Your Galaxy Watch 3’s biggest enemy just might be Google

When you bought the Galaxy Watch 3 last year, you would have thought that the smartwatch would receive major updates for at least a few years. So you’d be able to enjoy new features every year without having to buy a new smartwatch.

That’s how it has worked for Samsung’s smartwatches over the past few years. However, the company has switched things up in 2021. It has decided to ditch Tizen and shift to an Android-based unified platform called Wear for future Galaxy smartwatches. You might be thinking whether this new platform will arrive as an upgrade for the Galaxy Watch 3? It looks like Google may not be fully onboard with that idea.

Google may not be down with current smartwatches being upgraded

There are quite a few Wear OS-powered smartwatches that may be eligible for an upgrade. Qualcomm has already confirmed that its Snapdragon Wear 3100 and Wear 4100/4100+ chipsets, used in all Wear OS smartwatches, are capable of running the new wearable platform that Google has developed in collaboration with Samsung.

If anything, this shows that a hardware upgrade may not be required for smartwatches to be eligible for the new Wear platform. Some Wear OS smartwatch manufacturers have already settled the matter. Fossil recently confirmed that it won’t be updating its existing smartwatches to Wear.

Google has made no firm commitment or even given a hint that it supports the upgradation of current smartwatches to Wear. A statement from the company provided to AndroidPolice attempted to put a vague spin on the matter:

User experience is a top priority for us. We have not confirmed eligibility or timeline on whether any Wear OS smartwatch will update to the new unified platform. There are many technical requirements in order to run the unified platform that ensures all components of the user experience are optimized.

Where does that leave Samsung, though? Fossil obviously won’t have the same kind of leverage that Samsung does with Google, at least as far as this platform is concerned. Both Google and Samsung have jointly developed it. As we’ve explained previously, it’s not so much as Samsung giving up Tizen as it’s Samsung coming to Google’s rescue.

We’ve already discussed why the Galaxy Watch 3 deserves an upgrade to the new platform. Ultimately, it may come down to whether Samsung is able to extract that concession from Google. That’s something that only time will tell.

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You can buy the Galaxy Tab S7 at a discount and get the Galaxy Buds Pro for free

Samsung customers who may be looking for a new tablet have an opportunity to purchase the Galaxy Tab S7 or Galaxy Tab S7+ at a discounted price and receive a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds for free, in addition to having a chance to win $5,000 in Samsung Credit.

Samsung USA is now selling the Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab S7 with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB of built-in storage for $569, $619, and $699, respectively. At full price, these storage configurations for the base Galaxy Tab S7 model would set you back $649, $729, and $829.

As for the Galaxy Tab S7+, the 512GB model is out of stock as of this writing, but the 128GB and 256GB variants are on sale at a discount. The 128GB Galaxy Tab S7+ costs $769 instead of $849, while the 256GB model will set you back $819 as opposed to $929.

Of course, both tablets can be purchased for much lower prices through Samsung’s trade-in program.

Get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Pro and a chance to win $5,000 in credit

Aside from cutting the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ prices, Samsung is also giving buyers a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds for free, and customers even have the option of choosing the color of their free earbuds.

In addition, every customer that buys one of Samsung’s flagship tablets along with a second product from a different device category before June 20 will have a chance to win $5,000 Samsung Credit through the Discover Samsung limited-time offer. The winner will be able to spend the credit towards purchasing Samsung products online.

You can check the links below for more details on the flagship tablet and the latest deals. Keep in mind that this is a limited-time offer, so it might no longer be available by the end of the week.

Galaxy Tab S7+ review

• Buy the Galaxy Tab S7 or Tab S7+ at Samsung USA.

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 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

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The Galaxy F22 inches closer to release as official support pages go live

Samsung is preparing the Galaxy F22 for its debut in India, judging by recent events. The phone might be hitting the shelves sooner rather than later, as support pages for the Galaxy F22 recently went live at Samsung India.

As always, this means that the company is readying the phone for its first day on the market. The device carries model number SM-E225F/DS, which confirms that it has dual SIM capabilities. Other specs are missing, but the same model number got spotted recently at Bluetooth SIG. All evidence indicates that the Galaxy F22 was heavily inspired by the Galaxy A22, and Samsung is expected to confirm this soon.

There’s not a lot to be told about the Galaxy F22 that wasn’t said already. It could have a different design, as proven possible by the Galaxy M32, the latter of which looks nothing like the Galaxy A32. Or it could very well be a carbon copy of the Galaxy A22.

Either way, hardware specs will likely be nearly identical across both phones, which means that the Galaxy F22 should feature a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED HD+ display with 90Hz capabilities, and a MediaTek Helio G80 chipset coupled with 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64/128GB of storage. With that being said, the Galaxy A22 official announcement and infographic might be holding all the Galaxy F22’s secrets, but time will tell.

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Samsung discontinues Galaxy Z Fold 2 sales as we wait for the Z Fold 3

It looks like Samsung is no longer selling the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the USA. Although the phone shows up in the store, accessing the device’s store page now redirects customers to a notice stating that “The Galaxy Fold is no longer available for purchase on Samsung.com.” Oddly enough, the original Galaxy Fold continues to be listed on the store along with the Galaxy Z Flip 5G.

This could be an error on Samsung’s part, given that the notice mentions the original Galaxy Fold rather than the Galaxy Z Fold 2. There is a possibility that Samsung planned to retire the original Galaxy Fold in the USA, but the sequel was removed from the store instead due to an error.

Is Samsung making room for the Galaxy Z Fold 3?

On the other hand, this could be a part of Samsung’s plans for its foldable lineup. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is expected to be unveiled in just a couple of months from now, in August, and Samsung USA might want to make room on its store shelves for the upcoming model. But assuming this is the case, it still doesn’t answer the question as to why store pages for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and the original Galaxy Fold remain online. The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is also said to be getting a sequel — the Galaxy Z Flip 3 — in August.

There’s also the possibility that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 was no longer in stock in the USA and Samsung decided to focus on manufacturing the Galaxy Z Fold 3 rather than replenishing Z Fold 2 stocks. It could be that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be available for purchase again at a later date, but right now, it isn’t. We’ll keep you up to speed as soon as we find out more.

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Next-gen PlayStation VR headset will be powered by Samsung OLED

Samsung may have shelved its ambitions for its own virtual reality (VR) endeavors, but the company might play a huge role in Sony’s plans for its next-gen PlayStation VR headset, the PSVR 2. While many VR headset manufacturers are reportedly embracing LCD technology for the sake of higher resolutions, Sony reportedly wants to employ Samsung OLED technology for the PSVR 2.

Both LCD and OLED display technologies have their own pros and cons in terms of virtual reality. If you’re asking which technology is better for VR, you’ll probably get a different answer almost every time, depending on who you’re asking. Nevertheless, OLED technology is known to offer better contrast and a faster response time, while LCD VR panels can have higher resolutions and less of a screen-door effect.

OLEDs have historically been reserved for higher-end VR headsets because of the higher costs associated with high-performance panels. It could be argued that a cheap LCD solution for VR is better than a cheap OLED display, but a high-end OLED panel can deliver advantages that LCD lacks.

The Samsung-powered Sony PSVR 2 is reportedly planned for a 2022 release

Sony reportedly plans to have the PSVR 2 headset ready for the consumer market just in time for the 2022 holiday season, according to Bloomberg. However, neither Sony nor Samsung Display had any comments on the matter.

The original PSVR headset released in 2016 had a 120Hz AMOLED display that was supplied by Samsung, revealed an iFixit teardown back in the day. It has a 5.7-inch diagonal and a fairly low resolution — for a VR headset — of 1920 x 1080 (960 x 1080 per eye).

Technical specifications for the PSVR 2’s alleged Samsung-made OLED display are unknown, but we’re guessing that it might have a higher resolution and pixel density. Samsung has been working on pushing the limits of OLED pixel density further, but its first OLED panel that promises a 1,000ppi density might not hit the market earlier than 2024.

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Samsung’s wearables rank 2nd in the first quarter after defeating Xiaomi

Samsung was the second most successful wearable vendor in Q1 2021 after Apple, with market research firm IDC estimating that the company shipped a total of 11.8 million wearable devices in the three-month period. The category includes smartwatches, fitness bands, and wireless earbuds.

Reflecting Samsung’s worldwide performance, the company also secured 2nd place in Europe after Apple, with 3.5 million shipments in Q1.

Samsung experienced 35.7% year-over-year growth in the global market in Q1 2021. It boosted shipments from 8.7 million in Q1 2020 to 11.8 million a year later. As a result, Samsung’s worldwide wearable share topped 11.3% in Q1 2021, up from 11.2% a year ago.

Apple led the charge worldwide with 30.1 million shipments and a 28.8% market share. Samsung was followed by Xiaomi, which recorded 10.2 million shipments and captured 9.7% of the wearable market in Q1. The Chinese tech company was 2nd in Q1 2020, but Samsung was able to outperform its rival a year later.

Samsung’s shipment figures were helped by its truly wireless earbuds, including the Galaxy Buds Live, the Galaxy Buds+, and the Galaxy Buds Pro, claims the research firm. In addition, Samsung’s smartwatches and fitness bands continued gaining more traction and have topped new Q1 records. The source adds that earwear shipments from JBL — a Samsung subsidiary — have also helped the Korean tech giant.

Samsung ranks 2nd in Europe after experiencing 27.2% YoY growth

Reflecting the company’s worldwide performance, Samsung ranked 2nd in the European wearable market in the first quarter of the year, according to IDC.

The company recorded 2.8 million shipments last year, but Samsung improved its performance in Q1 2021 and recorded 3.5 million shipments. The segment was led by Apple, and Samsung was followed by Xiaomi and Huawei.

Despite Samsung’s higher shipment figures, its market share in Europe declined from 16.8% in Q1 2020, to 16.1% in Q1 2021. Apple’s market share also declined by more than 5% over the same period, as smaller companies improved their market share.

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This better not be what One UI 4.0 looks like

Samsung usually debuts major One UI versions with newer versions of the Android operating system. One UI was released with Android 9, One UI 2.0 was based on Android 10, and One UI 3.0 is based on Android 11. Now, One UI 4.0 screenshots have allegedly been leaked, showcasing what Samsung’s next software version could look like, but we think that those images are fake.

A video was posted on Reddit, allegedly showcasing Android 12-based One UI 4.0. However, the video was later deleted, but some people managed to get screenshots from those videos. The UI looks quite similar to the stock Android 12 design, thanks to rounded corners and a single screen to manage various connectivity options (flight mode, mobile data, Private DNS, VPN, and Wi-Fi). However, there’s something off about these screenshots, and the phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot’s name is mentioned as ‘Galaxy A50,’ which shouldn’t be the case as Samsung usually tests a major new version of One UI on its flagship smartphone and not a mid-range device.

The leaked video was deleted after a few hours, which leads us to believe that the entire video was fake, and we don’t think that One UI 4.0 looks like this. Samsung’s software UI design is usually radically different from stock Android design, and that should be the case with One UI 4.0 as well. You can view the complete list of Galaxy smartphones and tablets that might be eligible to receive the One UI 4.0 update.

I personally want One UI 4.0 to offer the ability to change app icon shapes, an option to rename app labels, and a built-in app locker. What are your expectations from One UI 4.0 and what features do you want to see? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Samsung claws back ground from Xiaomi as the battle for India continues

The Indian smartphone market’s been by far the most entertaining mobile battleground to keep track of lately. Lo and behold, there’s been another twist. And this one seems to have played out in Samsung’s favor, for once. According to the latest industry data, Samsung managed to recover some of the ground it lost to Xiaomi in recent years.

In the second half of 2020, the company accounted for nearly one-fourth of the Indian smartphone market – 22%. That’s a three-point improvement compared to the same period last year, reports Counterpoint Research.

Can Samsung pull through and regain the Indian mobile crown this year?

Meanwhile, the past twelve months have seen Xiaomi lose some momentum in the online segment, its bread and butter. More specifically, Samsung’s largest rival in India went from dominating domestic ecommerce space by seizing 43% of all smartphone purchases made in the country across the first half of 2019 to 36% a year later.

Which still isn’t a bad haul, mind you. Particularly seeing how Xiaomi’s overall performance was still enough enough to beat Samsung by two percentage points of the overall market share in the country. That’s 24% of all Indian handset sales as opposed to 22% Samsung managed in the final six months of 2020.

Overall, things are looking alright from Samsung’s perspective at the moment. Let’s not forget Xiaomi looked unbeatable only a year prior in terms of pure volume. Largely on account of the fact that its supply chain is that much more cost-effective than Samsung’s. But can Xiaomi afford to keep this race up for much longer? We shall see, but one thing is certain – begun, the clone wars have.

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Samsung joins hands with Chinese smartphone brands for better file sharing

Samsung already has a pretty impressive wireless file sharing feature called Quick Share. It is fast, and it works seamlessly between Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and even laptops. But what if you want to share files with a non-Samsung Android smartphone? In that case, you can use Google’s Nearby Share feature, but it is often slower than Quick Share. A group of Android OEMs aims to fix the problem with its own file-sharing standard, and Samsung is joining that alliance.

It is being reported that Samsung has joined the Mutual Transmission Alliance (MTA) and decided to adopt its wireless file sharing feature. The group, founded by Chinese smartphone brands OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi two years ago, now also includes ASUS, Black Shark, Hisense, MEIZU, OnePlus, Realme, Samsung, and ZTE. It is possible that Samsung might integrate MTA protocols into its Quick Share feature, allowing it to seamlessly share files with smartphones and laptops made by other brands.

Mutual Transmission Alliance’s solution uses Bluetooth LE for scanning nearby compatible devices, and the actual file sharing is done via a Wi-Fi Direct-based P2P connection. Apparently, the average file sharing speed through this standard is around 20Mbps. It supports sharing of audio files, documents, images, videos, and more.

There is currently no information on when Samsung plans on rolling out the new file-sharing system, but more information could come our way over the next few months. Whether or not people start using it or stick to Google’s Nearby Share remains to be seen. Which wireless file sharing feature would you choose between the two and why?

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OPPO and OnePlus get together in hopes of matching Samsung’s update game

OPPO and OnePlus have announced that they’re merging to build better products in the future for their customers. They are both owned by China’s BBK Electronics, and they’ve been working closely for years. However, the companies have now made it official that they will merge their development teams for better synergy across the board.

Although OnePlus has denied for years that it’s an OPPO subsidiary company, most of its smartphones have been based on OPPO’s existing products with minor hardware changes and the OxygenOS software. This merger will allow them to have a larger pool of engineers and developers, which means that they can better compete with brands like Apple and Samsung by developing products faster and roll out faster and more stable software updates.

OnePlus and OPPO’s merger will give the companies a better chance of competing with Samsung and Apple

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau took an additional role last year as OPPO’s Chief Product Officer, and since then, the companies have integrated several teams. In a forum post, Pete said, “I’m confident that this change will be positive for our community and our users. With this deeper integration with OPPO, we will have more resources at hand to create even better products for you. It will also allow us to be more efficient, for example, bringing faster and more stable software updates for OnePlus users.”

BBK is the parent company of OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, iQOO, and Vivo. Despite OnePlus’ merger with OPPO, Pete claims that OnePlus will remain an independent brand, complete with independent product lines and events. Only time will tell how accurate those claims are. However, the company might want to improve its software if it wants to compete with Samsung.

The South Korean smartphone giant has improved a lot over the past couple of years, especially in terms of software design and the speed at which it rolls out new updates. And that’s pretty impressive considering the sheer amount of products Samsung launches. Despite OnePlus’ Hasselblad branding for the camera, the Galaxy S21 Ultra usually offers better performance in both daylight and low-light conditions. Moreover, OnePlus updates are typically riddled with various issues, and a merger with OPPO will provide them enough resources to fast-track software development and improve the quality.

OnePlus and OPPO have been expanding their presence in European markets, and OnePlus is the only Chinese brand that has established a fruitful partnership with a US carrier. With Europe and North America being Samsung’s bread and butter, the South Korean brand needs to keep OnePlus and OPPO in check.

What do you think about OnePlus, OPPO, and their products? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Third Galaxy S21 June update rolling out, brings fixes for device overheating

Samsung has released the third firmware update for the Galaxy S21 series in the month of June, with the latest version rolling out today in markets like Korea, Germany, and Thailand. The first two updates were released in very few countries, but hey, third time’s a charm, so maybe this one will actually get a global rollout. The software version accompanying the new update is G99xxXXU3AUF6.

The June update includes fixes for the camera lag we here at SamMobile and many other users of the Galaxy S21 series phones have reported, and it also brings improvements to the video call effects feature and adds the ability to scan QR codes saved in the gallery. But, more importantly, Samsung says the update also addresses device overheating, at least in the changelog for the Korean release.

This is a developing story…

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Samsung explains how it improved Galaxy S21 camera with latest update

Samsung has been pretty quick in rolling out new software updates to the Galaxy S21. More often than not, the South Koran firm releases new security updates even before the start of the month. However, Galaxy S21 users seem to be facing an issue related to the camera app’s performance and lag, and the company has fixed those issues with a new update.

A Samsung Community moderator has mentioned on the company’s official forums that engineers have managed to fix camera lag issues on the Galaxy S21. The June 2021 software update will include those fixes. The update will also include Portrait Mode improvements and memory usage optimizations while using high zoom levels. We can confirm that there is less lag while zooming in and out of the camera, but it is still imperfect.

The company has also added a new feature that lets users scan and recognize QR codes from images stored in the gallery. The usability and performance of the Video Call Effect feature have also been improved. It doesn’t include Night Mode camera improvements, though. The company will announce more details regarding the June 2021 software update for the Galaxy S21 series in a few days.

These bug fixes and performance improvements may not be a part of the first June 2021 firmware update that Samsung had released in South Korea and the second firmware update released in a handful of countries. Samsung has been awfully slow in rolling out the June patch for the Galaxy S21, and most countries have not received the update yet. The actual software update that includes these improvements may arrive over the next few days.

Galaxy S21

• Model: SM-G991B
• Dimensions: Bar: 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21+

• Model: SM-G996B
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S21 Ultra

• Model: SM-G998B
• Dimensions: Bar: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.8 inch / 172.72 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 2100
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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