Galaxy A8s launched as the Galaxy A9 Pro in South Korea

We reported last week that Samsung could soon launch the Galaxy A8s in South Korea. The company has officially done that today and as expected, the device is being called the Galaxy A9 Pro in Samsung’s home country.

Samsung launched the Galaxy A8s in early December. It’s the company’s first smartphone with an Infinity-O display. Samsung had initially released it in China only but is now bringing it to South Korea.

Galaxy A9 Pro is Samsung’s first Infinity-O phone for Korea

Much like the Galaxy A8s, the Galaxy A9 Pro features a 6.4-inch FHD+ Infinity-O display. It negates the need for a notch by playing the front camera in a cutout in the actual display area. This allows for a 19.5:9 aspect ratio on this LCD display.

It has a triple-camera system at the back. There’s a 24-megapixel primary sensor with a 10-megapixel telephoto lens that offers 2x optical zoom. There’s also a 5-megapixel depth sensor for those bokeh shots. For selfies, Samsung has gone with a 24-megapixel front shooter.

Samsung is using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor for the Galaxy A8s and that’s likely what’s present in this handset as well. The company has confirmed that it will ship with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. All of this is backed up by a 3,400mAh battery. Additional features include Bixby and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Like the Galaxy A8s, this also doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Galaxy A9 Pro will be sold in Absolute Black, Black and Blue colors in South Korea for 599,500 won ($534). It’s not immediately going on shelves, though. The Galaxy A9 Pro will be out in South Korea on February 28. It’s unclear at this point in time if Samsung plans on bringing this device to other markets.

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Samsung talks up the Exynos 9820 ahead of Galaxy S10 launch

With each new Galaxy S flagship comes a new Exynos chipset, and the Exynos 9820 will debut alongside the Galaxy S10 next month. Samsung announced the Exynos 9820 in November last year and has now posted an article on the Samsung Newsroom that talks up the various features of the chip.

Exynos 9820 features detailed

As expected, the first thing Samsung is highlighting is the dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) on the Exynos 9820 that will help the Galaxy S10 perform artificial intelligence tasks faster than the Exynos 9810. It’s something Bixby should benefit from when it comes to the speed with which it responds to commands, with Samsung quoting up to seven times faster processing of AI functions compared to the 9810. The NPU will also allow the Galaxy S10 to carry out AI tasks with “lower latency, better power efficiency, and stronger security than when utilizing the cloud.”

Samsung also mentions how the Exynos 9820 can power up to five camera sensors (vs four on the 9810), a nice little hint at the triple rear and dual front camera setup the Galaxy S10+ will come with. Samsung is talking up the fact that the 9820 can record 8K video as well, but this is one feature the Galaxy S10 may not have since the Snapdragon 855 doesn’t support recording video in 8K resolution, and the company probably won’t offer such an important feature for the Exynos variant when it can’t work on the Snapdragon model that will be sold in markets like the US and China.

Other highlights of the Exynos 9820 include up to 25 percent faster single-core performance vs the 9810, 40 percent improvement in performance or 35 percent enhancement in power efficiency  for GPU-intensive tasks, and higher power efficiency in general thanks to the 8nm manufacturing process. You also get enhanced security thanks to what Samsung calls a physically unclonable function (PUF), a “digital fingerprint” for encryption of important data and information.

You can read more about all of the Exynos 9820 features and benefits at the source link.

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Bollywood actress teases ultra-wide camera on Samsung’s Galaxy M series

Exclusive: 5G Galaxy Fold will be available in Korea, colors revealed

There has been much talk recently about Samsung’s foldable smartphone. Some believe that it will be launched as the Galaxy Fold. Whatever Samsung ends up calling the device, we can reveal that there will be a 5G Galaxy Fold on offer as well.

Samsung has previously said that the foldable smartphone will be released globally. It may manufacture up to a million units of the handset. 5G networks won’t be live in most of those markets but South Korea is the exception.

Samsung will offer the 5G Galaxy Fold in South Korea

We have come to know that Samsung will offer the 5G Galaxy Fold (SM-F907N) in South Korea. Carriers there have already completed deployment and are waiting on manufacturers to release compatible smartphones. Samsung will most likely be the first with the 5G Galaxy S10. It has already started working on this variant’s firmware for South Korea.

The United States is also one of the few markets where 5G networks will be going live in the coming months. Samsung has previously said that the foldable smartphone will be widely released. It would thus likely be released in the United States as well. However, there’s nothing to suggest as yet about the 5G Galaxy Fold making its way Stateside.

The foldable smartphone is already expected to be quite expensive. One can only imagine what the addition of 5G will do to the price tag. South Korea is one of those markets where carrier subsidies play a major role. That, and the fact that it’s Samsung’s home base might be the reason to launch the 5G foldable phone there.

We can also reveal the color options for both the 5G and 4G (SM-F900x) variants of the foldable device. Samsung is going to offer the device in Blue, Green, Silver and Black colors. The marketing terms for these options may differ and there may also be additional color options.

Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed when it will fully unveil the foldable smartphone. However, recent hints from the company strongly suggest that we may get to see it on February 20 alongside the Galaxy S10.

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Apple hires a battery business executive from Samsung SDI

According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple has hired senior executive Soonho Ahn from Samsung’s battery-making business, Samsung SDI, to head the company’s battery-related projects. Soonho Ahn, who was as a senior vice president at Samsung SDI since 2015, joined Apple in December as the company’s global head of battery developments.

In his role at Samsung SDI, he was involved in the development of lithium battery packs and “next-generation” battery technology. While there is not much information about Apple’s battery projects, it is safe to assume most of them are associated with reducing the company’s substantial reliance on component suppliers like Samsung for many of the parts used in its products.

Apple signals intention to make its own batteries

Though Samsung and Apple are direct competitors in smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and more, the companies also share a strong and long-running supplier-customer relationship with Samsung supplying many of the key components used in making Apple’s blockbuster products, including the OLED screens used in the latest iPhones.

Despite the conflicting interests, the relationship has been beneficial for both the companies so far. Samsung made billions of dollars in supplying components to Apple, while the Cupertino company was able to source high-quality components at scale to manufacture its blockbuster products in high volume.

Of late, Apple has, however, decided to reduce its dependence on third-party components and is trying to make most of the components on its own to differentiate its products in an increasingly saturated market. It appears the hiring of Soonho Ahn is part of this strategy and signals Apple’s intention to make its own batteries, however long that might take.

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Galaxy Watch getting new updates for regular and LTE variants

Samsung is rolling out new updates for both the regular and LTE variants of the Galaxy Watch. The latest software is based on Tizen OS 4.0.0.1. The Gear S3 and the Gear Sport have already been updated to Tizen version 4.0.0.2.

The new update bumps the software version to R805FXXU1CSA3 and R810XXU1BSA4 for the LTE and non-LTE variants of the Galaxy Watch, respectively.

A minor yet important update

The latest software update for the Galaxy Watch LTE weighs a mere 14.33 MB but comes with fixes for some critical bugs. It fixes an issue in which phone number information does not appear when a number is redialed. Additionally, the update also improves stability of eSIM activation and includes a fix for the issue in which the VoLTE icon disappears.

As for the regular variant, the new update is Samsung’s newest attempt to improve its battery life. Samsung also promises improved reliability of the heart rate sensor with this update. It is a 62.75 MB download, and may also include some minor bug fixes.

Own a Galaxy Watch? You can check for the update by launching the Galaxy Wearable app on your connected smartphone and then clicking on the Download updates manually option in About Watch under the Settings tab. Remember that it is an OTA update and may take some time before it reaches every Galaxy Watch unit across the globe.

Galaxy Watch (42mm)

• Model: SM-R805
• Dimensions: 41.9 x 45.7 x 12.7mm
• Display: Circular 1.2" (30mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

Galaxy Watch (46mm)

• Model: SM-R810
• Dimensions: 46 x 49 x 13mm
• Display: Circular 1.3" (32,9mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

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Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Sport certified by the FCC

The upcoming successor to the Samsung Gear Sport has been certified by the FCC, putting it one step closer to an official launch. We had exclusively revealed that Samsung would be bringing a new Gear Sport model with the Korean giant’s Galaxy branding, and the FCC certification suggests we could see the watch making an appearance at the Galaxy S10 launch on February 20.

The official unveiling could take place sometime after the Galaxy S10 launch, though, since Samsung doesn’t usually reveal new smartwatches alongside its Galaxy S flagships. Not to mention that the Galaxy S10 and the company’s foldable phone would steal the spotlight from the Galaxy Sport, which is likely to be focused on fitness tracking like its predecessor and, therefore, sit below Samsung’s flagship smartwatches like the Galaxy Watch.

The Galaxy Sport (codenamed Pulse) will come with 4GB of internal storage and, in addition to Bixby support, also introduce Bixby Reminders to Samsung’s wearable lineup. Color options for the watch should include black, gold, silver, and green. Samsung is also working on new versions of the Gear Fit fitness tracker and the IconX wireless earbuds, although those products will likely be reserved for a launch after the Galaxy Sport.

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These Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ prototypes leave nothing to the imagination

A couple of live images of the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ have leaked online over the past few weeks. Countless renders have also highlighted the design of Samsung’s new flagship. Several live images have been posted online today of Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ prototypes. They’re quite close to what the final product will be and thus leave little to the imagination.

We’re still about a month away from the official unveiling of the Galaxy S10 series. Samsung will be making the announcement on February 20 in San Francisco. The series features three models including a new 5.8-inch Galaxy S10 Lite that will be more affordably priced.

Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ prototypes reveal the design

These devices seen in these images are said to be prototypes of the 6.1-inch Galaxy S10 and 6.4-inch Galaxy S10+. The eyes are immediately drawn to the Infinity-O display with the front camera cutouts. As expected, there’s a dual front camera on the Galaxy S10+.

We also get a good look at the bezels in these images. They’re not as slim as the renders might have had you believe. That’s something we’ve seen in promotional images from Samsung as well. These images are a more accurate representation of the bezel situation on Samsung’s new flagship.

Both the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ will feature a triple camera system at the back set in a horizontal layout. The heart rate sensor is present as well. It can also be seen that the devices retain the 3.5mm standard headphone jack.

The software may not be final on these devices which is why the boot logo might change with the final version. The same can also be said for the wallpapers. Other than that, these prototypes offer the clearest look we’ve had at the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ yet. The design is certainly well within the current expectations.

What do you make of the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ design based on these images? Are the bezels too big for your liking? Sound off in the comments.

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