الغريب: 09/09/20

الأربعاء، 9 سبتمبر 2020

Samsung requested an approval from the US to supply semiconductors to Huawei

Huawei’s smartphone and telecommunications businesses are facing a life-threatening situation due to the US government’s sanctions. The company will stop receiving DRAM chips, NAND flash chips, and OLED screens from Samsung starting September 15. Now, it is being reported that the South Korean company has requested approval from the US to supply semiconductors chips to Huawei.

A report from Korea IT News claims that Samsung Electronics requested approval from the US Department of Commerce to continue supplying semiconductor chips to Huawei. Even MediaTek, Qualcomm, and SK Hynix have submitted similar requests. However, given the current situation and the atmosphere within the Trump administration, there’s little chance of the requests receiving approval.

New rules brought in by the US government dictate that firms who want to supply hardware or software that are developed using American technologies to Huawei need prior approval from the US Department of Commerce. A high-ranking official from the government said, “Many multinational semiconductor manufacturers including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix made requests for approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Regardless of whether these requests get approved or not, they took necessary measures before the U.S. Government imposes its sanction on September 15.”

As of 2019, Huawei was among Samsung’s top five semiconductor clients. The Chinese firm also accounted for 10% of SK Hynix’s revenue. To overcome the sales drop, Samsung could look to increase their sales to Apple, OPPO, and Vivo. On the other hand, Samsung’s network business is flourishing due to sanctions against Huawei. It recently bagged deals from Verizon and other carriers to supply 5G solutions.

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Samsung collaborates with Intel, HP, and SK Telecom in commercializing 5G virtual networks

SK Telecom announced earlier today that it has joined hands with Intel, HP, and Samsung to commercialize 5G virtual networks. The companies have collaborated for the development, deployment, and establishment of virtualization process standards. Recently, Samsung had started offering 5G vRAN (Virtualized Radio Access Network) solutions to network carriers for easier cost and network optimizations.

As a part of the new collaboration, Intel will share its Xeon processors, ethernet network adapters, and solid-state drives. HP will provide its virtual server ProLiant to the South Korean tech giant. SK Telecom will help verify Samsung Electronics’ 5G virtualization software and check its compatibility with the 5G core network.

A 5G virtual network will make it easier for cellular network carriers to quickly introduce various 5G services because they don’t have to install new hardware or upgrade them. Kang Jong-Ryeol, the head of ICT Infra Center at SK Telecom, said, “The collaboration of the four companies will establish the foundation of the 5G network virtualization, which will provide better services to consumers.”

Samsung has been trying to expand its network business after various countries started distancing themselves from Huawei following data security concerns. Although Huawei is still the number one network infrastructure provider globally, Samsung has been able to make its mark. Recently, Samsung Networks bagged a huge, $6.6 billion 5G infrastructure contract from US-based carrier Verizon.

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Samsung was Egypt’s biggest smartphone brand in Q2 2020

Samsung’s smartphone business took a hit worldwide during the first and second quarters of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related business closures. There was some pick up in sales during the second quarter, though. Now, a new report claims that Samsung turned out to be the biggest smartphone brand in Egypt in Q2 2020.

According to a new market analysis report from IDC (International Data Corporation), Samsung captured a 23.8% share of Egypt’s smartphone market by shipping 0.68 million units. The South Korean tech giant beat Chinese rivals OPPO and Xiaomi to capture the number one ranking in terms of smartphone volume. The country’s smartphone market expanded by 2.2% quarter-on-quarter to 2.88 million units.

In the second quarter of 2020, the portion of ultra-affordable smartphones (priced below $100) sold in Egypt jumped from 17.5% (in Q2 2019) to 30.5%. Moreover, devices with screen sizes between 6.5 inches to 7 inches accounted for 45.4% of all the smartphones sold during the period, up from 12.4% in Q1 2020.

Taher Abdel Hameed, a senior research analyst at IDC, said, “The price band and screen size trends indicate that consumers were opting for more affordable phones due to tighter budgets, while vendors supplied affordable models with higher specs to cope with challenging sales conditions during the pandemic.” Smartphone brands are hoping for the sales to rise in Q4 2020 and reach earlier levels in Q1 2021.

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Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G hits China with twice the storage, even higher price

If you’re willing to even so much as entertain the idea of paying $2,000 for a smartphone, what’s another extra hundred or five of them? That seems to be the train of thought that led to the ultimate variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 – the one Samsung just launched in China earlier today. Officially called the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, this particular version of the company’s second-generation foldable will retail at 16,999 yuan, or just under $2,500.

This 25% price increase compared to the international model is justified with a 100% increase in storage space. That is to say, the Chinese Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will feature 512GB of flash memory, whereas the rest of the world, bar Taiwan, is “only” getting a 256GB device.

China released the Galaxy Z Fold2, 512GB, priced at 16,999 yuan, equivalent to US$2485. pic.twitter.com/jt9rDXO77i

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) September 9, 2020

The gap between Samsung’s “flagships” deepens

Officially unveiled in early August alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Tab S7 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G was only treated to a full-fledged announcement last week. Samsung’s third-ever foldable smartphone is scheduled to start shipping to early adopters internationally next Friday, September 18th. And while it’s hardly the first ultry-luxurious device from the company, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G continues to widen the gap between Samsung’s most affordable flagships and the top end of the price spectrum.

As a reminder, this $2,500 variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 isn’t its most expensive form – that honor goes to the elegantly named Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition which sports an eye-watering $3,300 price tag. And judging by the fact some of Samsung’s regional branches adopted a lottery pre-order system for its arrival, it’s probably fair to say the steep asking price did nothing to discourage this smartphone’s target demographic from breaking the bank.

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Everything we know so far about the Galaxy Tab Active 3

As you may have heard earlier this week, Samsung is preparing to bring back the Galaxy Tab Active rugged tablet series with a new model that’s been confirmed to carry the Galaxy Tab Active 3 moniker. Evidently, Samsung is keeping quiet about this new tablet but evidence of its existence has been popping up through various channels. Here’s what we know so far.

The Galaxy Tab Active 3 will be powered by the Exynos 9810 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. This is according to a Geekbench listing that also reveals the tablet is running Android 10. As a quick reminder given that its predecessor was released three years ago, the Galaxy Tab Active 2 was powered by the Exynos 7870 chipset, 3 GB of RAM, and Android 7.1 Nougat.

Galaxy Tab Active 3 has a 4,900mAh battery

The Galaxy Tab Active 3 has already been approved by Safety Korea and the certificate confirmed a couple of details. Firstly, the tablet is being manufactured in Vietnam, and secondly the device will have a design similar to the Galaxy Tab Active 2 in that it will have three physical (or capacitive) buttons on the lower bezel. The main focus here is ruggedness, so the inclusion of physical buttons is a plus.

The photo above suggests that the Galaxy Tab Active 3 measures roughly 215 x 130mm, so it should have a footprint similar to the Galaxy Tab Active 2 which measures 214.7 x 127.6 x 9.9mm.

The Galaxy Tab Active 3 with model number SM-T575N was certified by Safety Korea this month and its battery carrying model number EB-BT575BBE was also approved by the same regulatory agency. The unit has a rated capacity of 4,900mAh, up from the Tab Active 2’s 4,450mAh unit.

Galaxy Tab Active 3 will be available in Wi-Fi, LTE, and 5G configurations

Finally, we can conclude from the known model numbers (SM-T570 / SM-T575 / SM-T577) that the Galaxy Tab Active 3 will be available in Wi-Fi, LTE, as well as 5G configurations. Samsung has aggressively pushed into the 5G era and has released a total of nineteen 5G-enabled device models so far. They range from mid-range to high-end devices and include various form factors from smartphones and foldables to tablets and notebooks. The Galaxy Tab Active 3 will likely become Samsung’s first rugged tablet to support 5G.

Since the Galaxy Tab Active 3 is now gathering regulatory approvals, it remains to be seen exactly when it will be released or whether or not it will make it to the market by the end of the year. Either way, the Galaxy Tab Active 3 could soon become a staple for first responders and enterprises who may want to take advantage of 5G in a rugged design.

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Galaxy Tab S7 series is a massive success in India as stocks get depleted

The Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ went on sale in India earlier this week following a pre-booking period of a couple of weeks and Samsung confirmed today that the Galaxy Tab S7+ in particular has been a massive success. It sold out within days of its release, with stocks having been depleted across offline and online retail channels.

Both models have registered record pre-booking figures according to Samsung India, indicating that demand for large-screen premium devices is higher than usual in the ‘work from home’ era. The Galaxy Tab S7+ was released in India for INR 79,999 ($1,090). It was available only with 4G, unlike the standard Galaxy Tab S7 which is available in both Wi-Fi-only and LTE configurations. The latter model has a starting price of INR 55,999 ($763) but the 4G variant costs INR 63,999 ($872). Samsung India claims that the Galaxy Tab S7+ should be back in stock ‘soon’ but it hasn’t revealed an exact date as to when it’ll happen.

The apparent success of the Galaxy Tab S7 series in India might help the company gain valuable market share in the second half of 2020. Samsung was the second-biggest tablet brand in India in Q2 2020 according to earlier reports, having increased its share from 17% to 29% year-on-year.

The Galaxy Tab S7 duo was also subjected to high demand in South Korea where both models were sold out last month in record time. More so, Samsung revealed that initial demand was 2.5 times higher compared to the Galaxy Tab S6 last year.

Galaxy Tab S7+ review

Buy the Galaxy Tab S7 Wi-Fi from Samsung India
Buy the Galaxy Tab S7 4G from Samsung India
Check Galaxy Tab S7+ availability at Samsung India

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 S20 Fan Edition launch seems imminent after premature listing

The launch of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition seems to be just around the corner as even Samsung itself is now slipping up with premature product listings. More specifically, the guilty party this time around is Samsung Philippines, and while its latest slip-up that happened earlier today – as first discovered by industry insider Evan Blass on his private Twitter account – was quickly remedied, the Google Search caching system was quicker.

We are consequently able to confirm some new details regarding the upcoming Android smartphone. For starters, the international variant of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will offer dual-SIM capabilities and feature 128GB of flash storage space. That would be the one carrying model number SM-G780F.

We can finally put a name on some of the Galaxy S20 FE colors

Furthermore, the smartphone itself will be available in Cloud Navy and Cloud Lavender – at least in the Philippines. Meaning we’re finally able to put an official name on some of the Galaxy S20 FE color variants that leaked online in recent weeks. We found out Samsung is working on at least half a dozen color options in mid-August and thanks to a report from last week, we know that at least some of those will be exclusive to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G.

Assuming Samsung sticks to the flagship-a-quarter schedule it reportedly adopted earlier this year, the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will become official in a matter of weeks. That’s pretty much what previous industry rumors have been saying as well, with one July report specifically mentioning October as Samsung’s target window for releasing the Galaxy S20 FE.

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Galaxy M51 versus Galaxy A71: The M series undercuts the A lineup again

The Galaxy M51 was released in Russia earlier this week and it will soon hit the shelves in other markets including Europe and India. It’s an exciting mid-range phone on account of its monstrous 7,000mAh battery but it has other good things going for it. In fact, the Galaxy M51 appears to make the Galaxy A71 rather obsolete in markets where both phones are available, especially since the former model is available for a lower price.

Looking at how the Galaxy M51 and Galaxy A71 compare, it seems like history repeats itself in the same way that the Galaxy M31s undercut the Galaxy A51. The Galaxy M51 seems to be the superior model despite the lower price, but the Galaxy A71 has a couple of advantages. Let’s take a closer look.

Galaxy M51 versus Galaxy A71

The two mid-range phones share many characteristics including the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a pixel count of 2400 by 1080. They also have nearly-identical dimensions but the Galaxy M51 is a bit thicker and heavier.

Both smartphones look very similar except for their color schemes and patterns. However, the Galaxy A71 has an in-display fingerprint sensor whereas the Galaxy M51 has a side-mounted sensor. The Galaxy A71 has a more modern approach in this regard but side-mounted fingerprint sensors are usually faster and more accurate.

The camera setup is also very similar across both phones and includes a 64MP wide-angle shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro camera. Both models have a 32MP selfie sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.

The Galaxy A71 has the advantage of running Android 10 and One UI 2.1 out of the box while the Galaxy M51 runs One UI 2.1 Core, however, the scales are tipping in the Galaxy M51’s favor once you dig deeper under the hood.

Although both phones feature 6GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage expandable via microSD by up to 512GB, the Galaxy M51 has the better chipset. It’s equipped with a Snapdragon 730G SoC whereas the Galaxy A71 has the Snapdragon 730 solution in most markets. The two chipsets are very similar except for the Snapdragon 730G having more graphical processing power, meaning it’s better suited for mobile games.

If this wasn’t enough to highlight the fact that the Galaxy M51 has better internal hardware than the Galaxy A71, take a look at their batteries. The Galaxy M51 is equipped with a huge 7,000mAh battery while the Galaxy A71 relies on a 4,500mAh unit. Despite all this, the Galaxy M51 costs around 360 euro whereas the Galaxy A71 was released for 469 euro.

In conclusion, if you have the option of buying either one of these two phones and you can live with One UI 2.1 Core instead of One UI 2.1 and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner as opposed to an under-display solution, there aren’t many reasons to buy the Galaxy A71 over the Galaxy M51. If you want to take a closer look at how these two smartphones differ from one another you can refer to our online comparison tool.

Galaxy M51

Model: SM-M515F
Dimensions: Bar: 163.9 x 76.3 x 9.5 mm
Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Plus
CPU: Snapdragon 730G
Camera: 64MP

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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New Good Lock module Wonderland lets you create custom live wallpapers

Samsung has released a new plugin for Good Lock called Wonderland that allows Galaxy smartphone users to create custom live wallpapers as long as their phones run Android 10. Wonderland comes with a handful of built-in animated wallpapers that can be set to your home screen, lock screen, or both, but you can also choose to create your own animated wallpaper using a fairly powerful set of tools.

Wonderland lets you pick a background image when creating a custom wallpaper and users can also add two additional images on top of the background in separate layers to create a parallax effect. You can also adorn wallpapers with a variety of particle effects that come with their own customization options and sliders for size and duration. Particles can be animated automatically or they can pop-up when you touch the screen, and they can appear through different effects such as flying snowflakes, scattered raindrops, rising bubbles and more. Multiple particle effects can also be combined in the same wallpaper, so the variations that can be achieved are too many to count.

In essence, Wonderland lets you create live wallpapers that are as simple or as complex as you can imagine. The tool is fairly feature-rich but it rewards patience, so if you ever wanted to tinker with live wallpapers directly on your phone without using third-party apps, this should be right up your alley. You can download Wonderland from our APK archive but keep in mind that it requires Good Lock to function.

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Samsung monthly updates: September 2020 security patch detailed

Not long after it started rolling out a new security update for September, Samsung released the official changelog detailing many of the vulnerabilities this latest over-the-air release addresses. Exactly nine of those are labeled as “critical,” but all come directly from Google and affect all Android devices. For added context, the August 2020 security update contained “just” two such critical-level fixes.

In total, the OTA release that brings the security patch level of compatible Galaxy devices up to September 1st, 2020, includes 15 security fixes specific to Samsung’s devices. That’s on top of over 90 fixes included in Google’s own Android security update for September because – as always – Samsung’s maintenance update combines Google’s patches with those specific to smartphones and tablets its customized version of the OS.

The September patch includes a 5G-specific vulnerability fix

Like most large tech companies, Samsung incentivizes security researchers to report vulnerabilities in its Android implementations through a full-fledged bug bounty program which it has been running for years at this point. This update also marks the first occasion on which we’re seeing one of Samsung’s fixes for a 5G-specific vulnerability. It reworks the manner in which USB debugging commands pertaining to LTE and 5G instructions can be used without user authentication. That is to say – they can’t, unless you enable the developer options menu in device settings following the September 2020 update.

A handful of Samsung’s devices are already in the process of receiving this new security release, which first started rolling out last Tuesday, September 1st. Naturally, many more are set to follow in the coming weeks.

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Over 230,000 people in Korea want to buy the $3,299 Galaxy Z Fold 2

You’d think it would be difficult to sell a smartphone for $1,999, which is what Samsung is asking for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and almost impossible to sell one for $3,299. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition costs an arm and a leg, but apparently there’s a lot of demand for it in South Korea.

According to local reports, more than 230,000 people have signed up for the draw to purchase the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne edition. The supply is severely limited so only a handful of them will actually be able to buy it.

Quarter of a million people want the $3,299 Galaxy Z Fold 2

Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone is already expected to perform well in the market. The Thom Browne Edition, the result of a partnership between Samsung and high fashion brand Thom Browne, is aimed at a very specific demographic.

It won’t be widely available, either. Samsung will only sell this special edition in select markets. Only 5,000 units will be sold globally and it’s believed that South Korea is only going to get 1,000 units. So almost a quarter of a million people are trying to be among the 1,000 people that will be allowed to purchase the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition.

Samsung used a lottery system for this device in its home country. Customers in South Korea who wanted to pre-order it were to apply for a spot before September 8. Samsung officials have told local media that more than 230,000 people have entered the draw. The lucky 1,000 who get selected will get the Thom Browne Edition on September 25.

The company is already seeing strong demand for this $3,299 variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in Asia. The Thom Browne Edition has already sold out in Thailand and evidently, no unit will be left behind in South Korea. Whether this special edition gets a similar response in the West remains to be seen.

Customers in South Korea are also exhibiting strong demand for the regular Galaxy Z Fold 2, so much so that Samsung is now tripling the initial shipment volume of the new foldable in its home country.

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Samsung to reportedly stop supplying OLED display panels to Huawei

The US government is tightening its grip on Huawei and its businesses worldwide. Yesterday, it was reported that Samsung will stop supplying chips to Huawei starting next week. Now, it is being reported that the South Korean mobile display giant will stop supplying OLED panels to Huawei. Devices like the Huawei P40 and the P40 Pro use OLED panels from Samsung.

According to a new report from South Korean publication Chosun Biz, both LG Display and Samsung Display will stop supplying mobile display panels to Huawei. While Samsung declined to comment on the news, LG Display said in a statement that the US government’s move will have minimal impact on its business as it supplies limited display panels to Huawei.

Apparently, LG Display and Samsung Display decided to stop the supply to Huawei as the display panels use certain chips for operation, and those chips are based on technologies developed by US-based firms. After imposing a trade ban on the Chinese firm last year, the US government recently brought in new rules that require any semiconductor firm using hardware or software developed by US-based companies to obtain approval from Washington before trading with Huawei.

Samsung will also stop supplying DRAM and NAND flash chips to Huawei. It will be interesting to see how Huawei adjusts to the trade ban by the US. While it might buy LCD and OLED panels from Chinese display manufacturers like BOE and CSOT, getting access to memory, storage, and other chips made using modern processes from Chinese-based is quite a task.

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Galaxy Note 20 series already got a $200 discount in the U.S.

It didn’t take long for the Galaxy Note 20 series to get discounted in the United States – and its first price drop is far from insignificant, amounting to a cool $200. That’s how much you can save on either the Galaxy Note 20 5G or the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, assuming you’re willing and able to buy them unlocked. The price cut is currently available from Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H, all of which are some of Samsung’s largest distribution partners in the country outside of wireless carriers.

The $200 discount applies to all color variants of Samsung’s newly released Android flagships: Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic Gray, and Mystic Green.

A surprise, but a welcome one

This price cut appears to be part of a coordinated sales effort, as suggested by the fact that the only place not offering it is Samsung itself. It’s possible the early discount has something to do with Apple’s incoming announcement of the iPhone 12 series. If that’s the case, expect the promotion to last for at least a couple of weeks.

Alternatively, Samsung could have also slashed the prices of the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in response to weak debut sales, but there’s little evidence to suggest that’s the case here. As a reminder, the high-end smartphone lineup has been doing reasonably well during its recently concluded pre-order period, performing comparably to last year’s Galaxy Note 10 series or even surpassing it in some key markets such as the United Kingdom.