Samsung talks about its semiconductor tech advancements at SAFE Forum 2021

Samsung held its annual SAFE (Semiconductor Advanced Foundry Ecosystem) Forum event earlier today. At the third edition of the company’s annual event, Samsung Foundry’s advanced semiconductor technologies were discussed with its partners and clients. The three main topics covered during the event were 3nm GAA (Gate-All-Around), AI (Artificial Intelligence), and 2.5D/3D semiconductor packaging.

The event included 7 plenary talks and 76 sessions about semiconductor technologies. The company said that it is expanding its chip foundry ecosystem by focusing on Cloud, DSP (Design Solution Partner), EDA (Electronic Design Automation),  IP (intellectual property), and packaging solutions.

Along with its foundry partners, Samsung has already reserved over 3,600 IPs and 80 certified EDA tools. These technologies were developed and verified by Samsung and its partners. The company has even developed high-performance computing-specific foundation IPs that include memory compilers, standard cell libraries, 100Gbps Serializer-Deserializer (SerDes) interfaces, and 2.5D/3D multi-die integration.

Samsung developed its 3nm GAA chip fabrication technology and combined it with 2.5D and 3D chip packaging solutions for faster performance and lower power consumption. The company’s partners can use EDA tools for chip design and analysis. The company has even created a platform where its partners can use GPUs for efficient chip design verification.

The company had recently announced its H-Cube chip packaging technology. It used the SAFE-Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) ecosystem for the co-development of H-Cube with its partners. The company wants to go beyond Moore’s law for future chip fabrication development.

SAFE-CDP (Cloud Design Platform) can be used by Samsung’s partners and chip clients for designing. The company has now improved it to work in a hybrid environment so that its clients can use it along with their conventional design environments. With SAFE-DSP, Samsung and its partners can help fabless chip companies in implementing their design ideas into custom products using Samsung’s advanced fabrication technologies.

Samsung’s partners, including ARM, Ansys, Cadence, Siemens EDA, and Synopsys, appear quite excited about Samsung’s upcoming 3nm GAA fabrication process and 2.5D/3D packaging technologies.

Ryan Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Foundry Design Platform Development at Samsung Electronics, said, “In the rapidly changing data-centric era, Samsung and its foundry partners have made great strides responding to increasing customers demand and to support their success by providing powerful solutions. With the support of our SAFE program, Samsung will lead the realization of the vision ‘Performance Platform 2.0’.”

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Samsung to produce 276 million phones in 2022 as the market recovers

The smartphone market is about to return to pre-pandemic production levels, says market watcher TrendForce estimating that all OEMs combined will ship roughly 1.39 billion phones in 2022, up 3.8% year-on-year. With the phone market beginning to fully recover, Samsung is also expected to increase its production output by around 1.1% YoY.

The research firm estimates that Samsung will manufacture around 276 million smartphones next year and capture 20% of the market. It should be followed by Apple with 18%, Xiaomi (16%), Oppo (15%), and Vivo (11%).

Out of the 1.39 billion smartphones expected to be churned out by all OEMs next year, roughly 660 million will be capable of 5G connectivity.

Samsung could be losing ground in emerging markets

Even though Samsung should maintain its lead over all other OEMs worldwide and increase its smartphone production output in 2022, market watchers estimate that the company could be losing ground in emerging markets.

Samsung’s recent efforts concern mainly the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the Z Fold 3, the S Pen, and the upcoming Galaxy S22 series featuring an S Pen-enabled Ultra model. The company’s now outsourcing more mid-range phones to ODM companies to increase profit margins, but it’s no longer as competitive in the low-end segment.

Other OEMs do have a stronger low-end device portfolio, which is why TrendForce believes that Samsung will find it increasingly difficult to improve its market share in emerging markets. Nevertheless, Samsung should continue leading the global smartphone segment as a whole throughout 2022.

Next year, half of Samsung’s smartphones could be powered by Exynos chipsets, and the company could move a significant portion of its manufacturing to India.

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Android 12 on the Galaxy S21 has a lag issue

Samsung began updating the Galaxy S21 series worldwide with the Android 12-based One UI 4.0 earlier this week. Everything seems to be working according to plan in most markets, except the USA, where customers have raised complaints about UI stutter issues after applying the latest update.

The UI lag seems to be caused by a bug related to the display’s high refresh rate, in that it switches from 120Hz back to 60Hz when it shouldn’t.

More specifically, the Galaxy S21’s display is supposed to switch between different refresh rates according to the on-screen content and user input. However, after Android 12, the screen reverts to a low 60Hz refresh rate immediately once the display stops detecting touch inputs, and this happens regardless of whether animations are displayed. Obviously, this unwanted behavior leads to stuttery scrolling effects throughout the UI and almost every app.

Only USA Galaxy S21 models seem to be affected

The good news — at least for people outside the USA — is that the lag issue doesn’t seem to affect any other Galaxy S21 models except for those sold in the USA. If you have the international Galaxy S21, you shouldn’t be experiencing any UI lag once you update your device to Android 12 and One UI 4.0.

Samsung is probably already looking into the refresh rate lag problem as we speak and will hopefully release a timely hotfix for the US-bound Galaxy S21 running Android 12. We’ll keep you up to speed as soon as that happens, so stick around.

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Samsung will enable the Galaxy Watch 4 ECG sensor this month in Taiwan

Samsung is enabling the ECG (electrocardiogram) feature on the Galaxy Watch 4 series in more markets. The company announced today that Watch 4 customers in Taiwan will be able to put the ECG sensor to use beginning in late November.

Samsung plans to enable the ECG sensor on the Galaxy Watch 4 series through a software update scheduled to go live in Taiwan later this month. Once the ECG functionality is enabled, Galaxy Watch 4 users can monitor their heart rate and detect signs of atrial fibrillation directly from their wrist-worn devices.

The Galaxy Watch 4 series’ ECG sensor isn’t enabled in every market yet. The wearable device requires to go through different approval processes before it can offer ECG functionalities, and these approvals can be obtained faster in some markets than others. It’s difficult to predict where ECG might go live next, but as always, we’ll keep you posted.

Samsung is giving Taiwanese customers a better trade-in deal

Samsung expects more people in Taiwan to jump on the Galaxy Watch 4 bandwagon now that ECG is coming, and the company has prepared a new incentive in the way of higher trade-in values.

Customers who purchase the Galaxy Watch 4 at the Samsung Smart Hall or Samsung Mall before December 31 have the option of trading in a different device in exchange for up to NT$2,000 bonus on the original trade-in value.

Samsung is presently selling the smaller Bluetooth-only Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic variants online in Taiwan for NT$8,990 ($323) and NT$11,990 ($427), but the prices can be higher depending on size and connectivity options. The company also sells the Galaxy Watch 4 Maison Kitsuné Edition for NT$11,990 ($427).

Check our review and hands-on videos below for a closer look at the latest Samsung wearables, and if you already own one of the Watch 4 models, feel free to let us know if the ECG sensor is functional in your region.

Galaxy Watch 4 series review

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More leaked Galaxy S21 FE hands-on photos reveal all about the design

The Galaxy S21 FE is up for another round of leaked photos, and this time around, the phone is whole and appears to be booting up. The last time we saw the Galaxy S21 FE in hands-on photos was a couple of weeks ago when a part supplier began selling the phone’s back panel prematurely; however, the latest leak showcases a fully-functioning Galaxy S21 FE from every angle.

The phone looks pretty much as you would expect if you followed the recent news. It has a polycarbonate build with a metal frame, an Infinity-O display cutout, and a camera housing that resembles the Galaxy S21. The location of the LED flash matches leaked case renders, and the display seems to be completely flat.

The lower edge of the device accommodates the speaker, the SIM card tray, and the USB-C port, but the phone lacks a 3.5mm headphone port.

Galaxy S21 FE should release in a few other color options

The Galaxy S21 FE shown in these hands-on photos (via @Abhisheksoni130) has a dark gray finish, yet rumors indicate that the device will be available in a range of four colors, including gray as well as light green, light violet, and white.

If true, this means the Galaxy S21 FE won’t offer nearly as many color options at launch as the Galaxy S20 FE did, which is somewhat odd given Samsung’s recent push for more customization options via Bespoke Edition devices. Maybe releasing six color options globally was too much of a logistics challenge for Samsung, or perhaps the company will introduce more customization options after launch.

Either way, the Galaxy S21 FE should be officially introduced in early January and hit the shelves by the middle of the month.

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Samsung Galaxy for Work campaign highlights the importance of high-tech

Samsung has launched a new initiative to help businesses keep their employees as companies recover from the challenges faced during the pandemic. A recent study shows that one of the biggest challenges for CEOs today is to retain top talent, as employees — especially in the finance and public safety sectors — now put a higher value on companies that can provide cutting-edge technologies designed to improve their workflow.

The study shows that the level of job satisfaction for high-performing employees is tied closely to the level of technology they can access. 80% of workers participating in the study claimed that they’re more willing to join a company if it has the latest technologies, as this should help them do their job better and elevate their performance.

To address the challenges faced by companies, Samsung has developed powerful enterprise tools that appeal to employees, such as Knox for Enterprise Mobility for IT Managers who want a one-stop shop for everything they need to keep devices secure and operational.

The recent survey shows that 100% of existing Samsung enterprise customers want to continue using the company’s enterprise solution, as they’re fast and reliable.

You don’t need a ping-pong table or a hot-dog vending machine (they’re a nice touch, though…)

Samsung’s new Galaxy for Work campaign is accompanied by a couple of videos that are meant to highlight the importance of relevant technologies at the workplace. Oddly enough, the two ads poke fun at the idea of recreational spaces in enterprise environments and suggest that employees would rather use high-tech solutions to improve their work rather than take some time off to cool down. Which sounds fair, except people do need to take breaks and wind down.

But according to the campaign ads, instead of playing a game of ping-pong with colleagues on your break, you could be looking at graphs on your Galaxy device. And why would you need a vending machine at the workplace? Technology is soul food… Or at least that’s what Samsung’s enterprise ads seemingly imply. Perhaps the next campaign will address burnout at the workplace to balance things out.

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Samsung recruiting One UI 4.0 beta testers for Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold 2

Samsung did an excellent job with the One UI 4.0 update rollout to the Galaxy S21 series. The company has also released the beta version of the One UI 4.0 update to the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy Note 20. Now, the company has started recruiting beta testers for its older foldable smartphones.

The company has announced via the Samsung Members forum that it will soon start recruiting beta testers for the Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta update for the Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. More markets, including China, Germany, India, the UK, and the US could get the One UI 4.0 Beta Program in the next few weeks.

These smartphones will get multiple beta releases before Samsung rolls out the stable version of One UI 4.0. To participate in the beta program, users would have to download the Samsung Members app, sign in using their Samsung ID, and click on the One UI 4.0 Beta Program banner.

One UI 4.0 brings all the goodness of Android 12, including Material You-inspired color palette, improved privacy and security, and faster performance. Samsung has also improved all of its stock apps, added new widgets, and improved the widgets picker menu. There are dozens of other smaller updates and feature improvements as well.

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Guess the Samsung device 20 – See if you can get them all right!

This is a fun new activity that we have put together for our readers. Think you can correctly identify all Samsung devices? Take part in our quiz below and let’s see how many you can get right!

We’ll create a new visual quick every week for you to participate and hopefully learn more about the many Samsung Galaxy devices. Do share the results of the quiz with your friends and see if you can compete against them for higher scores and bragging rights.

Remember, if the quiz isn’t loading properly, please access the non-AMP version of this webpage.

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Samsung will rely less on Vietnam for its smartphone needs

Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard multiple reports of Samsung facilities in Vietnam operating at reduced capacities due to COVID-related restrictions. Previously, supply issues caused Samsung a 5% loss in one prime market. Vietnam is where Samsung phones are made, most of them anyway.

Labor costs in Vietnam are rising, too. As a result, Samsung is planning to reduce the output of its Vietnam facilities and offload it to locations such as India and Indonesia.

Samsung plans to expand its manufacturing facilities elsewhere

TheElec.kr reports that production of up to 192 million units of smartphones will be moved to the locations mentioned above. The transition isn’t instant, though, and will be spread out over a span of two years.

19 million units will be spread out across India and Indonesia starting in Q1, 2022, followed by additional volume in the coming months. The Indian plants, in particular, will witness a meteoric rise in the number of orders. It is projected to manufacture 93 million smartphones in 2022, 33 million more than its 2021 forecast.

Samsung has earmarked a total of $140 million for the endeavour, of which $90 million will go to India and $50 million to Indonesia. In 2022, 50% of the manufacturing will happen in Vietnam, 29% in India, 6% in Indonesia and the remaining amount globally. Currently, those figures stand at 60%, 20% and 4% for Vietnam, India and Indonesia, respectively.

The decision to diversify the supply chain to additional locations isn’t surprising, given that disruption at one location can severely impact prospects. Until now, Samsung had heavily relied on Vietnam for its manufacturing need and the recent events may have prompted it to rethink its strategy.

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SamMobile Weekly Giveaway: Your chance to win the Galaxy Buds Live!

We’re back with the latest edition of the SamMobile Weekly Giveaway! On offer this week is one of the best Samsung earbuds money can buy. Fortunately, you have a chance to win them for free.

The Galaxy Buds Live happen to be the first wireless earbuds from Samsung to feature Active Noise Cancellation. Their unique design also make them very comfortable to wear for long periods of use. The sound quality is excellent as well, meaning you won’t have any complaints with the Galaxy Buds Live.

Just follow the steps mentioned in the widget below to submit your entry. All SamMobile readers across the globe are eligible for this giveaway. The winner will be announced on November 24, 2021.

Samsug Galaxy Buds Live international giveaway!

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[Result] SamMobile Weekly Giveaway: Win a Samsung 1TB Portable SSD!

Want an SSD to meet your storage needs? How about one of the best that money can buy? Instead of buying it, participate in the latest edition of the SamMobile Weekly Giveaway for a chance to win the 1TB Samsung Portable SSD T5!

The super-fast read and write speeds that this SSD promises will ensure that all of your storage needs are met in a spectacular fashion. The 1TB capacity is also more than enough to store all of the media, documents, folders and more that you could possibly have.

SamMobile readers across the globe can participate in this giveaway by following the steps mentioned in the widget below. The winner will be announced on November 10th, 2021.

Result: Congratulations to Catherine Whitfield for winning the 1TB Portable SSD! We’ll have your prize sent out soon. For everyone else, there’s next week’s giveaway!

Portable SSD T5 1TB international giveaway!

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Samsung wants to create a more flexible culture within the company

Samsung is one of the biggest technology giants globally, and it makes hundreds of products in diverse categories. However, the company’s management style sometimes seems rigid, with a complex hierarchy structure. The South Korean firm wants to change that, and it is bringing some structural changes.

Right now, Samsung has seniority and rank-based hierarchy, similar to many other Korean firms. It is being reported that Samsung Electronics is changing its HR (Human Resource) management system across the company for the first time in five years. The company aims to make a flexible and flatter organizational culture, similar to startups and other US-based firms.

The company is planning to evaluate the abilities of individual employees and reward them accordingly. The South Korean firm is also planning to assess employee performance on an absolute scale rather than a relative one. It might also bring a peer evaluation method (with three colleagues chosen randomly), similar to many firms in the US. With this change, Samsung aims to make its decision-making process more agile while cutting down rising costs.

Samsung currently has four levels of hierarchy, and that was changed in 2016. The upcoming management style changes will be the first time in the past five years. The company has already held a few briefing sessions and is gradually informing its employees about the upcoming changes.

One Samsung official said, “By bringing changes to our personnel management system, Samsung Electronics is trying to create a flexible and horizontal organizational culture, and we will be able to announce the changes at the end of this month. As it is a system that has an impact on the work activities of employees, we are preparing for this by collecting various internal and external opinions.”

With the management style changes that Samsung is pursuing, the company wants to become more flexible and adopt changes in the industry. Since Samsung is a massive contributor to the Korean economy, these changes are being closely watched by industry experts and other firms.

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COVID forces Samsung to delay the Galaxy Tab S8 to save Galaxy S22

It’s been almost two years since the COVID19 pandemic completely changed our lives. The pandemic has had a drastic effect on the way we work. Companies have had to adjust but despite vaccinations, outbreaks can still take place.

A confirmed outbreak at Samsung Digital City in Suwon, South Korea was reported recently. 11 employees of the mobile business unit at the R5 building caught COVID. The steps Samsung has taken to contain the outbreak threaten to derail its Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy S22 launch plans.

Samsung delaying Galaxy Tab S8 to save the Galaxy S22

When COVID outbreaks were previously detected, Samsung used to shut down the entire facility. Employees would work from home and only visit the site on rotation. This time around, Samsung has reportedly taken a different approach.

70% of the employees based in the R5 building will work from home while 30% will work on site. This will continue till the end of this year. R5 is where the development work for new Galaxy devices takes place.

The Galaxy S22 and the Galaxy Tab S8 series are the new flagship products that Samsung is due to launch early next year. Many of the employees at R5 would understandably be involved in the development work for these devices.

At home, they obviously won’t have access to the equipment present on site. They won’t have development samples of the devices as well since Samsung won’t allow samples of unreleased products to be taken out of the facility.

This puts the employees who will work on site in a bit of a pickle. Does Samsung prioritize the teams that are working on the Galaxy S22 series or those on the Galaxy Tab S8? The answer is a no brainer. It will obviously prioritize the Galaxy S22 lineup.

So the assumption now is that due to this outbreak, the Galaxy Tab S8 launch will likely be delayed as Samsung works to ensure that the Galaxy S22 series can be launched on time. It’s not an ideal scenario but that’s the world we’re living in right now.

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These are your color choices for the Galaxy Tab S8 series

Samsung fans are excited to see the next flagship tablet lineup from the company. There have been a few leaks already concerning the Galaxy Tab S8 series. The company will be launching three new models as part of this lineup.

The Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+ and the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra will make up the new flagship tablet series from Samsung. We now know the color options that will be on offer when these devices finally go on sale.

Color options for the Galaxy Tab S8 series emerge

According to information uncovered by GalaxyClub, the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8 will be available in gray, silver and rose gold colors. The 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S8+ will also be offered in the same three colors. So far, it appears that the monster 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra will only be available in gray color.

There might be another reason behind why the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra might only be available in one color. Samsung is reportedly going to make this tablet available in short supply only in limited markets. Production yield issues with the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s display apparently have something to do with this.

All of the Galaxy Tab S8 models will be powered by Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon processor. They will ship with Android 12L and Samsung’s one One UI 4.x. All three models are expected to feature 45W fast charging support.

Samsung hasn’t hinted when it might launch the Galaxy Tab S8 series. Rumor has it that we might see it being unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 in Las Vegas. It’s also possible that we might have to wait until MWC 2022 in Barcelina come February 2022.

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