Galaxy Chromebook 2 could offer improvement in one important aspect

Samsung will soon launch the next-generation Galaxy Chromebook. The device was first reported three weeks ago, and its image appeared yesterday for the first time. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 has largely the same design as that of its predecessor, but it could offer improvement in one important aspect where the Galaxy Chromebook fell short.

A leaked marketing image shows that the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will offer 12+ hours of battery life. That is a definitive improvement over the first-generation Galaxy Chromebook. Moreover, the upcoming laptop will be the world’s first Chromebook with a QLED screen. The device features a 13.3-inch QLED touchscreen display with 100% DCI-P3 color volume coverage, Intel’s 10th Gen. Core i3 processor, 178% louder speakers, 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and an S Pen. It could come with a price tag of $699, but we can only be sure about it after Samsung’s announcement.

Thanks to the previous leak, we also know that the Galaxy Chromebook 2 features a metal body with a 2-in-1 convertible form factor, a full-sized keyboard, a decently-sized trackpad, a webcam, two USB Type-C ports, a microSD card slot, and a headphone jack. It will be available in two colors: Fiesta Red and Mercury Gray. It will be sold in the US through Best Buy and Samsung’s website, starting February 21, 2021.

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Samsung removes ad mocking iPhone 12 not having a charger in the box. Any guesses why?

History, as they say, repeats itself, and that’s exactly what seems to be happening now. Last year, when Samsung ditched the headphone jack for its flagship phones, it deleted old ads mocking Apple for doing the same. Now, Samsung has removed an ad its Caribbean subsidiary posted back when the iPhone 12 was announced, mocking its archrival for not including a charger in the box, and we think we know why.

Samsung is repeating history, but once again, it’s not going to make everyone happy

It’s because, as recent rumors have indicated, Samsung will be following in Apple’s footsteps and not bundling a charger with its upcoming flagship. The Galaxy S21 lineup will reportedly come without earphones or a charger in the box in Europe, and there’s a good chance the same will be true for markets in other regions as well. The official reason for doing so will no doubt have something to do about saving the environment, which is a commendable goal but not one Samsung should be tackling so soon, for reasons we’ve explained before.

Then again, hypocrisy seems to be something of a habit for Samsung, and we can only hope the company will let customers get a charger and/or earbuds for free with a simple call to customer service, as it did for the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra in the US, where the two S Pen flagships didn’t include earphones in the box. We’ll find out if that will be the case in less than a month from now – on January 14th, to be exact, the day the Galaxy S21 series is expected to go official.

What’s your take on the possibility that your Galaxy S21 may not come bundled with a charger (or earphones)?

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First One UI 3.0 beta update is now out for the Galaxy A51 5G

The Galaxy M31 was Samsung’s first mid-range phone to enter the One UI 3.0 beta stages of development. It happened earlier today but it didn’t take long for another very popular mid-range phone, the Galaxy A51 5G, to follow in its footsteps.

Samsung has introduced the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 beta program for the Galaxy A51 earlier today and it broke the news on the Community forums. Samsung Members and Galaxy A51 5G owners in Korea can now sign up to participate in the beta program and provide feedback to help Samsung steer the development in the right direction.

The beta program will likely be split into a few releases, each bringing One UI 3.0 closer to the public release. According to Samsung’s preliminary schedule, the Galaxy A51 5G should be getting the first public Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update in March 2021.

We expect Samsung to bring the One UI 3.0 beta program to the Galaxy A51 in other key markets but time will tell how soon it’ll happen. It all depends on how smoothly the beta program goes. Other Galaxy smartphones that are scheduled to receive One UI 3.0 in March 2021 are the Galaxy M21, the Galaxy M30s, Galaxy M31, and Galaxy Note 10 Lite.

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Paid content will soon be removed from the Galaxy Store in some markets

Samsung will be pulling the plug on paid Galaxy Store content in a handful of countries come next month, the company confirmed in a notice that was sent out to users who reside in affected markets. Free content will remain available for download but paid apps will be going away along with apps that have in-app purchases as well as paid Galaxy Themes beginning January 26.

The markets that will be affected by this new change of policy are: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Iceland, Moldova, Pakistan, and Uruguay. An exact explanation as to why paid content will be going away from the Galaxy Store in these regions wasn’t offered but it’s likely that it has something to do with the way each country handles online payments rather than with Samsung’s own policies.

In any case, Galaxy Store users in these countries who have already purchased apps will be able to download their purchased apps even after January 26, by accessing the My Apps section in the store. As for app developers, they’ll obviously have to make a choice between letting their paid apps be removed from the Galaxy Store in these markets or provide completely free alternatives, which probably won’t happen. We’ll keep you up to speed as soon as we find out more.

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Samsung is poised to win the smart TV race for the 15th consecutive year

Samsung has been the world’s top smart TV brand for more than a decade and market research firm Omdia estimates that 2020 won’t break the company’s incredible winning streak. According to said company, Samsung is about to become the largest TV vendor in the world for the 15th consecutive year.

That’s become somewhat of an expectation given the company’s success over the last decade and a half, but what you might not expect is for Samsung to enjoy as much success as it did in the year of the so-called new normal. It’s true though, at least according to Omdia who estimates that Samsung’s TV sales figures have jumped up by 11.2% year-on-year.

Samsung is likely to top 49.02 million TV sales this year, which means that Samsung almost broke its own record of 52.94 million yearly TV sales. The record was reached in 2014 thanks to major sports events including the Brazil World Cup and the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics have not boosted Samsung’s TV sales figures this year because, obviously, the Olympics didn’t take place. They’ve been postponed until 2021, which means that Samsung might be able to reach a staggering 49.02 million TV sales during a global pandemic. There’s a higher demand for TVs now compared to last year because of the lockdowns and the fact that more people are working from home.

All of this spells good news for customers. Although sales figures went up, the total value of TVs sold in 2020 by Samsung and all other brands combined might be considerably lower than it was last year – by nearly $60 billion. In essence, this means that OEMs are selling more TVs for lower prices than before.

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SamMobile promotion gets you 25% off PanzerGlass accessories

Any SamMobile reader can download Samsung firmware and APKs directly from our website, and as most of you know, all our resources are available for free while premium members take advantage of additional benefits such as faster firmware downloads, expert support, ad-free browsing on our website, as well as access to giveaways and various promotions.

Right now though, any SamMobile reader – premium or otherwise – can save 25% on PanzerGlass accessories that were designed for Samsung’s mobile product portfolio. PanzerGlass screen protectors and cases can make a huge difference as they minimize the chances of your phone breaking upon accidental drops. And SamMobile readers who may want to benefit from this 25% discount on the PanzerGlass website can do so after following a few simple steps:

• Make sure you are logged in at SamMobile
• Head over to this page and select Claim your promotion
• You will receive a coupon code which you can then use on PanzerGlass’ website for 25% off

No deal for you? No problem

It’s unfortunate that the ongoing PanzerGlass promotion doesn’t apply everywhere and it might not be available in your country. Despite our efforts, there’s always a chance that you might not be able to take advantage of our deals, depending on the availability of our partners’ products and other factors.

The good news is that SamMobile always tries to offer something worthwhile to every reader, premium or not. If you can’t get 25% off at the PanzerGlass shop and you’re looking for a different deal, there’s a chance that you might be able to find one waiting for you on the My Account page.

And finally, whether you’re new or old to SamMobile, you’re always bound to find something worth checking out at our SamMobile shop. We offer face masks, caps, mugs, t-shirts, Galaxy smartphone cases, screen protectors, as well as high-quality ZENS wireless chargers, and we’re updating our catalogue regularly.

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Samsung vs Google in 2020: Hardware titan against the software giant

It has been more than a decade since Samsung partnered with Google to launch its first Android smartphone, the GT-I7500 Galaxy. Since then, the two companies have helped each other in becoming market leaders. Although the two firms are close partners, they compete against each other in multiple categories, including smartphones, audio, and smart home products. As we approach the end of this challenging year, let us look back and see how Samsung and Google fared against each other in terms of hardware products and software.

Samsung vs Google in 2020: Smartphones

While Samsung reached new heights this year with spec-heavy and quality products like the Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy Note 20 series, Google decided to stay away from the ultra-premium category. The Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, and the Pixel 5 are all priced below the $700 mark, and they avoid competing directly with Samsung’s flagship smartphones.

Pixel phones generally offer slightly better still image quality than Galaxy smartphones, owing to better dynamic range and night mode. However, the flexibility (and quality) that Samsung offers with its telephoto and ultrawide cameras can’t be matched by Pixel smartphones. Samsung’s smartphones also provide much better video recording capabilities. With the Galaxy S20 FE launch, Samsung killed any chances that Google had with the Pixel 5.

The South Korean tech giant’s high-end smartphones offer premium design, higher-quality screens, better overall cameras, faster performance, and longer battery life, and we are just talking about smartphones with a traditional form factor. Google has nothing to offer in the foldable smartphone category. Samsung is way ahead in the segment, and the company launched three new foldable phones in 2020: Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy Z Flip, and Galaxy Z Flip 5G. The company also announced support for three major Android updates for its high-end phones, matching Google.

Samsung was a clear winner this year in the smartphone category compared to Google. The South Korean firm is the number one smartphone maker globally, while Google is not even in the top 10 list. This is not likely to change in the next few years.

Samsung vs Google in 2020: Wireless earphones, smart speakers

Both Google and Samsung released pretty good audio products in 2020. Coming to truly wireless earbuds, the competition between the two brands was much closer than in the smartphone category. The new Pixel Buds proved to be a massive improvement over the previous generation, but the Galaxy Buds+ is still a better overall package when you consider the audio quality, comfort, features, app support, battery life, and pricing.

Samsung also released the Galaxy Buds Live, and they offer a unique styling and active noise cancellation. The South Korean tech giant has a wide range of truly wireless earphones at various price points, while Google sells just one model. Samsung has the upper hand in the truly wireless earphones category as well.

Google is a clear winner in the smart speaker segment, though. It launched two new smart speakers, the Nest Mini and the Nest Audio, and both of them have better audio quality and an improved Google Assistant for voice commands. Samsung, on the other hand, is yet to launch any of the Bixby-powered smart speakers that it ever unveiled. Google has a big lead in the smart speaker category, and we don’t think Samsung even stands a chance to compete with Google in the near future.

Samsung vs Google in 2020: Smart home products

Both Google and Samsung are big players in the smart home market. They both have their own smart home platforms (Google Nest and Samsung SmartThings), and they sell first-party products like sensors, smart locks, security cameras, and mesh Wi-Fi routers. Dozens of third-party brands make Nest and SmartThings-compatible smart home products. In a surprising yet welcome move, both companies recently announced that Google Nest integration would soon come to SmartThings, making things easier for consumers. Samsung also introduced the SmartThings Find service, which it plans to expand in 2021 with the addition of Bluetooth 5.1 and UWB in its devices. I would say it is a tie in this segment as both companies did well this year.

Samsung vs Google in 2020: Platforms, software, and services

Samsung’s operating system of choice for its smartphones and tablets is Android, but it uses Tizen on its smart TVs and smartwatches. Android TV and Wear OS have a wider range of apps and services, but Tizen appears to works more reliably and is better optimized. Tizen has all the necessary smart TV apps for streaming audio and videos. It also has a better-looking design and has features like AirPlay 2, Alexa, Bixby, Google Assistant, SmartThings integration, and Samsung TV+. Android TV has deeper integration with Google services, including Google Assistant and Chromecast. Google has the upper hand in AI and web services, but Tizen is no slouch, at least on smart TVs.

Wear OS recently started getting attention from Google, and thanks to the release of a new chipset from Qualcomm, Wear OS-based smartwatches are improving. However, Tizen still appears more polished, and Galaxy Watches consistently offer faster performance and longer battery life in comparison. The Galaxy Watch 3 was among the best smartwatches of 2020. Bixby needs to improve, though, if Samsung wants to offer a competitive AI-powered voice assistant that can compete with the Google Assistant. Or, as we mentioned previously, Samsung can bring Alexa or Google Assistant support to its smartwatches as it did with its smart TVs. In 2020, Google continued to beat Samsung in AI and web services, but the South Korean tech giant held its own in terms of smart TV and wearables platform.

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It is clear that Samsung consistently makes quality hardware products, including smartphones, wearables, tablets, and laptops, compared to Google. It has even polished Tizen over the years to better compete with Google’s Android TV and Wear OS platforms. In 2020, Samsung clearly had the upper hand and its smartphones and wearables were better compared to Google’s devices. However, it needs to improve its AI and web services. Meanwhile, considering Google owns Android, Android TV, and Wear OS, the internet giant could have done much better, especially in the smartphone segment.

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