Samsung’s smartphone business to benefit from Huawei’s ban by the US

Samsung is still the world’s largest smartphone vendor, according to the latest market research numbers. However, it was facing fierce competition from the second-largest smartphone brand, Huawei. A few days ago, the US extended its ban on Huawei and its subsidiaries over fears related to data security. This decision will likely prove to be a booster for Samsung’s smartphone business.

Analysts and industry insiders say that the ban on the Chinese tech giant will help Samsung recover from the COVID-19 slump sooner than expected. Since Huawei can’t use Google apps on its smartphones, and probably won’t be able to get a supply of SoCs from TSMC, it won’t be able to sell smartphones outside of China. Samsung can gain market share from Huawei in Europe as the Chinese brand was its direct competitor.

Huawei was barred by the US from using GMS (Google Mobile Services) on its new smartphones since 2019, which resulted in a drop in sales. However, the fall will be even higher this year as the company won’t be able to produce smartphones without processors from firms like TSMC. This will definitely boost Samsung’s presence in Europe and the UK.

Lee Kyu-ha, Analyst at NH Investment & Securities, said, “Last year, Huawei’s market share went down because it could not use Google Mobile Services on its products amid the U.S-China trade war, but this time, it might face a production problem. As Huawei sees damage, Samsung’s smartphone business can expand.”

While sanctions against Huawei is excellent news for Samsung’s smartphone business, it could hurt the company’s chipset and display businesses. Samsung Display supplies OLED screens for Huawei phones, while the chipset business was poised to become a 5G modem supplier for Huawei’s entry-level and mid-range smartphones. Samsung also sells camera sensors for some Huawei and Honor phones.

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Samsung unveils 50MP ISOCELL GN1 camera sensor with dual-pixel autofocus

We had reported yesterday that Samsung could soon launch a new ISOCELL camera sensor with 50MP resolution and larger pixels. Today, the company has unveiled the ISOCELL GN1 camera sensor with larger pixels, faster autofocus mechanism, and support for 8K video recording.

The ISOCELL GN1 is a 1/1.3-inch camera sensor with a 50MP resolution. It is the company’s first image sensor to feature both dual-pixel autofocus and Tetracell (4-in1) pixel binning. Samsung says that the ISOCELL GN1’s native pixel size of 1.2μm can be turned into 2.4μm pixels using Tetracell technology for stellar low-light photos.

This new camera sensor features 100 million focus units (two agents in each pixel) for super-fast and reliable autofocus speed even in low-light conditions. Two photodiodes are placed side-by-side in each pixel, and both receive light from different angles, which is then used for phase-detection.

In the pixel-binning mode, the ISOCELL GN1 can capture 12.5MP still images with 2.4μm pixels for improved low-light photography. Samsung says that its algorithms also offer a mode that lets users capture 100MP images using the 50MP sensor. Other features of the new sensor include Smart ISO, gyro-based EIS, and up to 8K 30fps video recording. It can also record 1080p videos at 240fps (with autofocus) and 400fps (without autofocus).

Yongin Park, Executive Vice President of Sensor Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “With innovative pixel technologies, Samsung has been at the forefront of offering high-performance image sensors that closely cater to increasingly diversifying market needs. The ISOCELL GN1 is part of that commitment to deliver stunning images to consumers in any environment. We will continue to introduce image sensor solutions at the cutting-edge that will lead the next trends in mobile photography.”

The ISOCELL GN1 will go into mass production later this month, and we can expect new smartphones with the sensor later this year. It will compete with Sony’s IMX 689 and IMX700 sensors with similar features. The company is also rumored to be working on 150MP, 250MP, and 600MP image sensors.

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Samsung Galaxy M21 hands-on preview: Another budget home run?

Affordable Galaxy smartphones have been grabbing all the attention lately. The Galaxy A51, according to data from multiple market research firms, was the best-selling phone from Samsung in the first quarter of this year, and even cheaper Galaxy A series phones, like the Galaxy A10, have been dominating the charts as well. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating economic uncertainty the world over, budget and lower mid-range smartphones will probably garner even more attention going forward, especially in price-sensitive markets like India.

It’s a good thing then that Samsung has already been focusing heavily on the budget segment in India since last year. The Galaxy M series has been a massive hit in the country, and two months ago, the Galaxy M21 was announced as the latest model in the lineup. With India recently lifting some of its lockdown restrictions, Samsung was finally able to send us a Galaxy M21 for testing, and it’s time to talk about our initial impressions of the device.

Galaxy M21 hands-on: A Galaxy M31 with lesser cameras

We can keep it quite simple and short: The Galaxy M21 is basically a Galaxy M31 with fewer cameras and a lower-resolution main camera on the front and back. It has no macro camera, its main rear camera is a 48MP sensor instead of a 64MP sensor, and the selfie camera is a 20MP sensor instead of a 32MP sensor. The M21 also has less RAM on the base model. In fact, these differences between the Galaxy M31 and M21 are pretty much the same as those between the M31 and M30s, making it clear that Samsung is just rehashing things and changing a thing or two to come up with new M series phones.

And that’s not a bad thing. The Galaxy M31 is a pretty compelling budget smartphone, and the cuts Samsung has made on the Galaxy M21 won’t notably ruin the experience. You still get a massive 6,000 mAh battery, a beautiful 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, and the same Exynos processor that powers the considerably costlier Galaxy A51. We’ll do a full review of the phone in the coming days, but I think I can already say that for the asking price, the M21 looks destined to be yet another home run from Samsung in the budget segment.

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Latest One UI 2.1 update for US Galaxy Fold brings missing features

Samsung already brought some of the features that were introduced with One UI 2.1 to the Galaxy Fold in the United States with an update last month. Features like an improved Night mode, Quick Crop, Quick Share and Music Share were among those that were released for the foldable smartphone.

However, some of the best Galaxy S20 features that were included in One UI 2.1 were missing from this update. Samsung did say that they would be added to the device in a future update. That update is rolling out for users in the United States today.

Remaining One UI 2.1 features out now for the Galaxy Fold

Samsung is now rolling out a new firmware for the Galaxy Fold in the United States. Version number F900U1UEU3BTDD is out now. It brings the remaining One UI 2.1 features that weren’t included in the first update. Today’s release also brings the security patch for the month of May 2020.

The changelog mentions that AR Emoji has been improved with a manual editing feature and enhanced facial expression recognition. It does mention that since AR Emoji has been updated to a new version, all of your previously saved AR Emojis will be deleted when you next open the AR Emoji app.

Samsung introduced a whole host of new camera features with One UI 2.1 on the Galaxy S20 lineup. Those features are now making their way to the Galaxy Fold as well. They include Single Take, Pro mode for video, Selfie tone, My Filters, Night timelapse, AR Zone as well as the ability to record FHD/UHD videos in 60 frames per second with the front camera.

This firmware update for the US Galaxy Fold has started rolling out today so it may take some time for it to go live for all users in the country. We do have the firmware readily available for download from our firmware section.

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Galaxy S20+ 5G in Aura Blue now available in the Netherlands

As of today, the Galaxy S20+ 5G can be purchased in yet another color option in the Netherlands. Called Aura Blue, this particular variant of Samsung’s 6.37-inch smartphone has so far only arrived in South Korea and the United States – as a Best Buy exclusive, in the latter’s case. Dutch consumers can get their hands on this newly released Galaxy S20+ 5G model for €1,099, with that figure being in accordance with its base pricing. Besides Samsung Netherlands itself, the Aura Blue refresh will also be carried by local branches of T-Mobile and Tele2.

The Aura Blue revision of the Android phablet joins three other Galaxy S20+ 5G iterations Samsung already launched in the European country: Cosmic Black, Cosmic Gray, and Cloud Blue. Samsung’s latest and greatest Android smartphone family also includes Cloud White and Cloud Pink skins, though neither has yet reached the 5G-enabled Galaxy S20+ devices.

Deeper blues exclusive to the base Galaxy S20+ 5G model (for now)

The limited availability of the new Galaxy S20+ variants is reminiscent of the manner in which Aura Blue reached the Galaxy Note 10 family last year. Compared to the more widely available Cloud Blue models, Samsung’s new handset finish is a deeper azure hue; dark cerulean, to be more specific. The Aura Blue exterior also doubles as an attractive certificate of 5G readiness seeing how it circumvents the LTE-only versions of the Galaxy S20+.

The downside is that you’ll have to settle for 128GB of flash storage space, though it’s possible this new color addition eventually reaches other Galaxy S20+ 5G memory configurations, as well. As is usually the case, that will probably depend on how well it does in terms of sales.

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Galaxy A21s will be available in Spain from June 22 in two memory configs

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A21s last week without much fanfare, but today, the company officially revealed it’s release plans for the phone in Spain. The Galaxy A21s will be available in Spain from June 22 in two memory configurations including 4GB/6GB RAM and 32GB/64GB of built-in storage.

The company didn’t give any pricing details for Spain, but last week’s announcement in the Netherlands revealed a 209 euros price for the base model. Pricing in Spain should be similar.

Galaxy A21s – a solid budget phone

While we have yet to test the Galaxy A21s ourselves, the on-paper specs make it a reasonable budget-oriented phone with decent all-round specs. The Galaxy A21s features a 6.5-inch HD+ (1600 by 720) TFT display with an Infinity-O design, and it’s powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.

The back panel accommodates a fingerprint scanner and a quad-camera setup including a 2MP macro lens, while selfie enthusiasts get a 13MP sensor. Software features include Bixby Vision, Bixby Routines, Samsung Health, and Samsung Pay among others.

According to the announcement, the Galaxy A21s will be available in Spain later next month in three color options, black, blue, and white. We expect to learn more about the phone’s pricing in Spain by June 22, so stay tuned.

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Galaxy Note 20+ to boast a 108MP camera, base model to lack this feature

Another bit of the Galaxy Note 20 puzzle appears to have fallen in place, as a recent report passed along by our friends at Galaxy Club has shed more light on the upcoming flagship’s camera setup. Of the two S Pen flagship variants, the Galaxy Note 20+ will reportedly feature a 108MP camera. The Galaxy Note 20 base model won’t benefit from this sensor, and it is yet unclear whether the 108MP unit employed by the Galaxy Note 20+ will be the same one that’s being used by the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

One example in which the Note 20+ and S20 Ultra sensors could differ could be autofocus. The S20 Ultra has phase detection while lacking dual-pixel autofocus, but there’s no guarantee that the 108MP shooter on the Galaxy Note 20+ will have these exact same characteristics. Nevertheless, the technical details of the ISOCELL Bright HM1 should represent a solid overall baseline as to what to expect from the Galaxy Note 20+ 108MP camera.

This doesn’t tell us much about the Galaxy Note 20 series’ zoom

It’s worth reminding that the so-called Space Zoom technology flaunted by the Galaxy S20 Ultra is not enabled by the 108MP sensor but by the 48MP periscope telephoto shooter used exclusively by the Ultra model in the entire S20 lineup.

Whether or not the Galaxy Note 20+ will also have a Space Zoom lens remains unclear, but we don’t expect the upcoming series to include an Ultra model.

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