Rumor: Galaxy S11e to have a curved display and optional 5G

The Galaxy S11 rumor mill keeps spinning as we approach the holiday shopping season, and a few new bits and pieces of information pertaining to the upcoming series emerged over the weekend via industry leaker @evleaks. He claims that the Galaxy S11 series will likely comprise three models, with the smaller Galaxy S11e switching from a flat to a curved display. Samsung opted for a flat panel for the Galaxy S10e.

The smaller Galaxy S11 variant will reportedly have a 6.2 or 6.4-inch screen, while the other two models will boast 6.7 and 6.9-inch panels. It’s worth reminding that the Galaxy S11 series could also feature a slightly taller aspect ratio. This could make the Galaxy S11+ easier to hold one-handed than the Galaxy Note 10+ despite it presumably having a 0.1-inch-larger display.

5G to become more prevalent with the Galaxy S11

Adding to the screen shapes and sizes, the source mentions that the largest Galaxy S11 model, which will presumably be called the Galaxy S11+, will be available with 5G as standard. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S11e and Galaxy S11 will be released in both LTE and 5G flavors.

In theory, this means that a fourth 5G-only flagship variant like the Galaxy S10 5G should no longer be necessary next year. Finally, the Galaxy S11 lineup will be unveiled by Samsung in mid-to-late February, according to the same source. It doesn’t tell us anything surprising as this coincides with the Galaxy S10 launch timeframe.

Othe recent reports hint at the possibility of the series adopting the 108-megapixel ISOCELL Bright HMX camera sensor, and that the smaller Galaxy S11e will have a fairly generous battery with a capacity higher than the unit beating at the heart of the Galaxy Note 10. If these details do become reality then the Galaxy S11e should look and feel more like a compact flagship rather than a cheaper flagship.

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Samsung secures old patent for Surface-like dual-screen foldable phone

The Galaxy Fold is just a few months old but the work that went into the first-gen device goes way back. Samsung has been exploring both the foldable and dual-screen concepts for many years now, and interestingly enough, one of the company’s older patents for a dual-screen phone was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month. Should Samsung decide to pursue this concept further, it could end up competing with Microsoft for this untested market segment in 2020.

The patent originally discovered by Patently Mobile describes ‘Dual display smartphones reflecting new user interfaces and modes of operation.‘ The sketches detail a device that shares the same form factor as the Microsoft Surface Duo, where two equally-sized displays are connected through a hinge.

Samsung to create a direct Microsoft Surface Duo competitor?

The Galaxy Fold is going to face direct opposition from the Huawei Mate X, but it’s interesting to see how other OEMs are now trying to achieve the foldable smartphone concept without using expensive flexible display technology. Instead, companies like LG and Microsoft are developing foldable phones based on two conventional, non-flexible panels connected through a hinge.

In other words, whether it’s going to be through foldable screen technology or the dual-screen concept, 2020 might be the year in which the mobile market will be revitalized by new smartphone designs. Samsung is reportedly working on the second-generation Fold(s), and the company isn’t alone in developing this new category of devices powered by flexible screens. But there is a chance that the dual-screen concept will take off and enjoy some popularity, at least until flexible display tech matures and becomes easier to obtain.

Should this happen, Samsung is technically prepared to take on the challenge, at least as far as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is concerned. The patent recently secured by Samsung gives it green light to pursue the dual-screen foldable concept. Of course, patent designs don’t always become real products, so only time will tell if this will indeed come to pass.

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Do you think it would be a good idea for Samsung to develop a dual-screen device in parallel with the Galaxy Fold as a way to compete with Microsoft’s or LG’s interpretation of a foldable phone? Or should the company focus solely on improving its flexible display technology to try and get as big of a head start as possible? Or maybe both? Join us in the comment section below.

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Samsung drops hint about a Galaxy phone with its 108MP camera

Samsung announced three months ago that it had made a 108-megapixel smartphone ISOCELL Bright HMX camera sensor. Since then, many have been wondering if we’d see the company use the sensor for one of its smartphones.

It hasn’t done that yet but one of Samsung’s own apps has now dropped a hint that this sensor could be used in an upcoming Galaxy phone. That device doesn’t necessarily have to be the Galaxy S11, though there are some rumors in support of that theory as well.

Samsung may finally use its 108MP camera in a Galaxy phone

Samsung made this 108MP camera sensor in collaboration with Xiaomi. It’s the only manufacturer that has used the sensor in a couple of its smartphones. However, it appears that the sensor could now find its way into a Samsung smartphone.

XDA-Developers came across support for 108MP output resolution in the Samsung Camera app which shipped with the third One UI 2.0 beta released this week. The app now has support for 12,000 x 9,000 pixel resolution for a total of 108,000,000 pixels or 108MPs precisely.

There’s nothing in the app’s code to suggest that the Galaxy S11 will be Samsung’s first device with a 108MP camera. Rumors about the Galaxy S11 suggest that it’s going to have a 5x optical zoom lens in addition to a 108MP primary sensor for wide-angle photos. It could happen but it’s far from certain at this point in time.

If history is any indication, Samsung hasn’t just added support for this resolution without the intention of shipping the supporting hardware on a future device. The Galaxy smartphone that does come with this sensor is unlikely to output full 108MP resolution photos. In the interest of improving low-light photography, there’s a good chance that Samsung will make use of pixel binning technology. It’s a method to combine multiple pixels into one super-pixel in order to reduce noise.

The higher signal-to-noise ratio means that the camera can obtain higher brightness in low-light conditions. The default output could thus be 27MP or 12MP if 4 or 9 pixels are combined, respectively. Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Alpha uses this 108MP sensor with pixel binning and outputs 27MP shots.

Samsung hasn’t dropped any hints so far about when it’s going to use this sensor for its own smartphones. Many would expect the Galaxy S11 to be the obvious candidate. We have also seen Samsung introduce new camera tech to the upper echelon of its Galaxy A series first in recent years so this remains a possibility for some 2020 Galaxy A models as well.

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Samsung’s foundry business could take a big hit due to product defects

Samsung is reportedly having some issues with its foundry business at home. According to a Business Korea report, Samsung has recently discovered defects in its foundry products which may lead to considerable financial losses. The defects were reportedly caused by contaminated 8-inch wafer line equipment at the Giheung plant.

The publication cites an unnamed Samsung Electronics official who acknowledged the issue and said that the problem has been addressed. On the other hand, the official also added that this unfortunate set of events may have cost Samsung billions of won (millions of US dollars).

Samsung might underestimate the damage

While it’s unclear exactly what foundry products were contaminated, Samsung may still be underestimating the damage, at least according to unnamed industry insiders cited by Business Korea. They claim that “the loss can be much larger than the company’s estimate.”

It’s also unclear if the products that were contaminated were being manufactured for Samsung’s own purposes or other clients. The company does manufacture chipsets for a fairly large number of companies including Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm.

This event could throw a wrench into Samsung’s plans to increase its chipset foundry market share and, as it could hurt its reputation, it may slow down the company’s progress for the foreseeable future. Therefore the damage could be higher in the long run.

Whatever the outcome may be in the wake of these recent happenings, Samsung is betting big on its foundry business – regardless of its decision to abandon its custom CPU cores for the Exynos package – and the company’s roadmap includes large investments in chipset R&D by 2030.

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Samsung CEO Kim Hyun-seok will host a CES 2020 keynote on January 6

CES 2020 is two months away and Samsung is seemingly already making preparations for the upcoming event. The trade show will officially open its doors to the public on January 8, but Samsung Electronics’ conference will commence a couple of days earlier.

CEO Kim Hyun-seok will take the stage at CES in Las Vegas on January 6, according to Korean publication The Investor. He will reportedly discuss Samsung’s vision surrounding the consumer lifestyle of the future.

Kim Hyun-seok to take the stage at CES 2020

The subject matter does indeed sound a bit vague but the company is likely going to touch on the concept of IoT, much like it did during SDC 2019. For years, Samsung has been working on bringing customers together on a unified platform for various types of devices, ranging from appliances to wearables. The discussion will also likely revolve around 5G to a degree, and how faster Internet speeds can change the tech landscape.

CES 2020 could also be the place where the Galaxy A (2020) series – or at least part of it – will make its debut. The Galaxy S11 is unlikely to make an appearance that early in the year, but it’s not unheard of for Samsung to unveil one or two budget-friendly handsets at CES.

Samsung could also bring some of its existing products at CES 2020, particularly because the company managed to bag no less than 46 CES 2020 Innovation Awards for products released since April 1, 2019. You can read more about which devices have won the awards in our recent story and perhaps get a glimpse at some of the existing technologies and products that will be showcased (again) at the next CES.

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Samsung announces Galaxy A10s and Galaxy A20s prices for Brazil

The Galaxy A10s and Galaxy A20s have been confirmed by Samsung to arrive in Brazil. The company didn’t reveal an exact date when prospective buyers will find the smartphones on shelves, but both devices have already been released in various markets around the world so it shouldn’t take long for them to reach the Brazilian market following this official announcement.

The Galaxy A10s is going to launch in Brazil for BRL 1,099 ($265) while the Galaxy A20s will have a suggested retail price of BRL 1,299 ($314). Both models will be available in black, blue, and red.

Galaxy A10s quick spec overview

The Galaxy A10s is equipped with a 6.2-inch TFT Infinity-V HD+ display, an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 chipset, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage expandable via microSD.

The phone features a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, dual main cameras, an 8MP front-facing sensor, and a 4,000mAh battery.

Galaxy A20s quick spec overview

The Galaxy A20s features a similar Infinity-V display with the same pixel count but a slightly larger 6.5-inch diagonal. It mixes the formula by adopting the Snapdragon 450 chipset, which can be paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board memory.

The device has three main cameras, a rear fingerprint sensor, and it’s powered by a 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging. You can read a lot more about the Galaxy A20s in our review.

Are you going to buy the Galaxy A10s or Galaxy A20s in Brazil? Which model do you gravitate towards, and why? Join us in the comment section below.

Galaxy A10s

• Model: SM-A107F
• Dimensions: 156.9 x 75.8 x 7.8mm
• Display: 6.2" (157,9mm0 LCD
• CPU: Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22
• Camera: 13 MP F1.8 & 2MP F2.4

More specifications

Galaxy A20s

• Model: SM-A207F
• Dimensions: 163.3 x 77.5 x 8mm
• Display: 6.5" (165.1mm) LCD
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
• Camera: 13 MP F1.8, 8MP F2.2, 5MP F2.2

More specifications

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Disney+ will launch on Samsung TVs in select markets starting next week

The Walt Disney Company’s upcoming video-on-demand streaming service Disney+ is set to debut in a handful of markets next week, and when it does, it will be accessible on various TV brands including Samsung, confirmed CEO Bob Iger earlier this week.

Disney+ has already been tested on Samsung TVs in the Netherlands ahead of a more widespread release, and according to Disney CEO Bob Iger, “it was well-received by users” in various demographics.

Indeed, for a few days, the Disney+ app showed up on the Q9FN smart TV owned by our colleague Henk in the Netherlands, as you can tell from the image above. However, the app was pulled after a few days. We assumed that the premature release was an error and not a test, as the app seemed fairly incomplete. It lacked support for 4K video, HDR, and Dolby Digital 5.1. We now suspect that at least some of these features will be available at launch.

Disney+ reaching a Samsung smart TV near you on November 12

Disney+ will first launch on November 12 in the USA, Canada, and the Netherlands. It’s unclear whether all of Samsung’s smart TVs will support the streaming service or if it will be limited to newer models. Netflix, for example, is going to stop supporting older Samsung smart TVs next year due to “technical limitations.”

Disney+ will continue expanding into other markets including Australia and New Zealand on November 19. It will then launch in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on March 21, 2020.

The video-on-demand streaming service will be available in the United States and Canda for $6.99 and CAD 8.99 a month, respectively. The service will cost EUR 6.99 a month in the Netherlands.

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