The One UI 2.5 update is finally out for the Galaxy Tab S6

The Galaxy Tab S6 is getting a new firmware update introducing the September 2020 security patch and, more importantly, One UI 2.5. The update is rolling out in Germany for both the Wi-Fi and LTE models, and carries firmware version T860XXU3BTI2 and T865XXU4BTI1, respectively. It brings a variety of new features, some of which have been introduced with the newer Galaxy Tab S7 series.

Samsung’s 2019 flagship tablet has gotten better at multitasking thanks to the latest firmware update. Owners can now split the screen into three sections using Multi Window, and Wireless Dex is also included with the firmware, allowing users to launch DeX on compatible smart TVs without requiring a physical connection. In addition, the Galaxy Tab S6 now has access to functions such as Edge panel, Voice Recorder, and AR Zone.

The update brings a couple of Wi-Fi improvements

The Galaxy Tab S6 running the latest firmware update can now display the quality of Wi-Fi connections as long as the router supports this feature. The tablet will specify whether a Wi-Fi connection is Very Fast, Fast, Normal, or Slow.

In addition, Galaxy Tab S6 owners can now request the password of a Wi-Fi network from a nearby device that’s connected to the same router as long as the owner of the device is saved in the contacts list.

The One UI 2.5 update has so far been released for the Galaxy Tab S6 in Germany but other markets will follow suit. If you happen to own the tablet, you can try to trigger the update manually by opening Settings, accessing Software updates and tapping Download and install. As always, you can circumvent this process by downloading the firmware from our archive and installing it on your Galaxy Tab S6 using a Windows PC.

Galaxy Tab S6

• Model: SM-T860
• Dimensions: Tablet: 244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7 mm
  
• Display: 10.5 inch / 266.7 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 855
• Camera: 5MP

More specifications

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Samsung will shift TV production from Tianjin to Vietnam and elsewhere

Reports from South Korea revealed earlier this week that Samsung may be shutting down its sole TV manufacturing factory in Tianjin, China, before the end of the year. Samsung later confirmed the news to be true, but this doesn’t mean production will slow down. Instead, production will shift to Samsung’s other facilities located in Vietnam, Mexico, Hungary, Egypt, and elsewhere, according to a report from Nikkei Asian Review.

Samsung will shut down its TV manufacturing plant in Tianjin by the end of November. The facility operates since 1993 and right now it has around 300 employees. Samsung will try to minimize the negative impact of the factory’s closure by reassigning its employees to other facilities or by helping them find new jobs.

The company wants to shut down the Tianjin TV factory for a few reasons, but they’re all connected to Samsung’s long-term plans to improve global production efficiency. Labor costs in China have increased and domestic rivals have become more competitive, leading to Samsung losing TV market share in China.

Samsung had similar motivations when it shut down its smartphone manufacturing plant in Tianjin two years ago as well as the Suzhou PC plant earlier this year. The company wants to diminish its dependency on Chinese supply chains and it seemingly wants to focus on improving its share in other markets.

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Galaxy Z Fold 2 pre-orders in Dubai are paired with free Galaxy Buds Live

Samsung is collaborating with luxury department store Harvey Nichols to bring the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to Dubai. The foldable smartphone-tablet hybrid will reportedly be showcased at the Harvey Nichols luxury store located on the premises of the Mall of the Emirates until September 21. Visitors will have the opportunity to pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G ahead of the phone’s release later this month.

We are delighted that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G is on display for everyone to see at such a reputable store, said Samsung Gulf Electronics Senior Director of Mobile Division Osman Albora. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will be available for pre-order in the region exclusively through Harvey Nichols and customers who pre-purchase the device before September 21 will receive a pair of Galaxy Buds Live for free. The new earbuds, much like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 itself, were first unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2020 last month.

As yet it’s unclear if customers in Dubai will also have the opportunity to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition, but the Galaxy Z Flip Thom Browne was released in UAE earlier this year so perhaps the larger foldable will follow in its footsteps. The standard Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs roughly $2,000 in most markets but prices for Dubai are yet unknown.

Samsung will manufacture between 700,000 and 800,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2 units this year, according to a previous report from South Korea, but the device is already seeing a lot of success in some markets including Samsung’s home country. The company is expected to tripled its initial shipment volume in South Korea to 10,000 units.

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Analysts expect the next Exynos SoC to boost Samsung’s AP market share

Industry watchers believe that Samsung will leverage its upcoming Exynos chips to narrow the gap between it and Qualcomm and increase its AP market share. Samsung’s next high-end Exynos chipset codenamed ‘Olympus’ will boast upgraded performance and competitive prices, reasons why we can expect more Galaxy devices to be powered by the Exynos solution next year, claims KTB Investment & Securities analysts cited by Yonhap News.

Samsung’s Exynos ‘Olympus’ SoC is expected to boast CPU cores supplied by ARM instead of custom cores developed in-house, and the chipset is also likely to feature a GPU supplied by AMD. In essence, this means that Samsung’s next high-end Exynos chip should have better performance and be more competitive against Qualcomm’s solution.

Qualcomm has raised AP prices, Samsung will lower them

Samsung is seemingly following a two-pronged strategy with its next high-end Exynos AP, attacking Qualcomm on two fronts. Not only is Samsung ensuring that the its next Exynos solution can meet the level of performance required to compete with Qualcomm’s next chipset, but the company also intends to increase the market share of Exynos through competitive prices.

Qualcomm’s solutions have outperformed Samsung’s in-house Exynos chipsets for a few years now, and this has incentivised the US chipmaker to increase its prices. Samsung reportedly wants turn Qualcomm’s advantage against itself by lowering the price of its next Exynos solution.

This could mean that future Exynos SoCs could be found under the hood of more Galaxy smartphones than before, and it could also allow Samsung to gain AP market share by supplying other OEMs with more Exynos chipsets.

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Samsung, please add S Pen statistics tracking to the Galaxy Note series

The Galaxy Note S Pen has been improved with each iteration either through hardware, software, or both, and the latest S Pen model that ships with the Galaxy Note 20 series is undeniably the best so far. But there’s one area that has remained untouched by Samsung over the years, and that’s S Pen statistics tracking.

I’ve been using the S Pen for a while now and many times I’ve wondered why Samsung hasn’t added a statistics tracking feature to its iconic stylus. Personally, I would love to know more about my S Pen usage patterns, perhaps on a weekly or monthly basis in the manner of Samsung Health weekly recaps. Even though this type of information might not be very useful in a purely-practical way, I just think it would be cool to have, preferably as an optional feature rather than it being obligatory. Here are a few examples of what statistics I’d like my S Pen to track on a weekly or monthly basis.

• How many times have I ejected the S Pen?
• For how many hours was the S Pen removed from its slot?
• What were my most-used S Pen apps?
• How many Air Actions have I performed?
• What distance have I virtually covered with the S Pen? And why not go one step further with an estimate on how many ballpoint pens I’d be consuming if I were to use those instead of an S Pen?

I’d love to have access to this type of information either through a dedicated app or a new S Pen statistics category found in Settings. Personally I would prefer this information to be provided through a dedicated statistics app with lifetime and weekly/monthly tracking, the ability to reset data, and of course, the option to opt out of certain statistics or turn off tracking altogether.

All in all, although I admit that this kind of information might not be very practical, I do think it would add an interesting layer of depth to the whole S Pen experience. What are your thoughts on this concept of S Pen tracking? Are there any S Pen statistics that you would like to be able to access on your Galaxy Note? Feel free to leave a comment below.

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Retailers blast Samsung India over predatory online sales tactics – again

The year is 2020, and offline retail is no longer as attractive of a segment as it once was, but that doesn’t mean it’s willing to go out without a fight, as Samsung keeps getting reminded. Cue yet another angrily worded letter that ended up on the desk of Samsung India chief, Ken Kang. Authored by the All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), the letter accuses the company of employing predatory tactics in order to drive sales to its online channels at the expense of offline retailers.

While the futile task of propping up a declining retail channel is hardly Samsung’s responsibility, AIMRA’s letter, detailed today, does appear to raise some legitimate ethical concerns regarding the way in which the firm goes about doing business. More specifically, it alleges Samsung sent gift vouchers worth Rs 10,000 ($135) on Galaxy Note 20 purchases to customers who already pre-booked their flagships through mom-and-pop stores throughout India. “Misleading” in the sense that they worked, but could only be redeemed at Samsung.com.

India’s offline retail is dying, but Samsung’s not just a bystander

What’s more, offline retailers in India are accusing Samsung of misusing their customers’ pre-order information, as some who pre-booked one of the new Galaxy Note 20 models through third-party sellers have subsequently received personalized discounts for buying them from Samsung.com. The extra savings weren’t massive, only amounting to an extra Rs 2,000 ($27) on top of the aforementioned discount, but every little thing makes a difference in the ruthless world of retail. And Samsung, one of the world’s largest and most successful companies, can’t justify such predatory practices, AIMRA argues.

If all of this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. AIMRA most recently blasted Samsung over its approach to retailing the Galaxy M series a couple of months ago. Back in February, it even staged a three-day boycott of the Korean giant over identical complaints about its Galaxy S20 sales strategy. On that occasion, the crux of the issue were promotional activities stemming from Samsung’s collaboration with another tech giant in Amazon.

Samsung’s position on the matter remained consistent throughout the years. The company claims its approach to sales is channel-agnostic, whereas its pursuit of sustainability focuses on product innovation instead of retail gimmicks. That is, it isn’t concerned with picking a retail channel on the consumer’s behalf. On the other hand, it’s growing online focus is hardly a surprise. Between the stay-at-home reality that this year brought about and its massive successes in the segment, there’s no way Samsung willingly slows down its newfound momentum in India. So, as controversial as this episode appears to be, majority-offline electronics distributors in India would probably be wise to invest their energy into becoming part of the retail future instead of criticising the present – or past, if we’re being cynical.

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Galaxy Z Fold 2 India price and pre-order details revealed

Samsung India today at last announced local pricing and availability details for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, in addition to sharing information on its pre-order period. As the Android flagship is part of its first wave of 5G devices (alongside the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra), the company is driving that point home by calling it the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, whereas most Samsung regional offices in other markets already dropped that last part of the branding from their leading-line marketing efforts.

In any case, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will become available for pre-orders in India on Monday, September 14th. Both Samsung itself and all of the largest electronics retailers in the country will be accepting pre-purchase registrations, though curiously enough, the company has yet to communicate an official ending to this pre-booking period.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 India launch is unsurprisingly deliberate

This is just another indicator of the clever Galaxy Z Fold 2 release strategy Samsung devised for its second-generation and third-ever foldable, the goal of which is to maximize hype while minimizing inventory costs. Because, as you might imagine, mass-producing a highly experimental device and charging $2,000 for it is quite a risky endeavor, even for the world’s largest smartphone brand. Speaking of pricing, Indian consumers will be asked to shell out Rs 149,999 ($2,040) for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung has confirmed.

The high-end smartphone will be available in Mystic Black and the signature Mystic Bronze color. Four free months of a YouTube Premium subscription and a 22% discount on Microsoft Office 365 are among the nationwide promotions Samsung has in store for early adopters. Of course, you can also count on 12-month, interest-free EMI financing, at least if you’re buying the Galaxy Z Fold 2 from one of Samsung’s Experience Stores or its official website.

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Galaxy Z Fold 2’s camera and design improvements explained in new videos

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a huge upgrade over the original Galaxy Fold. It brings a design that feels much more finished, at least compared to the first-generation Galaxy Fold. While it might not appear like a hard task to add a bezel-less screen on the front and a bigger screen on the inside, it gets much tougher when you have to put them into a foldable phone.

Samsung has now published a series of videos where engineers who worked on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 explain how they managed to improve its camera, design, and user experience compared to the original model. The most important goal was to fit larger displays and make important improvements to the software to take advantage of the additional screen real estate.

The engineers managed to slim down the bezels on both outer and inner displays. They also removed the inner display’s notch and added Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) for a much smoother experience. Even the hinge that holds together two parts of the device is more precise and stronger. The dual-cam hinge can also hold the screens at 75-degree and 115-degree angles. The company even consulted global design experts before choosing the glamorous Mystic Bronze color.

Samsung also made improvements to the way the apps switch between outer and inner displays. In the Flex Mode, various apps, including Camera and YouTube, change their layouts for easier usage. The phone can be placed on a flat surface for hassle-free video calls or capturing images and videos.

The wide-angle camera keeps the same resolution but uses a much bigger sensor, bringing in improvements to image quality in both daylight and low-light conditions. While there’s not a huge upgrade in terms of telephoto and ultrawide cameras, the company improved the camera app so that it can be used to capture better selfies. The camera’s viewfinder is visible on both cover and inner displays when the phone is opened, making it possible to capture selfies using rear cameras.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 Hands-On

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[Poll] Are you going to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 2?

With just a week left until the Galaxy Z Fold 2 starts shipping to consumers, most of you who planned to pre-order one probably already did so. Therefore, it’s time to see how many us bit the bullet this time around and will be breaking the bank in order to experience the best of what foldable smartphones currently have to offer. Which is a lot, frankly.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a compelling prospect in many respects, but not even a $2,000+ device is perfect. Its camera is pretty suspect, for one. Then there’s the fact you could probably buy a car in its stead. Still, with how much Samsung improved upon the original Galaxy Fold, the industry consensus is that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will outsell its predecessor by a significant margin.

Will third time be the charm for you?

More specifically, recent reports suggest the company is planning to produce up to 800,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2 units by the end of the year, hence quite literally doubling down on last year’s flagship. Of course, the plan isn’t to just mindlessly churn out $2,000 devices. On the contrary, Samsung came up with a remarkably clever release strategy for the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

While it grabbed quite a bit of crazy headlines in recent weeks, the ultra-expensive Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition isn’t likely to be a significant contributor to the overall sales of Samsung’s latest foldable. Which isn’t to say we don’t want to hear from any readers whose fashion sense and credit rating are at a level necessary for buying a $3,300 smartphone. So, polling first – discussion down below in the comments.

Are you going to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 2?

• Yes, I pre-ordered it
• No
• Yes, but after release
• Maybe a used one, eventually
• I'm still thinking about it

Results

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Samsung reportedly drops Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 prices in India

Samsung launched the Galaxy M51 in India yesterday with a starting price of INR 24,999 (around $339). It undercuts the Galaxy A51 and the Galaxy A71 in terms of pricing while offering better features such as a faster processor and a much bigger battery. With that in mind, the company seems to be permanently dropping the prices of the Galaxy A51 and the Galaxy A71 in India.

The Galaxy A51 and the Galaxy A71 were launched in India earlier this year with a starting price of INR 23,999 and INR 29,999, respectively. However, their prices were increased due to an increase in taxes. Now, Samsung is dropping the prices of the Galaxy A51 and the Galaxy A71 permanently to INR 23,999 and INR 30,999, respectively. The 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant of the Galaxy A51 is now priced at INR 25,999.

The new prices are now visible on Samsung’s online store, and the company has started sending information about the price drop to offline retailers as well. Despite the price drops, the Galaxy M51 still feels like a better option than the Galaxy A51 and the Galaxy A71, unless you prefer a thinner and lighter smartphone.

	Original Price	Price After Tax Hike	New Price
Galaxy A51 6GB + 128GB	INR 23,999	INR 25,250	INR 23,999
Galaxy A51 8GB + 128GB	INR 25,999	INR 27,999	INR 25,999
Galaxy A71	INR 29,999	INR 32,999	INR 30,999

Galaxy A51 Review

Galaxy A71 Review

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 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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Samsung reportedly gets foldable screen orders from Apple for sampling

Samsung has launched four foldable smartphones over the past year, and it plans to launch more such devices in the future. Now, it looks like Apple might be finally ready to start developing its own foldable iPhone. According to a new report, the iPhone maker has ordered foldable screen panels from the South Korean tech giant for sampling.

Leakster Ice Universe has mentioned on Weibo that Apple has asked Samsung Display to supply a large quantity of foldable OLED screen panels. It is being said that Apple will use the foldable panels to test prototype-stage foldable iPhones. This is not the first time the Cupertino-based firm has requested for foldable panels, though. Back in 2019, ETNews claimed that Samsung’s display manufacturing arm had delivered a few samples to Apple. This means that Apple could now be into the deeper stages of foldable iPhone development.

Right now, there is a lot of confusion regarding the possible form factor of the foldable iPhone. Only time will tell whether Apple prefers the design of the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Prolific leaker Jon Prosser had once mentioned that the foldable iPhone’s prototype currently uses two separate screens connected by a hinge. It reportedly has round stainless steel edges and a small forehead on the outer display that houses Face ID sensors.

Even Huawei, Microsoft, and Motorola have launched foldable smartphones, and it now feels like Apple is left behind in the race. Most likely, the foldable iPhone is a few years away from now, but Apple tends to catch up quickly.

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