Samsung and Marvell want to help network operators reach their 5G goals

Samsung Electronics and Marvell Technology Group have shaken hands on a long-term 5G collaboration to innovate across more Radio Access Network (RAN) segments. They wish to offer cost-effective 5G infrastructures to network operators who are facing difficulties with the complexities surrounding higher spectrum frequencies, super low latencies, and MIMO antenna arrays.

The two companies aim to speed up deployment times through highly-integrated solutions based on the OCETON Fusion platform and Samsung’s unique intellectual properties. Samsung is committed to helping mobile operators meet their performance targets said executive VP and head of R&D at Samsung Electronics’ Network Business.

Samsung is betting big on 5G to improve its fortunes in 2020 as more countries continue to adopt the 5G standard. But Samsung is not the only company hoping to achieve this, and rivals like Huawei have performed better in Global Data’s 5G RAN evaluation published a month ago. Samsung scored only 3/5 points in the Installation Ease category, so perhaps the collaboration with Marvell will address some of Samsung’s shortcomings, leading to a better performance in the 5G space by the end of the year.

Samsung has already secured 5G customers in key markets like Canada and the USA. It is now the 5G and LTE network solutions provider for U.S. Cellular, and last week, Samsung and Verizon have demonstrated peak speeds of 4.2 Gbps over 5G.

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Galaxy Tab S4 gets a new quarterly security patch in dozens of countries

Samsung has released a new firmware update for the Galaxy Tab S4 (SM-T830), carrying software version T830XXU4BTB2. The version number suggests that some new features may have been added with this latest update, however, Samsung’s official changelog mentions only security improvements. Therefore, if there are any additions aside from the March 2020 security patch, they’re under the hood.

The firmware update is presently rolling out in a handful of regions including the UK, Austria, Italy, France, the Baltic states, Luxembourg, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Southeast Europe, and Nordic countries. If you haven’t made the list yet, other regions should follow suit in the coming weeks.

As usual, you can tap the update notification to grab the latest firmware update OTA once it reaches your Galaxy Tab S4, or you can open the Settings app on the tablet, navigate to Software Update, and tap Download and install. You can also refer to our firmware archive and download the latest update manually from there.

While a new security patch is welcomed, we’re aware that most Galaxy Tab S4 owners are eager for the big (and final) Android OS update to arrive. The tablet is technically eligible to receive Android 10, but we’re still waiting for news on this front. Samsung’s focus so far has been on updating its smartphones first and foremost, so only time will tell when it might show the Galaxy Tab S4 some extra attention. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we learn more.

Galaxy Tab S4 (10.5", Wi-Fi)

• Model: SM-T830
• Dimensions: 249.3 x 164.3 x 7.1mm
• Display: 10.5” (266.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
• Camera: 13 MP, CMOS

More specifications

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Samsung’s update policy for the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip is unchanged

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately as to what firmware update schedule the Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Z Flip will follow. How many major Android OS updates will these devices receive, and how will Samsung treat security patches moving forward? The answer, at least so far, is that nothing will change. Both the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip will be subjected to the same update schedule as the other flagship models that came before them.

Unless Samsung decides to change the way it distributes firmware updates, the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip will remain eligible for no more than two major Android OS updates. They should both get Android 11 and 12 in the future, all the while continuing to receive regular monthly security patches for three years, and quarterly security patches throughout their fourth year on the market.

Samsung recently added the Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z Flip to its list of devices eligible for monthly security updates, so in other words, it is business as usual.

As for future Android OS iterations, the Galaxy Z Flip costs a pretty penny and the Galaxy S20, especially the Galaxy S20 Ultra, is as premium as it can get in today’s mobile market. With prices of over $1,000, it’s not outlandish for prospective buyers to expect these smartphones to receive more than two major Android OS updates. We understand why you might want to ask if Samsung has changed its update policy as its premium price ceiling has been constantly pushed higher in recent years, but so far, it looks like there are no plans for better software support for these new flagships.

Nevertheless, the company should really consider extending its update window, at the very least, for its most expensive Galaxy phones. It would certainly be an incentive for a lot of people to join the Galaxy ecosystem, knowing that their expensive flagships won’t stop receiving major updates two years down the line. And it would help in further justifying the premium prices commanded by Samsung for some of its handsets.

We’ll keep you up to speed in case there will be any new developments in this area, but don’t hold your breath.

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Various Galaxy A71 5G models pass Bluetooth certification

The Galaxy A71 5G is now one step closer to an official launch, as the handset has received Bluetooth certification. A few months ago, we had revealed the existence of a 5G variant of the A71 for the Chinese market. Since then, we’ve learned that the A71 5G will also be headed to the US and some international markets, and the Bluetooth certification has revealed that a variant for Korea is in the works as well.

The international, Chinese, and Korean models — the SM-A716B, SM-A7160, and SM-A716S — are the ones that have been certified. The certification doesn’t give us any info other than the name of the device and that it will support Bluetooth 5.0. However, thanks to a benchmark listing, we had learned recently that the A71 5G will be the first Galaxy smartphone to be powered by the Exynos 980 chipset.

The Exynos 980 is an 8nm chip and has an octa-core processor with two 2.2GHz Cortex-A77 cores and six 1.80GHz Cortex-A55 cores. The integrated 5G modem is capable of handling 5G to 2G networks while also supporting gigabit downlink speeds in 4G LTE. It supports speeds of up to 2.55Gbps in sub-6-GHz 5G. The Exynos 980 was previously seen in a Vivo smartphone and is currently the most powerful mid-range chipset in Samsung’s arsenal.

The rest of the Galaxy A71’s specs are likely going to be the same as the Galaxy A71. That means it will have a 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, a quad camera setup at the back comprised of 48MP primary, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth, and 5MP macro sensors, a 32MP front-facing camera, a 4,500 mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and Android 10 with One UI 2.0.

We’ll keep you posted as and when we hear more about the Galaxy A71 5G. We will also be publishing our review of the regular Galaxy A71 in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

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Daily Deal: 54% off SanDisk Extreme MicroSD 1TB

SanDisk has been producing microSD cards for many years. They are known for producing cards that can withstand extreme situations with fast read/write speeds offered and competitive pricing. This microSD card comes with a massive 1TB storage capacity which allows you to store plenty of media. Because of its fast writing speed it’s able to process 4K video recording. You can use this microSD card to expand your smartphone’s storage capacity significantly. With 54% slashed off the price, this is a good choice if you’re looking to expand your storage.

Hit the Buy Now button below to get one before the deal ends!

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Galaxy Note 10 Lite update improves camera, fingerprint recognition

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite has received its first software update after it went on sale in some markets in late January. The update is quite similar to the one Samsung rolled out to the Galaxy S10 Lite earlier this week. It brings improvements to the camera performance and quality and to fingerprint recognition along with the February 2020 security patch. The build number for the update is N770FXXU2ATB6.

The update also improved the battery charging algorithm and the performance of the touchscreen. General stability improvements are included as well. As usual, Samsung doesn’t go into detail about how the improvements have been implemented, so it will be up to owners of the Note 10 Lite to recognize any differences after they have updated their phone.

The update is currently available in India and Russia but should soon be making its way to other markets. You can download it over the air on your Galaxy Note 10 Lite by opening the phone’s Settings app, selecting Software update, and tapping Download and install. Alternatively, you can download the latest firmware from our firmware archive and install it on your phone using a Windows computer.

Check out our review to see what the (relatively) affordable Note 10 variant is all about if you’re still on the fence about buying the device.

Thanks for the tip, Ng Choon Weng!

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Samsung’s smartphone market share rises in Europe during Q4 of 2019

Samsung’s smartphone market share rose slightly in Europe during the last quarter of 2019. As per the new data, the South Korean smartphone giant seems to have benefited from the trade ban that the US imposed on Huawei. However, the company’s market share has taken a hit in other markets.

According to the latest data from analytics firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung captured a 27 percent share of the European smartphone market during Q4 2019, which is a rise of 2 percent compared to last year. The US barred Huawei from installing Google’s mobile services on its phones, which resulted in lower sales in markets outside of China. Samsung took advantage of Huawei’s situation and increased its market share.

Samsung’s market share fell slightly during the last quarter of 2019 in other markets due to aggressive marketing and pricing from mid-tier brands like OPPO, Realme, and Xiaomi. In the Middle East and Africa regions, the South Korean firm’s market share took a dip from 22 percent to 20 percent. Its market share in Central and South American markets slipped from 36 percent to 34 percent. In the North American market, Samsung’s smartphone market share fell from 22 percent and 20 percent.

In countries like Chile, Italy, Peru, Portugal, and Ukraine, Samsung had the highest market share. In Ukraine, it captured 49 percent of the market during Q4 of 2019, which is a rise of 23.2 percent from a year ago.

Counterpoint Research said, “Even though the competition from Chinese brands appears to be fierce in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia regions, Samsung is able to supply differentiated products with its technology, so the company will stay competitive.“

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