Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra getting new One UI 3.0 beta update

Just yesterday, the Galaxy S20 series received the fourth One UI 3.0 beta release, putting Samsung’s top-billed 2020 flagship one step closer to the final stable build that will be rolled out worldwide before the end of the year. Now, Samsung has pushed out a beta update for the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. This is the second One UI 3.0 beta for the Note 20 duo, and as expected, it fixes a slew of bugs that plagued the initial release.

These fixes address everything from UI kinks to forced app closures (see the screenshot below) that you may or may not have come across on your Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra. Of course, since this is beta software, it’s possible the newer build will introduce problems of its own. It will likely be a while before the stable One UI 3.0 build is ready to go for the Note 20 series considering its beta program is running behind that of the Galaxy S20 trio, though we still expect it to arrive before we leave for the hopefully greener pastures of 2021.

Part of the beta program? Grab the new build now!

The second beta update — firmware version N98xxXXU1ZTJQ — for the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra is currently rolling out in India but should soon be released in other markets where the beta program was launched, including the UK, Germany, and the US. The update includes the November 2020 security patch, and you can download it over the air from the Settings » Software update menu on your phone by tapping the Download and install option.

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Galaxy M21 gets new features with One UI 2.5, update rolling out now

One UI 2.5 debuted with the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. The Galaxy M21 has now started receiving the One UI 2.5 update along with the October 2020 security patch. The mid-range smartphone, which was launched in March 2020 with Android 10, had received the One UI 2.1 update last month.

Samsung is now rolling out the One UI 2.5 update for the Galaxy M21 (SM-M215F) in India. The new update, which has a download size of around 650MB, carries firmware version M215FXXU2ATJ5. Apart from the new features that One UI 2.5 brings, the new update also offers bug fixes, performance and security improvements, and enhanced device stability.

The One UI 2.5 update brings support for the split keyboard layout in landscape mode, an improved way to add or delete input language, SOS location sharing feature, and camera improvements. The new software also makes third-party app launchers compatible with Android 10’s gesture-based UI navigation.

If you are a Galaxy M21 user in India, you would have already received the One UI 2.5 update. However, if you didn’t receive it yet, you can manually check for it by navigating to Settings » Software update and then tapping Download and install. Alternatively, you can also download the entire firmware from our firmware section and flash it manually.

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Galaxy Z Flip 2 to come with an upgraded audio experience

It has been close to nine months since the launch of the original Galaxy Z Flip. The Galaxy Z Flip 5G was launched in August 2020 with an upgraded processor and 5G connectivity, but it wasn’t the Z Flip’s true successor. Samsung could unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 2 sometime next year, and it is rumored to bring upgraded audio.

According to a cryptic tweet from @Ricciolo1, the Galaxy Z Flip 2 will feature a stereo loudspeaker setup, something that was sorely missing from Samsung’s first flip phone with a foldable display. It will be a nice upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Flip 5G’s single down-firing loudspeaker. If the information is true, the Galaxy Z Flip 2 will be in line with all other high-end smartphones from the South Korean company.

The tweet also mentions that the upcoming flip phone will be launched sometime in the first half of 2021. The Galaxy Z Flip 2 is also expected to feature a larger and more useful cover display, a 120Hz refresh rate for the inner screen, and a triple-camera setup, in line with other flagship smartphones from Samsung. It is also being rumored that the phone will feature second-generation Ultra Thin Glass (UTG).

Our features wishlist for the Galaxy Z Flip 2 includes an adaptive refresh rate feature for the inner screen, newer camera sensors, a telephoto camera, a bigger battery, and faster charging. We would also like Samsung to improve the Flex Mode feature and bring it to more stock and third-party apps. If the company could add some form of water resistance, it would be a great addition as well.

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Massive Galaxy S21 leak reveals announcement, pre-order, launch dates

We had exclusively revealed last month that the Galaxy S21 series will be launched in January 2021. Another report had claimed that the phones will go on sale in February. A new leak claims that Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone series will be announced in January, and it will go on sale in the same month.

According to YouTuber Jon Prosser, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra on January 14, 2021. He claims that the South Korean tech giant will start accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S21 series on the same day, and the phones will be available for purchase starting January 29, 2021. In his tweet, Prosser has also claimed that the Galaxy S21 devices will be launched in these colors: Black, Grey, Pink, Silver, Violet, and White.

The first renders of the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra emerged last month. Samsung is expected to ditch curved screens this year. The Galaxy S21 series devices are expected to launch with Android 11 and One UI 3.1. They could come equipped with the Exynos 2100 processor (Snapdragon 875 in China and the US). We can also expect features like 120Hz Super AMOLED Infinity-O screens, IP68 certification, stereo speakers, and in-display fingerprint readers.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra could come with a penta-camera setup, featuring two telephoto lenses. The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra will feature 4,000mAh, 4,800mAh, and 5,000mAh batteries. The smartphones are also expected to come with fast wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, Samsung Pay, microSD card slot, and HDR10+ video playback.

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Samsung’s November 2020 security patch detailed, fixes Exynos 990 issue

Samsung’s been rolling out the November 2020 security patch for nearly a week and the update has reached a number of Galaxy devices, from the A2 Core to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Galaxy S20 series. As usual, the latest security patch debuted without a changelog for security reasons, but Samsung has now published the patch details, revealing some of the vulnerabilities that have been addressed.

In total, the November 2020 security patch fixes 5 critical vulnerabilities found in Android OS along with 29 high threats and 31 moderate threats. In addition, the November 2020 security patch addresses five Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE), including a vulnerability that would allow for FRP (Factory REset Protection) bypass through Secure Folder.

Similarly, the patch fixes an issue that gave malicious parties access to the contents of a locked Gallery by exploiting the S Secure app. In case you haven’t heard of S Secure, it’s because the app is available exclusively in China and India.

November 2020 security patch addresses an Exynos 990 vulnerability

Another threat affecting Galaxy devices powered by Android 10 and the Exynos 990 chipset was addressed by the November 2020 security patch. The vulnerability was found in August and it opens the possibility for the chip to execute arbitrary code, potentially leading to the exposure of sensitive information.

As always, Samsung will continue releasing the November 2020 security patch for all of its Galaxy devices that remain eligible for monthly security updates. The latest to receive it was the Galaxy S9 series in Germany.

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The aging Galaxy S9 series is getting a new firmware update in Europe

The November 2020 security patch is already being rolled out by Samsung on the live firmware channels as well as the latest One UI 3.0 beta builds. The new security patch was released recently for the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10 lineups, and now Samsung has turned its attention towards the 2018 flagship series, the Galaxy S9.

Both the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ are now receiving a new firmware update with the November 2020 security patch in tow. The firmware is being rolled out in Germany as we speak, and it should reach other markets across Europe in the coming days. The update doesn’t seem to be bringing any new features aside from the November 2020 security patch, but this is somewhat expected given the age of the Galaxy S9 series.

Samsung has already released the highly anticipated One UI 2.5 firmware update for the Galaxy S9 series as the last update of its kind. The series is officially no longer supported with Android OS / One UI updates but Samsung will continue releasing security patches for a couple more years.

To grab the latest one, open Settings on your phone, go to Software update, and tap Download and install. Alternatively, you can check our firmware archive for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ (tap the link for your respective model), download the latest update, and install it on your phone using a Windows PC.

Galaxy S9

• Model: SM-G960F
• Dimensions: Bar: 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm
  
• Display: 5.8 inch / 147.32 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S9+

• Model: SM-G965F
• Dimensions: Bar: 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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Fourth One UI 3.0 beta for the Galaxy S20 series improves Space Zoom

It’s been less than a week since Samsung began rolling out the third One UI 3.0 beta build for the Galaxy S20 series and Samsung Members who participate in the beta program now have access to an even newer build. The fourth One UI 3.0 beta build is rolling out now in Germany, bringing camera improvements and UI changes along with it.

The changelog for the fourth One UI 3.0 beta release is as generic as the previous ones and it mentions the usual stability and camera improvements. But judging by the two images below, Samsung has indeed improved the Galaxy S20’s camera with the fourth One UI 3.0 beta, particularly in regards to 100x Space Zoom.

The end results at 100x zoom are slightly clearer and zoomed-in text is seemingly more eligible than before, though the difference is marginal as you can tell from the image gallery above (left is beta 3, right is beta 4).

Samsung must be preparing for the public One UI 3.0 release

With four One UI 3.0 beta builds already under its belt, the Galaxy S20 series is very likely to receive the final public build relatively soon, although there’s never a guarantee of when this might happen.

Until then, Samsung Members in Germany can download the latest One UI 3.0 beta build by opening Settings, accessing Software update, and tapping Download and install. The package weighs around 410MB and the firmware carries version G98xxXXU5ZTK1.

In addition to the changes to Space Zoom, the fourth One UI 3.0 beta for the Galaxy S20 series also brings a new screen resolution menu as seen below – courtesy of XDA user AhmedMomen.

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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Samsung Gives Month of Service concludes but employee efforts continue

The Samsung Gives Month of Service campaign has successfully concluded, with the company revealing that more than 1000 hours of service have been donated by Samsung employees to various nonprofit partners in the USA, from the Covenant House of New Jersey to Hackensack Riverkeeper’s environmental program. In case you haven’t heard of this campaign before, it’s because it’s new and it was devised to support communities across the US during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

This year Samsung would’ve normally kicked off the 10th consecutive Gives Day of Service campaign, however, following the COVID-19 global pandemic, the company decided to turn Samsung Gives Day of Service into Samsung Gives Month of Service, effectively encouraging volunteer employees to support communities and causes for an entire month.

Over 145,000 hours of service have been donated by employees since 2014

The campaign was originally created in October 2014 and, since then, Samsung employees in the USA have donated over 145,000 hours of service. This year, throughout the month of October, employees participated in 33 company events and 14 diverse cause areas, all the while assembling 765 relief kits for communities in need.

The month of October is behind us, and so is the Samsung Gives Month of Service campaign, but the company’s efforts to support local communities aren’t stopping here, especially in these uncertain times. Samsung encourages employees to continue helping their local communities as they can. The company itself had donated over $4 million to help organizations in the USA fight against COVID-19.

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UK’s future of finance is digital and Samsung Pay is helping the transition

An increasing number of people in the UK are more willing to rely on digital payment solutions rather than cash, and more than 50% of Brits are looking for newer, simpler ways of managing their finances. This is according to a recent survey commissioned by Samsung Pay, revealing that the COVID-19 lockdown period was one of the main driving forces behind this shift in consumer mentality.

According to the survey, 46% of Brits are more willing to perform digital payments now than they were before the COVID-19 lockdown period. Likewise, 42% of survey participants claim to have too many cards in their wallets and 45% are looking for ways to avoid using cash. 31% of Brits are now reportedly making payments using mobile payment solutions, and of course, this is good news for Samsung Pay.

70% of people living in the UK want a unified payment solution

One of the biggest advantages offered by Samsung Pay is that it can bring all the user’s cards and bank accounts together in one easy-to-manage place, i.e., the mobile Samsung Pay mobile wallet. The survey reveals seven in ten people believe that such a unified solution is a game changer.

Not only is Samsung Pay making finance managing easier but the platform rewards customers through various programs. And with the Go Back in Time functionality, customers are able to retroactively move transactions between different cards. Samsung Pay was released in the UK in August in collaboration with Curve.

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Excited? First Samsung Mini-LED TVs are just around the corner

The very first Mini-LED TVs from Samsung are just around the corner, promising a variety of impressive-sounding technological advancements at widely accessible price points. That’s according to a new report citing sources close to Samsung’s global television component supply chain. Of course, how successfully will the company translate the said generational tech improvements into sales is what remains to be seen.

After all, doing so isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to mid-range and entry-level consumer electronics categories. After all, customers paying a premium often have a better idea of what exactly it is that they are buying compared to those who simply need a new smartphone, TV, microwave, etc. but with a strong desire to keep their spending at an absolute minimum.

Mini-LED vs microLED TVs

Samsung will be unveiling its first Mini-LED TV model in the first half of 2021, the most recent report on the matter claims, suggesting more such smart television sets will follow before the end of the same calendar year. According to insider claims from early October, Samsung hopes and intends to sell approximately two million Mini-LED TVs over the course of their debut year.

Mini-LED TVs are not in any way to be confused with microLED TVs, another emerging television set category expected to carve out its own niche under Samsung’s watchful eye throughout 2021. Despite similar-sounding names, microLED TVs are much closer to those whose panels leverage contemporary OLED technologies in a sense that they lack conventional backlighting and instead display contents on a per-pixel basis. In effect, they offer a significantly higher degree of energy efficiency, as well as an essentially infinite, i.e. unlimited contrast ratio with true blacks.

The absolute freedom from backlighting panels also allows microLED TVs to be essentially limitless in terms of screen sizes suitable for flow production, whereas the current state of Mini-LED technology hits a point of diminishing returns way sooner than we can reach feasible designs ready for mass-manufacturing with diagonals longer than 100 inches. Not that most of us will be shopping for a 110-inch TV anytime soon, but that inherent constraint is still something to keep in mind when discussing long-term commercial prospects of the two large-sized display panel technologies.

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Galaxy A50 now receiving November 2020 security update

Select variants of the Galaxy A50 have started receiving the latest security patch level dated November 1st, 2020, over the past few days. Identified by release version A505FNXXS5BTJ4, the newest firmware iteration appears to consist of nothing but the said Android security update, based on that very same designation and Samsung’s established software development documentation practices.

As usual, owners of compatible Galaxy A50 models can now expect a near-future encounter with a new system notification asking them whether they want to install the latest update over the air. Assuming one hasn’t been pushed out to them already, that is.

Another month, another security patch for Samsung’s popular mid-ranger

Alternatively, you can consult with our continuously updated firmware archive and figure out whether you can already download full system images compatible with your particular variant of the Galaxy A50. Assuming you’re aware of the risks of manually flashing a firmware build onto your smartphone, as well as the actual steps required to do so, naturally.

As for the security update at hand, the November 2020 patch already made its way to quite a few other planetary popular smartphone models from Samsung, including the Galaxy S20 range of flagships, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy A2 Core, and the last two generations of the Galaxy Note family. This kind of over-the-air releases is always deployed gradually so as to minimize the chances of overloading carrier networks, which is always a realistic possibility. Especially when it comes to devices as popular as the Galaxy A50, one of Samsung’s best-selling smartphones since its market debut in early 2019.

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Samsung’s new long-term AI strategy is all about humans, not machines

Samsung’s new artificial intelligence strategy announced earlier today, during the first day of the company’s online-only AI Forum 2020, has surprisingly little to do with computers, machine learning, and all that stuff that first comes to mind when we think about modern AI apps and technologies. Instead, the vision Samsung just outlined for the development of a relatively broad scope of AI-infused solutions is all about humans. Or, better said: it’s all about delivering purpose-built experiences entirely committed toward human end users.

With that said, the company’s AI-focused semiconductor strategy shift from earlier this year isn’t something separate from today’s announcement. Instead, this human-centric long-term vision is merely an extension of Samsung’s efforts aimed at embracing AI technologies as vertically across its organizational spectrum as its capabilities allow. And its capabilities allow for pretty much anything you can imagine as even remotely feasible. That’s the cool thing about being one of the world’s largest technology companies across nearly every existing niche and several emerging ones.

Samsung’s AI philosophy starts with what you want

In more practical terms, that’s pretty much just a convoluted way of describing an app development philosophy pursuing personalization above everything else. But it remains to be seen what all of this talk amounts to in the end. Because Samsung, for all its achievements, really did a lot of soul-searching when it comes to its AI development initiatives we’ve seen in recent years. And it wasn’t until 2018 or so that the company even fully committed toward voice-controlled interfaces over something as gimmicky as hand-gesture recognition systems.

Well, gimmicky in any iteration we had the privilege of experiencing or even glimpsing as of today, but that’s what innovation is, right? Pursuing something so pioneering and new that it requires extensive iteration until it’s ready for actual commercialization and able to prove the doubters wrong. Well, here’s to hoping Samsung is on the right track now because it certainly isn’t leading this marathon of a race that describes recent global developments in the field of machine learning and every other, better-defined AI niche out there. Least of all those with a strong focus on intuitive interfacing and consumer-first applications.

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