Samsung, Kakao, and SK Telecom join hands to develop AI tech to fight COVID-19

Samsung has announced that it has joined hands with SK Telecom and Kakao to develop AI (artificial intelligence) technologies that could help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The three companies have formed a joint research and development group to create an AI platform that can track infections and offer preventive advice to people.

The AI platform that Samsung, internet giant Kakao, and telecom giant SK Telecom are planning to develop will be completed by early next year. It is said to offer assistance in combating the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing and predicting infection hotspots and recommending social distancing to people in those areas. It will also be able to answer disaster-related queries by voice. The companies plan to open the platform to developers and public institutions in the future. Other national and international firms could also be invited to join the AI platform.

Samsung, Kakao, and SK Telecom already offer AI-powered smart speakers, and they started pursuing joint AI projects earlier this year. Speaking of AI, Samsung is also working on NEON artificial humans, which are based on the technologies developed by the company’s own STAR Labs. NEONs are expected to be used in banking, customer care, healthcare, retail, and media sectors.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook 2 looks red hot in newly leaked image

The Galaxy Chromebook was 2020’s most premium Chrome OS-based laptop, and Samsung is following it up with a successor in 2021. Three weeks ago, we had reported that the South Korean tech giant would soon launch the Galaxy Chromebook 2. Now, the design of the upcoming Chromebook has been revealed, thanks to a leaked image.

Trusted leakster Evan Blass has published the first press render of the Galaxy Chromebook 2. The image shows Samsung’s upcoming Chrome OS-powered laptop in two colors: Fiesta Red and Mercury Gray. Unlike last year’s model, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 appears to extend the Fiesta Red color all the way to its sides, making it look extremely attractive. It is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop with a metal build. It appears to feature a webcam, a full-sized keyboard, an S Pen, two USB Type-C ports, a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and a volume rocker.

There’s no information on the Galaxy Chromebook 2’s specifications yet, but using a faster processor and a better thermal design would be a good place to start. Samsung also needs to work on its upcoming Chromebook’s battery life since that’s where the first-gen model missed its mark. The company recently unveiled its new Windows 10-powered laptops—Galaxy Book Flex 2, Galaxy Book Flex 2 5G, Galaxy Book Ion 2, and Notebook Plus 2—that offer 11th Gen. Intel CPUs for better performance and longer battery life.

What do you think of the Galaxy Chromebook 2?

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Samsung will unveil ‘the future of the display’ during The First Look 2021 event

Samsung usually kicks off the new year with the announcement of its new TV lineup, but this year will be slightly different. The company has set an event titled ‘The First Look 2021,’ where it is set to unveil new display technologies along with new products and its “vision for the future of the display.”

Just before CES 2021, which is set to start on January 11 and end of January 14, Samsung will likely showcase its 2021 smart TV lineup. The event is set to happen on January 6, 2021, at 11 AM EST. We expect the company to unveil new MicroLED TVs, Mini-LED TVs, and 4K and 8K QLED TVs. Going by the silhouettes visible in the event’s invitation, there is a possibility of Samsung unveiling new laptops and tablets that use new display technologies. The South Korean tech giant could also announce followups to its The Frame, The Serif, and The Sero lifestyle TVs.

Samsung recently unveiled its first ready-to-use 110-inch MicroLED TV for homes. It features 4K resolution, OLED-like picture quality, built-in 5.1-channel speakers, zero bezels on all four sides, and Tizen operating system. The company claimed that its new TV offers very high brightness, high contrast ratio, and immersive audio for a great audio-visual experience.

The South Korean tech giant wants to avoid OLED technology for its future TVs and jump straight to MicroLED technology. MicroLED displays can theoretically offer OLED-like viewing angles, contrast, and response time while steering clear of the usual OLED problems, including screen burn-in and low brightness. However, it is a new technology, and the biggest challenge resides in offering high screen resolution and reducing the price.

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Samsung shows how NEON artificial humans fit into banking of the future

Samsung had unveiled its NEON artificial humans earlier this year during CES 2020, generating a lot of hype. The company had showcased various scenarios where NEON could be helpful, including in the finance, healthcare, retail, and TV sectors. Today, Samsung has announced that it has partnered with South Korean financial firm Shinhan Bank to offer NEON as a customer’s personal teller and financial advisor.

A newly released video showcases Samsung’s NEON Frame at the opening event of Shinhan Bank’s newly dedicated innovation center, Expace. NEON Frame is a device that features NEON artificial humans, a large portrait screen, a 4K vision sensor, RGB status lighting, Hi-Fi speakers and microphones, and a fingerprint reader to offer a next-generation banking experience to customers. The device can also be fitted with additional features and security measures such as card readers, contactless payments, and more.

Shinhan Bank aims to offer advancements in the financial industry by adopting new digital technologies such as NEON for transactional banking. Samsung’s focus with NEON is to humanize AI and give it a face. Banking is only one of the industries where Samsung wants to deploy NEON. The company had said earlier that its artificial humans are not designed to take human jobs but to assist them in various ways, and one such example is to use NEON as a backup news anchor for breaking news at very late hours.

NEONs are powered by Samsung’s CORE R3 and SPECTRA technologies. Core R3, which is developed by STAR Labs, stands for Reality, Realtime, and Responsive, and it computationally creates lifelike reality. The company has partnered with a Korean IT firm to create human-like algorithms to improve NEON.

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Galaxy S20 FE is easily my favorite 2020 Samsung smartphone

No smartphone maker has launched as many flagships as Samsung in 2020. Well, no one did that last year, either, when Samsung released three LTE Galaxy S10 models, a Galaxy S10 5G, two Galaxy Note 10 models, and the Galaxy Z Fold. This year, we saw three Galaxy S20 models, two Galaxy Note 10 models, a Galaxy Z Fold successor, LTE and 5G variants of the Galaxy Z Flip, and the Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition).

The Galaxy Z Flip isn’t an all out flagship, but it’s still called one because of its high price tag. Meanwhile, the opposite is true for the Galaxy S20 FE, a phone Samsung says is a flagship but is sold at a price that is a lot lower than what we expect from the company’s high-end phones. And, for me, that combination makes the S20 FE Samsung’s best phone in 2020, as I’m sure it does for many of our readers.

Is the Galaxy S20 FE perfect? No. Is it amazing? Hell yes!

The Galaxy S20 FE isn’t a perfect phone. In fact, for some consumers, the experience has been disappointing, because of the touchscreen issues that plague some units. Samsung hasn’t been able to fix those issues completely via software updates, and it’s looking more and more likely that there’s a hardware problem that will never truly go away.

But not every Galaxy S20 FE has a faulty touchscreen, which was true for the unit I used earlier this year, so my experience was overly positive. The large-but-not-so-large 120Hz display, snappy performance, all-day battery life, features like IP68 water resistance and stereo speakers, and an all-round excellent camera setup, all for $699? It just felt too good to be true when the phone was my daily driver, and I still haven’t completely come to terms with just how good of a value proposition it is.

What impressed me most was the zoom camera on the Galaxy S20 FE. Or rather, that it’s better than what you get on the costlier Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+: The S20 FE gives you a proper telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom instead of digital zoom achieved by cropping a high-resolution image. Photo quality is comparable up to 10x magnification, but move past that and the Galaxy S20 FE’s advantage becomes easy to see, as we demonstrated in our review.

The only thing I would have liked to see Samsung do better with the Galaxy S20 FE is software updates. The phone has the exact same feature set as the other Galaxy S20 models and it has the same processor(s), but it hasn’t received Android 11 and One UI 3.0 at the same time as those models. Samsung did start rolling out the update recently, but till now, less than a handful of countries have received it and the rollout could go on until February next year in some markets.

Of course, if it were up to me, I would also make sure the Galaxy S20 FE shipped with a 25W super fast charger in the box, but given the asking price, I can’t really blame Samsung for making a few compromises. I’m just glad our favorite phone maker had the audacity to even make such a device, and I can’t see what the next Fan Edition Galaxy smartphone will be like.

What do you think of the Galaxy S20 FE? Is it your favorite Samsung phone from 2020 as well, or is there another Galaxy device that you found to be the best offering from the Korean giant in this pandemic-stricken year?

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Here’s everything the Galaxy Buds Pro leaks have told us so far

It’s unclear if the form factor introduced by the Galaxy Buds Live will ever make a comeback but Samsung’s soon-to-be-released pair of earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Pro, won’t share the same design language. Can we be certain of this given that Samsung has yet to make an official announcement? The answer is: As certain as we can be in the wake of countless approval documents, leaks and rumors that have painted a fairly comprehensive picture of the Galaxy Buds Pro over the past few weeks.

Some details are always subject to change but, for the most part, we have a fairly good idea of what to expect from Samsung’s new earbuds. They’ll have an in-ear design and they should be Samsung’s second wireless earbuds to boast ANC (Active Noise Cancelling), but given the in-ear design, we expect ANC to be significantly more efficient this time around.

Galaxy Buds Pro: Leaked specifications and design

Aside from ANC, the Galaxy Buds Pro are also expected to boast improved Ambient Mode and higher audio quality across the board. Sweat resistance, wireless charging support, and touch controls are par for the course.

New to the Galaxy Buds Pro will be the 3D spatial audio mode for videos. It leverages head tracking to deliver a vivid, immersive sound coming from all directions, according to a recent leak. This could be the only feature that may have given Samsung a reason to use the ‘Pro’ moniker for its new earbuds.

The Galaxy Buds Pro charging / carrying case should conceal a 500mAh battery with 2.5W charging and a USB-C port. Some media outlets have claimed that each earbud will have a 60mAh battery, which would be logical to expect, but there’s no strong evidence of this being true. And according to FCC documents, the Galaxy Buds Pro have Bluetooth 5.0, not Bluetooth 5.1.

As to how the Galaxy Buds Pro look like, they seem to draw more from the Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Buds+ rather than the Galaxy Buds Live. They have an in-ear design and look like a refined version of the Galaxy Buds+ with more polished, smoother edges.

Samsung has prepared a new range of colors for the Galaxy Buds Pro to match the Galaxy S21 series. The earbuds will be available in Phantom Silver, violet and black, as seen in leaked press renders.

Galaxy Buds Pro: Leaked price details for Europe cause concerns

When the Galaxy Buds Live were released a few months ago, they were priced higher than the Galaxy Buds+. Similarly, the Galaxy Buds Pro might cost more than the bean-shaped earbuds they’ll succeed.

In key European markets, at least, the Galaxy Buds Pro will reportedly hit the shelves for 229 EUR, which would make them 20 EUR pricier than the Galaxy Buds Live. Of course, now there’s the addition of 3D spatial audio and perhaps ANC works better than before, so the price hike might be justified even if it may be off-putting initially.

Time will tell if it will be worth it or if the aforementioned price applies to the majority of European markets. This story will be updated with more details as they emerge so stay tuned! The Galaxy Buds Pro should be unveiled on January 14 alongside the Galaxy S21 series.

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Updated: 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. The series is expected to go on sale on January 29. 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.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge. Stay tuned!

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Update 1: A new report emerged on December 10, revealing that the Galaxy S21 series is already available for reservation at Experience Stores in India for customers who willing to pay an INR 2,000 ($27) fee.

Update 2: A credible report confirms that the Galaxy S21 series, or at least the Galaxy S21 Ultra will have S Pen support and an optional S Pen case accessory. The same report goes into more availability details for Europe.

Update 3: The Galaxy S21+ has been exposed through a real-life hands-on video depicting the front and back panels. Benchmarks were also performed on camera.

Update 4: Samsung’s new flagship series will reportedly sport a Sony IMX563 sensor.

Update 5: Reports from Korea say that Samsung will ship the Galaxy S21 series with a 25W charger in the box and is developing a 30W charger to be sold separately.

Update 6: STAR Labs CEO confirms that NEON, the artificial human, is not coming with the Galaxy S21 series or any other Galaxy device.

Update 7: One UI 3.1 is expected to allow users to set Google Discover on the leftmost home screen of the Galaxy S21.

Update 8: Samsung Indonesia reveals that the Galaxy S21 will be given away to some early adopters. Meanwhile, the company confirms S Pen support for more Galaxy devices next year, and the first official Galaxy S21 press render has leaked.

Update 9: More official press renders leak to reveal the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra along with the new Phantom color palette. The entire spec sheet for the Galaxy S21 Ultra also made its way online. Alleged pricing details for the Galaxy S21 series emerged. It’s both good and bad news.

Update 10: European Galaxy S21 buyers may not get chargers or earphones in the retail box. On the bright side, eco-friendly Galaxy S21 Kvadrat cases are in the works and the latest official wallpapers for the series are already up for download.

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 Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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Say goodbye to Samsung Pay Rewards and Tiers, they’re getting canned

Next year is shaping up to be a very interesting period for Samsung fans. The company will bring the Galaxy S21 series to the market sooner than expected and it plans to make the S Pen available to more Galaxy devices. A new pair of wireless earbuds with ANC are also on the way, and the TV Plus platform will be going live in more markets next year.

But not everything about Samsung’s plans in 2021 will benefit the customer base. According to an email sent out by the company to Samsung Rewards members, Samsung Pay transactions will no longer grant Rewards points beginning December 31, 2020. The Samsung Rewards program was launched for Samsung Pay users in the USA all the way back in 2016, and point reward were cut in half two years ago.

Samsung Rewards Tiers are also going away

Samsung Rewards will no longer be available for Samsung Pay transactions but, to be clear, customers will still be able to earn points when purchasing products at Samsung.com, the Galaxy Store, the Shop app or other Samsung services and applications. They just won’t be able to earn points for Samsung Pay transactions beginning December 31.

In addition, Samsung is also doing away with Rewards Tiers. Right now, Samsung Pay customers who make frequent purchases can take advantage of the Rewards Tiers program that grants them additional points the more they purchase. This won’t last for much longer as Rewards Tiers will also be terminated on December 31.

Samsung’s choice of words suggests that this might be a temporary change. We will be ending our Tier program for the time being, claims Samsung, but only time will tell if the program will ever make a return in one form or another. We’ll keep you up to speed if the story develops further.

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Galaxy Buds+ firmware update rolls out weeks before Buds Pro launch

The Galaxy Buds+ will soon be succeeded by yet another model of wireless earbuds from Samsung but that hasn’t stopped the OEM from supporting the Buds+ with new firmware updates. After all, it’s been less than 12 months since the earbuds were released and they’re nowhere close to end-if-life.

The latest firmware update for the Galaxy Buds+ weighs only 1.38MB and it carries version R175XXU0ATL1. It’s a small update, obviously, and the changelog confirms further that there are no new features added with this latest release. Instead, firmware version R175XXU0ATL1 is all about improving system stability and reliability.

So, if you’ve been experiencing stability or reliability issues with the Galaxy Buds+ then this new firmware update will hopefully going address them. And although we wouldn’t hold our breath for new features to be added, do let us know in the comment section if you notice anything new or out of the ordinary once you apply the latest firmware update.

As always, you can download and install the new firmware for the Galaxy Buds+ from the Galaxy Wearable app on your connected smartphone. If the update is available in your region for your Buds, you should see an update notification right on the Galaxy Wearable home screen. Tap the notification and then tap Download and install.

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Galaxy Buds Pro price hike could be its downfall

Samsung is poised to increase the launch price of its totally wireless solution even further. The upcoming Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds are now expected to hit the shelves in key European markets for around 229 EUR, reveals our friends at GalaxyClub.

As many of you might recall, the Galaxy Buds Live were released for 199 EUR in most European countries. They were a couple dozen EUR more expensive than the Galaxy Buds+ but Samsung has justified the price hike with the introduction of a new ambitious design and the addition of Active Noise Cancelling (ANC).

The Galaxy Buds Pro are also expected to boast ANC but this time the functionality might actually work. The open design of the Galaxy Buds Live didn’t really do ANC any favors but the Galaxy Buds Pro have an in-ear design which should provide decent passive noise cancelling to begin with. Perhaps Samsung now feels justified to release the Galaxy Buds Pro at a higher price than the Buds Live because ANC might finally be working as intended instead of being just a marketing buzzword.

There’s really no solid explanation for this alleged price increase for the Galaxy Buds Pro but then again, Samsung’s wireless earbuds have been in an upwards price trajectory for a few good generations now. It turns out that the trend won’t stop with the Galaxy Buds Pro either, but we’ll find out for sure on January 14 when Samsung is expected to unveil them alongside the Galaxy S21 flagship smartphone series.

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[Poll Results!] Would you buy a ‘Fan Edition’ Galaxy Note in 2021?

Rumors have picked up over the past few weeks that Samsung is going to discontinue the Galaxy Note series in 2021. A highly credible source has also thrown its weight behind these whispers. At this point in time, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Galaxy Note is not on Samsung’s list for 2021.

One reason Samsung is believed to be making this decision is the declining demand for high-end phones. The pandemic has forced many customers to rethink their purchase habits. The economic recovery is certainly going to take its time even if the vaccines are able to beat back the pandemic next year.

There’s also the matter of Samsung’s high-end lineup becoming too crowded. There will be three Galaxy S21 models next year. A Galaxy S21 FE will also come at some point. Samsung will also launch at least two new foldables one of which is expected to get support for the S Pen. Even the Galaxy S21 Ultra is likely to support the S Pen.

All of these factors might push Samsung to make this decision, one that’s going to leave many fans disappointed. Our recent poll has shown that the majority of Note owners feel compelled to shift to another brand if no new Note is offered in 2021.

Could Samsung extend an olive branch in the form of a new “Fan Edition” Galaxy Note handset? It wouldn’t really cannibalize sales at the high-end and could fit well within Samsung’s lineup for 2021. Samsung has done something similar before with the Galaxy Note 10 Lite.

Now, there’s no information as yet to suggest that this could happen. If it did, would you be willing to purchase a Fan Edition variant of the Galaxy Note in 2021? Vote below and share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Results: Unsurprisingly, 43% of all respondents feel that a Note only makes sense with flagship-level specs. 33% are willing to consider a Fan Edition Galaxy Note next year only if the price is right. 18% are all for it since they prefer the Note experience over everything else.

[Poll] Would you buy a 'Fan Edition' Galaxy Note in 2021?

• No, a Note only makes sense with flagship-level specs 43%, 343 votes
  343 votes 43%

  343 votes - 43% of all votes
• Yes, if the price is right 33%, 263 votes
  263 votes 33%

  263 votes - 33% of all votes
• Yes, I prefer the Note experience over everything 18%, 142 votes
  142 votes 18%

  142 votes - 18% of all votes
• No, I would switch to an S-Pen equipped Galaxy Z Fold 7%, 54 votes
  54 votes 7%

  54 votes - 7% of all votes

Total Votes: 802

3 December 2020 - 21 December 2020

Voting is closed

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Samsung TV Plus will go live in India and more European countries in 2021

Samsung TV Plus is constantly growing in more than one way. The platform keeps welcoming new streaming services and TV stations, all the while it’s becoming available in an increasing number of markets. Samsung TV Plus has become a key aspect of the smart TV experienced offered by Samsung, and the platform was even picked as a CES 2021 Innovation Award Honoree for Streaming.

The Korean tech giant kept improving TV Plus throughout the year and it has recently introduced the platform to a couple more countries, namely Australia and Brazil. This has brought the total number of markets up to 12. Effectively, Samsung TV Plus is now available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Korea, the US, and the UK.

Samsung reveals expansion plans for TV Plus in 2021

Today, December 21, Samsung confirmed some of its launch plans for TV Plus next year. More specifically, it revealed a handful of markets in which Samsung TV Plus will be launching in 2021. The company intends to bring the platform to Mexico, India, Sweden and more European countries.

Samsung hasn’t revealed exactly when smart TV owners in these markets can expect to have access to TV Plus but the platform will be free, as it’s always been. It brings over 740 channels worldwide thanks to Samsung’s partnerships with over 300 leading broadcast networks, content platforms and digital creators.

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Samsung vs Apple in 2020: Who won this rollercoaster of a year?

Quite a turbulent year with many upheavals is behind us, but does that mean Samsung forgot about its largest rival? About staying competitive even while going directly against a fast-growing mobile giant with essentially unlimited resources and ambitions? No, not Huawei, the U.S. gifted that win to Samsung on a silver platter already. Its second-largest rival, then – that fruit company backed by Forrest Gump.

Yes, it’s once again time to take a look at how Samsung has been doing in comparison to Apple—and vice versa—over the course of the last 12 months. Starting with what else than the lifeline of the consumer electronics industry – smartphones.

Samsung vs Apple in 2020 smartphones

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that a bunch of people who got together to run a Samsung fan site prefers its smartphones over the iPhones. Even with the international models from the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 series not being at their best this year due to a subpar chipset. Whereas Apple’s chips keep heading from the launch podium straight into history books due to how insanely efficient they are, but more on that in a bit.

We are still left with Qualcomm’s latest tech. I.e. the handful of high-end devices leveraging the Snapdragon 865 (and 865+), which is a beast in its own right. The smartphones sporting this cutting-edge SoC that Samsung released this year include the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. On top of those, we also saw the company return to its Fan Edition devices with the Galaxy S20 FE released just several weeks ago.

Apple, meanwhile, released fewer iPhone devices, as it usually does. But not as few as most suspected, seeing how its fall keynote eventually saw it unleash a new smartphone generation that spanned four devices in total: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Making this the largest iPhone refresh ever. And that’s without even accounting for the iPhone SE (2020) which launched back in late April.

That budget device is actually the only one that we’d say easily beats anything Samsung puts out in the same price range. Which is $399. For that same price, a Samsung Experience Store clerk would recommend you get the Galaxy A51 nowadays, which is an all-around inferior device in terms of everything but interesting color choices.

And so, 2020 gave us a modest Apple that’s focusing on emerging markets and cost-effective smartphones, and a remarkably greedy Samsung whose principal mobile offerings mostly started at the $999 mark. Going up to some truly eye-watering figures, at that. But with seminal flexible-display products such as the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung definitely ended up turning more heads than anyone else. It even outperformed Apple on its home turf for the first time in three years.

Samsung vs Apple in 2020 tablets

On the premium end of the spectrum, the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ offered pretty significant upgrades over their predecessors – the latter more so than the former. Paired with the S Pen, Samsung once again delivered a tandem of highly capable Android tablets that are easy on the eyes and can last you all day long on a single battery charge.

Yet the iPad remains in a category of its own. The fourth-generation iPad Pro 12.9 and second-generation iPad Pro 11 both easily outperform Samsung’s slates from the standpoint of computing prowess and longevity. As a drawing utility, the S Pen is still edged out by the Apple Pencil, which feels more like a pencil than Samsung’s stylus. And the iPad Pro feature list makes this tablet range a more capable replacement for a typical laptop. Samsung’s only slight advantage in high-end tablets was more competitive pricing – arguably the last thing anyone looking to pay a premium for a tablet will care about.

Outside of cutting-edge tablets, the eight-generation iPad 10.2 is even more dominant than its more expensive counterparts. Because not only does it retain the majority of the relative advantages touted by the iPad Pro series, but it does so at a ridiculously low price point which starts at $329. For that modest amount, Samsung was ready to offer… the Galaxy Tab A7. Which doesn’t even deserve to be in the same sentence, value-wise.

Sitting somewhere in the middle is the fourth-generation iPad Air that Samsung didn’t even try to challenge directly. But even the $649 Galaxy Tab S7 looks like a pretty underwhelming package compared to the supposedly mid-range $599 iPad Air and its ridiculously powerful A14 Bionic chip.

Samsung vs Apple in 2020 wearables

Both the Galaxy Watch 3 and Apple Watch Series 6 were highly iterative device generations with identical pricing which started at $399. Both opted to focus on niche features such as a built-in electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) and blood oxygen monitoring.

And while Apple is once again charging a premium for its aluminum fitness trackers, Samsung is offering stainless-steel smartwatches that are way less conspicuous design-wise. The Apple Watch Series 6 unsurprisingly edges out the Galaxy Watch 3 range in terms of available apps. But at the same time, we haven’t exactly found many more watchOS apps actually worth using on a daily—or any—basis.

So, while we’d describe the sixth-generation Apple Watch as a great addition to Apple’s ecosystem, the Galaxy Watch 3 is just a quality wearable range overall; one that will serve you well no matter what smartphone, tablet, wireless headphones, or notebook you’re already using.

Samsung vs Apple in 2020 chips

Chips are one area wherein Samsung mostly frustrated us in 2020. Because the Exynos 990 fiasco was disappointing at best and humiliating at worst. Meanwhile, Apple went from strength to strength with the release of the A12Z Bionic, A14 Bionic, and the M1 system-on-a-chip.

Custom-grade silicon superiority is a big part of the reason why Apple continues to dominate in the tablet space. With the M1, the company has even gotten bold enough to begin ditching Intel processors altogether. Meanwhile, Samsung SLI’s Exynos designs are still oscillating on an annual basis. And this year has definitely been another low point for the South Korean tech giant. While things might be looking up going into 2021, Samsung still has a massive gap to close here. Even a world-class Exynos 2100 would hence be just the beginning and far from the end of that tribulation-filled road.

Samsung vs Apple in 2020 audio tech

The HomePod Mini was this year’s most significant addition to Apple’s audio portfolio. Which is to say, Apple didn’t do much in this segment throughout 2020. The HomePod Mini was also more of a smart home bet than a high-end audio one. In that regard, the continued expansion of SmartThings easily impressed us more.

As for wireless audio, Samsung continued to make waves with the release of the Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live. Both models offer superior sound quality, unprecedented repairability, and greater overall value compared to Apple’s AirPods line. As if that weren’t enough, Apple decided to close out the year with the launch of the AirPods Max, arguably the most overpriced piece of audio gear in recent memory.

While Samsung doesn’t have a direct AirPods Max rival, you can get two pairs of comparable over-ear headphones for the $549 price Apple is asking for. I would personally recommend the Marley Exodus and Focal Listen Wireless as superior alternatives that also happen to work great with both Galaxy smartphones and iPhones. Otherwise, just get a pair of Galaxy Buds Live and use the remaining $430 toward something more consequential than a first-generation Apple gadget.

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Though the iPad remains in a class of its own, Samsung tech still edged out Apple, from our perspective. And Apple’s growing dominance in chips won’t become truly meaningful until software catches up to its cutting-edge silicon. Which we don’t really see happening anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s clever foldable strategy and well-rounded wearables continued to impress throughout 2020. And that’s without even accounting for its new audio products which delivered greater value while being platform-agnostic, which is a consumer-friendly trait Apple would never even think to pursue.

Do you agree with this comparison? Think we cut Apple too much slack? Or were you less impressed with Samsung’s 2020 smartphones than we were? Let us know in the comments and all the best in the year ahead!

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A Microsoft-Apple chip race can only have one winner: Samsung

The processor race between Microsoft and Apple that’s now reportedly heating up is like an early Christmas gift for Samsung’s chipmaking business. Because no matter who comes out on top, assuming we even get a clear-cut winner, their reward will come in the form of priority access to the Samsung Foundry production lines.

As if Samsung didn’t already have enough reasons to be rooting on the sidelines of this emerging race, Microsoft’s rising ambitions in the segment are said to revolve around Arm-based chip designs. This should allow the South Korean tech giant to address Redmond’s costly repurposing of its manufacturing operations. Apple, for its part, is already all-in on Arm’s silicon architecture in the long term.

Is there anything but explosive growth ahead for Samsung’s foundry business?

Even before the first reports have alleged that Microsoft started dabbling in custom chips, Samsung was expected to make a killing from Apple’s M1 chipsets. That’s after missing out on the last half a decade’s worth of custom silicon orders from Apple. As the entirety of that business went to TSMC over the stated period. But with Apple now starting to ditch Intel chips, Cupertino is keen on diversifying as soon as possible. Doing so is simply common business sense, as it leaves Apple with more leverage in negotiations with suppliers.

And new negotiations are definitely on the horizon after the first generation of M1-powered MacBooks launched to nothing short of stellar reviews. By most accounts, consumer demand for these seminal notebooks will remain strong for the foreseeable future. It will hence be up to Samsung to capture as many of their M1 orders as possible. Of course, seeing how it missed out on manufacturing Apple’s custom silicon over the last five years, even a minor success in this segment would have a substantial effect on its bottom line.

TSMC has certainly been giving Samsung a run for its money lately, but not without a response. Samsung has most recently snatched the entirety of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 30 Series order right under from its fiercest chipmaking rival.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s own R&D is reportedly geared toward cloud-based applications more so than consumer electronics. This isn’t to say the company has no desire to deliver a direct M1 rival in the next several years. It’s just that doing so isn’t its topmost priority for the time being. Especially since it already managed to kickstart its own shift away from Intel in collaboration with Qualcomm. Since last year, this partnership yielded two unique chipsets manufactured on TSMC’s 7nm (TSMC N7) process node – the SQ1 and SQ2 powering the first two generations of the Surface Pro X 2-in-1.

Microsoft’s motivation for diversifying the manufacture of its own chip designs is pretty much identical to Apple’s incentive. And guess who’s already expected to handle the majority – if not the entirety – of Qualcomm’s next flagship SoC production? Not to mention that Amazon is also said to be pursuing custom server silicon based on Arm’s designs and will be in the market for a foundry to contract in the very near future.

All things considered, the Samsung Foundry has a pretty monumental year ahead of it. And with a bit of luck, even Samsung SLI will finally give it something nice and Exynos-branded to work with, thus redeeming the utter mediocrity that the Exynos 990 turned out to be.

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Galaxy A22 could be Samsung’s cheapest 5G smartphone in 2021

Samsung has plans to make 5G smartphones more affordable and accessible to more consumers. This year, the company launched the Galaxy A51 5G, Galaxy A71 5G, and the Galaxy A42 5G. Next year, the company has plans to launch the Galaxy A32 5G and the Galaxy A22 5G.

According to a new report, Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy A22 5G in India and other Southeast Asian countries. The phone will reportedly be launched in the second half of 2021 and it is expected to be priced around KRW 200,000 ($180).  The South Korean brand has reportedly decided to use the joint development production method (JDM) for the Galaxy A22 5G, which means that product development, design, and production tasks will be outsourced to a different brand. However, Samsung will be partially involved in the process, and it will decide on the specifications and features of the phone along with product selection and software development.

The Galaxy A22 5G will reportedly use the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor, which has an integrated 5G modem. The phone will compete with affordable 5G smartphones from the likes of OPPO, Realme, Vivo, and Xiaomi. We had reported last year that Samsung will launch at least eight Galaxy A series smartphones in 2021. According to the report, 20% to 30% of the smartphones from Samsung were made using the JDM method.

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Samsung starts One UI 3.0 rollout for its foldables with Galaxy Z Flip 5G

Samsung’s foldable lineup is joining the company’s traditional candy bar smartphones in the Android 11 One UI 3.0 party, with the major update now rolling out to the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. The debut is taking place in Switzerland, where the update is rolling out over the air and carries firmware version F707BXXU1CTL6. The LTE variant of the Galaxy Z Flip, which is powered by last year’s Snapdragon 855 instead of the Snapdragon 865+, isn’t receiving the update just yet, but that will likely hopefully change sooner rather than later.

This is a developing story…

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New leak reveals Galaxy Buds Pro’s exciting new features

The Galaxy Buds Pro is shaping up to be a great set of truly wireless earphones and an extremely tough competitor to Apple’s AirPods Pro. They are expected to be unveiled early next month alongside the Galaxy S21 series. We’ve already seen their design and a few specifications. Now, a leak has revealed almost all of its exciting new features, including active noise cancellation (ANC) and 3D audio.

A teardown of the pre-release version of the Galaxy Buds Pro plugin app has revealed that the upcoming earbuds feature 3D spatial audio for videos, similar to the AirPods Pro. This feature uses head-tracking to offer “vivid, immersive sound coming from all directions so you feel like you are right in the scene” while watching videos. The new feature appears to be using a combination of special gyro sensors, Dolby Atmos, and SoundAlive to work effectively. It also needs a device running Android 11 with One UI 3.0 (or newer).

The Galaxy Buds Pro also has a voice detection feature that turns on the ambient mode and lowers the media volume when it detects that you are conversing, making it easier to talk to someone near you. Samsung will also offer left and right hearing adjustment. The other new features include Bixby voice wakeup and Gaming Mode, both of which are already available on the Galaxy Buds Live. However, this is the first time Samsung is including these features with earphones that have an in-ear canal design.

The active noise cancellation feature seems to have high and low settings, while the Ambient Voice mode has four volume settings. Furthermore, the Galaxy Buds Pro plugin app confirms that the upcoming wireless earbuds will have a 61mAh battery inside each earbud and a 472mAh battery inside the case. Two homescreen widgets have also been leaked. There’s also a Find My Earbuds feature that uses SmartThings Find to find lost earbuds easily.

Are you as excited about the Galaxy Buds Pro as we are?

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