Samsung and Harman Kardon unveil new premium soundbar lineup

Harman Kardon, now owned by Samsung, has introduced a new premium soundbar lineup with its parent company. The Samsung HW-N950 and HW-N850 premium soundbars have been developed in collaboration with Harman and they feature Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to provide an immersive audio experience.

These co-branded premium soundbars will be available later this month. They feature both Samsung and Harman Kardon logos to represent the new partnership between the two brands.

Samsung and Harman Kardon soundbars

Samsung for long been making soundbars but it’s now able to leverage the expertise of Harman Kardon to further improve the product. Harman Kardon is a well-regarded name in the premium audio segment.

This isn’t the first time that the two companies have collaborated on products since Harman’s acquisition by Samsung in March last year. Some flagship Samsung smartphones and tablets feature AKG-tuned audio and ship with AKG headphones. The AKG audio brand is owned by Harman Kardon.

This premium soundbar lineup is the first major collaboration between Samsung and Harman Kardon for the premium audio category. It features Dolby Atmos and DTS’ proprietary DTS:X technology to deliver immersive and three-dimensional sound.

In addition to these technologies, the HW-N950 and HW-N850 soundbars feature up and side-firing speakers which naturally move sound around and above listeners. The HW-N950 has a main unit, four speakers and two wireless surround sound speakers with 7.1.4 channels, the largest number of channels currently available in a soundbar. The HW-N850 is a simplified version of the HW-N950 with a main unit speaker, woofer and a 5.1.2 channel.

Pricing and availability information has not yet been confirmed.

The post Samsung and Harman Kardon unveil new premium soundbar lineup appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Samsung launches the Galaxy Note 9 in China for ~$1000

Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9 at an event in New York City. It’s now conducting launch events in key markets across the globe. These events are meant to generate buzz for the new handsets in the market and also confirm the pricing and availability details.

The company has officially launched the Galaxy Note 9 in China. The base model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage has been priced at 6,999 yuan which is just a hair above $1,000.

Galaxy Note 9 in China

Samsung has a lot riding on this smartphone in China. The company’s performance in this key smartphone market hasn’t been good in the past few years. Its market share has eroded and was even below 1 percent in the previous quarter.

The company promised a couple of months ago that it will focus more on the Chinese market and offer experiences and services with its devices that offer more value for money to the Chinese customer.

The Galaxy Note 9 is a bonafide flagship smartphone with its Snapdragon 845 processor and up to 8GB of RAM. Yes, it has an 8GB RAM variant which is also the first Galaxy Note handset to ship with 512GB of internal storage. Samsung is going to charge 8,999 yuan for the 8GB + 512GB Galaxy Note 9 variant which is around $1,295.

Samsung is going to release the Galaxy Note 9 in the United States and other markets on August 24. It will then gradually release the handset in additional markets after that. It’s taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 9 in China currently and will release the handset on August 31.

The post Samsung launches the Galaxy Note 9 in China for ~$1000 appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2OB2end
via IFTTT

A Samsung Galaxy S9 Active looks unlikely this year

The Galaxy S7 Active and the Galaxy S6 Active were announced in June 2015 and 2016 respectively. The Galaxy S5 Active went official in May of 2014. It’s mid-August right now, and by this time last year, the Galaxy S8 Active had gone official for North American carrier AT&T. With the Galaxy Note 9 set for a worldwide launch in late August, it doesn’t look like a Galaxy S9 Active is on the cards, and you might want to stop waiting for it.

No real reason for a Galaxy S9 Active to exist

Of course, it’s unclear if many people are waiting for an S9 Active. The Active phones are usually based on the smaller of the two Galaxy S flagships, which would make the Galaxy S9 Active quite unattractive. That’s because the Galaxy S9 only has a single rear camera and 4GB of RAM. While Samsung could increase the latter for the S9 Active, the company has already claimed that it had to use a single camera for the S9 in order to make sure they didn’t have to downsize the battery to a capacity lower than 3,000 mAh.

If that is indeed the reason, then it would be near impossible for Samsung to put in a 4,000 mAh battery for the Galaxy S9 Active. The Galaxy S Active phones are usually thicker than their regular counterparts thanks to military-grade ruggedness, but the other dimensions don’t change as much. That leaves very little space for a big battery for converting the non-Plus Galaxy S9 into an Active version. Samsung could use the S9+ as a base, but then consumers would have little reason to go for the Galaxy Note 9, for which the Korean giant is using a long-lasting battery as one of the main highlights.

And, of course, the biggest clue for the non-existence of a Galaxy S9 Active is the fact that we haven’t seen any rumors or leaks in the last couple of months. All we saw was a rather fake leak that claimed to show the S9 Active’s specs. There’s no firmware for the device in development, either, as far as we know. Too many indications that a Galaxy S9 Active isn’t coming, so if you had even the tiniest bit of hope, maybe it’s time to let go.

The post A Samsung Galaxy S9 Active looks unlikely this year appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Samsung has a patent for a self-healing glass coating

A patent Samsung filed back in February last year has surfaced recently revealing that the company has worked on developing a self-healing oleophobic coating to be applied on the cover glass of mobile devices. This patent application from last year has been published this month by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The coating is described as a “film” or “laminate” in the patent with its composition including compounds like polyhedral silsesquioxane and polyrotaxane. Keep in mind that oleophobic coatings for cover glass are not new. These coatings are meant to keep fingerprint spots off of the glass panel. Samsung’s patent mentions a self-healing coating.

Self-healing glass coating

It’s pertinent to not let your imagination run amok here. A self-healing oleophobic coating won’t miraculously repair the glass if it shatters on impact. The main purpose of this coating is to keep fingerprint spots at bay and it can do a reasonable job at that.

The coating may wear off with prolonged use of a smartphone so a self-healing oleophobic coating will simply ensure that the ability of the cover glass to withstand fingerprint spots doesn’t falter over time. It may also offer improved protection against nominal scratches and abrasions. It certainly won’t do anything to stop cracks.

With an increasing number of Samsung smartphones opting for a glass and metal sandwich design, it would make sense for the company to start applying a more durable oleophobic coating to its handsets. It will be useful for its customers in the long run as well, particularly since people seem to be holding on to their flagship smartphones for longer these days owing to the rising prices in the high-end segment.

It’s pertinent to mention here that Samsung has merely patented this right now and it’s not known for sure if and when it will start using this coating for its smartphones. The company did reveal its unbreakable display glass recently which is more durable than Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass 6. We’ll likely see that technology come to market first before this self-healing oleophobic coating does. The two would make for a good pair, though.

The post Samsung has a patent for a self-healing glass coating appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Samsung develops 5G-capable Exynos Modem 5100 for smartphones

Samsung has developed products and services aimed at ushering in the age of 5G. The company today announced that it has developed the Exynos Modem 5100. Samsung says that it’s the industry’s first 5G modem that’s fully compliant with 3GPP standards.

The new single-chip modem has support for multi-mode communication and ensures high efficiency in data transmission. It’s fully compatible with 3rd Generation Partnership Project or 3GPP Release 15, the most recent standard specification for 5G New Radio or 5G-NR.

Exynos Modem 5100

Samsung has built the Exynos Modem 5100 on its power-efficient 10-nanometer process technology. It’s not just a 5G modem. The chip has support for legacy technologies as well including 2G GSM/CDMA, 3G WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, HSPA and 4G LTE.

The company mentions that it has successfully conducted an over-the-air 5G-BR data call test in a wireless environment using a 5G base station and a prototype 5G smartphone with the Exynos Modem 5100.

The test simulated real-world cellular network conditions and will help ensure faster development and commercialization of 5G smartphones with this new modem. Samsung says that it’s closely working with many global mobile carriers and partners to quickly bring commercial 5G networks to market.

The Exynos Modem 5100 is capable of providing a maximum downlink speed of up to 2-gigabits per second in 5G’s sub-6-gigahertz setting and 6Gbps in mmWave settings. It can also support stable and fast data communication in 4G networks with downlink speeds of 1.6Gbps.

Samsung is going to start supplying this modem to customers by the end of this year which means smartphones touting it will arrive next year. The company will probably be the first to bring a smartphone to market with the Exynos Modem 5100. It recently revealed that its first 5G smartphone won’t be the Galaxy S10. That title will go to a separate device that’s expected to arrive early next year.

The post Samsung develops 5G-capable Exynos Modem 5100 for smartphones appeared first on SamMobile.

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

User manual for Samsung’s Android Go smartphone available online

The user manual for Samsung’s first Android Go smartphone – the Galaxy J2 Core – has been leaked online. It is giving us further confirmation that the device will be a regular Galaxy phone instead of something with stock Android. Not that we needed such confirmation, but if you still had doubts, this should clear them away.

The manual is in Russian so it’s unclear if there’s a mention of Go versions of apps such as YouTube and Google. But as our exclusive reveal of the actual phone in pictures had shown, the J2 Core won’t come with the full-fledged versions of Google’s proprietary apps. It’s unclear if users will be able to access the full-blown versions from the Play Store. Anyone can download the Go versions of these apps from Google Play on regular Android devices, so it would be logical for the reverse to be true as well. But Google probably prevents that on Android Go devices as it might be detrimental for the user experience given the limited RAM.

Samsung Android Go phone has a removable battery

The Galaxy J2 Core will also come with a stripped-down version of the Samsung Internet app and various tools to manage data usage and storage. Its specs are expected to include a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos 7570 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB storage, 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel rear and front cameras, a 2,600 mAh battery, and Android 8.1 Oreo with on-screen navigation keys. The battery is removable and there are dual SIM slots, as confirmed by the user manual, although that isn’t surprising as removable batteries continue to be a part of Samsung’s ultra low-budget smartphones.

While the user manual comes from Russia, the firmware for the Galaxy J2 Core on our website are for India and its neighboring markets (for the model SM-J260G). And that’s where the phone is likely to be launched first as these markets are the prime target for Samsung’s budget efforts.

The post User manual for Samsung’s Android Go smartphone available online appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2PapV6Q
via IFTTT

The Galaxy Note 9 has made me impatient like no other Samsung flagship

I don’t usually buy flagship phones on my money. That’s just a perk of working at SamMobile, where I get to use flagship phones and plenty of lower-end Galaxy phones as part of the job description. If I don’t get a phone from SamMobile, Samsung is nice enough leave review units with us until the next flagship is nearing launch (the review units that we don’t have to return go to our Netherlands office). And as a user of only Samsung devices for the last couple of years, it’s been hard for me to get truly excited about a new phone and, therefore, impatient for the day it will go on sale. But the Galaxy Note 9 has changed that.

Galaxy Note 9’s big battery is its best feature. Period.

No, I’m not trying to get people to buy the Galaxy Note 9 because Samsung paid us or something like that, as we have often been accused. But I do want to tell you why the Note 9 has me excited. The reason is that big battery on the Note 9. I’ve written about how the bigger battery is the only new Galaxy Note 9 feature I needed, and really, I have been getting very impatient about the day I’ll get the Galaxy Note 9 in my hands. Why? Because the Galaxy Note 8, to me, was darn near perfect, except for its battery endurance.

The Note 8 does well enough with a 3,300 mAh battery, but like many smartphone users, I hate how battery life on flagship phones hasn’t been dependable for so long. We have all the backups and alternatives we need these days, including car chargers, power banks, and fast charging. But there’s no substitute for a battery that doesn’t require constant charging and has enough capacity to power a flagship smartphone through the day, especially with a fair bit of mobile data usage.

So I was elated when the Note 9 was confirmed to have a 4,000 mAh battery. Unless fate has other plans for Samsung and the Note 9 has some glaring issues, it’s looking more and more like a perfect phone. Well, perfect for me at least, who was only disappointed with the battery life on the Galaxy Note 8 (and the poorly placed fingerprint sensor, but thankfully I’ve never been a fan of keeping my phone secured with a password) and loved everything else about it. Things like the stereo speakers and 128GB of storage are the icing on the cake.

August 24 can’t arrive soon enough

I haven’t had the opportunity to play with an actual Galaxy Note 9 yet. I wasn’t at the New York launch, and Samsung India will only send a review unit around the time of the phone’s launch in the country. But I can’t wait for the day I do get a Note 9 in my hands, and I’m ready to spend my own money on the device even though I will have to purchase it on credit card instalments. Flagship Galaxy smartphones phones are exciting again, and it’s funny how the excitement comes from something as fundamental as battery life.

Are you among those who think the 4,000 mAh Galaxy Note 9 battery is enough reason for you to buy the phone?

The post The Galaxy Note 9 has made me impatient like no other Samsung flagship appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2P9rqlG
via IFTTT