Samsung doesn’t feel threatened by Chinese chip rivals

Chinese smartphone manufacturers have given Samsung a run for its money in the global smartphone market and now they have their sights set on Samsung’s lead in the semiconductor market. The country purchases almost a fifth of the global DRAM supply and has been funding the creation of domestic memory producers to reduce imports and establish Chinese footing in this lucrative sector.

Samsung hasn’t turned a blind eye to these moves and it has ramped up its investments in this division over the past few years. The company is using its deep pockets to crush memory chip rivals and feels that it’s in a strong enough position to not feel threatened by Chinese upstarts.

Samsung working to extend gap to rivals

Kim Ki-nam, head of Samsung’s chip business units, has downplayed the threat of Chinese rivals in this segment of the market. “Technological barriers in chips are relatively higher than in other industries,” he told reporters during Samsung’s annual shareholders’ meeting today, adding that “It takes more than just large short-term investments to overcome such difficulties.”

Samsung’s chip business is a cash cow in the true sense of the word. Its revenues were over $100 billion last year which accounted for 45 percent of the company’s total revenue for 2017. It accounted for 75 percent of Samsung Electronics’ annual operating income.

So it comes as no surprise that Samsung is keeping a close eye on what the Chinese are doing. Ki-nam mentioned that Chinese firms are heavily investing in all types of semiconductors including memory chips but cautioned that the technology gap can’t be narrowed by short-term massive investment. He said that Samsung will focus all of its energies to ensure that it continues to lead this sector.

Samsung’s strategy is to expand its second-generation 10nm DRAM products and increase gaps to its rivals by developing third-generation 10nm DRAM and sixth-generation NAND flash in the near future. Samsung is also going to focus on meeting the rising demand for chips from the Internet of Things, 5G and automotive industries.

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Samsung heir apparent skips first shareholders’ meeting

Samsung spent much of 2017 embroiled in a corruption scandal that led to the ouster of South Korea’s former president Park Geun-hye. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, widely believed to be the conglomerate’s heir apparent, was arrested on charges of bribery and corruption. He was later arrested and sentenced to five years in prison after a Seoul court found him guilty. He was released two months ago after his prison sentence was suspended.

Samsung Electronics held its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders for the 2017 financial year in Seoul today. It was the first such meeting after Lee Jae-yong’s release which was attended by 400 individual shareholders and institutional investors. Lee Jae-yong has been keeping a low profile since his release so it wasn’t surprising to see that he decided to skip the meeting.

Keeping a low profile

Lee Jae-yong denied wrongdoing throughout his trial but he was found guilty by the court and sentenced to five years in prison. He appealed to the Seoul High Court which not only reduced his original prison sentence by half but also suspended it which meant that he could walk out of jail that very day and he did.

He could go back to working at Samsung after his release as there was no law barring him from doing so. While reports out of South Korea suggest that he has been back at work, he’s keeping a low profile which is probably why he decided to skip the shareholders’ meeting.

The agenda items during the meeting included the approval of the full-year financial statement and election of new members to the Board of Directors. Samsung has reiterated its aim to further increase shareholder value by increasing dividends for 2018 to 2020.

“In 2018, we are committed to delivering another successful year by taking on new challenges and building the foundation for mid- to long-term sustainable growth,” said the Board’s Chairman Oh-Hyun Kwon.

Samsung Electronics will separate the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer roles for the first time to enhance the Board’s independence so that it can evaluate the company’s performance more objectively and function with greater authority.

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Galaxy S9 touchscreen issues now being looked into by Samsung

There have been some reports about Galaxy S9 touchscreen issues lately which are now being looked into by Samsung. Some Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ owners have complained about dead spots on the display of their units in threads on Samsung’s official support forums and Reddit. Samsung has acknowledged the matter a few days after these reports surfaced and has now said that it’s looking into the matter.

Galaxy S9 touchscreen issues

This doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem as only a small group of users have complained about it. The vast majority of customers who picked up Samsung’s new flagship have not experienced any Galaxy S9 touchscreen issues.

On a device that’s almost all touchscreen on the front and keeping in mind that it’s the only way to interact with it, you would obviously want the touchscreen to work without any issues whatsoever. Some Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ users have complained about dead spots on their units, the term “dead spots” refers to sections of the display where touch input is either ignored or not registered, to begin with. Most of the reports about these dead spots have been about the Galaxy S9+.

The dead spots aren’t present in one particular section of the display on all affected units rather they’re in different places on different units. Some users report that they have been able to address the issue by either turning up the sensitivity or by simply doing a factory reset. Others haven’t had much luck with these remedies.

Samsung has issued a statement to Engadget confirming that it’s looking into “a limited number of reports” about touchscreen issues on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.

At Samsung, customer satisfaction is core to our business and we aim to deliver the best possible experience. We are looking into a limited number of reports of Galaxy S9/S9+ touchscreen responsiveness issues. We are working with affected customers and investigating.

We encourage any customer with questions to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.

Have you experienced these Galaxy S9 touchscreen issues on your device? Let us know in the comments below.

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Galaxy S8+ receives March 2018 security patch

Samsung hasn’t released the March 2018 security patch for a great many devices as yet but we can expect the company to pick up the pace in the coming days. Most of the devices that have received this security maintenance release so far have been mid-range devices with the Galaxy S9 being the obvious exception. Samsung has now started rolling out the March 2018 security update for the Galaxy S8+.

Galaxy S8+ March 2018 security patch

Samsung detailed the March 2018 security patch two weeks ago. Since the company had its hands full with the Galaxy S8 Oreo update last month, many of its devices didn’t receive last month’s patch and will instead be bumped up straight to the March 2018 patch.

The security patch for the month of March 2018 brings fixes for nine critical vulnerabilities that were discovered in the Android operating system. Fixes for dozens of moderate-risk and high-risk vulnerabilities are included as well. Five Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items that were discovered in the company’s own software have been patched in this security maintenance release.

Samsung is now rolling out firmware version G955FXXU1CRC7 for the Galaxy S8+ in Germany. The firmware is rolling out over-the-air and also happens to be available for download from our firmware section. It’s only a matter of time before the latest security maintenance release is also sent out for the Galaxy S8.

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PSA: Remember to enable Dolby Atmos on your Galaxy S9!

You’d think that after taking so many years to bring stereo speakers to its flagship lineup, Samsung would ensure the audio experience offered by those speakers was the best it could be out of the box. Yet, on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, an important feature related to the audio experience, both through the loudspeakers and the AKG-tuned earphones, comes disabled by default. We’re talking about Dolby Atmos, as you would have guessed after reading the title, and we’re here to remind you to turn Dolby Atmos on if you’ve purchased a Galaxy S9 or S9+ and have just been going with the flow without realizing that Dolby Atmos has to be manually enabled.

Dolby Atmos makes a world of difference

And what a difference it makes. On the loudspeakers, you can instantly notice how the audio is better spaced out over the two speakers, further enhancing the stereo effect. On the already excellent AKG earphones, Dolby Atmos’ most significant effect is the increase in volume. That alone makes it worthwhile, and the best part is the volume boost doesn’t mess with the audio quality. The stereo effect is enhanced on the earphones as well, and so is the bass, making something like the new Avengers: Infinity War trailer or the original Pacific Rim with its big robot and monster duels a treat to watch.

Samsung even lets you choose from three different Dolby Atmos settings depending on what kind of media you’re viewing or listening to. These options include Movie, Music, and Voice, although we recommend leaving the setting on Auto to let the phone decide what’s best. Or, hey, go ahead and test them all out to see which one you like best; just remember to enable Dolby Atmos, especially if you spend long hours watching videos on your phone.

To turn on Dolby Atmos, go into the phone’s settings, tap Sounds and vibration, scroll down to find and tap Sound quality and effects, then enable Dolby Atmos by using the toggle next to the setting.

Don’t Miss: Samsung Galaxy S9 review

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Galaxy J8 (2018) launch inches closer, receives Wi-Fi certification

A device with the model number SM-J800FN has been spotted at the Wi-Fi Alliance. The same device surfaced in a benchmark last month, revealing some of its specifications. Based on Samsung’s naming pattern, the device should be the Galaxy J8 (2018). The device’s visit to the Wi-Fi Alliance for receiving its Wi-Fi certification signals its impending launch.

Other than that it has  Android 8.0 Oreo on board, nothing else is revealed about the Galaxy J8 (2018) from its certification. However, from the earlier Geekbench results, we know the handset will likely be powered by an Exynos 7870 processor and 3GB of RAM.

May come with an Infinity Display

It is believed that the new Galaxy J8 model will sport an Infinity Display like the one found in the Galaxy A8 (2018). Reports also suggested a new Galaxy J8+ (2018) device in line with the Galaxy A8+ (2018) model. Giving credence to these reports, a device with the model number SM-J805G, believed to be the European Galaxy J8+ (2018), has surfaced in a benchmark listing a few days back. It sports the same Exynos 7870 processor but bumps up the RAM to 4GB from the Galaxy J8’s 3GB.

Launching the Galaxy J8 and Galaxy J8+ models with Infinity Displays will bring an element of consistency to Samsung’s mid-range smartphone lineup. With the Galaxy S9 and S9+ in the premium segment, the Galaxy A8 and A8+ in the upper mid-range segment, and the Galaxy J8 and J8+ in the upper-budget category, Samsung will have smartphones with Infinity Displays at different price points, targeting different segments. Whether any of this is enough for Samsung to tackle growing competition from its Chinese rivals remains to be seen.

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Samsung’s patent envisions ‘over the air’ wireless charging

The current use of the term ‘wireless charging’ is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike wireless internet where devices can connect to the internet without any wires, current wireless charging technologies still depend on physically placing the device on a charging pad connected to a power socket. They are essentially easy-to-use wired charging solutions that don’t require connecting the phone or a tablet to a charging cable directly.

What’s next for wireless charging

It is a given that both the consumers and the companies dream about an ‘over the air’ wireless charging technology. Many companies around the world have been working to turn this dream into a reality, and Samsung is one of them. Being the largest vendor of many electronic devices in the world, it is natural for Samsung to be interested in developing easy ways to charge devices.

A Samsung patent published recently in the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) database confirms Samsung’s interest in developing a truly wireless charging technology. The patent was originally filed in 2016 in South Korea and describes a way to focus the energy on a particular device in the room. The system Samsung envisages can not only focus power on specific devices but can also circumvent obstacles using reflectors and charge the devices in the room. What this essentially means is that a user can walk around with his phone or a tablet while it is charging wirelessly.

Of course, there is no guarantee that this patent will turn into a real commercial product as is the case with many patents. However, there is no doubt this is the next logical evolution of the current wireless charging technologies. Over the air wireless charging is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. Let’s hope Samsung can overcome all the barriers and bring this futuristic technology into our lives soon.

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