الغريب: 01/25/19

SamMobile Daily Recap, January 25, 2019: Galaxy Buds, Galaxy A9 Pro, 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

Galaxy A8s launched as the Galaxy A9 Pro in South Korea

Firmware News

US unlocked Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8/S8+ get Android Pie beta

Galaxy J6+ starts receiving the January 2019 security patch

Watches

Samsung Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Fit move closer to official launch

Rumor suggests Galaxy Watch Active name for Gear Sport successor

Polls

[Poll] What do you find most frustrating about Samsung One UI

The post SamMobile Daily Recap, January 25, 2019: Galaxy Buds, Galaxy A9 Pro, and more appeared first on SamMobile.

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[Poll] What do you find most frustrating about Samsung One UI

Samsung One UI has been under the spotlight ever since the company revealed it at its developer conference last year. It’s a beautiful interface that makes one-handed use easier on big-screen phones and introduces plenty of new features, and Samsung has also been pretty quick with releasing One UI through the Android Pie update for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9.

But One UI isn’t without its problems. Some of it seems to be a result of Samsung rushing to get the official update out the door. Examples include the missing Night mode schedule or the inability to record videos in the camera’s Pro mode. Some of it is deliberate, like the new app icons or the dedicated mode for video recording in the camera. Multi Window functionality has been nearly cut in half because Samsung decided to go with the stock Android implementation, and minor features such as the option to put App Pair shortcuts on the home screen aren’t available as well.

Just how much of Samsung’s new user interface is frustrating will depend from person to person. And in our poll today, we want to ask our readers what they find most frustrating about One UI. So go ahead and vote and then expand on your thoughts in the comments section. The poll options may not include every One UI annoyance, and if you find the thing that frustrates you isn’t on the list, be sure to tell us by leaving a comment.

The post [Poll] What do you find most frustrating about Samsung One UI appeared first on SamMobile.

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Rumor suggests Galaxy Watch Active name for Gear Sport successor

Samsung has been working on bringing all of its wearable devices under the Galaxy branding, something the company started off with the Galaxy Watch. Samsung is also developing new versions of the Gear Sport, IconX earbuds, and Gear Fit, and while we initially thought Samsung could launch the new Gear Sport as the Galaxy Sport, it looks like the name will actually be Galaxy Watch Active.

The Galaxy Watch Active branding has been suggested by one of the staff from AllAboutSamsung.de, and it’s also hinted at by the watch’s recent FCC certification. The product label in the FCC certification calls it Galaxy Watch, so it’s possible the retail name would be Galaxy Watch Active. It certainly makes sense for the company to spin off the fitness-focused Gear Sport lineup into an Active version of the flagship Galaxy Watch series, since the name Galaxy Sport wouldn’t really tell the consumer that it’s a smartwatch.

Nothing can be confirmed until Samsung makes it official, though, and it’s currently unknown when any of these new wearables will be unveiled. All of them have received a certification or two that is needed for a retail launch, so the announcement may come sooner rather than later.

The post Rumor suggests Galaxy Watch Active name for Gear Sport successor appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Fit move closer to official launch

A few weeks ago, we exclusively reported that Samsung is working on multiple new wearable devices. Of the lot, the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Fit have now moved closer to an official launch. The two upcoming devices have just received their Bluetooth certification.

The Galaxy Buds are the successor to the Gear IconX (2018) earbuds, while the Galaxy Fit will be the next generation of Samsung’s fitness trackers.

Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Fit certified ahead of Unpacked 2019

Samsung Galaxy Buds, bearing the model number SM-R170, have just popped up on the Bluetooth SIG website. It is the same device we exclusively reported about earlier this month. It will be available in black, white, and yellow and will come with 8GB of internal storage space. The Bluetooth certification also reveals that the new hardware will support Bluetooth 5.0.

The Galaxy Fit, on the other hand, will be available in two variants with model number SM-R370 and SM-R375. The model number to receive the Bluetooth certification is SM-R375, and it also gets support for Bluetooth 5.0. Interestingly, the product is listed as “Galaxy Fit e”. It’s unclear what that “e” means – maybe the tracker will have eSIM support? Both Galaxy Fit variants will be available in black, silver, white and yellow colors.

There’s no word yet on when Samsung is planning to unveil these devices. The Galaxy Unpacked 2019 on February 20 seems the best bet for now.

The post Samsung Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Fit move closer to official launch appeared first on SamMobile.

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Galaxy J6+ starts receiving the January 2019 security patch

Samsung may not be the fastest in pushing out major Android system updates, but the company does a much better job than most other Android OEMs when it comes to releasing monthly security patches. Even as many Galaxy users are eagerly waiting for the release of the Android Pie update for their devices, the company has been busy sending out the latest monthly security patch, also known as the Security Maintenance Release (SMR), to many of its devices.

After rolling out the January SMR to the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S8, Galaxy A8s, Xcover 4, and others, the company has now released it to the budget Galaxy J6+. It appears the concerned update (with software version J610FXXU1ASA3) has started rolling out in India just today. Samsung has been doing a commendable job at keeping the Galaxy J6+ updated as the budget device also received the November and December security patches in the last couple of months.

Includes patches from both Google and Samsung

As explained previously, Samsung’s January 2019 SMR patches many vulnerabilities of varying degrees, including three critical items, in the underlying Android operating system and Samsung’s software components on top of it. You can read about the vulnerability fixes included in the January 2019 update here. The update also brings stability improvements for the camera.

You can check if the update is available from the Settings » Software update menu on the phone. Since Samsung adopts a staged rollout, it is possible not all devices in all regions will receive the update at once. For those who want to install the latest firmware right away, you can download the compatible version from our database.

The post Galaxy J6+ starts receiving the January 2019 security patch appeared first on SamMobile.

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US unlocked Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8/S8+ get Android Pie beta

It has only been a couple of weeks since Samsung opened up the One UI (Android Pie) beta program for the Galaxy Note 8 and the Galaxy S8/S8+. It was an unprecedented move as the company has previously limited beta programs to the Galaxy S series of that particular year. Samsung stepped up the beta game this year by not only opening it up for the Galaxy Note 9 but for the aforementioned devices too.

The Android Pie beta was initially released for these devices in a handful of markets including the United Kingdom and South Korea. It’s now being expanded to the United States. Those who own an unlocked Galaxy Note 8 or Galaxy S8/S8+ will now be able to experience the beta.

One UI beta for US unlocked Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8/S8+

Folks in the US who want to participate in the beta program need to register for it via the Samsung+ app. They’ll find the relevant option under Notices. Once they secure a place, the Android Pie beta update will be sent to their Snapdragon-powered device over-the-air.

Firmware version G950U1UEU5ZSAB and G955U1UEU5ZSAB is rolling out for the unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The unlocked Galaxy Note 8 gets firmware version N950U1UEU5ZSAB. The update includes the latest security patches for the month of January 2019 in addition to all that’s good with One UI.

For those who are unaware, One UI is a reimagination of the software experience on Samsung smartphones. It brings a wide variety of new features in addition to a new look and feel. You can find out more about it in our One UI feature focus series.

It’s unclear at this point in time when these unlocked devices will receive the stable version of Pie in the United States. Samsung is yet to release the update in other markets. With the not so stellar track record of unlocked units in the US, there may be a considerable wait involved for users Stateside.