الغريب: 10/08/19

الثلاثاء، 8 أكتوبر 2019

Which Galaxy phones will get an Android 10 beta program?

It’s official: Samsung will be launching the Android 10 beta program for Galaxy S10 owners in the near future to let them test out the newest version of Android before its worldwide release. Naturally, some of you may be wondering whether Samsung will include other devices in the Android 10 and One UI 2.0 beta program. Well, while we can’t confirm anything unless Samsung says anything officially, the Android 10 beta is likely to be available for all four of the company’s flagship lineups from 2018 and 2019.

Galaxy S9, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Note 10 are likely candidates

That would mean the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 10+, Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy S9+. How did we come to this conclusion? It’s simple: Samsung’s Android Pie beta program, which introduced One UI, was made available for the flagship devices from 2018 and the year prior to that. It was actually the first time the company opened up a beta program for a new version of Android to anything but the latest Galaxy S flagship, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t do the same this year.

Now, there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed: the Galaxy Fold. And we have to say we’re not really sure Samsung will include its foldable device in the beta testing phase for Android 10. Frankly, it could go either way. Samsung doesn’t seem to be testing Android 10 for the Fold yet, and only time will tell if Galaxy Fold owners will be able to partake in the beta program.

The 5G Galaxy S10 and Note 10 may or may not get beta access

The same goes for 5G variants of the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10. South Korea has only 5G variants of the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ on sale, so there will technically be a beta for the 5G models. But, whether that beta will be extended to other markets remains to be seen. Samsung’s teaser for the Galaxy S10 Android 10 beta does not mention the Galaxy S10 5G, for example, so we would not recommend holding your breath until we hear something directly from the horse’s mouth.

As for when the beta program will launch for the Galaxy S10 and the other flagships, your guess is as good as ours. When Samsung teased the Android Pie beta program for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ last year, it ended up making it go live less than a day later, so fingers crossed our wait for the Android 10 beta will be similarly short.

The post Which Galaxy phones will get an Android 10 beta program? appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung launches space-themed Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10 cutout wallpapers

Samsung has launched a handful of new wallpapers for the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10 series. As expected, the wallpapers integrate the screen’s punch hole into their design, hiding (or highlighting) it in clever ways. All of the new wallpapers are space-themed and commemorate the World Space Week ending October 10.

Celebrating World Space Week with new wallpapers

World Space Week takes place every October and is the largest annual event of its kind. The event was first declared by the United Nations in 1999 and it’s defined as “an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition.” The following four wallpapers are now available for the Galaxy Note 10.

If the message behind World Space Week sounds true to you then you can celebrate with one (or more) of the four new Galaxy Note 10 wallpapers, available now on the Galaxy Theme Store. Alternatively, readers can hit this link using their phones for a direct shortcut to the cutout wallpaper section inside the app.

Galaxy S10 owners can join the party as well – by hitting the same link or otherwise. Samsung also released four space-themed wallpapers for the non-S Pen flagship series. They have different designs but they are based on the same idea of incorporating the display punch hole. Check out the gallery below.

New wallpapers have landed. Blast off into World Space Week with rockets, spacemen and more by @burnttoastcre8v, @MarylouFaure, @Marco_Oggian and other artists. Only at the Galaxy Store: https://t.co/uXGxwGEVpr #GalaxyNote10 #GalaxyS10 pic.twitter.com/YLhWqwNHhi

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) October 8, 2019

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: 162.3 x 77,2 x 7.9mm
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 S10e

Model: SM-G970F
Dimensions: 69.9 x 142.2 x 7.9mm
Display: 5.8” (146.5mm) Super AMOLED
CPU: Exynos 9820 Octa
Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F1.5/F2.4 (77°) & 16MP, CMOS F2.2 (123°)Ultra Wide

More specifications

Galaxy S10

Model: SM-G973F
Dimensions: 70.4 x 149.9 x 7.8mm
Display: 6.1"(157.5mm) Super AMOLED
CPU: Exynos 9820 Octa
Camera: 12 MP.CMOS F2.4 45° Telephoto & 12MP F1.5 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy S10 Plus

Model: SM-G975F
Dimensions: 74.1 x 157.6 x 7.8mm
Display: 6.4"(162.5mm) Super AMOLED
CPU: Exynos 9820 Octa
Camera: 12 MP.CMOS F2.4 45° Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

The post Samsung launches space-themed Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10 cutout wallpapers appeared first on SamMobile.

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Samsung predicts 56% profit fall for Q3 2019 and that’s a good sign

Samsung today released its earnings guidance for the third quarter of the year. It expects operating profit for the quarter to fall 56 percent compared to the same period last year. While that may seem like bad news, it’s actually an indication that the strategy Samsung has been on for the past few quarters is working.

The company’s profit was down 56 percent in the previous quarter compared to Q2 2018. That was due to weak demand for memory chips which accounted for much of Samsung’s record-breaking profits in the previous year.

Samsung’s Q3 2019 56% profit decline is an indication

The last couple of quarters have been challenging for the company as demand for semiconductor chips didn’t pick up. It did say in the previous quarter the demand would increase in the second half of the year as data center customers have started buying memory chips again.

Samsung also executed a new strategy in the mobile market by launching a revamped Galaxy A series and the low-end Galaxy M series. These new handsets have done very well in the market against the Chinese competition and have contributed to increasing its revenues. The Galaxy Note 10 is also going to help the mobile division’s fortunes in the second half of this year.

Analysts were expecting Samsung’s Q3 2019 profit to fall by 60 percent compared to Q3 2018. Samsung’s own guidance suggests that it will post revenues of 62 trillion won or $52 billion for the quarter, up 5.3 percent from last year. It expects to post an operating profit of 7.7 trillion won or $6.4 billion, a 56.2 percent drop from last year.

Unless there’s a significant spike in demand and prices for semiconductor products, Samsung likely won’t be making the same kind of profits as it did in the previous financial year. However, its performance in the July-September quarter has exceeded the market’s expectations. Samsung is aware that it’s facing a challenging business environment and the company is far from resting on its laurels.

The full earnings results for Q3 2019 will be released later this month.

The post Samsung predicts 56% profit fall for Q3 2019 and that’s a good sign appeared first on SamMobile.

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The Galaxy Fold is losing the Samsung branding, literally

The Galaxy Fold is probably the most controversial smartphone of 2019, for both right and wrong reasons. Inevitably, the device is under the proverbial magnifying glass, and although the criticism aimed at the Galaxy Fold is sometimes unwarranted, other times it has been deserved, particularly because it’s an expensive device asking around $1000 premium over the price of a regular flagship. But despite its price tag, the Galaxy Fold has flaws, and a new issue seems to have reared its ugly head.

The Galaxy Fold is losing its letters…

Twitter user @KurbysS recently shared a photo of the Galaxy Fold, revealing that two of the letters (“A” and “U”) that spell out the company’s name on the hinge have fallen off. These shiny, thin letters are glued to the hinge in their respective engravings, but they seem to have a will of their own.

Génial, je viens de m'apercevoir que je perdais mon lettrage sur mon #GalaxyFold #SamsungGalaxyFold pic.twitter.com/5Ie94dFci4

— Kurby'S (@KurbysS) October 8, 2019

This is not a unique design decision by any means. This method of engraving a brand into the “skin” of a device to later fill those engravings with thin, colorful or reflective letters has been done before and it’s not anything special. However, we have yet to see such a design decision stand the test of time. Whether it’s because the adhesive goes bad in time or other reasons, this type of branding is generally short-lived, and it doesn’t seem like Samsung has done enough to avoid the inevitable.

In fact, the Galaxy Fold has been out for just a few weeks, and having bits and pieces falling off of your $2,000 device isn’t something you would expect after less than a month of usage. This isn’t a complex engineering problem like the hinge itself, either. Rather, the issue at hand denotes a lack of attention to details. It’s a real shame how something this small can cast a shadow on your expensive brand new product.

At the end of the day, the Galaxy Fold looks more and more like a first-generation device and it will be interesting to see if other issues will crop up in the coming months. Do you happen to own the Galaxy Fold, and if so, are the letters on your phone intact? Join us in the comment section below.

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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[Poll] Galaxy Note 10 power button is on the left: Is that an issue for you?

For long-time users of Galaxy smartphones, the Galaxy Note 10 brings two substantial hardware changes. One is the lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and the other is the position of the power button. The Galaxy Note 10’s power button is on the left side of the device, right below the volume buttons, and that requires one to forego an old habit if they have been using Galaxy devices for a few years.

The Galaxy Note 10/10+ isn’t the first smartphone on which Samsung has changed the position of the power or volume buttons. The company has been putting both the volume and power buttons on the right side of its budget and mid-range devices launched in the last year or so. The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are just the first devices in Samsung’s repertoire to have all the buttons placed on the left frame.

Basically, the layout is new no matter if you have used flagship, mid-range, or budget Galaxy phones in the past. It’s also an issue for those who have used a phone with a dedicated Bixby key. The power button on the Galaxy Note 10 is exactly where the Bixby key would be if Samsung hadn’t ditched it altogether. And anyone who, on a previous device, had the Bixby key assigned to launch an app other than Bixby with a single press has no doubt pressed the power button out of force of habit on their Note 10/10+ every now and then.

In short, there’s a learning curve involved in adjusting to the power button placement for long-time Galaxy smartphone users, and this learning curve can be small or big depending on an individual. And here’s what we want to know in this poll: Does it bother you that the power button is on the left side of your Note 10 or Note 10+? Have you gotten used to it, and if yes, did it take you long to stop reaching for the right frame of the phone to access the power button?

Vote in the poll below, then take to the comments section to discuss your thoughts in detail with other readers!