Looks like Samsung may finally be ready to hold in-person events

It’s been a while since we’ve been to a Samsung event. The Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip launch in February 2020 was the last in-person flagship event from the company. Since then it has only conducted virtual launch event for new products.

As vaccinations pick up across the globe and travel restrictions ease, it looks like Samsung may finally be willing to hold in-person events. It’s reportedly considering the possibility of conducting its annual developers’ conference this year.

SDC 2021 would be Samsung’s first in-person event in almost two years

The Samsung Developer Conference was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. All smartphone launches since February 2020 have also been entirely virtual. Even the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are going to be launched virtually. There’s zero indication that we’ll get an in-person launch for those devices.

This is further cemented by the fact that Samsung decided against attending the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. MWC 2021 was already delayed from its traditional February slot to the last week of June just to allow for the COVID situation to settle down a bit.

The SDC has normally taken place towards the end of the year. A report out of South Korea suggests that Samsung is reviewing plans to conduct an in-person Samsung Developer Conference in October or November this year. However, the company is also said to be considering online options due to the ever changing COVID reality.

SDC is by no means a small event. Trust us, we’ve been there. Thousands of developers and partners from across the globe have historically participated in the proceedings. Some 5,000 people participated in SDC 2019. An event of this magnitude will definitely be challenging in the world that we’re living in right now.

That’s not to say we won’t ever see a return to in-person tech events. The Consumer Electronics Show 2022 is going ahead with the in-person format come January next year. Samsung might eventually return to the format as well. It may be encouraged if the SDC 2021 is able to be sufficiently managed.

The post Looks like Samsung may finally be ready to hold in-person events appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2SePYjS
via IFTTT

Online benchmark confirms the Galaxy S21 FE is headed for the USA

The Galaxy S21 FE variant meant for the international market got benchmarked numerous times over the past couple of months. The device was spotted online at Geekbench with 6GB and 8GB of RAM, as well as a Snapdragon 888 chipset. Now, the Galaxy S21 FE variant that’s planned to go on sale in the USA also made an appearance in the Geekbench database. It doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know about the device, but it’s a confirmation that the Galaxy S21 FE is headed for the USA with similar specs as the international variant.

The device spotted at Geekbench today carries model number SM-G990U and features a “lahaina” motherboard and an ARMv8 chipset featuring a total of eight cores. These clues indicate that the Galaxy S21 FE destined for the USA is powered by the same chipset as the full-fledged Galaxy S21 series, i.e., the Snapdragon 888 chipset.

The CPU cores are arranged in three clusters. The first cluster has a single high-performance core clocked at 2.84GHz. The second cluster has three CPU cores operating at up to 2.42GHz, and the third cluster has four CPU cores tuned for efficiency, clocked at 1.8GHz.

The benchmarked Galaxy S21 FE model for the USA has 6GB of RAM, but it’s almost a guarantee that Samsung USA will offer it with 8GB of RAM as well. The device runs Android 11, as expected in mid-2021, and it’s likely to ship with an almost complete version of One UI 3.1.

As for the phone’s eventual debut, rumors are somewhat conflicting, with some reports indicating that Samsung was forced to delay the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE until September or even later. Reports blame the global semiconductor shortage for this delay, though it has yet to be officially confirmed.

The post Online benchmark confirms the Galaxy S21 FE is headed for the USA appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3xxnzoc
via IFTTT

Could Samsung turn to custom CPU architectures again for future Exynos chips?

Samsung has had a rocky past when it comes to its Exynos chips. Due to performance, power efficiency, and thermal issues, the company had to stop the development of its custom CPU core designs and disband the entire team that developed those designs. It recently switched back to stock ARM CPU cores with the Exynos 2100, and the result has been satisfactory. However, it is being rumored that Samsung might start developing custom CPU cores once again.

A new rumor coming out of South Korea claims that Samsung is looking to create a new team to develop custom CPU designs based on ARM architecture. Apparently, both Qualcomm and Samsung are unhappy with the performance gains from ARM’s recently announced Cortex-X2 core, and they might consider developing custom cores for their future Exynos chips. The South Korean firm is already in talks with CPU engineers from AMD and Apple, and it may hire a senior CPU designer who worked on multiple chipsets from Apple.

Samsung is said to be in talks with a former Apple CPU designer to develop custom CPU cores for Exynos chips

It is being reported that the potential CPU designer that Samsung (System LSI) is looking to hire has demanded two things from the company: absolute rights to form a project team to develop the new architecture and complete independence to lead the development. However, you should take this information with a pinch of salt. Only time will tell if Samsung actually goes through the plan and makes its CPU designs once again, especially after what happened in the past.

The company is also developing a custom mobile GPU in partnership with AMD. The GPU is based on AMD’s latest RDNA2 architecture and has high-end features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. Maybe we will see an industry-leading Exynos chip a few years down the line with a custom CPU and a custom GPU. The company is also said to be developing a custom processor for Google’s Pixel 6 lineup.

Should Samsung tread down that path again and develop a custom CPU or stay with stock ARM cores? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Could Samsung turn to custom CPU architectures again for future Exynos chips? appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2UfcKZw
via IFTTT

Galaxy F42 5G is a rebranded version of an existing Samsung smartphone

Samsung has launched dozens of mid-range smartphones over the past year, and it looks like the company is working on another: Galaxy F42 5G. Well, it is not an entirely new device, at least as per the new piece of information. The upcoming smartphone is a rebranded version of an existing Galaxy smartphone that was launched a few weeks ago.

The Galaxy F42 (SM-E426B), which appeared for the first time last month via Wi-Fi certification, has now been found in Bluetooth SIG’s certification database. The Galaxy F42 features Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 5. The device appears to be a rebranded version of the Galaxy A22 5G (SM-A226B). We should also remind you that two more rebranded versions of the Galaxy A22 5G are being worked upon: Galaxy Buddy (SM-A226L) and Galaxy Wide 5 (SM-E426S). Hence, all four phones are listed under the same certification.

Galaxy F42 5G expected specs

The specifications of the Galaxy F42 5G could be largely similar to the Galaxy A22 5G. It could have a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It could feature a side-mounted fingerprint reader, an 8MP selfie camera, and a 48MP+5MP+2MP triple-camera setup at the rear. The phone could come equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor, 4GB/6GB/8GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot.

Connectivity features of the Galaxy F42 5G could include 5G, GPS, Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C port, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Although the Galaxy A22 5G comes with a 5,000mAh battery, we could see either a 6,000mAh or a 7,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy F42 5G. It could run Android 11 out of the box and feature 15W fast charging.

The post Galaxy F42 5G is a rebranded version of an existing Samsung smartphone appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3xw1Htf
via IFTTT

Samsung launches the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Galaxy Tab S7 FE in India

Samsung had unveiled two new tablets—Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Galaxy Tab S7 FE—last month, and they are already available for purchase in a few markets. Today, the company has launched its latest tablets in India and revealed the pricing along with information regarding color variants and various introductory offers.

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite pricing for the Indian market starts at just INR 11,999 (around $160) for the Wi-Fi-only variant. The LTE variant of the tablet is priced at INR 14,999 (around $200). It is available in just one memory configuration (3GB+32GB) and two color options: gray and silver. The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite comes with a 6-month no-cost EMI option.

The Galaxy Tab S7 FE will be available in two configurations: 4GB+64GB (INR 46,999) and 6GB+128GB (INR 50,999). Both variants have built-in LTE connectivity. It will be available in four colors: Mystic Black, Mystic Green, Mystic Pink, and Mystic Silver. Samsung is offering a cashback of INR 4,000 to those who purchase the Galaxy Tab S7 FE using HDFC debit or credit cards. There is also a discount of INR 10,000 on the official Keyboard Cover accessory.

Samsung has announced that both the new tablets will be available for purchase from Samsung.com, Samsung Exclusive Stores, and all the leading online and offline retailers. The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and the Galaxy Tab S7 FE will be available in India starting June 23, 2021.

Galaxy Tab A7 Lite LTE

• Model: SM-T225
• Dimensions: Tablet: 212.5 x 124.7 x 8 mm
  
• Display: 8.7 inch / 221 mm TFT
• CPU: MediaTek Helio P22T
• Camera: 8MP

More specifications

The post Samsung launches the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Galaxy Tab S7 FE in India appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3vCuB9R
via IFTTT

Galaxy Z Fold 2 gets the June 2021 security update in the US

Samsung started rolling out the June 2021 security update in the last week of May, and the rollout expanded to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 last week. However, only the international variant of the foldable phone had received the software update. The company has now started rolling out the update to carrier variants of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in the US.

The Sprint variant of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 (SM-F916U) has started getting a new software update in the US. The latest update, which has firmware version F916USQS1DUE3, includes the June 2021 security patch. Samsung had mentioned a few days ago in its documentation that the June patch fixes over 60 privacy and security-related vulnerabilities in Galaxy smartphones. While we don’t have the changelog for the latest Galaxy Z Fold 2 update yet, it is unlikely to bring any new features to the foldable device.

If you are a Galaxy Z Fold 2 user in the US on Sprint’s network, you might have received a notification for the OTA update. If you haven’t, you can check for the update manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install on your foldable phone. You can also download the latest compatible firmware file from our firmware database and flash it manually.

We expect the new security patch for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to go live on other networks in the US over the next few days. The flagship foldable smartphone, launched in the second half of 2020, debuted with Android 10-based One UI 2.5. It was updated to Android 11-based One UI 3.0 in January and One UI 3.1 in February 2021.

The post Galaxy Z Fold 2 gets the June 2021 security update in the US appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3iR3xku
via IFTTT

Samsung starts rolling out June 2021 security update to the Galaxy M21

The Galaxy M21 has started getting out a new software update to improve its security and privacy aspects. It is a lower mid-range smartphone that was launched last year, and it is impressive to see that Samsung is rolling out the latest security patch to the device on time. However, the Galaxy M21 software update might take a few days to reach all the units.

Samsung has started rolling out the new software update to the Galaxy M21 in India. The latest update features firmware version M215FXXU2BUF1 and contains the June 2021 security update. It might also bring additional device stability and performance improvements. The company had mentioned in its documentation that the June 2021 update includes dozens of fixes from Google and 19 fixes from Samsung to plug privacy and security-related bugs.

If you are a Galaxy M21 user in India, you might have already received a notification for the latest firmware update, but if you haven’t, you can manually check for the update by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install on your smartphone. You can also download the new firmware file from our firmware database and flash it manually. Other markets might get access to this new firmware over the next few days.

Samsung had launched the Galaxy M21 in March 2020 with Android 10 on board. The device received the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update five months ago and the One UI 3.1 update three months ago. Currently, Samsung has listed the device under its quarterly software update schedule, which means that you can expect the next software update after three months unless the company discovers a critical security issue.

The post Samsung starts rolling out June 2021 security update to the Galaxy M21 appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/3ztGphA
via IFTTT