Gear S4 launch nears as it picks up ECC certification

The Gear S4 launch draws near as Samsung’s next wearable device is now jumping through the required regulatory hoops before it can be sold by the company. The smartwatch has been spotted at the Eurasian Economic Commission’s website for its certification. This suggests that things are progressing nicely and that we may be treated to a new smartwatch by Samsung in the coming months.

Gear S4 launch

We exclusively reported a couple of months back that Samsung has started developing the Gear S4. The new smartwatch is going to have two separate models like its predecessor, the Gear S3. The LTE variants of both models are now being tested in the United States.

Aside from its improved internals, the Gear S4 is also said to be thinner than its predecessor while sporting a bigger battery. Compared to the Gear S3’s 380mAh battery, the Gear S4 is expected to come with a 470mAh battery.

We have also exclusively revealed that Samsung is going to offer the Gear S4 in a new Gold color option. It’s likely going to be the successor of the Gear S3 Classic that gets this color option as a Gold hue wouldn’t really make sense for a sportier model like the Frontier.

The Eurasian Economic Commission listing for the Gear S4 only confirms that this smartwatch has been certified, it doesn’t reveal any information about the device itself. We can expect to see the smartwatch gain additional certifications in the coming weeks.

Samsung is yet to confirm when it’s going to launch the Gear S4 but reports suggest that the company will be unveiling the new smartwatch in a couple of months. It’s possible that the Gear S4 may be launched at IFA 2018 in September.

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Breaking: Galaxy Note 9 launch date is August 9

The wait is finally over. Samsung has officially confirmed when it’s going to unveil its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 9. The company has just revealed that the Galaxy Note 9 launch date is August 9. It was previously reported that the event would take place on August 9 and that report has turned out to be accurate.

Samsung is going to hold a special launch event for the Galaxy Note 9 in New York City on August 9. It’s going to reveal all of the details about the new flagship at the event and also confirm when the handset is going to be released and how much it’s going to cost.

The Galaxy Note 9 is Samsung’s second flagship smartphone for the year and takes the baton from the Galaxy Note 8. The reports that we have heard about the handset so far suggest that it’s going to bring a revamped camera, subtle design changes, a larger battery and possibly an improved S Pen.

Samsung previously confirmed that it’s going to introduce Bixby 2.0 with the Galaxy Note 9 so that’s also something that many of the company’s fans will be looking forward to. Samsung is believed to have addressed many of Bixby’s pain points with its next iteration.

It has also been consistently rumored that the Galaxy Note 9 will feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. However, it’s unlikely that Samsung will introduce this technology with its upcoming flagship smartphone. The company is going to start using an in-display fingerprint sensor on its flagship smartphones but it will do that with the Galaxy S10 that’s due next year.

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Samsung takes its E3 2018 gaming experience on the road

E3 is one of the largest gaming conventions in North America where the most influential creators of the video gaming industry gather to show off their new technology and products. E3 2018 took place in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago and like ever year, Samsung was present to showcase its technologies that help improve the experience for gamers.

Samsung set up a QLED TV Gaming Experience on a tricked-out semi-truck at the event venue where E3 2018 attendees could play games and get a sense of how good its QLED TVs are for gaming. Samsung is now taking its E3 2018 experience on the road in the United States.

Samsung taking E3 2018 gaming experience on the road

Samsung’s gaming rig has the company’s latest QLED TVs that have advanced features to deliver the ultimate gaming experience. Samsung also points out that they’re the first TVs on the market with support for AMD’s Radeon FreeSync technology. The adaptive refresh technology ensures stutter-free gaming with less screen tearing.

The QLED TVs also have an auto game mode and an ultra-fast motion rate which makes them a great option for newer consoles that support HDR and 4K resolution. They’re available in a variety of screen sizes ranging from 55-inches to 82-inches.

Samsung is now taking this gaming rig on the road in the United States. The dates and locations are mentioned on the company’s website. Those who go to check it out and register the fastest lap on Forza 7 Motorsport will get a chance to win daily prizes. Free Samsung items will also be handed out for those who just participate.

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Good lock 2018 now available in the United States, UK, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and South Korea

Samsung has officially announced Good Lock 2018 today, following its release in the United States and South Korea earlier this month. Samsung has expanded availability of the app to four more countries, with Singapore, Australia, the UK, and Canada added to the list. That’s a total of six countries where users of Samsung devices running Android 8.0 Oreo can now take advantage of the many customization features offered by Good Lock 2018.

Good Lock 2018 now supported in six countries

Of course, if you don’t mind taking a slightly longer route, you can try out much of Good Lock 2018’s functionality anywhere in the world by following this guide. Good Lock 2018 consists of five major features. These are Lockstar, Quickstar, Task Changer, Routines, and ClockFace. Lockstar and Quickstar let you customize the lock screen and the status bar/notification panel respectively, while Task Changer gives you a more attractive recent apps screen.

Routines is for creating custom tasks, such as setting Always On Display to be enabled when the phone is being charged (something the company should have added to its devices a long time ago). ClockFace, meanwhile, gets you nearly 30 new clock styles for the lock screen and for Always On Display (ClockFace can also be sideloaded onto any Oreo-powered Galaxy device).

There are a few other customization options included, and you can get a detailed look at all of the functionality in this post. If you’re in one of the officially supported countries, you can download Good Lock 2018 from the Galaxy Apps store, then access all of its features from within the app.

What’s your favorite feature of the 2018 iteration of Good Lock?

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Samsung is shutting down My Bixby Level service on August 10

By the time Samsung introduced its own virtual assistant, Bixby, it was already late to the party. Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft were already investing heavily in developing an intelligent assistant that can be built into various devices. Samsung still decided to take up the challenge and build an intelligent assistant into all of its products.

To catch up with the competition, Samsung tried to bring some unique features that were not available in others assistants. It also tried to incentivize customers to use Bixby more frequently through the My Bixby Level service. Without offering any explanation, the company has now decided to shut down the My Bixby Level and all related services on August 10, 2018.

No more Samsung Pay rewards points from Bixby

The My Bixby Level program rewards users with different color assistant backgrounds and Samsung Pay rewards upon asking questions, performing tasks, unlocking levels, etc. By incentivizing Bixby usage, and thereby collecting more data, Samsung was hoping to improve Bixby. Even before Bixby could improve substantially, the company has decided to end the service.

The different color backgrounds for Bixby is a cosmetic feature, and Samsung may continue to offer them without linking to any incentive program. This may, however, be the end of earning Samsung Pay Rewards points through Bixby.

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Samsung and KDDI showcase the potential of 5G with an advanced live stream demo

Samsung has been aggressively working with many carriers around the world to roll out 5G services in the near future. The collaboration involves, among many other things, conducting tech demos to showcase the potential of 5G networks. Samsung and KDDI have organized one such impressive live stream demo to take game viewing experience to a new level.

In a press release, Samsung has announced the successful completion of a real-time free-viewpoint video stream test in collaboration with KDDI, Okinawa Cellular Telephone Company, and Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR). The demo, which was conducted at a professional baseball game held in Okinawa Cellular Stadium in Naha, Japan, used Samsung’s end-to-end 5G solution which includes “virtualized core, virtualized RAN, one of the smallest 5G access units and 10 sets of 5G tablet devices.”

5G can offer an immersive viewing experience

As part of the test, a free-viewpoint video was generated by using 16 cameras to shoot the hitter from different angles, and the same was transmitted in real-time to Samsung’s 5G tablets deployed at the venue.

Developed by KDDI Research, free-viewpoint video allows users to watch a video from any angle of their choice by reconstructing a 3D model of the subjects in the video. Applying this technology to games and sports can offer an immersive viewing experience to the audience. Simultaneously transmitting such high-volume videos in real-time in crowded places like stadiums will be made possible by 5G connectivity.

“It is exciting to see how 5G technology can transform our lives. 5G is now a reality. We will continue working with KDDI to explore how the technology can be further developed and applied in our homes and cities,” said Youngky Kim, President of Samsung’s Networks Business.

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Galaxy S10+ screen size reportedly increased to 6.44-inches

There haven’t been a lot of reports so far suggesting that Samsung will make a substantial change in the Galaxy S10 screen size. However, the company is now expected to shake up its flagship lineup next year by launching three separate models of the Galaxy S10. It has reportedly decided to do that because one of the models will feature a triple-camera system.

A new report claims that Samsung has now increased the Galaxy S10 screen size for one of the models and that it’s going to feature a 6.44-inch Infinity Display. The report mentions that the larger display is meant for the Galaxy S10+.

Galaxy S10+ screen size

The report which mentioned that there’s going to be a third Galaxy S10 model with a triple-camera claimed the two other models will have a 5.8-inch display while the third will have a 6.2-inch display.

Word on the street down in South Korea is that the largest screen size in the Galaxy S10 lineup has been increased to 6.44-inches. This suggests the possibility that the Galaxy S9+’s successor will feature this larger display. It would be the first time that Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup comes with a display that big. The physical dimensions of the model may not increase by much since Samsung likely has a plan in place to increase the screen-to-body ratio of the Galaxy S10.

It’s pertinent to mention here that these reports should be taken with a generous serving of salt for now. It’s common to hear such contradictory reports in the months before the launch of a flagship smartphone and there’s no concrete evidence as yet to suggest that Samsung is going to bump up the Galaxy S10+ screen size to 6.44-inches.

It would make sense for the company to do this, though, if it’s actually going to launch a third model with a triple-camera system. That particular model will be what enables Samsung’s new flagship to compete with the Huawei P20 Pros of the world so a larger display just might give it an edge.

The Galaxy S10 isn’t due until early next year so we’re likely going to hear more conflicting reports about its specifications in the months to come.

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New Galaxy S9 update adds ‘Hey Google’ voice command for Google Assistant

Samsung’s software update team seems to be firing on all cylinders this month. The company has released two Galaxy Note 8 updates in quick succession within the last week or so, and it looks like it is also releasing a second update for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in some markets. The key word here is some, as many Galaxy S9 users are likely to directly receive this second Galaxy S9 update in other countries. The update brings the June 2018 security patch and increases device stability, but those aren’t the main attractions.

‘Hey Google, is there an update available for my Galaxy S9?’

The latest Galaxy S9 update adds support for waking up Google Assistant by saying ‘Hey Google’. The Google app has responded to the ‘Ok Google’ command since its inception, and the internet giant initially added ‘Hey Google’ as a hotword to its Google Home smart speaker. Google then brought support for the new hotword to Android smartphones at the end of last year. Now, Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ users can also wake up the Google app by saying ‘Hey Google’ (and no, it won’t actually be able to check for updates on your phone, despite what the heading says above).

To be able to use the ‘Hey Google’ hotword, you will need to go through the process of adding your voice to the Google app again. To do so, open the Google app on your phone, tap the icon with the three horizontal lines at the bottom right of the screen, then tap Settings. Here, tap Voice, then tap Voice Match. Then tap Retrain voice model. The app will then ask you to say ‘Ok Google’ and ‘Hey Google’ a couple of times to register your voice. Once that is done, you will be able to wake up the Google app by saying either of the two commands.

Galaxy S9 and S9+ owners can download the update from the Software update menu in the phone’s Settings app. It could be a while before the update is available for everyone, so be patient if it doesn’t immediately start downloading. The firmware version for the new software is G960FXXU1BRF8 for the Galaxy S9 and G965FXXU1BRF8 for the Galaxy S9+.

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Galaxy Note 9 camera to get Samsung’s new ISOCELL Plus technology

Samsung revamped its ISOCELL lineup of camera sensors at MWC 2017 in Shanghai back in June last year. It divided the lineup in four sub-brands: ISOCELL Bright, ISOCELL Dual, ISOCELL Fast, and ISOCELL Slim. The company today introduced its ISOCELL Plus technology which brings improved color accuracy and sharpness to mobile photos.

Samsung is showcasing its ISOCELL Plus camera technology at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai this week. The company will begin mass producing its ISOCELL Plus sensors in the second half of this year so it’s quite likely that the Galaxy Note 9 camera may tout one. The Galaxy S10 will likely get it as well.

Galaxy Note 9 camera may feature ISOCELL Plus technology

Samsung’s ISOCELL Plus technology enables CMOS image sensors to capture more light. This improves light sensitivity and color fidelity which will lead to clearer and more accurate photos even in low-light conditions.

CMOS image sensors can take high-quality photographs by holding as much light as possible and then transmitting the accurate color information to the photodiode. Samsung’s ISOCELL technology removed this requirement back in 2013 as it forms a physical barrier between the neighboring pixels. This reduces color crosstalk and expands the full-well capacity. Each pixel can thus absorb and hold more light compared to conventional backside-illuminated image sensors for improved quality.

Samsung is pushing its pixel isolation technology even further with ISOCELL Plus with an optimized pixel architecture. In the current structure, metal grids are formed over the photodiodes to reduce interference between the pixels but this can often lead to some optical loss since metals tend to reflect and/or absorb light. Samsung has replaced the metal barrier with a new material developed by Fujifilm for ISOCELL Plus to minimize optical loss and reflection.

Samsung says that ISOCELL Plus delivers up to a 15 percent improvement in light sensitivity with higher color fidelity. The technology will also enable image sensors to equip 0.8-micrometer and smaller-sized pixels without any performance loss, thus making it an optimal solution to develop super-resolution cameras with over 20-megapixels.

The Galaxy Note 9 will likely be the first smartphones from Samsung to feature ISOCELL Plus technology. Recent reports have already suggested that the new phablet is going to come with a revamped camera and this certainly fits the bill. Samsung is expected to officially unveil the Galaxy Note 9 in August.

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Another Galaxy Note 8 update released with June 2018 security patch

Samsung has released another Galaxy Note 8 update in markets like Germany and the Netherlands following a recent update that brought the June 2018 security patch to the device. The new update doesn’t bump up the security patch and its changelog doesn’t mention what’s new, so it’s unclear why the two updates have come out in quick succession one after the other.

A mysterious new Galaxy Note 8 update

The latest firmware version for the Galaxy Note 8 is N950FXXU3CRF4 (the previous one was N950FXXS3CRF1). The update is around 800 MB in size, which is rather huge considering Samsung says it only improves device security. But it probably includes fixes for a few bugs that might have crept through with the last update, and at least one market (Taiwan) seems to have been updated directly to this new firmware version. We will have to wait and see if the same is the case for other countries where Samsung is yet to release a single update with the June security patch.

If you own a Galaxy Note 8, open the Settings app, tap Software update, then tap Download updates manually to see if the update is available for you. If you can’t access it over the air, you can download the firmware from our database and update using a PC. Do tell us if you notice anything new or different after installing the update.

Update: Germany seems to have received two June security patch updates within a week for the S9 as well. The Galaxy S9 update brings ‘Hey Google’ hotword support, adds GDPR policies, and increase device stability, and we’re guessing that’s also what the second Note 8 update is about, even though Samsung hasn’t mentioned anything.

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