Galaxy Note 9 secures March 2020 security patch in Germany

Samsung continues to bring the March 2020 security patch to more of its devices, and not to be outdone by the Galaxy Note 10 and 10+, the Galaxy Note 9 is now the next device in line for a firmware update. Software version N960FXXS5DTB6 is rolling out in Germany as we speak. It’s a general firmware update that doesn’t introduce any new features or changes to the overall user experience but provides better security for your device.

You can read more about the March 2020 security patch in our report but, in short, it fixes a handful of Android OS vulnerabilities of varying degrees of severity, as well as 25 vulnerabilities that were discovered in Samsung’s own software.

The Galaxy Note 9 made its initial jump to Android 10 and One UI 2.0 a couple of months ago, and with the updated user interface, you should be able to download the latest firmware and March 2020 security patch by opening the Settings app, navigating to the Software update menu, and tapping Download and install. That is, as long as you reside in Germany. The roll-out will gradually expand to cover more markets, so make sure you keep an eye out on new notifications and check for new updates regularly. As always, you can also refer to our firmware archive to download the software for your region and install it manually on your phone using a Windows PC.

Galaxy Note 9

• Model: SM-N960F
• Dimensions: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm
• Display: 6.4" (162.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 CMOS Dual OIS (F1.5/F2.4) & Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4)

More specifications

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Unannounced AKG N400 wireless earbuds make a surprise appearance

Samsung is launching the 2020 QLED 8K Infinity TV lineup in South Korea, and along with the new smart TV models, the company also appears to have quietly introduced a fresh pair of AKG wireless earbuds called the AKG N400. The earbuds are seemingly a part of a special offer in South Korea, whereby prospective customers can save 50% off the AKG N400’s full price when buying a new QLED 8K Infinity TV.

That is, at least according to a leaked image passed along by TizenHelp. It pertains to the aforementioned offer and reveals the AKG N400 earbuds in black, but design details are lost in the relatively low quality of the screenshot. And since neither Samsung nor AKG have officially announced the AKG N400 yet, there’s no information regarding the product’s full price or its exact specifications.

This isn’t the first time for the unannounced AKG N400 to make a surprise appearance online. Last summer, sketches depicting the N400 earbuds were spotted in the SmartThings app without much of an explanation, but it was evident at that time that Samsung and AKG were developing a new TWS along with a new on-ear solution called the Y600NC. The latter continues to elude the market but the N400 seems to have gotten a head start.

Time will tell if the AKG N400 will remain an incentive for smart TV purchases in South Korea or if the earbuds will see a more widespread release. More importantly, it would be interesting to see how the AKG N400 compares to the Galaxy Buds+. Samsung’s latest TWS impressed us with great battery life and improved audio/call quality among other things, and you can refer to our review for more details. As for the AKG N400, we’ll keep you posted once we find out more about general availability.

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Galaxy A31 employs MediaTek’s Helio P65 chipset, reveals benchmark

The Galaxy A31 (SM-A315F) has been spotted in the Geekbench database earlier today, where the usual set of hardware specifications have been revealed, ranging from the OS version to the chipset and RAM. Interestingly enough, the Galaxy A31, as per the benchmark entry, is powered not by an Exynos chipset but by a solution supplied by MediaTek.

A few months ago we came across reports suggesting that some models in Samsung’s Galaxy A (2020) series could employ MediaTek’s high-end 5G solution. This may or may not become reality to an extent, but either way, this isn’t the case as far as the SM-A315F is concerned. According to Geekbench, the Galaxy A31 does feature a MediaTek chipset, namely the MT6768V/CA, or Helio P65, but this isn’t a 5G-enabled silicon. Its standard connectivity capabilities are limited to LTE.

The MT6768/Helio P65 chipset was manufactured on a 12nm HPM process. It features six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0GHz, two high-performance Cortex-A75 cores operating at the same 2.0GHz frequency, and a Mali-G52 MC2 graphics processor.

Synthetic performance is similar to the Galaxy A51

When it comes to benchmark scores, it’s better to disregard them whenever they represent an unreleased device. In other words, the Geekbench scores for the MediaTek-powered Galaxy A31 are not necessarily indicative of the final product. Nevertheless, we do get a rough idea of where the device is positioned on the performance charts, and the SM-A315F tops a preliminary score that’s right on par with the Galaxy A51 and its Exynos 9611 SoC.

Other details revealed by Geekbench include Android 10, which is to be expected given Samsung’s dedication to launching every one of its new devices with the latest Android OS version out of the box. The Galaxy A31 also appears to have 4GB of RAM, but there’s always the chance that a second variant with more RAM is in development.

In previous news, we’ve discussed how the Galaxy A31 might feature 64GB and 128GB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery, and a 48-megapixel main camera coupled with a 5-megapixel macro shooter. The Galaxy A31 was recently approved by the Wi-Fi Alliance, and while this is no guarantee of an imminent release, Samsung should be bringing the device to the market relatively soon.

And as a quick reminder, the Galaxy A41 is another upcoming device that’s expected to employ the same MediaTek Helio P65 chipset instead of an in-house Exynos solution.

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Galaxy Note 20 in development with 128GB of base storage

Samsung has got its first big flagship launch of the year out of the way so the company can now focus on what’s due in the second half of 2020. Fans of the company are already looking forward to the Galaxy Note 20, which might be what Samsung ends up calling the device after it shook up its naming strategy with the Galaxy S20. The company already has the Galaxy Note 20 in development, that’s not going to surprise anybody, but it appears that the company might revert to 128GB of base storage on the upcoming device.

We hear that the SM-N981, one of the models of the Galaxy Note 20, will feature 128GB of base storage. For the sake of comparison, the Galaxy Note 10 5G (N971) featured 256GB of internal storage. The Galaxy Note 10 may feature 256GB of internal storage but it doesn’t have a microSD card slot. It’s only the Galaxy Note 10+ that does. So Samsung may have decided to reduce the amount of internal storage offered on the base model of its next flagship smartphone.

There’s a good chance the Galaxy Note 20 will have a microSD card slot

That obviously bodes well for the presence of a microSD card slot on the Galaxy Note 20 since it would be unwise to limit a flagship smartphone to just 128GB of storage in this day and age. It also wouldn’t make sense because many of the camera upgrades that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S20 will undoubtedly make their way to the Galaxy Note 20. The handset is going to need a significant amount of space to store large photos and 8K video from the new cameras.

It’s unclear at this point in time if Samsung is going to launch three separate variants of the Galaxy Note 20, particularly if it wants to accommodate everything that the Galaxy S20 Ultra offers into the Galaxy Note 20 lineup. It’s safe to assume that there will at least be two which will succeed the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10+. We expect to have more clarity on the Galaxy Note 20 lineup in the coming days. There will obviously be many leaks before the handset is due to arrive. If history is any indication, the Galaxy Note 20 lineup should be announced around August this year.

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Daily Deal: 63% off 2-pack Fast Charging Wall Charger

If you’re moving around a lot in a day, like visiting your office, home or school, chances are you need to charge your smartphone at some point. The fastest way of doing this is via a wall charger. Unfortunately, you’ll usually receive one when you buy a new smartphone and that one charger might break at some point as well. It’s therefore handy to have a couple of more chargers laying around at places where you stay a lot, or have some as a backup. This deal caters to that need perfectly as they now have a 2-pack of Fast Charging Wall chargers on sale at a whooping 63% off!

Hit the Buy Now button below to order yours before the price goes up again.

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Samsung climbs back into Ipsos’ Top 10 most influential brands in Canada

Samsung Electronics has rejoined Ipsos’ list of Top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada 2019 and ranked 8th in the recent study. The company didn’t make the previous annual Top 10 list for 2018, but since then, Samsung Electronics was able to climb up five ranks and get in the spotlight for Ipsos’ ninth annual event.

The Ipsos Most Influential Brands in Canada study evaluates brands based on trustworthiness, presence, being leading edge, corporate citizenship, and engagement, and every one of the companies who have made the Top 10 list possesses the exceptional ability to connect with Canadian consumers, according to Ipsos COO, Steve Levy.

Samsung was the only brand to bounce back into the Top 10

Regarding Samsung Electronics’ return to the list, Mr. Levy adds that brands that have experienced challenges, like Samsung, can and do bounce back if they focus on addressing the right issues.

It’s unclear what those issues that kept Samsung outside of the Top 10 list were and how the company has addressed them, but whatever it did, it’s difficult to argue with the results. Samsung was the only company on the list to climb up an impressive 5 ranks. In contrast, Facebook climbed up 2 ranks, while Apple lost two ranks and declined to the 5th place.

As reported last year, Samsung’s presence in Canada’s mobile space has diminished in Q3 2019 YoY when the company lost 6.8% of the market. Meanwhile, the brand is becoming stronger on the business side of things, and last quarter, Samsung made its 5G debut in Canada through a new partnership with Videotron.

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Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ receiving March security update

The Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ are now receiving an update with the March security patch in some markets, including the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, and Hungary. These markets saw another update roll out for the Note 10 and Note 10+ just a few days back. That update had improvements for facial recognition and navigation gestures while the one that’s rolling out now only includes the latest security patch.

This is just another example of how Samsung has ramped up its efforts to update its flagships with the latest security fixes as quickly as it can each month, even though the company still tends to not release these updates in every country at the same time. Samsung also released the March security update for the Galaxy S10 series a couple of days back. The patch fixes one critical vulnerability in Android OS and 25 vulnerabilities that are limited to Galaxy devices.

The March update carries software version N97xFXXU2BTB5; you will also receive a notification informing you about the update once it becomes available in your country. If you don’t feel like waiting, you can manually download it from the phone’s Settings » Software update menu. Another way to update your phone is by flashing the latest firmware on it using a Windows computer. You can find firmware for the Note 10 and Note 10+ (and many other Galaxy devices) in our firmware archive.

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