A tiny way One UI makes screenshot button combo more convenient

Here’s something for those who tend to take screenshots often on their Galaxy device: On Android Pie, you no longer need to press and hold the volume down and power buttons to take a screenshot. You can simply press both buttons together and immediately let go to take a screenshot. It’s great for us who take screenshots almost daily as part of our job description, and most likely for many of our readers as well.

One UI also makes the screenshot animation more pleasing, but that’s part of more visually attractive animations across the board on Android Pie. And yes, not having to hold down the volume and power buttons for taking a screenshot might seem like a tiny change for a dedicated article. But we’re deliberately trying to be impartial in our coverage of the new stuff the latest version of Android will bring to the Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 9, and other Galaxy devices, and both minor and major changes play a role in improving the overall user experience.

What do you think about Android Pie not needing you to hold down the volume and power buttons for taking a screenshot?

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Galaxy M20 could have a whopping 5,000 mAh battery

We have already told you that Samsung is working on a new series of affordable smartphones to better compete in this segment. The new Galaxy M series will reportedly replace the Galaxy C, J and On lineups to consolidate Samsung’s affordable offerings. It may kick things off with two devices initially – the Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20.

Bits and pieces of information has been trickling in about both devices over the past couple of days. A new report claims that the Galaxy M20 is going to have a massive 5,000mAh battery. That’s not the kind of capacity we’re used to seeing on Samsung’s high-end devices, let alone its affordable models.

Galaxy M20 may be Samsung’s first smartphone with a 5,000mAh battery

AAS reports that the Galaxy M20 (SM-M205F) is the first Samsung smartphone to come with a 5,000mAh battery. Furthermore, it’s also said to be the first device from the company with an Infinity-U display. An image leaked online a few days ago suggested that this might mean a waterdrop-like notch for the display.

The Galaxy M20 measures 156.4 x 74.5 x 8.8 mm as per this report. That would make it 1mm thicker than the recently launched Galaxy A8s. It might not go down the same route as the Galaxy A8s and ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack. A purported Galaxy M20 case leaked last week did have a cutout for the jack. It may feature an 8 megapixel front camera and a 13 MP + 5 MP dual camera system at the back.

The Galaxy M20 has already been spotted on Geekbench with an Exynos 7885 processor and 3GB RAM. It will most likely come with Android 8.1 Oreo much like the Galaxy M10 which received its Wi-Fi certification today.

Samsung is yet to confirm anything about this new series. It’s unclear when the company is planning to launch the Galaxy M handsets. Some suggest that we may see a launch as early as January 2019. We’ve already revealed that these devices will go on sale in countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa first.

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Galaxy A8 (2018), T-Mobile Galaxy S7, and more get December security patch

A handful of Galaxy devices are now being updated with the December 2018 security patch. The Galaxy S7 is being updated by T-Mobile in the US, while the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are receiving the new patch on the Verizon network. Over in Russia and some neighboring countries, an update with the December patch is rolling out for the Galaxy A8 (2018).

December 2018 patch available for more Galaxy devices

The contents of the update for each of these devices may be different, although it seems only the new security patch is the highlight. Software versions are getting bumped to G930TUVS8CRL1 for the Galaxy S7, A530FXXS3BRL1 for the A8 (2018), and R16NW.G960USQS3BRK2 and R16NW.G965USQS3BRK2 for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ respectively. The December patch brings fixes for nearly 40 critical vulnerabilities that affect Samsung’s software, along with fixes for six critical vulnerabilities that affect Android in general.

If you own any of these devices, open the Settings app, tap Software update, then tap Download updates manually. If you don’t have the over-the-air update yet, you can download the relevant firmware from our database for a manual install. As always, do tell us if the new update is available for your device in another country and whether it brings anything more than just security fixes.

Galaxy S7 (T-Mobile)

• Model: SM-G930T
• Dimensions: 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm
• Display: 5.1" (129.2mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• Camera: 12 MP, Dual Pixel F1.7

More specifications

Galaxy S9 (US)

• Model: SM-G960U
• Dimensions: 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm
• Display: 5.8” (146.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS OIS (F1.5/F2.4)

More specifications

Galaxy S9+ (US)

• Model: SM-G965U
• Dimensions: 157.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm
• Display: 6.2” (158.1mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS Dual OIS (F1.5/F2.4) & Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4)

More specifications

Galaxy A8

• Model: SM-A530F
• Dimensions: 149.2 x 70.6 x 8.4mm
• Display: 5.6"(142.0mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 7885
• Camera: 16 MP, CMOS PDAF (F1.7)

More specifications

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Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta gets fourth update in the UK and Germany

Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ owners on the Android Pie beta in the UK and Germany can now download a new update. The update comes with software version G960FXXU2ZRLF and G965FXXU2ZRLF for the S9 and S9+ respectively and is smaller than the third beta release, no doubt because there are less issues that need fixing. That can only be a good thing as we approach January, as Samsung has said both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 will get the official Pie update next month.

Serious bug fixes inbound

The new beta does seem to fix some serious bugs that not everyone may have encountered. These bugs include apps that require a Samsung account not working, message notifications not going away from the notification shade even after the notification is opened, the Phone app crashing when you press the call icon, and the screen flickering when a call is being made. The update is a 324MB download that can be grabbed by tapping the Download and install button in the Settings » Software update menu on the device.

The new beta update should soon be rolling out for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in other markets where the beta program is available. Here’s hoping it doesn’t bring any major new issues that might need a hotfix update later on, as we saw for both of the previous beta updates.

Galaxy S9

• Model: SM-G960F
• Dimensions: 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm
• Display: 5.8” (146.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS OIS (F1.5/F2.4)

More specifications

Galaxy S9+

• Model: SM-G965F
• Dimensions: 157.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm
• Display: 6.2” (158.1mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS Dual OIS (F1.5/F2.4) & Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4)

More specifications

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Samsung installs the world’s largest LED signage at the Istanbul Airport

Samsung has announced that it recently finished installing the world’s largest indoor airport LED signage at the new Istanbul Airport. The combined surface area of the LED displays reaches 1,012 square meters, which is equivalent to that of 2.5 basketball courts. In total, Samsung installed nearly 700 sets of LCD and LED signage at the new airport in Turkey.

Istanbul Airport adopts Samsung’s digital signage

The newly opened Istanbul Airport aims to become the world’s largest airport once fully-completed, covering 76.5 million square meters. And Samsung is leading the digitalization project of the airport. The company has installed the digital signage at the airport’s main terminal building.

The project include two giant 193-square meter LED screens at the international departure gate. The screens will welcome visitors who enter the airport. Samsung’s LED signage can also be found in arrival halls, baggage claim areas, check-in areas, passport control and lounges. The project was carried out within 45 days by a technical team of 28 people with the help of B.T. Global.

“Samsung’s brand reliability as a global display business leader was one of the most important considerations when determining who would manage this important project since it had to be executed with precision in such a short period of time,” said Kadri Samsunlu, Chief Executive Officer of Istanbul Grand Airport.

Samsung’s smartphone business may be faltering, but its display business is reaching new heights. The company had a 57.8 percent share in smartphone display market in the third quarter of 2018. The share percent breaches the 90-percent mark when it comes to OLED displays.

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Samsung’s new Galaxy M series launch may not be that far off

We exclusively reported not too long ago that Samsung has a new Galaxy M series in the pipeline. It’s believed that this series will replace the Galaxy J, On and C handsets to consolidate Samsung’s affordable offerings. Samsung is yet to confirm the new series but it appears that the launch may not be that far off now.

The Galaxy M10 and M20 will likely be the first two handsets in this series. The former was recently spotted on Geekbench as well which provided a glimpse of its specs. It has now received its Wi-Fi certification.

Galaxy M series launch possible in the near future

These certifications are normally viewed as an indication of an impending launch. It’s possible that Samsung may be planning to launch the new Galaxy M series in the near future. Some reports even predict a January launch for the Galaxy M10 and M20.

The Galaxy M10 (SM-M105F) benchmark revealed an Exynos 7870 processor with 3GB of RAM. It’s the same chip that Samsung uses in most of its budget devices. The device may also come with up to 32GB of storage and Android 8.1 Oreo. That possibility is reiterated in the Wi-Fi certification as well. Since it’s a budget smartphone, it could feature an LCD display.

Our sources have also revealed to us that the Galaxy M lineup will initially be released in countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Samsung will be focusing on price sensitive markets initially which would make sense given what it wants to achieve with the new Galaxy M series.

There’s no official word as yet from Samsung about the Galaxy M10 or M20. It may be a few weeks before the company reveals something about them officially. It goes without saying that these entry-level devices will be affordably priced when they’re launched.

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[APK] Download Samsung Themes app optimized for One UI/Android Pie beta

Samsung’s Android Pie/One UI beta for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 still doesn’t officially allow using themes and icon packs from the Samsung Themes store. We wrote about a hack to get around that limitation earlier this month, and now, a newer version of the Samsung Themes app that’s optimized for One UI is available for download. With the new app, you can use themes, icon packs, and wallpapers from the store without needing a workaround.

Usable themes limited at the moment

The new Samsung Themes app also has a One UI design, but the number of usable themes is still limited at the moment. In fact, the top themes section even fails to show anything at the moment, probably because themes need to be updated to work with the new version of Android. That limitation doesn’t apply to Always On Display themes, icon packs, and wallpapers, though. And, as expected, you cannot combine third-party themes with Android Pie’s Night mode.

Of course, Night mode is probably going to make quite a few people turn away from themes anyway, especially now that Samsung isn’t letting free themes be used for more than 14 days.  One UI will bring higher customization possibilities, but whether that’s enough to keep people interested in the Samsung Themes store remains to be seen.

You can download the new Samsung Themes app from our database at this link.

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Samsung files AR World and other trademarks

Samsung has filed for protection of three new AR-related trademarks in the European Union, reminding us of the company’s augmented reality plans.

Samsung AR World

In the past years, it seemed Samsung’s augmented reality plans were usually bigger than their actual AR products. In between their Odyssey mixed reality headset and the Galaxy S9’s AR Emoji, we have heard rumors about AR glasses and seen extended cooperation with Google in this domain. More recently, Samsung showcased its Project Whare AR cloud service. Now, three trademark filings suggest we inch closer to the release of new products to a larger audience.

In the European Union, Samsung filed applications for the trademark AR World (PDF), and for advertising slogans ‘No boundaries, endless possibilities’ (PDF) and ‘Fully integrated to fully immersive’ (PDF). All three applications share the same broad product description that includes, amongst other things, VR headsets, smart glasses, and mobile telephones.

As usual, we do not learn any concrete product details, so we will file these applications under ‘Samsung yet-to-be-realized AR plans’. It does seem likely we will learn more early in 2019, possibly during the Unpacked event that is likely scheduled on February 20. Of course, the upcoming Galaxy S10 will be the star of that show, but it just might be an appropriate occasion to showcase new AR products to a general audience.

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