Galaxy M AnTuTu benchmark hints at 19.5:9 (possibly notched) display

Earlier this year, it was reported that Samsung is going to merge its Galaxy J, On and C series into a single new series called the Galaxy M. We also exclusively reported that Samsung is working on two Galaxy M phones, the first of which surfaced on the benchmarking website Geekbench yesterday. The listing was for the SM-M205F (which will probably be branded as the Galaxy M20) with an Exynos 7885 processor, 3GB of RAM and Android 8.1 Oreo. The device has now surfaced on AnTuTu and it reveals a little more about its specs.

A screen with fewer bezels and possibly a notch?

Beside what Geekbench revealed, the AnTuTu benchmark for the SM-M205F says that the phone will come with a display resolution of 2340×1080 pixels. That’s an odd resolution that can be found on devices like the Oppo R17 or Huawei Honor Play, both of which offer a higher screen-to-body ratio by using a notch for the front camera and other necessary sensors.

Samsung has already revealed it has displays with various types of notch shapes in the works, and the SM-M205F could be the first Galaxy phone with one of those displays. In fact, with the Galaxy M series expected to be an answer to heavy competition from Chinese OEMs in markets like India, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the entire lineup come with notched screens.

The AnTuTu benchmark also reveals that the device has 32GB of storage. The cameras are apparently 13 MP and 8 MP sensors for the rear and front. It is worth mentioning here that any information revealed in AnTuTu benchmarks is not completely reliable. Things can obviously change by the time the device gets ready for a market launch.

However, specs mentioned in the two benchmark listings are not too far fetched and are in line with what can be expected from the M series smartphones. More information will hopefully come to light in the coming weeks so we can get a better idea of what the Galaxy M phones are all about.

The post Galaxy M AnTuTu benchmark hints at 19.5:9 (possibly notched) display appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2zlbrL7
via IFTTT

Samsung UK now says Galaxy S9 Android Pieta is ‘coming soon’

Samsung UK has updated its website about the One UI Galaxy S9 beta to say that it is “coming soon.” The same website had earlier said that the beta program would launch in the UK on November 20th. Now, we can’t say for certain if this means the date provided initially was incorrect or that you could see the beta program pop up at any moment now. Samsung does say that we should keep an eye on the Samsung Members app, but it would be best to not be too hopeful.

From a concrete date to coming soon

Some Samsung UK support representatives are telling people that the beta program did begin on November 20, but it would take time to reach everyone because it’s rolled out in phases. But a phased rollout wasn’t employed for the beta in the phase one countries, so this could be another case of Samsung’s support representatives having no clue about things. And not a single Galaxy S9 or S9+ user in the UK seems to have gotten access to the beta yet. That’s a good sign that the beta is yet to reach the country.

It also makes sense that the UK isn’t getting beta access so soon. The UK is supposed to be in the second phase of the Android Pie beta program. And the possibility of phase two kicking off less than a week after phase one seems highly unlikely. That said, we’ll be keeping a close eye on things over the next few days just in case Samsung is going to expand availability of the beta so quickly. In the meantime, be sure to check out our One UI feature focus series to see what’s new with Android Pie and One UI.

Do tell us if you get access to the beta in the UK or any of the other phase two countries by leaving a comment. For those wondering, the phase two countries include China, Poland, Spain, France and India.

The post Samsung UK now says Galaxy S9 Android Pieta is ‘coming soon’ appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Exclusive: Galaxy S10 will be available with a ceramic back

Samsung will be pulling out all the stops for the Galaxy S10. We hear that it’s going to offer one of the models with a ceramic back in Black and White colors. Samsung is reportedly working on four different models of the Galaxy S10 – its 10th Anniversary flagship smartphone.

The SM-G970x will be the entry-level option with a 5.8-inch display and single rear camera. It may not have an in-display fingerprint sensor. In our recent exclusive about the Galaxy S10, we mentioned that it would be available in Black, White, Yellow and Green colors.

Galaxy S10 ceramic back to be offered in Black and White colors

The SM-G973 and SM-G975 will be the two premium options with 5.8-inch and 6.44-inch displays with a dual and triple rear camera, respectively. They’re the ones that will be offered with gradient colors.

Another model of the Galaxy S10 that Samsung is reportedly preparing would be an absolute beast. It will feature a 6.7-inch display, a quad rear and dual front camera with 5G support. It will certainly be the top-of-the-line model possibly 512GB of internal storage. The SM-G975FC model of the Galaxy S10 may also be the one to feature a ceramic back in Black and White colors.

Samsung will be a bit late to the ceramic party. Xiaomi has been using it on some smartphones since 2016. The Essential Phone is another device with a ceramic back. This material offers a more premium look and feel. The internationally recognized Mohs scale of mineral hardness places it slightly lower than diamond and sapphire. This means that no mineral can scratch the ceramic back except for diamond and sapphire. The microcrystal zirconium oxide ceramic material certainly befits a premium smartphone.

It’s still early days so things could change before everything is finalized. The Galaxy S10 is due to be launched in February next year. Its 5G-capable model may not arrive until March.

The post Exclusive: Galaxy S10 will be available with a ceramic back appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2PM5q4n
via IFTTT

Purported Galaxy S10 screen protectors will leave you scratching your head

Some images of purported Galaxy S10 screen protectors have surfaced from China and they will certainly have you scratching your head. We’re heading into a season of leaks as the release of Samsung’s next major device draws near with each passing day. Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S10 in February next year.

The leaks will only pick up going forward. The fact remains that not all of them will be accurate. That’s just the way it is with these things. The latest hints at very slim bezels for the next flagship.

Purported Galaxy S10 screen protectors hint at slim bezels

Samsung is already expected to maximize the screen-to-body ratio as much as it can on the Galaxy S10. The company recently revealed the four new kinds of Infinity Displays that it has created. At least one Galaxy S10 model is expected to feature an Infinity-O display – the one with a circular cutout for the front camera in the display panel itself.

One of the leaked images apparently shows us the Galaxy S10 “3D glass.” We can see that the cutout for the earpiece is located at the very top. The other images show the “film” or protector which doesn’t have a cutout.

It’s unclear why there’s a significant difference between the two. It could have something to do with the multiple models that Samsung is working on. It’s expected to launch no less than four different Galaxy S10 models. It’s also entirely possible that none of this has an iota of accuracy but that’s the thing with most leaks.

Nevertheless, it’s in line with expectations that the Galaxy S10 will have bezels that are slimmer than what we have seen so far on its other flagships. We’re certainly going to see more of these purported Galaxy S10 screen protectors surface in the coming weeks. Keep that salt shaker handy.

The post Purported Galaxy S10 screen protectors will leave you scratching your head appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2zfeB39
via IFTTT

Try out the ‘notch life’ on the Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta

Samsung is preparing phones with notches, that much is quite certain at this point. Even the base Galaxy S10 variant is said to have a notch. The Korean giant will have a number of variations of the intrusive cutout that you find on every other smartphone these days. But if you’re running the Android Pie beta on a Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, you can experience the “notch life” on your phone right now.

See what the notch is all about

Google was quick to add official support for notches to Android. It even put up some rules for the number of notches a device can have. And to help developers design their apps with proper support for the various types of notches found on Android phones, Google added the option to simulate “display cutouts” to Android Pie. This option is also available on the Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta. There are three versions of the notch you can try out. It can be a single cutout in the top center of the display, a double cutout that adds notches at the top and bottom, and a corner cutout.

This last option is the most interesting here, because Samsung is expected to have at least one smartphone in 2019 with a notch or hole in the corner. It’s also a good way to see how that Galaxy phone with a corner cutout might work. And, well, a chance to see just how non-Samsung phones with notches work. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty, and it will be sad to see Samsung embracing the notch in the coming months. Thankfully, the Night theme introduced with One UI will partly alleviate the problem.

How do I try it out?

To try out the Galaxy S9 notch, you will have to first enable the developer options menu in the phone’s settings. To do this, open the Settings app, tap About phone, then tap Software information. Here, repeatedly tap the Build number field seven times until you get a small popup messaging saying developer mode has been turned on. You might be prompted to authenticate through whatever phone lock method you’re using (pattern, PIN, fingerprint, etc) before developer mode is turned on.

Now that is done, go back to the first page of the Settings app, and scroll all the way down to the bottom to see a new Developer options option. Inside the developer options menu, scroll down to find the Simulate display with cutout option. Use this to select between the three cutout settings. To go back to normal, just select the None option.

The post Try out the ‘notch life’ on the Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2PJyQ36
via IFTTT

How to enable night mode on Samsung One UI (Android Pie)

It’s simple enough to enable night mode on Samsung One UI. That’s what Samsung is calling the new user interface it will ship with the Android Pie update. Leaked Pie builds had revealed that a system-wide dark theme was coming. It is indeed present on the first Pie beta that Samsung rolled out this week.

Not only is the dark theme more visually comforting but it also looks great as well. Many users will certainly use it as their default theme. Samsung has made it very simple to enable night mode on One UI.

Enable Night mode on Samsung One UI

Once you receive the Android Pie update which brings One UI, the dark theme is only a few taps away. Just swipe down from the top to access the quick toggles. The toggle for the Night mode is on the second page by default. It’s also possible to enable this feature from the Display menu in the Settings app.

A simple is all that’s required to enable Night mode system-wide. This includes native apps from Samsung as well but results may vary with third-party apps. You can set a schedule for when you want Night mode to be applied automatically. However, this feature doesn’t seem to be working in the first beta.

The One UI beta program will soon be expanding to other markets. It’s only available for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Samsung has confirmed that Android Pie will be out for the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9/S9+ in January 2019. Other compatible devices will get it thereafter.

Samsung’s One UI (Android Pie) update brings a variety of new features so check out our One UI feature focus series to learn more about them. Also check Samsung’s roadmap to see if your device is eligible for the Android Pie update.

The post How to enable night mode on Samsung One UI (Android Pie) appeared first on SamMobile.

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