Samsung’s memory chip business faces competition from Chinese firm

Amid falling smartphone and TV sales, Samsung’s saving grace has been its semiconductor business. The South Korean firm makes RAM, storage chips, and application processors, and the sale of those products has been rising, thanks to rising demand from data centers as more people have started working from home. However, the company is facing increased competition from a Chinese firm.

According to a new report from Nikkei Asian Review, Chinese firm Yangtze Memory Technologies will compete with Samsung Semiconductor in shipping 128-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips. The company has claimed that its new memory chips have already been verified and tested by its partners, and the first batch of chips will go into mass production by the end of this year.

Yangtze Memory is an affiliate of China’s Tsinghua Unigroup, and it is the country’s first homegrown memory chipmaker. It competes with Kioxia (Toshiba Memory), Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix. If the company successfully starts the mass production of 128-later 3D NAND flash memory chips by the end of 2020, China will complete a part of its goal to become self-reliant in making semiconductor chips.

The Chinese firm developed its own technology called ‘Xtacking,’ which is a fundamental structure to build 3D NAND flash memory chips. Yangtze Memory CEO Simon Yang has time and again affirmed that the company is not a copycat but an innovator, and that it doesn’t intend to cause a price crash in the memory market.

Avril Wu, an analyst at research firm TrendForce, said that although Yangtze Memory still has a few issues to iron out in the mass production process. However, he said that if the Chinese company is successful, it will offer a tough fight to firms like Samsung starting next year. Increased competition will likely force the South Korean chip giant to reduce the prices, which in turn could lead to lower profits.

The post Samsung’s memory chip business faces competition from Chinese firm appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3eh4M7O
via IFTTT

You can now drag and drop files between Samsung phones and Windows 10 PCs

Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft is deepening with each passing year. After making select Galaxy devices to work with Windows 10’s cross-platform copy and paste feature, Microsoft has introduced an easier way to access files from Samsung’s smartphones on Windows machines.

The Redmond-based software and services giant has announced that Galaxy smartphone and tablet users can now drag and drop files to Windows 10 PCs via the updated Your Phone app. All file types are supported, but Microsoft says that there are some limitations. No more than 100 files can be transferred in one go, and each file’s maximum size can be 512MB.

This new feature works on all Galaxy devices that are running Link To Windows v1.5 (or higher) and are linked to computers running the latest insider builds of Windows 10. A wired connection isn’t necessary but they should be on the same Wi-Fi network. After a Galaxy smartphone or tablet is connected to a Windows 10 PC, you’ll need to open the Your Phone app on your PC and go to the phone screen.

You can then open the Gallery or My Files app, long press on a file until a checkmark appears on it, select additional files if you want, and then long press again to enable the drag-and-drop functionality. You can then drag the files and drop them to the desired location on your PC’s file system. You should not minimize the Your Phone window while files are being transferred as the action cancels the operation.

If you want to transfer files from your computer to your Samsung smartphone, you’ll need to select the files on the Windows 10 device and then drag them over to the Your Phone app window. The cursor will change to notify ‘Copy’ when you can drop them. All the files transferred from the computer to the phone are stored inside the Downloads folder in the phone’s internal storage.

The post You can now drag and drop files between Samsung phones and Windows 10 PCs appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2K1uMpC
via IFTTT

[Poll] Are you using Samsung’s 45W charger for the Galaxy S20 Ultra/Note 10+?

When you buy a flagship smartphone these days, one of the features you expect it to have is speedy charging. Samsung’s flagships made the jump to the company’s new ‘Super Fast Charging’ technology last year with the Galaxy S20 5G, followed by the Galaxy Note 10 series. The Galaxy S20 lineup supports super fast charging as well, and so do some mid-range Galaxy devices, like the Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy Note 10 Lite, Galaxy A70, and Galaxy A71.

There are two versions of Samsung’s super fast charger: A 25W charger and a 45W charger. The Galaxy Note 10+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra both support up to 45W charging, and so does the Galaxy S10 Lite. However, Samsung doesn’t bundle the 45W charger in the box. It’s a separate purchase for those who want it, and frankly, we don’t see much point in buying it as it doesn’t make an enormous difference in charging speeds over the 25W charger that comes bundled with all the aforementioned devices.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra, for example, takes merely 60 minutes to go from 0 to 100 with the 25W charger, which is plenty fast any way you look at it. That said, the 45W charger does charge both the Galaxy Note 10+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra faster than the 25W charger, especially in the first half hour or so. And there’s no harm in getting the most out of a flagship phone you paid a thousands dollars for, even if you may not see a major benefit in doing so.

Many of you who ascribe to that philosophy probably purchased Samsung’s 45W charger and are using it with your Galaxy Note 10+ or Galaxy S20 Ultra, though we’re assuming most of our readers simply use the 25W charger they received in the box. And, in our latest poll, we want to know which camp you fall in. Go ahead and vote below, and then feel free to elaborate on your response in the comments section!

Are you using Samsung's 45W charger for your Galaxy S20 Ultra/Note 10+?

• No
• I want to, but it's too expensive
• Yes

Results

• No 49%, 40 votes
  40 votes 49%

  40 votes - 49% of all votes
• I want to, but it's too expensive 28%, 23 votes
  23 votes 28%

  23 votes - 28% of all votes
• Yes 23%, 19 votes
  19 votes 23%

  19 votes - 23% of all votes

Total Votes: 82

12 April 2020

×

You or your IP had already vote.

• No
• I want to, but it's too expensive
• Yes

×

You or your IP had already vote.

Results

The post [Poll] Are you using Samsung’s 45W charger for the Galaxy S20 Ultra/Note 10+? appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3a034nF
via IFTTT

Samsung about to start producing Galaxy Fold 2 parts: report

In spite of global market instability, the Galaxy Fold 2 is still following the initial release schedule Samsung laid out months ago. The South Korean electronics juggernaut is hence reportedly set to begin mass manufacturing parts for its next foldable Android smartphone next month; mid-May, to be more precise.

It’s understood the firm already completed a trial production run of the Galaxy Fold 2, finalizing the design of the upcoming flagship which is widely expected to launch in August.

First Galaxy Fold 2 units may leak as early as June

Industry sources from Samsung’s home country claim the company should start assembling Galaxy Fold 2 units within weeks of the first parts being produced. In other words, first real-life Galaxy Fold 2 sightings might happen as early as June, based on the circumstances wherein Samsung’s past smartphones leaked prior to their official announcements.

The Galaxy Fold 2 is rumored to be slated for an unveiling alongside the Galaxy Note 20, though it remains to be seen whether Samsung’s second Unpacked event of the year will be an actual physical happening or merely an online-only presentation. In any case, this will be the company’s third foldable Android handset, following in the footsteps of the recently released Galaxy Z Flip and the original Galaxy Fold.

Earlier this week, SamMobile exclusively reported on Samsung’s overall strategy for the Galaxy Fold 2, learning that the upcoming handset will have a lower starting point than its direct predecessor which debuted at nearly $2,000. That plan was at least partially prompted by the excellent market response to the notably more affordable Galaxy Z Flip whose introductory price sits at about $1,400, depending on the market.

Another aspect in which the Galaxy Fold 2 is said to be more similar to the Galaxy Z Flip than the first Galaxy Fold is weight, as Samsung supposedly found a way to make its original foldable phone concept much lighter. For reference, the Galaxy Fold tipped the scales at 263g, whereas the Galaxy Z Flip weighted 183g.

It’s still unclear whether Samsung intends to release an LTE-only variant of the Galaxy Fold 2, though the flagship member of the upcoming mobile family is bound to offer 5G support.

The post Samsung about to start producing Galaxy Fold 2 parts: report appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2K0Wzql
via IFTTT

Samsung Cloud no longer syncs keyboard data, and that’s a shame

As someone who uses different Samsung phones to review them, I tend to backup and restore my data from one device to another quite often. Samsung Smart Switch is just an amazing tool for transferring content from one device to another, and for things like my contacts, I depend on sync through my Google account. Samsung Cloud also comes into the picture, but only for syncing my custom Samsung Keyboard settings and saved words.

Or, well, Samsung Cloud used to come into the picture. It doesn’t anymore, and that’s because Samsung has removed the option to sync keyboard data through Samsung cloud for some reason. Yes, if you switch to a new Galaxy phone or tablet from an older Galaxy device and use Samsung Keyboard, you will have to manually customize its settings, add all your saved words, and wait for it to learn your typing patterns to offer proper prediction again.

Seems to be a One UI 2.1 limitation

The option to sync keyboard data seems to be missing only on devices running One UI 2.1. I’ve used the Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip this year, and none of them synced my keyboard data or even have the option to enable or disable keyboard sync in Samsung Cloud (found in the Settings » Accounts menu on the device).

It’s also missing on the Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy Note 10+, both of which are now running One UI 2.1. You won’t find Samsung Keyboard sync mentioned on the web version of Samsung Cloud anymore, either. It is still available on all devices running One UI 2.0, whether it’s the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy Note 9 or 2020 devices like the Galaxy A71 and Galaxy M31.

Regular customers don’t change phones nearly as often as I do, but if Samsung has removed keyboard sync for good, it does mean your data won’t be carried forward whenever you buy a new Galaxy smartphone or tablet in the future, whenever that might be. It might just be a bug or an accidental removal, and we have reached out to Samsung for a comment to find out what’s actually the case.

A permanent change? Let’s hope not

I certainly hope this isn’t a permanent change. I’m quite used to Samsung’s keyboard app despite all its nuisances (like the horrible swipe accuracy) and would hate to have to switch to a different keyboard. The same probably applies to millions of customers out there, who use Samsung Keyboard because they like it or because it comes set as the default keyboard out of the box. Again, this is hopefully a temporary issue and not a permanent one, and we’ll let you know what’s what once Samsung gets back to us on the matter.

The post Samsung Cloud no longer syncs keyboard data, and that’s a shame appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3ceggXw
via IFTTT