Galaxy S10 features will include an in-display fingerprint sensor

There’s already a fair bit of speculation about the Galaxy S10 features given that it’s the 10th anniversary model of Samsung’s flagship series. The company is expected to pull out all the stops and launch a revolutionary device next year. One of the new Galaxy S10 features is said to be an in-display fingerprint sensor that some have been expecting Samsung to introduce with the Galaxy Note 9 later this year.

It has been rumored for the past couple of years that Samsung will integrate an in-display fingerprint sensor into its flagship smartphones. It’s yet to do that and while many were holding out on hope that the company would do that with the Galaxy Note 9, that may not be the case.

Galaxy S10 features

There have been conflicting reports over the past couple of months that the Galaxy Note 9 will feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. It was also reported two months ago that Samsung would make a final decision on this in the near future and it appears the company has made a decision.

Samsung has reportedly informed its suppliers that it has abandoned its plan to introduce the sensor with the Galaxy Note 9 in favor of introducing it with the Galaxy S10 next year. Samsung won’t be the first company to bring a smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor to market but its technology will be superior to the one that Chinese OEMs are using.

An optical sensor works by capturing reflected fingerprints between and through the OLED pixels. The sensor is easier to implement but not as accurate. Samsung is developing an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor itself which will be much more accurate.

It works by transmitting an ultrasonic pulse against the finger some of which is absorbed and some sent back to the sensor through the minute details such as pores and ridges that are unique to every fingerprint. This allows for additional depth data to be collected which results in a very accurate 3D reproduction of the fingerprint, thus ensuring higher accuracy.

Samsung is reportedly developing this ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor itself and aims to use it in devices other than smartphones as well, such as home appliances, smart home devices and even automobiles.

It’s too soon for the company to confirm when it’s going to unveil the Galaxy S10 but there are whispers on the street that the Galaxy S10 could be unveiled at CES 2019 in January as the MWC 2019 slot will be kept for the elusive foldable smartphone.

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T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update out once more

The T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update was released on the very first day of April but the rollout was halted a couple of days later. We reported on April 3 that the carrier had decided to put the Oreo release for the Galaxy Note 8 on hold. It didn’t provide any information on the reason why it was now the only carrier in the United States not to have Oreo out for all Note 8 users on its network.

Galaxy Note 8 owners on T-Mobile will be delighted to know that the update is rolling out once again. T-Mobile is finally rolling out Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy Note 8 on its network.

T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update

T-Mobile is now rolling out firmware version N950USQU4CRD7 for the Galaxy Note 8. Even though we’re halfway through the month of May and the latest security patch has already been detailed, this particular firmware update still comes with the April 2018 security patch. The update is available for download from our firmware section.

Those who were able to get on Oreo before the carrier halted the release will see a relatively small firmware update that weighs in at 344MB. Those who are still running Android 7.1.1 Nougat on their Galaxy Note 8 will get a 1.3GB update that’s finally going to bump up their handset to the latest iteration of Android.

T-Mobile has also updated its support page for the handset to reflect that the Oreo update for the Galaxy Note 8 is now being rolled out. The changelog for those who got the update initially merely mentions that this firmware brings bug fixes and performance improvements.

With the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update rolling out for good now, it’s only a matter of time before all users on the carrier are able to get a taste of Oreo. The update is being rolled out in phases so it’s going to take a couple of days for it to go live for everyone.

Have you received the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8 Oreo update already? Let us know in the comments below.

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Apple vs Samsung damages retrial starts tomorrow

Samsung and Apple share a very complex relationship in the marketplace. Apart from being fierce competitors in the premium smartphone segment, they also share a supplier-client relationship with Apple buying billions of dollars’ worth of phone components from Samsung. Both companies are also involved in a high-profile patent infringement case, which started when Apple sued Samsung for infringing on its design and utility patents.

The original Apple v. Samsung trial started back in 2012 and quickly became famous in the tech circles. After a lot of back and forth, a nine-member jury sided with Apple’s patent infringement claims and awarded the company $1.05 billion in damages. However, citing a jury error, District Court Judge Lucy Koh struck down $450.5 million off the original judgment and ordered a new trial in 2013 to recalculate the damages. In December 2015, the Korean tech giant ultimately paid $548 million to Apple in damages, based on the total profits by Samsung from infringing devices.

Many executives from Samsung will testify

The case didn’t end there as Samsung asked the Supreme Court to determine if damages from design patents can be based on the value of the infringed part instead of the total profit from the device. The court agreed with Samsung’s argument and said damages could sometimes be based on infringed components. Two months after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had remanded the Apple v. Samsung case back to the same Northern District Court of California where it all started.

Out of the $548 million damages paid by Samsung, only $399 million, considered the ‘additional remedy’ amount, is under examination in the 2018 retrial. In the light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Samsung is hoping for a smaller damages award to the Cupertino company. Many executives from Samsung will testify in the retrial. Jury selection for the retrial will happen on May 14, and the opening arguments will take place the next day.

You might have observed that the money under examination here is a small amount by Samsung’s standard, but the case holds importance to Samsung and other companies which supported Samsung from the perspective of future litigation by setting a precedent.

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Exclusive: Here are the Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6 specs

The Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6 are two brand new Galaxy J smartphones Samsung will be introducing to its budget lineup this year, as the many rumors, leaks, and certifications have let slip in recent months. The two devices have also been spotted on Samsung’s official website recently, indicating they are almost ready to be unveiled. Yet, despite everything we have seen and heard about the Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6, there hasn’t been enough information on the specs these devices will carry. Well, that’s changing today, thanks to one of our sources.

Galaxy J6 specs

First things first: The Galaxy J6 indeed sports an Infinity Display, which was already confirmed by the phone’s FCC certification. It’s a 5.6-inch AMOLED panel, and while we aren’t aware of the display resolution, we hope it’s not higher than HD+ (1480×720 pixels). That’s because the Galaxy J6 is powered by the Exynos 7870 octa-core chip (clocked at 1.6GHz), which isn’t great at maintaining a smooth software experience at higher resolutions.

Other Galaxy J6 specs include 2GB/3GB/4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB internal storage expandable via a microSD slot, a 13-megapixel camera at the back, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with flash, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, LTE Cat.4 connectivity, dual SIM slots, and a 3,000 mAh battery. All of that should be housed inside a metal body, and as expected, the device will run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

Galaxy J4 specs

If you don’t see much to be impressed by on the Galaxy J6, you will like the Galaxy J4 even less. The Galaxy J4 makes do with a standard 5.5-inch 720p display, though it’s unclear if it’s of the LCD or Super AMOLED variety. The phone is powered by the quad-core Exynos 7570 chip clocked at 1.4GHz and 2GB/3GB of RAM (varying by market). Other Galaxy J4 specs include 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel rear and front cameras with an LED flash next to both, a 3,000 mAh battery, and dual SIM slots with LTE connectivity. There’s Android 8.0 Oreo on-board the Galaxy J4 as well.

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We’re not yet aware of when the Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6 will go official or the price tags they will carry, though the specs don’t exactly make us too excited about those details. Samsung only recently launched the Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+, so it could be a couple of weeks before it unveils the Galaxy J4 and Galaxy J6, and we’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.

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Samsung Android Go handset clears another hurdle

We first reported two weeks ago on the possibility that the first Samsung Android Go handset might be in the pipeline. The company is yet to confirm if it’s going to launch an entry-level device as part of the Android Go program but there’s enough circumstantial evidence available right now to support that possibility.

Another piece of evidence has now surfaced which hints that the Samsung Android Go handset has cleared yet another hurdle and is on its way to an official launch in the coming months.

Samsung Android Go handset

For those who are unaware, Android Go is an iteration of Android 8.0 Oreo that’s heavily optimized for entry-level devices. All of the best features of Android are packaged inside a lightweight ROM that can even run on devices that have less than 1GB of RAM.

To deliver a fully optimized experience, Google has also developed Go versions of its main apps like Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Files and more so that those with an Android Go device can get the best possible experience on an entry-level smartphone.

The as yet unannounced SM-J260G was spotted at Geekbench a couple of weeks ago with 1GB of RAM. The OS version was mentioned as Android 8.1 which was a big indication that this is likely an Android Go handset. Even the processor is an optimized version of the Exynos 7570 that’s mentioned in the listing as “Universal7570_Go.”

Word on the street is that Samsung is going to launch its first Android Go smartphone as part of its entry-level Galaxy J series with some suggesting that it might be called the Galaxy J2 Core.

Samsung’s recent trademark application filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office has surfaced online which reveals that the company wants to trademark the term J2 Core in the mobile phones category.

The trademark is certainly one hurdle that an unannounced device has to clear first before it can be brought to market. However, it’s pertinent to mention here that Samsung does have a habit of trademarking monikers long before it launches a device, so it’s within the realm of possibility that its first Android Go handset might be launched with a completely different moniker.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Fit trademarks hint at a new direction

Samsung appears to be going in a new direction as far as the branding for its wearable devices is concerned. New trademark applications have surfaced online which reveal the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Fit monikers. This suggests that the company might be thinking about retiring the “Gear” brand for its wearable devices and in favor of bringing these devices to the Galaxy.

The company has long used the Galaxy branding for its smartphones and tablets so it would make sense to unify the brand and bring wearable devices under its umbrella as well. Many would argue that this should have been done a long time ago and while it’s still not confirmed if Samsung is going to do this, it would make sense for the company to do so.

Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Fit

A new trademark application published by the USPTO has revealed the Galaxy Watch moniker which on the face of it could only be used for a smartwatch. We have already reported exclusively that the company has started developing the Gear S4 and that it’s going to be launched later this year. There’s a possibility now that the Gear S4 might be launched as the Galaxy Watch.

The trademark application doesn’t reveal much about the device other than that it’s going to feature LTE and NFC. We also reported exclusively a couple of weeks ago that Samsung is testing the LTE Gear S4 in the United States.

Whether or not the shift to the Galaxy moniker means that the company will be ditching the Tizen OS in favor of Wear OS for its new smartwatch remains a mystery for now. There have been no rumors so far which would suggest that Samsung could shift to the Android-based wearable platform for the Gear S4.

Samsung might bring other wearable products under the Galaxy brand as well. The USPTO has published another trademark application for the Galaxy Fit which is meant for a fitness tracker like the Gear Fit 2 Pro.

The company isn’t expected to announce new wearable devices until the second half of this year so might hear more about them at the IFA 2018 convention in Berlin this August.

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Latest Galaxy J5 Prime firmware update brings May 2018 patch

Samsung initially rolled out the May 2018 security patch for the Galaxy J2 Pro even before Google or the company itself had detailed what the latest security maintenance release brings to the table. It detailed the May 2018 security patch a couple of days ago and it’s now starting to roll out the latest security patch to compatible devices. As expected, Samsung is kicking things off with a mid-range device. The latest Galaxy J5 Prime firmware update that’s available starting today brings the May 2018 security patch.

Latest Galaxy J5 Prime firmware update

The security patch for the month of May 2018 includes fixes from Google and Samsung. It has fixes for six critical vulnerabilities found in the Android operating system aside from fixes for dozens of high and moderate-risk vulnerabilities. The patch also includes fixes for 7 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures that were found in the company’s own software.

The Galaxy J5 Prime is the first device to receive this patch after it was officially detailed by the company. Samsung is now rolling out firmware version G570FDDU1BRD3 for the Galaxy J5 Prime in India. The update is being rolled out over-the-air and it’s also available for download from our firmware section.

It goes without saying that we’ll see this patch arriving on a lot more handsets in the days to come so stay tuned, we’ll update you as soon as it goes live on other compatible Samsung smartphones.

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