Galaxy Watch 4 single-handedly takes Samsung to second position in wearable segment

Samsung took a giant leap of faith when it dropped Tizen in favor of Google’s Wear OS for its new smartwatches. Thankfully, the Galaxy Watch 4 was very well received, and that is being reflected through recent market share and shipment figures as well.

According to a new report from market research firm IDC, Samsung shipped 12.7 million smartwatches and wireless earphones during Q3 2021. The company stepped up from its third position in Q3 2020 to the second position in Q3 2021. That’s a 13.8% rise in shipments, and it is primarily due to the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Apple still leads the wearables market with close to 40 million shipments, but its market share diminished a bit (3.6%) compared to last year. Xiaomi, which primarily makes lower-priced fitness bands, smartwatches, and wireless earphones, dropped to the third position and its shipments dropped 23.8%.

Huawei somehow increased its wearable shipments (10.9 million) in Q3 2021, but its market share still dropped compared to Q3 2020. Imagine Marketing, which makes Boat-branded smartwatches and wireless earphones, saw its year-over-year growth zoom past 200% as it shipped 10 million wearables during the quarter.

IDC noted in its blog that bundling wireless earphones and smartwatches with its smartphones has helped Samsung gain the second position in the wearable segment. With more Wear OS 3 smartwatches coming next year, the platform could gain popularity and help Samsung in achieving even higher sales.

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Samsung’s TM Roh outlines strategy to get around global chip shortage

The global chip shortage has prompted Samsung to rethink its product roadmap. The Galaxy S21 FE got delayed multiple times due to a paucity of chips. Samsung even had to compromise on Galaxy Tab S8 production to ensure a steady supply of hardware for the Galaxy S22 series. It turns out that the shortage is here to stay for a while according to Samsung head honcho TM Roh.

The Elec reports that application processors (AP) and radio frequency (RF) chips, two key components for smartphones, are short in supply. As a result, Samsung has scaled back smartphone production. The shortage is expected to persist through H2, 2022, at least, but Samsung has a plan to get around it.

While Samsung has the privilege of owning its own foundries, it still has to rely on others like TSMC and Global Foundries for other parts. A part of Samsung’s strategy involves negotiating long-term contracts to ensure that they’re immune to price fluctuations. However, that is easier said than done, as it has to contend with the likes of Apple and Intel for TSMC’s precious fab space.

Samsung also plans on stocking up on at least four weeks worth of chips in advance to ensure that its production doesn’t get affected by market imbalances. That strategy seemed to have worked out decently for Huawei, which used its stockpile of Kirin 9000 SoCs to power multiple P and Mate series smartphones for years.

Will these measures help Samsung stay afloat in these tumultuous times? Probably not, the chip shortage has created a cascading effect due to which multiple components are backed up, and it could take months, if not years, for the situation to correct itself.

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Samsung monthly updates: December 2021 security patch gets detailed

Samsung started rolling out the December 2021 security update to its smartphones a few days ago. However, the company had not revealed which vulnerabilities it had fixed with the new security patch. Now, the company has finally published all the details related to the December 2021 security patch.

The company has revealed that its December 2021 security patch includes 34 fixes from Google and ten fixes from Samsung. Seven of those fixes were for critical vulnerabilities, while 24 fixes were for high severity vulnerabilities. Samsung’s own fixes included in the new security patch are related to Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chipsets and Exynos processors running Android 9, Android 10, and Android 11.

Some bugs were related to Apps Edge, improper intent redirection handling in Tags, improper usage of implicit intent in SemRewardManager allowing attackers to access BSSID, improper input validation vulnerability in LDFW, improper access control vulnerability in CPLC, and improper validation vulnerability in FilterProvider. All these bugs were fixed by Samsung. You can check more details related to 34 fixes from Google on the search giant’s own website.

The December 2021 security update has been released to the Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Flip 5G, Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. The latest beta version of One UI 4.0 for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 also includes the December 2021 security patch.

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Galaxy A71 5G finally gets November 2021 security update

Samsung has finally released the November 2021 security update to the Galaxy A71 5G. The previous update to the mid-range smartphone had brought the September 2021 security patch. The new update is rolling out in Australia, and other markets could get the update over the next few days.

The latest software update for the Galaxy A71 5G comes with firmware version A716BXXS6CUK1. It includes the November 2021 security patch that fixes dozens of privacy and security-related vulnerabilities found in Android smartphones. The update might also bring device stability improvements and general bug fixes for the Galaxy A71 5G.

If you are a Galaxy A71 5G user in Australia, you might have already received a notification of the new update. If you haven’t received it yet, you can manually check for the latest update by navigating to Settings » Software update and clicking on Download and install. You can also download the new firmware from our database and flash it manually.

The South Korean firm had launched the Galaxy A71 5G last year with Android 10-based One UI 2. The smartphone received the Android 11-based One UI 3 update earlier this year. It could get the Android 12-based One UI 4 update in the first half of 2022.

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Galaxy Z Fold 3 bootloader unlock is now possible without crippling the cameras

Although the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is pretty much Samsung’s Magnum Opus, the device isn’t without faults, especially for nerds who like to tinker with their devices. Earlier this year, it came to light that unlocking the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s bootloader would render your cameras inoperable. As expected, it caused an outcry in the developer community, and it looks like Samsung has taken cognizance of the issue.

XDA Developers has heard through one of its senior members that unlocking the bootloader no longer kills the cameras on your Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, users have to be on the second One UI 4.0 beta. With the Galaxy Z Fold 3 stable One UI 4.0 rollout already commencing in some regions, we can expect the functionality to be baked into the software’s final release.

If you’re a Galaxy Z Fold 3 user on stable One UI 3.0, it’s best if you wait for the One UI 4.0 update to arrive before attempting to unlock your bootloader. You can always re-lock your bootloader to get camera functionality back, though. Nonetheless, it’s best if you wait a few weeks before trying to experiment with your shiny new $1,800 foldable.

However, unlocking the bootloader on your Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a risky endeavour. Samsung isn’t too keen about users peeking under the phone’s hood. For one thing, you’ll lose all access to Knox-centric features such as Secure Folder and Samsung Pay once the Knox Bit is tripped. The only way to get it back is to physically replace the component.

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Disappointed with Samsung, Qualcomm could shift some Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 production to TSMC

Qualcomm had recently revealed that its latest flagship smartphone chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, is being manufactured by Samsung using the 4nm process. However, it appears that all is not well, and there could be some changes to the production of the new processor.

If recent rumors are to be believed, Qualcomm is unhappy with low yields from Samsung Foundry’s 4nm fabrication process. If production issues persist, the company might shift at least some production of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset from Samsung Foundry to its main rival TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).

According to some industry experts, TSMC’s chip fabrication processes are usually better than Samsung Foundry’s in terms of size and power efficiency. If Qualcomm decides to make some Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips using Samsung Foundry’s process and others using TSMC’s process, there might be performance or power efficiency differences between them, leading to Apple’s ‘ChipGate’-like issue.

Even the Exynos 2200 chipset is expected to be built using Samsung Foundry’s 4nm process, and if the report is accurate, the Galaxy S22 series might face chip shortage issues. Moreover, losing a part of the chip contract from a big client like Qualcomm might hurt Samsung’s semiconductor business and its plans to defeat TSMC by 2030.

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