Samsung Pay in Mexico

One of the reasons why Samsung Pay has been adopted so quickly by customers in Mexico is that it works almost anywhere in the country where customers can already pay with a bank card. That’s due to the service’s proprietary Magnetic Secure Transmission which in addition to NFC enables Samsung Pay to work in more places than any other mobile payments service.

It’s also popular because Samsung Pay can do much more than just process payments. It can be used to store and use all cards and loyalty programs with a bar or QR code which eliminates the need for users to carry them physically.

Users in Mexico have also received prizes for their continued usage, they have included airplane tickets and official Mexican national football team merchandise. Samsung also launched a new promotion in the country recently which offers users an official fan t-shirt of the team when they perform five transactions with Samsung Pay and Visa.

Samsung Pay also has a feature that’s exclusive to Mexico. Users who don’t have an eligible credit or debit card for registration with Samsung Pay and request a card from the app. Their requests are usually answered in less than three minutes. Samsung makes this happen by working with financial institutions and it will continue to bring more to the platform so that users have more card options to use with Samsung Pay.

The post Samsung Pay crosses 200,000 users in Mexico after just four months appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2M64jXY
via IFTTT

Galaxy S9’s new marketing campaign hits UK music festivals

Since not much has changed in terms of design from its predecessors, most of the Galaxy S9’s marketing is focused on the features inside. An improved camera with many bells and whistles is one of the key features of the Galaxy S9/S9+, and Samsung’s marketing message is accordingly centered around it.  Samsung’s new ‘Galaxy S9 Super Slow-mo Selfie Experience’ campaign at UK music festivals falls in the same category.

In a press release, the company announced the ‘Galaxy S9 Super Slow-mo experience and viewing platform’ will tour music festivals across the UK this summer. The structure, which is a raised platform offering a vantage point at the festival, was present at the All Points East from May 25 to June 3 and will also be on-site at the British Summer Time Hyde Park from July 6 to July 8 and July 13 to July 15.

A chance to win a ‘Golden Ticket’

Samsung is also running a contest where users can win a ‘Golden Ticket’ which offers them access to the VIP platform. To take part in the contest, festival goers should share their Super Slow-mo videos on social media with the hashtags #GalaxyS9 and #withGalaxy. Samsung will choose up to 15 winners every day.

“We can’t wait to share our on-site experience with music fans this festival season. Whether capturing low-light sunset gig shots or taking a Super Slow-mo video on the Galaxy S9, we are excited to enable festival-goers to capture their moment in the best way possible,” said Sam Grant, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Electronics.

The post Galaxy S9’s new marketing campaign hits UK music festivals appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2JAeSUD
via IFTTT

Check out some real-life selfies from the Galaxy A6+’ 24-megapixel front camera

The Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+ may seem like Galaxy J series smartphones in most aspects other than the name, but at least the Galaxy A6+ separates itself from the pack thanks to its high-resolution front camera and a dual camera at the back. The A6+’ front camera is a 24-megapixel sensor, the largest we’ve seen yet on Samsung smartphones, so it’s only natural that the phone’s selfie game will be put under the scanner by reviewers. Is it good enough to be a reason for consumers to opt for the Galaxy A6+ over the competition, or does the increase in megapixels not translate too well into real life?

24 million pixels for your selfies

We’d say it falls somewhere in the middle, though we’re not going into too much detail here. That’s for the review, but we thought it would be a good idea to give our readers an idea of what they can expect with some early samples. I took the A6+ to a movie theater and a pub to check out how it performs in places where the average consumer will want to take selfies, and my wife and I also took a couple of selfies in natural light outdoors. As you will see in the selfies below, the photos come out with good detail outdoors and in bright indoor lighting, but it’s not that impressive for a 24 MP camera or all that better than, say, the 16 MP front camera on the A8+.

Also, most of the detail is lost in dimly lit conditions. Thankfully, the flash does a good job of improving picture quality (at full intensity; you can change the flash’s brightness). What’s nice is that it’s not easy to tell whether a photo was taken with the flash enabled. In fact, it took me a few seconds to make sure which photos were taken with the flash on, as the Gallery app says “no flash used” in every picture’s file information whether the flash was on or not.

Again, we’ll go into more detail about the A6+ cameras in our review. For now, check out the selfies below and tell us what you think. We should point out that the photos below have been resized to allow the page to load quickly. For the full untouched 24-megapixel images, check out this Google Drive album. Oh, and do check our hands-on impressions of the Galaxy A6+ as well.

Galaxy A6+ selfie samples

The post Check out some real-life selfies from the Galaxy A6+’ 24-megapixel front camera appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2M2Dunu
via IFTTT

New Samsung Internet beta adds support for Intelligent Scan, improves reading mode, and lots more

Samsung has just published information on the latest Samsung Internet beta that was released a week ago. It’s a substantial update that adds new features and improves existing ones with new functionality. A major highlight here is aimed at Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ owners: You can now authenticate and login on websites in Samsung Internet using Intelligent Scan, which scans both your irises and face for added security. Samsung has also added the ability to change the background color, font, and font size when Reader Mode is enabled.

Latest Samsung Internet brings a lot to the table

The update – version 7.4 – brings improvements to downloads as well, adding the option to delete downloaded files from both the download history and from the device, sorting files by type, and sharing them with others. The latest beta also brings a few country-specific features, which will be expanded to other regions in future updates once the company has been able to test it out with a limited number of users. For Indian users, the app will now show the time remaining for a download to finish inside the app and in the download notification in the notification shade. It will also allow users to change the download location for a file, which would be a boon for those with limited internal storage on their device.

For those in the US, there’s a notification service for news. It’s an opt-in service so it won’t be enabled by default, but for those who enable it from the app’s settings (or during the app’s initial setup process for first-time Samsung Internet users), notifications will pop up on the device for breaking news topics. For folks in China, the app has a new section that will highlight trending keywords. This section can be accessed under the address bar, and the content is provided by local service Baidu.

Samsung Internet continues to be a feature-dense browser for Android, and the latest beta should make it better for regular users of the app. Of course, if you’re not interested in testing beta software, you can wait for the new functionality and improvements to make their way to the stable version of Samsung Internet, though that can take months to happen.

To download the latest Samsung Internet beta, head to the Play Store. You can also download the APK file from our database and sideload it manually.

The post New Samsung Internet beta adds support for Intelligent Scan, improves reading mode, and lots more appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2sM60AP
via IFTTT

SamMobile Live at 3 PM CET: Join us as we discuss latest Samsung news and our new design

Many of our readers will be well aware by now that we conduct a YouTube Live session on Wednesdays to discuss all of the latest Samsung news. This week we’ll be talking about the Galaxy A6, Galaxy A6+ and the Galaxy J6 among other things. We actually have a lot more to talk about this week as our new site design is now live. So we definitely have a packed agenda for our live session today.

As always, we’ll be taking questions from you during our live session so please do join us on YouTube. We’re aware that many of you have questions about our new site design and we’ll be happy to address them during the stream. We’re going live at 3 PM CET, roughly 30 minutes from now.

The post SamMobile Live at 3 PM CET: Join us as we discuss latest Samsung news and our new design appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2sACXky
via IFTTT

Three new Samsung C-Lab projects have been spun off into startups

C-Lab is an in-house startup incubator launched by Samsung back in 2012. The program assists Samsung’s employees with resources to develop their business ideas into products. As ideas turn into concrete products, C-Lab spins off these projects into fully-fledged start-ups. Since the launch of C-Lab spin-off policy in 2015, dozens of C-Lab projects have turned into startups.

The company has announced in a press release today that three more C-Lab projects – AGWART, CATCH FLOW and FOR MAKERS – are joining the spin-off list. This takes the total number of C-Lab spin-offs since 2015 to 34.

Three diverse projects

AGWART developed an indoor smart garden solution called ‘PLANTBOX.’ It consists of a small refrigerator-like smart greenhouse, seed capsules, and an app. It allows users to easily grow vegetables and herbs at home by merely inserting the seed capsule of choice. PLANTBOX will take care of the rest by automatically detecting the seed species and optimizing the internal environment accordingly. The app is used to monitor and control the environment.

CATCH FLOW is the creator of ‘S-Ray,’ a portable directional speaker which was showcased earlier this year at CES 2018. S-Ray speakers, which come in different form factors, “send sound directly forward so only the people in the right direction can hear it.” They aim to offer the convenience of earphones without the disadvantages accompanying them.

FOR MAKERS came up with ‘AppBee,’ “a research platform that connects clients and users based on mobile usage patterns.” The description of the product is a bit vague. In Samsung’s own words, “AppBee, after users’ opt-in, predicts their characteristics by analyzing their mobile usage patterns and automatically matches the users to suitable clients through AI-based algorithms.”

All the three projects have officially left Samsung as of May 31. “During the past three years, 34 start-ups with 130 employees were spun off from C-Lab and they have hired an additional 170 people from outside of Samsung,” said Jaiil Lee, Vice President and Head of Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Research.

The post Three new Samsung C-Lab projects have been spun off into startups appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2JuPAHn
via IFTTT

Samsung now taking orders for its ‘The Wall’ MicroLED display

Samsung unveiled its first 146-inch modular MicroLED TV at the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 back in January. It has been focusing on MicroLED technology over the past couple of years and “The Wall” was the first creation that it unveiled to the public. The Wall was described by Samsung as the world’s first modular 146-inch modular TV with self-emitting MicroLED technology. It has micrometer scale LEDs that are much smaller than existing LEDs.

Samsung has now started taking orders for The Wall but not from consumers. It’s going to sell it to businesses first.

The Wall Professional MicroLED Display

Samsung announced the launch of its “The Wall Professional” MicroLED display at the ongoing InfoComm 2018 trade show in Las Vegas. It’s the first commercial display version of The Wall modular MicroLED TV that the company unveiled earlier this year.

The display has a module-based, bezel-less design which enables the TV’s shape and size to be customized based on the customers’ preferences. It can thus be used to serve different purposes such as creating a wall-size display for multiple spaces.

The Wall MicroLED display features up to 1,600 nits of brightness with a Cinema LED picture quality engine and supports HDR10. It expresses low gradation even at maximum brightness while ultra-low reflection technology enables the display to show vivid images in both bright and dark rooms.

Samsung will be selling The Wall Professional to business customers initially, it mentions that this display will be a good fit for commercial spaces such as luxury hotels, performance halls, museums, etc.

The company has started taking orders for The Wall Professional at InfoComm 2018. It will complete installation of the displays in the United States and other countries by the third quarter of 2018. It also plans to bring its MicroLED technology to consumer TVs as well in the second half of this year.

The post Samsung now taking orders for its ‘The Wall’ MicroLED display appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2LqOklV
via IFTTT

Samsung launching Titanium Grey Galaxy S9/S9+ in the UK

Samsung has a habit of limiting some color options for its flagship smartphones to select markets. It has been a couple of months since the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ were released in the United Kingdom and it has so far been impossible to purchase the device in Titanium Grey because that option was not offered to customers in the United Kingdom. That changes later this month as Samsung is going to finally launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in Titanium Grey.

Titanium Grey Galaxy S9/S9+

The Titanium Grey Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be exclusively available from Carphone Warehouse in the United Kingdom. No other retailer or carrier is going to offer this color option. Those who are interested in picking one up will be able to do so starting June 29.

Samsung describes Titanium Grey as a “contemporary, industrial chic shade” which customers will certainly appreciate if they happen to like muted shades. Everything else about these handsets remains the same so if you’re based in the UK and have yet to purchase the new flagship, perhaps you might think of buying one in this color option.

Interested customers can now head over to Carphone Warehouse’s website to register their interest. They will be notified once the handset goes on sale come June 29. If you’d like to buy the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in any other color from someplace else, check out our latest post on the best Galaxy S9 deals.

The post Samsung launching Titanium Grey Galaxy S9/S9+ in the UK appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2JyVl6W
via IFTTT

June 2018 security patch information published by Samsung

It’s a new month, and that means a new Android security patch that many of us will be looking forward to on our Samsung smartphone or tablet. Of course, the company isn’t going to give it to us as quickly as we would like, but we are going to be seeing the latest security update going out to various Samsung devices over the next couple of weeks. Samsung has already released the June 2018 security patch for one of its devices, and it has now published information on the latest patch on its dedicated security website.

June 2018 security patch details released

The June 2018 patch brings fixes for five critical vulnerabilities that were discovered in Android last month, in addition to various moderate and high-risk vulnerabilities. The list of vulnerabilities that affect only Samsung’s software is rather short this time around, with only 3 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items needing a fix, including one that can cause memory corruption. As usual, some vulnerabilities haven’t been disclosed on the official bulletin to make sure they aren’t taken advantage of before the latest security patch has been rolled out to all eligible devices.

Expect to see mid-range and low-end phones to receive the June 2018 patch before flagship phones. Samsung has recently picked up the slack in terms of security updates for its top-of-the-line devices, but it’s not usually until the end of the month that the flagships receive these updates.

The post June 2018 security patch information published by Samsung appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2Jb3HSS
via IFTTT

Galaxy A3 (2017) June update fixes Wi-Fi reboot issues on Oreo

It hasn’t been smooth sailing for every Samsung device that has been updated to Android 8.0 Oreo. Random reboots and getting stuck with a phone that doesn’t boot after the update has been installed are the two major issues people have had. For Galaxy A3 (2017) owners, connecting to Wi-Fi provided by services such as eduroam and other public networks was one of the prime suspects for the random reboots, but it looks like Samsung has resolved that issue with the June 2018 security patch update that rolled out to the Galaxy A3 (2017) earlier this week.

Connecting to Wi-Fi should no longer make the phone restart

A few readers of GalaxyClub have confirmed that their phone no longer has issues connecting to Wi-Fi networks that were causing reboots earlier. Samsung hasn’t mentioned anything in the changelog for the June update, but it seems the reboot fix might have been the reason why the company was so quick to release the latest security patch for the Galaxy A3 (2017). In fact, Samsung released the update before even Google announced information of the June 2018 patch, though details have now been published by both Samsung and Google.

Samsung is yet to release the latest Galaxy A3 (2017) update in countries other than the ones where it rolled out initially, so it’s possible the device’s Oreo problems aren’t affecting everyone. Still, if your A3 (2017) isn’t running properly after upgrading to Oreo, you can hope Samsung will soon push out a similar update in your country. You can also check if it’s already available by going to the Settings » Software update menu on the phone and tapping Download updates manually.

Have you received the June security patch update on your Galaxy A3 (2017)? Has it fixed any issues you had other than (and including) random reboots over public Wi-Fi networks? Let us know in the comments!

The post Galaxy A3 (2017) June update fixes Wi-Fi reboot issues on Oreo appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2HoY1ir
via IFTTT