Leaked image confirms Galaxy Z Fold 2 branding, punch-hole selfie camera

Among all the devices that are expected to be unveiled during Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on August 5, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the only one that hasn’t been leaked in full yet. Earlier today, a live image of the upcoming foldable smartphone appeared on the internet, confirming its branding and its selfie camera layout.

Going by the leaked image, Samsung is using the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G branding for the Galaxy Fold’s successor. There also appears to be a punch-hole-shaped cutout on the internal screen for the selfie camera. If you can remember, the original Galaxy Fold featured a weird notch towards the top-right corner of the internal screen. It had a 10MP+8MP dual-selfie camera inside that notch and a 10MP selfie camera on the outside.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 specs

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is expected to feature a 120Hz 7.59-inch foldable Dynamic AMOLED screen on the inside and a 6.23-inch Super AMOLED cover display on the outside. Both screens are said to feature punch-hole-shaped cutouts for the 10MP selfie cameras. At the rear, the device is rumored to have a 12MP+12MP+64MP triple-camera setup, similar to the Galaxy S20.

Samsung is expected to equip the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with the Snapdragon 865+ processor, 256GB/512GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. The foldable phone will run Android 10 out of the box with One UI 2.5. The internal display is expected to be covered by Ultra Thin Glass, and the phone could be launched only in a 5G variant.

Leaked documents suggest that the phone will be powered by a 4,365mAh battery. It will feature 25W fast charging and 15W Qi wireless charging. The upcoming foldable smartphone will also be able to charge other devices using reverse wireless charging. It could be priced similar to the Galaxy Fold, and we had exclusively reported three months ago that it will be available in Black and Brown.

The post Leaked image confirms Galaxy Z Fold 2 branding, punch-hole selfie camera appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2X7g9rL
via IFTTT

Rumor: Galaxy Note 20’s Exynos 990 SoC has been heavily optimized

Not every Exynos 990 chipset is the same, according to a new bit of information passed along on Twitter, claiming that the Exynos 990 silicon we’ll find in the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series for the international market is not quite the same as the Exynos 990 that beats at the heart of the Galaxy S20 lineup in some markets.

Specifically, the rumor suggests that Samsung had optimized the Exynos 990 SoC specifically for the Galaxy Note 20 lineup to the point where it has better thermals compared to the Snapdragon 865+, all the while delivering the same level of performance. It’s like an Exynos 990+ but without the branding, claims the source.

Galaxy Note 20’s Exynos 990 SoC to be a non-issue?

The disparity between Samsung’s Exynos 990 solution and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 SoC was very much highlighted by the Galaxy S20 lineup. It led to shareholders questioning the company’s decision to stick to the Exynos silicon, and it made fans of the brand expect improvements through the Exynos 990+ chipset that never came to be.

The latest rumor indicates that even if the Exynos 990+ doesn’t exist, Samsung made sure that the existing Exynos 990 SoC will perform to the best of its abilities under the hood of the Galaxy Note 20 lineup. Exactly how this would translate in the real world remains to be seen, assuming of course that the rumor is correct and the Exynos 990 inside the Galaxy Note 20 has been treated with more care by Samsung in order to level the playing field between it and the Snapdragon 865+.

Galaxy Note 20

• Model: SM-N980F
• Dimensions: Bar: x x mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

• Model: SM-N985F
• Dimensions: Bar: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
  
• Display: 6.9 inch / 175.26 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 108MP

More specifications

The post Rumor: Galaxy Note 20’s Exynos 990 SoC has been heavily optimized appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/39zLI2x
via IFTTT

So far, Samsung’s new wearables seem to be the stars of Galaxy Unpacked

There’s only one more week separating us from Galaxy Unpacked 2020. It will be Samsung’s first virtual event of this magnitude, and the company is set to reveal a wide variety of devices, from new wearables to S Pen flagship phones and tablets. You probably know all these devices by now, if not by leaked specs then at least by name, and one of the biggest reveals will be the new Galaxy Note 20 series.

Oddly enough though, even as a Galaxy Note 10 user, I’m not as excited for the Galaxy Note 20 series as I thought I would be, and this goes double for the base Galaxy Note 20 model, seeing how it turned out to be a Galaxy Note 20 Lite in disguise.

The Galaxy Note 20 series is the least-interesting item on the Galaxy Unpacked roster to me, although I will admit I’m very curious to see how strong the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s Gorilla Glass Victus actually is.

So far, Samsung’s new wearables seem to be the stars of Galaxy Unpacked 2020

This is subjective, of course, but so far, the teasers and leaks surrounding the Galaxy Buds Live and especially the Galaxy Watch 3 got me more excited than all the leaked material exposing the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Tab S7 lineups. The new Galaxy Z Fold 2 may be able to turn some heads, however, the new foldable is the only upcoming product that has yet to be extensively-leaked, so only time will tell whether or not it will steal the spotlight.

Perhaps this is a result of Samsung wanting to keep it a secret more so than other devices, or perhaps it’s easier to keep the Galaxy Z Fold 2 under wraps because it remains a niche product. But I digress and I’m not looking to dive into conspiracy theories about Samsung leaking some of its products on purpose, at least not at this particular point in time. So, getting back to the matter at hand:

Why are Samsung’s new wearables so appealing?

In simple terms, both the Galaxy Buds Live and the Galaxy Watch 3 feel like major evolutionary steps in their respective segments. While smartphones may have gotten stale with the exception of foldables, the Galaxy Buds Live and the Galaxy Watch 3 don’t seem – or at least look – like mere incremental updates. Of course, these devices haven’t been officially launched yet, so we’ll have to wait until we get our hands on them before we can truly determine their worth. But the leaks and teasers are very promising.

This is because the Galaxy Buds Live earbuds have a completely new design, marking the end of the Galaxy Buds / Galaxy Buds+ formula. All the recent leaks depict a futuristic, bold design and also confirm a major addition in the form of Active Noise Cancelling technology.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 3 seems to be more of a successor to the original Galaxy Watch rather than the newer Galaxy Watch Active 2, and that’s exactly what makes it so exciting. It reintroduces the physical rotating bezel, and this is something we wrote about before, arguing the benefits of this design. We’ve been waiting for the physical bezel to make a return, and it’s finally going to happen. Besides, both the 41mm and 45mm variants look absolutely stunning in leaked renders and real life.

Samsung’s new wearables remind us of a time when new product reveals were truly special because design innovations were still in full effect. And once again, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 might be able to fill that spot in the smartphone department, but until it gets exposed or officially unveiled, the Galaxy Buds Live and the Galaxy Watch 3 remain my two most-anticipated items on the list of devices scheduled to be launched at Galaxy Unpacked 2020.

What Galaxy devices are you looking forward to at this year’s event? Do you plan on buying the Galaxy Buds Live and/or the Galaxy Watch 3? Or perhaps you have your own reasons why the Galaxy Note 20 series gets you excited for the near future. Feel free to share your thoughts below.

The post So far, Samsung’s new wearables seem to be the stars of Galaxy Unpacked appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2P2xPAt
via IFTTT

25W charging is going to be the Galaxy M31s’ best feature

Samsung took its sweet time to upgrade the charging speeds on its flagship phones from the rather outdated 15W Quick Charge 2.0 standard that it had been using since 2014’s Galaxy Note 4. Samsung debuted 25W super fast charging tech with the Galaxy S10 5G last year and then made it mainstream with the mid-range Galaxy A70 and the flagship Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. Now, Samsung is all set to introduce 25W fast charging to its most affordable smartphone lineup.

The Galaxy M31s, set to be unveiled later this week, is going to be the first M series phone to support 25W charging. Given how Samsung prices its Galaxy M smartphones, the M31s could also be the first sub-$300 device from the Korean giant to feature its latest charging technology. These phones have already offered amazing battery life thanks to their big 5,000 mAh and 6,000 mAh batteries, and the addition of faster charging will make them an even better package for those looking for phones that last all day long and also quickly charge back up again.

In fact, the support for 25W charging is going to be the best thing about the Galaxy M31s, as it’s expected to be more or less the same device as the Galaxy M31 (read our review here) as far as the rest of the spec sheet is concerned. And while the Galaxy M31s won’t get a worldwide release, it could be the precursor to 25W super fast charging coming to the more affordable Galaxy A smartphones, such as the Galaxy A52 or Galaxy A42 that are guaranteed to arrive sometime next year, which should excite everyone.

It certainly excites me, and I can’t wait to test the Galaxy M31s out and see how it is to live with a mid-range phone with a gigantic 6,000 mAh battery that doesn’t make you wait 2+ hours to go back to 100% charge once it’s been drained from a full day of heavy use.

The post 25W charging is going to be the Galaxy M31s’ best feature appeared first on SamMobile.

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

AT&T’s Galaxy S10 series gets important July 2020 security update

Samsung’s latest firmware update containing the July 2020 security patch for the Galaxy S10 series was first released exactly three weeks ago, then it was briefly pulled from the air before Samsung resumed the rollout. Now the Galaxy S10 series is finally getting the July 2020 security patch from AT&T in the USA.

Carrying build number G97xU1UEU4DTF3, the latest firmware update arrives on AT&T’s Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+, and introduces the July 2020 security patch that was detailed by Samsung at the beginning of the month. It fixes a variety of Android OS vulnerabilities as well as 14 security issues found in Samsung’s own software. Among other things, the July 2020 security patch fixes a serious issue that can cause smartphones to remain stuck in a bootloop when using certain images for wallpapers.

It doesn’t seem like the new firmware update brings any other improvements or additions to the Galaxy S10 series on AT&T’s network, but you wouldn’t want your smartphone to be rendered useless by accidentally applying an incorrect image as a wallpaper. With that being said, the July 2020 security patch is fairly important, and you can download it on AT&T’s Galaxy S10 series over the air by opening Settings on your phone, navigating to Software update and tapping Download and install.

As always, you can also refer to our firmware archive and download the new firmware for the Galaxy S10e, the Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ manually (hit the link for your respective device).

Galaxy S10e

• Model: SM-G970F
• Dimensions: Bar: 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 5.8 inch / 147.32 mm Dynamic AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9820
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S10

• Model: SM-G973F
• Dimensions: Bar: 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.1 inch / 162.5 mm Dynamic AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9820
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S10+

• Model: SM-G975F
• Dimensions: Bar: 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.4 inch / 162.5 mm Dynamic AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9820
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

The post AT&T’s Galaxy S10 series gets important July 2020 security update appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2P5jQtQ
via IFTTT

A year later, Samsung and Australia’s underwater ad feud hits boiling point

It’s been over a year since the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission originally accused Samsung of false advertising, citing the fact that numerous contemporary Galaxy smartphones have starred in so aquatic scenes that they’re essentially frontrunners for all buoy roles in the upcoming Baywatch reboot – or something like that. In a tragicomic turn of events, it appears the feud is only now reaching its boiling point: Samsung is still describing the dispute as water under the bridge, whereas the ACCC is making increasingly larger waves by flexing its regulatory muscles.

As part of the latest water skirmish between the duo, Samsung’s legal sharks labeled the Australian watchdog’s demands “cheap” and insignificant. Or, as Samsung general counsel John Sheahan phrased it: “It’s not a debacle, it’s just a claim made, and not proved.” Which is a statement bound to give pause to some people, making them ponder whether that perspective is really so much better, but that was pretty much Samsung’s defense from day one.

ACCC pushing for six months’ worth of underwater testing

In other words, the world’s largest smartphone maker is describing suggestions that its ads actively encourage consumers to use their IP68-certified smartphones underwater as ludicrous. Unfortunately, no one on the ACCC’s side is laughing, especially since it’s surprisingly hard to argue that Samsung’s recent marketing undertakings have not, in fact, been an elongated homage to Nirvana’s Nevermind.

Which leads us to the current standoff in which the consumer watchdog is pushing for what Samsung’s attorneys claim would amount to six months of meticulous testing if the company wants to clear its name and avoid an AU$150,000 fine. On the other hand, the ACCC’s complaint isn’t exactly starved for content as it lists no fewer than 300 individual ads with such problematic content which Samsung used to market its products in Australia between 2016 and 2019.

The post A year later, Samsung and Australia’s underwater ad feud hits boiling point appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/30PLrVc
via IFTTT

Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are at odds regarding QD-LED

Contrary to what industry watchers were hoping for earlier this year, Samsung Electronics might not be the first Samsung Display client to adopt the latest Quantum Dot (QD-LED) technology for its TV lineup. Samsung Electronics’ sister company, Samsung Display, aims to start pilot production of its QD-LED panels in the first quarter of 2021, with mass production commencing in the second quarter of the same year.

However, industry watcher cited by Business Korea now believe that Samsung Display is advancing its QD-LED panel manufacturing regardless of Samsung Electronics’ plans. The company finds itself in a tough situation wherein smaller manufacturers are an increasing threat to its medium-sized OLED dominance. Samsung Display wants to capitalize on the emergence of QD-LED displays to make up for that deficit, but it might do so with the help of clients that rival Samsung Electronics in the TV segment.

The report claims that the latter company hasn’t made up its mind yet as to whether or not it will rush its first QD-based TVs to the market, and Samsung Display isn’t willing to wait any longer.

Sources cite a couple of reasons behind Samsung Electronics’ apparent hesitation. First of all, QD-LED panels are much more expensive to produce than OLED panels, so the company might decide to postpone the adoption of QD-LED panels for its TVs at least until prices become more reasonable. Secondly, Samsung Electronics already follows a two-prong strategy by commercializing both micro-LED and OLED TVs, and industry watchers believe that the company won’t add a third technology into the mix.

Could this mean Samsung Electronics will skip QD-LED TVs?

Assuming that these suspicions will be confirmed by Samsung Electronics’ actions next year, there is a possibility that the company will skip QD-LED technology for its TVs entirely. This is pure conjecture at this point, but it’s worth reminding that Samsung Display is already working on the successor to QD-LED technology called QNED.

QNED might enter production next year and early reports claim that the manufacturing costs of QNED panels are much lower compared to existing technologies including QD-LED. With that in mind, Samsung Electronics might decide to skip QD-LED TVs altogether and jump straight to the next-gen QNED solution over the next few years. Meanwhile, sister company Samsung Display won’t want its QD-LED efforts to go to waste, so it might have to rely on other clients to commercialize the technology next year.

None of this has been confirmed, so take these early reports and speculations from industry watchers with the proverbial grain of salt. We’ll keep you up to speed with Samsung Electronics’ plans for the 2021 TV market and the adoption of QD-LED technology as soon as we learn more.

The post Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are at odds regarding QD-LED appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/39y0irr
via IFTTT

[Poll Results!] Will you buy the Galaxy Note 20 if it sports the Exynos 990 processor?

The closer we get to the official launch of the Galaxy Note 20 series, the less likely does it seem Samsung will manage to address all major complaints consumers voiced over its previous flagship, the Galaxy S20 family. In case you haven’t heard the latest, we’re now getting conflicting information on whether the company will even attempt to fix the Exynos 990, one of the most disappointing chips it ever delivered, especially as part of a $1,000 smartphone.

It goes without saying that at this point, the only way Samsung can “fix” the Exynos 990 is by axing the entire thing and that was exactly what many of us were hoping would happen from day one, especially after rumors of a revised mid-generational refresh started to circulate the industry. Changing by far the most expensive of your SoC lines in the middle of a year is not going to do any favors to your production costs but many believed the move was necessary. Samsung’s own engineers reportedly felt “humiliated” by having to ship the Galaxy S20 models intended for their countrymen with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865.

Which leads to our current dilemma. The fact that Samsung messed up with the Exynos 990 is highly unfortunate, obviously, but it’s already behind us. Samsung’s decision to spend extra just so that its home country can get the much better-performing Galaxy S20 models isn’t too scandalous, either. It’s not like Korea represents a huge chunk of its international market and it’s certainly the most loyal one, making its decision one obviously borne of that aforementioned engineering shame rubbing off on some C-suite executives.

But if the Exynos 990 is so much worse than the Snapdragon 865 that Samsung sees it as a source of domestic shame and prefers not to sell it in Korea at all, yet launches its second $1,000 smartphone using the same chip abroad, we’re guessing not many of us would take that bait. In fact, it will be especially hard to digest the faults of the Exynos 990 now that the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra are confirmed to have the Snapdragon 865+ in markets where the Snapdragon variant is sold.

And that brings us to our latest poll: Will you buy the Galaxy Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra if it sports the Exynos 990 processor? Vote by selecting one of the options below and let us know your thoughts down in the comments section!

Results: Rather unsurprisingly, 54% of all participants say that they would prefer the Snapdragon variant while 35% feel that the Note 20 should have the Exynos 992 chip. Only a handful of people say that they don’t really care which chip their Galaxy Note 20 has.

Will you buy the Galaxy Note 20 if it sports the Exynos 990 processor?

• Nope, I want the Snapdragon variant 54%, 1196 votes
  1196 votes 54%

  1196 votes - 54% of all votes
• Nope, it should have either Exynos 992 or Snapdragon 865+ 35%, 765 votes
  765 votes 35%

  765 votes - 35% of all votes
• Yeah, I don't care too much about Exynos or Snapdragon 6%, 135 votes
  135 votes 6%

  135 votes - 6% of all votes
• Yes, because there's not really any choice 5%, 105 votes
  105 votes 5%

  105 votes - 5% of all votes

Total Votes: 2201

14 July 2020 - 28 July 2020

Voting is closed

The post [Poll Results!] Will you buy the Galaxy Note 20 if it sports the Exynos 990 processor? appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2DI899X
via IFTTT

Samsung Gallery update brings video previews and more features

A new update for the Samsung Gallery app debuted on the Galaxy Store earlier today, introducing several UI improvements and tighter cloud support – at least for users of one particular service. Identified by build number 11.5.00.33, the release introduces video previews within the Photos tab in a bid to deliver a more dynamic media browsing experience. Do your best to take this UI change to heart because as things stand right now, there’s no way to disable it, less you opt to hide all of your video directories.

Samsung Gallery will never play more than a single thumbnail preview at once, likely due to battery life concerns. Regardless of everything else, it will always preview the most top-left video thumbnail following a momentary delay. If this seems limiting at first – that’s because it is, though remember that you can use pinch-to-zoom to manipulate the app’s interface beyond mere scrolling.

A motion picture update for a more stylish experience

As for the improved cloud support, it only concerns OneDrive users. That is, both the Photos and Albums tabs will now be displaying the status of any ongoing OneDrive synchronization batch in real time, visualizing it as an overlayed percentage completion indicator. This is also primarily a UI addition and won’t impact your existing cloud backup setup. Based on Samsung’s official changelog, it appers these novelties are available across all contemporary Galaxy smartphones, unlike some other features that were recently added to the app.

Assuming you haven’t disabled automatic updates of your core Galaxy apps, you should already be running the newest Samsung Gallery version. Just in case that’s not the case, you can prompt a manual installation by long-pressing the Gallery icon, going to its App info menu, scrolling to the bottom, and tapping the App details in store option.

The post Samsung Gallery update brings video previews and more features appeared first on SamMobile.

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