Samsung launches ultra-slim 20MP sensor for full-screen smartphones

The industry has rapidly shifted to full-screen smartphones and Samsung wants to make sure that it offers solutions that accommodate such designs. The company today announced the launch of its new ultra-slim 20-megapixel ISOCELL image sensor that’s meant for full-screen display smartphones.

The ISOCELL Slim 3T2 is Samsung’s smallest high-resolution image sensor. It’s also claimed to be the industry’s most compact image sensor. The sensor measures approximately 5.1 mm diagonally.

New ISOCELL Slim 3T2 sensor can be used with hole punch displays

Samsung’s new 0.8μm-pixel ISOCELL Slim 3T2 sensor offers a 20-megapixel resolution for both front and rear cameras. It has been designed with full-screen smartphones in mind so it can fit inside tiny modules that either go in a notch or a hole punch display like the Infinity-O.

Using Samsung’s ISOCELL Plus technology, the 20-million active 0.8μm-sized pixels in this sensor offer high color fidelity. The sensor can capture and absore more light for accurate color reproduction. The company’s Tetracell technology is onboard as well. It merges four pixels to act as one and enables this sensor to take sharper and brighter pictures in low-light. This is done by increasing the color filter array’s light sensitivity to that of a 1.6μm-pixel image sensor at 5-megapixel resolution.

When used in rear-facing multi-camera setups, this sensor adopts an RGB color filter array instead of Samsung’s Tetracell technology. The small size of this sense also contributes to a reduction in height of the tele-camera module by seven percent compared to Samsung’s 1/3-inch 20-megapixel image sensor.

Samsung says that the ISOCELL Slim 3TW will enter mass production in the first quarter of this year. The components business is a lucrative one for the company. With more mid-range devices adopting hole punch displays and better cameras, it will be in Samsung’s interest to provide such solutions.

The post Samsung launches ultra-slim 20MP sensor for full-screen smartphones appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://bit.ly/2FCTgW0
via IFTTT

New report brings more details about the Galaxy S10 prices

There’s no official information as yet about the Galaxy S10 prices. A new report seems to shed light on the matter. It goes without saying that the upcoming flagship series is going to be expensive. That has always been the expectation.

For this very reason, Samsung will be offering an entry-level model. It will be cheaper than the rest and will have slightly less to offer in the specs department. This particular model may be launched as the Galaxy S10 Lite.

Galaxy S10 prices and release date mentioned in new report

According to this report, the Galaxy S10 Lite will be available for 779 euro or $880 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. There may not be another configuration. The Galaxy S10 will have a 5.8-inch flat Infinity-O display, a dual rear camera and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The 6.1-inch Galaxy S10 will be available with 6GB/128GB and 8GB/512GB RAM and storage configurations for 929 euro or $1,050 and 1179 euro or $1,340 respectively. It has a 6.1-inch curved Infinity-O display, a triple camera system and an in-display fingerprint sensor. Samsung is said to offer the 6.4-inch Galaxy S10+ with 6GB/128GB and 8GB/512GB of RAM and storage for 1049 or $1,200 and 1299 euro or $1480 respectively.

Last but not the least, the 6.7-inch 5G-compatible Galaxy S10 X may be priced at 1599 euro or just under $1,800. It will feature a quad camera system at the back. All variants will have the same processor under the hood.

Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy S10 officially on February 20 in San Francisco. It’s going to release the handset in the next month. This report about the Galaxy S10 prices mentions that the handsets are going to be available for purchase starting March 8. The same release date has been floated in earlier reports as well.

Nothing is obviously set in stone right now since there hasn’t been an official confirmation. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S10 has always been expected to be priced in this bracket anyway. After all, it’s a flagship smartphone series, and those don’t tend to be cheap anymore.

The post New report brings more details about the Galaxy S10 prices appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://bit.ly/2T1oYPQ
via IFTTT

Samsung may reduce mobile phone manufacturing in India

Samsung stopped television production in India in the last quarter following the Indian Government’s decision to impose 5% duty on open cell LED panels. And it appears another government order may now force the company to reduce mobile phone manufacturing in the country.

The Indian government recently advanced the Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) timetable for production of components such as display and touch panels. Instead of starting local manufacturing of these components by 2019-20, the government now wants companies to begin in February 2019 or face import duty, which is nearly 11% with a surcharge.

Samsung may stop producing flagship models in India

The Indian government’s Make in India initiative, which encourages companies to produce locally, has been successful in getting companies like Samsung to produce more products in the country. However, the decision to advance the PMP timetable hasn’t gone down well with the companies.

Samsung has written to the Indian government saying it had planned investments according to the earlier PMP timetable, which asked companies to start manufacturing the above-cited components anytime by March 31, 2020. Now a sudden change in the timetable means the company will have to import these components and face import duty.

The display panel, for instance, accounts for 25-30% of a mobile phone’s production cost. If import duties are levied on display panels, the cost of manufacturing will go up and “we will have to stop the manufacturing of Samsung flagship products (Note 9 and S9) in India,” Samsung India Electronics told the government in a letter, according to The Economic Times.

Samsung also said that it’ll have to re-consider its plans to increase exports of mobile phones from India. The company was reportedly planning to increase exports from 15% to 40% of the total production in 2019. “India-made mobiles will not be able to compete with the costs of low-cost manufacturing economies like Vietnam,” Samsung said.

Samsung is reportedly in the process of setting up a display assembly plant to produce AMOLED panels for mobile phones. The plant will be operational by April, 2020. Samsung already has its biggest mobile factory, and the largest mobile experience center in the country.

The Indian Government is said to be thinking of scrapping the 5% duty on the LED panels for TVs. It remains to be seen if the government will retract the recent order.

The post Samsung may reduce mobile phone manufacturing in India appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://bit.ly/2W7uTF5
via IFTTT

Gear S3 gets a big update with a host of new features

Samsung is pushing out a big update to the Gear S3 which introduces a host of new features to the smartwatch. It carries the firmware version R760XXU2DSA1 and also bumps the device to Tizen version 4.0.0.2. The update is currently available in the US, with a wider roll out expected in the coming days.

Gear S3 gets new features as we wait for a new Samsung smartwatch

The latest Gear S3 update brings a number of improvements in the watch’s usability and functionality. Samsung Health now supports more indoor workouts and back-to-back workout. The Health Widget also gets support for sleep stages information. Quick Panel gets an improved UI for faster and easier interaction.

The watch settings get two advanced modes – theater and sleep – which can also be toggled from the quick panel. Settings menus have also been re-categorized. The notification panel now shows incoming MMS image and automatically plays GIFs and other animated images. Messages app lets you save draft messages and supports over 1,000 emojis.

As said earlier, the update is currently available to download in the US only. It weighs nearly 300 MB. The update is being rolled out in phases and may take a while before it reaches your region and device. You should get a notification when it’s available for your Gear S3. You can also manually check for updates by going to the About Gear » Update Gear software section in the Settings tab of the Galaxy Wearable (Samsung Gear) app on your phone.

Gear S3 Frontier

• Model: SM-R760
• Dimensions: 49 x 46 x 12.9mm
• Display: Circular 1.3" (32,9mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 7270
• Camera:

More specifications

Gear S3 Classic

• Model: SM-R770
• Dimensions: 49 x 46 x 12.9mm
• Display: Circular 1.3" (32,9mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 7270
• Camera:

More specifications

The post Gear S3 gets a big update with a host of new features appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://bit.ly/2CBG7Zx
via IFTTT

Information about the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy A70 battery size surfaces

There has been conflicting information about the battery capacity of Samsung’s upcoming foldable smartphone. Some believe that it’s going to be launched as the Galaxy Fold. Whatever it ends up being called, it seems that the device may not have a combined capacity of 6,200mAh as per earlier reports.

There will actually be two batteries in the foldable smartphone because the device can fold in half. The two batteries will have equal capacity so the figure that will be quoted in the specs will reflect the combined capacity.

Galaxy Fold and Galaxy A70 battery sizes

GalaxyClub reports that the two 2,190mAh batteries for the Galaxy Fold have part numbers EB-BF900ABU and EB-BF901ABU. They provide a combined capacity of 4,380mAh. Earlier reports had claimed that the two 3,100mAh batteries will provide a combined capacity of 6,200mAh.

So even though the foldable smartphone will have decent battery capacity, it may not be as substantial as it was once hoped. Just how well it’s able to keep up with the two separate displays remains to be seen.

Some information about the battery size of Samsung’s new Galaxy A series has surfaced as well. Following reports that the Galaxy A50 will have a 4,000mAh battery, it’s now said that part number EB-BA705ABU is the 4,400mAh battery for the Galaxy A70. Samsung will be switching up the nomenclature for its Galaxy A series this year. The models may arrive as the Galaxy A10, A30, A50, A70 and A90.

It not known at this point in time when Samsung is going to launch the new Galaxy A series. It has confirmed the Galaxy S10 launch for February 20. The company has been dropping hints which suggest that the foldable smartphone may also be launched on that date.

The post Information about the Galaxy Fold and Galaxy A70 battery size surfaces appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://bit.ly/2FMqwtf
via IFTTT

New Exynos 7904 processor developed with Indian consumers in mind

Samsung attaches great importance to the Indian market. Why wouldn’t it? It’s a lucrative market where Samsung has long had a position of dominance. With that position increasingly under threat from the Chinese, Samsung has been taking serious steps to maintain its position in the Indian market.

The company today announced the launch of a new Exynos 7 series processor. It says that the Exynos 7904 mobile processor has been developed with the need of Indian consumers in mind. The chip will bring enhanced multi-media support and high-end features to mid-range devices.

The Exynos 7904 is already in mass production

Samsung says that the Exynos 7904 will deliver fast octa-core performance for multitasking, nimble web browsing and app launching with less power consumption. It will power advanced mobile experiences in mid-range devices with triple-camera support.

The Exynos 7904 has been built on the 14nm process. It has two Cortex-A73 cores at 1.8GHz and six Cortex-A53 cores at 1.6GHz. It can deliver fast single-core performance with the powerful Cortex-A73 functioning as the “big core.” There’s an embedded LTE Cat.12 modem as well.

The chip’s image signal processor supports single-camera resolution of up to 32 megapixels. It also supports triple-camera systems with several new features in addition to that. The third camera in a setup can add bokeh effects or take panoramic pictures with wide angles. There’s also support for faster FHD at 120 frames-per-second or UHD at 30 frames-per-second of video playback.

It’s not going to be long before we see devices powered by this chip arrive in India. Samsung is due to launch its Galaxy M series in the country tomorrow. There’s a chance that the Exynos 7904 may kick things off with this lineup.

The post New Exynos 7904 processor developed with Indian consumers in mind appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile http://bit.ly/2R3pOtx
via IFTTT