Galaxy S10 series March security update is out

What’s this? Is Samsung rolling out a new security patch for one of its flagships ahead of time again? Yes, that’s happening indeed: Samsung has released the March security update for the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+. The Galaxy S20 series, or at least the Galaxy S20 Ultra, has already received the March security update, though with no one actually owning a Galaxy S20 yet, the Galaxy S10 gets the distinction of being the first flagship to receive next month’s security patch.

We know nothing about the March security patch, as Samsung will only publish details about it sometime in the first week of next month. We do know what the latest software update for the Galaxy S10 series contains, however. Carrying firmware version G97xFXXS4BTB3, the update brings just the March security patch. It has no other improvements, changes, or new features, but it is possible we will see some of the improvements the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ received in the latest update make their way to the Galaxy S10 lineup as well, perhaps with the next update.

The new update for the Galaxy S10 series is rolling out in Switzerland at this moment and should soon be released in other countries. To check if it’s available for your phone, open its Settings app, select Software update, and tap Download and install. You may have to do this a couple of times before the update shows up. If that doesn’t work, you can download the latest firmware for your S10e, S10, or S10+ from our firmware archive and install it on the phone using a Windows PC.

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Samsung could face global supply issues as Vietnam sets quarantine

Vietnam is taking extra precautions against the new coronavirus outbreak, and it will quarantine all arrivals from South Korea for 14 days, all the while suspending Visa Waivers for tourists from South Korea, reports Nikkei. Around half of all the Galaxy smartphones sold worldwide are manufactured at Samsung’s facilities in Vietnam, and the state of quarantine could disrupt the company’s output, potentially leading to supply shortages.

Reports indicate that South Korea has become a coronavirus hotspot and presently has the second-most COVID-19 cases in the world (over 2,300), after China. The outbreak has disrupted the local economy, and even early Galaxy S20 sales in the country have been underwhelming because people aren’t in a hurry to visit local stores. Likewise, Samsung decided to temporarily shut down its Galaxy Z Flip factory in South Korea last week after one employee was found to carry the coronavirus infection.

Samsung’s two largest smartphone manufacturing plants are located in Vietnam

Vietnam has had only 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far, and all of them have reportedly recovered. However, Vietnam also has the largest population of South Koreans in all of Southeast Asia, tallying at around 200,000. With many South Koreans – some of which are Samsung employees – flying in and out of the country, the Vietnamese government has decided that the best course of action against the coronavirus epidemic is to set a 14-day quarantine for every new arrival from South Korea.

Time will tell what kind of impact this quarantine might have on Samsung’s manufacturing schedule in Vietnam. The company’s products account for 1/4 of the country’s exports, and any disruptions there could create ripple effects around the globe, not to mention the local economy.

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Alleged Galaxy A11 leaked render sheds light on Infinity-O panel

As the Galaxy A11 keeps dodging the market weeks after its WFA approval, an alleged official render of the device has been leaked and passed along by Android Headlines. The render matches the sketch previously seen in FCC documents, at least from the back, and suggests that the device will sport an Infinity-O display with a corner cutout.

This is unlike Samsung’s more recent mid-range devices such as the Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71, both of which are equipped with an Infinity-O AMOLED display boasting a centered selfie camera.

The off-center cutout positioned to the left harks back to earlier models like the Galaxy A60 and Galaxy M40, and time will tell if the Galaxy A11 will also sport a TFT screen as those two Galaxy devices do, or if it will switch to AMOLED.

As one of the company’s most budget-friendly devices of 2020 along with the Galaxy A01, the Galaxy A11 could very well stick to TFT technology, much like the A01 does. Rumors claim that the panel will have a 6.2-inch diagonal but this remains subject to change.

The Galaxy A11 could be one of the last Samsung phones to have a 3.5mm jack

Other details include a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a triple-camera setup paired with a flash. The side button and volume rocker are located on the right edge of the phone, and the back cover is seemingly made out of plastic. Finally, while it’s difficult to confirm this detail from this render alone, the Galaxy A11 appears to accommodate a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge.

The Galaxy A11 should ship with Android 10 out of the box, but it remains to be seen exactly when Samsung will begin shipping the device to prospective buyers. The phone has yet to be unveiled by Samsung but it’s been leaked enough times to have its existence all but officially confirmed.

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Daily Deal: 14% off AKG USB-C Headphones

Most of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones that lack a 3.5mm headphone jack ship with a pair of AKG Type-C earphones in the box. These earbuds satisfy the audio needs of most users, and unlike 3.5mm-based solutions, the AKG earbuds can be improved even after release via firmware updates.

Whether this is the first time you’re considering buying a pair of Type-C earphones or if you’re looking for a new replacement, you’re in luck, as Samsung’s AKG-tuned Type-C earphones are now available for purchase online at 14% off the original price.

Hit the Buy Now button below and order them before they’re out of stock!

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Samsung improves its LATAM share in 2019 despite a stagnant market

Samsung retained its top spot in the LATAM region throughout 2019, and it managed to increase its smartphone shipment market share from 36.6% in 2018, to 38% by the end of 2019. The Korean tech giant increased its influence even as the entire segment stopped growing in LATAM because of sluggish replacement rates, according to Counterpoint Research.

Although Samsung did increase its smartphone shipment market share throughout last year, it also lost a couple of points in Q4 when its devices have covered 34.2% of the market, down from 36.6% a year before. But overall, the company has not only kept the crown throughout the year but it also bumped up its market share over the 12-month period ending December.

Samsung has more market share than the 2nd and 3rd largest vendors combined

Samsung was not the only smartphone vendor to increase its influence in the region. In fact, each of the top-three vendors in LATAM, including Motorola on 2nd place and Huawei on 3rd, have increased their market share in the region by a couple of points at the expense of other, smaller brands. Nevertheless, Motorola and Huawei are not a threat to Samsung yet. While Samsung held 38% of the LATAM market in 2019, Motorola secured the second spot on the podium with only 15.5% market share, while Huawei held 12.9% of the segment. Even if these two companies would combine forces, that would still not be enough to overtake Samsung.

Apple is even less of a threat in the region, as it was the 5th largest vendor with just a 3.6% market share, down 1% from 2018. However, sales for the company have picked up in Q4 thanks to the iPhone 11 which has been selling well globally, so 2020 might look a bit different. The report doesn’t go into detail as to which Galaxy smartphones were the most popular in LATAM, but if the region reflects the global market in any capacity then the Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A50 would be fair guesses.

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Galaxy S10 Lite’s 512GB storage variant lands in India

Samsung had launched the 128GB storage variant of the Galaxy S10 Lite in India last month. Now, the company has launched the 512GB storage variant of the smartphone. The amount of RAM in this variant remains similar to that in the 128GB variant, at 8GB. The phone will be available in three colors: Prism Black, Prism Blue, and Prism White.

The 512GB variant of the Galaxy S10 Lite is priced at Rs 44,999, which is Rs 5,000 higher than the price of the 128GB storage variant. The new variant will go on sale in the country starting March 1 through Samsung e-shop, Samsung Opera House, online stores, and all major offline retailers. The South Korean smartphone giant is offering an additional upgrade bonus of Rs 5,000 in exchange for old smartphones.

The Galaxy S10 Lite was launched alongside the Galaxy Note 10 Lite last month. The Galaxy S10 Lite features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen with HDR10+, a 4500mAh battery, and 45W fast charging. It runs Android 10 with One UI 2.0 and is equipped with the Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB/512GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot.

The smartphone features a triple-camera setup on the rear, consisting of a 48MP primary sensor with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide-angle camera, and a 5MP macro camera. At the front, there’s a 32MP selfie camera hidden inside the screen’s punch hole. Other features include an under-display optical fingerprint reader, dual-SIM card slot, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port.

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First Galaxy Buds+ firmware update rolls out with stability improvements

Samsung has begun rolling out the first firmware update for the new Galaxy Buds+. It weighs only 1.21MB and carries software version R175XXU0ATB5. The changelog is sparse but mentions ‘improved system stability and reliability’ which is always welcomed.

Interestingly, while Samsung is spreading the update over-the-air, the company also took to the Samsung Community website in South Korea to discuss some aspects that go by unmentioned in the changelog. Specifically, the official blog post suggests that a white noise issue may have also been addressed with this latest update.

We haven’t found any white noise issues with the Galaxy Buds+ throughout our review, and we haven’t run into anyone else who may have experienced this problem, so perhaps it is limited only to some units or regions, like South Korea. And if it doesn’t affect units shipped to other countries like Germany where we’ve received the update so far, that would explain why there’s no info in the changelog.

Whatever the case may be, if you happen to own the new Galaxy Buds+, you can now benefit from improved stability and reliability, so you might want to grab the new firmware update as soon as possible. You can do this through the Galaxy Wearable app that’s installed on your paired smartphone.

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Galaxy Z Flip arrives in Japan via two carriers and sells out in day-one

The Galaxy Z Flip was released today in Japan through mobile carriers KDDI and the Okinawa Cellular Telephone Company. And much like in most other markets including Canada, China, Germany, the US, and South Korea, the Galaxy Z Flip was sold out in Japan on its first day on the market, reports Blog of Mobile.

The Galaxy Z Flip was released in Japan in two color options, namely Mirror Purple and Mirror Black. Both flavors were sold out, but because Samsung has yet to reveal any sales figures for its second foldable phone, there’s no way to tell which color option is more popular, or just exactly how many people in Japan now own the Galaxy Z Flip.

Some people do prefer a more compact device

The Galaxy Z Flip had a launch price in Japan of 179,360 Yen or the rough equivalent of $1,650. That sum of money won’t guarantee the latest and greatest hardware specifications, but the Galaxy Z Flip proves that not all smartphone owners are alike.

Even if we keep in mind that the exact sales numbers are unknown, the Galaxy Z Flip shows that some users do prefer a more compact or stylish device even if it means that they’ll get slightly lesser hardware components in certain areas. It’s all about function versus form, and while most users seem to care more about the former, others gravitate towards products that embrace the latter.

As yet there’s no news as to when the second Galaxy Z Flip batch will be shipped to Japan, but it shouldn’t take more than a week if Samsung continues to manufacture and ship new Z Flip units at the same rate as before.

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Galaxy S20 sales disappoint for reasons not in Samsung’s control

Samsung started selling the Galaxy S20 lineup in its home country of South Korea yesterday and the initial numbers reported in local media are disappointing. However, it’s not because the handset hasn’t been well received. The huge drop in sales compared to the Galaxy S10 is due to reasons that are not in Samsung’s control.

Local media reports from Korea suggest that the Galaxy S20 sales are 50 percent lower on their first day compared to the Galaxy S10 from a year ago. That’s despite the fact that the new lineup brings one of the most comprehensive camera upgrades to the lineup.

Fewer people are visiting retail stores due to infection fears

South Korea is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak on a large scale. This has seriously dampened consumer sentiment. The country actually has the highest number of confirmed cases outside China. 256 new cases were reported just this morning, pushing the total number of infected people to over 2,000. The Samsung Group recently announced that it would donate $24.6 million to help the government’s efforts to contain the outbreak.

According to the report, fewer people are visiting retail stores due to coronavirus infection fears. This has led to a decline in first-day sales for the Galaxy S20 lineup. Samsung has itself canceled many secondary events for the Galaxy S20 as a precaution so it hasn’t really been able to push as hard on marketing and promotion as it normally does.

It has sold an estimated 70,800 units combined of the Galaxy S20 lineup compared to the 140,000 Galaxy S10 units that were sold on the first day of the launch last year. The Galaxy Note 10 lineup did even better with 220,000 units sold on the first day. We would have likely seen a similar response for the Galaxy S20 had South Korea not been battling with the outbreak.

The Galaxy S20 sales could pick up down the line once the outbreak has been controlled. More customers would also look to purchase the handset online if they don’t want to risk going to a crowded store. Like many other companies, Samsung is just having to deal with the huge economic fallout caused by the virus.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip sold out in just nine minutes in China

Another day, another story about the Galaxy Z Flip selling out soon after it was made available for purchase. China is a highly lucrative market for Samsung and the company has been working hard to regain its lost market share.

The Galaxy Z Flip presents the company with an opportunity to target customers who are looking for something unique, a smartphone that’s unlike anything else on the market right now. No wonder, then, that customers in China were quick to get their hands on the Galaxy Z Flip. It sold out just nine minutes after Samsung start taking orders online.

Galaxy Z Flip is on a roll in China

Samsung doesn’t reveal how many units are made available initially so it could be 100 units or 10,000, nobody knows, but the company gets to create more hype. These stories about the device selling out feed into the element of scarcity that gets more people to make a purchase than you’d think.

What’s interesting, though, is the interest that customers in China have shown in the Galaxy Z Flip at this point in time. Consumer sentiment in the country has dampened as China pulls together to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Yet, the Galaxy Z Flip was capable of having a strong first outing in the country. The exclusive Thom Browne edition was sold out as well in just three minutes.

Customers in China are used to seeing flip phones from Samsung. It was actually one of the very few countries where Samsung launched its W series of flip phones. It was only this year that Samsung didn’t release a conventional flip phone under the W series, it launched the Galaxy Fold as the W20 5G instead. This was likely because of the Galaxy Z Flip which is a truly next-gen foldable flip phone.

Samsung will begin delivering the handsets to customers in China immediately. The company will soon make another batch of units available to customers who weren’t able to purchase it the first time around. Despite a coronavirus-related shutdown at the factory where the Galaxy Z Flip is made, Samsung is confident that there’s not going to be an impact on the supply.

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