Samsung was the third-largest feature phone brand in Q3 2020

Yes, the feature phone market still exists, especially in developing and under-developed countries. Although Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone brand, it ranks third in the feature phone market as per a new market report. Counterpoint Research stated in its new report that over 74 million feature phones (cheap phones with numeric keypads) were sold during Q3 2020.

Samsung is tied with Tecno to third place in the feature phone market, and it has a market share of 10%. According to the new report, the South Korean tech giant sold 7.4 million feature phones during the third quarter of this year. In India, Samsung’s feature phone market share was 18% in India. iTel is the world’s biggest feature phone brand, with a market share of 24%. HMD Global, which sells Nokia-branded devices, has a 14% share of the feature phone market. India’s Lava is the fifth-largest brand in the global feature phone market.

In the Middle East & Africa (MEA) region, which is the world’s largest feature phone market, Samsung stood at the fourth position with a market share of just 2%. The feature phone market is contracting year after year, and shipments declined 17% in July-September 2020 quarter compared to Q3 2019.

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Samsung announces winners of 2020 Best of Galaxy Store Awards

Since we are approaching the end of this year, Samsung has announced the winners of its Best Of Galaxy Store Awards for 2020. The company has announced the best apps, games, themes, and watch faces of the year. The South Korean tech firm has also introduced a new award category this year: Bixby Capsules. Samsung announced 22 winners from 14 different countries during its virtual awards show, and you can watch the complete video at the end of the article.

Starting off with the best apps, NBA Top Shot, which is a ‘Made for Samsung’ app, was adjudged as the best innovative app. It is developed by Dapper Labs Inc., and it allows basketball fans to collect, trade, and play with the greatest basketball moments of all time. BetterHelp, which makes professional counseling accessible, affordable, and convenient, was selected as the best wellness app.

Samsung chose Spotify as the Capsule of the Year and Big Sky Weather as the Bixby Developer of the Year.

Fortnite received the Game of the Year award. Microsoft’s Forza Street was selected for the best game graphics, while State of Survival was the best simulation game. Garena Free Fire was the best action game of 2020, while Uno! received the Best Casual Game award. Clawee was the Best Indie Game of 2020, LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed was the best RPG game of the year, and WGT Gold was the Best Arcade Game.

Coming to the best watch faces and smartwatch apps of the year, Talk to Alexa received the Best Watch App award. URARITY got the Best Watch Face Colleciton award. Golden Floral Digital Watch was the best watch face design of 2020 and Persona Smart was the Best Innovative Watch Face. HIGH Watch Faces was chosen as the best new watch face designer.

Samsung has done a lot over the years to let users easily customize their smartphones through themes, icon packs, wallpapers, and AoD designs. This year, the company chose Marigold as the Best New Themes Designer, Dark Warrior as the Best Innovative Theme, and [Bear] Pink Clouds Of Stars as the Best Theme Design. Butterfly-Effected GmbH received the Best Theme Collection award and [Alex-]Fantasy Icon Pack got the Best Icon Pack award for 2020.

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Samsung’s new 110-inch MicroLED TV has zero bezels, 5.1-channel speakers

Samsung’s first MicroLED TV, The Wall, was unveiled two years ago with a massive 292-inch screen. However, it was sold only to businesses and a few wealthy customers. The Wall used multiple MicroLED panels in a modular form factor. The company has now unveiled a new 110-inch 4K MicroLED TV with a more traditional TV form factor and is targeted towards home cinemas.

The company’s new 110-inch MicroLED TV goes on pre-order today in South Korea and will be launched globally in the first quarter of 2021. It costs KRW 170 million (around $156,400), and Samsung intends to sell its new TV in the Middle East, some European countries, and the US initially. The South Korean tech giant says that it is reviewing options to release the TV in sizes ranging from 70 inches to 100 inches in the future.

The new MicroLED TV uses millions of micrometer-sized self-illuminating LEDs, making it more akin to the OLED technology. It can produce deep blacks and an infinite contrast ratio. What’s great about this technology is that it uses inorganic materials, which means it doesn’t have the burn-in problem that OLED screens face. Samsung estimates that its new MicroLED technology can last for up to 100,000 hours (translating up to 10 years). Moreover, MicroLED TVs can go much brighter than OLED TVs, offering better HDR performance.

Samsung’s new 110-inch MicroLED TV features a 4K resolution. Although Samsung hasn’t revealed the TV’s brightness, contrast, and refresh rate numbers yet, we expect the TV to feature HDMI 2.1 input and a 120Hz refresh rate, similar to the company’s other high-end TVs. It has a 99.99% screen-to-body ratio, which means there almost no bezels on the four sides. Plus, the company has managed to pack in a ‘Majestic Sound System’ with a 5.1-channel speaker setup within the TV’s slim frame, offering a great audio-visual experience out of the box. It also features the company’s Object Tracking Sound for a more immersive audio experience.

The new TV uses a 4K AI processor to upscale low-resolution video to 4K. The company has also implemented a new feature called 4Vue that lets users watch four 50-inch video streams from four different sources side-by-side. This feature can be used to watch the news and multiple sports simultaneously or watch game walkthrough videos while playing the game.

Making a 110-inch MicroLED TV with 4K resolution is an engineering feat. It is extremely hard right now to fabricate MicroLEDs that are small enough to fit more than 8 million of them in a 3.3-square-meter area. Samsung says that it used an advanced surface mount technology for LED chips and a new production process that it received from its semiconductor business.

Samsung believes that it can bring the MicroLED technology to lower-priced TVs in the future if more brands start investing in the new display technology. The South Korean tech giant is expected to unveil more traditional LED-backlit LCD TVs with 4K and 8K resolution during its virtual CES 2021 keynote on January 11.

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Here’s everything you can expect from the Galaxy S21 flagship lineup

It’s difficult to believe that the Galaxy S21 series is weeks away from release but it is true, at least according to all the credible reports, including our own, hinting at a mid-January launch event. The series has already been leaked and rumored extensively so we have a fairly good idea on what to expect next month.

A refreshed design, an updated One UI version and better performance are all par for the course, as is the case every year with each new generation of Galaxy flagships. But the nitty-gritty of how Samsung will improve the formula next year is what counts the most. It will make the difference between an iterative update and an innovative product. Time will tell to which category the Galaxy S21 series belongs, but until Samsung spills the beans officially, here’s all we have learned about the lineup so far through less official means.

Galaxy S21 series design

Samsung is once again redefining its flagships’ design language and is bringing a new range of colors to mark the occasion. The base Galaxy S21 variant is said to gain inspiration from the Galaxy Note 20 and sport a plastic back instead of a glass finish. The Galaxy S21+ might also be wrapped in plastic though this detail is unclear as of this writing, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra should enjoy more premium materials.

The biggest change in design consists of a new camera housing for all three models. This design element continues to be the focal point of the back panel but the housing has a more streamlined design and is flushed against the side and top edges of the phone.

Samsung’s new range of colors for the Galaxy S21 series has the ‘Phantom’ designation and the base model will be available in Phantom Pink, Violet, Gray, and White. The Galaxy S21+ will launch in Phantom Violet, Black, and Silver, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra will be available in Phantom Black and Silver, though additional color options could be added to the top-tier model later down the line.

Galaxy S21 series display

One of the biggest and unexpected changes to the Galaxy S21 series might come in the form of S Pen support. Several rumors have suggested that the Galaxy S21 lineup, or at least the Galaxy S21 Ultra, will support the S Pen, even though it won’t ship with one or have a dedicated slot akin to the Galaxy Note series.

The Galaxy S21 should carry a 6.2-inch display. The S21+ model will reportedly have a 6.7-inch panel, and they should both have FHD+ resolutions. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, on the other hand, is said to feature a 6.8-inch panel with a higher WQHD+ pixel count.

All three models are also expected to support a high refresh rate of 120Hz, but oddly enough, only the top-tier variant might benefit from adaptive refresh rate. The panels should have an improved contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1 and a peak brightness of 1600 nits.

Galaxy S21 series internal hardware

The Galaxy S21 series will be powered by a new generation of chipsets. The flagship trio is expected to employ the Snapdragon 888 chipset in markets such as the USA, South Korea, and China, whereas the global variant will rely on the brand-new Exynos 2100 SoC. Samsung’s next-gen solution has yet to be officially unveiled but it will be introduced on December 15. It should feature a new high-performance Cortex-X1 CPU core, three Cortex-A78 cores, and four Cortex-A55 cores. Graphics will be handled by a Mali-G78 graphics chip.

On the Qualcomm side, the Galaxy S21 series will benefit from the Snapdragon 888 chipset. It incorporates the Snapdragon X60 5G modem and it promises up to 25% CPU performance improvements and up to 35% faster graphics rendering compared to the Snapdragon 865.

Regardless of the chipset’s make and origin, the base Galaxy S21 model is likely to ship with 8GB of RAM, though 12GB options might also be available. The Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra could ship with 12GB of RAM as standard.

As for batteries, a few certificates from regulatory agencies have emerged months ago, revealing that the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra will be powered by batteries with capacities of 4,000mAh, 4,800mAh, and 5,000mAh, respectively. There may not be chargers in the box in some markets, however.

Galaxy S21 series cameras

Samsung might be focusing a lot more energy in making the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera system excel. That’s not to say the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ will let us down, but they won’t benefit from the same advanced camera features as the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ should share the exact same main camera characteristics. They should carry 12MP primary and ultra-wide sensors as well as a third 64MP telephoto camera.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra should have a 108MP main shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, and two 10MP telephoto lenses featuring 3X and 10X optical zoom. A laser autofocus system is expected to be on-board as well, similar to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and the telephoto lenses are said to feature Dual Pixel autofocus for enhancing focusing.

Specifications pertaining to the selfie cameras are unknown but regardless, the sensor will be enclosed in an Infinity-O display cutout and it won’t be hidden behind the display.

Galaxy S21 series software and availability

The most recent One UI 3.0 firmware update is now available for the Galaxy S20 series and it will soon reach additional flagship models. But while Samsung was tinkering with the beta versions of One UI 3.0, the company was also developing One UI 3.1 behind the curtain.

One UI 3.1 will debut with the Galaxy S21 series but the firmware’s feature list has yet to be revealed. Samsung has successfully kept One UI 3.1 under wraps but one main feature that could define the experience is a new form of authentication through Bixby Voice.

All of these devices, features, and more should be unveiled by Samsung on January 14 at a virtual Galaxy S21 launch conference. Time will tell how much the new flagships will cost but they might reflect the Galaxy S20 series’ launch prices. Other reports suggest that the series might get a hefty price cut over the Galaxy S20, with the base model said to be going on sale for anywhere between $849 and $899. We’ll keep you up to speed as soon as more Galaxy S21 details emerge.

Galaxy S21

• Model: SM-G991B
• Dimensions: : x x mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21+

• Model: SM-G996B
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.55 x 75.6 x 7.86 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21 Ultra

• Model: SM-G998B
• Dimensions: : x x mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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AT&T, T-Mobile deplete Galaxy S20 stocks ahead of Galaxy S21 launch

T-Mobile and AT&T appear to have depleted their Galaxy S20 inventories and the flagship trio – or at least some models – might not be back in stock anytime soon. T-Mobile claims that the high demand for the Galaxy S20 series during the holiday shopping season has led to a low inventory but the company did bring the base Galaxy S20 back in stock. In contrast, AT&T continues selling the Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra but the carrier no longer has any Galaxy S20 inventory.

In a statement to CNET, AT&T claims that although the Galaxy S20 is no longer in stock, the carrier will continue to offer great deals on other Samsung wireless products. As to why the two carriers are reluctant to resupply with new Galaxy S20 units, well, the reasons should be obvious. The Galaxy S21 lineup is on the horizon and it should be unveiled in mid-January.

If you don’t plan on buying the Galaxy S21 or if you’re looking to purchase the Galaxy S20 as a gift before the end of the year, know that Samsung USA continues selling the flagship trio and you can take advantage of various trade-in deals to bring the full retail price down by a few hundreds of dollars, depending on the model you’re willing to exchange. Then again, buying the Galaxy S20 this close to the Galaxy S21 launch might not be such a wise investment; not if it’s being sold at full retail price or close to it.

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’s virtual CES 2021 event will be focused on the next-gen TVs

CES 2021 hasn’t been canceled but the event will be taking place in a virtual environment, much like many other tech conferences throughout the year. Samsung Electronics will attend the virtual CES 2021 event and according to the official CES schedule, the company will host its conference on January 12 at 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM EET.

CES isn’t the place where Samsung unveils much about the mobile market and 2021 won’t be any different. However, Samsung’s conference will focus on its next-gen 8K Ultra HD TVs and possibly other related technologies such as sound bars and projectors.

Don’t hold your breath for QD-LED TVs to make an appearance

Samsung will discuss the future of its TV business at CES 2021 but we wouldn’t hold our breath for QD-LED TVs to make an appearance. This is because Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display have been ad odds in regards to the use of QD-LED technology, and according to a previous report, Samsung Electronics won’t acquire QD-LED from its Display arm – or any other display manufacturer. Instead it has reportedly decided to skip QD-LED TVs altogether.

It’s safer to expect Samsung to reveal a new 2021 lineup of OLED TVs and perhaps new sequels to its lifestyle models. It remains to be seen if Samsung will also be discussing further AI advancements for sound and video quality improvements.

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Samsung’s Exynos team admits shortcomings in cozy Exynos 2100 trailer

Samsung’s Exynos team is preparing to unveil its next-gen solution on December 15, the company’s silicon arm announced today in a tweet that was paired with an emotional video showing gratitude towards fans of the brand. In a way, the video also seems to double as an apology to the Samsung community, or at the very least, the imagery suggests that Samsung is aware of its failures in the chipset department and wants to do right by customers.

The past couple of years haven’t been that great for Samsung’s Exynos team. Its solutions have always lagged behind the alternatives offered by Qualcomm but the performance gap between Exynos and Snapdragon has only widened in recent years. And 2020 was probably the worse year for the Exynos team, at least as far as public perception is concerned. The Exynos 990 solution employed by this year’s flagships was heavily criticized by users and shareholders alike.

Samsung wants to do right by customers with the Exynos 2100

Last month Samsung unveiled the Exynos 1080 as a flagship-grade solution but the chipset doesn’t represent the best the company has to offer. The Exynos 1080 is primarily built for Samsung’s customers and the silicon will debut alongside the Vivo X60 series.

The Exynos 2100 solution is the centerpiece and it will be the chipset employed by the Galaxy S21 series in certain markets. Having said that, the Exynos 2100 solution better be good, otherwise Samsung’s Exynos team will have to work a whole lot harder to recover, if that will even be possible given the situation.

Specifications are not officially known but the Exynos 2100 is built using Samsung’s 5nm EUV process and is rumored to feature four Cortex-A55 CPU cores, three Cortex-A78 cores, a brand-new Cortex-X1 core, and a Mali-G78 graphics chip.

Are you excited for the Exynos 2100 SoC? Stay tuned and we’ll tell you all about it on December 15.

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Can you do better? Five easy predictions for 2021 Galaxy smartphones

With this year coming to a close, it stands to reason we take a look at what’s next in store for us on the smartphone front. 2020 hasn’t exactly been a triumphant year for Samsung’s mobile business, but on the bright side, that really got Samsung talking regarding the future. As it obviously wanted to ease investor concerns after recent headwinds.

Keeping that in mind, let’s read between the lines a bit and put out some sensible predictions for 2021:

Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6 support everywhere.

We’ll start with probably the safest prediction of the bunch – Samsung going all-in on Wi-Fi 6 support. As the company started embracing the new local wireless communication standard over a year ago, beginning with the Galaxy Note 10 series. Though the majority of its non-flagship products released throughout 2020 lacked compatibility with this new technical specification, also known by its “real” name – IEEE 802.11ax.

Whether this ends up being a big deal or not will largely depend on where exactly in the world you are located. Because so far, Wi-Fi 6 adoption has been about as slow to roll out as 5G networks. Still, if you are planning on buying a Wi-Fi 6 router at some point in 2021, you’ll be pleased to know that even the more value-oriented part of Samsung’s smartphone portfolio should be able to make full use of it.

At least one big new software partnership.

Another big new software partnership is on the cards because Samsung hasn’t been winding down all that mobile app investments for nothing over the course of this year. For clarity, we’re talking about something akin to the company’s decision to discontinue Samsung Cloud in favor of OneDrive.

Google is a likely candidate here, what with recent reports about it waving bags of money in front of Samsung as yet another attempt at forcing Google Assistant onto every flavor of Android there is. But don’t expect Bixby to get discontinued even in that scenario.

Still, 2021 will provide an ample opportunity for Samsung’s new mobile boss, Roh Tae-moon, to start showing some benefits of his decision to wind down the conglomerate’s in-house software initiatives. And as a result of that same strategic reshuffle, it’s dubious whether we’ll see another Samsung Developer Conference anytime soon.

Say hello to under-display cameras… they’re right over ther-no, no, to the right, yes, there, say hello.

Oh boy, we have been hearing about this tech for what feels like forever by now. But that, by itself, already speaks volumes regarding how long has Samsung been trying to commercialize it.

Moving into 2021, it would appear the company is finally ready to make invisible under-display cameras a mainstream reality. Just don’t expect that to include every single high-end range Samsung puts out over the course of the next 12 months. For that, we’ll probably have to wait until 2022.

Another foldable form factor.

Samsung’s foldable smartphone experiment is just getting started, so whatever the company cooks up on top of its existing Folds and Flips likely won’t be its last such innovation attempt. According to most recent reports, a stretchable Galaxy phone might be next in line for commercialization. But even if it’s not, something else is bound to take its place as Samsung’s obligatory what-even-is-this-thing entrant for 2021.

How the market responds to such a device is another matter entirely. As none of the concepts Samsung released so far have exactly made a lot of waves. It’s hard to imagine any kind of global success in that regard before Samsung is able to mass-produce foldable Galaxy devices in a much more cost-effective manner.

Galaxy Note dead yet!

At first, this prediction might seem like the bravest of the bunch. But that’s just because certain someones have been chasing some late-year tech readership targets in recent weeks with big reports based on even bigger leaps.

Let’s make one thing clear: Reuters is a credible media organization. One of the most credible of the bunch, actually. But that’s not due to their track record with tech reporting. And their aforementioned report about the possible demise of the Galaxy Note family indicates the overall lack of tech industry watchers on their roster more than it tells us anything new about Samsung’s 2021 mobile strategy.

In simpler terms: Samsung formally reevaluates every single one of its smartphone series on an annual basis. The Galaxy S range is the only possible exception to that practice, but regardless, Samsung won’t be killing its second-best-selling smartphone lineup after one underwhelming year. Especially when the main reason for that underperformance was quite clearly something outside of its control.

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And there you have it, five easy predictions concerning next year’s Galaxy smartphones. Think we got any of them wrong? Have some of your own? Let us know in the comments!

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Real life Galaxy F62 photos reveal square-shaped camera and more

Another upcoming mid-range smartphone, namely the Galaxy F62, has been exposed in real life photos. More specifically, the photos at hand seem to be showcasing the empty shell of a Galaxy F62; the kind of dummy unit that third-party case manufacturers use to get the right dimensions for their accessories. Having said that, the paint finish might not be accurate but the overall proportions should be.

The Galaxy F62 has a square-shaped camera bump but the photos don’t reveal the number of sensors. The back panel doesn’t have any other features, which means that the fingerprint sensor should reside under the display or within the side key. On the most part, the Galaxy F62 closely resembles the Galaxy A42 5G, though the former might have softer edges and corners.

Samsung is readying the Galaxy F62 for launch

Apparently, Samsung has already begun manufacturing the Galaxy F62, which means it should be on track for a market release in H1 2021. The device is being assembled at Samsung India’s Noida factory, according to reports.

Most specifications are unknown but a recent Geekbench entry did reveal a very intriguing characteristic, namely the choice of chipset. Assuming that the benchmark is accurate, the Galaxy F62 will be powered by the same chipset as the Galaxy Note 10, i.e., the Exynos 9825. It will be paired with 6GB of RAM and the phone will likely run Android 11 out of the box.

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Galaxy S21 fingerprint reader could be twice as fast, offer other upgrades

The under-display fingerprint reader of the Galaxy S21 is said to be twice as fast compared to the tech Samsung used this year. According to a newly emerged rumor, the sensor area used by the reader is said to cover an 8 x 8mm area. This would make it 77% larger compared to the sensor area on the Galaxy S20 series, and also the Galaxy Note 20 series and last year’s Galaxy S10 and Note 10 lineups.

Will twice as fast be fast enough?

Today’s report comes from a known Samsung insider and seems to describe a technology that’s already been rumored for the Galaxy Note 20 range. The aforementioned claim about speed should, in practice, allow users to unlock a Galaxy S21-series smartphone by simply tapping on its screen instead of pressing it. Not to mention that the larger sensor area should also reduce the number of failed unlock attempts.

In the grand scheme of things, perfecting in-display fingerprint readers is still a pretty substantial part of Samsung’s pursuit of fully bezel-free smartphone designs. Combined with under-display selfie cameras, Samsung may finally reach that goal in the near future. What remains to be seen, however, is how quickly this tech trickles down to Samsung’s non-flagship products.

As for its next flagship family, the Galaxy S21 series is expected to launch a bit earlier than usual. We should hence know everything there is to know about it come January, following yet another online-only Galaxy Unpacked event.

Galaxy S21

• Model: SM-G991B
• Dimensions: : x x mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21 Ultra

• Model: SM-G998B
• Dimensions: : x x mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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The first smartphone with Exynos 1080 processor is not made by Samsung

Samsung unveiled its first 5nm chipset, the Exynos 1080, last month in China. During the unveiling, the company had mentioned that the processor would debut inside a smartphone from Vivo. The name of the upcoming Vivo smartphone has now been revealed, along with its image and a few specifications.

The Vivo X60 will be the first smartphone in the world to use Samsung’s Exynos 1080 processor. It will also use a Samsung-made Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 120Hz refresh rate and center punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. The upcoming phone will feature 8GB RAM and 128GB/512GB internal storage. Other features include a quad-camera setup (possibly with gimbal stabilization), 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, an in-display fingerprint reader, and 33W fast charging.

The Vivo X60 Pro and the X60 Pro+ are also said to be included in the Vivo X60 series, and they both use the Exynos 1080 processor. The Vivo X60 series is set to be launched on December 28, and the pricing is expected to start from CNY 3,500 (around $535). Even OPPO and Xiaomi could launch Exynos 1080 equipped smartphones next year.

The Exynos 1080 SoC features four Cortex-A78 cores, four Cortex-A55 cores, and the Mali-G78 MP10 GPU. The chipset has an integrated 5G modem that supports sub-6GHz (3.67Gbps) and mmWave (5.1Gbps) standards. Other features include support for Full HD+ 144Hz or QHD+ 90Hz screens with HDR10+, 200MP camera sensor support, 4K 60fps video recording, LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and USB Type-C port.

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Galaxy S20 FE Android 11 update is still months away, Samsung admits

The Android 11 update for the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE) is still months away, at least in some European markets, Samsung confirmed. That’s according to the official One UI 3.0 roadmap shared via the Samsung Members Android app in Germany, as reported by GalaxyClub. The original trio of Galaxy S20-series devices is the only one planned to receive the said firmware update by the end of this month.

In fact, that rollout already began in earnest last week. Next in line for the update are the Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 10, and the Galaxy S10 ranges, including the Galaxy S10 Lite. The company’s foldable smartphones should also be updated in January, as per the same disclosure.

Should Samsung show more urgency with updates for 2020 Galaxy flagships?

The original Galaxy Fold is the only foldable device from Samsung not expected to move to One UI 3.0 before February. Around that time is when the same Android 11 update is expected to begin reaching select Galaxy S20 FE models as well.

Samsung’s after-sales software support is definitely showing signs of improvement compared to recent times. Yet the case of the Galaxy S20 FE still suggests there’s room for further improvement, as the company could definitely be showing more urgency with updating its latest flagships, or at least all members of a particular flagship lineup.

Be that as it may, this development serves as a decent indicator of which Galaxy smartphones sold the best over the course of this year. With the notable exception of the company’s niche foldable line, of course. You can check out the full roadmap covering the entirety of Samsung’s One UI 3.0 roadmap below.

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Confirmed: Galaxy S21 to feature Snapdragon 888 in some markets!

Ever since Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 888 processor, there have been rumors and speculations about Samsung going full Exynos with the Galaxy S21 series. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case. The Galaxy S21 series will indeed come equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chipset, at least in some markets.

The Galaxy S21 (SM-G991U) received the FCC certification yesterday, and the supporting documents reveal that the phone will use the SM8350 chipset. This is the codename for the Snapdragon 888 processor from Qualcomm. It means that the Galaxy S21 (and other smartphones in the series) will use the newest Snapdragon chipset in the US. It is rumored that Samsung will release the Snapdragon 888 variants of its upcoming flagship smartphones in South Korea and the US, while other markets will get the Exynos 2100 variants.

The FCC certification also reveals that the Galaxy S21 will feature mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and 9W reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy S21’s battery (EB-BG991ABY) was also mentioned in the document, but its capacity wasn’t revealed. However, the battery’s 3C listing had earlier revealed its capacity to be 4,000mAh.

While the FCC certification also mentions a charger with model number EP-TA800, we can’t be sure if Samsung will bundle it with the Galaxy S21. It is a 25W USB Type-C fast charger that comes with the company’s current-generation mid-range and flagship smartphones. It is being reported that the Galaxy S21 series might not come with a charger and earphones in the box.

The post Confirmed: Galaxy S21 to feature Snapdragon 888 in some markets! appeared first on SamMobile.

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