Samsung One UI Watch first look raises expectations for Galaxy Watch 4

It was first rumored earlier this year that Samsung will ditch Tizen for its smartwatches. The company was expected to start using Android instead. This would have been a significant change since Samsung ditched Android for Tizen in the first place.

Samsung confirmed this during Google I/O 2021. It has collaborated with Google on a new unified platform called Wear. This platform will be used by Samsung and all other OEMs that make Android smartwatches. Samsung gets to slap its custom UI on this new platform and the company provided the first look of its new One UI Watch today.

Here’s your first look at the One UI Watch

Samsung has provided a glimpse of One UI Watch during its virtual MWC 2021 press event today. The company also confirmed that its upcoming Galaxy Watch will be the first device to come with this new interface. That smartwatch is likely going to be launched as the Galaxy Watch 4.

One UI Watch was developed to enable deeper integration between your Samsung Galaxy smartwatch and smartphone. So when you install a watch-compatible app like Spotify on your smartphone, its smartwatch version will be automatically downloaded on your watch.

If you customize the clock on your phone to show time in different cities then this will automatically reflect on your smartwatch as well. Any calls and messages blocked from the Galaxy Watch will also be blocked on the smartphone. These may seem like minor improvements but they will significantly improve the user experience.

The biggest benefit that this Android-based unified platform provides Samsung is access to Google Play. New Galaxy Watch users will be able to download popular third-party apps that were previously unavailable for Tizen, including popular health tracking apps. Google’s native apps will also be available so users can get the benefit of Google Maps, YouTube Music and Messages.

Samsung is launching an improved watch face design tool that will make it easier for designers to create new watch faces. Android developers will be able to create watch faces for One UI Watch later this year as well. Samsung has confirmed that its new Galaxy Watch will be the first to feature One UI Watch, adding that it will be unveiled at Samsung’s Unpacked event “later this summer.”

The company hasn’t showcased all of the visual improvements that have been made to One UI Watch. It’s obviously keeping that for the Unpacked event. Today’s first look only raises expectations for the Galaxy Watch 4. It’s going to be unlike any other smartwatch yet from Samsung.

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Android 12 will bring Google Discover redesign

Google is set to remodel the Google Discover feed in Android 12 with a new look and features. XDA Developers stumbled upon the new UI, which includes a ‘News Showcase’ feature. Google claims that it will feature highlighted content from cherry-picked creators. It uses your existing browsing patterns as a yardstick. However, only a handful of news sources will be available initially, as the feature is still being tested. Its main objective is to de-clutter the news feed by only highlighting stories pertinent to your interests.

Samsung tried to better integrate Google Discover into its software via One UI 3.1. However, only devices that ship with One UI 3.1 out of the box, such as the Galaxy S21 series and the Galaxy A32 5G, support the feature. Smartphones that got One UI 3.1 as a software update cannot enable it and are restricted to Samsung Free. The only workaround at the moment seems to involve the use of third-party launchers.

If you happen to own a Samsung smartphone that launched One UI 3.1, follow these instructions to show the Google Discover Feed on your home screen. One can only hope that Samsung lets users of all devices — whether they launched running One UI 3.1 or not — to choose between Samsung Free and Google Discover on One UI 4.0. Google and Samsung seem to have set their differences aside, at least when it comes to smartwatches, so we should continue to see tighter and tighter integration of Google products into One UI.

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Galaxy M10s gets Android 11 update two months before second birthday

If you needed any more proof that Samsung is unbeatable in Android land when it comes to software updates, look no further than the arrival of the Android 11 update for yet another low-budget Galaxy smartphone. The Galaxy M10s is now receiving its second major Android OS and One UI upgrade, two months before it’s set to turn two. This is a phone that cost $130 at launch, showing how Samsung’s excellent software support covers both ultra-high-end and ultra-affordable devices.

As you would expect, One UI 3 is accompanying the Android 11 update for the Galaxy M10s – One UI 3.1, to be precise. The June 2021 security patch, which is the latest available for all Galaxy devices right now, is bundled as well. Android 11 brings a slightly refreshed user interface and updated Samsung apps, along with other features such as one-time permissions, the ability to remove location data from images before sharing them, improved Digital Wellbeing and parental controls, and dedicated media playback widget in the notification shade.

The update is rolling out in India, the only market where Samsung released the M10s, and carries firmware version M107FXXU4CUF5. You can download it over the air right away by opening the phone’s Settings app, selecting Software update, and tapping Download and install. Alternatively, the Android 11 firmware is waiting for you in our archives and can be used to upgrade your Galaxy M10s using a Windows PC once you’ve taken the necessary precaution of backing up all your important data.

Thanks for the tip, Yash!

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iPhone 13 plays catch-up with Samsung with this new camera feature

Renowned Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo says (via MacRumors) that the iPhone could finally get autofocus support on the ultra-wide camera with the iPhone 13. However, only the high-end iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will get the feature. This will put the iPhone 13’s camera subsystem somewhat on par with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which happened to be the first-ever Samsung device to include the feature. Interestingly enough, the lower-specced Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ do not support it.

Autofocus on an ultra-wide lens is still somewhat of a high-end feature reserved for flagship smartphones. Most OEMs, Samsung included, chose to neglect the feature for the longest time. Thankfully, most modern-day flagship smartphones include it. Our Galaxy S21 Ultra review determined that the ultra-wide lens’ autofocus support greatly enhanced the visual fidelity of captured images. It also doubled up as an excellent macro lens for close-up shots.

Of course, even Samsung wasn’t the first smartphone OEM to add autofocus support to its ultra-wide camera. The earliest smartphone we could find with the functionality enabled was the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which was launched all the way back in 2018. Then again, Huawei has always remained ahead of the pack when it comes to high-end camera features. The real question is: Will all three Galaxy S22 phones ship with autofocus on their ultra-wide lenses? Based on what little we know about the matter so far, it’s hard to tell.

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Just how important are smartphone charging speeds for you?

Much like the megapixel race which saw smartphone manufacturers make the absolute megapixel count a marketing tactic, we’ve seen a similar rat race for charging speeds over the past few years. Many OEMs, particularly Chinese, have now made charging speeds their preferred marketing gimmick.

The question remains, though, does that make any difference to the end user? Do you, as a customer, consider charging speeds to be a dealbreaker? There’s a lot that can drive the decision to spend money on a smartphone. For many, charging speeds might not even be a consideration.

Samsung never got sucked into this charging speed rat race. It was fine with the flagship Galaxy smartphones offering 15W fast charging. It later introduced 25W ‘super fast charging’ in 2019. We tested just how fast Samsung’s 25W super fast charging technology is and found a noticeable improvement.

The company kicked things up a notch with the Galaxy Note 10+ as it added support for 45W charging. It never shipped this charger in the box so customers who wanted the extra speed had to spend extra money. It wasn’t much speed to begin with. Tests showed that the time gained by using the 45W charger on the Galaxy Note 10+ compared to the 25W was just about 8 minutes.

While the Galaxy S20 Ultra supported 45W charging, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra didn’t. This suggested that not many customers were willing to spend extra money to get the 45W due to the negligible speed difference. So Samsung saw no reason to retain support. Sure enough, the Galaxy S21 Ultra charging speed also maxed out at 25W.

Samsung did this at a time when its Chinese competitors were showing off 100W charging speeds and trying to make that a talking point. Be that as it may, Samsung doesn’t seem to be having any problem selling smartphones that don’t offer these outrageous speeds.

For me personally, of all the things that could sway my decision when buying a phone, be it the display technology, chipset, RAM, storage, camera setup, things that actually impact the user experience in a major way, charging speeds won’t matter beyond a point. Is that the same for you? Vote below and share your thoughts with us in the comments.

How important are charging speeds for you?

• Slightly, they should be decent enough
• Very, they should be as high as possible
• Not at all, I don't really care

Results

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Galaxy A30 seemingly skipping the May 2021 update, June patch incoming

The Galaxy A30 has been a bit behind schedule on the security update front ever since it started receiving Android 11-based One UI 3.1 last month. That particular release came out with the April 1st patch level in tow, and it would now seem the device is skipping the May release altogether. Namely, the June 2021 security update has just started rolling out in South Korea, identified by PDA version A305NKSU5CUF2.

As always, if you’re feeling particularly impatient to get your hands on the June 2021 security update for your Galaxy A30, you don’t necessarily have to resort to waiting for the update to reach you on its own. The most straightforward way to try speeding things up a bit is to go to Settings > Software update > Download and install. Right now, this is most likely to work if you’re located in South Korea, but keep an eye out for our coverage in the days ahead to know when this security update expands its reaches.

What patch level are you currently running?

Last but not least, our firmware archives stand ready and at your disposal; simply download the full system images for your Galaxy A30 and flash them to the device manually. A word of warning for those who opt to pursue the manual flashing path: do not forget to back up your data, no matter how many times you’ve done this song and firmware-flashing dance.

As for the June 1st security patch level, it has been rolling out the world over for a about a month now, give or take. During this period, Samsung started 151 other deployments across 37 countries, including the one at hand. Right now, we’re eagerly waiting for the July update to land and hopefully the Galaxy A30 gets it sooner rather than later.

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Galaxy M32 goes on sale in India with cashback offers

Samsung had announced the launch of the Galaxy M32 for the Indian market last week. Today, the company has started selling the smartphone in India. The Galaxy M32 can be purchased via Amazon.in, Samsung’s official online store, and all the popular retail stores across the country.

The Galaxy M32 is priced at INR 14,999 (around $200) for the variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage costs INR 16,999 (around $230). The company is offering an instant cashback of INR 1,250 when the purchase is made using an ICICI credit or debit card. You can get an additional discount of INR 300 via the Samsung 20K Advantage program. The Galaxy M32 is available in two colors: Black and Light Blue.

Galaxy M32 specs, features

You should read our review of the Galaxy M32 before you buy the smartphone. It features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with Full HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The device runs Android 11 with One UI 3.1. It is equipped with the MediaTek Helio G80 processor, 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot (up to 1TB).

The Galaxy M32 features a 20MP selfie camera. At the rear, it has a quad-camera setup, featuring a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, a 2MP depth camera, and a 2MP macro sensor. It tops out at 1080p 30fps video recording. Its connectivity features include GPS, 4G LTE, dual-SIM card slots, GPS, Wi-Fi b/g/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. A 6,000mAh battery powers the phone and is compatible with 25W fast charging.

• Buy Galaxy M32 from Amazon.in
• Buy Galaxy M32 from Samsung India

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