Samsung Galaxy A30 security update status has been downgraded

Samsung sends out security updates for a lot of devices. While most recent models receive an update monthly, some only receive an update every quarter. There are also a few devices that only get security updates twice a year.

The company has its own criteria for placing devices on the monthly, quarterly and biannual cycle. It makes changes to these lists periodically. The latest change has seen the Galaxy A30’s security update status being downgraded.

Your Galaxy A30 won’t receive quarterly security updates anymore

The Galaxy A30 has been around for a couple of years now. Samsung has decided to drop it from the quarterly to the biannual cycle. It will only get two security updates a year from now on. The device is already in its third year since it was launched.

Samsung recently announced that it will now provide four years of security updates to eligible devices. The list of eligible devices includes the Galaxy A30 as well. So it will be supported for another year as well, even though it will only get two additional updates.

It’s difficult to pinpoint what drives Samsung’s decisions to shift devices between the different security update cycles. Perhaps sales figures may be a factor. Threat assessment likely plays a role in this decision as well.

If there are fewer units of a device with low risk of security vulnerabilities, then it’s better for Samsung to downgrade its status in order to steamline development work for its team.

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With its leader in jail, Samsung finds itself in a state of crisis

Running a massive conglomerate isn’t easy and definitely not something that can be done from jail. Samsung vice chairman and de-facto leader Lee Jae-yong has been imprisoned since January. He won’t seek an appeal of the ruling, meaning that he intends to serve out his entire two-and-a-half-year sentence.

Lee’s approval is necessary for major business decisions. In his absence, the company finds itself in a state of crisis. Decisions related to new investments and future strategy need to be finalized but executives are unable to get the time they need with their leader.

Major decisions being delayed due to leader’s absence

Samsung has proposed a multi-billion dollar investment to the United States. It intends to build a new chipmaking plant amid the global semiconductor shortage. That investment has not yet been finalized likely due to these troubles. On the other than, rival TSMC is already going ahead with its new chip plant in the US.

The company hasn’t decided where its new $17 billion chip plant will be located. It’s considering multiple sites for the project in Arizona, Austin and New York. The delay in this decision may also be attributed to the absence of its leader.

The White House has reportedly invited Samsung to a meeting later this month. The global chip shortage will be discussed at this meeting. As a major player in the industry and a big investor in the country’s semiconductor industry, Samsung will obviously have a seat at the table.

Lee Jae-yong would have likely represented Samsung had he been out of prison. Internal meetings are now underway at Samsung to decide who will represent the company instead. Reports suggest it will be Kim Ki-nam, the head of Samsung Electronics’ device systems division.

It’s very difficult for Lee to make any strategic decisions while he’s in jail. Samsung executives are only given 10 minutes to meet him and that’s obviously not enough time to discuss such delicate matters.

This is particularly troubling for Samsung as TSMC has decided on its $12 billion plant in Arizona to increase production capacity. Intel has also confirmed its $20 billion investment to develop two new fabrication plants in Arizona. Samsung has been unable to make a decision.

These leadership challenges may only get worse as Lee’s legal woes are far from over. He is due to attend another trial later this month over a disputed merger between two Samsung affiliates.

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Samsung and LG are entering into a historic partnership for OLED panels

LG may be mourning the loss of its smartphone division but it also has a reason to celebrate. According to reports out of South Korea, Samsung and LG have inked a historic deal for the supply of OLED panels.

This will be the first time that Samsung sources OLED displays from LG Display, the local rival for its own display-making affiliate, Samsung Display. Samsung has been looking at other sources to procure displays other than its own sister company. It’s already looking at Chinese OLEDs for its entry-level Galaxy M smartphones.

Samsung is buying OLEDs from LG for the first time

The report claims that Samsung will be buying OLED panels for TVs from LG Display. Samsung might be one of the leading manufacturers of mobile OLED panels but LG Display has made its mark on the large OLED panel market.

It’s said that the senior management of Samsung Electronics and LG Display met recently and reached an agreement on the purchase of OLED panels. Only working-level consultations are left before the deal is finalized.

Samsung is looking to source at least one million units of large OLED panels by the second half of this year. It will source four million units in 2022. This would amount to a substantial chunk of LG Display’s production capacity which currently sits at eight million units.

The rising prices of LCD panels have reportedly pushed Samsung to consider buying OLEDs from LG instead. This cooperation also became necessary due to Samsung Display facing production yield issues with the next-gen QD OLEDs that it’s developing.

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Your Galaxy S21 series phone isn’t worth a whole lot for trade-in anymore

Many retailers and online resellers run trade-in programs. They offer a certain value for your current device which you can put towards the cost of your new phone. So switching phones becomes as easy as handing in your old device and getting a new one in exchange.

Keeping an eye on the trade-in values can give you an idea of what your current device might fetch at trade-in. You’d be interested in knowing that if you had any plans of changing your device in the near future. If you happen to have a Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+ or Galaxy S21 Ultra, you’re going to be surprised, and not pleasantly.

Galaxy S21 series has lost almost half of its value already

Online trade-in service SellCell has come out with a report on how different smartphones hold their value. The report is based on the used price of every handset on its platform. The prevailing price reveals just how much depreciation a device has had since it hit the market.

The Galaxy S21 series came out just three months ago in January. According to a report, its trade-in values have plummeted between 44.8-57.1% since launch. Galaxy S21+ 5G 128GB has lost 44.8% of its trade-in value and it’s actually the best of the rest. The Galaxy S21 5G 256GB has lost out the most, seeing its trade-in value evaporate by 57.1%.

Brand loyalty, or lack thereof, is cited as one of the reasons why Samsung phones tend to lost their values faster compared to others like the iPhone. It’s important to note that as outrageous as they may be, these figures are only representative of the values on SellCell’s platform.

You might be able to get better trade-in values elsewhere. Samsung itself isn’t accepting trade-ins of the Galaxy S21 series just yet. It’s far too soon for that. We’ll see what value the company assigns to its 2021 flagships likely when it unveils the new foldable phones later this year.

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Galaxy Tab S5e now receiving Android 11 update

The Galaxy Tab S5e has started making the leap to One UI 3.1 as of this week, nearly two years to the day since Samsung launched this versatile mid-range tablet. Identified by release version T72XXXU2DUD1, this OTA download has already been spotted in Russia and the United Kingdom within the last 24 hours. More countries seem bound to follow throughout the remainder of the week.

On a slightly less positive note, this firmware comes with a month-old security update instead of the April 1st patch level which Samsung introduced last week. That’s not unusual whenever a Galaxy device gets such a major content release as annual OS versions are a much trickier implementation to tackle.

How long will the Galaxy Tab S5e be supported?

Save for waiting for the OTA prompt to reach your notification shade on its own, you can always try speeding up the process by going to Settings > Software update > Download and install. The wait shouldn’t be too long, however, not to mention that the April 1st security update should be right around the corner, as well. At least based on Samsung’s established M.O. which tends to favor whichever device was among the last to receive the patch in the preceding month.

If you’re all out of patience, there’s always the option of flashing this operating system upgrade manually; our firmware archives should have everything you need by the end of the week, perhaps even today. As for the slate, itself, the Galaxy Tab S5e was an amazing proposition back in 2019, but it’s still holding up quite well even today. Between consistent deals and inventive promos, this is one of those gadgets you’re likely to keep seeing around for years to come.

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Galaxy M42 nears release as Samsung wins final approval

The Galaxy M42 seems to be nearing its commercial debut, with Samsung just obtaining what’s likely the final regulatory approval for the mid-ranger’s release. Namely, a device bearing model number SM-M426B/DS has been greenlit by the NFC Forum Certification Program earlier this week, with previous reports suggesting we’re looking at a rebranded version of the Galaxy A42 5G.

That 5G part is a pretty big deal, however, given how the Galaxy M42 is expected to be priced at under $400. The actual certificate revealed little new info beyond confirming dual-SIM capabilities – which were pretty much a given, anyway. The Galaxy A42 connection does seem to imply the Snapdragon 750 being part of the package, together with 4-8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage space, and a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display.

Can Samsung’s mid-rangers get any beefier?

Samsung has been doubling down on 5G smartphones over the course of the last 12 months or so after finding itself strapped for ideas amid a global pandemic. And while it ended 2020 on a high note, the year, on the whole, was a pretty major setback for its mobile efforts relative to how its remaining rivals fared. Sure, even Huawei did well enough compared to LG, but Samsung ended was the second-biggest loser of the year, growth-wise.

Then again, that word doesn’t hold the same weight when it comes to one of the world’s largest conglomerates. Plus, Samsung really hit the ground running this year with one compelling device after another covering a multitude of price ranges. The Galaxy M42 should help bolster its sales efforts in the Far East, most notably in India, the world’s final bastion of gigantic smartphone growth.

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T-Mobile is handing out the Galaxy A32 5G for free, here’s how to get yours

Samsung announced yesterday that it’s bringing its cheapest 5G phones yet to the United States. The new lineup includes the Galaxy A32 5G. This is the company’s first sub-$300 5G smartphone that’s available in the US.

In pursuit of its goal of becoming the leading 5G network in the country, T-Mobile has launched a new promotion. It’s giving away the Galaxy A32 5G for free after customers trade-in an old phone.

Who wants a new 5G phone for free?

The great thing about this promotion is that the phone that needs to be traded in can be any old phone. It doesn’t need to be a smartphone. So you can trade your old Nokia 6600, a similarly outdated flip phone or Sidekick. The only requirement is that the phone being traded in should be in working condition without any water or screen damage.

Featuring a MediaTek MT6852 processor with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, the Galaxy A32 5G comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ display. The rear camera setup includes a 48-megapixel wide-angle, 8-megapixel ultra-wide, 5-megapixel macro and 2-megapixel depth camera.

T-Mobile will gladly take in your old brick phone and give you a new Galaxy A32 5G in return. The phone is going to be free after 24 monthly bill credits so you’ll need to stick with T-Mobile for two years if you take it up on this deal.

Customers will also be liable for the sales tax on their new 5G phone. Cancelling the service before receiving 24 bill credits will result in the possibility of you owing up to the full $282 retail value of the new device.

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Galaxy SmartTag+ arrives to let you find your lost items in AR

Ever wondered how nice it would be if your lost items would emit visible signals so that you could find them instantly? That’s what Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag+ makes possible. The company’s new tracker lets you use augmented reality technology to find lost items.

The SmartTag+ is a more advanced version of the SmartTag tracker that Samsung released recently. Much like its sibling, the SmartTag+ can only be used with Samsung mobile devices.

Galaxy SmartTag+ provides greater accuracy

The Galaxy SmartTag+ features Bluetooth Low Energy and Ultra-wideband technology. This enables the tracker to be more accurate and precise. With augmented reality technology, the tracker can visually guide you towards your lost item using your smartphone’s camera.

The AR Finder provides easy-to-follow instructions to locate your item. This feature is limited to smartphones that are also equipped with Ultra-wideband technology. This includes the likes of the Galaxy S21+, Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 2.

SmartThings Find will let you locate tagged items on a map no matter how far from home they may have been lost. These BLE-enabled trackers communicate with other Galaxy mobile devices. A nearby device that has opted into this feature will cause a notification to be sent to you if you’ve reported the tag as missing in SmartThings Find.

Samsung will make the Galaxy SmartTag+ available starting April 16. It’s already available for pre-order in the United States for $39.99. Check out our Galaxy SmartTag review to learn more about Samsung’s new tracker.

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Complete Galaxy A82 specs leak along with launch, pre-order dates

Samsung’s highest-end Galaxy A series smartphone for 2021, the Galaxy A82, could soon go official. The company could rebrand it as the Galaxy Quantum 2 for the South Korean carrier SK Telecom’s network. Earlier today, the phone’s box and design were leaked. Now, complete specs of the upcoming device have leaked.

According to a tweet from @FrontTron, the Galaxy Quantum 2 (A82) features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, 800 nits of peak brightness, and curved edges. It reportedly also features an in-display fingerprint reader, IP67 certification for dust and water resistance, and Dolby Atmos audio (probably for stereo speakers).

The upcoming smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 855+ processor, as leaked via Google Play Console listings a few days ago. It features 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. The phone runs Android 11 out of the box. The Galaxy A82 reportedly features a triple-camera setup at the rear, featuring a 64MP primary camera with OIS. For improved security, the SK Telecom version of the phone could feature a QNRG chip.

The smartphone has Bluetooth 5.0 and is rumored to feature Samsung Pay with MST. An earlier leak, which showcased the phone’s box, had revealed that the phone will come with a 15W charger and a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable. It is now being reported that the phone supports up to 25W charging. The box reportedly includes a case and wired earphones.

The Galaxy Quantum 2 is expected to go on pre-order in Korea on April 13 and could be launched on April 23. Pre-order gifts could include Galaxy Buds Live and a clear case.

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Samsung could partner with this famous camera brand for its future smartphones

Samsung currently has an upper hand over Chinese brands in terms of smartphone camera quality, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra is arguably the best smartphone camera in the world right now. However, the likes of OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi are improving their camera game by using larger sensors. Some are even partnering with big-name professional camera brands. If a new rumor is to be believed, Samsung could make the same move in the future.

It is being rumored that Samsung may partner with Olympus for its future smartphones. Reliable leakster Ice Universe posted on Chinese social media website Weibo yesterday that the two brands will collaborate in the future. Another source claims that it was Olympus who approached Samsung with a view of jointly working on future smartphones. If the negotiations between the two brands go through, we could see the first glimpse of their partnership with the Galaxy S22 series next year or with a special version of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 later this year.

If the report is true, Olympus could help Samsung with things like color tuning and image processing, similar to how Hasselblad helped OnePlus with the OnePlus 9 series. Vivo recently partnered with Carl Zeiss for its X60 smartphone series, while Huawei has been in a long-time partnership with Leica. However, just partnering with a camera brand can’t guarantee improved camera performance. More often than not, such partnerships are more for marketing than actual innovation.

If you can remember, Samsung used to sell professional-grade mirrorless cameras and interchangeable lenses under its NX brand. However, the South Korean firm decided to pull out of the market back in 2015 due to a decline in sales of dedicated cameras. It was reported that all of the company’s camera and imaging experts who worked on the NX cameras were merged with the smartphone division.

Do you think Samsung should partner with a camera brand for its Galaxy smartphones, even if it is for the sake of marketing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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New Galaxy S20 FE variant’s design leaks, wireless charging confirmed

A new variant of the Galaxy S20 FE appeared last month, and then we revealed that it features the Snapdragon 865 series processor and LTE connectivity. A couple of days ago, it was reported that the new Galaxy S20 FE will likely replace the old variant featuring the Exynos 990 processor. Now, we have the first look at the upcoming phone’s design.

The Galaxy S20 FE’s new variant with model number SM-G780G has been listed in WPC’s (Wireless Power Consortium) database. It reveals the phone’s design, which is exactly similar to the regular Galaxy S20 FE and the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. It means that, apart from the processor, there might not be any change between the Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865+ variants of the smartphone. The phone is rated to receive up to 4.4W of power via the Qi wireless charging standard.

Samsung might launch the new variant of the Galaxy S20 FE in markets where it is selling the Exynos 990 version of the phone. However, it may or may not launch this new variant where it is already selling the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. If priced well, the Galaxy S20 FE with the Snapdragon 865+ processor can give a tough fight to Xiaomi and OnePlus, and their affordable high-end smartphones.

Galaxy S20 FE (Snapdragon 865+) expected specs

The Galaxy S20 FE (Snapdragon 865+ variant) is expected to feature a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 32MP selfie camera, a 12MP+12MP+12MP triple rear-facing camera, an in-display fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The 4G-only device could be powered by a 4,500mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging.

 

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