Is there actually a Galaxy Note 9 with 8GB of RAM?

Samsung is currently in the endgame as far as the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 is concerned. Following months of (not-so-many) rumors and leaks, Samsung started teasing Galaxy Note 9 features with a handful of short videos. There’s one for the bigger battery, another for more storage, and one for better performance as well. And the teaser video for better performance couldn’t be more unclear about what it’s actually hinting at. Is it general software optimization, or perhaps the fact that the top-end Galaxy Note 9 will have up to 8GB of RAM?

Galaxy Note 9 may have it all… except for 8GB of RAM

Actually, going by the teaser video, one would think Samsung is advertising faster data speeds. Why else would you turn off automatic updates, disable background data usage, and switch to Wi-Fi if your phone is unable to open a PDF file? Those are clear indications that faster data speeds may be a part of the marketing push. After all, the Galaxy S9 already trumps the iPhone X in LTE speeds, so it wouldn’t be wrong to advertise the Galaxy Note 9 on that front. Even if that isn’t the case, it seems unlikely that a Note 9 with 8GB of RAM exists.

The first piece of evidence (or the lack of thereof) is that we haven’t yet seen a Galaxy Note 9 benchmark with 8 gigs of RAM. Neither have there been any solid rumors that would confirm an 8GB RAM model. Not to mention that bringing 8GB of RAM just a year after 6GB of RAM was introduced on the Note 8 would make little sense. Samsung needs to make sure the Galaxy Note 9 has plenty to offer for those looking to upgrade to a new phone, but it also needs to hold something back for next year. And 8GB of RAM will ultimately look better as a highlight feature on the tenth-anniversary Galaxy S flagship.

If you have been hoping to see Samsung make the shift to 8GB of RAM with the Note 9, you’re likely to be disappointed. Should Samsung actually announce a Galaxy Note 9 with 8GB of RAM (with 512GB of internal storage, as the rumors say), no one is going to complain. But the company said in its earnings report today that the new Note “offers exceptional performance for a reasonable price.” And there probably isn’t going to be anything reasonable about the price of a Galaxy Note with 8GB of RAM.

What do you think?

The post Is there actually a Galaxy Note 9 with 8GB of RAM? appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2M5Kgsd
via IFTTT

OnePlus surpassed Samsung to lead India’s premium smartphone segment, says Counterpoint Research

The Q2 2018 shipment numbers published so far have brought good news for Samsung in India. The company regained some of the lost ground and is showing signs of market dominance again. In the premium smartphone segment (>INR 30,000 or $437), however, it seems Samsung is having a tough time in India, at least according to a report from Counterpoint Research.

As per the latest data from Counterpoint Research, OnePlus reportedly surpassed Samsung to emerge as the leading premium smartphone brand in the country. Strong demand for the OnePlus 6 has helped the Chinese company register a staggering 446% YoY growth and capture 40% of the market share in the premium smartphone segment in Q2 2018.

OnePlus 6 is the best-selling premium smartphone

Samsung settled for the second spot with 34% market share, a drop of 25% when compared to last year. As confirmed by Samsung in its Q2 2018 earnings, Galaxy S9/S9+ sales have been slow globally, and the same applies to India as well.  Even Samsung’s arch rival, Apple, had a weak quarter with market share dropping to 14% – its lowest ever in the country.

The report says the premium smartphone segment in India grew by 19% YoY and 10% sequentially during the second quarter. The growth is primarily in the sub-INR 40,000 (~$583) category where OnePlus and other smaller brands have positioned their products. It shows that consumers are unwilling to pay substantially more for Samsung and Apple unless there is a strong product differentiation.

While Xiaomi is going after Samsung’s volume, OnePlus is going after its profits. It is clear Chinese brands are the biggest threat to Samsung’s dominance in India. The company has done reasonably well to counter Xiaomi in the last quarter by launching new models, but that’s not a strategy Samsung can easily adopt for the premium segment.

The post OnePlus surpassed Samsung to lead India’s premium smartphone segment, says Counterpoint Research appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2n0o4EY
via IFTTT

Galaxy Tab S2 updated with July 2018 security patch in Canada

While we await the Galaxy Tab S4’s official launch, Samsung is pushing out the latest Android security patch to the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 over in Canada. That’s right, the Galaxy Tab S2 is getting a security update nearly three years after its retail debut. Or is it? Some markets, including Canada, saw the release of the Tab S2 much later with a newer version of Android on-board, so this isn’t as impressive as an update for an old device like the Galaxy S6.

July 2018 security update for the Galaxy Tab S2

The July 2018 security update for the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 is available on various carriers in Canada; the build number is being bumped up to T818WVLS3BRG1. The July 2018 patch fixes four critical Android OS vulnerabilities and nine vulnerabilities discovered in Samsung’s software. Don’t expect to see any major changes or new features with the update other than the usual performance and stability improvements. But if you do notice something different after installing the update, do let us know in the comments.

To download the update, head into the Settings » Software update menu on your tablet. We also have the complete firmware available in our database should you wish to manually install the update, although you will also need to download considerably more data if you take this route.

The post Galaxy Tab S2 updated with July 2018 security patch in Canada appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Do you like the selfie camera on Samsung’s current flagship phones?

Mid-range and budget Galaxy phones these days have up to 24-megapixel front-facing cameras. Meanwhile, Samsung is still using an 8-megapixel sensor for the selfie cameras on its flagship smartphones. Of course, despite the lower megapixel count, the flagship front cameras usually take better photos than the cameras on cheaper Galaxy devices thanks to higher-end sensor specs. But the front-facing camera on Samsung flagships is perhaps the least talked about whenever a new flagship is around the corner.

Selfies… selfies everywhere

Really, when was the last time you read a story on what the Galaxy Note 9 could offer when it comes to taking selfies? Sure, the Note lineup is for the professionals and business-minded folks, but it’s not like the front camera is talked about much in the rumors that come out for upcoming Galaxy S flagships. And the reason for that may be the fact that the front camera doesn’t get upgrades as often as other aspects of a top-of-the-line smartphone.

Samsung seems to stick to a two-year cycle for front camera upgrades. The 8 MP camera on the Galaxy S8 came two years after Samsung upgraded to a 5 MP front camera on the Galaxy S6. Samsung also made changes to aspects like sensor size and aperture and added software-based autofocus. In 2019, rumor has it that the Galaxy S10 will feature dual cameras at the front, which means we would see noticeable changes after a period of two years yet again.

What improvements would you like to see?

Samsung brought over the Galaxy S8 front camera to the Note 8 and the Galaxy S9. The same is likely to be the case for the Galaxy Note 9, and our question today is: Are you okay with the front-facing cameras found on Samsung’s flagships phones today?

Do you think they perform well, or do you think there’s room for improvement? What kind of changes would you like to see? Would a dual camera front setup make you happy, or do you think we also need more megapixels? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so go ahead and get a discussion started down in the comments section!

The post Do you like the selfie camera on Samsung’s current flagship phones? appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2v9oNZ5
via IFTTT

Samsung seeks to drive growth with foldable displays

Samsung’s earnings releases tend to offer bits and pieces of information that help us understand what the company is focusing on for the coming quarters. Its full earnings results for Q2 2018 show that revenues were down 4 percent in the quarter due to sluggish sales of smartphones and display panels. Samsung also confirmed reports that the Galaxy S9 sales have indeed been slow.

Samsung’s display division was expected to take a hit in this quarter and it certainly has. There was weak demand for flexible OLED panels while shipments and prices for LCD panels also declined. The company is now relying on newer products such as foldable displays to drive growth for this crucial division.

First foldable smartphone due early next year

Samsung was expected to bring in around $22 billion in revenue when it was selected as the sole supplier of OLED panels to Apple for the iPhone X. Amid reports that Apple had cut its sales target for the flagship device, it was reported that Samsung had overestimated demand for OLED displays.

The company was said to be taking a step back to re-evaluate its investments in OLED production as it seemed to have overestimated demand from Chinese manufacturers as well. Most Chinese OEMs have stuck with LCD panels because of cost benefits and haven’t made the switch to OLED.

Despite improved factory utilization for rigid products, Samsung says that demand for flexible OLED products “from major customers” remained slow. This had a negative impact on the company’s revenues. It didn’t help that shipments and the average panel price for LCD products also declined during this period.

Samsung expects better performance from its display division in the second half of this year, though. It predicts that OLED sales will rebound on recovering demand for flexible displays. It will enhance technological and price competitiveness to actively address customer demand.

It pledges to reinforce its competencies in new products such as foldable displays. Samsung is expected to start mass producing its foldable OLED displays in the second half of this year. They will first be supplied to the company’s mobile division which is said to launch Samsung’s first foldable smartphone early next year. It’s only after that might the display division start thinking about supplying the foldable OLED display to other manufacturers.

The post Samsung seeks to drive growth with foldable displays appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2LJSA43
via IFTTT

Samsung confirms Galaxy S9 sales have been slow this past quarter

When the Galaxy S9 was announced earlier this year, Samsung said that it expected the new flagship to outperform the Galaxy S8. Reports to the contrary soon started trickling in. They claimed that the Galaxy S9 sales were slow. Customers in Samsung’s home country of South Korea were said to be particularly uninterested as the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ reportedly hit record lows.

A recent report claimed that it’s the first time in the history of the Galaxy S series that Q2 sales are lower than Q1. All market reports pointed to an acute underperformance by the flagship duo. Some have even claimed that it’s Samsung’s worst-selling Galaxy S flagship since the Galaxy S3 which came out in 2012.

Samsung had hinted at this much in its earnings guidance for Q2 2018. The company released its full earnings for the quarter today and confirmed that the Galaxy S9 sales have been below expectations.

Galaxy S9 sales

Samsung’s earnings for the second quarter of this year are down 4 percent compared to a year earlier. The company blamed this on multiple factors including “slow sales of the Galaxy S9.” It mentions the stagnant high-end smartphone market as one of the reasons for the underperformance of this year’s flagship.

Samsung doesn’t reveal sales numbers for its smartphones in the earnings reports. It does mention that aside from the overall sluggish smartphone market, increased competition is also the cause of its smartphone shipments and revenues declining quarter-over-quarter. It mentions the slow sales of the flagship duo once again in addition to the phasing out of older low-end models for the decline in revenues.

The company’s mobile division posted 24 trillion won or $21.4 billion in revenue for the quarter with an operating profit of 2.67 trillion won or $2.38 billion. It’s a considerable decline from the 30.1 trillion won or $27 billion in revenue and the 7.59 trillion won or $6.8 billion in profit that the division posted during the same period last year. The Galaxy S8 was actually the world’s best-selling Android smartphone in Q2 last year.

One of the reasons why customers haven’t been that interested in the new flagship duo is that they’re not significantly different from their predecessors. Many customers who purchased the Galaxy S8 saw little reason to upgrade and with competition in the high-end segment heating up, it’s evident that the Galaxy S9 has been unable to generate the kind of response that Samsung was hoping for.

The post Samsung confirms Galaxy S9 sales have been slow this past quarter appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2LFL0bh
via IFTTT

Disney’s Frozen characters now available in AR Emoji

Samsung has brought over yet another popular Disney franchise to AR Emoji on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. AR Emoji now lets you create an emoji avatar of the characters Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Kristoff from the 2013 film Frozen. This is the second movie franchise to be a part of AR Emoji, with the first being The Incredibles.

AR Emoji gets more Disney characters

Samsung will continue to bring more such Disney characters to AR Emoji as the months go by, as it had announced earlier this year. We will hopefully see characters from some of Disney’s more iconic franchises such as Toy Story. AR Emoji also received a major update recently that improves facial tracking and introduces more customization options. Whether the Galaxy Note 9 will bring further improvements remains to be seen, although most of the improvements aren’t likely to factor into the Disney emojis, which are created in real-time with no further customization options once you’ve captured a photo.

To access the new Frozen AR Emoji pack, open the camera app and swipe to the AR Emoji mode. Then tap on the plus icon on the bottom right side, and you should see Frozen in the list of top stickers. If not, open the Galaxy Apps store, then search for ‘Frozen AR Emoji’ and install it manually. You can then access the newly added characters in the AR Emoji camera mode.

The post Disney’s Frozen characters now available in AR Emoji appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Samsung’s Q2 2018 earnings show its record profit run is ending

Samsung has posted record profits in every quarter over the past year but it was expected that the momentum would be slowing down by the second quarter of this year. Many analysts had predicted that the company’s record profit run would be nearing an end by Q2 2018. The company’s own earnings guidance for the quarter suggested as much.

The company released its official Q2 2018 earnings results today and they show that the record profit run is indeed losing momentum. Overall revenues are down 4 percent compared to the same period last year.

Samsung’s Q2 2018 earnings

The earnings result is in line with the guidance that Samsung issued earlier this month. It posted 58.48 trillion won or about $52 billion in revenue compared to 61 trillion won or $54.7 billion in the same period last year, a 4 percent dip.

Samsung’s quarterly operating profit came in at 14.87 trillion won or $13.3 billion which represents a 6 percent increase compared to Q2 2017. Samsung posted an operating profit of 15.64 trillion won or $14.49 billion in Q1 2018. Q2 2018 is thus Samsung’s slowest quarterly profit growth in over a year.

The company puts the decline in revenues on softer sales of smartphones and display panels. Demand for memory chips remained robust. It’s a market that Samsung dominates but that wasn’t enough to prevent revenues from dipping this past quarter. The memory business did make a significant contribution to the higher operating profit.

The semiconductor business remains Samsung’s cash cow. It saw consistent demand for DRAM chips and NAND flash memory amid a decline in NAND prices. The display business remained under pressure this past quarter due to weak demand for flexible OLED panels with shipments and prices for LCD panels dipping as well.

The Consumer Electronics Division’s profits were lifted due to stronger sales of premium TVs such as the QLED models due to seasonality brought on by the global football event. Samsung expects demand for its memory chip products to remain strong going forward. Flexible OLED shipments may rise as well.

The post Samsung’s Q2 2018 earnings show its record profit run is ending appeared first on SamMobile.

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