SamMobile Daily Recap, December 21, 2018: Note 8 Android Pie, Galaxy S10, and more

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap. Here’s what we covered today. Phones Samsung Galaxy A8s price confirmed, launches December 31 in China T-Mobile will also offer the 5G Galaxy S10 Stable...

Recap: What we discussed in our YouTube live stream this week

We just concluded our latest YouTube live stream. It was the Christmas Special and we were in full holiday spirits! In addition to talking about news, we also gave away a free Galaxy Watch to three lucky viewers. The Galaxy S10 was obviously among the topics that we discussed during today’s stream. We particularly focused on the possibility that Samsung might bring back the “Edge” branding for at least one Galaxy S10 model. We also discussed how...

Stable Samsung Internet 8.2 released with improved Bixby integration

Samsung has been testing the 8.2 release of its web browser since September. The company announced today that it has released the stable version of Samsung Internet 8.2. The update brings several new features in addition to improved Bixby integration. The stable version also includes a Chromium engine update (to M63) that features JavaScript (ES6) modules, font-display CSS property and Web Assembly....

New Galaxy Watch LTE update brings battery life improvements

Samsung is rolling out a new firmware update to the Galaxy Watch LTE on Telstra in Australia and New Zealand. The latest update, R805FXXU1CRKA, weighs 38.63 MB and is mostly focused on bug fixes and improvements to enhance the user experience. According to the changelog, the new update improves Samsung Health experience, battery efficiency, and GPS connection and accuracy. Samsung doesn’t explain...

T-Mobile will also offer the 5G Galaxy S10

The much-talked about 5G Samsung smartphone is ostensibly coming to the major US carriers. AT&T and Verizon have already confirmed their plans and now T-Mobile has joined them as well. All of them will be offering the 5G Samsung smartphone early next year. It’s more or less confirmed by now that this smartphone from Samsung is going to be the 5G Galaxy S10. The model number for this handset was spotted last week. T-Mobile will...

Android Pie builds leaked for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 Snapdragon models

We have known for some time that Samsung has started testing Android Pie for last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8, and test builds for the Snapdragon version of the two devices have now leaked online. The leak comes from XDA Developers, who were also the first to obtain Android Pie test firmware for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 before Samsung officially started the One UI beta program. Android...

New Android Pie beta adds quick toggle for full-screen navigation gestures

It’s not just major features that Samsung is still adding to the Android Pie beta for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9. Minor additions and changes are being made as well, and the latest Galaxy S9 beta (software version XXU2ZRLF) brings a new quick toggle for the status bar that lets you switch between the software navigation buttons and the new full-screen navigation gestures that Pie introduces to...

Samsung Galaxy A8s price confirmed, launches December 31 in China

Two weeks after unveiling its first smartphone with an Infinity-O display, Samsung today confirmed the Galaxy A8s price. The handset is only going to be launched in China initially. It remains to be seen if Samsung plans on releasing it in other markets across the globe. It’s not a flagship device by any stretch of the imagination. Samsung has competitively priced it so as to appeal to Chinese customers looking for an affordable option that offers...

2019 Samsung smart TVs may come with Google Assistant

Samsung normally makes major TV-related announcements at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. With CES 2019 just around the corner, a new report suggests that the 2019 Samsung smart TVs will get support for Google Assistant. This would be the first time that the company opens its smart TV platform to third-party voice assistants. It has only been a few months since Samsung brought its Bixby voice assistant to the platform. It allows for a variety...