The Galaxy A72 could become a better bargain than the Galaxy S21 FE

Neither the Galaxy A72 nor the Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition) have so far been officially revealed but the industry expects customers to be able to buy either one of these smartphones before the end of the year. And assuming that the leaks and rumors so far are correct then the Galaxy S21 FE might not be as big of a deal as its predecessor was last year, especially if it will follow the Galaxy A72 to the market.

The Galaxy S20 FE took the mobile world by surprise last year. It was Samsung’s first FE-branded phone in years and it introduced a high refresh rate display to the non-flagship segment. In addition, the 5G variant that was released alongside the 4G model in select markets is equipped with a Snapdragon chipset, which means it gave customers in Exynos regions an opportunity to own a Snapdragon-powered smartphone.

These characteristics combined with decent all-around specs and a relatively low price have allowed the Galaxy S20 FE to quickly earn a loyal following and become one of Samsung’s most important smartphones of 2020.

The Galaxy S21 FE might not have the same market impact

It’s not that the Galaxy S21 FE will be an inferior device — it has yet to be officially unveiled so it’s yet to be determined — but it is expected to be based on the standard Galaxy S21 model and it should go on sale as a budget-friendlier alternative to the flagship series.

More importantly, the mobile landscape in 2021 is different compared to last year. The Galaxy S20 FE was unique in its ability to offer high-end-grade characteristics for a non-flagship price, but the Galaxy S21 FE won’t be alone in doing so this year.

Samsung has already introduced high refresh rate displays to a few of its budget Galaxy A models including the Galaxy A32 4G, and the upcoming Galaxy A72 is also expected to feature a 90Hz panel. Furthermore, the Galaxy A72 is rumored to boast an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and a camera system capable of up to 30x zoom. More so, it should benefit from three major Android OS updates, thus closing the gap between it and the Galaxy S21 / Galaxy S21 FE even more.

Essentially, the Galaxy A72 is already shaping up to be a so-called flagship killer and it might occupy a niche on the market that would normally be filled by Samsung’s FE-branded smartphones. And since it’s expected to go on sale before the Galaxy S21 FE will and for a lower price, it might end up being a better bargain.

The Galaxy S21 FE will have to offer something extra and impress prospective buyers with new tricks if it will want to maintain the momentum left behind by its predecessor and replicate its success. Time will tell if this will be the case but either way, it looks like the Galaxy S21 FE might be getting some serious competition from Samsung’s own backyard, and this should benefit fans of the brand.

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Incredible deal drops Galaxy Note 20 series price down to mid-range levels

Fans of the S Pen or the Galaxy Note series who have been waiting for a good opportunity to acquire one of the latest Galaxy Note 20 models at a discounted price are in for a big surprise. Amazon-owned daily deals website Woot! is now offering the Galaxy Note 20 series for real killer-flagship prices with no caveats or strings attached.

Woot! is now selling the unlocked Galaxy Note 20 with 128GB of storage for the incredibly-low price of $599. At the same time, the daily deals website is selling the unlocked Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G with 128GB of built-in storage for just $799! These prices are valid without a trade-in, as incredible as it may sound.

The only downside to this offer is that you won’t be able to choose the phone’s color, as the standard model is offered only in Mystic Green while the Ultra variant is available only in Mystic Bronze. Other than that, there’s a 2-phone limit per customer and the offer is available while stocks last.

The clock is ticking fast though, and as of this writing, there are only 16 hours left on this incredible limited-time deal. You can refer to our reviews for more details on the Galaxy Note 20 series, and you can check the Woot! e-shop links below while the offer lasts.

Galaxy Note 20 review | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review

• Buy the unlocked Galaxy Note 20 / Note 20 Ultra 5G at Woot!

Galaxy Note 20

• Model: SM-N980F
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Plus
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G

• Model: SM-N986B
• Dimensions: Bar: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
  
• Display: 6.9 inch / 175.26 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 108MP

More specifications

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Samsung failed to make a dent in the TWS market in India last quarter

There’s no better way to describe the TWS (true wireless stereo) earbud market in India other than ‘it’s booming,’ but sadly, Samsung appears to be watching it all from the sidelines. According to a new report from market research firm Counterpoint Research, TWS shipments in India throughout Q4 2020 were up a whopping 641% year-on-year, but Samsung failed to be among the country’s top TWS brands.

With the TWS market in India posting a massive 641% YoY improvement, TWS quarterly shipments have exceeded the 10 million mark in Q4. The 3 most popular TWS brands in India in Q4 2020 were BoAt, OnePlus, and Realme, with Samsung failing to reach the podium. More so, the three aforementioned OEMs were followed by Xiaomi and pTron.

Non-Samsung Buds were the most popular TWS models

The unoriginally-named Buds Z and Buds Q were the most popular TWS models in India last quarter, and no, despite the names, these earbuds were not manufactured by Samsung and they don’t belong to the Galaxy Buds family of products.

The Buds Z and Buds Q were manufactured by OnePlus and Realme, respectively. Despite their names, however, they don’t belong to the same class of earbuds as Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live / Galaxy Buds Pro. They don’t offer as many features and they cost roughly 1/4th of the price of a pair of high quality Samsung wireless earbuds.

These Q4 results show that although Samsung has a superior product on its hands, many customers in India aren’t ready to spend upwards of $150 on a pair of wireless earbuds. This gives short and long-term advantages to the more budget-oriented brands like OnePlus, Realme, BoAt, Xiaomi, and pTron. They’re enjoying healthy shipment figures in the short term, and they’re inevitably building up their long-term brand image with the help of their cost-effective products.

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Samsung Smart Monitor could soon make it to the Indian market

Samsung had unveiled a one-of-its-kind Smart Monitor last year to capitalize on the booming work-from-home segment. Apart from all the usual features seen on traditional monitors, the South Korean firm’s first Smart Monitor runs the Tizen operating system and has a boatload of connectivity features. After launching it in South Korea, the company has started teasing the launch of the Smart Monitor in India.

The company published a teaser image earlier today, showcasing the side profile of a monitor. Samsung also used hashtags #ChooseTheOne and #DoItAll with the teaser, pointing towards the Smart Monitor. However, the company did not reveal the Smart Monitor’s launch date yet, and it will probably reveal the date in the coming days. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of computers, laptops, monitors, and other productivity gear have spiked, and the Smart Monitor could be the perfect monitor for many consumers.

The QLED Smart Monitor comes in two versions: M5 and M7.  The 1080p M5 comes in just one size (27-inch), and the 4K M7 is available in two sizes (32-inch and 32-inch). They have 250-nit screens, HDR10+, 10W stereo speakers, and OneRemote. Both monitors run the Tizen operating system and have access to all the audio and video streaming apps that we usually see on Samsung’s smart TVs, including Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube.

They also feature HDMI ports and a USB Type-C port with 65W USB PD charging support. Wireless connectivity features include Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth 4.2. Other features include Bixby, Wireless DeX, screen mirroring, Tap View, Remote Access, and Office 365.

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Indian pricing for Galaxy A52, Galaxy A72 leaks ahead of launch

Samsung will unveil its upcoming mid-range smartphones, the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72, on March 17 during the Galaxy Unpacked March 2021 event. However, ahead of the launch, the Indian pricing for both smartphones has been leaked.

According to a new report, the Galaxy A52 will be available in India in two variants: 6GB+128GB (SM-A525FG) and 8GB+128GB (SM-A525FH). The 6GB RAM version will reportedly be priced at INR 26,499 (around $365), while the variant with 8GB RAM could debut with a price tag of INR 27,999 (around $385). The 8GB+128GB version of the Galaxy A72 could be priced at INR 34,999 (around $480) in India, while the 8GB+256GB version could cost INR 37,999 (around $522). Apparently, Samsung will not launch the 5G versions of the smartphones in India.

To refresh your memory, let us look at the specifications of the two upcoming Galaxy A series smartphones. The Galaxy A52 has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, while the Galaxy A72 has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display. Both phones use screens with a 90Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution, an in-display fingerprint reader, and Gorilla Glass protection. They both run Android 11 (with One UI 3.1) and have the Snapdragon 720G processor and a microSD card slot.

Both smartphones feature 32MP selfie cameras at the front and a 64MP OIS+12MP+5MP+5MP quad-camera setup at the rear. They also feature IP67 certification, stereo speakers, 25W fast charging, dual-SIM card slot, GPS, Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C port, and a headphone jack. The Galaxy A52 has a 4,500mAh battery, while the Galaxy A72 has a 5,000mAh battery.

Going by their specs and pricing, they could end up being among the best-selling Android smartphones of this year. However, things are a little different in the Indian market, with Xiaomi and Realme offering stronger specifications than the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72 at lower pricing. The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max has a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 732G processor, a 108MP quad-camera, and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging for around INR 20,000 ($275)

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Galaxy M31 gets the taste of One UI 3.1 with latest update

The Galaxy M31 received the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update in January. The mid-range smartphone is now receiving a new software update that brings the latest version of One UI. Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 3.1 update to the Galaxy M31 in India.

The latest software update for the Galaxy M31, which has firmware version M315FXXU2BUC1, has a download size of over 1GB. The update also brings the March 2021 security patch to the smartphone. The changelog for the update mentions improved camera performance, device performance, and security.

The One UI 3.1 update should also bring features like the ability to remove GPS location data from images while sharing them, slightly improved UI design, smart home controls for Google Home compatible products via the notifications shade, improved clock app, and more.

If you are a Galaxy M31 user in India, you can check for the update by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install. The update could soon start rolling out to Galaxy M31 units in markets outside of India as well. The phone was originally launched last year with Android 10.

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Galaxy A42 5G is Samsung’s latest device moving to Android 11

Technically, the Galaxy A42 5G is still in the process of releasing globally. But seeing how it launched with Android 10, i.e. One UI 2.5, the time is nigh for its very first major operating system upgrade. That would be the same OTA currently making its way to many other Galaxy devices around the world. This jump to Android 11 is the first of three such upgrades Samsung promised to Galaxy A42 5G owners, as well as almost all of its other mobile customers.

Though Samsung is clearly positioning the Galaxy A42 5G as a compromise solution, and that’s meant in the best way possible, mind you. With pricing starting at the equivalent of $450, this thing is more of a flagship killer than anything we’ve seen actually marketed under that label in recent memory.

How badly has Samsung spoiled us with Android security updates?

Either way, the new software upgrade for the Galaxy A42 5G is identified by release version A426BXXU1BUB7 and has been spotted in the Netherlands just yesterday. It hasn’t yet expanded to any more countries but the rollout is likely to start garnering some momentum over the next week or so.

As is the case with pretty much every contemporary Galaxy device that was still running One UI 2.5 as of a few days ago, the Galaxy A42 5G is circumventing One UI 3.0 in its entirety. Instead, it’s making a direct jump to One UI 3.1, which is an even more polished implementation of Android 11, brought to you by Samsung, duh. The March 2021 security update is also along for the ride this time around.

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Galaxy S21 Ultra is not as repairable as the Galaxy S21

Smartphones are getting harder to repair as internal components are getting smaller with each passing year. Moreover, some brands use glue and non-standard screws in the assembly process. Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, is hard to repair, similar to last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra.

iFixit did a teardown of the Galaxy S21 Ultra and gave it a repairability score of 3/10. That score matches the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s repairability score but falls short of the vanilla Galaxy S21’s score of 4/10. The Galaxy S21 Ultra uses the same Phillips screws in all the important places, but it also uses a lot of glue behind the battery, display, and rear panel, making it harder to disassemble the device.

The phone’s Gorilla Glass Victus back also adds to its repairability woes as glass is more prone to breaking during the disassembly process. The Galaxy S21 Ultra reportedly uses a non-modular display cable, making it harder to remove the display if it needs to be replaced. In comparison, the Galaxy S21 uses an easier-to-remove plastic rear panel and a modular display cable.

The step-by-step teardown from iFixit shows all the important components of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Apparently, the SIM tray and vibration motor have traded places when compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Moreover, the periscope camera is much bigger, and the wireless charging coil has more windings (for more efficiency). The quad-camera setup’s lenses can be replaced individually, which is a good thing.

The Snapdragon 888 variant of the Galaxy S21 Ultra uses many components from Cirrus Logic (for audio), Qualcomm (processor, connectivity, and power management), and Samsung (memory and storage). There’s a Wacom W9020 IC, too, for S Pen compatibility. The teardown also shows the 77% bigger second-generation Ultrasonic fingerprint reader from Qualcomm. It is also the first Galaxy S series phone to feature a new UWB antenna in the frame’s corner.

Perhaps there is room for improvement when it comes to the repairability of Samsung’s high-end smartphones. The company does cram in a lot of high-end components into its slim smartphones, but it could use less glue and more modular components. You can head over to iFixit’s website to see the full teardown and read about all the components.

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