No fix in sight for the Galaxy Watch issues irking users

It has been over a month since Samsung’s new smartwatch was released and there’s still no fix for the many Galaxy Watch issues. Not long after the wearable device came out, users start complaining about issues with some of the features for which people tend to purchase a smartwatch in the first place.

There are countless reports of these on Samsung’s forums and in a closed Facebook group for Samsung smartwatches. Users are reporting pedometer (step counter) and heart rate sensor issues, incorrect sleep and heart rate tracking as well as less than expected battery life.

No fix yet for Galaxy Watch issues

The first acknowledgment of issues with the pedometer and heart rate sensor came from a moderator on Samsung’s forums last month. It was mentioned that the issue would be resolved by a software update. The temporary fix suggested involved rebooting the watch when the problem is detected and then disabling the Elliptical trainer and Rowing machine setting. Users on the Facebook group are complaining about missing steps, particularly the first 15-20 steps after being still for a period.

The Galaxy Watch issues don’t stop here. Some are complaining about sleep tracking not counting deep sleep. Others say that heart rate tracking completely loses track throughout the day and particularly during workouts. The graphs and data on the watch itself appear to be correct so it may just be a matter of the data not syncing correctly with Samsung Health.

Issues with calorie burn being low compared to other tracking devices have also been reported. This could be due to the heart rate tracking being out of sync. A small number of Galaxy Watch owners have complained about getting only 2/3 days of battery life on the 46mm model.

Samsung has been asking users to provide diagnostic information directly to the software team when they experience any such unusual behavior. The fact remains that this has been going on ever since the Galaxy Watch was released.

A firmware update was released recently for the Galaxy Watch but it didn’t seem to include any fixes. It’s about time that Samsung rolled out the firmware update that addresses these issues on its new smartwatch. Have you experienced any of these issues on your Galaxy Watch? Let us know in the comments below.

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Samsung may post record third-quarter profits this year

Samsung’s Q2 2018 earnings made it seem that its record profits run was ending. It may not be over yet as improved performance by its chip unit may result in record profits for Q3 2018 as well. Increased demand from data centers and better production yields may drive record third-quarter profits for the company.

The semiconductor division is unquestionably Samsung’s cash cow. It has driven the company to post record earnings over the past couple of years. There were concerns about a slowdown in the market which would have negatively impacted the company’s bottom line.

DRAM price increase will lead to improved profitability

It’s now said that Q3 2018 will mark a peak in earnings because the two-year super cycle of high demand and low supply comes to an end. It worked in Samsung’s favor and made it the top semiconductor company in the world. However, with the demand and supply gap reducing, prices of some kinds of chips have already slid sharply.

A Refinitiv poll of 15 analysts suggests that Samsung Electronics may post an 18 percent surge in profits to 17.2 trillion won or $15.5 billion. Its revenues are expected to be up by 3.7 percent. It would significantly outpace the 6 percent operating profit growth in the previous quarter where sluggish Galaxy S9 sales and increased competition for the mobile business ate into margins.

The increase in the prices of DRAM chips will help Samsung achieve this. They have surged 14 percent in Q3 compared to the same period last year. This has provided a hedge against falling NAND prices as supplies for these chips has outstripped demand. Analysts now expect DRAM prices to fall in the fourth quarter which would certainly reflect in Samsung’s bottom line. The company is yet to release its earnings guidance for the third quarter of this year.

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Galaxy Note 9 S Pen remote features will soon be available in other apps

The S Pen remote features on the Galaxy Note 9 are made possible by Bluetooth support. It’s the first stylus from Samsung to feature a Bluetooth Low-Energy module and antenna. This enables the S Pen to double as a remote control within a 10-meter radius of the device.

It works with native apps so the S Pen can be used to click photos, play/pause music and videos or even as a click during presentations. Samsung did say that it would provide developers with an SDK so that they can bring S Pen remote features to their apps. The SDK is available now.

S Pen remote features in third-party apps

We already have a detailed guide on how to select what a single and double press of the S Pen does in supported apps. The guide will also teach you how to launch an app by holding down the S Pen. The same method can also be used to launch various S Pen functions such as live messages.

The Bluetooth S Pen’s compatibility has largely been limited to native apps so far. Samsung did say when the Galaxy Note 9 was launched in August that it would open the S Pen SDK to developers. This will enable compatibility with countless third-party apps. The company also wants business customers to utilize this feature for their applications.

Developers will now be able to add S Pen remote features to their apps using the recently launched SDK. It’s accessible from Samsung’s developer website. You can expect more apps to support the S Pen remote in the coming weeks.

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Samsung may outsource production to Xiaomi’s manufacturer in China

It was rumored a couple of months back that Samsung will introduce a new low-end series called the Galaxy P. It was said to be Samsung’s first (original design manufacturer) smartphone. What that means is that the company won’t produce the device at its own factories. The production would be outsourced to one of the many ODM firms in the country.

We then heard in August that Samsung might shut down a smartphone factory in China. It has two plants in the country and may shut one down owing to increasing labor costs and sluggish sales. It’s expected to suspend operations at the Tianjin Samsung Telecommunication (TSTC) factory in Tianjin by next year.

Samsung looking to cut manufacturing costs

A new report from South Korea claims that Samsung may outsource the production of its mid-range and low-end Galaxy smartphones in China to Wintech. That’s the company that makes smartphones for Xiaomi, one of Samsung’s core competitors in this key market.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything as yet so the shut down of the Tianjin plant is far from a done deal. However, executives from its mobile business led by Executive Vice President Roh Tae-moon are said to have visited Wintech for talks on manufacturing Samsung phones.

Samsung’s public relations officials have not confirmed the report as they couldn’t check the executive’s schedule. However, they did concede that “The company has been considering introducing the ODM system not only in China but also in other countries when needed.”

If a deal is reached between Samsung and Wintech, the company will then release smartphones in China that bear the Samsung logo but are not produced at its factory. The shift to an ODM system will help Samsung cut manufacturing costs as it restructures the smartphone business in China.

The company’s market share in China is below 1 percent and the mobile division’s boss has even apologized for Samsung’s poor performance. DJ Koh has vowed to do more in order to regain Samsung’s lost market share.

A Samsung official cited in the report mentions that there were casual internal discussions among senior officials of the China business a few years back about outsourcing production. It seemed to them that the Apple-Foxconn partnership was working well as far as the cost-to-quality ratio is concerned.

Merely shifting to ODM may not be enough for Samsung to regain footing in China now. Its challenges in this key market are bigger than manufacturing costs, such as the distribution network problem. What might happen is that Samsung may make a few ODM models but is likely going to keep its manufacturing-driven position in the market.

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Galaxy S10 camera specs surface in new report

A new report today provides some information about the Galaxy S10 camera specs. It was long believed that this would be Samsung’s first smartphone with three rear-facing cameras. That title has now gone to the new Galaxy A7 nevertheless, the Galaxy S10 is still expected to feature a triple-camera. The report comes from a source who has been right on multiple accounts in the past.

Galaxy S10 camera specs

As per the report, the Galaxy S10 may come with the Galaxy S9’s 12-megapixel f1.5/2.4 variable aperture lens as the primary sensor. Previous reports have suggested that it may have a “super wide-angle” lens. These Galaxy S10 camera specs mention a 16-megapixel sensor with f1.9 aperture and a 123-degree field of view. There’s also going to be a 13-megapixel f2.4 aperture sensor to compete this triple camera system.

This is the second time that we’re hearing about this exact same camera setup for the Galaxy S10. An earlier report also mentioned that the primary sensor would be in the middle with the 16-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors on either side. This report also reiterates that the wide angle lens is not going to have optical image stabilization and autofocus. That’s similar to the setup that we have seen on LG’s flagships.

In comparison, the Galaxy S9+ features a dual camera system. It has a 12-megapixel variable aperture sensor with a secondary 12-megapixel sensor that has a telephoto lens. The Galaxy S9 only has the 12-megapixel variable aperture sensor.

Reports suggest that there will be three models of the Galaxy S10. The first would be a more affordable model that may only have a single camera. The other two will be the successors of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. They are both said to feature a double and triple camera system respectively.

Samsung is due to launch the Galaxy S10 early next year. It has obviously not confirmed anything about the Galaxy S10 camera specs officially at this point in time.

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Samsung highlights the importance of tracking heart-related stats

Health is increasingly becoming a major area of interest for many technology companies around the world. Samsung Electronics is one of them and has been offering many health-focused products and services to its users for many users now. The company’s offerings in this space mainly consist of wearables and smartphones with health-tracking features and software to complement them.

Considering the perils of cardiovascular diseases, Samsung’s health products have been rightfully focusing on helping users with tools to track and maintain a healthy heart. This has been a key theme of many of the Samsung’s latest products and services, including the recently launched Galaxy Watch, collaborations with the medical community, and the redesigned Samsung Health app.

Samsung Health app brings all the data together

Highlighting some of its recent endeavors in this space, Samsung has published an infographic about six heart-related stats that users can track with its products and services. These include blood pressure, Resting Heart Rate (RHR), different sleep cycles, diet, stress, and exercise. Samsung Health app brings together all of this data to provide meaningful insights to develop and main a healthy lifestyle. The infographic also explains how Samsung’s partnerships and product capabilities assist with the abovementioned aspects of health.

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Samsung Music updated with new design and Spotify recommendations

A major update has been released today for Samsung Music. It’s the company’s own music player that’s optimized for Samsung’s Android devices. The user experience has been developed to easily interact with Samsung smart devices such as TVs, wearables and tablets.

Today’s update brings a new design for the music player that’s simple and immersive. It also adds a Spotify tab which will surface playlist recommendations from the world’s most popular music streaming service.

Samsung Music gets a new design

The new Samsung Music update has a user interface that’s designed to be simple. The tab design change will allow users to easily swipe through their favorites, playlists, tracks, albums and more. A sort option has been added as well for effective sorting of tracks.

The app has also received a crossfade feature. It means that when you close the music player, the music will not cut off abruptly. It will fade out slowly, getting quieter before it ends completely. This is certainly going to be appreciated by many Samsung Music users.

Last but not the least, there’s a new Spotify tab in Samsung Music. It doesn’t really link the two apps together. All it does is provide playlist recommendations from Spotify. This tab will only be available in countries where Spotify offers its service.

It’s not surprising to see Spotify get prime real estate inside Samsung Music. Samsung confirmed at the Galaxy Note 9 event in August that it has inked a long-term partnership with Spotify. It will now be Samsung’s go-to music service across all of its devices.

Samsung Music v16.2.14.14 is now available for download from Galaxy Apps. You can also download it from our APK page.

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