Samsung develops new technology to make faster and more efficient chips

Samsung, the world leader in semiconductor space, has announced that it has developed a new chip packing technology that could make chips faster and more power-efficient. The I-Cube4 technology is an improvement over the company’s I-Cube 2 technology from 2018 and X-Cube technology from 2020.

The company’s I-Cube4 (Interposer-Cube4) is a 2.5D heterogeneous chip packaging technology. It can be used to horizontally place multiple logic dies (CPU, GPU, and NPU) and several HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) dies on top of a silicon interposer, making several dies act as a single chip. This technology was developed in March 2021, and it has already been used to put one logic die, and four HBM dies on a single chip.

Samsung says that chips made using i-Cube4 technology can be used in high-performance applications such as 5G, AI, cloud, and large data centers. This technology enables even faster communication between the memory and logic units of a chip.

Since the silicon interposer in the I-Cube4 is thinner than paper, there is a probability of bending and warping, negatively affecting the product quality. However, Samsung Foundry has carefully studied how to control interposer warpage and thermal expansion by changing the material and thickness, removing the problems. It has also developed its own mold-free structure to dissipate heat efficiently.

The company has also enhanced the yield by conducting a pre-screening test to identify defective products during fabrication. This process removes excessive steps in the process, saves costs, and improves turnaround times. Samsung is also developing even better technology called I-Cube6 by using advanced process nodes, advanced 2.5D and 3D packaging, and high-speed interface tech.

Moonsoo Kang, Senior Vice President of Foundry Market Strategy at Samsung Electronics, said, “With the explosion of high-performance applications, it is essential to provide a total foundry solution with heterogeneous integration technology to improve the overall performance and power efficiency of chips. With the mass-production experience amassed through I-Cube2 and the commercial breakthroughs of I-Cube4, Samsung will wholly support customers’ product implementations.”

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Galaxy S22 Ultra could have the best smartphone zoom camera ever made

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best smartphone camera right now, thanks to its big primary sensor, an ultrawide camera with autofocus, and two telephoto cameras (3x and 10x) with OIS. Next year, Samsung could introduce an improved camera with the launch of the Galaxy S22 Ultra and its new zoom camera technology.

According to tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will feature an improved periscope camera with continuous zoom. The current periscope zoom units found on smartphones such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra have fixed lenses. The phone has to use a cropped image from the primary camera or use a separate intermediary zoom lens (2x or 3x) before the periscope camera kicks in. This results in poor image quality at non-native zoom levels.

Samsung Electromechanics and Samsung LSI have reportedly developed the continuous zoom periscope solution for the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The lenses (or elements) inside this new periscope unit can move freely (from 3x to 10x), offering perfect optical sharpness and details at all magnification levels. This technology is similar to digital and DSLR cameras. The Sony Xperia 1 III’s periscope zoom camera uses a similar solution but it has only two native magnification levels (3x and 4.4x).

Galaxy S22 Ultra could also feature an under-display selfie camera, AMD graphics

Apart from the new zoom camera, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is rumored to feature two important upgrades. The device will reportedly use an under-display selfie camera, which means that its display will be free from punch-hole cutouts. The phone could also feature the Exynos 2200 processor with AMD Radeon Mobile GPU, which is expected to be more powerful than the GPU found inside Apple’s latest A14 Bionic chip.

With the combination of a groundbreaking zoom camera technology, an ultra-powerful GPU, and an under-display camera, Samsung might have another winner on its hands. Are you excited about the Galaxy S22 Ultra? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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The name of Samsung’s next tablet could be a mouthful

Samsung is guilty of launching products with weirdly long names every now and then. Remember the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch from 2011? Or even the Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW from last year? It looks like the company wants to continue that tradition with the launch of its upcoming mid-range tablet.

The company will soon launch a trimmed-down version of the Galaxy Tab S7+, and it was rumored that it could be named the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite. However, reliable leakster Roland Quandt (@rquandt) has claimed that the tablet will actually be called the Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite. Yes, that’s right. There’s ‘+’ and ‘Lite’ in the same name, which seems quite illogical to us. We guess that the name must have made some sense to someone inside Samsung.

Coming back to the device itself, it is expected to feature a 12.4-inch IPS LCD screen and an S Pen. The Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite will run Android 11 (with One UI 3.1) out of the box and will be equipped with the Snapdragon 750G processor, 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. It will be available in four colors: black, green (or light green), pink, and silver.

The upcoming tablet is rumored to be available in Wi-Fi-only, 4G LTE, and 5G variants. We can also expect other features like AKG-tuned stereo speakers, a metal body, a dual-camera setup, GPS, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C port, and a big battery with 15W fast charging. The Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite is expected to be unveiled sometime next month.

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Reasons why we believe the Galaxy A52 5G is THE mid-range phone to buy

The Galaxy A52 5G was officially released a few weeks ago and the new mid-range hero has certainly met and even exceeded our expectations. The Galaxy A52 5G is one of Samsung’s best smartphones of the year so far and it shines next to any other budget-oriented mid-range phone, Galaxy-branded or otherwise.

Samsung is now looking to expand availability for the Galaxy A52 5G in additional markets, and India might be next in line. The Galaxy A52 5G will face strong opposition in India where mid-range phones thrive in popularity, and that’s equally true for Samsung’s own portfolio. The Galaxy F-branded series is exclusive to India and it was conceived precisely to offer good value for money, not to mention that Samsung is now releasing its Galaxy M-branded phones in more markets than ever before, including in Europe.

Can the Galaxy A52 5G compete with its own siblings given this landscape? We think so, and we believe that there are many reasons why prospective mid-range phone buyers should pick the Galaxy A52 5G over any other mid-range phone. Here are the top few:

Fantastic firmware support with monthly security patches

The Galaxy A52 5G Samsung’s only non-enterprise mid-range phone to take advantage of monthly security patches. The majority of mid-range devices benefit from quarterly security updates instead, so this is one of the ways in which the Galaxy A52 5G is standing apart from other phones in its category.

This stands true even when pricier mid-range Galaxy phones are involved. The Galaxy A72 was unveiled alongside the Galaxy A52 earlier this year, yet despite the fact that it’s available for a higher price, it’s limited to quarterly security updates.

In addition to great security support, the Galaxy A52 5G will also take advantage of three major Android OS updates up to Android 14. It’s one of the very few non-flagship phones to have this privilege.

A great high-refresh rate (120Hz) Super AMOLED display

The age of high-refresh rate displays is upon us and we’ve seen Samsung using this technology even for low-cost devices such as the Galaxy M12, which is the company’s cheapest device to date to boast a high-refresh rate screen. However, the Galaxy A52 5G’s display ticks all the right boxes, and once again, it even outperforms more expensive phones such as the Galaxy A72.

The Galaxy A52 5G has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 by 1080, a 20:9 aspect ratio, 800 nits of brightness, and of course, a 120Hz refresh rate as opposed to 60Hz or 90Hz.

India’s Galaxy F62 is priced lower than the Galaxy A52 4G but not by much, and the Galaxy M62 is also expected to hit the international market as a cost-effective phone. But neither can offer the level of display quality provided by the Galaxy A52 5G.

OIS-enabled main camera and and an IP67 rating

The main camera and the phone’s construction are just a couple of other areas in which the Galaxy A52 5G is blurring the lines between the mid-range and high-end segments like no other phone does.

Starting with the main camera system, the Galaxy A52 5G boasts a 64MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, and more importantly, OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). This contributes to higher quality photos and videos, especially when in motion and / or in low-light conditions.

As for the phone’s construction, well, the Galaxy A52 5G is once again one of Samsung’s very few mid-range phones to boast an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. The rating indicates that the phone is completely protected from dust and can prevent water from seeping through when the phone is submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

Qualcomm chipsets for everybody!

Everyone’s probably familiar with the whole Exynos fiasco that reached its peak last year with the launch of the Exynos 990 chipset. Long story short, the Exynos 990 was outperformed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chipset by a large-enough margin to get customers and shareholders alike worried. Some customers vowed to never support the Exynos platform, and Samsung made a promise to never let its customers down again.

As for Galaxy A52 5G buyers, they don’t have to worry about any of that. Unlike most other Galaxy phones that are split between Exynos and Qualcomm markets, the Galaxy A52 5G employs the 8nm-based Snapdragon 750G solution everywhere, no matter the continent. And it’s a great chip at that!

The Snapdragon 750G SoC comprises two Kryo 570 high-performance cores clocked at 2.2GHz, and six Kryo 570 high-efficiency cores operating at a frequency of 1.8GHz. The CPU is paired with an Adreno 619 graphics chip.

It all boils down to the Galaxy A52 5G offering incredible value for money

The Galaxy A52 5G is obviously not the best smartphone money can buy, but the final reason why we recommend it over any other mid-range device is because it offers fantastic value for money.

It’s not just the fact that the Galaxy A52 5G has a 120Hz display, an IP67 rating, an OIS-enabled camera, great software support, and a Qualcomm chipset everywhere. You can find some of these features in other mid-range devices but rarely do they converge to offer a complete package. The Galaxy A52 5G seemingly has it all, and for a decent mid-range price.

The Galaxy A52 5G is available for $499, but the price can be lowered to $375 with trade-in. You can learn more about the Galaxy A52 by reading our review, though keep in mind that it covers the 4G model which has a lower refresh rate, a slower chipset, and a lower price tag to boot.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you happen to agree with our reasons why we believe that the Galaxy A52 5G is the best mid-range phone money can buy right now, or if you perhaps disagree and have other reasons / devices in mind.

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Galaxy S21 FE still on course for a colorful July launch

Well, it seems like that super early leak from way back in March was as accurate as they come, given what this week has brought us. Because the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition is indeed on course for a July debut, as far as circumstances would allow . If you aren’t in the loop, here’s what you need to know about the ongoing chip shortage that’s currently looming over the entire planet, smartphone industry very much included.

In the meantime, the Galaxy S21 FE is firmly headed for the store shelves this July. Which probably means you’ll be able to buy it by early August, depending on how exactly things turn out. We’ve had a few new reports from credible sources claiming as much just this week.

Is the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition sounding better by the day, or is it just us?

Even more interestingly, rumors concerning half a dozen color variants are still abound, so it should be safe to say that this thing is indeed,  happening by now. And we’re apparently getting a repeat of last year’s festival of picturesqueness. Of particular note is the rumored light green variant of the Galaxy S21 FE, which many would hope will be a repeat of either last year’s pastely green or perhaps an homage to the Olive Green hue of the Galaxy Note series. Seeing how the latter is supposed to be dead and all, which we’re pretty certain is a fact by now.

Either way, the lack of a new Galaxy Note shouldn’t stop Samsung from delivering an action-packed summer of flagship releases, but the aforementioned silicon issues are a different matter, so fingers crossed.

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TUV certificate confirms the Galaxy A22 supports 15W fast charging

Although a couple of new mid-range Galaxy smartphones are blurring the lines between the flagship segment and theirs, with features such as 25W fast charging becoming the norm for the Galaxy A52, the majority of budget-oriented Galaxy phones don’t take advantage of such features. Most low-to-mid-range Galaxy phones continue having 15W charging, and this is apparently true for the upcoming Galaxy A22.

New information regarding the Galaxy A22 5G was spotted online at TUV SUD in a certificate that was issued a few weeks ago. Indeed, the document is not brand-new but it was recently discovered via @Sudhanshu1414, and more importantly, it reveals that the Galaxy A22 5G’s battery will be limited to 15W fast charging, as indicated by the 9V, 1.67A rated input.

The certificate doesn’t outright claim that the device in question is the Galaxy A22 5G, but the SM-A226B model number included in the listing is proof enough. The 4G Galaxy A22 should have model number SM-A225F, but it has yet to appear in the TUV SUD database. It will probably benefit from similar 15W fast charging capabilities.

Battery capacities for the 4G / 5G Galaxy A22 are unknown but if we had to take a wild guess, we’d say that the battery must be rated at 4,000-5,000mAh. We’ll probably know for sure later this summer, as the Galaxy A22 5G could be unveiled in July according to a leaked roadmap.

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Pink (Rose Gold) Galaxy Tab S7 Lite, S Pen, and Book Cover renders leak

We’ve known for a couple of months that the upcoming Galaxy Tab S7 Lite should hit the shelves in four colors: black, green, silver, and pink (rose gold). The black model was spotted in leaked renders and even a 360 video before, but in more recent news, the rose gold Galaxy Tab S7 Lite variant along with a protective Book Cover accessory also made an online appearance via leakster @evleaks.

The tablet has fairly thin bezels, a selfie camera positioned for landscape mode, dual main cameras, two stereo speakers tuned by AKG, and a USB-C port. Meanwhile, the protective cover seems to have been designed in such a way that it comes with two S Pen holsters, similar to the Galaxy Tab S6 and Galaxy Tab S7 protective covers.

One S Pen slot is hidden inside the hinge, while the other is carved into the cover near the main camera module. The protective cover will come in at least five color options: black, blue, gray, green, and rose gold, and we assume that the accompanying S Pen follows the same color scheme.

The Galaxy Tab S7 Lite is expected to feature the Snapdragon 750G chipset paired with at least 4GB of RAM, judging by past benchmark entries. The tablet reportedly measures 284.77 x 185.04 x 6.34 mm, which means it’s on the larger side and has a footprint similar to the Galaxy Tab S7+ rather than the standard non-Plus model. In any case, the source claims that the renders below correspond to the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite 5G, though the 4G model is bound to look identical.

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Samsung partners with Poland’s largest mobile operator to test 5G

Samsung Electronics and leading Polish mobile operator Play have announced a new partnership that will see the Korean tech giant conduct 4G and 5G network trials in Warsaw beginning Q2 2021. The two companies plan on testing Samsung’s 4G and 5G network solutions and interoperability with Play’s 2G and 3G legacy networks.

Play is the leading mobile operator in Poland with a whopping 15 million subscribers, and it provides messaging, voice, video, and data services for enterprise and non-enterprise customers alike. According to Play, the partnership with Samsung is another initiative that allows us to choose the best solutions for the rollout of our network.

Throughout the trial period, Samsung and Play will be testing 4G and 5G solutions including Samsung’s 4G radios, Core, 5G Massive MIMO radios, and Samsung’s 5G baseband unit that supports both 4G and 5G frequencies.

Samsung R&D Institute Poland will also participate in the 4G-5G trial run, though it’s unclear to what capacity. The Institute is one of Poland’s largest research and development hubs, and it’s also where Samsung Electronics’ highest-quality software is created, as per the company’s official description. Samsung R&D Institute Poland is also responsible for advancing 4G and 5G solutions, Network Function Virtualization cloud solutions, as well as analytics solutions for SON (Self-Organizing Networks).

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India begins 5G and 5Gi trial runs with Samsung, ignoring Chinese OEMs

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has granted permissions to four telecom service providers (TSP) for conducting 5G network trials, and Samsung along with a few other 5G technology providers will be involved in the process.

The TSPs who have gained permission for 5G trial runs from the Department of Telecommunications are: Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone, and MTNL. According to the official press release, these TSPs will be working together with 5G tech providers Ericsson, Nokia, C-DOT, and of course Samsung.

Where are the Chinese 5G network suppliers?

Aside from the four aforementioned 5G providers, the TSPs will also be allowed to conduct 5G trials using their own in-house technologies, if applicable. Other than that, the press release makes no mention of any other global 5G players.

In other words, neither Huawei nor ZTE will have any involvement in these 5G trial runs, which means that they’ve lost a huge opportunity to improve their status in the global 5G equipment market.

The trial period will last for six months. India’s Department of Telecommunications specifies that TSPs have to conduct 5G trials in both rural and semi-urban areas in order to proliferate the technology nation-wide.

In addition, DoT encourages TSPs to conduct trials for 5G as well as 5Gi technology. 5Gi is a standard that was developed by India’s TSDSI. It was tested for 3 years before gaining approval from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) last year. 5Gi promises improved coverage and it could become vital for bringing 5G to rural areas is a cost-effective manner.

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The Galaxy Buds 2 will debut in at least four color options later this year

Samsung is expected to unveil a new range of wearable devices later this year, but while the Galaxy Watch 4 / Watch Active 4 have gained quite a bit of attention lately, there’s not a lot of info to go by regarding the company’s upcoming wireless earbuds. They’re expected to hit the shelves under the name of Galaxy Buds 2, and now, thanks to our colleagues at Galaxy Club, we have a good idea of the product’s color range.

The Galaxy Buds 2 will be available in at least four color options: black, white, purple, and green. Interestingly, the green color option for the Galaxy Buds 2 has the same color code as the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s green flavor. SamMobile exclusively revealed a few weeks ago that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will launch in at least two color options: black and green.

The Galaxy Buds 2 could be a true sequel to the original

Samsung hasn’t had a proper sequel to the original Galaxy Buds yet. Granted, the Galaxy Buds+ are technically a sequel, but they’re more of an incremental upgrade. The Galaxy Buds Live are in their own niche, and the Galaxy Buds Pro are more of a first entry to the Pro-labeled series. The model number says as much, given that most Galaxy Buds variants have a similar ‘SM-R17x’ model number, whereas the Galaxy Buds Pro are known as the SM-R190.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds 2 are said to carry model number SM-R177. With that in mind, it’s possible that the new earbuds will be priced around $170 instead of $200, with Samsung reserving the higher price for the Pro series. This is just a wild guess based on the leaked model numbers, but the Galaxy Buds 2 are expected to hit the stage in July or August, so we should be finding out more about them soon enough. Stay tuned.

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SamMobile Weekly Giveaway: Win the Galaxy Buds Pro!

Samsung makes some of the best truly wireless earbuds on the market. You now have a chance to win one through our latest SamMobile Weekly Giveaway.

As we mentioned in our Galaxy Buds Pro review, these are the best earbuds from Samsung yet. The sound quality is excellent and so is the noise cancellation feature. It’s certainly worth the $199 asking price.

Simply follow the steps mentioned in the widget below to submit your entry. Our giveaway is open to all SamMobile members worldwide. The winner will be announced on May 12, 2021.

Galaxy Buds Pro international giveaway!

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[Result] SamMobile Weekly Giveaway: Get your hands on a Galaxy Watch 3!

We’re back with the SamMobile Weekly Giveaway and there’s a great wearable device up for grabs. You have a chance to win the Galaxy Watch 3, one of the best smartwatches that Samsung has ever made.

As we pointed out in our Galaxy Watch 3 review, the smartwatch offers great performance, enhanced health and activity tracking as well as ample battery life. It has everything you’d want from a smartwatch.

To enter, just follow the steps mentioned in the widget below. The giveaway is open for SamMobile members across the globe. We’ll announce the winner on May 5, 2021.

Result: Congratulations to Filipe Soares for winning the Galaxy Watch 3. We’ll be in touch. Don’t worry if you didn’t win, there’s always the next weekly giveaway to participate in!

Galaxy Watch 3 international giveaway!

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Galaxy Tab A7 Lite leaks, both of them… erm, make that four

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is set to launch in multiple configurations, as was to be expected. And staying true to yesterday’s ‘official’ leaks, today’s info originates from the Google Play Store. Which is arguably just as credible as a random store listing.

Either way, the appearance of the specs sheet that you can analyze below indicates that the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is just around the corner. In addition to reiterating that it’s going to be sporting a fairly mundane list of internals, as anyone could have guessed.

Is anyone still buying low-end tablets?

But concerning the actual models that are in the works, the SM-T220 is still believed to be the Wi-Fi variant of the device, whereas the cellular version is identified as the SM-T255. The latter, however, will have multiple country-specific configurations, as per the same source.

Last year’s Galaxy Tab A7 obviously achieved a decent enough response from the market for Samsung to be bothering with slimming down that package even further. But then again, an ultra-affordable tablet running Android 11 – one with an FHD display to boot – doesn’t sound half-bad in 2021.

It remains to be seen how colorful this latest addition to Samsung’s tablet portfolio is going to be. We’ve seen some intriguing stuff come out of the rumor mill lately, and the timing of all these leaks is a pretty strong indication that our questions are going to be answered sooner rather than later. You know, assuming anyone will have any left, given the rate at which these leaks have been multiplying recently.

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Samsung silently lists Galaxy S20 FE LTE with Snapdragon 865 on its website

Various rumors had claimed that Samsung would replace the Exynos 990 variant of the Galaxy S20 FE (4G) with a Snapdragon 865 variant. We had independently confirmed that the company has plans to launch a Snapdragon 865-equipped Galaxy S20 FE. Today, Samsung has silently launched the Snapdragon version of the Galaxy S20 FE 4G.

The new variant of the Galaxy S20 FE (SM-G780G) has now been listed on Samsung’s website in Germany with a ‘New’ tag. The phone comes with 128GB internal storage and will be available in six colors: Cloud Lavendar, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, Cloud Orange, Cloud Red, and Cloud White. Apart from the processor, there’s nothing different in this new version of the Galaxy S20 FE.

Samsung is replacing the Exynos 990 version of the Galaxy S20 FE altogether with the Snapdragon 865 version. And this decision is not due to the Exynos 990’s poor processing and thermal performance. There is an ongoing global chip shortage right now. It is possible that Samsung Electronics isn’t getting enough Exynos 990 units from Samsung LSI right now, forcing the company to replace the chipset altogether.

The company could launch this new version of the Galaxy S20 FE (4G) in all the countries where the Exynos 990 version was launched. There may not be any price difference between the two versions of the phone. You can even expect better performance due to the Snapdragon chipset, including better gaming, more consistent high-refresh-rate experience, and longer battery life.

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Samsung expected to remain a top player in true wireless earphones market

Samsung is among the top three brands in the global true wireless earphones market. It makes some of the best TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earphones globally, and the recently released Galaxy Buds Pro is the only real competitor to the Apple AirPods Pro. It is being expected the South Korean firm will maintain its third position in the true wireless market by the end of this year.

A new report from Counterpoint Research expects Samsung to be the third-biggest TWS brand globally in 2021 with a market share of 7%. The South Korean firm is expected to ship around 21 million truly wireless earphones by the end of this year. That’s a 30% jump from its 16.3 million shipments in 2020. The whole TWS market is expected to grow by 33% in 2021, and the shipments could rise to 310 million units (compared to 233 million in 2020).

Apple, which was the biggest TWS brand globally with a market share of 31% last year, could see its market share drop to 27% in 2021. It is being expected that the Cupertino-based brand could ship a whopping 83.7 million AirPods, which is a 17% growth compared to 71.3 million shipments in 2020. Xiaomi is expected to maintain its second position this year, with a market share of 9%. The Chinese firm mostly sells ultra-affordable TWS earphones priced below $100.

Samsung’s own sub-brand JBL, could be ranked fourth in the global TWS market with a share of 4% shipments. JBL shipped 9.2 million truly wireless earphones in 2020, and it is expected to increase the number to 12.4 million. If we combine Samsung’s numbers with JBL’s, the former will be the second-biggest TWS brand in 2021.

Samsung is expected to launch the successor to the Galaxy Buds+ later this year, and it could bring improved audio quality and battery life in a similar design. There is currently no information about Samsung’s intentions to launch the successors to the Galaxy Buds Live.

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Samsung’s mobile profitability hinges on foldable bet: report

The worst thing about success is that there’s nowhere for you to go but down. OK, maybe that’s not the worst aspect of being a global commercial powerhouse, but Samsung’s performance in the mobile segment is currently at its peak. And the nadir is drawing close, some industry watchers believe, opinionating that the company’s too committed to the foldable niche. At least as far as near-term earnings potential is concerned.

And that’s the only thing anyone seems to care about lately, which is hardly a surprise, given the dominant fashion in which Samsung power-stomped its way through the first quarter of this year. But how much longer can this go on? A fair bit longer, actually.

Samsung’s biggest threat in the foldable phone space doesn’t even exist yet?

Between record smartphone profits, record TV profits, and record… electro-engineering(?) income, the immediate future is looking beyond secure from Seoul’s point of view.

That isn’t stopping doom-and-gloom predictions from getting spewed by the analysts lately, as if you need to be clairvoyant to predict that Samsung might not have that much more market share in mobile to grab. With that said, having ridiculous growth figures in a sector as exciting as foldable smartphones is an unfathomable dream for many a company. So, Samsung’s looking pretty comfortable right now.

Not that comfort is on its list of priorities. And as more devices keep releasing on a monthly basis, it would appear Samsung’s still a pretty big believer in making your own luck. That shouldn’t be too hard for the time being, especially with its biggest threat in the foldable space not being anywhere close to ready to launch a rivaling product.

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Galaxy phones can use Nintendo Switch Joy-Con as camera remote shutter

Samsung smartphones are extremely feature-rich, but not all features get mentioned officially. It has recently been discovered that Galaxy smartphones can use Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con controllers as a remote shutter for the camera. While most modern Android smartphones can pair with the Joy-Con controllers, the remote shutter feature works well on Samsung smartphones.

As discovered by Reddit user Byotan, Android smartphones can pair with Joy-Con controllers via Bluetooth and use them as a remote shutter for the camera app. When paired with the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Joy-Con controllers work surprisingly well. Clicking the A button activates the shutter, while the X and Y buttons can be used for zooming in and out. This feature might work on Galaxy tablets as well.

Not all Android smartphones work well with Joy-Con controllers, though. The folks over at Android Central tried using them with the OnePlus 9, but the feature didn’t work as expected.

To pair a Joy-Con controller with your Galaxy smartphone, you need to turn Bluetooth on,  activate the pairing process on one of the Joy-Con controllers, and then select the controller in the phone’s Bluetooth menu. It’s as simple as that. However, you need to understand that this feature works only with the stock Camera app on Galaxy smartphones. If you use a third-party camera such as Google’s Camera app, the camera shutter feature doesn’t work at all.

If you are a Galaxy S21 Ultra or Galaxy Note user, you can also use the S Pen (or S Pen Pro in the case of the Galaxy S21 Ultra) as a remote shutter for the camera app. You can also use a Galaxy Watch as a remote viewfinder and shutter for your Galaxy smartphone’s camera.

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