Galaxy S20’s Android 11 release is another knock out of the park from Samsung

Samsung has been killing it with updates recently, but there was a time when it was infamous for taking what felt like eternity to roll out major new Android OS updates for its devices. The company was also shy about letting customers beta test upcoming releases of Android and its custom experience skin, but even after addressing that void back in 2016, the speed with which public releases of these updates took place continued to frustrate die-hard fans.

All that has changed in the past couple of years. I think it was with Android Pie for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ that Samsung took its first big step at bringing new OS versions to its devices as quickly as it could. To be more precise, it was the first time we saw the company release a major update the same year it was announced by Google, with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ receiving the first stable Android Pie build in late December, 2019.

It still wasn’t perfect: That stable build was initially released to the two phones in less than a handful of markets, and it took a couple of weeks for the rollout to begin in earnest. But since then, Samsung has only gotten better and better at it. The Galaxy S10’s stable Android 10 update came in late November last year, and while it wasn’t as quick this year, Samsung has still managed to roll out the latest Android and One UI upgrade to the Galaxy S20 series at the beginning of December.

And that’s not all. This is also the first time we’re seeing the rollout of a major new update for a Galaxy device in multiple markets on the same day. Yesterday, Samsung announced that Android 11 and One UI 3.0 for the Galaxy S20 series is coming out in most of Europe, the US, and South Korea this week. More than a dozen countries have already received the update, and we can expect plenty more to join the party by the time the year comes to a close.

There’s still plenty of room to improve. Samsung could, for instance, start off its beta programs earlier than it currently does and, as a result, further speed things up as far as the public releases are concerned. It could also plan things ahead for devices like the Galaxy S20 FE. That phone is part of the Galaxy S20 family but was not included in the One UI 3.0 beta program, and it is not expected to get the update before late December. A concurrent rollout of Android 11 for the Galaxy Note 20 series would also have been nice to see.

Of course, for a manufacturer that sells as many devices as Samsung does, there are too many variables at play, so this may be the best it ever gets. But it probably isn’t, seeing how far we’ve come from the days when guessing the ETA on a new Android OS update from Samsung was akin to playing a game of Russian roulette.

The post Galaxy S20’s Android 11 release is another knock out of the park from Samsung appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/39H8w2l
via IFTTT

Galaxy S20 Android 11 firmware download available now

You can now download full system images with the latest, Android 11-based One UI 3.0 for the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. We’re talking about the real deal here, i.e. the first official stable releases of the new firmware and not any beta branches that could have recently been pulled from the wild – or directly from Samsung, if you participated in the Galaxy S20 series’ beta program.

The updates are already rolling out to Samsung’s flagships, but if you’re feeling impatient, you can also get them directly from our firmware archives. And you might just do that, considering how this isn’t a simple monthly security update that’s on offer, but a pretty major upgrade to Samsung’s custom Android implementation. In other words, there’s a lot of new features and improvements to enjoy.

Galaxy S20 Android 11 firmware download

We already have several Android 11 images for the regular Galaxy S20 (SM-G980F), designated as G980FXXU5CTKG. As always, you should only install those intended for your particular model and country. The situation with the availability of Galaxy S20+ Android 11 firmware is even better, as there are already over a dozen builds to choose from, identified with build number G985FXXU5CTKG.

Finally, the volume of those for the Galaxy S20 Ultra, release version G988BXXU5CTKG, falls somewhere in the middle. More different firmware builds from other parts of the world are coming soon, so check back in a while if you can’t find a compatible image matching your particular device and your country just yet because we’re building out our archive in real time.

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

The post Galaxy S20 Android 11 firmware download available now appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/37DO1kq
via IFTTT

PSA: Galaxy S21 won’t support your old Gear wearables

Unfortunately – though not unexpectedly – you can forget about your old Gear wearables having anything resembling official support from the Galaxy S21. Samsung’s next range of high-end smartphones won’t be the only such lineup incompatible with the company’s old fitness trackers and smartwatches. In fact, all of its mobile devices released from next year onward will ditch support for those gadgets.

The situation stems from the planned roadmap for the Galaxy Wearable (Samsung Gear) Android app. Namely, future versions of the tool won’t be made available on a handful of older hardware released as part of the Gear series, Samsung communicated, as reported by GalaxyClub.

Could have Samsung done more to prolong support for its Gear fitness trackers?

The full list of devices that are approaching their de facto end of life next year includes the original Galaxy Gear, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear S, and the Gear Fit.

All of those wearables are pretty old at this point, and it’s been years since you could have last seen them sold anywhere. Most have turned six in the last couple of months, actually. So it’s probably not reasonable to expect Samsung to support them for much longer, given how device compatibility across half a decade of technological advancements is already pretty much unheard of in consumer electronics.

And it’s not like Samsung hasn’t been investing significant resources into delivering a better after-sales experience to its customers lately. After all, it just started guaranteeing three generations of OS updates for its smartphones as of this fall. So when an industry leader says it’s dropping support for fitness trackers that are as old as the modern concept of wearables, it’s probably safe to assume it did everything it reasonably could in order to delay the inevitable.

The post PSA: Galaxy S21 won’t support your old Gear wearables appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/36Gd4E8
via IFTTT