US-bound Galaxy Note 20 Ultra confirmed to feature Snapdragon processor

It looks like Samsung is having a hard time plugging Galaxy Note 20 leaks. Last week, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s design was accidentally leaked by the company. Earlier today, real-life images of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra cropped up on the internet. Now, the phone has passed through the FCC certification process. Not that we needed any confirmation, but the documents reveal that the US variants of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will feature a Snapdragon processor.

The SM-N986U (US carrier variant) and the SM-N986U1 (US unlocked variant), which are the variants of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra for the US market, have passed through FCC’s certification process. Documents supporting the certification reveal that the upcoming smartphone will use Qualcomm’s SM8250 modem (a part of the Snapdragon 865 chipset) for 2G, 3G, and 4G connectivity, and the SDX55M modem for 5G NR connectivity. As rumors point out, we expect the smartphone to use the Snapdragon 865+ processor.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will also support Verizon’s mmWave 5G networks through UWB connectivity. The FCC documents also reveal other connectivity features of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, including GPS, VoLTE, VoWiFi, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth with LE, ANT+, NFC, and MST (for Samsung Pay). The phone also features reverse wireless charging, something that has been a part of Samsung’s high-end smartphones for over a year now.

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra rumored specifications

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note series smartphone features a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with QHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+. It has a quad-camera setup, consisting of a periscope-style optical zoom camera and a 3D ToF sensor. Leaked images have revealed that the phone will run Android 10 out of the box with One UI 2.5.

The phone will come with an S Pen, and it is expected to be powered by a 4,500mAh battery. The phone will come bundled with a 25W fast charger. We can also expect the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra to feature stereo speakers, IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, 12GB RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, 8K video recording, and an in-display fingerprint reader.

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Breaking: Real-life Galaxy Note 20 Ultra images leaked!

The official announcement of the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is expected to happen next month, but one of those phones have been leaked already. Samsung had accidentally posted images of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra on its website for the Russian market. Now, real-life images of the smartphone have been posted on the internet, and it’s the real deal.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s images were posted by YouTuber Jimmy Is Promo. Leaked images showcase the upcoming flagship smartphone in its black avatar. The phone’s rear-facing camera setup appears to feature four sensors, and one of those is a periscope-style optical zoom unit. The fourth sensor on the right side could either be a 3D ToF sensor or a laser autofocus unit – it looks like a ToF sensor to us, but it’s hard to be sure at this time.

Samsung appears to be keeping the Super AMOLED Infinity-O display on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and not switching to an under-display selfie camera just yet. The power and volume buttons are on the right side of the phone, and the bezels around the screen are quite thin. The phone will have a curved edge screen, but the curvature isn’t as dramatic as it used to be.

The YouTuber claims that the location of the S Pen and the loudspeaker have been shifted to the left side of the phone. Another screenshot posted on Twitter confirms that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will come with Android 10 and One UI 2.5 out of the box. So, what do you think of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra?

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Samsung announces earnings guidance for Q2 2020, beats estimates amid pandemic

Samsung has just announced its earnings guidance for the second quarter of 2020. The latest numbers are surprisingly good, and the company is promising better-than-expected results despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on Samsung’s major product categories.

The South Korean tech giant has mentioned that it would post a consolidated revenue of KRW 52 trillion (around $43.55 billion) for Q2 2020, which is a decline of 6.02 percent compared to Q1 2020 and a decline of 7.36 percent compared to Q2 2019. However, the company’s operating profit could be around KRW 8.1 trillion (around $6.8 billion), which is 25.6 percent higher than Q1 2020 and 22.7 percent higher than Q1 2019.

Samsung’s operating income ratio could be around 15.6 percent for Q2 2020, which is at its highest since Q4 of 2018. Analysts expect that these estimate-beating numbers could be due to the company’s semiconductor business performing better than expected during the COVID-19 period. It is also being expected that Samsung’s smartphone and electronics units have fared better than expected.

As more people worked and studied from home during the pandemic, the demand for memory and storage chips for cloud infrastructure, data centers, and servers was higher. According to DRAMeXchange, DRAM prices have been rising for the past five months due to higher demand. Market analysts were expecting Samsung to post a maximum operating profit of around KRW 6.8 trillion (around $5.69 billion).

Samsung didn’t post a breakdown of its numbers for Q2 2020 but said that it will reveal detailed numbers later this month.

In Trillion KRW	Q2 2020	Q1 2020	Q2 2019
Sales	52	55.33	56.3
Operating Profit	8.1	6.45	6.60

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Samsung’s network sales suffer as COVID-19 hampers 5G investments

Samsung’s network business is starting to feel the effects of the ongoing coronavirus crisis as its sales in the first half of 2020 are already way below 2019 results. Insiders close to the company claim network revenue plummeted as much as 30% compared to the same period last year. While Samsung expects performance to improve by fall, its latest turnover projections are said to be hovering around the 4 trillion won mark for 2020 on the whole. That equates to $3.35 billion, down nearly 20-30% year-over-year.

A decrease in both domestic and overseas telecom investments in 5G deployment is said to be the primary reason for the slump. Naturally, that downward trend is a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and The Great Lockdown it induced.

Cautious optimism ahead of Samsung’s next earnings guidance

While these unofficial figures coming out of South Korea should be confirmed in late July, the extent of Samsung’s decline in the networking segment won’t get much clearer once the company publishes its next earnings report. That’s primarily on the account of how it reports performance in the first place; its network unit is part of a larger IT & Mobile Communications division, which is a $90 billion business whose earnings are rarely broken down past the basics.

None of that is to say investors are particularly pessimistic about Samsung’s long-term network prospects. Regarding 5G, in particular, a much larger concern is how to keep up in the smartphone department where both Huawei and Apple are expected to outpace Samsung’s mobile device sales by this time next year, marking an end to its unexpected honeymoon period in the market. Nevertheless, cautious optimism is in the air ahead of tomorrow’s earnings guidance.

For added context, Samsung’s network unit at least has a much clearer road to relatively quick recovery than its TV business does, and the management reportedly has some pretty insane expectations of the latter.

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Galaxy Tab S5e Android 10 update reaches over 20 new markets

The Android 10-based One UI 2.1 update for the Galaxy Tab S5e is now available for download in many more markets around the globe, two weeks following its limited debut in the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Greece. The release is broken down into two versions – T720XXU1BTF7 and T725XXU1BTF7 – targeting the Wi-Fi and LTE variants of Samsung’s mid-range Android tablet. Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and India are on the list of countries currently in the process of receiving the new firmware, as are over a dozen smaller markets in Asia and Europe such as Kazakhstan, Iraq, Slovenia, and Luxembourg.

Most of the encompassed markets started receiving the One UI 2.1 upgrade for the Galaxy Tab S5e yesterday. The release is still bundled with the June 2020 Android security update, and the July patch will probably take a month or two to arrive.

New features, newish security patch level

Assuming you still haven’t received a notification prompting you to install the update to your Galaxy Tab S5e, you can always attempt to trigger the download manually. To do so, launch the Settings app, open its Software update section and tap the Download and install command. Alternatively, SamMobile‘s firmware archive contains the latest system images officially released for the Galaxy Tab S5e – assuming you’re eager enough to flash the update manually.

The update itself ships with a variety of new features and improvements that already made their way to Samsung’s higher-end smartphones and tablets. Dark Mode, smoother menu animations, new camera modes, tighter multimedia sharing, and Android 10 navigation gestures are just some of the many novelties bundled as part of One UI 2.1.

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Samsung discovers new material that could revolutionize semiconductors

Samsung’s latest scientific breakthrough might change the very way we perceive semiconductors, largely on account of the fact it’s – two-dimensional. Called amorphous boron nitride (a-BN), the substance in question is composed of but a single layer of atoms and characterized by an amorphous (liquid-like) molecule structure. It’s also the best 2D material for insulation ever synthetized, with Samsung hoping it will be able to utilize in production of revolutionary graphene wafers with unprecedentedly low level of electrical interference.

The discovery of a-BN is hardly Samsung’s first foray into 2D materials. The first and possibly most famous such substance — graphene — has been the subject of countless projects at the Korean conglomerate ever since it was first isolated in 2004. Following the 2016 Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, Samsung is believed to have doubled down on graphene R&D with the goal of eventually integrating the 2D material into its batteries, making them more stable, i.e. less prone to spontaneous combustions.

Samsung’s interest in 2D materials yet to yield consumer-grade use cases

Making graphene batteries is no small feat, however, and it’s been a while since Samsung last made significant inroads on that front. Scalability remains a key issue, particularly in regards to mass-production costs. Graphene wafers, on the other hand, are expected to play a major role in the development and volume production of next-generation server memory modules, as well as DRAM and NAND memory chips.

Samsung’s discovery of a-BN was made in cooperation with the University of Cambridge and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. The feat was already subjected to numerous peer reviews, having been published in the latest edition of the famous Nature magazine, volume 583.

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Samsung’s TV targets unchanged despite coronavirus halving shipments

Samsung remains bullish on its short-term TV prospects despite the fact buying smart televisions is hardly anyone’s priority amid a global pandemic, a new report indicates. The Korean conglomerate is said to have missed its TV guidance target for the first half of the year by a whopping 60%, largely on account of novel coronavirus oubreaks which became a global issue come early March. Yet those deflating performance figures haven’t convinced Samsung to revise its TV targets for 2020 on the whole. On the contrary, the tech giant is convinced it can still hit 45 million TV shipments by the end of the year.

In other words, Samsung is targeting around 35 million TV shipments in the second half of 2020. The figure, on its own, is fairly ambitious. But Samsung’s bullishness is put into perspective when you remember the original shipment target was set while the company was still expecting above-average demand for its products, primarily on the account of the now-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Optimism doesn’t wait for earnings reports

Samsung shipped over 41 million TVs in 2019, and given everything that’s been happening this year, even just coming close to that figure in 2020 could be considered a major success. As for why it remains so bullish on smart televisions, more details on the matter should follow in a matter of weeks, with its next quarterly report being expected to arrive in late July following a preliminary guidance scheduled for publication tomorrow, July 7th.

The latest report on the company’s optimistic outlook for the second half of the year comes just as its stock is close to returning to pre-COVID19 heights. Samsung traded at nearly $45 per share in after-hours trading on Monday.

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Exclusive: Galaxy Z Fold 2 is what Samsung is calling its next foldable

There is a lot of anticipation for the Galaxy Fold’s successor. Samsung’s first foldable smartphone had a bit of a rough start but the company redeemed itself with the Galaxy Z Flip. All eyes are now on what’s referred to as the Galaxy Fold 2.

That’s not what it’s actually going to be called, though. Samsung has decided to slightly change the naming convention, and it doesn’t come as a surprise given the hint that it dropped earlier this year.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 is due to be launched soon

We hear from reliable sources that the Galaxy Fold 2 is going to be launched as the Galaxy Z Fold 2. There’s no doubt now that Samsung’s foldable smartphones will henceforth be grouped under the Galaxy Z umbrella.

The series branding was introduced to us by the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung’s first clamshell foldable. The company confirmed back in February that it had chosen to brand its foldable device portfolio as Galaxy Z. It added that the “Z” was chosen because “it intuitively communicates the idea of a fold while delivering a dynamic, youthful feel.”

That’s also when Samsung moved the original Galaxy Fold to the newly-added Galaxy Z category on its website. We had pointed out at that time as well that there was now a possibility for the Galaxy Fold’s sequel to follow the Z-based naming convention instead.

It doesn’t come as a surprise. Samsung had to consolidate its foldable smartphones under one brand. It’s going to launch many more in the years to come so the naming convention can’t be all over the place.

What’s in a name, though? Samsung fans will be more interested in what the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has to offer. From what we know so far, it’s going to feature a larger cover display in addition to a 7.7-inch foldable display. It’s also going to have top-notch specs, 5G and the latest version of One UI.

No word on the pricing yet but there’s hope that it may be priced a bit lower than its $1,980 predecessor.

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Galaxy Note 20 release expected to take place on August 21

Samsung is gearing up to launch some new devices in about a month. If the world had not been turned upside down by the pandemic, it would have held an Unpacked event in New York this August.

An event is going to take place in August but it’s going to be entirely online. That’s what the reports suggest and that’s most likely what’s going to happen. So when will the devices that are unveiled will be released? South Korean media reports that the Galaxy Note 20 release has set for August 21.

Galaxy Note 20 release date possibly revealed

Samsung hasn’t confirmed the date for its virtual event as yet. However, August 5 has been mentioned as the possible date by multiple sources. Pre-orders will likely begin the same or the following day. The device will hit shelves a fortnight later on August 21.

The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra won’t be the only devices that Samsung unveils on August 5. The Galaxy Fold 2 and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G are going to be launched as well. South Korea will get 5G-only variants of the Galaxy Fold 2 and Galaxy Note 20 lineup, the report mentions.

South Korea is always one of the first markets to get the new Samsung flagships. The company launches its new products there alongside other major markets like the United States. So there’s a good chance that August 21 might be when the Galaxy Note 20 hits shelves in other places as well.

It’s unclear right now whether this will be the Galaxy Fold 2 release date too. No claims have been made about that so far. The same holds true for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G.

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Unlocked Galaxy S20, Note 10, and A50 get July security update in the US

Samsung is updating a number of devices in the US with the latest security patch. The unlocked variants of the Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+, and Galaxy A50 are receiving new updates carrying firmware versions G98xU1UES1ATFB, N97xU1UES4CTF2, and A505U1UES7BTF1 respectively. The Galaxy S20, Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy A50 have already received the July update in other countries; carrier-locked variants in the US have yet to join the party.

The three devices/lineups are not getting any new features or changes except for the latest security patch with these updates. That will likely disappoint Galaxy S20 owners in particular, as the international Exynos models and even the Snapdragon models sold in South Korea received numerous camera improvements with the July security update. Those camera improvements will likely be included in the next software update for the unlocked Galaxy S20 devices in the US, though.

If you own an unlocked Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, Note 10, Note 10+, or Galaxy A50, you will receive a notification once the update is available for your phone. You can also trigger the update manually from the phone’s Settings » Software update menu. The latest firmware for these devices is available from our firmware archive as well, in case you wish to upgrade without waiting for the over-the-air release (you will require a Windows PC for this).

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Samsung says upcoming Galaxy M handsets will be better and cheaper

The Galaxy M series has proven to be very successful for Samsung. The company launched its Galaxy M handsets last year in a bid to compete more effectively against the likes of Xiaomi and Vivo in India’s lucrative mid-range market.

It has been able to claw back market share in this segment thanks to the Galaxy M handsets. Customers have really liked what Samsung has offered and they have chosen to open their wallets for these devices. The company now says that the new Galaxy M handsets, lined up for the second half of this year, will be better and cheaper.

New Galaxy M models are due in the second half of 2020

Samsung had complete clarity about the demographic it wanted to target with the Galaxy M series. These handsets were developed with young Indian millennials in mind. Samsung observed their preferences for specs, features and pricing closely before manufacturing the Galaxy M series in India itself.

In order to aggressively price these devices, Samsung only sold the Galaxy M series online initially. That bet paid off as the handsets, particularly the Galaxy M30s, ended up performing very well. Samsung was able to regain its share of online sales in India through the Galaxy M handsets.

Following pushback from its offline retail partners, Samsung has recently made the Galaxy M series available through retailers, but only in limited quantities. Online sales are only expected to increase as a result of the pandemic so Samsung will continue to prioritize online sales for this series.

New models like the Galaxy M21 have performed very well and Samsung is now gearing up to add more handsets to the lineup. Samsung India SVP Asim Warsi has said that new Galaxy M models are coming in the second half of this year. “We will make sure that these new models are founded on forward-looking consumer insights that will pack-in the sort of powerful features that only the ‘M’ series have come to stand for in the industry,” he added.

The new models will appeal to a wider spectrum of younger customers with models priced below Rs. 10,000 (~$130), a sweet spot for those buying their first smartphone, and above Rs. 20,000 (~$260) for customers who want more features without breaking the bank.

The Galaxy M41 is one of the new models that Samsung is due to launch later this year. It’s expected to feature a massive 7,000mAh battery, which would be the highest ever on a Galaxy smartphone. The Galaxy M51 is expected to have a China Star OLED panel, enabling Samsung to offer a smartphone with an OLED display at a lower price. Galaxy M fans clearly have a lot to be excited for.

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Samsung India now provides customer support over WhatsApp

Businesses are trying to cater to their customers remotely as much as they possibly can during these uncertain times. Samsung has certainly had to make changes to the way it offers customer service and operates its stores.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve its contactless service, Samsung India will now be providing customer support over WhatsApp. Customers who have queries can now reach Samsung through WhatsApp from the comfort of their homes.

Customer support via WhatsApp available 7 days a week

Customers in India can send a message to Samsung’s WhatsApp support number 1800-5-SAMSUNG (1800-5-7267864) if they’d like to register for this service. They can get technical support for any Samsung product on WhatsApp, receive information about service center locations, check up on the status of a repair and learn about new offers.

They will also be able to request the demo and installation of new Samsung products that they have just purchased. Samsung’s WhatsApp customer service will be available from 9 am to 6 pm local time every single day of the week.

This is not the only contactless customer service option that Samsung offers to customers in the country. All smartphone and smart TV users can get remote support, whereby a call center agent can work on their device or TV remotely through the internet to diagnose the issue. Samsung says that more than 70,000 queries are resolved through remote support every month.

Trained support agents are also accessible through the live chat option on Samsung India’s website. More than 9,000 queries have been resolved through live chat in the country every single day on average over the past few months.

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Lee Jae-Yong encourages workers at Samsung’s startup incubation center

Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong, who is currently facing corruption charges, has been visiting the company’s important manufacturing plants and R&D centers for high-level meetings. Today, he visited the South Korean tech giant’s startup incubation center in Suwon amid global uncertainties and encouraged workers. During his visit, Lee vowed support for startups.

Lee said, “The future starts from a dream. Let’s continuously make opportunities,” during his meeting with employees at the C-Lab incubation program. Since 2012, Samsung has been offering a chance to its employees to launch their own startups and use their creative ideas. So far, more than 160 Samsung employees have launched 45 startups. The program also offers a chance for employees to come back and work for Samsung if their startup idea fails.

Since 2018, the South Korean tech giant expanded its C-Lab program to include outside startups. It funds startups, too, and helps those startups seek outside funds as well. The company also showcases products and technologies developed by C-Lab startups during trade shows and exhibitions. Recently, it announced support for five new startups and showcased their products.

Lee has been in talks with high-level executives of various business arms of Samsung Group and planning future strategies. His meetings with senior executives have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic and trade tensions between China and the US. The company also stands a chance to improve its business and market share in India due to the ongoing anti-China sentiments.

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