Samsung is the most preferred smartphone brand among British consumers

Samsung was the largest smartphone brand in the world with a market share of 18.5 percent in Q2 2020. Now, a new report states that most consumers in Britain prefer to buy a Samsung smartphone for their next purchase. The company has been competing with Apple, which is the biggest smartphone brand in Britain.

According to a new report from market analysis firm Counterpoint Research, 82 percent of responders in its survey preferred Samsung for their next smartphone purchase. The South Korean firm was followed by Apple and the Chinese firm Huawei in Britain. In terms of market share, Apple currently dominates the British market with a market share of 50 percent, while Samsung has a 24 percent share of the smartphone market.

Pavel Naiya, a Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, said, “Samsung took the lead with its latest stock-keeping units and continuous promotion, whereas prospective iPhone buyers are mostly waiting for its first 5G device. Battery life, price, and build quality are the three most influencing factors for future purchases.”

Samsung recently launched the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G in the UK. The company is also planning to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G in the country sometime next month.

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Samsung expects to ship 100,000 units of 75-inch or larger TVs by this month

Samsung unveiled several 4K and 8K QLED TVs during CES 2020 earlier this year, and they went on sale in most important markets around the world in Q2 of 2020. Now, the South Korean firm has said that it expects to ship 100,000 units of TVs that have a screen size of 75 inches or larger by August. The company has been at the number one position in the global TV segment for 14 years in a row.

The company also launched a new video commercial for its 8K QLED TV range, showing off how immersive movies can be on its large screen-sized TVs. Samsung said that it will release more video advertisements that have clips from movies to showcase how capable its large-sized TVs can be in home theatre setups.

Samsung’s new 8K QLED TVs feature ultra-thin bezels, the Quantum Processor 8K to use AI for upscaling content to 8K resolution, full-array direct backlight, extremely high brightness with HDR10+, and 100% color volume. They also feature the Adaptive Picture mode that adjusts the TV’s brightness as per the room’s ambient brightness and adaptive refresh rate with support for AMD FreeSync.

Apart from the multi-channel speaker setup, the company’s 8K QLED TVs feature Object Tracking Sound+, Active Voice Amplifier, and Q Symphony. The Ambient Mode+ feature shows information such as weather, headlines, and can even make the TV virtually disappear within the walls. Other features include Alexa, Bixby, Google Assistant, Multi View, One Remote, One Invisible Connection, and SmartThings.

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Samsung was world’s biggest smartphone maker in Q2 2020 despite fall in sales

The COVID-19 pandemic severely dented the smartphone business as sales dropped 20 percent throughout the world during Q2 2020. Despite a sharp fall in sales, Samsung remained the number one smartphone brand in the world. However, Huawei, which managed to topple Samsung from its top position in April, was a close second.

According to a new report from the research firm Gartner, Samsung managed to sell 54.75 million smartphone units during the second quarter of 2020, capturing an 18.6% share of the market. However, the company’s sales dropped by 27.1% compared to Q2 2019. Huawei, on the other hand, sold 54.12 million units and captured an 18.4% share of the global smartphone market, a 6.8% drop from Q2 of 2019.

Apple’s sales dropped the least during the pandemic. The company sold 38.38 million iPhones during the second quarter to capture a 13% share of the smartphone market, a drop of just 0.4% compared to Q2 2019. Xiaomi and OPPO sold 26.09 million and 23.61 million units, respectively. Xiaomi’s market share during Q2 2020 stood at 8.9%, while OPPO’s market share was 8%.

294.66 million smartphones were sold worldwide during Q2 2020. The top five brands captured Two-thirds of all smartphone sales. Anshul Gupta, Senior Research Director at Gartner, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic continued to negatively affect Samsung’s performance in the second quarter of 2020. Demand for its flagship S Series smartphones did little to revive its smartphone sales globally.”

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Samsung’s display punch-hole technology deemed best in the industry

Starting with the Galaxy S10, Samsung began offering screens with punch-hole designs to provide the best possible screen-to-body ratio. With the Galaxy Note 10, the company improved it even further by moving the punch-hole part to the top-center portion of the screen, making content consumption even more immersive. Now, the South Korean firm has announced that its display punch-hole technology has been deemed the best in the industry.

UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a global safety certification firm, has verified Samsung Display’s screen punch-hole area as having image quality with the lowest color deviation. In terms of “hole area clarity,” the company’s displays provide a balanced level of uniformity across the portion of the display that surrounds the camera hole. Samsung is now calling the screen area surrounding the camera hole ‘Iris Ring,’ something that was leaked via a trademark application yesterday.

The display area surrounding the front-facing camera is said to offer the same level of clarity as other parts of the screen. UL tested the 120Hz Super AMOLED Infinity-O screens on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G for brightness, color, and saturation by pinpointing 12 spots in the periphery of the punch-hole area. The result of the test showed that Delta E was two or less, implying color deviation that can’t be noticed with human eyes.

Samsung Display uses high-performance lasers to create punch-holes in the display in such a way that there’s no staining in the process. Stains around the screen punch-hole area could lead to high color deviation, ghosting, and less-than-satisfactory image quality.

Dennis Choi, Vice President of Mobile Display Marketing Team for Samsung Display, said, “Enabling uniform image quality on the display at the periphery of the camera hole allows users to feel a more in-depth sense of picture-taking immersion, in addition to directly benefiting from the ingenuity of the hole design itself. Without a doubt, our camera hole area clarity demonstrates that Samsung Display technological prowess can deliver optimal performance across an entire 5G smartphone display.”

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Iris Ring trademark application hints at iris scanners making a return

Samsung has filed a trademark application with KIPRIS to secure an unusual moniker or brand called Iris Ring. The trademark application was filed last week and it was discovered by our colleagues at GalaxyClub. It doesn’t contain any logos or information regarding the potential use of the Iris Ring name but the application was filed by Samsung Display, which raises some interesting questions.

Given that the trademark was filed by Samsung’s display arm and not the mobile division, logic dictates that the Iris Ring name should pertain to a product or technology that’s in development in Samsung Display’s labs. As to what it could be, your guess is as good as ours, but we’re very tempted to explore the possibility of iris scanners making a comeback.

Is Samsung planning the return of iris scanners?

This is pure conjecture, mind you, as the trademark application simply doesn’t contain enough information to determine the purpose of Iris Ring. Nevertheless, a most-exciting scenario we can think of is Samsung Display and the mobile division working together to create under-panel iris scanners.

Regular iris scanners have been used by Samsung flagships before but the technology was removed with the Galaxy S10 and subsequent flagship models, or in other words, with the emergence of bezelless displays. Meanwhile, Samsung is reportedly working on creating under-panel cameras for its phones and the development reached a point where the technology was almost implemented into the Galaxy Z Fold 2 – if a previous industry rumor is to be believed.

Iris scanner are essentially camera sensors. Granted, they’re not conventional, but they work on the same principles as the cameras you use to capture stills. And with under-panel cameras possibly becoming a reality in the near future, Samsung’s mobile and display divisions might be working together to bring iris scanners back in conjunction with under-panel technology.

It’s a stretch, we agree, so don’t get your hopes up yet, but the trademark application is real and the name is undeniably intriguing. Perhaps we will be lucky enough to see iris scanners returning in 2021. Or perhaps this trademark will never materialize in the form of a real product. But if it will, what’s your best guess on what Iris Ring could be?

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Samsung UK offers free Galaxy S20 when buying select QLED 8K TVs

Samsung UK has launched a limited-time offer wherein customers buying a QLED 8K TV from the 2020 range can claim a Galaxy S20 for free or up to £400 cashback. The offer applies to TV models including the Q700T, Q800T, Q900T, and Q950TS. This new deal comes right after the release of the One UI 2.5 Galaxy S20 update that introduces wireless DeX support for Samsung TVs.

The promotion lasts until September 22 and it’s valid for OLED 8K TV purchases made on Samsung.com as well as partner retailers Dixon, JLP, Richer Sounds, Estore, Hughes, Harrods & Selfridges, AO, SDG, and Argos. The 55-inch Q700T costs £2,499 at Samsung.com while the flagship 85-inch Q950TS will set you back £11,999. The Galaxy S20 itself is being sold by Samsung UK for £799 so it is a better value proposition than the £400 cashback.

The Q900T and Q950TS are the only TV models included in this offer that are equipped with what Samsung calls an Infinity Screen. In translation, they are bezelless TVs and image quality is stunning. But regardless of which QLED 8K TV you might be interested in buying, bezelless or not, it’s worth noting that purchasing through Samsung’s online store allows you to use the Samsung Pay Card by Curve for an exclusive 5% cashback. Samsung Pay Card was released in the UK last week as an extension to Samsung Pay.

Check the links below and remember that the latest QLED 8K TV/Galaxy S20 offer is also available through partner retailers but you might not be able to take advantage of the Samsung Pay Card cashback when buying from them.

• Buy the Q700T QLED 8K TV from Samsung UK
• Buy the Q800T QLED 8K TV from Samsung UK
• Buy the Q900T QLED 8K TV from Samsung UK
• Buy the Q950TS QLED 8K TV from Samsung UK

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Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition launch in Canada but cost more than Buds Live

Samsung’s purple Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition hasn’t been released in Canada and the company hasn’t made any announcements on the matter, but Canadian BTS fans can now finally buy the Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition online from Samsung. We heard you, BTS ARMY! said the company in its official launch announcement on Facebook, adding that quantities are very limited.

The Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition are now available in Canada for $269. The standard earbuds in black, light blue, or white normally cost $199 and prospective buyers can take advantage of a $40 limited-time discount until September 10. This discount doesn’t apply to the BTS Edition.

In other words, the standard Galaxy Buds+ can now be yours for just $159.99, so the BTS Edition might be a hard sell to anyone who isn’t a BTS fan or utterly in love with the color scheme. This is because the regular Galaxy Buds+ and the BTS Edition are technically identical and share the same hardware components under their colorful shells.

In fact, the Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition are $20 more expensive than the brand-new Galaxy Buds Live. The new earbuds come with some hardware refreshments and Active Noise Cancelling, albeit ANC shouldn’t be the reason why you should consider buying these wearables, as explained in our review.

Samsung Canada is keeping quiet about the Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition but this latest Galaxy Buds+ release could indicate that the company might be considering bringing the purple flagship to Canada. This could very well be the case, but we’re guessing that the company won’t make this step unless it sees high-enough demand for the Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition first. We’ll keep you posted if we find out more.

Galaxy Buds+ Review

• Buy the Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition from Samsung Canada

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One UI 2.5 update for LTE and 5G Galaxy S20 series is widely available

Samsung’s One UI 2.5 update rollout for the Galaxy S20 lineup started late last week. The initial over-the-air release took place in a handful of European countries but the update is now widely available for the Galaxy S20 series in too many markets to count. Indeed, the update keeps expanding its reach but even if you haven’t received a notification yet, chances are you’ll find the right firmware for your phone and region in our firmware archive.

In case you missed last week’s news, the new firmware update that brings One UI 2.5 to the Galaxy S20 lineup carries firmware version G98xxXXU4BTH5, G98xxXXU4BTH5 and G988BXXU4BTH5 for the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra, respectively. You can click the links for quick access to the new firmware but keep in mind that it’s rolling out for the LTE as well as 5G versions, so make sure you select the model number corresponding to your phone before downloading the firmware from our archive.

As for what you can expect from One UI 2.5 on the Galaxy S20 lineup, the list of new features includes wireless DeX, the option to change Single Take duration in the Camera app, an enhanced Pro Video mode and more, all of which have been ported over from the latest Galaxy Note 20 flagship. The update also adds support for Bitmoji Stickers on Always On Display, support for Split Keyboard in landscape mode, and of course, it includes the August 2020 security patch. Click the image below for a quick look at the entire changelog.

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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Find My Mobile gets offline finding feature but it’s not available everywhere

Samsung is rolling out a new update to Find My Mobile, the company’s mobile service that lets you find your misplaced phone and block access to it remotely. The latest Find My Mobile update adds a new offline finding feature that allows users to find their devices even if they’re not connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. This new addition is paired with an option to encrypt offline locations for added security.

First discovered by Max Weinbach, offline finding seemingly leverages Galaxy devices from other users to find your own device as long as it’s in their vicinity, even if it’s disconnected from Wi-Fi and cellular networks. At least this is what seems to be going on under the hood judging by Samsung’s notification. We are unable to test this new offline finding feature ourselves because even though we did get the Find My Mobile update in countries including the Netherlands and India, offline finding is not yet available on any of our devices.

We’re guessing offline finding might be subjected to a staged rollout or the feature remains exclusive to the USA for the time being. But once you will gain access to offline finding – assuming you haven’t already – you will be prompted through a notification.

Have you received this Find My Mobile update and if so, do you have access to offline finding? What Galaxy device are you using and where? Feel free to drop a line in the comment section below and let us know.

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Galaxy Tab S7 duo tipped to hit the shelves in India on September 7

The Galaxy Tab S7 flagship tablet series has yet to hit the shelves but it won’t be long before customers in various markets will get the product shipped to their doorsteps. In India, the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ should become available for pre-booking ‘soon’ ahead of a September 7 release, according to a recent report by Pricebaba Daily.

Exact prices for the Indian market remain unknown but the Galaxy Tab S7 starting price will likely hover around the INR 49,000 mark. Both the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ are already listed on Samsung India’s online shop in Wi-Fi and LTE flavors with 128GB of storage and three color options including Mystic Black, Mystic Bronze, and Mystic Silver. The tablet duo will also be sold by retail partner Amazon India whose landing page for the Galaxy Tab S7 went live last week teasing a release around the corner.

Samsung appears to have had a lot of success with the Galaxy Tab S7 series in its home country where the duo sold out after one day of pre-orders. Will the Indian market reflect the same demand? Time will tell, but if you’re looking for the best work-from-home tablet powered by Android, the Galaxy Tab S7+ is undeniably it. Check our review linked below for more details and let us know in the comment section if you plan on buying one of the new Galaxy Tab S7 tablets in India.

Galaxy Tab S7+ review

Galaxy Tab S7

• Model: SM-T870
• Dimensions: Tablet: 253.8 x 165.3 x 6.3 mm
  
• Display: 11 inch / 279.4 mm LTPS TFT
• CPU: Snapdragon 865+
• Camera: 5MP

More specifications

Galaxy Tab S7 Plus

• Model: SM-T970
• Dimensions: Tablet: 285 x 185 x 5.7 mm
  
• Display: 12.4 inch / 314.96 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 865+
• Camera: 5MP

More specifications

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Galaxy Buds Live launch in exclusive bright red color

It hasn’t been long since Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds Live, and it’s already expanding the number of color options available to consumers. In its home country, at least, as South Korean wireless carrier KT today announced a bright red variant of the earbuds. KT said the red version of the Galaxy Buds Live was introduced in response to local consumer demand, suggesting this extra color wasn’t planned for release in advance.

KT previously introduced a Mystic Red variant of the Galaxy Note 20 5G, another exclusive for its customers – for now. The Galaxy Buds Live originally launched in Mystic Bronze, Mystic White, and Mystic Black.

It’s possible this Galaxy Buds Live model launches globally

As you can see from the above press render, the new Galaxy Buds Live model is pretty much identical to the red Galaxy Buds+ variant Samsung released in South Korea half a year ago. Not only has that model made its way to other Far Eastern countries, but it even eventually hit the United States. So, there’s definitely a chance for this new Galaxy Buds Live version to launch in the West, as well.

As for the earbuds, themselves, the Galaxy Buds Live have been an instant hit in South Korea, together with the Galaxy Watch 3 series. Samsung’s third take on wireless earphones also offers unprecedented repairability due to a remarkably clever design, as well as active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.0, 8-hour battery, and quick charging support. Overall, it seems to be a pretty good long-term investment regardless of what your current smartphone is.

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Galaxy M51’s launch time frame, price for Indian market tipped in new report

The Galaxy M51 is turning out to be a killer mid-range smartphone. We first reported about it exclusively four months ago, and the information about its camera specs, hardware, and battery capacity was revealed in the following weeks. Yesterday, we revealed the complete specifications of the Galaxy M51. Later, its first press renders were leaked.

It was reported that Samsung had originally planned to launch the Galaxy M51 in July 2020, but the launch was pushed to September due to COVID-19 related issues. Now, it is being reported that the Galaxy M51 will be launched in India in the second week of September. The report states that the Galaxy M51 will be priced between INR 25,000 (around $336) and INR 30,000 (around $403).

The phone’s support pages have already been listed on the company’s website for the Indian market. It has also passed through certification processes from FCC and the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Galaxy M51 specifications

The Galaxy M51 features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with Full HD+ resolution. It will reportedly be equipped with the Snapdragon 730G processor, 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB UFS storage, and a microSD card slot. The phone will run Android 10 with One UI 2.1 out of the box. It will be powered by a 7,000mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging. Its dimensions are 163.9 x 76.3 x 9.5mm, and it weighs 213g.

There will be a 32MP front-facing camera with an F2.2 aperture. At the rear, the Galaxy M51 will sport a quad-camera setup, featuring a 64MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro camera. The rear-facing camera features Hyperlapse and Pro Mode. It has a side-mounted fingerprint reader, LTE, GPS, dual-SIM card slot, Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, a USB Type-C port, and a headphone jack.

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Samsung Foundry’s market share in chip making segment could fall in Q3 2020

Samsung Foundry is the world’s second-biggest player in the contract chip-making business, and it makes chipsets for various brands, including AMD, IBM, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. The company has been investing heavily to improve its fabrication technologies and to better compete with the current market leader TSMC. However, it is now being reported that Samsung’s market share could fall in the next quarter.

According to a new report from chip market analysis firm TrendForce, Samsung’s share in the global foundry business is estimated to be 17.4 percent in the April-June 2020 quarter, down 1.4 percent from the previous quarter. The company’s revenue from the foundry business was expected to jump 4 percent to reach $3.66 billion. However, TrendForce says that the growth would end up being less than the industry average.

Due to the lower sales of its Galaxy S20 series smartphones, the company has lowered the production of its in-house Exynos processors. However, due to the COVID-19 situation, the company’s clients ordered more chips than usual so that they could stock up for the future, leading to higher sales in the previous quarter.

TSMC, Samsung’s primary rival, is expected to solidify its market share even further in Q3. It is expected to capture a 53.9 percent share of the market, 2.4 percent higher than the previous quarter. The Taiwanese firm is expected to post revenue of $11.3 billion, a 21 percent improvement from its previous numbers.

Despite investing heavily, Samsung was six months to a year late compared to TSMC in starting the mass production of 5nm chips. TSMC has managed to bag 5nm chip orders from Apple and Qualcomm, and the company has already begun the mass production for Apple’s A14 series chips. Samsung, on the other hand, has been reportedly having problems related to the yield of its 5nm EUV process.

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