Galaxy S20 Q2 shipments in USA were far from matching the Galaxy S10

Samsung, like many other companies, has had a rough time in the first half of the year as smartphone shipments dropped due to economic uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the USA, the smartphone market reportedly experienced a 5% year-on-year decline in Q2 2020, and Samsung was unable to ship the Galaxy S20 series to as many customers in the USA as it had hoped. A recent paper from market research firm Canalys estimates that Samsung recorded 59% fewer Galaxy S20 series shipments in Q2 2020 compared to the Galaxy S10 lineup a year before.

According to the source, Q1 retail channel stuffing was followed by rampant point-of-sale closures in the USA, and this has put Samsung in a difficult position wherein it had to rely on 2019 budget smartphones such as the Galaxy A10e and the Galaxy A20 to increase shipment figures. This should explain why both these smartphones were the company’s best-selling in the USA throughout Q1 2020.

Average smartphone prices dropped but Samsung’s flagships got pricier

Galaxy S20 series shipments were very poor in Q2 2020 compared to the Galaxy S10 lineup a year before. They weren’t even half of last year’s figures, and this is in no small part due to the mobile market shifting towards cheaper phones.

The paper reveals that the average price of smartphones in the USA in Q2 2020 was $503, or 10% lower compared to a year before. Samsung’s strategy to increase flagship prices while demand for cheaper phones was on the rise might have not worked so well for the company after all.

By the end of the second quarter, Samsung maintained second place in the USA with a 23.2% market share and recorded 7.4 million smartphone shipments in total, claims the research firm.

Galaxy S20 5G

• Model: SM-G981B
• Dimensions: Bar: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S20+ 5G

• Model: SM-G986B
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

• Model: SM-G988B
• Dimensions: Bar: 166.9 x 76.0 x 8.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.9 inch / 175.26 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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T-Mobile’s Desmond Smith takes us on a Galaxy Z Fold 2 video tour

If you need another early look at the gorgeous Galaxy Z Fold 2 after its brief appearance on Twitter and in last week’s BTS reaction video, T-Mobile’s Desmond Smith has given us just that through a new YouTube series called Tech Tuesdays. The host took viewers on a tour of Samsung’s latest mobile products unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2020, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was among them even though the foldable device is not yet available for pre-order.

Desmond Smith didn’t shy away from giving the foldable display some time on camera. In fact, T-Mobile’s Director of Creative Content did his best to push the crease of the foldable display in the limelight, literally. Needless to say, the crease remains visible from certain angles but this negative effect is a lot more subdued compared to last year. The foldable display looks a lot more like regular glass; it’s bright, vivid, and it’s surrounded by thinner bezels while sporting a more elegant Infinity-O cutout instead of a notch.

The hinge action is seemingly as satisfying as ever and, of course, the generous 6.2-inch Super AMOLED cover display complements the device in ways that the Galaxy Fold’s 4.6-inch cover display could not. The video doesn’t reveal much about the software experience and the level of multitasking and productivity that can be achieved by the Galaxy Z Fold 2, but more details will be unveiled by Samsung on September 1. Once the phone-tablet hybrid goes on sale in T-Mobile’s shops, buyers will be able to tap into the operators sub-6GHz and mmWave nation-wide 5G network.

Check out the video below for a much closer look at the Galaxy Z Fold 2 as well as Samsung’s other products revealed at Unpacked, from the Galaxy Buds Live to the Galaxy Note 20 series and the Galaxy Watch 3.

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One UI 2.5 address two frustrations in Samsung’s camera app

The camera app is one of the most important in any smartphone, and it’s also the one with which Samsung fails to maintain any consistency. From general user interface changes with almost every new flagship and Android/One UI update to removing features both big and small and then bringing some of them back later, the camera app on Galaxy devices is in a constant state of flux.

With One UI 2.5, which debuts on the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Samsung has added plenty of new camera features. A considerably more advanced Pro video mode is perhaps the biggest highlight, and we will be taking a detailed look at it in our upcoming Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review. However, One UI 2.5 also addresses two frustrating aspects of Samsung’s Camera app that we think will please a lot of users.

Camera app can now open in and remember last used mode and selfie angle

Yes, Samsung has once again introduced the option to have the camera app always open in the shooting mode you used the last time to capture photos and videos. It’s a particularly useful option for those who weren’t happy that Samsung separated photo and video into two separate modes, as having to switch to the Video mode every time you open the camera app can be frustrating if you shoot a lot of videos. Of course, it works just as well for any mode that you might prefer or use more often.

The other new option in the camera app on One UI 2.5 is having the phone remember the angle you used for your previous selfie session. Starting with One UI 1.1, every Galaxy phone defaults to taking selfies with a cropped field of view, and you have to manually switch to the full field of view. Samsung brought a partial solution for this One UI 2.1 – it added automatic switching to wide-angle view when two or more people are detected in the frame. Now, it has fully addressed the problem (if you can call it that).

There’s more in One UI 2.5, so look out for our full review

One UI 2.5 also introduces a couple of other new features, and we’ll tell you all about them in our upcoming review. Spoiler alert: There isn’t a lot to see, which is to be expected from these minor One UI updates. One UI 3.0 is the update we should look forward to, and it may not be long before we can test it out in beta form.

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Can Galaxy Watch bands be used with the Galaxy Watch 3?

The Galaxy Watch 3 comes with dozens of fitness tracking modes including swimming. The smartwatch itself is 5ATM + IP68-rated and Samsung claims it has a water resistance rating of 50 meters under the ISO standard 22810:2010. The IP68 rating was achieved after testing the device for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes, so all in all, it’s safe for you to take the brand-new Galaxy Watch 3 for a swim.

Nevertheless, you should be keeping in mind that although the Galaxy Watch 3 itself boasts these ratings, the leather bands attached to the watch are susceptible to water damage just like any other leather band would be. Therefore, if you want to avoid ruining the leather bands that ship with your Galaxy Watch 3, you might want to look for an alternative solution manufactured from water-resistant materials such as silicone. Thankfully, you don’t have to look very far for such as solution.

You can repurpose your OG Galaxy Watch bands or use Active 2 Sport Bands

Regarding the titular question, the silicone bands of the original Galaxy Watch do indeed work with the Galaxy Watch 3, so if you’re upgrading from the OG model to the latest, you could repurpose the old bands for your new smartwatch before going for a swim. Of course, you’ll have to use the bands from the 42mm Galaxy Watch together with the 41mm Galaxy Watch 3, and likewise, you’ll need the bands from the 46mm OG Watch if you happen to own the 45mm Galaxy Watch 3.

In essence, any 20mm bands – first or third-party – should work with the 41mm Galaxy Watch 3, while 22mm bands should be compatible with the 45mm variant. With that in mind, you could also use the Sport Band accessory originally designed for the Galaxy Watch Active 2 with your Galaxy Watch 3, as long as you keep in mind that the Active 2 bands are always 20mm and don’t come in 22mm sizes.

In case you’re wondering, Samsung continues selling 20mm and 22mm original Galaxy Watch silicone bands in a variety of colors for $29.99 a piece. Similarly, the 20mm Galaxy Watch Active 2 Sport Band is available in the USA for $39.99 and can be acquired in one of five color options including Aqua Black, Cloud Silver, Pink Gold, Violet, and Vivid Green. Needless to say, there are a lot of opportunities for mixing and matching if this is what you’re after.

Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm)

• Model: SM-R850
• Dimensions: Watch: 42.5 x 41.0 x 11.3 mm
  
• Display: 1.2 inch / 30.2 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm)

• Model: SM-R840
• Dimensions: Watch: 46.2 x 45.0 x 11.1 mm
  
• Display: 1.4 inch / 35.56 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

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Samsung’s brand value in Korea is higher than other brands combined

Samsung Electronics’ brand value in its home country is up 2% compared to last year and it’s the highest among any other South Korean companies. Samsung’s brand value in 2020 was estimated at roughly 67.7 trillion won ($57.1 billion), according to a recent report by Yonhap citing brand consulting firm Interbrand.

This is an impressive feat in itself but what puts things into perspective is the brand value of other South Korean companies trailing behind Samsung. The second-most valuable brand in South Korea is Hyundai Motor with an estimated value of 15.7 trillion won ($13.2 billion) after a 4.8 year-on-year increase. Kia Motors secured third place with a brand value of 7.1 trillion won ($5.9 billion), and South Korea’s biggest web portal, Naver, was fourth with a value of 6.1 trillion won ($5.1 billion).

Samsung Electronics’ brand value exceeds that of other brands combined

In other words, the combined value of the second-through-fourth-most valuable brands in South Korea tops roughly 28.9 trillion won ($24.4 billion) but that’s still not enough to match even half of Samsung Electronics’ brand value in the country. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics’ neighboring rival, LG Electronics, ranked 9th afer SK Telecom, Samsung Life Insurance, KB Kookmin Bank, and Shinhan Bank.

The company’s Galaxy mobile brand was also valued the highest last year for the 9th consecutive year. Outside of South Korea, Samsung Electronics’ global value brand exceeded $60 billion in 2018 and 2019, ranking sixth and fourth, respectively. Last year, the company claimed its brand value had a threefold increase over the past decade.

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New Galaxy A promo offers £190 worth of audio bliss for free

Samsung UK today launched a new promotion catering to about as broad of a demographic as you can think of – music lovers. The cheekily named “Listen Up” campaign is rather straightforward: buy one of this year’s Galaxy A models, then take six free months of Spotify Premium and a complimentary pair of the AKG Y500 wireless headphones to go along with your new smartphone.  This amounts to nearly £200 worth of goodies, which is on par with the level of incentives Samsung usually attaches to its significantly more expensive flagships.

The Android smartphones eligible for the promotion are the Galaxy A21s, Galaxy A41, Galaxy A51, Galaxy A51 5G, and the Galaxy A71. This is pretty much the core of Samsung’s 2020 mid-range portfolio which remains as varied as always, seeking to offer something for everyone.

Take your time, the latest Galaxy promo runs through the end of the year

The AKG Y500 have been one of the most popular choices for first-time wireless headphones buyers ever since they hit the market back in 2018. Naturally, Samsung’s choice of a partner here is far from surprising, seeing how it indirectly owns AKG through the 2017 acquisition of Harman International Industries.

In any case, you can claim your free pair of Bluetooth headphones via the Samsung Members Android app or directly from the AKG Y500 promotion page that went live on Samsung.com.

As for the promise of an ad-free and fee-free Spotify experience, note that the offer only applies to new Spotify Premium subscribers. If that qualifies you, you can proceed to instructions on how to redeem the subscription (well, you can proceed regardless), which are available from the same sources listed above.

Galaxy A21s

• Model: SM-A217F
• Dimensions: Bar: 163.7 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.10 mm PLS TFT LCD
• CPU: Exynos 850
• Camera: 48MP

More specifications

Galaxy A41

• Model: SM-A415F
• Dimensions: Bar: 149.9 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.1 inch / 154.94 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: MediaTek MTK6768
• Camera: 48MP

More specifications

Galaxy A51

• Model: SM-A515F
• Dimensions: Bar: 158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.10 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9611
• Camera: 48MP

More specifications

Galaxy A51 5G

• Model: SM-A516N
• Dimensions: Bar: 158.9 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm
  
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.10 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 980
• Camera: 48MP

More specifications

Galaxy A71

• Model: SM-A715F
• Dimensions: Bar: 163.6 x 76.0 x 7.7 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 730
• Camera: 64MP

More specifications

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PSA: Galaxy Note 20 Ultra LTE model has only 8GB of RAM

Depending on where exactly in the world you’re located, you may find the notion of paying for 5G unnecessary, and Samsung already confirmed both the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will be available in LTE-only configurations. However, that “entry-level” configuration of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will only be offered with 8GB of RAM. Not that 8GB still isn’t plenty, but it’s to be assumed every detail matters when you’re shelling out $1,299 on a smartphone. Particularly so when you can get an arguably better deal by going with the Galaxy Note 10+.

Because while Samsung’s year-old flagships are essentially never outright better due to their successors offering more efficient processing, 2020 truly delivered a strange mix of unfortunate circumstances that saw the new Exynos 990 chip perform at utterly unremarkable levels for such a high-end silicon.

This is arguably the model that makes the least sense to buy

Combined with the fact that both LTE-only variants of the Galaxy Note 10+ ship with 12GB of RAM and that the base one has now been permanently discounted to $949.99, you should really figure out why exactly is it you’re buying a new smartphone before deciding on paying about one-third higher price for the luxury of taking an invertly proportional compromise on RAM.

That isn’t to say this lowest Galaxy Note 20 Ultra configuration doesn’t offer anything over its prequel, but most people will find the camera difference and other distinctions between the two to be negligible compared to a raw boost to multitasking 4GB of extra RAM can add. The Galaxy Note 20 series is releasing August 21st, and you can still pre-order it pretty much everywhere.

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Samsung restarts production of its ODM smartphones

Samsung made a shift toward the ODM strategy for some of its low-end devices not too long ago. It did that in order to cut down costs so that these phones could be priced more aggressively. The company was expected to launch several ODM models this year but its plans were disrupted by COVID 19.

The production lines for these devices were shut down when the pandemic hit. It has taken some time to get the supply chain and the manufacturing process up and running again. Now, Samsung’s ODM partners in China are once again manufacturing its phones.

Samsung’s ODM vision suffers due to production bottlenecks

The ODM strategy for low-end devices is favored by TM Roh who took over as the head of Samsung’s mobile division earlier this year. Samsung doesn’t manufacture these devices at its own facilities. It only designs them while they’re made by third-party manufacturers in China.

This helps the company to significantly cut costs and thus offer these low-end devices at very attractive prices. Samsung has been competing with Chinese manufacturers in this segment and this strategy is one of the ways it’s looking to counter their influence.

The Galaxy M01s is Samsung’s latest ODM smartphone. Announced in June, this ~$130 entry-level device is manufactured by Wingtech in China. Production of this handset has now resumed. However, the pandemic has forced Samsung to revised its production targets for its ODM lineup. The company previously wanted to ship as many as 60 million ODM smartphones in 2020, but now plans to ship between 24 and 26 million units.

Samsung’s distributors had actually been witnessing increased demand but Wingtech and Hwachin, its manufacturing partners, weren’t able to scale up production rapidly. Samsung may need to work with them to sort out the production bottlenecks in order to realize its ODM vision.

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