Samsung details the work behind the Galaxy S9’s stereo speakers

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are an incremental upgrade over their predecessors. The new phones come with many improvements which add up to make a noticeable difference in the overall experience. Stereo speakers, however, are a major addition made by Samsung to its latest flagships and its flagship lineup in general. In a blog post on its website, Samsung has detailed the efforts required to equip the Galaxy S9 and S9+ with stereo speakers.

Galaxy S9/S9+ sound 1.4 times louder

At the outset, Samsung set out to equip the new smartphones with “multiple dynamic speakers” to ensure sound from different areas of the phone for an immersive audio experience. Previous Galaxy smartphones had speakers at the bottom of the phone. For the Galaxy S9/S9+, Samsung decided to place an additional speaker at the top of the phone to enable a stereo experience, just like other OEMs have done. Due to the tiny bezels and the edge-to-edge display, adding that extra speaker proved challenging for Samsung. It required rearranging the internal components on the front (like the front camera and iris scanner) to make room for the additional speaker.

Samsung engineers from different teams worked on that rearrangement, but in spite of all these efforts, they were still left with a minor size difference between the two speakers. The company addressed this imbalance by fine-tuning the speakers to balance the output levels. The team also increased the size of the existing speaker by 1.5 times and reduced magnetic interference from other components.

By doing all this and more, Samsung was, in the end, able to make the Galaxy S9 and S9+ sound 1.4 times (3-4dB) louder than their predecessors. Samsung’s efforts to offer a rich audio experience on the new flagship smartphones were not just limited to adding an extra speaker, though. The company also partnered with Dolby Atmos to incorporate a virtual surround sound effect to create the impression that sound is coming out from multiple directions. Audio experts from AKG also fine-tuned the speakers to expand their bass range while preventing distortions even at high volume.

Read our Galaxy S9 review to see how we feel about the phone’s stereo speakers!

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Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ rear cameras use a Sony IMX sensor in some markets

Surprise? Not really. As expected, Samsung’s latest flagships come with a Sony IMX sensor in some markets, as revealed by the folks over at TechInsights in their Galaxy S9 camera teardown. Samsung has sourced the IMX345 sensor from Sony and the S5K2L3 from its own semiconductor division for its latest flagship, and both sensors come with the same specs to make possible camera features such as the adjustable aperture and Super Slow-mo (960 fps) videos.

Galaxy S9 camera sensor isn’t the same in every market

The Sony IMX345 is similar to the IMX400 used in the Xperia XZs, which was the world’s first smartphone to feature slow-motion video recording at 960 frames per second. The S5K2L3, meanwhile, is an upgrade to the S5K2L2 found on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8. As Samsung has been pointing out time and time again, the newer chip comes with dedicated memory to make possible the faster processing needed for 960 fps videos and for combining data from multiple images to create a noise-free final picture in low-light conditions. The IMX345 has a similar setup, and as has been the case in years past, there shouldn’t be a noticeable difference between camera quality no matter which of the two sensors is inside your Galaxy S9.

It’s unclear if Samsung is employing different sensors for the 8-megapixel front camera on the Galaxy S9 and S9+, but going by what the company did for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, that may well be the case. Again, it doesn’t really matter if the sensors are not the same in every market, although it’s a good indication of how Samsung continues to need Sony’s camera chips to be able to produce enough sensors to go around for the millions of Galaxy S flagships that it sells each year.

Interested in checking out what camera sensor your Galaxy S9 has? Download the AIDA64 app from the Play Store and look at the details inside the app’s Devices section.

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Samsung’s Gear IconX (2018) earbuds are getting a software update

Samsung has just announced that the Gear IconX (2018), the second iteration of its fitness tracking-enabled wireless earbuds, is getting a major software update today. The IconX update comes a few days after Samsung released updates for some of its smartwatches and fitness trackers, and it includes both new features and improvements to existing ones.

Gear IconX (2018) software update

The new features include an equalizer setting, which allows users to select from five different presets (Bass Boost, Soft, Dynamic, Clear and Treble Boost) and should give IconX users with non-Samsung phones the ability to customize the audio quality. The Ambient Sound mode feature is more customizable as well thanks to the update. Users can now decide the amount of ambient sound that they wish to hear when they’re wearing the IconX, and a separate toggle will make the earbuds focus on human voices (for those unaware, Ambient Sound mode makes it possible to hear the outside world when you’re using the IconX to play music or other media).

Samsung has also added the ability to transfer music tracks to the IconX over Bluetooth. Naturally, Bluetooth transfer can be time-consuming, especially if you decide to send across hundreds of music files to fill up the 4GB of built-in storage on the IconX (2018), but it’s still a good feature to have as you can’t always have the necessary cables available to use wired data transfer.

The Gear IconX (2018) update is available now and can be downloaded from the Samsung Gear app on a connected phone (from the About Gear » Update Gear software menu in the Settings tab). The Samsung Gear app itself will need to be updated first, and you’ll get a notification to update to the latest version when you open the app.

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Samsung Pay in the US finally gets PayPal integration

Since the launch of Samsung Pay, Samsung has been aggressively working to get more financial companies onboard to support its payment service. As part of the efforts, Samsung announced PayPal integration for Samsung Pay in the US in July last year. For reasons best known to them, Samsung Pay didn’t receive the PayPal support so far. Nine months after the original announcement, Samsung seems to be finally rolling out PayPal support for Samsung Pay in the US.

Gradually rolling out

Many Samsung Pay users in the US have reported online that the new Samsung Pay update on Google Play has added support for PayPal accounts. The changelog on Google Play for the Samsung Pay’s latest update also mentions PayPal support. Samsung users need to have the recently released beta v2.8.29 of the Samsung Pay app to get PayPal integration. Even with that version of the app, there is no guarantee that users will get the PayPal integration instantly. Samsung states in the app update changelog that it might take 1-2 days for the ‘Add PayPal’ option to appear in the updated app. While we can’t confirm independently, there are also reports online stating the feature is currently rolling out only for Galaxy Note 8 users in the US.

The option to add a PayPal account is listed under the Add section of the Samsung Pay app. The linking process is straightforward, and once the PayPal account is linked, Samsung Pay users can choose PayPal as a payment method to pay for goods and services. Samsung Pay is already one of the most popular mobile payment solutions out there because of its universal acceptance and ease of use. The new PayPal integration will make it even better.

If you are from the US and have received PayPal support in Samsung Pay app already, do let us know your experience in the comments section below.

             Photo Credits: Android Police

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Samsung DeX Pad will go on sale in the US on May 13th

Samsung’s new DeX Pad, which the company unveiled alongside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, will be made available for purchase in the US on May 13th. The company has also announced the pricing for its upgraded docking station in the country. The DeX Pad will cost $99.99, and pre-orders go live today on Samsung’s website. Samsung is even giving prospective Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ customers a chance to get a free DeX Pad by buying either phone through the company’s official website for a limited time.

Samsung DeX Pad will go on sale in the US on May 13th

The DeX Pad brings more than just a design upgrade to Samsung’s docking station. The pad design allows the display of the connected device to be used as a trackpad if you don’t have a mouse lying around, and the same goes for a keyboard. That’s not to say you can’t use the new touchpad feature on the original DeX, as the trackpad support is built into Android 8.0 Oreo. The DeX Pad also supports higher-resolution displays – WQHD (2560×1440 pixels) to be exact, while the original only supported Full HD displays. There’s still no audio port on the station, but thanks to the horizontal design, you can simply use the phone’s headphone jack to power external speakers. Samsung has also done away with the LAN port that was found on the DeX Station, although this may not be much of an issue for most folks in today’s Wi-Fi connected world.

Don’t forget to check out our review of the original Samsung DeX to see just how well it enables you to turn your phone into a PC, and let us know if you’re thinking of picking up a DeX Pad. Also take a look at our Galaxy S9 review if you’re thinking of taking advantage of the free DeX deal on Galaxy S9 orders and don’t own Samsung’s latest flagship yet.

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Limited-edition Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 launched in India

The recently launched Galaxy S9 and S9+ are not very different from the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in terms of their design language and features. Given the similarities, one would assume Samsung to discontinue or discourage sales of the Galaxy S8 series to nudge the customers towards the Galaxy S9 duo. However, Samsung seems to think otherwise and is aggressively pushing the older models without any fear of sales cannibalization.

Available for purchase starting April 13

Earlier this month, Samsung India announced a substantial price-cut for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ to make them more appealing. Before the price cut, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ were priced too close to the current Galaxy flagship smartphones, effectively discouraging any sales. To make the Galaxy S8 even more compelling, Samsung is now bringing the Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 to India. This color variant was already available in select markets around the world. Samsung currently offers the Galaxy S8 in Midnight Black, Maple Gold, and Orchid Gray color options in India.

Naturally, the specs of these devices remain the same, so it’s only the beautiful new color option that’s the highlight here. The Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 will be available for purchase starting April 13 at a price of  Rs. 49,990. Paytm will offer an additional cashback of Rs.10,000 at all leading retail stores to sweeten the deal.

Also Read: Three reasons to buy the Galaxy S9 or S9+ over the Galaxy S8 or S8+

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Galaxy J7 Duo should launch soon, firmware now available online

Samsung’s been testing quite a few new Galaxy J smartphones, as has been evident by the slew of benchmark listings and certifications discovered in recent weeks. These are in addition to the Galaxy J8 and Galaxy J8+, which are expected to be the successors to the Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017). Samsung also has a Galaxy J7 Duo in the works for some markets, and the release of the phone’s user manual on the company’s website suggested it would soon be launching officially. That certainly seems to be the case, as firmware for the device are now available online.

Possibly the first budget Samsung phone with Oreo out of the box

Depending on when the Galaxy J7 Duo will be unveiled, it could be the first budget Samsung phone to run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, or any non-flagship phone for that matter. And with firmware files now available for the handset, the J7 Duo will most likely be launched before this month is over. Launch markets should include the UAE, Turkey, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, all of which are countries where Samsung’s budget phones usually do quite well. Sadly, it seems the phone will only have the latest Android security patch (April 2018) in the UAE and Turkey. The firmware for the other four markets include the January 2018 security patch, and it remains to be seen how quickly Samsung will bring security updates to the device.

As far as specs are concerned, the Galaxy J7 Duo will come with a dual rear camera (a 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel pair), a fingerprint sensor, a front-facing camera with selfie flash, dual SIM slots, the Exynos 7884/7885 SoC, 3 or 4GB of RAM, and a removable battery of unknown capacity. Bixby Home will also be included, thanks to Android Oreo, although a dedicated button will not be present. Also, some of the specs aren’t fully confirmed at this point, but considering these were spotted in recent benchmark listings, we can expect to see them on the final product. Pricing, then, is the biggest question mark, and we’ll just have to wait for the official launch for the answer.

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