Galaxy A6 (2018) gets Android 10 firmware update at Sprint, Virgin Mobile

After a few months of testing, Samsung had rolled out the Android 10 firmware update for the Galaxy A6 (2018) in Europe earlier this year, and now it looks like the Galaxy A6 (2018) is getting the same Android 10 treatment from Sprint and Virgin Mobile in the USA. The new firmware update carries version number A600PVPU6CTD1.

The Galaxy A6 (2018) was released running Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, meaning that Android 10 will be the last major firmware update (to a new OS version) the phone will receive. It’s a pretty big deal for Galaxy A6 (2018) owners, especially since the update also introduces One UI 2.0.

UI redesigns, new emojis, streamlined navigation gestures and more

These are some of the new additions you can expect from the Android 10 firmware update for the Galaxy A6 (2018). We don’t have a full changelog yet, but the latest update is also likely to improve security and stability with the addition of a newer security patch.

To download the Android 10 firmware update on your Galaxy A6 (2018) from Sprint and/or Virgin Mobile in the USA, tap the update notification when it arrives on your phone, or go to Settings » Software update » Download and install. You can also check our firmware archive, download the software package from there, and install it on your Galaxy A6 (2018) using a Windows computer.

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There may not be a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra model later this year

Samsung is expected to release two Galaxy Note 20 versions later this year, much like it did with the Galaxy Note 10 lineup in 2019. This means there’s going to be a base model available for a lower price, and a larger sibling with a few additional bells and whistles and/or a different camera setup. There have been a few speculations over the past few weeks as to whether the larger Galaxy Note 20 will be a ‘Plus’ or an ‘Ultra’ model, but now, according to the founder and CEO of DSCC on Twitter, it’s going to be the former.

This could mean the top-tier Galaxy Note 20 won’t have 100x zoom

The Galaxy S20 Ultra might remain in a class of its own even after the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 series later this year, at least as far as camera capabilities go. This expensive and somewhat controversial flagship features a highly ambitious camera setup with 10x hybrid zoom and 100x digital zoom, and as we’ve discussed over the weekend, this is the one main feature we’d like to see being brought over to the upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series.

Not having an Ultra model could very well mean that the Galaxy Note 20 series might not be able to achieve these levels of zoom. More likely, the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20+ could share more similarities with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+, respectively. On the other hand, the ‘Ultra’ is a new concept in Samsung’s naming convention. It’s only been used once so far, and there’s not enough legacy behind it to guarantee that Samsung won’t abandon the ‘Ultra’ moniker in the future, all the while continuing to push its flagships’ camera capabilities to new heights under the more established ‘Plus’ umbrella. In other words, perhaps we should be cautious of falling for a nominal fallacy when trying to determine the upcoming phone’s camera specifications based on monikers alone.

Whatever the case may be, there have been reports that Samsung is ditching the Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor for the Galaxy Note 20 series, and that’s regardless of how the two models will be called in the end.

No Note 20 Ultra. Note 20 and 20+

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) May 11, 2020

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Samsung stands to benefit from ongoing data center expansions

As one of the largest manufacturers of memory chips in the world, an uptick in demand is almost always going to benefit Samsung. With major tech companies projected to significantly increase investments in their data centers, Samsung Electronics surely stands to benefit.

This will certainly provide support to the company’s bottom line as the COVID19 pandemic has led to a sharp decline in demand for other products such as mobile devices and appliances. It could take a while before that demand recovers.

Samsung may see more demand for its memory products

Ace investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. has projected in a recent report that Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Amazon are all likely to increase their data center investments by almost 40 percent. Their investments in these facilities has increased 6 percent compared to the previous quarter and 40 percent from the same period last year.

With more and more people working from home in addition to those already sheltering in place, online services have seen considerable load spikes. People are streaming more content, universities and schools are offering online classes, video conferencing services have seen double-digit growth. All of this will fuel a need for increased capacity in data centers.

Samsung has itself pointed out that it stands to benefit from this change in market dynamics. The company mentions in its recent earnings report that it expects to see a higher demand for memory chip products for data centers and servers.

Given that the memory chip business already happens to be the company’s cash cow, this should help shore up the company’s balance sheet as it tackles the pandemic’s effect on its business.

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Galaxy S20+ camera worse than 2019 Chinese flagships: DxOMark review

Not even four cameras were enough for Samsung’s Galaxy S20+ to beat the photography experience offered by top Chinese smartphones – from last year. In an in-depth review of the recently released Android flagship published today, French imaging authority DxOMark rated the Galaxy S20+ rear cameras as highly “unusual”, relative not just to the competition but Samsung’s own Galaxy S20 Ultra. The most expensive Galaxy S20 model achieved a significantly better score than its Plus-labeled counterpart, scoring 122 instead of 118 points on DxOMark’s non-finite image quality scale.

While there’s no question the Galaxy S20+ is still one of the best mobile photography choices on the market, it’s noticeably worse than even its pricier sibling, who itself lost the title of the world’s best camera smartphone from its predecessor. As a result, no fewer than eight devices from China’s Huawei and its subsidiary Honor, as well as Oppo and Xiaomi, deliver better imaging capabilities than the Galaxy S20+.

The price of Samsung’s “unusual” mobile photography choices

One of the most significant differences DxOMark found is that the detail retention of the Galaxy S20+ is noticeably below that of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. That’s particularly obvious in the smartphone’s ability to perform in less-than-ideal scenarios. With no ability to create super-pixels using so-called pixel-binning tech, Samsung’s phablet pulls out fewer details from low-lit scenes than the likes of the Honor 30 Pro+, Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. When you’re not asking it to perform miracles, it’s largely on pair with its Ultra-dubbed counterpart but still slightly behind Huawei’s latest handsets, as per the same source.

Save for larger noise frequency, the Galaxy S20+ displays its comparatively worse detail retention in numerous edge artifacts that can be seen upon closer inspection of many indoor shots. When looking at its software-produced bokeh, DxOMark rated the device as being “almost” as good as its top rivals, save for its annoying tendency to produce motion blur. Reading between the lines, it appears the Galaxy S20+ doesn’t trust its 12-megapixel 1/1.76-inch main sensor as much as the Ultra relies on the larger 1/1.33-inch 108-megapixel module at the center of its quadruple-camera system. In effect, its AI-guided auto mode usually opts for slower shutter speeds when faced with average or worse lighting, ultimately delivering (partially) blurred photos.

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Galaxy Note 10/10+ getting May security update on T-Mobile

T-Mobile started pushing out Samsung’s May 2020 Android security update to the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ units on its network. The former is receiving build N970USQS3CTD3, whereas the package on course for the latter is identified as N975USQS3CTD3. As per usual, the new firmware versions are being rolled out to eligible devices over the air and in a gradual manner. Meaning T-Mobile customers who own one of the two Galaxy Note 10 models can expect to a notification prompting them to download and install the latest patch in the coming days.

Alternatively, users of Samsung’s 2019 flagships who are feeling impatient can download the new software themselves from SamMobile’s firmware archive and manually flash it to their devices from a Windows computer; assuming they’ve double-checked the OTA build versions and made sure they’re compatible with their devices’ model numbers, of course.

May 2020 security patch and nothing else

There are no other features or improvements bundled inside either software upgrade currently hitting the Galaxy Note 10 series on T-Mobile US. That’s neither surprising nor disappointing, as it’s only been two weeks since Samsung’s high-end smartphones received a major OTA update from the wireless carrier. The said firmware jump happened in late April, bringing the highly anticipated One UI 2.1 based on Android 10.

That was around the same time Samsung began rolling out today’s May security patch to unlocked variants of the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. Much like it’s always the case, T-Mobile needed time to optimize Samsung’s implementation of the Google-developed software for devices compatible with its network. Relative to the after-sales support most other Android users in the United States are accustomed to, a two-week delay is a neglible setback.

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Samsung Electronics now has 5x more investors after latest stock split

Samsung Electronics now has five times more investors than there were two years ago. According to the latest data, the South Korean tech giant has more than 1.36 million investors, which is a 565 percent increase compared to Q1 2018, when there were 241,513 investors.

According to the data filed by Financial Supervisory Service, Samsung Electronics stocks worth KRW 1.25 trillion (around $1.02 billion) were traded daily in the first quarter of this year. This is a 75 percent increase compared to the numbers of the same quarter in 2018.

On May 04, 2018, the company had lowered the face value of its stocks from KRW 5,000 to KRW 100. This decision was reportedly taken to improve the long-term corporate value and to make the purchase of shares more accessible to individual investors.

A common share of Samsung Electronics was traded at KRW 2.65 million before the stock split. After the 50:1 stock spilt, the number of commonly issued shares increased from 128.4 million to 6.42 billion. Each share was worth one-fifth of its original price after the stock split two years ago.

In January 2020, the company’s stock peaked at KRW 62,400, but it is now being traded at KRW 48,400 after the South Korean stock market was hit by COVID-19. Market experts say that Samsung’s stock split saved the company from a further drop in stock prices as more people were able to purchase and trade its shares.

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T-Mobile’s Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy S20 Ultra get 5G support in Hungary

The Galaxy S20+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra recently picked up an important update on T-Mobile’s network in Hungary. After the recent software update, the two phones have started supporting 5G networks. Moreover, the update also brought along the May 2020 security patch to these Galaxy S20 series phones.

The latest software update for T-Mobile’s Galaxy S20+ carries firmware version G986BXXU2ATDD. The Galaxy S20 Ultra for the carrier now has firmware version G988BXXU2ATDD. The non-5G variant of the Galaxy S20 seems to have received a new software update (G980FXXU2ATDD) as well, carrying the May 2020 security patch, similar to the Galaxy S20+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Magyar Telekom (T-Mobile’s subsidiary) rolled out its 5G network in Hungary on May 9 in partnership with Ericsson. This is the reason why the Galaxy S20+ 5G and the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G received support for 5G networks on the same day through the latest software updates.

The May 2020 security patch fixes nine critical vulnerabilities in Android and nineteen Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE), including the one that allowed remote code execution through Qmage (.qmg) files. If you are in Hungary and use the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, or the Galaxy S20 Ultra, you must’ve received the update notification over the weekend.

You can check for the update manually by going to Settings » Software update menu and tapping Download and install on your phone. You can also download the firmware files from our firmware database and flash them manually.

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