Daily Deal: 33% off AINOPE 10000mAh External Battery Pack

Battery packs come in handy when you’re not near a power outlet or are not able to stay at one long enough to get a decent charge on your phone. Having a battery pack with you as you go about your day lets you use your phone as much as you want without the worry of it dying out on you, and if you’re looking for a new battery pack to make a part of your daily routine (or for whenever you do long trips either for work or leisure), you should take advantage of the 33% discount on the 10,000 mAh AINOPE external battery.

The AINOPE battery pack has fast charging support and has two output ports, one of which is a Type-C port that can be used for both charging other devices and the battery pack itself while the other is a standard full-sized USB. The 10,000 mAh battery is good for charging a Galaxy S9 two times and has a portable design that’s convenient for you to carry around. You also get a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, a microUSB cable, and a storage bag bundled with the battery.

Get one now using the Buy Now button below before the price goes up again!

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Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 Pro receive August 2019 security patch

The August 2019 security patch continues to extend its reaches onto more Samsung devices, with both the Galaxy A5 2017 (SM-A520F) and Galaxy J7 Pro (SM-J730G) now receiving an over-the-air update bringing along the latest security fixes.

Samsung detailed the August 2019 security patch last week and, since then, a number of devices have received it, including the Galaxy Note 8, Note 9 and the Galaxy S9, as well as the Galaxy A20, A30, and J5 Prime. You can read more about the patch in the detailed report, but in short, it should fix 17 vulnerabilities affecting Samsung Galaxy devices, and a handful of other vulnerabilities of varying risk found within Android OS.

We’re not sure if the latest update for the Galaxy A5 and Galaxy J7 Pro brings anything new to the table other than the August 2019 security patch, so keep your eyes peeled for any new features that may have skipped past the changelog. As usual, the update should be accompanied by a notification but you can also trigger the update manually from the Settings app by tapping Software update followed by Download and install (or Download updates manually, depending on device). Alternatively, you can check the latest firmware in our database for the Galaxy A5 (2017) here, and here for the Galaxy J7 Pro.

Galaxy A5 2017

• Model: SM-A520F
• Dimensions: 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9mm
• Display: 5.2" (132.2mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 7880 Octa
• Camera: 16 MP, CMOS F1.9

More specifications

Galaxy J7 Pro

• Model: SM-J730G
• Dimensions: 152.4 x 74.7 x 7.9mm
• Display: 5.5 "(139.5 mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos Exynos 7870
• Camera: 13 MP, CMOS F1.7

More specifications

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Samsung and Xiaomi gain market share in Europe in Q2 2019

With the proliferation of low-cost Chinese smartphone brands, Samsung has been ceding market share in many markets around the world in recent years. At least in Europe, the Korean company seems to have finally bucked this trend by gaining substantial market share in Q2 2019, according to the quarterly smartphone shipment data from Canalys.

As per the latest numbers, Samsung crossed 40% market share in Europe in Q2, making it the company’s best performance in five years. It shipped over 18.3 million smartphones, 12 million of which were the recent Galaxy A series devices. Overall, the shipments were up by 20% from the same period last year, helping the company retain its position as the largest vendor in the region by a huge margin.

Canalys attributes Samsung’s strong performance to its recent Galaxy A series devices and Huawei’s political troubles. The Galaxy A10, A20e, A40, and A50 were the company’s bestsellers and accounted for more shipments than the entire portfolio of any other vendor in the region. At 3.2 million units, the Galaxy A50 emerged as the top seller for the quarter, followed by the Galaxy A40 at 2.2 million units.

Huawei retained the second spot in the table, but its total shipments fell by 16% to 8.5 million units. Apple, which came in third, also suffered a 17% drop in shipments to 6.4 million units in Q2 2019. Xiaomi was the biggest gainer in the quarter with shipments going up by 48%, netting it to a market share of 9.6%. The total shipments remained flat at 45.1 million units as against the 45.2 million units in Q2 2018.

Canalys says Samsung is keen on winning back market share even if it means sacrificing margins. The strategy seems to be working in Europe so far. The worrying sign for the company, however, is that Xiaomi is gaining ground in the region, which could put further pressure on its profits. Moreover, when Xiaomi competes with Samsung directly, the former fares well in market share due to its strong budget portfolio. We have to wait and see if the same happens in Europe as well.

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The Galaxy Note 10+ has the best display on a phone right now

If you’re looking for the best display on a phone in 2019 (or the best camera), look no further than the Galaxy Note 10+. It’s not surprising to see that Samsung Display pulled out all the stops for the Korean giant’s latest flagship smartphone.

In addition to improving the hardware performance, Samsung has also improved the picture quality and color accuracy of the panel. This makes the Galaxy Note 10+’s display stand tall above the competition; not that there is much, as Samsung Display has an absolute monopoly in the mobile OLED market.

The Galaxy Note 10+ has the best display on a phone

The overall Galaxy Note 10+ display performance has been improved to record-setting Outstanding levels with 13 Display Performance Records, as revealed by DisplayMate after its extensive testing of the panel.

Samsung has implemented Precision Factory Display Calibration to improve the absolute picture quality and color accuracy. At 0.4 JNCD, the latter is classified as Visually Indistinguishable From Perfect. The improvement in the actual hardware performance has bumped up the peak brightness to 1,308 bits, a new record and a 25 percent increase compared to the Galaxy Note 9. This means that the device will remain unfazed even in high ambient light.

DisplayMate has awarded the panel with an A+ grade as it sets or matches 13 smartphone display performance records, including for peak luminance and color accuracy that’s independent of the content on the screen. Simply put, the Galaxy Note 10+’s 6.8-inch panel is the best display on a phone right now. The 3040×1440 pixel resolution panel with 498 pixels per inch uses Sub-Pixel Rendering. This helps improve the sharpness even further since the individual RBG Sub-Pixels aren’t bound together into fixed Pixels.

Automatic Color Management is a new addition as well. Instead of limiting the panel to several fixed color gamuts, it automatically switches to the appropriate color gamut for any image content that has an ICC Profile which falls within the OLED Wide Color Space. This means that the images will always be reproduced with accurate colors that don’t need over or under saturated. Samsung has also reduced the amount of potentially harmful Blue Light by 37.5 percent compared to the Galaxy Note 9 without compromising the Wide Color Gamut. The panel is TUV Certified for Eye Comfort with Reduced Blue Light.

It’s worth noting that the displays on the Galaxy S10 lineup share many (if not all) of the same capabilities as the Galaxy Note 10+ display, so those deciding between a Galaxy S10+ or Galaxy Note 10+ can rest assured that the former will offer an excellent viewing experience as well. You can check out the in-depth evaluation of the Galaxy Note 10+’s panel on DisplayMate’s website. There’s just one takeaway here, you won’t find a better display on any other smartphone on the market.

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Galaxy Note 10 uses F2FS, not EXT4 file system: What’s the difference?

This year, a couple of Samsung smartphones will make use of a file system other than EXT4, which has been traditionally used on the Android platform almost exclusively throughout its existence. The Galaxy Note 10 series, however, switches gears and adopts the F2FS file system together with UFS 3.0 storage. Today we’ll explain some of the benefits to this, and what Samsung fans can expect in the future.

F2FS quick overview

First things first, what is a file system? In short, a file system determines how data is stored and retrieved to and from the local storage. Android OS has historically made use of the EXT4 file system, although some phones over the years – like the OnePlus 3T – have experimented with the newer F2FS file system instead, even though the same company went back to the EXT4 system with its next flagship generations.

Interestingly enough, F2FS was introduced in 2012 and was initially developed by Samsung Electronics as a log-structured file system capable of accounting for the characteristics of storage devices based on NAND flash memory. In contrast, the first stable version of the EXT4 file system was released in 2008 as a direct successor to EXT3.

F2FS vs. EXT4 in a nutshell: Speed vs. stability

EXT4 is considered more stable than F2FS as it’s been around for a longer time and doesn’t get too many updates to the underlying structure. F2FS, on the other hand, can get large updates that bring along major under-the-hood-changes. This makes it a tougher choice for a platform like Android OS where hardware configurations can vary tremendously and fragmentation is a major issue.

However, F2FS can also be considerably faster in part because it’s a log-structured file system created primarily for NAND flash memory, and it might become more popular among higher-profile OEMs. Enough years may have gone by for F2FS to become more stable, particularly when paired with UFS 3.0, and it now seems like Samsung is entertaining the idea of transitioning to F2FS.

Using this file system could be the main differentiating factor between devices using UFS 3.0 storage. As seen in the screenshot below, the OnePlus 7 Pro has the same storage standard as the Galaxy Note 10 but uses the EXT4 file system instead of F2FS. An early benchmark shows the Galaxy Note 10 outperforming the OnePlus 7 Pro particularly in terms of random and SQLite write speeds, so it would seem like the newer file system might be going a long way.

What’s next? Can we expect F2FS on more Samsung devices?

Like the Galaxy Note 10, the Galaxy Fold also has UFS 3.0 storage, but because we no longer have our review unit, we are unable to confirm whether it has the same file system (or performance) as Samsung’s latest phablet series. Having said that, the question is whether we should expect F2FS to become more prevalent in Samsung’s device lineup in the future.

There’s no way to be certain, but if F2FS will bring enough benefits to the Galaxy Note 10 (and possibly the Galaxy Fold), then the same file system will likely be adopted by future flagships such as the Galaxy S11 series and eventually become a part of devices across all segments, although that could take a few years.

As for older, existing flagships, chances are slim. In theory, the file system could be replaced through a firmware update for older devices that use the EXT4 file system, such as the Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy S10. However, the process would require users to do a complete wipe of their phones’ memory and this is probably not going to be an option Samsung will give to the masses.

Galaxy Note 10

• Model: SM-N970F
• Dimensions: 151.0 x71.8x7.9mm
• Display: 6.3"(160.02mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F2.2 Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: 162.3x77,2x7.9mm
• Display: 6.8"(172.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°) & Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°) & Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°) & DepthVision Camera: VGA

More specifications

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Galaxy Note 10+ touts the best smartphone camera rated by DxOMark

Many customers who are looking to purchase a new flagship smartphone check to see if the device they want has the best smartphone camera rated by DxOMark. The answer is in the affirmative for those who are thinking about buying the Galaxy Note 10+. DxOMark has posted the results of its camera test today. The Galaxy Note 10+ 5G it tested has been awarded an overall mobile score of 113. That’s just one higher than the Huawei P30 Pro’s 112 but it places Samsung’s new flagship at the very top of the list.

It even clinches the top spot for the selfie camera with an overall score of 99 points. Since the 5G model has the same camera setup as the LTE Galaxy Note 10+, this score stands for that model as well. DxOMark ranks devices by capturing and evaluating more than 1500 test images and over 2 hours of video in controlled label environments as well as natural indoor and outdoor scenes with the camera’s default settings.

Galaxy Note 10+ rated as the best smartphone camera rated by DxOMark

The Galaxy Note 10+ features a primary 12-megapixel camera with f/1.5-2.4 variable aperture, OIS and dual-pixel AF. It’s paired with a 16-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor with f/2.1 aperture. A dedicated Time of Flight sensor is included as well.

You may be aware that there’s not a lot of difference in the Galaxy Note 10+’s camera hardware compared to the Galaxy S10 5G. However, Samsung has been able to get more out of it by improving the processing algorithms. With a score of 118, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G was ranked as the best smartphone camera rated by DxOMark for still photos. It found the exposures to be consistent and accurate regardless of lighting conditions.

The very wide dynamic range also helps preserve highlight and shadow detail in very bright or high-contrast conditions. The optical zoom solution has been retained for the new flagship at 2x magnification. As expected, it can capture high levels of detail with good color and low noise. It will reduce when digital zoom processing comes into play but that’s to be expected.

Even for video, the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G is the best smartphone camera rated by DxOMark, with a score of 101 points. It found the video exposures to be accurate in nearly every condition with bright and vivid colors. The device can capture an incredible level of detail in its 4K videos. Video autofocus is also accurate and fast with good subject tracking.

Just how long the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G is able to hold on to the top spot remains to be seen. It will be up against some very capable new flagships in the second half of this year. This includes the new iPhone, Google’s upcoming Pixel and the new Huawei Mate flagship as well. Until then, you can rest assured that the Galaxy Note 10+ will offer you the best camera on a smartphone. If you’d like to dive into the nitty-gritty, read the in-depth camera test on DxOMark’s website.

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Galaxy Note 10’s UFS 3.0 storage outperforms the Fold and OnePlus

The Galaxy Note 10 is going to be Samsung’s first smartphone to hit the shelves with UFS 3.0 storage, and according to preliminary tests, Samsung’s UFS 3.0 solution is faster than the competition’s, i.e., the OnePlus 7 Pro’s.

But interestingly enough, this early benchmark reveals that UFS 3.0 on the Galaxy Note 10 is just as faster when compared to Samsung’s own Galaxy Fold. Early Fold benchmarks place it next to the OnePlus 7 Pro in terms of UFS 3.0 speeds, but the Galaxy Note 10 somehow manages to outperform both models, particularly when it comes to Random Write and SQLite speeds.

It’s unclear how exactly Samsung managed to squeeze this much more performance from the Galaxy Note 10’s storage standard, but the source suggests this could be due to the Galaxy Note 10 series using a new file system. However, we’re more inclined to believe this gap in performance has more to do with further optimization under the hood, and if so, the redesigned Galaxy Fold could yield similar UFS 3.0 results.

The original Fold which was used for the benchmark comparison was initially planned by Samsung to be the first smartphone with UFS 3.0. Because of design shortcomings, the device had to be pushed back for design readjustments and will be reintroduced in September.

Samsung may have taken this time to further optimize the storage standard and the positive results may have spread to the Galaxy Note 10 in the meantime. But until the redesigned Galaxy Fold hits the shelves, we probably won’t know for sure if the Galaxy Fold will benefit from the same storage speeds or if these results are somehow unique to the Galaxy Note 10 series.

Galaxy Note 10

• Model: SM-N970F
• Dimensions: 151.0 x71.8x7.9mm
• Display: 6.3"(160.02mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F2.2 Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: 162.3x77,2x7.9mm
• Display: 6.8"(172.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°) & Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°) & Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°) & DepthVision Camera: VGA

More specifications

Galaxy Fold

• Model: SM-F900F
• Dimensions: Unfolded: 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9 mm Folded: 160.9 x 62.9 x 15.5 mm
• Display: 7,3" (185.4mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
• Camera: 16 MP, CMOS F2.2 & 12MP, CMOS F1.5/F2.4Wide & 12MP, CMOS F2.4 Telephoto

More specifications

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Samsung makes industry’s first 108 MP smartphone camera sensor for Xiaomi

Samsung not only makes smartphones, it also manufactures many of the companies that go into making them. This includes smartphone camera sensors as well, which the company even supplies the other OEMs in the market. The Korean company which has been aggressively courting clients for its image sensors by launching many industry firsts in the market has now added a new offering to its portfolio.

Samsung has unveiled the industry’s first 108-megapixel smartphone camera sensor, ISOCELL Bright HMX, making it the first mobile image sensor to go beyond 100 million pixels. The company says it can produce “exceptional photos even in extreme lighting conditions.” Due to its large 1/1.33-inch sensor size, it can absorb more light in dark environments, while its pixel-merging Tetracell technology can imitate big-pixel sensors to produce brighter 27 MP images. It also comes with Smart-ISO to intelligently adjust the level of amplifier gains according to the lighting conditions. On the video front, it supports up to 6K (6016 x 3384) @ 30 fps (frames-per-second).

Will probably debut in a Xiaomi phone

Samsung says the ISOCELL Bright HMX image sensor is a result of close collaboration with Xiaomi, its biggest smartphone rival in many Asian markets. What this indicates is that the sensor will debut in a Xiaomi phone before making its way to the Galaxy lineup. The company says it will start mass producing the sensor later this month.

“For ISOCELL Bright HMX, Xiaomi and Samsung have worked closely together from the early conceptual stage to production that has resulted in a groundbreaking 108Mp image sensor. We are very pleased that picture resolutions previously available only in a few top-tier DSLR cameras can now be designed into smartphones,” said Lin Bin, co-founder and president of Xiaomi.

This is not the first time Samsung is making its new image sensor available to its smartphone rivals first. The 64-megapixel ISOCELL Bright GW1 image sensor which was launched in May will also make its debut on a Xiaomi or a Realme phone later this year. While many Galaxy fans might find this strategy baffling, it may be a sensible choice to Samsung’s semiconductor business from the revenue standpoint.

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Galaxy M90 rumored to be in the works as online-only Galaxy A90 variant

The Galaxy A90 is yet to go official, but there’s already a rumor floating on the internet about Samsung working on a Galaxy M90. The M90 is said to be similar to the Galaxy A90 and would be only be available for sale online like other Galaxy M series phones. Our sources don’t have any word on a Galaxy M90 being developed, and since the M series is currently competing in the sub-$300 market, an M90 wouldn’t make a lot of sense considering the A90 is likely to be priced near the $700 mark if we go by the Galaxy A80’s 649 euros price tag.

The M90, bearing model number SM-M905F, is reported to launch in India sometime in November. There’s no word on specs, but if the A90’s rumored specs are anything to go by, we could see the M90 sport a Snapdragon 855 under the hood. However, it’s more likely that Samsung will opt for a mid-range chip, as the Galaxy M90 probably won’t have 5G support. The A90 has a 5G model, which is perhaps the only reason it is powered by the Snapdragon 855 and not something like the Snapdragon 730G that powers the Galaxy A80.

Pricing would also be a key factor that decides if the M90 is exactly the same as the Galaxy A90 in other aspects. The Galaxy M40, which is based on the Galaxy A60, isn’t priced as attractively as other Galaxy M series phones in India, and with the Galaxy A80 also quite expensive and competing against devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro, we’re not sure how much interest the Galaxy M90 will garner if its price tag breaks the $600 barrier.

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Galaxy S9 and S9+ update with August security patch rolling out

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are being treated to a new software update in Germany. The update bundles the August 2019 security patch, which was released for the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 9 last week. The changelog for the latest Galaxy S9 update mentions improved camera performance but doesn’t go into any details, and that’s likely because it doesn’t bring any significant new features and only improves overall stability of the camera app.

If that’s actually the case, then this would be the first time in the last couple of months that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ aren’t gaining new features with a software update. The 2018 Galaxy S flagships have received plenty of new camera functionality recently, such as a dedicated Night mode, QR code scanner, and the new AR Emoji interface from the Galaxy S10. A bug that makes Night mode fail to save photos from time to time on some devices wasn’t fixed in the last update, but hopefully Samsung has tackled it in this month’s release.

The update is a 247 MB download and comes with software version G960FXXU6CSGD and G965FXXU6CSGD for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ respectively. It’s available over the air – you can download it on your phone by tapping the Download and install option from the Software update menu of the Settings app. You can also upgrade using the latest firmware available in our firmware database by flashing it on your phone using a Windows PC.

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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Galaxy A10s launched with dual rear cameras, 4,000 mAh battery

Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy A10s. The smartphone is an iterative upgrade to the Galaxy A10 which was launched in February this year. Dual rear cameras, bigger battery, and a fingerprint scanner are some of the key highlights of the new phone.

Galaxy A10s specs include 4,000 mAh battery

The Galaxy A10s is the newest member of Samsung’s 2019 Galaxy A lineup. It features a 6.2-inch HD+ Infinity-V display and is powered by an octa-core processor, which is possibly a MediaTek Helio P22 SoC. It gets a 4,000mAh battery, significantly bigger than the 3,400mAh battery featured on the standard Galaxy A10. The A10s retains the 2GB+32GB memory configuration, though. The storage capacity is expandable up to 512GB via a dedicated MicroSD slot.

The Galaxy A10s features one additional camera at the back. Along with the 13MP primary shooter, it also gets a 2MP depth camera. The front camera has also been upgraded to an 8MP sensor. Furthermore, the A10s also gets a fingerprint sensor, which is missing on the A10 (the A10 only has face recognition for biometric authentications). The Galaxy A10s comes with Android 9 Pie with Samsung’s One UI on top.

As exclusively revealed by us back in May, the Galaxy A10 s comes in red, blue, green and black color options. While Samsung is yet to confirm the price and availability details of the phone, it should be available in countries like India soon.

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