Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) gets final clearance ahead of release

The Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) lineup cleared the final obstacle standing in the way between its sensibly priced hardware and global market availability. That would be the approval from the Wi-Fi Alliance, a product declaration that became official earlier today. Besides confirming the new tablets will be hitting the store shelves sooner rather than later, this development also sheds more light on some of their specifications and and differences.

One of those is the unsurprising presence of a custom Android 10 implementation, though One UI 2.5 isn’t a given as these are $200-$250 tablets we’re talking about.

Expect a modest pair of tablets punching above their price tags

The Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) family will technically include four models in total, but that’s just because the LTE-enabled version appears to be subdivided into regional variants. It’s currently unclear whether the said device, designated as SM-T505, will be offered in multiple memory configurations. A recent emergence of another model number — SM-T507 — appears to give some credence to that possibility. Assuming 5G is out of the question in this price range, of course, which it is because the lineup was already treated to a premature Google Play Console listing.

In any case, the Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 series will also include a Wi-Fi-only model, the SM-T500. Bluetooth 5.0 support is here as well, which still isn’t a guarantee in the low-end Android segment. The newer Wi-Fi 6 standard is, naturally, out of the question.

It remains to be seen how much effort Samsung decides to invest into launching the Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) tablets; we do know they’re at the very least coming to Europe and parts of Asia, based on previous price leaks and their model numbers, but that’s about it for now. Of course, expect a couple of modest-looking devices which may launch as soon as this week.

Galaxy Tab A7

• Model: SM-T500
• Dimensions: Tablet: 157.4 x 247.6 x 7 mm
  
• Display: 10.4 inch / mm
• CPU:
• Camera: 8MP

More specifications

Galaxy Tab A7 LTE

• Model: SM-T505
• Dimensions: Tablet: 157.4 x 247.6 x 7 mm
  
• Display: 10.4 inch / mm
• CPU:
• Camera: 8MP

More specifications

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Samsung heir could be charged for accounting fraud and stock manipulation

Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong has been embroiled in legal troubles for the past few years. He is facing a retrial for his role in the alleged forced merger of Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung C&T and the accounting fraud at Samsung Biologics. Today, the South Korean prosecution is expected to announce the results of the investigation, likely indict Lee, and charge him without detention.

Lee could be face charges related to accounting fraud, stock manipulation, and violation of capital market laws. Prosecutors suspect that Samsung Group’s current de-facto leader in a company-wide scheme to plan an illegal merger so that he could take over the control of the company from his ailing father, Lee Kun-Hee, who suffered a heart attack in 2014. Although Lee has denied these allegations, prosecutors believe that there is enough evidence of his wrongdoing.

Prosecutors believe that Lee operated a scheme to inflate the value of Cheil Industries and deflated the value of Samsung C&T before the merger. Lee was the largest shareholder of Cheil Industries, with a stake of 23.2 percent. These decisions allowed Lee to take control of the Samsung Group from his father. He was also reportedly a part of a plan that inflated the value of Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture of Samsung Biologics (a subsidiary of Cheil Industries) and US-based Biogen Inc.

The South Korean prosecution accelerated the investigation this year and called former and incumbent senior executives at Samsung over the case. Choi Gee-Sung and Kim Jong-Joong were summoned along with Lee for questioning. Kim Jong-Joong used to lead Samsung Group’s now-disbanded control tower, the Future Strategy Office.

Lee had hoped that the recommendation of the prosecution’s independent panel to drop charges citing difficulties in substantiating some of them would make the case go away. The board of fourteen members had concluded on June 26 by 10-3 that the prosecution’s investigation in the high-profile succession case was not warranted. However, prosecutors still managed to build up a case against Lee after gathering opinions from various accounting professors and management.

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Samsung Electronics collaborates with Corning to develop its own foldable glass

Samsung Electronics’ newer generation foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Z Fold 2, use Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) that has been developed by Samsung Display. However, the company has plans to develop its own foldable glass technology, and to that end, it has collaborated with Corning.

Samsung is at the forefront of the foldable smartphone segment, and it wants to internalize the development of key materials for such devices. Foldable glass is a critical component for foldable phones. It is being reported that the South Korean smartphone giant is developing foldable glass using Corning’s substrate. In comparison, Samsung Display’s Ultra-Thin Glass panels are made using German firm Schott’s glass substrate.

Apparently, Samsung Electronics chose Corning as Schott signed an exclusive supply contract with Samsung Display. Corning has been reportedly developing bendable glass internally, but its development started later than Schott’s. Now, the American glassmaker has received large orders from Samsung Electronics for glass substrate.

Corning’s spokesperson told ETNews that it is currently supplying bendable glass substrate to a firm, but they can’t reveal the name of its client. Samsung’s smartphone division is reportedly looking to develop its in-house foldable glass and force Samsung Display to lower the price of its panels. However, it could be difficult for Samsung Display to lower prices further as it is currently difficult to improve the yield in the substrate cutting process.

Samsung Display currently only supplies UTG to Samsung Electronics, but it is expected to diversify its client list in the future and reduce the reliance on Samsung Electronics. Huawei seems to have recently placed orders from Samsung Display for its future foldable smartphones. Samsung’s display manufacturing arm is pegged to be the number one foldable display panel supplier for a few years.

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Target’s unlocked Galaxy Note 20 5G is accompanied by a $200 gift card

The unlocked Galaxy Note 20 5G is now available in the USA at Target. Although this bit of news might not sound overly exciting at first, the retailer is offering an amazing deal wherein customers wanting to buy the unlocked Galaxy Note 20 5G from Target will receive a $200 gift card. The phone itself costs $999, so the gift card essentially gives you back 20% of the retail price to spend on other products.

Target’s Galaxy Note 20 5G deal is valid until September 5 so you’ll have the rest of the week to decide whether or not you want to take advantage of it. Keep in mind that the Galaxy Note 20 5G in the USA comes with 128GB of storage and Target is listing only the Mystic Gray variant at the time of writing.

Now, if you’re looking for ideas on what you could be doing with the $200 gift card, you might want to consider the Galaxy Buds Live. They’re available at Target in three color options for $169 so you’d even have some spare change left.

You could argue that the Galaxy Note 20 5G is not worth $999 to begin with and that the Target gift card merely brings the price down to where it should have been in the first place. And we wouldn’t disagree with you, but the reality of the situation is that the Galaxy Note 20 is still being sold for $999 so if you’re looking to buy one, there’s no reason not to look for a discount. Check the link below for more details.

• Buy unlocked Galaxy Note 20 5G from Target
• Buy the Galaxy Buds Live from Target

Galaxy Note 20 5G

• Model: SM-N981B
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Plus
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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Samsung didn’t tell you this but One UI 2.5 adds sound to Motion photos

Samsung introduced One UI 2.5 along with the Galaxy Note 20 series. The latest version adds numerous new features while improving existing ones, and these latest additions have already been ported over to older devices like the Galaxy S20 series through firmware updates. But there’s one feature (at least) that hasn’t been mentioned in any of Samsung’s changelogs. It turns out that One UI 2.5 changes the way Motion photo works by adding sound to these short clips.

Motion photo exists in the Camera app for Galaxy devices running older versions of One UI, so the feature itself is not entirely new; only its sound component is. It’s an option that lets you capture a short clip alongside your new photo, and it can be enabled or disabled by tapping a toggle in the viewfinder. But with One UI 2.5, Samsung has added sound to Motion photos in case you want to convert a Motion photo to a 1-second long video.

We’re not sure why this addition was left out from Samsung’s changelog for One UI 2.5 but it does make us wonder if there are other small changes to the user experience that people may have missed. Either way, sound for Motion photos is not a Galaxy Note 20-exclusive and it is available to the Galaxy S20 series post firmware update.

As to how useful it is to have sound attached to Motion photos, that’s up to each of you to decide. Do you have any use cases in mind for this feature? Let us know in the comment section below and check our definitive guide in case you need to refresh your memory on how to use Motion photos.

Galaxy Note 20

• Model: SM-N980F
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.6 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Super AMOLED Plus
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

• Model: SM-N985F
• Dimensions: Bar: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
  
• Display: 6.9 inch / 175.26 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 108MP

More specifications

Galaxy S20

• Model: SM-G980F
• Dimensions: Bar: 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm
  
• Display: 6.2 inch / 157.48 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S20+

• Model: SM-G985F
• Dimensions: Bar: 161.9 x 73.7 x 7.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.7 inch / 170.18 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

• Model: SM-G988B
• Dimensions: Bar: 166.9 x 76.0 x 8.8 mm
  
• Display: 6.9 inch / 175.26 mm Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• CPU: Exynos 990
• Camera: 12MP

More specifications

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Samsung business still at risk, facing ‘triple threat’ at home

Between a historically low production output, steadily declining electronics sales across the globe, and “humilitating” chipmaking troubles, business hasn’t exactly been good for Samsung this year. While a lot of those issues stem from the unpredictable turn of events 2020 had in store for us, Samsung is in need of solutions, not excuses. Especially given how its top management is getting dangerously close to yet another high-profile scandal not long after Vice Chairman and heir apparent, Lee Jae-yong, managed to get his prison sentence over government bribery miraculously suspended.

Suspended, but not overturned, because South Korean officials are still mulling over whether to go after Lee once again for largely the same thing – the manner in which he consolidated his power at Samsung, tightly grasping control of the conglomerate that’s been in the family for over 80 years now.

Samsung’s trifecta of headaches: coronavirus, courts, Korean government

Lee already vowed to end Samsung’s royal line but the fact that he continues to benefit from it isn’t something Seoul officials are eager to drop. New reports out of South Korea indicate a retrial is still very much in the realm of possibilities. Another major domestic worry for the chaebol is the increased regulatory pressure that’s lately manifested in a piece of legislation outright called the “Samsung Life Insurance Act” in reference to the company’s indemnification subsidiary. If the sitting parliament manages to enact this regulative, SLI would be forced to divest itself from Samsung Electronics, still the flagship division of the conglomerate. Even after a major selloff the proposal itself prompted, SLI still owns the equivalent of almost $17 billion in Samsung Electronics and is an important cog in the machine allowing Lee to retain tight control of Samsung Group.

Then there’s the continued challenge of doing business in this new stay-at-home economy – or what remains of the old one. One silver lining for Samsung on this front is that the novel coronavirus pandemic prompted an innovation boost at its B2B division. But all things considered, you know business has been bad when a global economic crash over a highly contagious disease just barely makes it into your top three annual risks.

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Samsung’s lifestyle TV for outdoors, The Terrace, is available in Europe

Samsung added The Terrace to its lifestyle TV lineup earlier this year to complement existing models like The Sero and The Frame. Months after the original announcement, The Terrace is finally available in Germany in three different sizes and for three different prices starting at 3,898 euro.

What sets The Terrace apart from Samsung’s other TVs is that it was built primarily for outdoor use, hence the moniker. It has an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance and it can withstand temperatures between -30 and +50 degrees Celsius.

4K QLED technology and up to 4,000 nits of brightness

Its robust build aside, The Terrace offers a premium viewing experience thanks to its QLED 4K display that has an average brightness of 2,000 nits and peak brightness levels of 4,000 nits. Visibility is key in outdoor conditions so brightness is constantly adapted through Adaptive Picture Technology.

Sound is equally important and The Terrace ships with its own soundbar. It was designed for outdoor acoustics and like the TV itself, the soundbar carries its own IP55 ingress rating. Both the TV and the soundbar can be controlled using the same Wi-Fi/Bluetooth remote.

The Terrace is available in Germany in sizes of 55, 65, and 75 inches. The 55-inch model is being sold for 3,898 euro while the 75-inch variant costs 6,335 euro. The medium-sized 65-inch The Terrace will set you back 4,872 euro. Check the links below if you’re looking for more details.

• Buy The Terrace, 55-inch, from Samsung Germany
• Buy The Terrace, 65-inch, from Samsung Germany
• Buy The Terrace, 75-inch, from Samsung Germany

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