Samsung might not make smartphone chips for Huawei

The trade ban on Huawei by the US has affected the Chinese firm’s business in a lot of ways. The company can no longer sell smartphones with Google services and it has been barred from selling telecom equipment to network carriers in several countries. This is great news for Samsung’s smartphone and network equipment business arms, but it also means a chance for the company’s foundry and semiconductor arms to improve their businesses by selling chips to Huawei.

Huawei was recently cut off from TSMC’s chip supply following the trade ban and it was reported that Huawei might turn to Samsung for smartphone chip manufacturing. The South Korean firm has already been supplying OLED panels and memory chips to Huawei. However, it is being reported that Samsung might not make smartphone chips for Huawei, and we don’t know the reason behind this decision. So, the Chinese company might have to turn to the likes of MediaTek and Spreadtrum for chips.

Samsung’s decision could be bad news for Huawei

Huawei’s Kirin chips are usually pretty competitive in terms of features, performance, and power efficiency when compared to Exynos and Snapdragon mobile processors. While Huawei designs its own chips, it is a fabless firm, which means that it doesn’t have its own foundry to make Kirin chipsets. So, it has to depend on the likes of TSMC and Samsung for manufacturing Kirin SoCs.

The Chinese firm is already cut off from TSMC’s supply of chips. If Samsung doesn’t make chips for Huawei, the Chinese firm would have to either use older manufacturing processes or buy processors from MediaTek or Spreadtrum. Either way, it means that we would see slower and less power-efficient chips in Huawei phones, which is a bad sign for the company. Samsung might still supply low-end and mid-range 5G modems to Huawei in the future.

While the Chinese government has initiated a plan to bolster local industries and asked foundries to develop newer technologies to reduce the reliance on outside firms, they are not yet ready to make chips based on advanced processes such as 5nm and 7nm. It would take years for Chinese firms to compete with TSMC and Samsung in the foundry space.

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Huawei temporarily edged past Samsung to become largest smartphone brand

Samsung has been the world’s largest smartphone brand in the world for years now, at least in terms of units sold. Huawei has been eyeing the number one position, and it aimed to defeat the South Korean firm in 2020. However, those dreams were killed when the US applied trade sanctions against Huawei. Despite trade sanctions, it is being reported that Huawei temporarily dethroned Samsung and became the world’s largest smartphone maker.

According to the latest data from market research firm Counterpoint Research, Huawei edged past Samsung in April 2020 to grab a 19% share of the global smartphone market. Huawei’s market share rose due to its efforts to increase the market share in China after the US trade ban. Samsung’s market share in the same month dipped to around 17% due to coronavirus lockdown in its key markets such as India, Latin America, parts of Europe, and the US. This also affected the sales of the Galaxy S20 series.

While improved market share is a welcome change for Huawei, the company is still expecting a 20% drop in sales in 2020 due to the US trade ban and the lack of Google Mobile Services on its phones. Although the company has developed its own app store and ecosystem, not many people outside of China would prefer phones that lack the Google Play Store and other Google services such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, and YouTube.

Moreover, the US has also cut off Huawei from TSMC’s chip manufacturing services, so the Chinese smartphone maker will face a lot of trouble in getting high-end chips for its flagship smartphones this year unless Samsung comes to rescue. So, Huawei won’t likely be able to defeat Samsung in the long run unless the US lifts the trade ban. Meanwhile, Samsung improved its smartphone ASP (average selling price) and maintained its number two position in the premium smartphone segment.

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Samsung to launch Intel-powered Galaxy Book S in South Korea on July 3

Samsung had unveiled the Galaxy Book S ten months ago, and it came equipped with the Snapdragon 8cx processor. Two months ago, it was revealed that the South Korean firm has plans to launch an Intel version of the lightweight notebook. Today, the company has confirmed that the Galaxy Book S with Intel’s Lakefield CPU will be launched in South Korea next month.

The Intel version of the Galaxy Book S will be available in Core i3 and Core i5 variants, and people can choose from two colors: Mercury Grey and Earthy Gold. The pricing of the Galaxy Book S starts from KRW 1,130,000 and goes up to KRW 1,465,000, depending on the specifications. The laptop can be purchased from E-Land, E-Mart, Hi-Mart, Samsung Digital Plaza, and Samsung’s online store.

The laptop will be available for pre-order in South Korea from June 23 to June 29 via Samsung’s website. First 200 customers who pre-order the device will get a USB Type-C multi-port adapter and a premium pouch for free. Samsung is also offering educational content from Daesung MyMac and Sky Edu to everyone who buys the Galaxy Book S (and other PC products) by March 31, 2021. Samsung will also offer a three-month subscription to Millie.

The Galaxy Book S features a 13.3-inch LCD touchscreen display with Full HD resolution. It runs Windows 10 and comes in two CPU variants: Intel Core i3 (i3-L13G4) and Intel Core i5 (i5-L16G7). Intel launched these 5-core processors last week. They feature a 7W TDP and a hybrid CPU setup that consists of one Sunny Cove CPU core and four Tremont Atom CPU cores. It has Intel UHD Graphics, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, 256GB/512GB eUFS storage, and a microSD card slot. The laptop has a 1MP webcam and Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint reader.

The laptop runs Windows 10 Home. Connectivity features of the laptop include Cat. 16 LTE, Wi-Fi 6 2×2, Bluetooth 5.0, two USB Type-C ports, and a headphone jack. The Galaxy Book S also features AKG-tuned quad stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos audio, ambient light sensor, and hall sensor. It is 11.8mm thin at its thickest point, and it weighs just 950g. Samsung Canada had confirmed this version of the laptop last month.

Chae Won-Chul, Head of Product Planning at Samsung Electronics’ Wireless Division, said, “The way people work is changing, and Samsung Electronics is using multiple devices per day to perform a variety of tasks. Samsung Electronics will provide a more efficient and connected work environment with new computing devices such as the Galaxy Book S.”

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Odyssey G7, G9 gaming monitors are available for pre-order in the USA

Samsung’s Odyssey curved gaming monitors are now available for pre-order in the USA ahead of a July 13 release on store shelves. The Odyssey gaming monitor series was unveiled at CES 2020 and consists of two models called the G7 and G9. The former is available in two sizes and a 16:9 image format, while the Odyssey G9 is a 32:9 ultra-wide monitor with a 49-inch diagonal.

Despite their differences in size and aspect ratios, both the Odyssey G7 and G9 have a screen curvature of 1000R and share other technical similarities such as a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, a response time (Gray-to-Gray) of 1ms, and technologies like FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync.

A Samsung Odyssey starting at $699.99

$699.99 is the starting price for the Odyssey gaming monitor series. This lump of cash will get you the 27-inch Odyssey G7 featuring a resolution of 2560 by 1440, HDR 600 support, and a brightness of 350cd/m2. The 32-inch Odyssey G7 has the same characteristics aside from the different footprint, and it costs $799.

Meanwhile, the Odyssey G9 is available only with a 49-inch panel boasting a resolution of 5120 by 1440, HDR 1000, and 1000cd/m2 peak brightness. It costs $1,699 and it can be acquired for $141.67 a month with Samsung Financing.

Both the Odyssey G7 and G9 have a unique exterior design with an illuminated back panel, or what Samsung calls Core Lighting for the G7 and Infinity Core Lighting for the Odyssey G9. Check the links below for additional Odyssey pre-order details in the USA.

• Pre-order 27-inch Odyssey G7 gaming monitor from Samsung USA
• Pre-order 32-inch Odyssey G7 gaming monitor from Samsung USA
• Pre-order 49-inch Odyssey G9 gaming monitor from Samsung USA

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Galaxy Tab S7+ leaked renders tell a familiar yet different story

We got our first look at what might be the final design of the Galaxy Tab S7 last week. Now, the Galaxy Tab S7+ has been exposed in similar CAD renders and a 360-degree video showing the tablet from all angles. And, unsurprisingly, it looks almost identical to the standard Galaxy Tab S7 sans the different dimensions.

That’s going to be the common theme of the Galaxy Tab S7 series. Both tablets are expected to follow the same design and share a lot of specifications while differing in a few key areas. Evidently, the Galaxy Tab S7+ will have a larger display and battery, but both variants are said to take advantage of screens capable of a 120Hz refresh rate, and they’re going to ship with an S Pen.

Galaxy Tab S7+ dimensions, specifications

We exclusively brought the Galaxy Tab S7+ to your attention a couple of months ago when we learned it will have a 12.4-inch display. This information has been further corroborated by the CAD renders at hand, passed along by @OnLeaks and Pigtou.

The Galaxy Tab S7+ should reportedly measure roughly 285 x 185 x 5.7mm, meaning it will be taller and wider than the ongoing Galaxy Tab S6 while retaining the same thin profile. The tablet should be equipped with quad speakers and a dual rear-camera setup accompanied by a flash. Time will tell whether or not Samsung’s upcoming flagship tablet will be able to compete with the iPad Pro, but it’s refreshing to see Samsung, and consequently Android OS, continuing to compete against Apple in 2020 for tablet market share. Check the Galaxy Tab S7+ CAD renders below for a closer look at what could very well become a real product in the coming weeks.

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Uh-oh: Samsung and Huawei are getting friendly, likely at your expense

Add a potential Samsung-Huawei partnership to the list of crazy things 2020 has in store for us. Potentially, at least; one would expect Samsung to low-key celebrate Huawei’s ban on using American technologies getting extended for another year. And it might have done so, but with much more complex reasoning in mind. The possibility of China’s crippled conglomerate being dramatically saved by a Samsung lifeline has been on the cards since at least last month, and it’s making more sense by the day.

By now, Samsung has reportedly been experimenting with a smallish manufacturing line for wireless chips which entirely circumvents any notion of a U.S. IP. All of that with the precise purpose of figuring out can it step in to fill a gaping hole in Huawei’s 5G plans. For the uninitiated, the gist of those is: make base stations, and make sure no one’s making more. And while getting cut of from U.S. suppliers was a pretty massive blow to those ambitions, Samsung could save the day here, as some industry watchers are already arguing.

Last call for the 5G hype train

Even though Samsung’s foundry business leverages U.S. tech to a great extent, none of those solutions are without viable alternatives. The only remaining piece of its 5G puzzle that’s still irreplaceable are the actual lithography machines capable of 7nm EUV etching techniques — and those are Dutch, owned by a Philips spin-off called ASML — making them unaffected by the Trump administration’s renewed sanctions on Huawei.

Now, for the worst part: all of this would likely happen at your, i.e. consumers’ direct expense. Because insiders claim the main thing Samsung would hope to gain in this scenario is some breathing room in the smartphone space; a segment in which Huawei has been consistently ramping up the pressure for over half a decade by now.

How exactly would that happen remains unclear, presumably because it’s still being discussed, but no such agreed competitiveness reduction can realistically happen without being to the detriment of consumers. After all, it’s not like smartphone prices haven’t ventured deep inside the “absolutely mental” range a while back, and that’s with a full-strength Huawei keeping Samsung on its toes.

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When, where, and for how much you can get the Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition

To the excitement of countless BTS fans around the world, Samsung introduced the purple-flavored Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition yesterday along with pricing and availability details for South Korea and the USA. The company has now followed up with different announcements for various other markets, so here’s what you need to know if you’re a BTS fan waiting for an opportunity to buy the Galaxy S20+ or Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition.

The purple flagship and earbuds have so far been officially confirmed to launch in Brazil, France, Germany, Malaysia, Russia, the UK, Singapore and Spain. Pre-order and release dates are similar in most of these markets, but pre-order bonuses and pricing details are not, or they’re missing from some regions. This is everything Samsung announced so far, but more details could be coming soon:

• Brazil: a pre-registration page for the Galaxy S20+/Buds+ BTS Edition is live
• France: Galaxy S20+/Buds+ BTS Edition pre-orders live from June 19 to July 8, available from July 9 on fnac.com. Purple wireless charger offered as a pre-order bonus.
• Germany: The products will be available for pre-order from June 19 to July 8. They’ll release on July 9. Pricing details are unclear but pre-ordering the Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition gets you a 50% discount on the purple Buds+.
• Malaysia: pre-orders open from July 19 to June 5. The Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition costs RM 4,399 ($1,028). Galaxy Buds+ cost RM 899 ($210) or RM 449 ($104) when buying them along with a Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition pre-order. Pre-ordering the Buds+ will guarantee a free Wireless Charger Pad BTS Edition.
• Russia: the same pre-order window and 50% Buds+ pre-order discount for Germany applies to Russia as well. The Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition cost 84,990 ($1,213) and 16,990 ($242) rubles, respectively. They will go on sale at Samsung online as well as MVideo and Svyaznoy.
• UK: pre-orders go live on June 19. The Galaxy S20+ and Buds+ BTS Edition will go on sale on July 9 for yet-undisclosed prices.
• Singapore: BTS Edition pre-orders go live on June 19 and end on July 5. The phone and earbuds will ship on July 9. The Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition will sell for SGD 1,598 ($1,146) at Samsung online, Singtel, and StarHub. The Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition will be available for pre-order for SGD 298 ($213) through Samsung’s e-shop. Pre-order promotions include 50% off the Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition when pre-ordering the phone, and a free wireless charger when pre-ordering the purple earbuds.
• Spain: Samsung Spain’s announcement of the Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition was more generic and while it contained launch info for the US and South Korea, it didn’t include any such details for Spain. Therefore, Samsung may plan on releasing the BTS Edition in Spain eventually, but as yet there are no concrete launch and pricing details.

The Galaxy S20+ and Galaxy Buds+ BTS Edition are not necessarily bound to these markets. Samsung could be releasing these BTS Edition products in more regions at a later date, so stay tuned. Likewise, more pricing details for the markets mentioned above should emerge in the coming days before the pre-order period begins.

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