Samsung’s update policy for the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip is unchanged

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately as to what firmware update schedule the Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Z Flip will follow. How many major Android OS updates will these devices receive, and how will Samsung treat security patches moving forward? The answer, at least so far, is that nothing will change. Both the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip will be subjected to the same update schedule as the other flagship models that came before them.

Unless Samsung decides to change the way it distributes firmware updates, the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip will remain eligible for no more than two major Android OS updates. They should both get Android 11 and 12 in the future, all the while continuing to receive regular monthly security patches for three years, and quarterly security patches throughout their fourth year on the market.

Samsung recently added the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z Flip to its list of devices eligible for monthly security updates, so in other words, it is business as usual.

As for future Android OS iterations, the Galaxy Z Flip costs a pretty penny and the Galaxy S20, especially the Galaxy S20 Ultra, is as premium as it can get in today’s mobile market. With prices of over $1,000, it’s not outlandish for prospective buyers to expect these smartphones to receive more than two major Android OS updates. We understand why you might want to ask if Samsung has changed its update policy as its premium price ceiling has been constantly pushed higher in recent years, but so far, it looks like there are no plans for better software support for these new flagships.

Nevertheless, the company should really consider extending its update window, at the very least, for its most expensive Galaxy phones. It would certainly be an incentive for a lot of people to join the Galaxy ecosystem, knowing that their expensive flagships won’t stop receiving major updates two years down the line. And it would help in further justifying the premium prices commanded by Samsung for some of its handsets.

We’ll keep you up to speed in case there will be any new developments in this area, but don’t hold your breath.

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Various Galaxy A71 5G models pass Bluetooth certification

The Galaxy A71 5G is now one step closer to an official launch, as the handset has received Bluetooth certification. A few months ago, we had revealed the existence of a 5G variant of the A71 for the Chinese market. Since then, we’ve learned that the A71 5G will also be headed to the US and some international markets, and the Bluetooth certification has revealed that a variant for Korea is in the works as well.

The international, Chinese, and Korean models — the SM-A716B, SM-A7160, and SM-A716S — are the ones that have been certified. The certification doesn’t give us any info other than the name of the device and that it will support Bluetooth 5.0. However, thanks to a benchmark listing, we had learned recently that the A71 5G will be the first Galaxy smartphone to be powered by the Exynos 980 chipset.

The Exynos 980 is an 8nm chip and has an octa-core processor with two 2.2GHz Cortex-A77 cores and six 1.80GHz Cortex-A55 cores. The integrated 5G modem is capable of handling 5G to 2G networks while also supporting gigabit downlink speeds in 4G LTE. It supports speeds of up to 2.55Gbps in sub-6-GHz 5G. The Exynos 980 was previously seen in a Vivo smartphone and is currently the most powerful mid-range chipset in Samsung’s arsenal.

The rest of the Galaxy A71’s specs are likely going to be the same as the Galaxy A71. That means it will have a 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, a quad camera setup at the back comprised of 48MP primary, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth, and 5MP macro sensors, a 32MP front-facing camera, a 4,500 mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and Android 10 with One UI 2.0.

We’ll keep you posted as and when we hear more about the Galaxy A71 5G. We will also be publishing our review of the regular Galaxy A71 in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

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Daily Deal: 54% off SanDisk Extreme MicroSD 1TB

SanDisk has been producing microSD cards for many years. They are known for producing cards that can withstand extreme situations with fast read/write speeds offered and competitive pricing. This microSD card comes with a massive 1TB storage capacity which allows you to store plenty of media. Because of its fast writing speed it’s able to process 4K video recording. You can use this microSD card to expand your smartphone’s storage capacity significantly. With 54% slashed off the price, this is a good choice if you’re looking to expand your storage.

Hit the Buy Now button below to get one before the deal ends!

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Galaxy Note 10 Lite update improves camera, fingerprint recognition

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite has received its first software update after it went on sale in some markets in late January. The update is quite similar to the one Samsung rolled out to the Galaxy S10 Lite earlier this week. It brings improvements to the camera performance and quality and to fingerprint recognition along with the February 2020 security patch. The build number for the update is N770FXXU2ATB6.

The update also improved the battery charging algorithm and the performance of the touchscreen. General stability improvements are included as well. As usual, Samsung doesn’t go into detail about how the improvements have been implemented, so it will be up to owners of the Note 10 Lite to recognize any differences after they have updated their phone.

The update is currently available in India and Russia but should soon be making its way to other markets. You can download it over the air on your Galaxy Note 10 Lite by opening the phone’s Settings app, selecting Software update, and tapping Download and install. Alternatively, you can download the latest firmware from our firmware archive and install it on your phone using a Windows computer.

Check out our review to see what the (relatively) affordable Note 10 variant is all about if you’re still on the fence about buying the device.

Thanks for the tip, Ng Choon Weng!

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Samsung’s smartphone market share rises in Europe during Q4 of 2019

Samsung’s smartphone market share rose slightly in Europe during the last quarter of 2019. As per the new data, the South Korean smartphone giant seems to have benefited from the trade ban that the US imposed on Huawei. However, the company’s market share has taken a hit in other markets.

According to the latest data from analytics firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung captured a 27 percent share of the European smartphone market during Q4 2019, which is a rise of 2 percent compared to last year. The US barred Huawei from installing Google’s mobile services on its phones, which resulted in lower sales in markets outside of China. Samsung took advantage of Huawei’s situation and increased its market share.

Samsung’s market share fell slightly during the last quarter of 2019 in other markets due to aggressive marketing and pricing from mid-tier brands like OPPO, Realme, and Xiaomi. In the Middle East and Africa regions, the South Korean firm’s market share took a dip from 22 percent to 20 percent. Its market share in Central and South American markets slipped from 36 percent to 34 percent. In the North American market, Samsung’s smartphone market share fell from 22 percent and 20 percent.

In countries like Chile, Italy, Peru, Portugal, and Ukraine, Samsung had the highest market share. In Ukraine, it captured 49 percent of the market during Q4 of 2019, which is a rise of 23.2 percent from a year ago.

Counterpoint Research said, “Even though the competition from Chinese brands appears to be fierce in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia regions, Samsung is able to supply differentiated products with its technology, so the company will stay competitive.“

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Galaxy A21 with quad-camera, punch-hole screen could come to the US

The first render images of the Galaxy A21 that hit the internet three months ago turned out to be inaccurate. A new leaked image of the upcoming smartphone shows some features that weren’t portrayed in the earlier leak. It is also being reported that the phone will be launched in the US very soon.

According to a press render of the Galaxy A21 published by Android Headlines, the smartphone will feature an Infinity-O display. However, we still don’t know whether the South Korean smartphone giant will use an AMOLED or an LCD panel on the phone. Although the bezels on the sides are thin, the bottom bezel seems relatively chunky. The device also appears to feature a quad-camera setup on the rear.

One of those four cameras on the rear could be an ultrawide-angle camera. Apart from a wide-angle primary sensor, the phone could also feature a macro camera and a depth sensor. There’s also a dual-LED flash at the rear, along with a capacitive fingerprint reader. The phone has its power and volume buttons on the right side, while the USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack are at the bottom.

It is being reported that the phone will feature an HD+ AMOLED screen, an Exynos 7904 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 4000mAh battery. However, you should take this information with a pinch of salt and wait for more official information to break cover.

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Galaxy Chromebook is the first Chrome OS laptop to get Ambient EQ feature

The Galaxy Chromebook will be the first laptop running Chrome OS to get the new Ambient EQ feature. Samsung’s first Galaxy-branded Chromebook, which was announced two months ago, will also receive the ability to play Netflix videos in the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) mode with the latest version software.

Google took to its official blog earlier today to announce that Chromebooks will receive the Ambient EQ and Netflix PiP features. Unlike the picture-in-picture mode for Netflix, which will be available for almost all Chromebooks running the latest version of Chrome OS, the Ambient EQ feature will only be available on the Galaxy Chromebook for the time being. It will appear on more Chromebooks in the future that come with an ambient color temperature sensor.

The Ambient EQ feature, which is already available on the Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, and the Nest Hub, adjusts the white balance and color temperature of the screen based on ambient lighting conditions so that the content looks natural. The Netflix PiP feature is available right now and requires users to install the Android app from the Play Store on their Chromebooks. You will be able to use both these features on the Galaxy Chromebook when it goes on sale in the US next month.

Galaxy Chromebook specifications

The Galaxy Chromebook is one of the most premium Chrome OS laptops ever. It is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop featuring a 13.3-inch 4K Super AMOLED touchscreen and an S Pen. It is equipped with Intel’s 10th Gen. Core i5 (10210U) processor, 8GB/16GB RAM, 256GB/512GB/1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, and a microSD/UFS combo card slot for storage expansion.

The laptop weighs a little over 1kg and comes powered by a 49.2Wh battery that can last up to 9 hours on a single charge. Other features of the Galaxy Chromebook include Wi-Fi 6, two USB Type-C ports, 2W stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 1MP front-facing camera, 8MP rear-facing camera (in the flip mode), backlit keyboard, and a fingerprint reader.

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