Samsung Display receives highest level of certification for zero waste efforts

Samsung has been focusing on making its products and manufacturing plants more environmental-friendly. Its latest USB Type-C fast chargers are made using recycled plastic, and its semiconductor plant recently received the industry’s first sustainable water use certification. Now, the South Korean firm’s display plant has received the highest certification for its green efforts.

The company’s display manufacturing arm has announced that it has received the highest certification level from UL (Underwriters Laboratories) for its efforts to produce no industrial waste. Samsung Display is the first Korean company to receive this certification. The company’s Line 1 in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, received the Platinum Grade certification in the Zero Waste To Landfill segment. Last year, Line 2 at the Asan plant had received the Gold grade.

UL grants the Platinum grade to manufacturing sites that recycle all of their industrial waste, Gold grade for sites that recycle 95% to 99% of waste, and Silver grade to plants that recycle 90% to 94% of industrial waste. Jeong Hyun-Seok, President of UL Korea, said, “The first Platinum grade certification means that Samsung Display is making efforts at a different level.”

Samsung Display has been recycling impurities from the display manufacturing processes since 2014. It also operates a resource circulation center to separate and decompose waste products by material and reuses metals for constructing floors at its plants.

The post Samsung Display receives highest level of certification for zero waste efforts appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3kFHJ8S
via IFTTT

Here’s the first official video teaser of the Galaxy F41

Samsung started teasing the Galaxy F series in India earlier this week, and the first official look at the Galaxy F41 was revealed yesterday. Today, the company has posted the first video teaser for its upcoming mid-range smartphone, and the teaser calls upon all the restless millennials who want to live their lives ‘#FullOn’.

The Galaxy F41’s Super AMOLED Infinity-U display is the focus of the teaser video. However, its triple-camera setup and the fingerprint reader are displayed towards the end of the video. It is going to be sold in India through Flipkart and Samsung’s official online store. Apparently, the phone has been designed and made in India (in its Noida factory, to be exact).

Galaxy F41 expected specs

Past leaks have already showcased the phone’s specifications. We had reported earlier this month that the Galaxy F41(SM-F415F) is largely a rebranded Galaxy M31 with slightly different camera setup. It should sport a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution. It is expected to come with a 32MP selfie camera and a 64MP triple-camera setup.

The phone appeared on the Google Play Store console, revealing that it runs Android 10 and uses the Exynos 9611 processor. It has 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. Apart from a rear-facing fingerprint reader, the Galaxy F41 should also feature a dual-SIM card slot, GPS, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C port, headphone jack, and a 6,000mAh battery.

The post Here’s the first official video teaser of the Galaxy F41 appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Here’s a first look at the Galaxy F41 in an early hands-on video

Samsung’s unusual Galaxy F41 budget phone was confirmed by the company today and it looks like it’s already been featured in an early hands-on video. The Galaxy F41 is essentially a rebranded and slightly modified Galaxy M31 designed in partnership with Flipkart, and the video in question further confirms that the new model borrows heavily from its M-branded sibling.

The Galaxy F41 featured in Technical Guruji’s hands-on YouTube video comes in a familiar color option, namely Space Black. It carries an Infinity-U display much like the Galaxy M31 does, and also sports a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The main difference between these two phones is that the new Galaxy F41 lacks a macro camera, so it ships with three rear-facing sensors instead of four.

Galaxy F41 is set to deliver a ‘full on’ experience, says Samsung

Samsung’s full on tagline used for promoting the Galaxy F41 is meant to express a complete experience in every aspect that matters, particularly for Flipkart customers. The same full on tagline is present on the phone’s colorful wallpaper as well, as you can see in the video below. Basically, it’s another device aimed at Gen Z customers in India and it will likely remain a Flipkart exclusive.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Galaxy F41’s specifications and user experience, you can check our Galaxy M31 review and subtract the details pertaining to the macro camera. Keep in mind that the review is more than half a year old now and the Galaxy M31 has been succeeded by the Galaxy M31s in the meantime. Nevertheless, if you want to buy the Galaxy F41 from Flipkart, you’ll have to wait until October 8.

The post Here’s a first look at the Galaxy F41 in an early hands-on video appeared first on SamMobile.

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

These Galaxy Z Fold 2 wallpapers are a reflection of its complex design

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is somewhat of a technological marvel. Its unique design was made possible by emerging technologies like flexible displays, and Samsung’s engineers have probably spent more hours on developing the foldable’s complex hinge than they did creating other, less-expensive Galaxy smartphones.

All that impressive engineering is hidden behind a glossy finish, a gorgeous cover display, and a breathtaking 7.6-inch foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. Short of disassembling the device, which is not an easy feat, there’s no way to have a look at what goes on behind the scenes. Or more precisely, there wasn’t a way, until now.

You can now unfold the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to reveal its internal hardware

iFixit, in collaboration with Creative Electron, has released a new series of Internals and X-Ray wallpapers for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, much like they have done in the past for other Galaxy devices such as the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy Note 20.

The collection includes wallpapers/photos depicting the internal components of the Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze Galaxy Z Fold 2. The X-Ray wallpapers dig deeper under the hood to reveal the complex hinge mechanism, the wireless charging coil, and countless transistors. Both the Internal and X-Ray wallpaper categories have ‘darkened’ versions too, just in case you feel like the regular wallpapers blend in with your homescreen setup.

You can check the gallery below for an idea of how some of these wallpapers look, but know that they’ve been resized and compressed. If you want to use these wallpapers on your Galaxy Z Fold 2, we highly recommend downloading the files from iFixit.

The post These Galaxy Z Fold 2 wallpapers are a reflection of its complex design appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2HtbFH8
via IFTTT

Samsung’s new mmWave small cell ‘solves’ in-building 5G coverage

Samsung today launched a new small cell station that essentially “solves” the issue of in-building millimeter-wave 5G. Called Link Cell, this 28GHz product has already been picked up by Verizon as the largest wireless carrier in the United States will soon use it as the backbone of its upcoming Ultra Wideband network expansion.

In simpler terms, Link Cell eliminates the number one disadvantage of mmWave communications – low signal penetration and high propagation loss. In even more simpler terms, high frequency bands that allow data to travel faster also make that very same data more susceptible to getting stuck in foliage, concrete, and pretty much anything else denser than air – including clouds.

Why mmWave tech is the ‘real’ 5G

A dense small network is one way to fight this natural disadvantage of mmWave networks. Another one would be to avoid them altogether, which is e.g. what T-Mobile U.S. has been doing with its low-band 5G network. However, limiting yourself to lower bands also means reducing the overall bandwidth potential of your supposedly next-generation network. Which is why mmWave is widely considered to be the “real” 5G tech, the one that’s at the center of any new speed breakthrough you might have read about in recent years.

Naturally, Samsung is hoping Link Cell deployment will stretch far beyond its currently planned U.S. footprint. How far, exactly, remains to be seen, especially given how most major 5G rollouts around the world are still on pause due to all the chaos this year had in store for us.

The post Samsung’s new mmWave small cell ‘solves’ in-building 5G coverage appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/300nGKz
via IFTTT

Samsung’s favorite K-pop group BTS is very fond of the Galaxy S20 FE

Samsung and BTS have almost become synonymous as far as the company’s marketing material goes. The popular K-pop group has been involved with promoting various Galaxy device throughout the year, from the successful release of the Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition to launching Galaxy Tab S7 drawing tutorials, Galaxy Note 20 promos, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 reaction / unboxing videos. With that being said, are you surprised that Samsung’s collaboration with BTS continues and involves the recently announced Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition)? Probably not.

Samsung appears to be cooking another lighthearted BTS unboxing video for the Galaxy S20 FE. Or at the very least, the company has recently published a teaser video collage of the band’s members reacting briefly to the Galaxy S20 FE and its various color options. Their reactions? RM describes the phone as stunning and J-Hope claims it’s awesome. V is clearly a fan of Cloud Navy, while Jimin was left impressed by the matte texture on the back panel. All in all, the K-Pop group’s members appear to be very fond of Samsung’s new budget flagship. Then again, they’re probably getting a lot of money from Samsung to be involved with the promos so we wouldn’t expect anything different from these videos.

The Galaxy S20 FE is available for pre-order in various markets and it will hit the shelves on October 2. There’s no word of a Galaxy S20 FE BTS Edition being planned by Samsung, but the phone already arrives in a variety of colors – six of them to be precise. The rich color palette is one of the phone’s selling points along with the 120Hz display and the relatively-low price.

The post Samsung’s favorite K-pop group BTS is very fond of the Galaxy S20 FE appeared first on SamMobile.

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

PSA: Galaxy S20 Fan Edition’s 3x zoom is ‘real’ and better in low light

The only thing more gimmicky than a 100x zoom feature is a 1.1x one, but that’s precisely how much optical magnification the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ had to offer. Luckily, the newly launched Galaxy S20 Fan Edition goes back to the basics by utilizing a lower-resolution telephoto camera that delivers a “real” 3x zoom. In other words: cheaper components and (likely) better image quality. At least in decent lighting conditions, which should also be the only conditions in which you even attempt capturing a telephoto view of anything using that tiny, tiny smartphone sensor of yours.

And to be fair, that says more about the original Galaxy S20 camera setup than it does about Samsung’s latest take on mobile photography. As a reminder, Samsung kind of attempted reinventing the wheel with the original Galaxy S20 trio, but the end result was lacking, to put it mildly.

That one scenario in which you want fewer megapixels

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, on the other hand, only dabbles in AI-powered compositing trickery once you try pushing it beyond what any smartphone could feasibly be expected to accomplish. In this instance, that would be the 4x-30x zoom territory.

Samsung unsurprisingly isn’t advertising this design 180, as evidenced by the fact it’s still referring to the system as Space Zoom. And while yes, the actual sensor behind the primary telephoto glass is now an 8-megapixel affair, lower-resolution imaging does have one notable advantage over cropping a 64-megapixel frame – better low-light performance, as fewer pixels means less space in which noise can manifest.

This is all theoretical, of course, but we’ll make sure to follow up with a direct comparison between the zooming capabilities of the Galaxy S20 FE and those of its siblings.

The post PSA: Galaxy S20 Fan Edition’s 3x zoom is ‘real’ and better in low light appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2S8pzAF
via IFTTT

Samsung Pay launches in Germany and it’s better than everywhere else

Samsung Pay continues to expand into new markets and the latest country to support the service is Germany. Indeed, Samsung customers in Germany haven’t had access to Samsung Pay until now, but all this wait may have been worth it because of how the service is being released in the country.

Samsung usually partners with individual banks in every country to bring Samsung Pay to its customers. In other words, even if Samsung Pay is available in your region, it may or may not be available for your bank of choice. However, Samsung has devised another solution for releasing its mobile payment solution in Germany.

The company partnered with Visa and Berlin-based fintech company Solarisbank AG to bring Samsung Pay to Germany, and essentially, this means that Samsung Pay customers in the country can link almost any bank account to the service, even if the bank itself doesn’t support a mobile payment platform.

When exactly will Samsung Pay be available in Germany?

A beta version of Samsung Pay is going live in Germany today. Galaxy smartphone owners can apply to join the beta program as long as they own a compatible device. The list of devices that have been added to the beta version of Samsung Pay is limited but includes the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S20, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 20 series, as well as the Galaxy Z Flip, the Galaxy Fold, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The beta program doesn’t support the Galaxy S10 Lite or the Galaxy Note 10 Lite. Samsung Pay will exit the beta phase and become widely-available from October 28.

If you’re unfamiliar with Samsung Pay, you can check the following link for a full explanation of what the service is, how it works, where else it’s available, what devices support it, and how to get the service running on your device.

The post Samsung Pay launches in Germany and it’s better than everywhere else appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/32YRCZx
via IFTTT

Galaxy S20 FE not cheap enough? You can now pre-order it for $100 off

Samsung’s new budget flagship, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G (Fan Edition) was unveiled yesterday and the device is now available for pre-order from Samsung’s website for $699. However, a few retailers in the USA are also offering the device on pre-order terms and they’ve dropped the pre-order price by $100.

This means you can now pre-order the Galaxy S20 FE 5G for $599 from Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. More so, you can pre-order the device for $150 off ($549) from Best Buy as long as you’re willing to activate it with Verizon or AT&T. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G offered by these retailers in the USA is equipped with 128GB of built-in storage and 8GB of RAM.

You could use these savings to buy accessories

One of the reasons why the Galaxy S20 FE has a relatively low launch price is because the retail box is missing a couple of accessories. The phone ships without Samsung’s standard AKG-branded earbuds – in fact there are no earbuds in the retail box at all – and it’s paired with a 15W charger even though the battery supports 25W fast charging.

If you want to acquire the Galaxy S20 FE along with a better charger and a pair of earbuds, now you can do so for under the smartphone’s original $699 price. You might want to hurry though, as the discount will probably last only for about a week or until the pre-order period ends. The Galaxy S20 FE will begin shipping to customers in the USA on October 2. Check the links below if you want to learn more about these pre-order deals.

• Pre-order the Galaxy S20 FE 5G from Amazon
• Pre-order the Galaxy S20 FE 5G from B&H Photo
• Pre-order the Galaxy S20 FE 5G from Best Buy

The post Galaxy S20 FE not cheap enough? You can now pre-order it for $100 off appeared first on SamMobile.

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

[Poll] What else would you have liked to see on the Galaxy S20 FE?

The Galaxy S20 FE is quite a complete package, at least for the $699 price tag. The company has given it some of the best features introduced with the flagship Galaxy S series earlier this year. It has made concessions elsewhere, like replacing the glass on the back with plastic, to bring the costs down.

Naturally, there will be people who prefer that the Galaxy S20 FE had more to offer. Perhaps they would have liked a higher resolution display that its FHD+ flat panel or a battery bigger than its 4,500mAh capacity. Those who value cameras more might have preferred a more powerful telephoto camera.

There will also be the fans who still hold out hope for the 3.5mm headphone jack even though it’s long gone for flagships. Even the Galaxy S10 Lite doesn’t have it. Since it is a “Fan Edition” and this is something fans don’t seem to get over, they’re going to feel that Samsung should have included it in this device.

What do you think? Or do you have your own wishlist for the Galaxy S20 FE? Maybe you’ll see them on next year’s Fan Edition. Samsung did confirm it’s going to release new Fan Edition variants every year. Vote below and let us know what you think!

What else would you have liked to see on the Galaxy S20 FE?

• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Faster wired charging
• Even bigger battery
• Better telephoto camera
• Higher resolution display

Results

The post [Poll] What else would you have liked to see on the Galaxy S20 FE? appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/33081MY
via IFTTT

Galaxy Note 20 series quickly losing sales momentum in the U.S.

The Galaxy Note 20 family already lost a lot of sales momentum in the United States, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research. In the first week of September, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G and the Galaxy Note 20 5G placed fourth and eighth, respectively, in terms of sales. The more expensive of the two models hence held on to its position from the previous week, its second overall, but is expected to continue slipping unless Samsung stages another large-scale promotion. The three best-selling devices during this period were all Apple-made, as illustrated by the chart below.

On the bright side, the Galaxy S20 5G remains among the most popular smartphones sold stateside, as per the same industry tracker. The series, on the whole, has been performing so well that it managed to boost 5G smartphone adoption rate in the country by a noticeable margin – on its own.

Expect many more ‘Fan Edition’ Galaxy smartphones

Today’s report gives validity to Samsung’s flagship-a-quarter strategy that the company reportedly started pursuing earlier this year. Namely, while its higher-end smartphones are still enjoying successful launches, that novelty sales boost never lasts for more than a few weeks. Samsung is consequently forced to continue releasing new products to maintain its performance in the mobile space.

True enough, since the Galaxy Note 20 series released late last month, Samsung already launched two new high-end products: the ultra-luxurious Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. The latter was unveiled just yesterday, alongside a promise that many more such value-oriented flagships are on the horizon.

Galaxy Note 20 5G

• Model: SM-N981U
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Plus
• CPU: Snapdragon 865+
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

• Model: SM-N986U
• Dimensions: Bar: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
  
• Display: 6.9 inch / 175.26 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Snapdragon 865+
• Camera: 108MP

More specifications

The post Galaxy Note 20 series quickly losing sales momentum in the U.S. appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Samsung remains top U.S. smart TV brand in 2020

Despite numerous challenges that emerged over the course of this year, Samsung’s smart TV business is looking stronger than ever. Especially in the United States, where the company currently accounts for 32% of all Wi-Fi-connected households. That’s more than its two closest rivals – Alcatel/TCL and Vizio – have combined (27%), new industry data from Statista reveals. The company’s stateside success hence continues to mirror its global performance, as Samsung has been the world’s most popular TV brand for 14 consecutive years at this point.

What’s more, the TV market is still growing, both in the U.S. and internationally, so Samsung’s medium-term outlook in the segment is looking even more optimistic. In other words, no other category of consumer electronics is currently threatening smart TVs, despite the fact that over 90% of stateside households already own at least one such device.

Samsung looking comfortable for the time being

Today’s report reaffirms Samsung’s dominant position in the smart TV space that the company has been reinforcing for a while now. Because while the majority of its divisions suffered amid government-mandated lockdowns since the beginning of the year, a global pandemic actually ended up boosting global demand for its products. Particularly in the higher end of the niche, aka the segment where the real money is being made.

Moving forward, Samsung is restructuring some of its TV production operations as it continues pivoting away from old LCD technology. That process is close to being completed following last month’s blockbuster sale of Samsung’s Suzhou, China-based TV factory to a TCL subsidiary for over $1 billion.

The post Samsung remains top U.S. smart TV brand in 2020 appeared first on SamMobile.

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

Galaxy S20 Ultra gets new software update with improved camera, security

Samsung began deploying the September 2020 security patch to Galaxy S20 series devices a few days ago. The update reached most European markets earlier this week. Now, the company has started rolling out yet another software update to the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

It is a minor software update with firmware version G988BXXU4BTIB and has a download size of 356.34MB. It is rolling out in Germany right now and the update promises to bring improvements to the camera performance and security of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. A similar update for the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+ could be on the cards as well.

If you are a Galaxy S20 Ultra user in Germany, you might have received the update notification already. If the update hasn’t reached your phone yet, you can check for it manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install. Alternatively, you can download the new firmware from our firmware section and flash it manually.

The post Galaxy S20 Ultra gets new software update with improved camera, security appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/32VbCfk
via IFTTT

Galaxy A42 5G appears to be using the Snapdragon 750G processor

The Galaxy A42 5G was unveiled earlier this month, but Samsung did not reveal its complete specifications. While its camera specs, screen size, and battery capacity were revealed, the South Korean firm was hesitant to let us know which processor is used inside its new smartphone, and we now know why.

Going by the Galaxy A42 5G’s benchmark source code, it appears to be using the recently unveiled Snapdragon 750G processor. When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A42 5G, the Snapdragon 750G was not officially announced by Qualcomm. The new octa-core processor, which was unveiled two days ago, features two Kryo 570 Gold CPU cores running at 2.21GHz, six Kryo 570 Silver CPU cores running at 1.8GHz, and the Adreno 619 GPU. The 8nm processor also features support for mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G, 10-bit HDR gaming, 120Hz displays, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, 192MP cameras, and 4K HDR video recording.

The Galaxy A42 5G, which is priced at €369, sports a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with HD+ resolution. It has a 20MP selfie camera at the front and a quad-camera at the rear, featuring a 48MP wide-angle camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro camera. The phone features 4GB RAM, 128GB storage, and Android 10 with One UI. It is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and comes in three color variants: black, white, and gray.

The post Galaxy A42 5G appears to be using the Snapdragon 750G processor appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/302Oslv
via IFTTT