Galaxy M22 surfaces with MediaTek’s Helio G80 chipset on the inside

Samsung’s got yet another Galaxy M series phones in the works, if a new listing spotted on the Geekbench benchmark website is anything to go by. And this new phone looks set to be a rebadged version of another rumored and upcoming Galaxy phone, the Galaxy A22. Or, at the very least, these two phones share the same processor: MediaTek’s Helio G80, which also powers the Galaxy A32 and will also be seen in the Galaxy M32.

The new M series phone has the model number SM-M225FV, which suggests it will launch as the Galaxy M22. The Galaxy A22 will come in a 5G variant as well, but it remains to be seen if the same will be true for the Galaxy M22. For now, details on the M22 are scarce except for what the benchmark listing tells us: The benchmarked unit was running Android 11 and has 4GB of RAM. A variant with more RAM will likely be available as well, as the Galaxy A22 is also in the works with 6GB of RAM.

Of course, without any official information, it’s not a certainty that the Galaxy M22 and Galaxy A22 will be similar on all fronts. But if they are, then the Galaxy M22’s spec sheet won’t excite too many people, though an affordable price tag — and perhaps a big battery, which is a Galaxy M series staple — should make up for that. We’ll let you know once we know more about the Galaxy M22, so stay tuned.

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Samsung Android 12 beta isn’t out yet, won’t come for a few months

Google always releases a public beta of its latest Android version at the annual I/O developers’ conference. Sticking with tradition, the company today announced the launch of the first public Android 12 beta.

The beta firmware was previously available only on the company’s Pixel phones. In recent years, it has extended that privilege to other manufacturers. However, in case you were wondering, the Samsung Android 12 beta isn’t available today.

Samsung Android 12 beta will come with One UI 4.0

Starting today, anyone with a Google Pixel 3 and up can download the first public Android 12 beta. Select devices from Xiaomi, Vivo, TCL, Techno, Sharp, Realme, Oppo, Asus, Lenovo, OnePlus and ZTE are also eligible.

You’ll notice that there’s one major company missing from the list: Samsung. Nothing was said about the Samsung Android 12 beta today. So while you may have been excited by all of the new Android 12 improvements shown today, it will be some time before you can experience it for yourself.

There’s a reason why the public beta isn’t open to Samsung devices. Samsung runs its own beta program. It launches a new One UI iteration with every major Android release. So we’ll only get the chance to try out Google’s new software when Samsung launches the One UI 4.0 beta.

Who knows when that’s going to be out. Samsung hasn’t even mentioned it at all. If history is any indication, we may have to wait for a few months. The Android 11 One UI 3.0 public beta was opened up in October last year. It arrived a month after the stable Android 11 firmware was released by Google!

It’s likely going to be a similar situation this year. One UI 3.5 is the next iteration of Samsung’s custom software. It will ship with the new foldable smartphones coming later this year. Android 12 won’t be a part of that release. So it may yet take a few months before we can get our hands on the Samsung Android 12 beta.

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Will Galaxy Watch 3 and older smartwatches be updated to Wear OS?

Samsung made it official today that it will be adopting Google’s Wear OS for its smartwatches going forward, starting with the upcoming Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung is returning to Android for its smartwatches for the first time in six years, and it’s a move that is expected to fix one of the few disadvantages of Samsung’s Tizen-based smartwatches: third-party app support.

But what about existing Galaxy smartwatches, like the Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2? Will they continue to run on Samsung’s Tizen platform or will they be updated to Wear OS as well?

No Wear OS for existing Galaxy smartwatches, but software support will continue

It’s a question many are asking, and the answer is no, those existing smartwatches will not be updated to Wear OS. Samsung has indirectly made it clear in its announcement today that it has no such plans, so the Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch Active 2, Galaxy Watch, and other older Galaxy smartwatches will continue to run on the Tizen platform.

However, that doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the road for these watches. Far from it. Samsung has confirmed that all of its Tizen-powered smartwatches will get at least three years of software support starting from their launch date. We will likely see that in the form of updates that bring new features and UI changes, possibly including those that are introduced with the Galaxy Watch 4 and other future models.

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Samsung makes it official: 2021 Galaxy Watch will run Wear OS, not Tizen

It was first rumored a few months ago that Samsung will be ditching Tizen in favor of Wear OS. This would mean that Samsung will once again be making Android-powered smartwatches. It has almost been six years since the company did that.

As Google made its software announcements today at I/O 2021, Samsung also announced its enhanced cooperation with the company today. It has officially confirmed that the upcoming Galaxy Watch models will run Wear OS, not Tizen.

Samsung hasn’t made an Android-powered watch since 2014

We had exclusively reported last week that the Galaxy Watch 4 and its associated models will indeed run Wear OS. The company did make Android-powered smartwatches in the past but it switched to Tizen in 2014.

Since then, Samsung’s smartwatches have only used Tizen as the operating system. This enabled the company to exercise complete control over the software. However, developer support for the ecosystem has left a lot to be desired.

Samsung has tried to strike a balance with this new arrangement. Even though the 2021 Galaxy Watch models will run Wear OS, they will have One UI on top. This will provide Samsung fans with a familiar look and feel. Samsung will also be able to offer its own functionality on top of the core OS, much like it does on its smartphones.

Providing customers with the best possible connected experience remains a priority for Samsung. So the Wear OS-powered Galaxy Watch will work in complete harmony with Samsung’s mobile devices and the wider Galaxy ecosystem.

It does point out that this new collaboration with Google will unlock new opportunities for the developer community. They will now be able to bring their apps to Samsung’s smartwatches without having to develop them again for Tizen.

This is a win-win situation because users will now get more apps on their Galaxy Watches. As for its existing Tizen smartwatches, the company says those models will continue to receive at least three years of software support from their date of launch.

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Watch 4 alongside its new flagship smartphones in July this year.

We’re combining the best of @wearosbygoogle and @SamsungMobile Tizen into a unified wearable platform. Apps will start faster, battery life will be longer and you'll have more choice than ever before, from devices to apps and watch faces. #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/vj2aYZD81x

— Google (@Google) May 18, 2021

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Samsung’s first 5G Galaxy F phone is official in a market where no one will buy it

The Galaxy F series of phones made their debut in India as rebranded versions of Samsung’s Galaxy M smartphones, but Samsung is finally ready to give them an identity of their own, at least in China. The Galaxy F52 5G has been leaking here and there for the last month or so, and Samsung China has now revealed the pre-order period, release date, and pricing for the device.

According to Samsung’s teaser poster, the Galaxy F52 5G will be available for pre-order from May 20 to May 31, and delivery of pre-orders will start from June 1. That’s also the date the phone will go on sale on retail shelves. Some pre-order gifts are on offer, although the teaser image is too low-resolution to make out what they are. The Galaxy F52 5G is priced at 1999 yuan (roughly $310), so we can only imagine the pre-order bonuses will not be very impressive.

A rebranded Galaxy A52 5G for a market that doesn’t care

It’s quite unusual that Samsung chose to release the Galaxy F52 5G in China where the company’s market share is negligible. While Samsung is the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, China is definitely not one of the company’s stronger markets. It lags behind the competition, and every one of the company’s efforts to increase market share in China over the past few years fell flat.

Samsung is now preparing the Galaxy F52 5G for release in China of all places, which could mean that the company may have rekindled its ambitions for this region. The Galaxy F52 5G looks quite different than the Galaxy A52 5G, with its glossy back panel and prominent camera housing, so it will be interesting to see if the device features any other changes.

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Galaxy smartphone users are happier than Apple customers, study shows

Samsung smartphone customers in the USA are happier than Apple customers, reveals a new study conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). More so, according to the 2020-2021 ACSI Wireless Phone Service and Cell Phone Study, the top 5 highest-rated smartphone models in the eyes of customers in the USA are manufactured by Samsung.

Samsung secured an ACSI score of 81, and that was enough for the company to outperform all of its rivals, including Apple. The latter company fell 2% to a score of 80, and it tied with Motorola and Google. In other words, Samsung is on a whole other level while Apple is competing with smartphone brands that are a lot less influential than it.

The Galaxy brand of smartphones is dominating

The recent study shows Galaxy smartphone owners in the USA have a higher satisfaction score than others, with the top 5 highest-rated smartphone models boasting the Galaxy logo.

According to the study, the Galaxy S10+, the Galaxy Note 10+, and the Galaxy S20+ are the highest-rated smartphones among customers in the USA with an ACSI score of 85.

The Galaxy S20, Galaxy A20, and Galaxy S10 secured a rating of 84, 83, and 82 points, respectively. The Galaxy S10 tied with the four Apple-branded smartphones, namely the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone X, and iPhone XS Max.

Time will tell if any of Samsung’s 2021 models like the Galaxy S21 or the Galaxy A52 5G will make it at the top of the 2021 list, but as far as last year’s performance is concerned, Samsung was unbeatable in the eyes of most customers in the USA.

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Samsung has chosen Austin Texas as its next 5nm EUV factory location

Samsung has finally decided where it will build its new EUV semiconductor manufacturing facility on US soil. The company reportedly had a choice between the states of Texas, Arizona, and New York, with each offering incentives for tech giants who’ll end up contributing to building the local chip-making infrastructure. And according to the local media, Samsung has decided that its next EUV-based manufacturing facility will be built in Austin, Texas.

Samsung already has a chip manufacturing facility in Austin — the same factory that was temporarily shut down earlier this year due to harsh weather conditions. But on the most part, the existing factory is manufacturing semiconductor technologies based on 14nm processes.

In contrast, Samsung’s future chip making factory in Texas will be equipped with 5nm EUV-based manufacturing lines, and therefore it will be responsible for creating Samsung’s future cutting-edge chipsets. Both the Exynos 1080 and the Exynos 2100 chipsets were manufactured using a 5nm EUV process.

Samsung aims for its new 5nm EUV facility to be operational in 2024

Samsung hasn’t officially revealed its plans to build its 5nm EUV facility in Austin, Texas, but industry watchers are now expecting for the company to spill the beans and confirm its decision around May 21 when presidents Moon Jae-in and Joseph Biden will attend a meeting at the White House.

Samsung reportedly wants the new 5nm EUV facility to be operational in 2024, and industry watchers expect the Korean tech giant to invest around 20 trillion won ($18 billion) in the facility’s construction. That’s almost twice as much as it was reported at the beginning of the year.

The company will have to equip its new facility with EUV manufacturing equipment — presumably supplied by ASML given that it’s the only EUV equipment supplier in the world — and hopefully TSMC won’t cause supply issues for Samsung as it did late last year.

ETNews claims that Samsung’s 5nm EUV chip manufacturing facility will be build in the vicinity of the existing 14nm plant, as indicated by the yellow highlights in the satellite image below.

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