Samsung’s SSD sales could soon be boosted by a Sony PS5 update

Samsung’s memory business could soon enjoy a sudden increase in sales on the back of the Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5). The latest console was released late last year with certain missing functionalities and Sony confirmed at launch that the PS5’s M.2 storage expansion slot will be enabled through a future update. Well, according to Bloomberg, said firmware update will be released this summer. As a result, countless PS5 owners are now looking at Samsung for SSD solutions.

The Sony PS5 ships with 825GB of built-in SSD storage and although that might sound like a lot, it really isn’t enough for many PS5 owners who may want to play more than a couple of demanding AAA games. Fans of Activision’s popular FPS franchise Call of Duty are already facing storage issues, so the upcoming PS5 firmware update is a pretty big deal for many gamers.

The PS5 will require very fast SSDs and Samsung has the solution

Sony has yet to confirm which SSDs will be compatible with the PS5 once the M.2 slot will be enabled through the upcoming firmware update, which means that PS5 owners should probably hold off from buying any SSDs until Sony reveals more details.

But according to sources cited by Bloomberg, the upcoming firmware update will reportedly allow the PS5’s cooling fans to run at faster speeds, and this change is necessary because external SSDs will have to keep up with the speed of the on-board storage. The SSDs generate more heat as a result, so the fans must be capable of keeping temperatures in check.

With the PS5 requiring a very powerful SSD, chances are that the majority of PS5 owners who’ll want to expand the storage will be looking at Samsung for a solution. Samsung’s SSDs are held in high-regard and the 980 Pro SSD should be a great choice for PS5 owners, at least in theory. It’s blazing-fast and it outperforms the PS5 on-board storage solution with faster read and write speeds. A high-capacity 2TB version was also released a couple of months ago.

Once again, Sony has yet to reveal a list of compatible SSDs for the PS5, but once it does, it could greatly benefit Samsung’s memory business. In essence, there’s potential for every PS5 owner to become a Samsung SSD customer later this summer.

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Samsung kept the lead in Europe in 2020 but the S20 series held it back

2020 was a tough year for the European smartphone market, and although sales figures have recovered almost entirely by the end of the year, the smartphone market also experienced a massive sales decline of nearly 50% YoY in April 2020, three months after the number of COVID-19 cases started to rise, and one month after the first lockdowns were set in place. Of course, Samsung isn’t invulnerable and its market performance was affected by these events.

According to figures revealed by Counterpoint Research, Samsung’s market performance in Europe throughout 2020 is sort of a mixed bag. The company managed to increase its market share from 31% in 2019 to 32% a year later, but because the entire smartphone market declined, the company ended up selling fewer smartphones last year than it did in 2019. The company was only able to maintain the lead in terms of market share because other OEMs, except for Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme, have also experienced lower YoY sales.

The Galaxy S20 series was sort of a letdown

Samsung sold an estimated 59.8 million smartphones in Europe last year, down from 67.9 million units in 2019, and the market watcher highlights three main factors that led to Samsung losing ground.

The Galaxy S20 series is one of those factors. The flagship series never really took off, claims the report, and it was also regularly outsold in Europe by Samsung’s own mid-range Galaxy A51 and Galaxy A71 models. Flagship sales were down in general, as more European customers were more conscious about their spending last year, but either way, the flagship series wasn’t a favorite among European smartphone customers.

Another reason leading to Samsung’s lower performance has to do with Huawei’s misfortune and the fact that the smartphone segment in Europe became very competitive. Many smaller OEMs have attempted to capture the market share that was once held by Huawei, and they succeeded in giving Samsung a difficult time.

The last but not least reason behind Samsung’s market performance in 2020 was Apple. With the release of the 5G-enabled iPhone 12, Samsung no longer had a strong grasp over the 5G market and Apple became a real alternative for customers who wanted to jump on the 5G bandwagon early on.

The good news is that Counterpoint Research believes the Galaxy S21 flagship should perform better than the S20 did last year. And although Samsung will face strong opposition, the new flagship will likely be leading the Android premium smartphone segment in Europe throughout 20201.

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Rugged Galaxy Xcover 5 bags another approval, Dual-SIM confirmed

Samsung’s next rugged phone for 2021 is one step closer to going live. In case you missed it, the phone’s going to hit the shelves as the Galaxy Xcover 5, and it might also become the company’s first rugged device to boast 5G connectivity. It remains to be seen if that will indeed be the case, but for now, the LTE variant is apparently being readied for market release.

Just like any other phone that’s getting prepared for the masses, the Galaxy Xcover 5 will have to go through a few regulatory processes before it can go sale. Today, the Galaxy Xcover 5 got approved by Bluetooth where it was revealed that the device supports Bluetooth 5.

Two variants of the same phone were approved by Bluetooth today. There’s the standard LTE-enabled Galaxy Xcover 5 bearing model number SM-G525F, as well as the dual-SIM variant with model number SM-G525F_DS. No other specifications were revealed by the regulatory agency but previous leaks have given us a fairly comprehensive picture of what the next rugged phone will have in store for customers.

It’s been a little over a year since the Galaxy Xcover Pro was released, and we’re approaching the two-year mark since the Galaxy Xcover 4s made its debut in 2019. With that being said, Samsung is keeping quiet about its release plans for the Galaxy Xcover 5 but the rugged phone might be just around the corner.

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Galaxy Buds Live get new Galaxy Buds Pro features in latest update

The Galaxy Buds Pro are Samsung’s latest truly wireless earbuds. Soon after they were launched, the company sent out an update that added a very useful feature. The new hearing enhancement feature enabled users to boost the L/R sound balance for the earbuds.

This allowed users to adjust the sound balance for the earbuds if they had any level of hearing loss in each ear. Samsung has now released an update for the Galaxy Buds Live which adds this feature. It also brings the very useful Auto Switching feature.

Galaxy Buds Live picks up some of the best Galaxy Buds Pro features

Auto Switching was also introduced with the Galaxy Buds Pro. It lets you seamlessly switch between compatible Samsung smartphones and tablets running One UI 3.1. For example, if you’re watching Netflix on your Galaxy Tab S7 with the earbuds connected and a call comes in on your Galaxy S21 Ultra, the buds will seamlessly switch to the smartphone and switch back to the tablet after the call ends.

Reddit user u/apopheniac01 first posted about this new update that’s being sent out for the Galaxy Buds Live. Firmware version R180XXU0AUB5 adds Auto Switching and Hearing aid features. The Hearing aid feature is what Samsung is calling the hearing enhancement feature here. Galaxy Buds Live users can also adjust the L/R sound balance for the earbuds now.

Lastly, the Buds control menu has been added to the Bluetooth settings. It makes it easier to adjust the settings for the Buds through the Bluetooth page itself instead of having to open the Galaxy Wearable app for minor tweaks.

The update only appears to be out in the United States for now. It may take a couple of days before it is rolled out widely.

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Galaxy A32 vs Galaxy A32 5G: When 4G is better than 5G

Last month, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A32 5G with a Dimensity 720 processor, a quad-camera setup, and a 5,000mAh battery. Earlier today, the company introduced the 4G variant of the Galaxy A32. One would assume that the 4G variant of the Galaxy A32 would either have similar or slightly weaker specifications than the 5G version, but that would be incorrect.

The Galaxy A32, weirdly, is better than the Galaxy A32 5G in more ways than one. The Galaxy A32 sports a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with Full HD+ resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. In comparison, the Galaxy A32 5G uses a 6.5-inch TFT LCD display with HD+ resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy A32 also beats the Galaxy A32 5G with its in-display fingerprint reader. The Galaxy A32 (158.9×73.6×8.4mm; 184g) is also smaller and lighter than the Galaxy A32 5G (164.2×76.1×9.1mm; 205g).

In terms of camera hardware, the Galaxy A32 has a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP depth sensor, a 5MP macro camera, and a 20MP selfie camera. The Galaxy A32 5G has a comparatively weaker camera setup, featuring a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP depth sensor, a 5MP macro camera, and a 13MP selfie camera.

The only aspect where the Galaxy A32 5G is better than the Galaxy A32 is the processing. The Galaxy A32 5G uses the MediaTek Dimensity 720 processor, while the Galaxy A32 settles for the MediaTek Helio G80. Both phones run Android 11 with One UI 3.1 and are powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging. You can have a look at the complete specs comparison of the Galaxy A32 and the Galaxy A32 5G in the table below.

Galaxy A32 vs Galaxy A32 5G specs comparison

Galaxy A32 5G

VS.

Galaxy A32

Full comparison

General Information
Model name	Galaxy A32 5G	Galaxy A32
Model number	SM-A326B	SM-A325F
Model type	Bar	Bar
Color	Black (Black) White (White) Blue (Blue) Violet (Violet)	Black (Black) White (White) Blue (Blue) Violet (Violet)
Announced	2021, January	2021, January
Physical Specifications
Dimensions	Bar: 164.2 x 76.1 x 9.1 mm	Bar: 158.9 x 73.6 x 8.4 mm
Weights	205g	184g
Operating System
Operating system	Android 11	Android 11
One UI version	3.1	3.1
Network
Networks	2G 3G 4G 5G	2G 3G 4G
Display
Kind	Main Display	Main Display
Name	Infinity-V Display	Infinity-U Display
Technology	IPS LCD	Super AMOLED Display
Size	6.5 inch / 165.1 mm	6.4 inch / 162.56 mm
Resolution	HD+ / 1600x720 pixels	FHD+ / x pixels
Pixel density	270 PPI	PPI
Screen to body ratio	~81.6%	%
Memory
RAM/ROM sizes	4 GB RAM with 128 GB ROM 6 GB RAM with 128 GB ROM 8 GB RAM with 128 GB ROM	4 GB RAM with 64 GB ROM 6 GB RAM with 128 GB ROM 8 GB RAM with 128 GB ROM
Rear camera
Megapixels	48MP	64MP
Aperture	F1.8	F1.8
Battery
Standard battery capacity	5000 mAh	5000 mAh
View full comparison »

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Galaxy A8 (2018) now receiving March 2021 security update

The Galaxy A8 (2018) might have turned three last month, but it has already started receiving next month’s Android security update. That would be the security patch level dated March 1st, 2021, which only began rolling out this week. The one for the Galaxy A8 is identified by release version A530FXXSICUC1.

To check whether a new update is already available on your Galaxy A8, go to Settings, tap the option that says Software update at the bottom, and finally select Download and install on the following screen. If you aren’t content to wait, refer to our firmware archives in order to download the latest system images containing the new update for your country.

Will the Galaxy A8 (2018) continue receiving regular patches in 2021?

The Galaxy A8 (2018) wasn’t encompassed by Samsung’s pledge to start delivering at least three generations’ worth of OS updates and four years of security updates to its mobile devices. But as far as security patches are concerned, you can expect it to continue enjoying regular support for a while longer.

Apart from the Galaxy A8, the March 2021 Android security update is currently deploying to the Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Fold, and the Galaxy Tab S7. When it comes to monthly patches, Samsung’s most recently released flagships usually take precedence in terms of which rollouts actually get completed first. At least for the first couple of months, so that might still be the case this time around, seeing how we’re still in February. Not to mention that all instances of the March update that began rolling out this week had extremely limited deployments so far.

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Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets with high refresh rate displays

Smartphones with high refresh rate screens offer a relatively smoother and more fluidic experience while navigating around the UI, scrolling, swiping, zooming, and gaming. Samsung was late to the party when it comes to releasing devices with high refresh rate displays, but the company now has among the widest range of such phones and tablets.

While most of the brands started off with 90Hz screens, Samsung jumped straight to 120Hz refresh rate screens. However, some of its mid-range phones have displays with a 90Hz refresh rate. Now that there are a dozen of Galaxy devices (12, as of February 2021) that have high refresh rate screens, we thought it might be a good idea to create a list of all those devices. We will regularly update this list as and when Samsung releases new devices with high refresh rate displays.

Which Galaxy phones and tablets have high refresh rate displays?

• Galaxy S21: The smallest Galaxy S21 series phone has a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels) and a variable 120Hz refresh rate (48Hz-120Hz). The phone also features up to 1,300 nits of peak brightness, HDR10+, Always-On Display, and a second-generation ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader from Qualcomm. The Galaxy S21’s screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
• Galaxy S21+: The middle child in the Galaxy S21 series sports a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with Full HD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels) and a variable high-refresh-rate display (48Hz-120Hz). The smartphone’s display can go as high as 1,300 nits of peak brightness and features HDR10+, Always-On Display, and Qualcomm’s second-gen ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader. The screen is protected using a Gorilla Glass Victus panel.
• Galaxy S21 Ultra: The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with QHD+ resolution (3,200 x 1,440 pixels). It is Samsung’s first smartphone that can run its display at QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate at the same time. It also supports a variable refresh rate feature (10Hz-120Hz) to reduce power consumption when a high refresh rate is not required. It can go as high as 1,500 nits of peak brightness and features HDR10+, Always-On Display, second-gen ultrasonic fingerprint reader, and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
• Galaxy S20: This phone has a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with QHD+ resolution (3,200 x 1,440 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate. It also features HDR10+, Always-On Display, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader, and Gorilla Glass 6 protection. Both the LTE and 5G versions of the phone have a 120Hz refresh rate screen.
• Galaxy S20+: LTE and 5G variants of the Galaxy S20+ sport a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with QHD+ resolution (3,200 x 1,440 pixels) and a high refresh rate of 120Hz. It can playback HDR10+ content and features Gorilla Glass 6 protection over the screen. Features like AoD and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader are also present.
• Galaxy S20 Ultra: The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1,400 nits, QHD+ resolution, and HDR10+ certification. Similar to other Galaxy S20 series phones, it features an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader, AoD mode, and Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
• Galaxy S20 FE: This phone is the cheapest Galaxy S20 device, and it comes with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. It uses an optical in-display fingerprint reader, AoD mode, HDR10+, and its screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
• Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and QHD+ resolution. Its display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. It features an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader, HDR10+ certification, and AoD mode.
• Galaxy Z Fold 2: Samsung’s second-generation Fold device has two screens, a 6.23-inch Super AMOLED display on the outside and a 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x foldable display on the inside. The inner display can be folded and it has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, QXGA+ resolution (2,208 x 1,768 pixels), HDR10+ certification, and Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) protection. The outer display has a 2,260 x 816 pixels resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate.
• Galaxy Tab S7: The Galaxy Tab S7 uses an 11-inch LTPS IPS LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, QHD+ resolution, HDR10+ playback certification, and 500 nits of peak brightness. It comes with an S Pen and a latency of just 26ms.
• Galaxy Tab S7+: The Galaxy Tab S7+ sports a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and QHD+ resolution. It comes bundled with an S Pen, which has a latency of just 9ms.
• Galaxy A32: The 4G variant of the Galaxy A32 has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It has an in-display fingerprint reader and Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

Samsung is also launching three more smartphones with high refresh rate screens next month: Galaxy A52 4G, Galaxy A52 5G, and Galaxy A72 4G. The Galaxy A52 4G and the Galaxy A72 4G are said to feature 90Hz Super AMOLED displays, while the Galaxy A52 5G could come with a 120Hz Super AMOLED display. The Galaxy A32 is Samsung’s first mid-range phone with a high-refresh-rate display.

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