Samsung and Jimmy Fallon surprise ‘super moms’ with free Galaxy bundles

Mother’s Day is just a couple of days away and Samsung has once again teamed up with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to surprise a few ‘super moms,’ i.e., a special person who has inspired their loved ones through their daily acts of heroism.

Similar to last year, Samsung has teamed up with Jimmy Fallon to surprise a few unsuspecting moms with free gifts. This time around, the giveaway includes the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, the Galaxy Tab S7, the Galaxy Watch 3, and the Galaxy Buds Pro, all bundled up in a special package with a bowtie on top.

Samsung also gifted a $25,000 check to each super mom

Of course, the best part of the campaign is that none of the participants were aware of what they’re getting into. They were contacted by the staff under the guise of an NBC Instagram invitation and they didn’t expect Jimmy Fallon to call from a Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G and greet them on camera, which makes their reactions that much more heartwarming.

You can check the videos below to watch these surprise moments starring Jimmy Fallon and Ashely from Arizona, Dedria from Illinois, Terri from Virginia, and Patrice from Georgia.

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Several Android 12 features are inspired by One UI, and one by TouchWiz!

Google’s next major Android OS update predictably called ‘Android 12‘ is under development, and the first preview builds have already been released for app developers and enthusiasts. These early builds give Google an opportunity to test the new OS with the help of the community, and they allow app developers to prepare for the big update’s rollout ahead of time.

As for us Samsung fans, Google’s Android developer previews can sometimes hold clues as to what future One UI builds will look like, though this dynamic may have changed with the release of the Android 12 developer previews.

This is due to the fact that Android 12 appears to have gained a lot of inspiration from Samsung’s One UI and even the old TouchWiz UI that preceded it. In more than one way, Google’s Android 12 is following One UI’s example rather than setting an example of its own. But as the old adage says, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Google is well aware that Samsung must be doing something right.

The latest Android 12 developer preview reveals a handful of features that are new to Google’s OS but have been a part of Samsung’s mobile software experience for a fairly long time. One feature is so old that Samsung is not even using it anymore, though perhaps it should.

Without further ado, here are some of the Android 12 features that bear a striking resemblance to One UI.

An overhauled user interface with rounded corners

One UI has been defined by its rounded corners ever since it was conceived a few years ago, and Samsung kept improving the formula with each iteration. In time, this design element became more consistent across the entire UI, and One UI 3 pushed this concept even further.

Google appears to have fallen in love with Samsung’s idea to the point where rounded corners have become a big part of Android 12. The new OS adopts a new and evolved design language that was undeniably inspired by Samsung’s One UI.

Overhauled Settings app with a focus on readability

One of Samsung’s biggest concerns when developing One UI 3.1 was to implement design changes that enhance readability and ease of access. The Settings app got redesigned with better spacing between different UI elements, and although it kept its identity, all these small changes added up to a menu that’s easier to navigate.

Android 12 is seemingly borrowing a page from One UI 3.1 in this regard too. Google’s Settings app got redesigned in Android 12, and while it’s not a carbon copy of the Settings app in One UI, it certainly follows similar design principles that make the menus easier to read and navigate.

More One UI-inspired elements

Diving deeper inside the Settings app for Android 12 reveals even more design elements that were quite clearly borrowed from Samsung’s One UI. Particularly, the Battery monitoring screen in Android 12 now has a linear progress bar showing battery percentages, as opposed to a giant battery-shaped icon that empties as the battery gets depleted.

Similarly, the Storage menu in Android 11 has a circular progress bar that shows how much on-board storage is available, whereas Android 12 replaces it with a linear progress bar à la One UI.

A new widget selection menu with a dedicated search bar

Sometimes the simplest of features are taken for granted. Many Galaxy smartphone owners might not be aware of this, but the search bar that’s visible at the top of the widget selection screen is a Samsung / One UI-specific feature as opposed to being a part of Android OS.

Android 11 does not have a dedicated search field for the widget selection screen, but this will change with the release of Android 12. It’s a simple addition but it is one that was obviously inspired by Samsung’s way of thinking.

One-handed mode comes to Android, but it’s not really taking after One UI

One-handed mode is yet another one of those features that came to be as a result of Samsung’s efforts to make One UI — and earlier versions of its software — easier to read and navigate. It makes one-handed navigation a whole lot more convenient by shrinking the entire screen area and placing it closer to the user’s thumbs.

This feature doesn’t exist in Android 11 but the Android 12 developer previews show that one-handed mode is finally coming to Google’s OS. However, while Google may have decided to make one-handed operation possible in Android because Samsung’s already done it, the search engine giant is seemingly borrowing a page from Apple’s book instead.

This means that one-handed mode in the Android 12 developer previews doesn’t shrink the entire screen area to maintain the original aspect ratio like One UI does. Instead, it works similarly to Reachability in iOS, wherein only the top edge of the screen area is dragged down for, well, easier reachability. It’s not ideal and we prefer One UI’s implementation.

TouchWiz Smart Rotation is coming to Android 12. Wait… What?!

Do you remember that old TouchWiz feature called Smart Rotation? It’s no longer available in One UI but it used to be one of the more unique factettes of TouchWiz.

In essence, Smart Rotation leveraged the Galaxy smartphone’s selfie camera to rotate the screen between portrait and landscape modes according to the user’s face orientation rather than the internal acetometer and gyroscope.

Smart Rotation is no longer a Samsung feature. It was a part of TouchWiz but it’s absent in One UI. Google, on the other hand, is now bringing a similar feature to Android 12 called Face-based Auto Rotation, years after Samsung decided to abandon the concept in its own software.

Needless to say, it would be quite odd if Android 12 will eventually convince Samsung to reintroduce this feature in future versions of One UI, though it would probably be a welcomed addition by many.

At the end of the day, Android 12 is still in development and some of these One UI-inspired features may change by the time the first public release will be ready. But so far, it certainly looks like Google has become a bigger fan of Samsung’s One UI.

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SmartThings is now live for millions of new devices running Windows 10

Samsung’s giant IoT platform SmartThings has just become a whole lot bigger thanks to the partnership with Microsoft. Samsung has just released a SmartThings app for Windows 10, and while its arrival isn’t all that surprising given the fact that Samsung had promoted it as part of the Galaxy Book experience, well, it’s actually widely-available across Windows 10.

The SmartThings app is now available for download from the Microsoft Store, and thankfully it doesn’t seem to be region-locked. The only limitation — as per Microsoft’s Store policy — is that the app can only installed on up to ten Windows 10 machines that share the same Microsoft account. But this applies to virtually every other app in the store and we don’t imagine that anyone will complain

What is SmartThings and why is it available for Windows 10?

As many of you know, SmartThings is Samsung’s IoT app that brings smart devices of all kinds together in a centralized UI. It’s part of the One UI experience for smartphones, and it can be used to remotely-control various smart devices ranging from lamps and window blinds to air conditioners, TVs, security cameras and more.

Samsung and Microsoft have been working together to lower some of the barriers that separate the Android / One UI and Windows 10 ecosystems. Samsung’s new Galaxy Book laptops represent a big step in this direction, as they aim to offer better integration with the Samsung product ecosystem even if they run Windows 10.

It turns out that the SmartThings Windows 10 app is not exclusive to the Galaxy Book series. Instead, virtually anyone who has a Windows 10 machine can now install and use the app as long as they sign in with a Samsung account.

If you want to download the SmartThings app for Windows 10, you can now do so via the Microsoft Store on your PC. Just make sure that you’re looking for the latest version and not the one that was originally planned for Windows Phone and has since been deprecated.

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Fret not, Samsung’s been fixing Qualcomm’s security flaw since January

Security research firm Check Point revealed some worrying details yesterday when a vulnerability found in Qualcomm’s mobile station modems was fully disclosed after being discovered in December. It turned out that millions of Qualcomm-powered smartphones, including Samsung-branded, were vulnerable to malicious attacks due to this security flaw, but thankfully it looks like Samsung is in control of the situation.

In case you’re wondering like we did, the May 2021 security update does indeed address the Qualcomm security flaw. Samsung confirmed this earlier today after it updated its security bulletin for the latest patch.

Up until today, the May 2021 security patch changelog made no mentions of the ‘CVE-2020-11292‘ vulnerability — as it was labeled by Qualcomm. But today, Samsung updated the page to include new information regarding the issue, and it turns out that Galaxy smartphone and tablet users are safer than initially suspected, all thanks to Samsung’s efforts.

Samsung’s been quietly patching affected phones since January

Samsung didn’t want the world at large to know about the security flaw at hand, at least not until the research firm that discovered it broke the silence. And the research firm did exactly that earlier this week.

Now, according to the latest changes that were added by Samsung to the May 2021 security patch bulletin earlier today, the company’s been patching Select devices since January of 2021.

Samsung hasn’t disclosed which Galaxy devices got updated earlier than May, but either way, the fix is now a part of the latest security patch which has already been released for numerous low-to-high-end Galaxy smartphone models.

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Samsung and Ericsson set aside their differences again, sign new deals

Samsung and Ericsson have buried the hatched once again after the two companies have reportedly agreed to sign new multi-year global patent licensing agreements for cellular technologies. The two companies will end their ongoing patent licensing disputes as part of the new collaboration, and although most details remain under wraps, reports indicate that the cross-license agreements cover the sale of network infrastructure equipment and handsets from January 1, 2021.

Legal disputes are nothing new for Samsung and Ericsson, and they’ve been arguing over their interpretations of FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) obligations for more than half a decade, to the point where it kind of became the norm.

All the way back in 2014, Samsung agreed to make a one-time payment of $650 million to Ericsson to end their patent feud, and things went quiet for a while. But back in December 2020, Samsung found itself at the receiving end of a lawsuit filed by Ericsson again. The Swedish company claimed that Samsung has failed once again to meet its FRAND obligations, and this could lead to Ericsson losing anywhere between $119 and $177 million every quarter due to delayed intellectual property royalty payments, legal costs, and more.

Samsung and Ericsson ink new patent-licensing agreements

Fast forward to the present day and the two companies have reportedly set aside their differences, again, in favor of a more lucrative agreement.

The exact details of the multi-year agreement remain unknown, so it’s unclear if Samsung had to pay Ericsson any royalties. Late last year, reports indicated that Samsung may end up having to pay the Swedish company $200 million.

According to Ericsson Chief Intellectual Property Officer Christina Petersson, [Ericsson] is delighted to sign a mutually beneficial agreement with Samsung. This important deal confirms the value of our patent portfolio and further illustrates Ericsson’s commitment to FRAND principles.

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Galaxy Fold 5G and international Galaxy S9 get May 2021 security update

Samsung began updating the original Galaxy Fold with the May 2021 security patch at the beginning of the week, and now, with the end of the week approaching, we come full circle as Samsung has just released a similar firmware update for the Galaxy Fold 5G.

At the same time, the company is now rolling out a new firmware update for the international Galaxy S9 series, and as you may have guessed, it brings the May 2021 security patch with it.

The Galaxy Fold 5G update carries firmware version F907BXXU5EUD7 and as of this writing, it’s rolling out in the UK. Judging by the changelog for the 4G model, the latest update should include improvements to Quick Share and the camera.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S9 update is identified by firmware number G96xFXXUFFUD6 and it’s rolling out in Germany, with additional markets likely to jump on the update bandwagon soon. It’s unclear if the Galaxy S9 update includes any other changes or features aside from improved security.

As for the May 2021 security patch, it was detailed by Samsung earlier this week, and among the numerous fixes it brings, it addresses vulnerabilities related to Knox Core, S Secure, and Secure Folder.

Eligible Galaxy Fold 5G and / or Galaxy S9 / S9+ owners should be able to download the latest update from the Settings app on their phones, or they can acquire the update from our firmware archive where we post new Samsung firmware on a regular basis.

Galaxy Fold 5G

• Model: SM-F907B
• Dimensions: Folded: 160.9 x 62.8 x 17.1 mm
  Unfolded: 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9 mm
  
• Display: 7.3 inch / 185.42 mm Dynamic AMOLED Display
• CPU: Snapdragon 855
• Camera: 16MP

More specifications

Galaxy S9

• Model: SM-G960F
• Dimensions: Bar: 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm
  
• Display: 5.8 inch / 147.32 mm Super AMOLED Display
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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Galaxy A52 5G inches closer to its launch in India

Samsung had recently launched the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72 in India. Unlike other markets, though, the company didn’t launch the 5G variant of the Galaxy A52 in India, but that may change very soon. We had reported earlier that Samsung has started the firmware development for the Galaxy A52 5G for the Indian market, and now the company has listed the phone on its Indian website.

The Galaxy A52 5G (SM-A526B/DS) has been listed on Samsung India’s website under its online support section. It means that the company has plans to introduce the smartphone in the Indian market in the future. The ‘DS’ part in its model name indicates that it will be a dual-SIM version of the smartphone. Not much else is listed on the website, and we think that more information will come out over the next few days.

The South Korean firm had recently launched its first mid-range 5G smartphone in India, the Galaxy M42 5G. It might also launch the Galaxy M62 5G. The Galaxy A52 5G might cost similar to the Galaxy A72 in India, confusing buyers to choose from the former’s better processor and the latter’s better cameras.

The Galaxy A52 5G features a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It features the Snapdragon 750G processor, 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. The phone has a 32MP selfie camera and a 64MP quad-camera setup with OIS. The Galaxy A52 5G also has stereo speakers, an IP67 rating, and a 4,500mAh battery.

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Samsung opening hundreds of mobile patents to the masses

Samsung’s intellectual property spanning hundreds of patents and inventions will soon come within reach of the average Joe and Jane, royalty-free, like Samsung plans to be in the future. In its home country, that is, as the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy revealed during a Friday morning presser.

That’s pretty much it as far as catches go. This being a form of government subsidy might be enough of a catch in an off itself, depending on how happy Koreans are with their current administration.

Coming up next: Samsung’s little nuclear project

But Samsung, for its part, will be opening 505 technologies to mid-sized companies across the country. Well, microenterprises are eligible for the program, as well, but it’d be safe to assume that not too many mom-and-op shops will be looking to take advantage of experimental smartphone tech and the like.

Boosting domestic economic growth has unsurprisingly been labeled the primary goal of this initiative. The exact list of technologies that Samsung will be licensing out will be available within the next couple of months. In the meantime, Korean business are free to apply for a royalty-free patent or 500 by June 10th. Over 200 of those open-sourced solutions will be smartphone-based, Seoul confirmed earlier today.

Looking at a slightly wider picture, this initiative is in line with Samsung’s growing focus on sustainability and responsible growth. It’s not like a conglomerate of its size has many more avenues for growth to choose from, anyway. But hey, as long as it cures a few crippling diseases along the way, right?

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Is Samsung TV Plus free? It’s a truly no strings attached service

There’s no shortage of video streaming services these days. However, most require you to purchase a monthly subscription. It’s easy to get started with them since all services offer free trials.

It’s only when the user is hooked that they then need to pay for the privilege. So it’s understandable why some people might have a similar impression about Samsung TV Plus. They might wonder if Samsung TV Plus really is free because it does sound a bit too good to be true.

Samsung TV Plus is absolutely free

Samsung TV Plus is an ad-supported video streaming service that’s available on a wide variety of Samsung devices. It provides you with access to hundreds of channels covering news, sports, entertainment, and more.

Over the years, Samsung has significantly expanded the list of compatible devices and available markets for TV Plus. Since launching in 2015, Samsung TV Plus is now available in dozens of countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

More than 50 million TVs in the world have access to this service. The number of channels varies by country with most having access to 100+ channels. For example, viewers in the US can access channels like Bloomberg TV+, CBSN, ET Live, Bon appetit and more.

The company has kept Samsung TV Plus completely free. No credit card is required to sign up, there’s no trial period and no monthly or annual subscription. It just works. It’s an ad-supported service so you’ll only need to bear advertisements.

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Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite has unexpectedly fast charging speed

Samsung was the second-biggest tablet brand in the world last year, thanks to a sharp rise in demand since the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning trends. The company is expected to launch at least two more tablets—Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite—next month. Ahead of the launch, their images were leaked, and now, an unexpected Galaxy S7+ Lite feature has been revealed.

The Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite will be available in three variants: Wi-Fi only (SM-T730), LTE (SM-T735), and 5G (SM-T736B/SM-T736N). Two of these variants passed through China’s 3C certification process, revealing their charging speeds and the bundled charger. Going by that information, the Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite will come bundled with a 15W charger (EP-TA200). However, it will be compatible with as high as 44.5W charging (11A, 4.05A) via a faster charger.

It was being expected that the tablet might top out at 15W or 25W charging speeds, but 44.5W is a welcome surprise. It means that the Galaxy Tab S7+ Lite will be as fast as the Galaxy Tab S7+ (45W). Going by leaked images and specifications, the upcoming tablet is expected to feature a 12.4-inch display with QHD+ resolution, a Snapdragon 750G processor, 4GB/6GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage. It could even have a microSD card slot.

The Galaxy Tab S7+ will run Android 11 out of the box. It comes with an S Pen, stereo speakers, USB Type-C port, and a metal body. The tablet will be available in four colors: black, green (or light green), pink, and silver.

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Galaxy A40 finally gets the April 2021 security update

Samsung has updated most of its new and old smartphones with the April 2021 security patch. It has even started rolling out the May 2021 security update to a few high-end and mid-range smartphones. Today, the company has released a new update to the Galaxy A40, and it includes the April 2021 security patch.

The Galaxy A40 (SM-A405FN) has started receiving the new software update in France, but we expect other European markets to get it in a matter of days. The new update, which has firmware version A405FNXXU3CUD3, includes fixes for various security and privacy vulnerabilities. The company had mentioned earlier that its April 2021 security update includes more than 30 fixes from Google and 23 fixes from Samsung.

While we don’t have the official changelog yet, we don’t expect this software update to include any new features. It might include bug fixes and stability improvements, though. Samsung had launched the Galaxy A40 two years ago with Android 9 Pie on board. It received the Android 10-based One UI 2.0 update in early 2020 and the Android 11-based One UI 3 update in March 2021.

If you are a Galaxy A40 user in France, you might have received a notification regarding the new update. If not, you can check for it manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install. You can also download the entire firmware image from our database and flash it manually.

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Galaxy Z Flip 3 could ship with a 15W charger

Samsung will soon launch its next set of foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is expected to bring various improvements over its predecessor, including a bigger cover display and a faster processor. However, the company doesn’t seem to be upgrading the battery capacity or the charging speed, which is a bit disappointing.

The Chinese variant of the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which has model number SM-F7110, passed through the 3C certification process yesterday. The database reveals that the upcoming foldable smartphone will likely ship with Samsung’s EP-TA200 charger, which has a maximum power output of 15W (9.0V and 1.67A).  Fans were hoping that Samsung would include a 25W charger with the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but it doesn’t look like that’s happening. The certification also confirms that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 features 5G connectivity.

Galaxy Z Flip 3 expected specs

The Galaxy Z Flip’s design was recently leaked, showcasing its bigger (1.83-inch) cover display and a rearranged dual-camera setup. The phone is expected to come equipped with the Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256GB internal storage. It will most likely come with Android 11 out of the box and get three major Android OS updates as per Samsung’s promise. It will be powered by a 3,300mAh battery made by Chinese firms.

The upcoming clamshell-style Galaxy smartphone is rumored to come with a 6.7-inch Foldable AMOLED Infinity-O display with Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. If this information is true, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 could be Samsung’s first clamshell-style foldable phone with a high-refresh-rate screen. We had exclusively revealed that it features an IP rating for dust and water resistance. Other features could include a 10MP camera on the internal screen and a 12MP+12MP dual-camera setup on the outside.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is expected to cost much lower than the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. It could cost as low as $999 or as high as $1,199, which is at least $250 lower than its predecessor. Samsung could offer it in various colors, including black, dark blue, green, light purple, matte gray (with a beige hue), violet/dark pink, and white.

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Samsung aims to ship one million units of the Galaxy Book Pro series

Samsung has launched a handful of new laptops today. The new Galaxy Book Pro series happens to be the company’s first Windows-based OLED laptops. Samsung has high hopes for the new products as demand for laptops remains high due to the pandemic.

It launched these new products to increase its share in the laptop market. The company is reportedly looking to ship one million units of the Galaxy Book Pro and the Galaxy Book Pro 360.

Samsung has high expectations from the Galaxy Book Pro

The Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 are both available in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch sizes. Only the latter is available with a touchscreen that also has support for the S Pen. Both also feature respectable specs at competitive prices.

Samsung is hopeful that these products will help it gain a position in the laptop market. It has set a shipment target of one million units for the laptops this year. Last year’s global laptop market share numbers from Strategy Analytics reveal that Samsung wasn’t even in the rankings. Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple and Acer occupied the top five positions respectively.

Samsung is now looking to compete more effectively in the market with these products. It’s also going to make them widely available to capitalize on the rising demand. With new features and improvements, Samsung has positioned the Galaxy Book Pro as a central part of its Galaxy ecosystem.

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