Galaxy Note 20 One UI 3.0 beta registrations now open in the US

Samsung confirmed last week that it would be releasing the One UI 3.0 beta for the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra soon. The company has now opened up registrations for users in the United States.

Much like the Galaxy S20 series, the US will be the first to receive the public Galaxy Note 20 One UI 3.0 beta. Not all carriers are taking part in the program, though. Unless you’re with a carrier that’s participating or have a factory unlocked device, you won’t be able to try out the beta just yet.

One UI 3.0 beta for Galaxy Note 20 coming soon

Samsung has confirmed the One UI 3.0 beta registrations for the Galaxy Note 20 series through its official forums for the US. Those who own a Galaxy Note 20 or Galaxy Note 20 Ultra from T-Mobile and Sprint will be able to participate. Samsung unlocked units are eligible as well.

It’s quite easy to sign up for the beta. Fire up the Samsung Members app on the device and tap on the beta registration banner on the home page. Once enrolled, the One UI 3.0 beta will be pushed out to the device over-the-air.

That doesn’t seem to be happening just yet, though. So it may take a while before Samsung starts rolling out the first Galaxy Note 20 One UI 3.0 beta firmware. This isn’t out of the ordinary. The company basically fills up the slots first before it sends out the beta. Those who have registered should expect to receive it in a couple of days at most.

There’s a lot to be excited about the Android 11-based One 3.0. If you’re curious about everything that’s new, check out our One UI 2.5 vs One UI 3.0 post for all of the details. Expect the beta program to cover the Galaxy Note 20 in other markets in the near future as well.

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One UI 3.0 feature focus: Double tap to sleep comes to Galaxy phones

One UI 3.0 is in open beta and select Galaxy smartphone owners in a handful of countries can already experience the pre-release builds. The upcoming version of One UI together with Android 11 will bring a number of visible and under-the-hood changes, but on the most part, One UI 3.0 doesn’t represent a drastic departure from the established formula and instead it appears to refine it further. Among the features that are new to One UI 3.0 lies Double tap to sleep, and today we’re going to explain what it is and how you can enable it.

The Double tap to sleep feature carries its definition in the name. It’s a new feature that lets users put their phones to sleep by double-tapping an empty area of the home or lock screen. Essentially, it’s the same as Double tap to wake except it works in reverse. It’s not a huge addition to One UI 3.0 but it is effective and it has the potential of being seen as a major quality of life improvement by many Galaxy smartphone users, especially by those who are already accustomed to Double tap to wake.

How to enable Double tap to sleep on One UI 3.0

Enabling Double tap to sleep is as straightforward as it can be. The feature is found in the same sub-menu as  Double tap to wake as it’s essentially a gesture. If your phone is running One UI 3.0, you can enable Double tap to sleep by following these steps:

1. Open Settings on your phone
2. Access Advanced features
3. Go to the Motions and gestures category
4. Tap the toggle to enable Double tap to sleep

You can now return to the home screen and put your phone to sleep when double tapping an empty area on the home or lock screen. It may be worth noting that this is not an entirely new concept. Third-party apps have brought this function to Android phones before, but it is the first time when it’s being introduced to Samsung’s smartphones officially through a One UI update.

One UI 3.0 is in the beta stages of development but it will likely debut publicly on a Galaxy smartphone before the end of the year. Do you see yourself using Double tap to sleep? Do you already use the existing Double tap to wake feature? Feel free to let us know in the comment section below and stay tuned as we explore more One UI 3.0 features in depth.

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Samsung Display can now supply US federal agencies with LED displays

Samsung Display is now technically capable of supplying government agencies in the USA with LED displays under the Trade Agreement Act (TAA). The company announced today that three of its LED display series designed for businesses are now compliant with the strict requirements of the federal government and its agencies. The list includes the Samsung IF, IE, and IW LED display series.

Vice President of Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, Mark Quiroz, says that this latest development represents yet another example of Samsung’s dedication to providing reliable and secure technology to the federal government and its agencies. Samsung Electronics America has supplied government agencies in the USA with various other products before, such as the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition released in August.

Samsung Display now offers the IF, IE, and IW series as LED display options for the federal government. The IF series is a direct-view LED display with HDR support, while the IE series offers much of the same features along with portrait and landscape orientation options.

The IW series is the top of the line and comprises a modular, bezel-less microLED display array. It’s essentially The Wall redesigned for governmental agencies. The IW series comes with Tizen OS and uses Knox-grade security solutions. All three LED display series meet the strict quality, reliability, and safety standards imposed by government agencies.

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New firmware update rolls out to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to improve security

The October 2020 security patch is now reaching Samsung’s foldable phones, or at least the company’s latest device in the foldable series. After improving the security level of various candy bar smartphones including the Galaxy A50/A51, the Galaxy S10/S20, and the Galaxy Note 10/Note 20, Samsung is now releasing a new firmware update for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 that includes the October 2020 security patch.

The latest update for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 carries firmware version F916UXXS1BTJ1 and it’s rolling out in dozens of countries across multiple continents. There are too many to count but you can refer to our firmware archive and verify if the latest firmware update is available in your country. In addition, the latest firmware update is bringing the October 2020 security patch to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 on Sprint’s network in the USA. This firmware version is labeled as F916USQS1ATJ1.

Addressing Secure Folder vulnerabilities

Samsung doesn’t seem to be bringing any new meaningful changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 user experience with the latest firmware update, but the package does bring the October 2020 security patch which is fairly important.

The October patch fixes 21 vulnerabilities found in Samsung’s software, and one of the bugs can theoretically be exploited to give malicious parties access to the user’s Secure Folder contents. Of course, exploiting this vulnerability is not as easy as it sounds but it is good to know that Samsung has addressed it, so even if the latest firmware update doesn’t include major additions, it’s still a welcomed release and Galaxy Z Fold 2 owners should be getting it as soon as they are able to.

As usual, you can download the firmware by opening Settings, accessing Software updates and tapping Download and install on your phone. You can also refer to our firmware archive, search for the Galaxy Z Fold 2, download the latest update from there and install it on your phone using a Windows PC.

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Vietnam wants some of Samsung’s chip manufacturing action

Vietnam is ramping up its efforts to get Samsung to invest in new chipmaking infrastructure in the country. The endeavor, which started almost a year ago, continued this week in Hanoi, where Samsung heir apparent Lee Jae-yong met with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The country’s leader used the occasion to directly ask for a new semiconductor plant, local media reports.

This turn of events is far from surprising; in fact, it’s precisely what industry watchers expected as soon as Samsung confirmed its chief is scheduled to visit the Far Eastern country this week. Which still doesn’t guarantee that Samsung indeed has big plans for Vietnam.

Samsung’s new Vietnam investment is a question of “when”, not “if”

Samsung already has a large manufacturing presence in Vietnam. The company is currently constructing a new smartphone factory and a separate R&D center in Hanoi. Lee intends to inspect the state of both construction projects during his visit. Samsung’s mobile chief Roh Tae-moon and display head Lee Dong-hoon are part of his Vietnam entourage, as well, insiders report.

It’s not surprising that Vietnam wants a piece of the semiconductor manufacturing action. Vietnam is already where most Samsung phones are made. Samsung’s semiconductor manufacturing operations are largely limited to South Korea. Given that it’s a major player in this market, it likely wants to keep all resources, technical and otherwise, at home. However, Vietnam seems to be counting on its long-established relationship with Samsung to push for a chip plant as well.

Ultimately, this development confirms that Vietnam’s PM reiterated the plea made late last year during a state visit to Seoul. Lee originally avoided committing to a new semiconductor plant in Vietnam but promised he will visit the conglomerate’s existing local facilities and assess whether any major investment opportunities exist. That’s likely a big part of the reason for his latest business trip. It’s unclear whether investment talks progressed past that point during today’s meeting between Lee and Nguyen, however.

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PSA: One UI 3.0 beta is now available for the Galaxy S20 in more markets

Samsung is working on bringing Android 11 and One UI 3.0 to the Galaxy S20 series and others. The company launched the One UI 3.0 open beta program in early October but it did so only in South Korea. Beta builds are not complete so public testing usually takes place in fewer markets before availability expands. And indeed, the availability of One UI 3.0 beta is expanding as we speak.

After releasing the One UI 3.0 beta firmware in South Korea, the USA, and Germany, the company is now bringing the open beta program to customers in additional markets. Samsung had just released the second beta build in Germany earlier today and the company is taking this opportunity to welcome customers from a couple of additional markets – namely Poland and the UK – to the One UI 3.0 open beta program.

How you can participate in the One UI 3.0 open beta program

Galaxy S20 owners in Poland and the UK who may want to participate in the One UI 3.0 open beta program won’t have to go through the same phases as customers from South Korea, USA, or Germany. In other words, they can now begin their journeys into the beta program starting with the second build that began rolling out today. And that’s a good thing, too, especially since the second beta release seemingly fixes a few major camera issues.

Virtually anyone who owns an eligible Galaxy S20 in Poland or the UK can now participate in the One UI 3.0 beta program. The sign-up process is simple and it can be done directly from the phone. Simply launch Samsung Members, tap the notification icon, and choose to register for the beta program. Once your application is approved you can download and install new One UI 3.0 beta builds on your Galaxy S20 by opening Settings, accessing Software update, and tapping Download and install.

Galaxy S20

• Model: SM-G980F
• 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+

• Model: SM-G985F
• 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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Galaxy Tab Active 3 with removable battery is available in Europe

Samsung is one of the few Android device makers in the world to continue creating rugged mobile devices, and earlier in September the company took the veil off the Galaxy Tab Active 3 as its latest rugged solution for enterprise customers. The company confirmed today that the same device is now available in Germany via select retailers and wireless carriers.

Samsung claims that the Galaxy Tab Active 3 Enterprise Edition is now available in Germany via partner channels but it doesn’t outright name any of them. As of this writing, the tablet isn’t available at Samsung’s e-shop but regardless, it carries a price of 477 euro.

A rugged case, an IP68-certified S Pen, and a user-removable battery

These are some of the key features offered by the Galaxy Tab Active 3 Enterprise Edition. The rugged tablet is MIL-STD-810H-certified, it carries an IP68 rating, and it ships alongside a Protective Cover that adds shock absorption. Like the tablet, the S Pen itself is also IP68-certified for dust and water resistance.

Another unusual characteristic of the Galaxy Tab Active 3 is its 5,050mAh user-removable battery. This is a must-have feature for enterprise customers, and the No Battery mode can be equally valuable. It allows users to utilize the tablet while plugged in even when it doesn’t have a battery.

Other features include Samsung DeX for productivity as well as Samsung Knox for IT administrators to manage device fleets with more ease. The Galaxy Tab Active 3 is launching in Germany with an Exynos 9810 SoC and 4GB of RAM in tow, as well as 128GB of on-board storage and Wi-Fi 6 with MIMO.

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New One UI 3.0 beta firmware improves the Galaxy S20 Ultra camera

Samsung began the One UI 3.0 Android 11 public beta program a couple of weeks ago and so far the Galaxy S20 series has been the company’s main testing ground for the upcoming UI/OS version. The development continues and Samsung is now ready to release a newer beta build.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra is now receiving yet another One UI 3.0 public beta update, this time carrying firmware version G988BXXU5ZTJF. The package weighs nearly 600MB and includes the most recent October 2020 security patch. The changelog is generic and mentions the usual camera and security improvements without providing any specifics. The good news is that tangible camera improvements really are a part of this beta build.

Camera is more stable with the new One UI 3.0 beta build

It’s often difficult to be sure of the accuracy of Samsung’s changelogs because they often comprise generic copy-pasted feature lists. However, we were able to test the latest One UI 3.0 beta build on the Galaxy S20 Ultra for ourselves and we can confirm that it does indeed improve the camera experience.

The original One UI 3.0 public beta release had a lot of issues pertaining to the Camera. It was very slow, buggy, and prone to crashing. To be clear, we didn’t have the chance to spend a very long time with firmware version G988BXXU5ZTJF, but as of this writing, the camera does seem to perform better and we have yet to experience a crash.

Beware of ultra-wide camera wobbliness

The experience is still not perfect and Samsung will have to address some other issues before it can safely release One UI 3.0 to the general public. For example, one of the issues we’ve discovered with the latest beta firmware update is an excessive wobbly effect occurring sometimes when using the ultra-wide sensor. We’re not sure exactly what triggers this unwanted phenomenon but whenever it occurs, it can render your recording useless.

The good news is that the camera experience appears to be fairly solid except for this one unusual bug. Samsung is obviously listening to feedback so the next beta build will likely bring One UI 3.0 much closer to the market. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted.

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Has Samsung heard us? Galaxy S21 line mostly ditching curved displays

The Galaxy S21 series will ditch Samsung’s curved display tech almost entirely, an industry insider said earlier today. Meaning only the most expensive member of the upcoming lineup, tentatively called the Galaxy S21 Ultra, is set to offer some degree of screen curvature alongside its long edges, while the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus will utilize conventional 2D displays. What’s more, all Galaxy S21 models will have the same width, as per the same source.

From the moment it was able to mass-produce curved displays, Samsung has actually been decreasing its focus on doing so. And with every new smartphone generation, it found that most users prefer flat, or at least flatter screens, making this report in line with nearly half a decade’s worth of product design practices.

The three products in the Samsung Galaxy S21 (S30) series are designed with four sides of equal width. Among them, S21 and S21+ are 2D screens, and S21U is a curved screen.

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) October 21, 2020

No one’s paying a premium for Samsung’s curved displays

And at the end of the day, few are paying a premium for Samsung’s flagships because of their curved screens, but in spite of them. We recently gouged your feelings on the matter, as well, and the vast majority of you said they’re fed up with the Edge Display design. With that said, many were still willing to tolerate it, so long as they know they’re paying for the best smartphone tech Samsung has to offer.

While Samsung traditionally announces its annual Galaxy S series refresh in February, next year might be a bit different. As recent reports suggest the company is rushing to bring its new high-end lineup to the market due to a variety of reasons, including mediocre 2020 sales.

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[Poll Results!] Would you prefer a flat screen on your next Galaxy flagship?

It’s been over six years since Samsung’s engineering awed the world by bending a modern capacitive touchscreen, which looked pretty cool next to a bunch of boring old flat screens. And yet flat screens ended up being much more timeless than their arching counterparts. Ever since that seminal Galaxy Note Edge, Samsung has essentially been reverting on that design direction. That anti-trend has actually been so consistent that it’s pretty amazing curved displays are still so well-represented at the very top of Samsung’s smartphone portfolio every single year.

Still, with the Edge display literally getting shallower on an annual basis, Samsung may just opt to cut it altogether as early as 2021. The recently introduced Galaxy Note 20 range is already halfway there, seeing how only the more expensive, Ultra-branded model features a Dynamic AMOLED panel curving around its longer edges.

Flat or not, 2021 Galaxy flagships won’t change the fact Edge displays peaked years ago

Likewise, even the Galaxy S20 family ended up expanding to a flat-display device with the newly launched Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. And it’s not like Samsung decided to waste a bunch of cash on mass-producing a fourth iteration of the same series. On the contrary, it would not have done anything such if even just one of those first three devices achieved meaningful success, i.e. had any sales traction left after the first few weeks on the market.

So, would you get behind that decision? Would you like us to send off the Edge display to retirement next year? Or are you among the rare few that still like this (relatively) unique selling point of Samsung’s top-end flagships? At least from a standpoint of aesthetics, seeing how the swipe-edge-for-shortcuts gesture is nowadays offered by every somewhat respectable manufacturer and LG? Perhaps you just like the plurality of device choices Samsung offers, even though you prefer your smartphones flat?

Let us know where you stand in today’s poll and do join the discussion in the comments as we try to figure out whether the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy S20 FE were the thin edge of the wedge, hinting at Samsung’s curved-edged displays fraying at the edges a bit too much, and falling over the edge of relevance… ok, I’ll shut up.

Results: Looks like the vast majority of fans prefer flat displays with 41% of respondents voting in favor. 33% said they’d stick with curved displays while 22% said they’d only ever buy the top-of-the-line model which is always likely to get the curved display anyway.

Would you prefer a flat screen on your next Galaxy flagship?

• Prefer? I DEMAND IT! 41%, 692 votes
  692 votes 41%

  692 votes - 41% of all votes
• No 33%, 549 votes
  549 votes 33%

  549 votes - 33% of all votes
• Yes, but I'd still buy the best model even with a curved screen 22%, 375 votes
  375 votes 22%

  375 votes - 22% of all votes
• Like the people in charge of Bixby, I just don't care. 4%, 62 votes
  62 votes 4%

  62 votes - 4% of all votes

Total Votes: 1678

29 September 2020 - 21 October 2020

Voting is closed

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Latest Galaxy S20 update breaks 4G connectivity on one Dutch network

When you release four software updates for a smartphone lineup in a matter of weeks, there’s a good chance testing may not have been as thorough as it should be, leaving the door open for issues to sneak in and wreak havoc on the customer’s user experience. And that’s exactly what seems to have happened for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra owners on the KPN network in the Netherlands: The latest update has completely broken 4G connectivity on their phones.

According to reports from multiple users on different forums, the issue affects all KPN networks, including virtual providers such as SimYo, Budget Mobile, YouFone and Lebara, and both the LTE and 5G variants of the three Galaxy S20 models (the S20 FE is unaffected). The phones fail to latch on to a 4G signal, and there’s currently no known solution except for rolling back to the previous firmware (which you can download from our firmware archive), though we suggest waiting for an official fix from Samsung.

And considering KPN is the leading wireless provider in the Netherlands, it’s likely that Samsung (and KPN) is actively working on a fix and will roll it out through a software update in the near future. We’ll let you know when the new update is released; for now, if you haven’t already installed the problematic update, you might want to keep it that way unless you’re okay with using 3G data speeds for a while.

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Samsung claims it has developed industry-leading Blue QLED technology

Samsung has pioneered the QLED technology, and its TVs are among the industry’s best-performing ones. The South Korean tech giant’s QLED TVs might not create as inky blacks as LG’s OLED TVs, but they offer much higher brightness (great for HDR content) and are free from burn-in issues. Now, Samsung is claiming that it has developed industry-leading Blue QLED technology.

The company’s R&D hub, SAIT (Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology), has developed cadmium-free Blue QLED technology with the highest performance. It offers 20.2% improved luminous efficiency, 88,900 nits of maximum luminance, and 16,000 hours of lifetime (measured at half-brightness for 100-nit luminance). These results were published by the journal ‘Nature’ last week in a study titled ‘Efficient and stable blue quantum dot light-emitting diode.’

Quantum Dots are made up of a core, a shell, and multiple ligands, and to improve the performance and stability, researchers at Samsung applied a quantum dot double emitting layer and shorter ligands. They also improved current injection rates. You can see a simplified diagram of the QLED core and its magnified image above.

The blue quantum dots measure a few nanometers in diameter, and when they are illuminated, they re-emit light of a certain color, depending on the size. They create the largest band among three primary colors: red, green, and blue. They rapidly oxidize when exposed to external light so their lifespan is relatively shorter and luminous efficiency is low. However, Samsung’s new technology overcomes those shortcomings.

Samsung is also working on various other display technologies, including mini LED, microLED, and QD-OLED. The company is expected to launch more mini LED and micro LED TVs next year and QD-OLED TVs in the coming years.

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