Prototype Samsung 5G phone shown yesterday had an odd corner notch

It was confirmed earlier this week that a prototype Samsung 5G phone would be shown off at Qualcomm’s Tech Summit in Hawaii. Verizon and AT&T have both announced this week that they will offer a 5G smartphone from Samsung in 2019. The handset will most likely be the 5G variant of the Galaxy S10.

Samsung showed off the prototype 5G phone yesterday at the summit. The design was obscured in a dark case which isn’t surprising but the odd corner notch certainly is. We have not seen something like this before from Samsung.

Prototype Samsung 5G phone had an odd notch

Engadget reports from Hawaii that Samsung was very protective of this prototype. While the handset streamed 4K video over Verizon’s 5G network for display on a big TV screen, Samsung didn’t allow members of the press to even touch the device. It wouldn’t even let anyone turn on the phone’s display until someone managed to convince a representative to do so.

That’s when it became evident that this prototype Samsung 5G phone has a rather odd notch in the top right corner. The front camera is also positioned in this corner. It’s not the interface trickery of the One UI beta that lets you simulate various notch styles on the display. It appears to be an honest to God notch, make what you will of it.

Samsung has already revealed notched displays for future handsets. The question remains, though, does this prototype reveal any hints about the Galaxy S10? Samsung’s next flagship isn’t expected to feature a notch. It may come with the Infinity-O display instead which punches a hole in the actual display for the front camera. The space that this odd notch is taking up is kind of where some recently leaked renders have placed the Galaxy S10+’s in-hole dual front camera.

Don’t read too much into this prototype as far as the Galaxy S10 is concerned. Samsung’s purpose at the summit was to showcase its readiness for 5G. It understandably limited access to the device in order to prevent hype surrounding the Galaxy S10 to overshadow the real purpose.

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Fresh Galaxy S10+ renders show quad camera, slimmer bezels

Some unofficial Galaxy S10+ renders that surfaced online yesterday left many scratching their heads. Granted, these CAD-based renders don’t always reveal the full picture, but they often provide a reasonable idea of the design. Many of our readers suggested that they wouldn’t spend their money on the Galaxy S10+ if it looked like that.

The source who posted them yesterday cautioned today that something wasn’t right. He mentioned that updated renders would soon be out. The fresh renders he has posted online show noticeable changes compared to the ones we saw yesterday. The earlier iteration was apparently that of a “month old abandoned prototype.”

Fresh Galaxy S10+ renders have surfaced today

The unofficial renders that OnLeaks posted yesterday had chunky bezels and a triple rear camera. The ones he has posted today have slimmer bezels and a quad rear camera. It merits mentioning here that both the triple and quad rear camera setup has been rumored for the Galaxy S10+. Some reports suggest that only the 5G Galaxy S10 will have the four rear cameras.

Everything else remains the same, including the display hole for the dual front camera. We’ve already seen a concept of what this camera cutout might feel like when the phone is being used. It does appear to be a better option compared to the notch, at least to some Samsung fans.

Since you have seen both iterations of these unofficial Galaxy S10+ renders, which do you feel is more believable? The chunky bezels were particularly worrisome for a lot of our readers. They’ll be happy knowing that perhaps all hope is not lost yet for the Galaxy S10+.

One has to be careful with these unofficial renders, though. It’s not that difficult to get them wrong. There’s also no shortage of incorrect renders for previous Samsung flagships. Take this as more of an idea of the handset’s design than an actual representation until we start seeing more leaks.

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Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie beta program live in the US

The Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie beta program is now live in the US, following its debut in Germany and India. This is the first time Samsung is including both Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships of the year in beta testing for the next version of Android. It’s a welcome move, especially since the Note flagships tend to be costlier, although it remains to be seen if the Galaxy Note 9 beta program will be launched in all markets where the Galaxy S9 beta is available.

As with the Galaxy S9 beta program, owners of an unlocked Galaxy Note 9 will need to fire up the Samsung+ app and tap on the notice for the Note 9 beta program to register. If they manage to get through (remember, slots are limited for these beta programs), they can then download the Android Pie beta from the Software update menu in the phone’s Settings app by tapping Download updates manually. It’s a nearly 1,700 MB download, slightly bigger than the release for Germany and India. As with all software updates, this one will need your phone’s charge to be at least 20 percent.

Have you been able to register for the Galaxy Note 9 beta program? Tell us in the comments, and also let us know if the Note 9 beta is available for you in a country other than Germany, India, or the US. Don’t have access to the program in your country? Learn about everything that Android Pie will bring to your eligible Galaxy smartphone.

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AT&T will also offer the 5G Galaxy S10 next year

AT&T, the United States’ second-largest wireless carrier, has announced that it will offer a 5G Samsung phone starting sometime in spring 2019. The announcement comes just a day after Verizon and Samsung confirmed plans to launch a 5G smartphone in the first half of 2019.

AT&T 5G Galaxy S10 to arrive in the first half of 2019

Samsung is known to be developing a 5G variant of the Galaxy S10 for some time now. While no launch date has been confirmed yet, carriers are already starting to line up to offer the upcoming Samsung flagship. After Verizon, it’s AT&T who have confirmed the plans, though neither of them mentioned the Galaxy S10. But it’s obvious. No other Samsung smartphone will likely come with the next-gen network support before the Galaxy S10.

AT&T also said that it would work with Samsung to create a manufacturing technology-focused 5G “innovation zone.” The Dallas-based carrier has been deploying such 5G zones around the country lately. The company also plans to launch its 5G service in 12 markets by the end of 2018, and in another seven markets in the first half of 2019.

Samsung, meanwhile, is attending Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui this week. The company will show off a proof of concept 5G device at the event. It’ll be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem, the same modem which will likely power the Snapdragon-powered 5G Galaxy S10. Samsung will also launch an Exynos-powered 5G variant of the phone.

It will officially unveil the Galaxy S10 at MWC 2019 in February. The company should start shipping units in the US the following month.

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Foldable Samsung phone may be a limited edition device

Much has been said and written about the foldable Samsung phone. The company offered a glimpse of its display panel last month but didn’t show the actual device. It’s expected to properly unveil the foldable smartphone early next year.

Samsung will only confirm the availability details for the device at that point in time. What the reports so far have suggested is that the device will be produced in limited numbers. A new report reiterates that only one million units of the device will be made.

One million units may be produced of the Foldable Samsung phone

Samsung mobile CEO DJ Koh has himself said previously that the company will produce one million units of the foldable phone. He has also mentioned that the device will be released globally. A new report claims that the foldable Samsung phone will be a limited edition device.

This could mean that the company may not be planning to produce units beyond the one million target even if there’s demand. The initial production volume will be enough to roll out the device globally. It would not be substantial enough to cause big monetary losses for Samsung if it struggles to sell the device.

It may very well struggle to do that. Some reports suggest that the foldable Samsung phone won’t exactly be cheap. The rumored price tag is as high as $2,500. Samsung won’t find many takers for the device at that price except the most loyal of fans and enthusiasts.

The report mentions that Samsung will be marketing the device to middle-aged professionals, preferably those in their 40s. The target market appears to be customers who are performing well in their careers and have the means to spend more than an average customer on a mobile device.

This means that it may also position the device as more of a workhorse than something primarily meant for entertainment. It’s all just speculation at this point since none of this has been officially confirmed by Samsung yet.

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Galaxy A7 Super Slow-motion video mode arrives in first update

The first proper firmware update for the (new) Galaxy A7 brings another camera mode for the device. The Galaxy A7 Super Slow-motion video recording mode is included in the update that’s rolling out today. It’s a basic iteration of the feature so don’t expect to take Galaxy S9-quality slow motion videos.

The Galaxy A7 is a unique handset in Samsung’s lineup as it has three rear cameras. It stands out because of its wide-angle lens. It’s also the first Samsung smartphone with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

No firmware updates have really been released for the device since it was launched. That’s likely because it’s on the quarterly cycle for the security updates. The update that’s rolling out brings the security patch for November 2018, though. That’s despite the fact that Samsung has now detailed the December 2018 security patch as well.

That may not matter much to those who are excited to try out the Galaxy A7 Super Slow-motion video recording mode. The update weighs in at just over 275MB and this is the only major feature that it brings.

Once the update has been installed, the Super Slow-motion mode can be found among all of the other camera modes. The implementation is fairly basic as previously mentioned. It can record slow-motion videos at 720p. That’s the extent of this feature’s usability on the Galaxy A9 as well.

The firmware version A750FNXXU1ARK2 which brings this feature has been rolled out in a handful of markets. The list includes Greece, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ireland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands. It’s also available for download from our firmware section.

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Concept video imagines what the Galaxy S10 display hole would be like during use

We have heard a few reports recently about the Galaxy S10 display hole. Samsung’s next flagship smartphone is expected to feature a hole in the AMOLED panel itself for the front camera. All Galaxy S10 models are said to feature the Infinity-O display. The Galaxy S10+ may even have a bigger hole due to its dual front camera.

We haven’t really seen what the display hole would feel like when the device is being used. The only glimpses we have had of it have come from unofficial renders and sketchy screen protectors from China. There’s a new concept video which imagines what the Galaxy S10 display hole would feel like during use.

Concept video imagines the user experience with the Galaxy S10 display hole

The Infinity-O display is meant to give Samsung a way around the notch. The company hasn’t adopted notches for its flagship smartphones just yet. These reports show that it has no intention of doing that next year as well. This presents Samsung with a challenge. How does it then maximize screen real estate without opting for a notch?

The answer lies in the HIAA (hole in active area) display technology. Samsung will punch out a hole in the display panel itself to accommodate the front camera. It would enable the company to stretch the display even further without having to add a notch.

This concept video from tech YouTuber Dave Lee shows how the Galaxy S10 display hole would feel like when the device is being used. Disregard that it puts the display hole in the left and not the right corner as we’ve seen in recent leaks. This is what the user experience could feel like if Samsung opts for the Infinity-O display.

The entire display would be much cleaner and there would only be a small, camera-sized obstruction instead of a significantly larger notch. One can also presume that the content would be able to wrap around the hole in apps like YouTube when the video is made to fill the entire screen.

Does this concept make you think that the Infinity-O display would be a much better choice for the Galaxy S10 compared to a notch? Let us know by dropping a comment below.

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Galaxy A8s gets Wi-Fi certification running Android Oreo

The Galaxy A8s, which is confirmed for a December 10 launch, has been certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The listing reveals the phone to be running Android 8.0 Oreo. The device sports the Infinity-O display and recently appeared on the FCC as well.

Galaxy A8s gets Wi-Fi Alliance certification

The Galaxy A8s will be the first Samsung smartphone to come with a hole in active display area for the front camera. It features a hole on the top left of the screen, which houses the selfie camera. The Wi-Fi Alliance certificate now confirms that the phone will come with Android 8.0 Oreo on board. And this was pretty much expected as Samsung would naturally want the Galaxy S10 to be its first phone with Android Pie out of the box. The company is still testing the One UI (Android Pie), and the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 may get it in late January.

As usual, the Wi-Fi Alliance certificate for the Galaxy A8s doesn’t reveal anything more apart from its Wi-Fi capabilities. However, previous reports suggest the phone to sport a triple-camera setup at the back and a 24-megapixel front camera. The phone could be packing a 3,400 mAh battery.

While these specs may make you think that the Galaxy A8s is basically the Galaxy A7 (2018) with a hole, it’s not entirely true. The A8s is expected to be the first Galaxy with the Snapdragon 710 SoC, coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space. Also, the 6.39-inch Infinity-O FHD+ resolution LCD display could come with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

The Galaxy A8s is slated for an early January release in China. Whether it’ll be exclusive to the country remains to be seen.

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Galaxy A6+ gets AR Emoji in the latest update

Samsung launched the Galaxy A6+ in May this year as a lower-midrange offering. Galaxy smartphones in this range typically don’t receive regular updates. Even when they do get an update, it is usually a bump in the security patch rather than new features. The latest Galaxy A6+ update, however, seems to be an exception as it brings more than just the November security patch.

The A605GDXU3ARK2 (may vary slightly by region) firmware, which started rolling out towards the end of November, brings the AR Emoji feature to the Galaxy A6+. First launched on the Galaxy S9/S9+, the AR Emoji feature has been added to many midrange and budget devices since then, and now it’s the turn of the Galaxy A6+.

You can find the latest firmware in our database

If your Galaxy A6+ received the above-mentioned update, then you will find the AR Emoji option in the camera app. If you haven’t received the OTA update yet, you can either try to manually trigger the update or download the latest firmware from our database. Since Samsung rolls out updates in stages, it is possible not all the regions and variants have received the update yet.

Those who haven’t heard about the AR Emoji feature before can read our post about what it is and how to use it. As we mentioned in the past, it doesn’t work well on budget and midrange phones, but it is still encouraging to see Samsung bringing software features from its flagship devices to less-expensive models.

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Samsung Electronics beats P&G to emerge as the world’s largest advertiser

According to a new report from Ad Age, Samsung Electronics beats consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) to emerge as the world’s largest advertiser in 2017. The rankings which are based on reported and estimated spending by companies on various forms of advertising, including sales promotions, placed Samsung’s spending at a whopping $11.2 billion last year, ahead of P&G’s estimated $10.5 billion in the year ended June 2018.

Samsung’s ad spending went up by 13% year-on-year, while P&G didn’t see much of a change compared to the previous year. Though there is no evidence of a direct correlation, the report observes that Samsung’s marketing costs increased as the company tried to put behind the Galaxy Note 7 disaster.

Samsung’s massive sales promotion budget

Interestingly, the report says P&G is still the largest advertiser in the world when you consider a “narrower definition of advertising.” The consumer goods company spent a reported $7.1 billion on TV, print, radio, internet, and in-store ads, while Samsung spent $4.8 billion on the same. This excludes Samsung’s “massive sales promotion budget” (freebies, discounts, contests, etc.) which is what catapulted the South Korean company to the top of the rankings.

Though Samsung Electronics continues to post record earnings in the recent quarters, most of it is driven by the stellar performance of the company’s semiconductor business, which doesn’t need or rely on huge ad spending. Consumer products like smartphones, tablets, television, PCs, etc. which require massive marketing costs haven’t been performing as well as Samsung would have wanted.

Due to increasing market saturation and competition from Chinese brands, smartphones sales, in particular, has turned out to be a major concern for Samsung. The company has already undertaken many measures to counter the slump in sales, but the results are far from satisfactory so far. A recent report stated that the company is now reviewing the performance of the PR agency looking after its mobile business in its latest attempt to turn around the smartphone business.

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Screen protector embodies the dual Galaxy S10+ front camera

The rumored dual Galaxy S10+ front camera has been embodied in this screen protector that has surfaced out of China today. The high-end model of Samsung’s next flagship is expected to come with two cameras up front.

It won’t have a notch, though. Samsung is reportedly going with its new Infinity-O display for the device. This means that there will be a hole in the active display area for the front camera. The display hole design will be different for the Galaxy S10+ because the other models will only have a single front camera.

Dual Galaxy S10+ front camera embodied in a screen protector

To be clear, there’s conflicting information about the Galaxy S10+ display. The possibility of this device featuring the Infinity-O display has been highlighted only recently. The purported Galaxy S10+ dimensions and unofficial renders that surfaced recently also pointed in this direction.

This screen protector makes a similar claim. The Galaxy S10+’s 6.4-inch display won’t have a notch but two holes in the panel’s top right corner. This will allow Samsung to stretch the display as much as it can without having to use a notch. It’s not completely averse to notches anymore, though. Samsung did reveal its notched displays at its developers’ conference last month.

Even if all models of the Galaxy S10 are to get the Infinity-O display, it won’t be the first device with a hole-in-display. That crown will go to the Galaxy A8s. Samsung confirmed yesterday that it will be unveiling the Galaxy A8s in Beijing on December 10. It will most likely be released before the Galaxy S10.

Samsung’s new flagship isn’t due to be unveiled before February next year. It will arrive at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. Shipments may begin the following month. Do take these screen protectors with a grain of salt. It’s not particularly difficult for someone to whip up a couple of them to add to the rumor mill’s frenzy.

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Samsung Malaysia used a DSLR image to promote the Galaxy A8 Star’s camera

It is pretty much an open secret that companies often use DSLR shots as camera samples for their phones. Many top companies have been caught in such acts of crookery in the past, including Samsung. And it seems the Korean giant isn’t learning, or may be not even trying to learn from its mistakes.

Samsung Malaysia has been caught using a DSLR image to promote the camera capabilities of the Galaxy A8 Star. Interestingly, Samsung Brazil was also caught using stock images from Getty Photos as the camera samples for the Galaxy A8 earlier this year.

Samsung uses DSLR images to advertise its smartphone camera

The Galaxy A8 Star landing page on the official website of Samsung Malaysia has various images seemingly promoted as camera samples from the smartphone. However, at least one of them has turned out to be an image captured using a DSLR. The image was captured by Dunja Djudjic and sold via EyeEm. It was a portrait of herself “goofing around,” as she put it. Curious to find out who the buyer was, Djudjic performed a reverse image search only to find it on the Samsung Malaysia website with a different background.

Samsung Malaysia’s website has two heavily edited iterations of the image. One sports a sharp background, while the other has a blurred background supposedly demonstrating the Galaxy A8 Star’s bokeh abilities. Isn’t this false advertising, you may ask. Well, one can call it false advertising only if the company explicitly mentions that the images are captured using the actual device. Otherwise, it passes on as a reference image.

It was only yesterday an official Samsung account was caught tweeting from an iPhone, and not for the first time. An episode like this isn’t going to help the company’s image.

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Galaxy Note 9 One UI (Pie) beta has been released

Samsung prematurely opened up registrations for the Galaxy Note 9 One UI (Android Pie) beta in the United States last week. The update never came but it confirmed that Samsung would launch the beta program for the Galaxy Note 9 as well. It has now started rolling out the Android 9 Pie beta for the Galaxy Note 9.

We can confirm that the beta is being rolled out now in Germany and India. We have been able to install it on our devices. Registrations are now open through the Samsung Members app. Do hurry if you intend to reserve a spot because they tend to get taken quickly.

Galaxy Note 9 One UI beta finally released

Samsung is straying a bit from tradition here as it doesn’t normally offer a beta program for the Galaxy Note series. The Galaxy Note 8 wasn’t a part of the Oreo beta program launched last year. Not that we mind.

We did report two weeks ago that the Galaxy Note 9 One UI beta could be launched in South Korea and Germany. Seeing as how it’s out for India as well, clearly, Samsung is bringing it to all beta markets. The One UI beta markets include the United States, South Korea, Germany, Poland, Spain, China, France, India and the United Kingdom.

Samsung is rolling out firmware version N960FXXU2ZRKQ for the Galaxy Note 9. It features the November 2018 security patch but that’s not what people have been waiting for. This firmware update brings Android 9.0 Pie in addition to Samsung’s One UI. All of the features that are part and parcel of Android 9 Pie are included in this firmware. We have already detailed quite a few of them in our One UI feature focus series.

You can now try registering for the beta through the Samsung Members app in Germany and India. Galaxy Note 9 owners in other markets can try their luck through the app as well. It may only be a matter of time before the beta goes live there.

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December 2018 security patch details confirmed by Samsung

Merely a day after rolling out the December 2018 security patch early, Samsung has now revealed the details of the latest security maintenance release. The Galaxy Xcover 4 is the first smartphone to get this update. Samsung will be releasing the patch for more compatible devices in the coming weeks.

It has detailed the contents of this patch as part of its monthly security maintenance release process. The update includes patches from Google for Android in addition to patches from Samsung for its custom software.

December 2018 security patch details

The December 2018 security patch has fixes for six critical vulnerabilities discovered in the Android operating system. The most severe vulnerability in the framework section could enable a malicious app to run unapproved code in the context of a privileged process. The patch also has fixes for more than a dozen high-risk vulnerabilities. However, no moderate or low-risk vulnerabilities were required to be patched in this latest security maintenance release.

The update does bring quite a patches for 40 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items. This includes a vulnerability in the Secure Folder app which could have allowed access without authentication. Another vulnerability in the app could have resulted in the exposure of the gallery app without authentication.

Therefore, Samsung will now get down to the business of rolling out the December 2018 security patch to supported devices. We should expect some handsets to start receiving it within the next few days. The company may start rolling it out to high-end devices first.

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