Samsung smart TVs will soon lose access to Google Play Movies & TV app

Google has been making some changes to its smart TV offerings since the launch of Google TV last year. Now, the company has announced that it will soon retire the Google Play Movies & TV app from various smart TV platforms, including Samsung’s Tizen. Users don’t need to worry, though, as movies and TV shows purchased from Google can still be accessed via another app.

The Google Play Movies & TV app will be removed from Samsung’s Tizen, LG’s webOS, Roku, and Vizio’s smart TV platforms on June 15, 2021. However, users would still be able to access their purchases and rentals via the YouTube app. They would need to go to the YouTube app’s ‘Library’ tab and click on ‘Your movies and shows.’

Google Play Credits and Family Library content can still be used in the YouTube app, but the content purchased through YouTube won’t be eligible for family sharing. Moreover, the digital content locker service Movies Anywhere, which was recently launched for Samsung’s smart TV platform, should be able to play movies and TV shows purchased via the Google Play Movies & TV service.

The internet search giant is also offering a promo code to its long-term customers, and it can be used to buy one movie for free. The company is now pushing the combination of YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV services to smart TV users. Although the Google Play Movies & TV service isn’t shutting down just yet, it will eventually be replaced with Google TV.

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Samsung India announces 64GB Galaxy Tab A7 and Back to School deals

Samsung has launched a new Back to School campaign in India with a great focus on Galaxy tablets. The company offers special discounts to students purchasing select Galaxy tablets, as well as discounts on accessories and other products. To mark the occasion, Samsung has now officially announced the 64GB variant of the Galaxy Tab A7 (2020) for India.  The tablet will go on sale next week.

Thanks to this new campaign, Indian students and teachers alike can take advantage of a 10% discount on the Galaxy Tab A7, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, as well as the Galaxy Tab S7 flagship duo. This discount applies to eligible customers who purchase via the Samsung Student Advantage program after validating their credentials.

In addition, Samsung India is offering an INR 10,000 discount ($133) on the Keyboard Cover accessory to customers buying the Galaxy Tab S7 or Galaxy Tab S7+. This means that the accessory can be purchased for INR 5,999 ($79) / INR 7,999 (106).

Meanwhile, HDFC Bank customers can avail cashback of INR 9,000 ($119) and INR 10,000 ($133) on the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+, respectively, while Galaxy Tab S6 Lite customers can get an INR 3,000 cashback and a special price of INR 1,999 on the Galaxy Buds+.

Samsung India introduces 64GB Galaxy Tab A7 and deals

The Galaxy Tab A7 is now getting a new variant in India. The tablet was originally released with 32GB of storage but the 64GB model will be coming to India from April 19. The 64GB Galaxy Tab A7 will be offered by Samsung, Amazon, and Flipkart, along with new promotional deals.

Customers buying the Galaxy Tab A7 using an HDFC Bank credit or debit card can benefit from a cashback of INR 2,000 ($26). They also have the chance of buying the Book Cover for only INR 999 ($13).

The 64GB model has the same specs as the 32GB variant, including a 10.4-inch IPS LCD, the Snapdragon 662 chipset, quad speakers, and a 7,040mAh battery with 15W fast charging. Check our reviews below for more details

Galaxy Tab S7+ review | Galaxy Tab S6 Lite review
Galaxy Tab A7 review

Galaxy Tab S7 Plus

• Model: SM-T970
• Dimensions: Tablet: 285 x 185 x 5.7 mm
  
• Display: 12.4 inch / 314.96 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 865+
• Camera: 5MP

More specifications

Galaxy Tab S7

• Model: SM-T870
• Dimensions: Tablet: 253.8 x 165.3 x 6.3 mm
  
• Display: 11 inch / 279.4 mm LTPS TFT
• CPU: Snapdragon 865+
• Camera: 5MP

More specifications

Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

• Model: SM-P610
• Dimensions: Tablet: 244.5 x 154.3 x 7.0 mm
  
• Display: 10.4 inch / 264.16 mm TFT
• CPU: Exynos 9611
• Camera: 8MP

More specifications

Galaxy Tab A7

• Model: SM-T500
• Dimensions: Tablet: 157.4 x 247.6 x 7 mm
  
• Display: 10.4 inch / 264.16 mm TFT
• CPU: Snapdragon 662
• Camera: 8MP

More specifications

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New Galaxy Fan Class teaches customers how to use Samsung phones

The mobile world has evolved to a point where the number of choices available to new customers might be overwhelming. Take prospective Samsung smartphone buyers, for example; they have a handful of budget phones from which to choose, not to mention the various flagship variants from the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series.

Add the company’s new foldable devices to the mix along with the varying One UI features that may or may not be available on any given Galaxy device, and you can see how the company’s mobile product portfolio may scare off some customers.

People like having options, but having too many options can become a problem, especially if you’re new to the world of smartphones and you’re facing Samsung’s rich product portfolio. Samsung seems to be aware of this and it came up with a solution for customers in South Korea.

The company has now launched the Galaxy Fan Class program at its Samsung Digital Plaza stores in its home market, allowing customers to explore Samsung products with help from trained personnel.

Galaxy Fan Class is ‘training’ customers in several fields

The so-called Galaxy Fan Class consists of a handful of in-store programs designed to introduce new customers to the rich Samsung ecosystem — or rather its latest phones. It focuses primarily on exploring the toolsets offered by devices such as the Galaxy S21, the Galaxy Z Flip, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Customers have the opportunity to explore these devices and their features with help from a Samsung representative who can guide them through a variety of lessons. Themes include recording a wedding / taking a wedding selfie, creating content, and customizing the phones.

We plan to provide a variety of educational programs tailored to customer preferences […] so that customers can continuously experience the value and utility of products in their daily lives after purchase, said a Samsung Electronics official.

The company has yet to make a comment on the possibility that the Galaxy Fan Class program will be coming to other markets outside of South Korea. For the time being, customers in Korea can make reservations for the Galaxy Fan Class via the company’s website.

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New Galaxy S20 FE 5G update claims to fix the touchscreen, again

The April 2021 security patch rollout is in full swing. So far, the update’s been distributed to multiple Galaxy devices including the popular Galaxy S20 FE 4G / LTE. The 5G-enabled variant has joined the party earlier today — two weeks after the 4G model — and it turns out that the latest firmware isn’t quite the same as before.

The previous firmware update for the Galaxy S20 FE LTE included the April 2021 security patch and not much else. The firmware number itself was indicative enough that the update isn’t bringing any new features, but it looks like some things may have changed over the course of the past two weeks.

The latest update for the Galaxy S20 FE 5G — firmware number G781BXXU2CUD1 – could actually offer more than just improved security, as the changelog mentions touchscreen stability improvements.

Actual Galaxy S20 FE 5G touchscreen fix, or vestiges in the changelog?

The Galaxy S20 FE is a very popular device, and for good reasons. At launch, it offered fantastic value for money and a rich feature list for a mid-range price. But as great as the Galaxy S20 FE was and still is, the launch experience wasn’t all that perfect for some unlucky buyers. A touchscreen issue became apparent for many Galaxy S20 FE owners shortly after the phone’s release, but thankfully it was later addressed. Or at least, it seemed like it was for the majority of people.

The Galaxy S20 FE units that we had tested no longer exhibit any touchscreen issues. As far as our own experience is concerned, the Galaxy S20 FE touchscreen now works as intended after the recent updates.

Interestingly enough though, while the touchscreen issue should’ve been a thing of the past by now, the changelog accompanying the latest firmware (G781BXXU2CUD1) states that it improves the stability of the touchscreen along with the stability of the phone itself. It doesn’t go into any other details.

This could be just a vestige in the changelog that was left over from one of the previous firmware updates. Or it could mean that the latest firmware went live for the Galaxy S20 FE 5G variant two weeks after the LTE model precisely because there were some touchscreen issues left to solve. If it’s the latter, we suspect that the same new firmware update could also be landing on the LTE model soon.

Do you own a Galaxy S20 FE 5G, and have you experienced any touchscreen issues so far? If so, have any of the recent updates addressed them, or have you noticed any changes with this new release? Feel free to join us in the comment section below.

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Samsung starts teasing the Galaxy M42 in India, price leaked

After launching the Galaxy F02s, Galaxy F12, and the Galaxy M12 in India, Samsung is ready for the launch of one more mid-range smartphone: Galaxy M42. It could become the first 5G smartphone in the Galaxy M series. The phone received various certifications over the past few weeks, inching closer to the launch. Now, the company has finally started teasing the phone, and another report has tipped its expected price range.

Multiple YouTubers from India have started publishing a teaser video of the Galaxy M42 on Twitter. The teaser video mentions #FastestMonster and 5G connectivity, and the tweets contain the #GalaxyM42 hashtag. The Galaxy M42 5G is expected to be a rebranded Galaxy A42 5G for the Indian market. It might share a lot of its specifications with the Galaxy A42 5G, except for the battery capacity. Galaxy M series smartphones are generally known for using higher capacity batteries when compared to the Galaxy A series, so we can expect the Galaxy M42 to feature a 6,000mAh (or bigger) battery.

Galaxy M42 5G expected specs, pricing

IANS has independently reported that Samsung will price the Galaxy M42 anywhere between INR 20,000 (around $266) and INR 25,000 (around $333). The phone is expected to feature a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, similar to the Galaxy A42 5G. However, there are chances of Samsung throwing in a higher-refresh-rate panel with the device, similar to what it did with the Galaxy M12. It could feature a 20MP selfie camera and a 48MP rear-facing quad-camera setup. It will be powered by the Snapdragon 750G processor, in combination with 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB storage, and a microSD card slot.

The Galaxy M42 5G could also debut with Android 11-based One UI 3.1 out of the box. It could be a dual-SIM device with 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and NFC connectivity. It could also feature a headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, an in-display optical fingerprint reader, and 15W fast charging. The phone will compete with the likes of the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, Realme X7, and the Mi 10i in India.

Hello #TGFamily…Ek kamaal ki exclusive video haath lagi hai. I think Mo-B wapis aa raha hai. Aur ye #FastestMonster kya hai? The #GalaxyM42? Looks like it’s going to be a super fast phone with 5G..
Waise aapko kya lagta hai? Comment karke batao…
Like and RT..@SamsungIndia pic.twitter.com/9H6S6XgpPO

— Gaurav Chaudhary (@TechnicalGuruji) April 9, 2021

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The Galaxy A32 and A52 will bring affordable 5G to Canada this month

Samsung is preparing the new Galaxy A series for release in additional markets. Today the company confirmed that the Galaxy A32 5G and the Galaxy A52 5G will be available for purchase in Canada later this month. The phones will be sold by Samsung online as well as through its Experience Stores and retail partners.

The Galaxy A32 5G will become available in Canada for the starting price of $369, whereas the Galaxy A52 5G will set customers back $659. Both phones will be available in Awesome Black. There’s no mention of other color options at launch, but they’re likely to become available later down the line.

New 5G-enabled Galaxy A lineup coming April 23

Samsung has confirmed that both the Galaxy A32 5G and the Galaxy A52 5G will become available for purchase in Canada starting April 23. The company is also reminding Canadian customers of the Samsung Care+ Plan that provides insurance against mechanical malfunctions as well as physical or liquid damage.

The Galaxy A32 5G is Samsung’s most affordable 5G-enabled phone to date. It doesn’t have an IP rating or a high refresh rate display, the latter of which was reserved for the LTE variant.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy A52 5G is perhaps one of the most balanced phones of 2021 thanks to a combination of great specs and a relatively low price. It has an IP67 rating, stereo speakers, and a 120Hz display. If you need more information about these two devices, you can refer to our reviews and device widgets below.

Galaxy A32 5G review | Galaxy A52 5G review

Galaxy A52 5G

• Model: SM-A526B
• Dimensions: Bar: 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm
  
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.10 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 750G
• Camera: 64MP

More specifications

Galaxy A32 5G

• Model: SM-A326B
• Dimensions: Bar: 164.2 x 76.1 x 9.1 mm
  
• Display: 6.5 inch / 165.1 mm IPS LCD
• CPU: MediaTek MT6853 Dimensity 720
• Camera: 48MP

More specifications

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First Samsung-Biden meeting isn’t a meeting at all

Samsung is finally getting its audience with U.S. President Biden, but the occasion won’t be a date so much as a summit. And as for the date, it’s today, with a new report suggesting the U.S. administration is planning a virtual summit of talks over chipmaking strategy with the largest players in the game – Samsung, TSMC, Alphabet, AT&T, and… Ford?

Following months of scheduling, Samsung seize the opportunity to join the discussion – what else than – politics with the recently inaugurated administration. That might not sound terribly exciting, but only because it’s not your geopolitical influence on the line.

Besides, it’s not like the stakes can be much higher from Samsung’s point of view. Especially following several weeks’ worth of bizarre and unfortunate developments that kept its existing chipmaking plant in Austin, Texas, from operating at all in late winter. All the while TSMC threatens to run away with its current market share advantage.

Samsung already closer to Biden than it ever was to Trump

That episode probably won’t be more than a foothold at today’s meeting, assuming it gets mentioned at all. Not that Biden won’t get briefed on what transpired but the U.S. government’s already bound to pick up that expense tab, being the one who ordered Samsung to cease all operations during one of the most aggressive blizzards that hit the American Midwest in recent memory.

Samsung and White House officials should be keener on exploring how to help one another out of their current predicaments. The Biden administration is standing on a slippery slope, however, when it comes to pursuing domestic manufacturing above all else. Semiconductors are an extremely heterogenous field which IP law will keep as such for a long time to come, and no amount of cheap manufacturing in the world is going to change that anytime soon.

But high-paying jobs are high-paying jobs, and the wages Samsung already factored into its latest investment are some of the highest in existence – across any profession. Today’s tech “summit” is hence expected to be on point and mark the start of a highly lucrative partnership; one that goes both ways, at that.

Regardless of whether it helps Biden to a unifying start to the presidency that he openly covets, the fact remains that Samsung seems much more inclined to work with the new administration over the previous one.

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Galaxy Quantum 2 leaks on video, design and camera specs revealed

Samsung will soon launch the Galaxy Quantum 2, the successor to last year’s Galaxy Quantum, in South Korea. The company could release it as the Galaxy A82 in other markets worldwide. The first signs of the device appeared three months ago, and then its processor was leaked last month. The Galaxy Quantum 2’s first live images appeared on the internet last week and now it is time for its first live video.

Galaxy Quantum 2 (a.k.a Galaxy A82) specs, design

The Galaxy Quantum 2’s unboxing video shows the smartphone in its white avatar and white box. The phone appears to have a curved screen, a metal body, and a matte back design. It has a triple-camera setup at the rear. At the front, the Galaxy Quantum 2 has a punch-hole-shaped cutout on the screen to accommodate the selfie camera. The rear-facing camera setup includes a 64MP (F1.8) wide-angle camera with OIS, a 12MP (F2.2) ultrawide camera, and a 5MP (F2.4) depth sensor.

The power and volume buttons are on the right side of the Galaxy Quantum 2. However, it lacks a dedicated headphone jack, something that is present on the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72. Whether or not it features a stereo speaker setup remains to be seen. Its SIM card slot is at the top. Its box also contains a 15W fast charger and a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable. The phone is rumored to feature an IP67 rating (for dust and water resistance) and Samsung Pay (with MST).

Previously leaked information suggests that the Galaxy Quantum 2 will run Android 11 out of the box. It reportedly features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution, and an in-display fingerprint reader. It could come equipped with the Snapdragon 855+ (or Snapdragon 860) processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. The phone will reportedly go on pre-order tomorrow and will be available for purchase from April 23.

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Galaxy Z Fold 3 isn’t getting a bigger battery or a larger display

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 remains one of Samsung’s most anticipated devices of 2021. Reports about the changes that Samsung will introduce with the device have now started to surface. While the expectation might be for everything to be bigger and better than before, that may not be the case.

A new report claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 isn’t going to have a bigger battery than its predecessor. The size of the internal foldable display may not be significantly increased as well.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 could be thinner and lighter than its predecessors

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is reportedly going to have a 4,380mAh battery. That’s smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s 4,500mAh battery. Some of you may remember that it was the original Galaxy Fold that had the 4,380mAh capacity. Like its predecessors, the upcoming handset will have a dual-battery system as well.

A smaller battery would likely result in the device being slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor. This is going to be a welcome change, one that most customers would be fine with. A minor reduction in battery capacity will likely be made up by the more power efficient internals.

The foldable display is said to be marginally smaller as well. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 will feature a 7.55-inch foldable display compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s 7.6-inch panel. That’s really not going to make much of a difference, particularly if Samsung has been able to further trim the bezels.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed as yet when it’s going to unveil the new foldable smartphone. A recent report has claimed that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 2 will both be launched in July this year.

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Samsung phones to get sensor-shift camera tech like the latest iPhones

The iPhone 12 Pro Max was the first smartphone from Apple to feature sensor-shift camera stabilization on the wide lens. This tech stabilizes the camera’s sensor instead of the lens for more precise image stabilization and improved quality.

It looks like Samsung wants to bring this technology to its smartphones. According to a new report, Samsung is working on sensor-shift camera stabilization technology. Is this linked to Samsung’s rumored collaboration on cameras with Olympus?

Is Samsung working with Olympus on this tech?

Optical image stabilization has long been present on Samsung smartphones. You even get the feature on mid-range devices like the Galaxy A52. However, only the lens is stabilized to compensate for the vibrations.

The sensor-shift camera technology takes a different approach. It’s not the lens but the camera sensor that moves to counter the vibrations. This delivers better stabilization and enhanced picture quality. GalaxyClub reports that Samsung has been testing a phone with sensor-shift camera stabilization for some time now.

We may not see this new camera tech until next year. Samsung often introduces major camera improvements with the new Galaxy S flagships. It was rumored last week that Samsung would be collaborating with a major camera brand for its flagship smartphone cameras. We’ve seen such partnerships between mobile manufacturers and camera brands before. Huawei and Leica, for example.

Is the work on sensor-shift camera tech related to its collaboration with Olympus? It’s pertinent to note that Olympus has quite a bit of experience developing cameras with sensor-shift stabilization.

This is only speculation at this point. There’s every possibility that sensor-shift tech may be introduced with the Galaxy S22 without any Olympus branding. With Apple expected to bring this tech to its entire new iPhone lineup this year, it was only a matter of time before Android OEMs followed suit. Who better to introduce it to the Android community than Samsung.

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Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 2 are launching sooner than expected

Samsung is due to launch two new foldable smartphones this year. Earlier reports have suggested that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 2 will be unveiled in the second half of this year. Samsung decided against launching the new clamshell foldable alongside the Galaxy S21.

It was believed that Samsung would stick with the August/September timeline for the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s launch. A new report out of South Korea suggests that may not be the case. The new foldables may arrive sooner than expected.

Samsung may launch its new foldables in July

The report claims that Samsung is going to launch its new foldable smartphones in July this year. Both models are likely to be unveiled together. We have already reported last week that Samsung has begun firmware development for the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Given the state of the world right now, it’s likely going to be another virtual unveil. We may still be a long way from in-person events. That’s not going to prevent Samsung from putting on a good show, though.

Samsung may have decided to launch the new foldables earlier because there’s not going to be another flagship this year. The company has already said that it won’t launch the Galaxy Note 21. It has cited chip shortages as a reason for this decision.

So Samsung needs new high-end devices on the market. Bringing up the foldables’ launch will help it get a solid start to the second half of this year. No word as yet on pricing and availability, but don’t expected any drastic price cuts.

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