Tech News

An internal document addressed to all Apple Store employees and Apple authorized resellers has been obtained by MacRumors. The document outlines a new 45-day return period for the Apple Watch Series 4 due to the ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor embedded into the Watch's body. Likely due to the medical nature of the ECG, Apple had to add the extra month's time to the regular 14-day return policy for most of Apple's products. Should you request a refund past the first fourteen days, you'll need to contact Apple directly by telephone, email, or online chat. If you do take your Watch Series 4...

The latest feature to come to YouTube Music is the ability to tune the equalizer settings right from within the app. The change was first noticed in 9to5Google's teardown of the app from a few weeks ago and now appears to be rolling out to all users. Version 2.59 of YouTube Music has the new menu in the app's Settings right below the Streaming Quality option. The interface looks quite similar to the equalizer found in the Google Play Music app. Source: 9to5Google There are 12 presets to choose from, or you can customize five range sliders and fine tune a bass boost or...

With spam callers increasingly becoming an issue all over the world, India set out to tackle the problem by implementing a "Do Not Disturb" app that could let users report spam numbers and register to a ‘do not call' registry so that Indian subscribers can see relief from constant telemarketing calls. Apple was slow to adopt India's "TRAI DND" (as the app is called) and the TRAI - Indian telecom regulator threatened to ban iPhones from Indian networks if Apple didn't approve the app before January 2019. This was back in July. TRAI DND on App Store The DND app was launched for...

According to a report from 9to5Google, a source familiar with Hangouts' future claims that the messaging service is getting unplugged in 2020, for consumers at least. Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet would still be a part of Google's G Suite. The platform has seen several major changes since its inception but Google has put its development on the backburner, instead focusing on its more recent services: Google Allo and Duo. Google launched Hangouts back in 2013 as a successor to Google Talk. It was the default Android app for instant messaging, group chats, and was the default chat...

Xiaomi's lineup now consists of many dozens of devices, and the Mi 8 family even has a few too. This might all get confusing, but don't worry - we got your back. Today we're taking a detailed look, in video form, at one of the newest members of this series - the Mi 8 Lite. Despite sharing the Mi 8 name with the Mi 8 Pro, as the "Lite" suffix implies this is a mere mid-ranger. But does that mean it's not worthy of bearing the Mi 8 moniker? Find out if you watch our video review, embedded below. In under eight minutes you'll get acquainted with this interesting device, and you'll be...

HMD Global's event on December 6 in India will actually be taking place on December 10 instead. The confusion was finally cleared today when the company started sending out press invites for the gathering. The Nokia 8.1 is expected to be the star of the event, and this, according to the most recent rumors, will be a rebranded Nokia X7 for markets outside of China. The Nokia 7.1 was just launched in India today, and on December 5 as many as three new Nokia phones will be presented in Dubai, so HMD is definitely busy in this period. The Nokia 8.1 has a 6.18-inch 1080x2280 touchscreen...

The Asus Zenfone Max M2 and the Pro M2 have showed up on a few occasions in the last few weeks in leaks and teasers but the new report is a bit more revealing than you'd expect. It has almost all the specs and renders that you'd need. Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 WinFuture brings us detailed renders showing the design of both phones. The first thing we notice is that the non-Pro variant has slightly thicker chin and a narrower notch but otherwise the two follow the same design language. In addition, the Max M2 has a metal back while the Pro M2 takes the glass sandwich...

Amazon announced today that Apple Music service is coming to the company's Echo series of devices. Echo customers will be able to use Apple Music starting the week of December 17. Apple Music on Echo will work similarly to other music services, which currently include Spotify, Pandora, Amazon's own Prime Music and other local services depending upon user location. To set up Apple Music, you will have to login through the Amazon Alexa app on your phone and once the process is complete, you can just ask Alexa to play songs on Apple Music. The move is surprising but welcome...

ZTE's sub-brand nubia announced its flagship bezel-less smartphone, the nubia X, a month ago but it's still a an exotic piece of electronics as only a few flash sales have been carried out. The newly surfaced video shows the smartphone's back OLED screen in action and it looks gorgeous. The Nubia X's back color and screen color blend together, which is a laudable technology, and its visual effect is amazing. pic.twitter.com/1I08xvBDUW— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 25, 2018 It's impressive how ZTE managed to install the OLED flush with the back panel. You can't really tell...

The update model and openness of the ecosystem make Android smartphones less appealing for deployment in many enterprises and government institutions. Samsung tried to address some of the challenges by launching Enterprise Editions of its high-end devices and creating enterprise-deployment and management tools like Samsung Knox.

The Galaxy S9 and A8 Enterprise Edition models, launched earlier this year, were part of this strategy. It appears the company’s efforts are bearing some fruits as Netherlands’ Air Force has decided to deploy Galaxy S9 Enterprise Edition for 6,000 of its employees. Marking the beginning of the rollout, Samsung has handed over the first of the 6,000 devices to the Deputy Commander, Air Forces, General Major Mario Verbeek.

Free firmware and security updates for four years

“The Air Force Command (CLSK) is in the middle of the transition to the 5th Generation Air Force. The focus is on information-driven action. This ambition, combined with good employment practices and the most effective use of staff, has made CLSK decide to provide every employee working within the CLSK with a smartphone in the form of a Samsung Galaxy S9,” said General Major Mario Verbeek commenting on the rollout.

While the Galaxy S9 Enterprise Edition is identical to the consumer model in terms of hardware, the former gets free firmware and security updates for four years. At the time of the launch, Samsung promised three years of monthly security updates and quarterly updates for the fourth year for the Galaxy S9 Enterprise Edition. Though the company hasn’t confirmed, even the Enterprise Edition will most probably be limited to two major Android updates similar to the consumer models.

The post Netherlands’ Air Force picks Galaxy S9 Enterprise Edition for its employees appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung Galaxy A8s is expected to be the first phone by the Korean manufacturer with an Infinity-O display that has a cutout in the upper left corner for the selfie camera. After plenty of speculations, leaks and fan renders, the device was certified officially by the FCC under the name SM-G8870. The listing included a screenshot that revealed the upper left corner is empty from notifications - they moved slightly to the centre. Samsung Galaxy A8s screenshot The Samsung Galaxy A8s is also expected to have a taller screen than the Infinity Display, used in plenty of...

ХМД has launched the Nokia 7.1 in India. The phone is priced at INR 19,999 ($287) and will be available across all major outlets and Nokia website starting December 7. Airtel subscribers will get additional data on select plans upon purchasing the phone. HDFC Bank customers will get special cashback offers when purchasing on EMI. The Nokia 7.1 is Nokia's latest mid-range smartphone. It has a 5.84-inch FHD+ display with HDR-10 support, a first for a device in this class. The phone runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB expandable...

This month may have come to an end but there are a lot of Samsung devices yet to receive the November 2018 security patch. Samsung continues to roll out the latest security maintenance release for these devices.

Handsets like the Galaxy A6+, Galaxy J6, Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy S8 and more have received it in recent weeks. Samsung is now rolling out the said security patch for the Galaxy J6+, Galaxy J4+ and the Galaxy J2 Pro.

November 2018 security patch rolling out for more devices

The Galaxy J6+ and Galaxy J4+ are two entry-level handsets that Samsung launched a couple of months back. It said that they have been “created especially for young millennials.” They feature a reflective back with a glass finish, 6-inch HD+ Infinity Design displays and 3,300mAh battery. Both have the same Snapdragon 425 processor with varying RAM and storage configurations. The Galaxy J6+ is also Samsung’s first smartphone with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Firmware version J610FNXXU1ARK4 is now rolling out in Germany for the Galaxy J6+. It’s available for download from our firmware section. The Galaxy J4+ gets J415FNXXU1ARK5 in Ukraine. It’s also available from our database. Samsung will soon be releasing the update in other markets where these devices are available as well.

Samsung has also rolled out the latest security maintenance release for the Galaxy J2 Pro. Firmware version J250GDXU3ARK2 keeps it on Android 7.1.1 but applies the November 2018 security patch. It’s available for download from our firmware section as well.

The latest security patch has fixes for 11 critical Android OS vulnerabilities in addition to dozens of moderate and high-risk vulnerabilities. 9 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items have been addressed in this update as well.

The post Galaxy J6+, Galaxy J4+ and Galaxy J2 Pro get November 2018 security patch appeared first on SamMobile.

The vivo NEX with a pop-up selfie camera arrived back in June, and slowly made its way outside China. You can buy the phone in plenty of countries, including India, Russia and Malaysia, but is yet to reach European soil. A rumor appeared today, suggesting vivo NEX is indeed coming to Europe and it's going to cost €849. When vivo introduced the NEX S, it was priced at CNY4,498, which is equal to €570. It also had a variant for CNY4,998, which translates to €630. Even if we add import fees and other taxes, the €849 tag is exceptionally high, given that the dual-screen vivo NEX 2 is...

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy A8s in China in early 2019. The phone’s rumored Infinity-O display seems to be confirmed by an FCC listing for the device. Also visible is Samsung’s new 19.5:9 screen aspect ratio.

Galaxy A8s visits the FCC

Today, the FCC published its documentation on Samsung’s upcoming SM-G8870 or the Galaxy A8s as it is likely to be called. We do not get to see the actual device, but a screenshot still manages to confirm two rumored details. First, the screenshot in the documents appears to have a 19.5:9 ratio. This is similar to the details that recently surfaced of another upcoming Samsung device, the M20.

Furthermore, as the guys over at GalaxyClub point out, the top left corner of the screen is left empty. There are notifications visible in the status bar, but not in the corner. This is as we would expect of a device with a notch or a hole in that part of the display. After all, the Galaxy A8s is rumored to come with Samsung’s first Infinity-O display.

The Galaxy A8s is likely to be a China-only device. However, we might see the same design in several of Samsung’s other new models. Not only are there the Galaxy M20 and M30, but we recently also provided the first details of the upcoming Galaxy A30 and A50. Though not all of these phones might have an Infinity-O display, they are very likely to get some form of notch-like Samsung’s Infinity-V and -U display types suggest.

The Galaxy A8s itself is rumored to feature a 6.39-inch TFT LCD display and could be Samsung’s first phone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 soc. Memory-wise, the A8s should have 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. A triple camera can be found on the back, while the front camera-in-a-hole should have a 24-megapixel sensor. A 3400 mAh battery completes this package. The official Chinese launch is expected in January 2019.

The post FCC documentation confirms Infinity-O display for the Galaxy A8s appeared first on SamMobile.

Will Samsung’s much-awaited foldable smartphone be called the Galaxy Fold? That’s what a new trademark registration suggests. Samsung has said that it will release this device next year but not revealed what it will be called. Previous reports claim that it may be called the Galaxy Flex. Some of you will agree, though, that Galaxy Fold is a more suitable name for a device that folds more than it flexes.

The trademark was filed just a couple of days ago. The company is looking to protect the “Samsung Galaxy Fold” moniker. The description mentions that it may be used for a variety of products including smartphones.

Samsung files trademark for the Galaxy Fold moniker

It’s not a confirmation, though, that this is what Samsung’s foldable smartphone is going to be called. Samsung could just be covering its bases here, protecting monikers that it may find some use for in the future. Nevertheless, it would make sense if the company decides to call this device the Galaxy Fold.

Samsung hasn’t revealed the foldable smartphone as yet. It only offered a glimpse of the foldable display at SDC 2018 earlier this month. We may not see it in the flesh until March if some reports are believed.

The company does have a lot riding on the foldable smartphone. Samsung has confirmed that it won’t be a niche device as it will be released globally next year. The company will reportedly be producing around one million units initially. It may ramp up production if there’s enough demand. It’s expected to cost a pretty penny, though, some estimates put the price tag around $2,500.

All of that is just speculation right now, though. Samsung hasn’t confirmed any details about the foldable phone as yet. We will have to wait until the coming year for all of the official information. That’s also when it will become clear whether or not this device is going to be called the Galaxy Fold.

The post Galaxy Fold could be what Samsung calls its foldable smartphone appeared first on SamMobile.

Meizu introduced the 16 series earlier this year, but up until now, the devices were available only in China. That's about to change though as the Indian division of the company started posting teasers on Twitter, confirming that the flagships will hit the country on December 5. Currently, the company has three phones under the 16 family - the Snapdragon 845-powered Meizu 16 and Meizu 16 Plus that differ only in screen and battery size, and a third downgraded Meizu 16X with similar product design and lowered price tag. While the Meizu 16, also known as Meizu 16th depending on...

Samsung is preparing the Galaxy A8s to be its trailblazer device with an Infinity-O display. According to a prominent Twitter leakster @MMDDJ_, the new smartphone might also be the first Samsung smartphone without a 3.5 mm audio jack, paving the way for USB-C audio in the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. The Korean company is apparently testing the waters with the Galaxy A8s and its all-in approach. Given the Galaxy A9s and Galaxy A6s monikers are China-exclusive, we might see the new device getting unveiled first in China, and if the reception is going on well, Samsung will likely...

Samsung is preparing the Galaxy A8s to be its trailblazer device with an Infinity-O display. According to a prominent Twitter leakster @MMDDJ_, the new smartphone might also be the first Samsung smartphone without a 3.5 mm audio jack, paving the way for USB-C audio in the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. The Korean company is apparently testing the waters with the Galaxy A8s and its all-in approach. Given the Galaxy A9s and Galaxy A6s monikers are China-exclusive, we might see the new device getting unveiled first in China, and if the reception is going on well, Samsung will likely...

Oppo spinoff Realme has started sending out a new update to its first ever smartphone, the Realme 1. This won't change the Android version - it's still running Oreo, not Pie - but it will bump up ColorOS to 5.2. ColorOS is the Oppo-developed skin/custom UI overlay that sits atop its devices and Realme's, and now the Realme 1 is using the latest iteration of it. ColorOS 5.2 brings a bunch of new features to the Realme 1, including the ability to dismiss notifications with a single swipe to the right, a headset icon in the status bar, a Smart Bar for faster multitasking, background music...

The U11 Life Android One device is HTC's first smartphone to be graced with an update to Android 9 Pie. The new software is rolling out in Romania at the moment, and is expected to spread to other European markets very soon. The rollout comes almost four months after Google released Pie. Since the U11 Life is part of the Android One program, with one of its claimed advantages being exactly fast updates, this delay is even more baffling, especially as Nokia has been updating its Android One phones to Pie left and right for many weeks now. On the other hand, because it's part of Android One,...

The Realme U1 announced yesterday is the first phone to feature MediaTek's Helio P70 chipset. MediaTek, however, is already working on its next premier mid-range SoC, and this will be called Helio P90. The company itself has started teasing the chip on Twitter, as you can see below. The Helio P90 is expected to feature "groundbreaking AI", while also being powerful and efficient. Coming Soon! The MediaTek Helio P90. Powerful. Efficient. Groundbreaking AI. #MediaTekHelioP90 #thischipchangeseverything pic.twitter.com/HiALFuRWHZ— MediaTek (@MediaTek) November 29, 2018 The AI bit is...

OnePlus is announcing a special edition 6T in cooperation with McLaren on December 11. The partnership was revealed a couple of days ago, but no details about the smartphone have been outed on that occasion. Now a new report says we should expect a OnePlus 6T with 10GB of RAM and 256GB of storage to be that special edition device. That would make it king of RAM in the smartphone space, since not one other device has so far gone beyond 10GB. The handset should also have the McLaren logo on the back, to set itself apart from the other 6T variants. The OnePlus 6T McLaren edition will be...

SAR - the Specific Absorption Rate - is a measure of how much energy is absorbed by the human body from the radio emissions from phones. Various wireless authorities do strict testing to make sure that manufacturers stay within limits and as France's ANFR found out, sometimes phones exceed the limit. During the first half of 2018, the authority tested 51 handsets and of those 43 passed. The other 8 did not. Check out the table below to see the offenders. Note that the value in the table are measured at the waist, but ANFR also measures the absorption at head level. Anyway, the issue was...

Not many people know Kyocera but those that do, know its phones are rugged and made for testing environments. It's latest phone - the DuraForce Pro 2 isn't very interesting in terms of specs but is built like a tank and has quite a rare feature to boast about - a sapphire screen. Some tech companies cough Apple cough only claim to use sapphire (like the lenses on recent iPhone cameras) but actually use strengthened glass that scratches like regular Gorilla Glass 4/5/6. But Kyocera really has put a sapphire screen (and camera lens cover) on the DuraForce Pro 2. In his video Zack from...

After the India exclusive Motorola One Power received Android Pie, the international Motorola One is next down the pipeline. And this is actually the first internationally-available Motorola device to get the latest OS release. Supposedly, since the Motorola One and One Power are on the Android One program and have already received the OTA update, the Moto X4 Android One's update should be just around the corner as well. Still, there are plenty of other Motorola devices to get the sweet Pie and users are waiting. Via

Caviar is living up to its name with the reveal of its latest luxury creation - the Apple Watch Series 4 Caviar. The design is inspired by the premium roe and comes in Red, Black and White flavors. Dotted all across the gold-plated smartwatch are precious stones - 633 of them, each 1.5mm in size - rather than fish eggs. The Red Caviar model uses rubies, while the Black Caviar is made out of black diamonds. Apple Watch Series 4 Red Caviar (rubies) • Black Caviar (black diamonds) It's the White Caviar that is the premium option, a king among kings. It is inspired by Almas,...

According to data gathered by PwC, covering the fiscal year ending on June 30 2018, Amazon, Alphabet, Samsung and Intel are all in the top five in terms of research and development spending. Amazon topped the list for the second year in a row with $22.6B spent on R&D and Google's Alphabet parent company was second with $16.2B. Samsung retained fourth with $15.3B in R&D spending, followed by Intel with $13.1B, Microsoft with $12.3B and Apple with $11.6B. The top 1000 public companies spend a whopping $782B in R&D in 2018 - an increase of 11.4% over 2017. Computing and Electronics and...

Samsung has just issued a hotfix update to the second Android Pie beta on Galaxy S9, launched yesterday. It is only 90 MB in size and patches two significant issues that slipped in the major release. Users complained about losing mobile data connection and having trouble launching some apps. To get the Pie beta that moves to One UI on your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+, you must be part of the Samsung Members program (also known as Samsung+ in the United States). Through the dedicated app you can see the whole log, but your software should be updated through the Settings menu. Via

The ZenFone Lite L1 and the ZenFone Max M1 are two of Asus' latest smartphones that also happen to be the cheapest the brand has to offer. These are entry-level smartphones usually for first time buyers, with the Lite L1 being the more affordable of the two and the Max M1 being similar but with a few extra features and bling for the more discerning customer with slightly deeper pockets.

The hate for notches and the push for higher screen-to-body ratios are about to create the latest craze of punch holes in the displays. There aren't smartphones with camera holes in their front panels yet Samsung, Lenovo and Huawei are about to launch a trio of those next month. And now we learn ZTE is looking into holes in the display for tackling another problem - the earpiece. Although, to be fair, Huawei might have thought about that first. Anyway, going by the latest patent from ZTE, the OEM is trying to reduce the upper bezel and potentially eliminate the need for a notch by...

A certain Lenovo Z5s was detailed by TENAA and from the dark photos it looked like it had a teardrop notch. But it's not a notch - it's a hole. Here are some better photos of the phone that offer a clearer picture, and it really helps that the display is on. This is not the first phone with a pierced screen, but the location of the hole is important - it's in the center. Both Huawei and Samsung seem to have settled on punching the hole in the top left corner of the screen. The Lenovo Z5s has a screen hole positioned at the center of the top edge of its screen There are pros and...

The adoption rate of iOS 12 kept increasing at a steady pace, and yesterday it surpassed the threshold of 75%. For comparison, iOS 11 reached the same percentage on December 17, which is about three weeks slower. Data also revealed that one of every 20 iDevices devices is still on versions prior to iOS 11, and most of them are highly unlikely to switch since they are older models in general. iOS 12 vs iOS 11 vs Older iOS Back in the first half of October, Apple boasted that half of the devices switched to iOS 12 just 30 days after the official launch. The faster adoption rate...

It's no secret that Samsung makes the best OLEDs for smartphones these days - its class-leading panels feature on Apple's new iPhone XS, XS Max and the company's own Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note9. As a result, the company holds about 95% of the markets share for small and mid-sized OLED panels. So the latest news about 11 employees working for a vendor on contract with Samsung disclosing technology secrets to a Chinese firm don't sound all too well. South Korea is now looking into a case where 11 employees have sold Samsung's OLED manufacturing secrets to a Chinese company for about $14...

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Forbidden City Edition is going on sale in December (the company didn't specify an exact date). It will cost CNY 5,000 ($720/€630). That's the same price as the 8/256GB model (the base 6/128GB model is CNY 3,300). This special edition will pack 10GB of RAM (the first model in the Mix 3 lineup to do so). Also, it's a different kind of blue - it's inspired by the ceramic vases of one of the ruling dynasties of China. Fitting as the back of the phone is made of ceramic. Also, there's a gold inlay of a mythical create on the back of the phone. The Forbidden City...

This year's Diwali festive season ended on November 8 and thanks to the holiday spirit and plenty of discounts across retailers, smartphone sales grew 26%, compared with last year's period. Counterpoint Research announced that Flipkart and Amazon played a massive role with their respective online sale events " Flipkart Big Billion Day" and "Amazon Great Indian Festival." OEM stores, including mi.com, vivo e-store, and Hi Honor helped as the online sales went up 46% YoY. The big winner of the shopping festival is Xiaomi with 43% online share and 14% offline share in the respective...

The renders of the Sony Xperia XZ4 showed an extra tall phone with a triple camera on the back. Now we have a second data point that supports this design - renders of a case for the phone have surfaced. Those CAD renders show a screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio - taller than any phone currently on the market, it's a proportion not seen since LG BL40 New Chocolate. Renders of Sony Xperia XZ4 cases: check out how tall they are Here are a few more interesting details to note. There's a cutout for the Power key while the other keys are covered (including the shutter key) - that...

Android Pie may increase the steps needed before one can record a video on a Galaxy S9, but it also brings some new camera features. These camera features, Scene Optimizer and Flaw Detection, debuted on the Galaxy Note 9 and have also been seen on some mid-range devices Samsung has launched in recent weeks (such as the new Galaxy A9).

New Galaxy S9 camera features with Android Pie

Let’s talk about Scene Optimizer first. According to Samsung, this feature automatically selects the “appropriate color and tone settings” for 20 different types of scenery to make the image more pleasing than it would be without Scene Optimizer. It didn’t work too well in practice on the Galaxy Note 9, though. There’s barely any difference in photos taken with and without Scene Optimizer enabled, and it seems to be the same on Android Pie on the Galaxy S9. The good thing is you can just ignore Scene Optimizer altogether, as it is a separate camera mode on Android Pie.

Flaw Detection, meanwhile, is hidden in the camera settings, and it brings tangible benefit. Flaw Detection is a very handy feature that tells you if someone may have moved or blinked in a picture after it has been taken or if the photo came out blurry, so you can quickly take another picture to make sure you got the perfect shot. It also detects camera smudges, which is useful for those who tend to touch the camera while using the fingerprint sensor too often. Flaw Detection works great on the Galaxy Note 9, and it shouldn’t be any different on the Galaxy S9.

Check out more One UI and Android Pie features that are coming to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Using the Pie beta? Try out Scene Optimizer and let us know if you find it makes a difference to your pictures.

Galaxy S9

• Model: SM-G960F
• Dimensions: 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm
• Display: 5.8” (146.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS OIS (F1.5/F2.4)

More specifications

Galaxy S9+

• Model: SM-G965F
• Dimensions: 157.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm
• Display: 6.2” (158.1mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS Dual OIS (F1.5/F2.4) & Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4)

More specifications

The post Galaxy S9 camera gets Flaw Detection, Scene Optimizer with Android Pie appeared first on SamMobile.

Oppo will show its first foldable smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2019. The confirmation comes straight from Oppo's Product Manager Chuck Wang. While he didn't disclose any specifics about the foldable phone, Wang has mentioned that Oppo will deliver a 5G smartphone in 2020 and will also aim to release its first phone with a display cutout in 2020. Foldable phones will likely prove a key focus in 2019. Samsung already provided a glimpse of its Galaxy F foldable smartphone and is expected to give it more screen time at the MWC in February. LG will...

Asus finally brought its flagship ROG Phone to the Indian market. The phone is priced at INR 69,999 ($1,002) and will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting today, November 29. Asus is offering zero interest EMI option on the device, with a 12 month plan costing INR 5,833 per month. Flipkart will also be offering its Complete Mobile Protection plan for INR 999 instead of the usual INR 5,999. ASUS also has additional cashback offers for Reliance Jio customers. Asus will also be releasing all the accessories for the ROG Phone over the coming days. This includes the Professional...

Undoubtedly the most exciting feature of the new Apple Watch Series 4 is the ECG functionality. However, it isn't available yet and we are still waiting for Apple to enable it via a future update. And according to inside sources, watchOS 5.1.2 is going to be the one to bring it. The software version is currently in beta testing and isn't yet available for the public. But once it arrives, it will be able to read your heart rhythm. It can help detect atrial fibrillation or just an irregular heart rhythm. Apple promised to enable the feature by the end of this year but it's still...

Samsung has just released a hotfix update for the Galaxy S9 Android Pie beta. The first update to the initial One UI beta brought fixes for many bugs, but two major issues managed to slip through. Many users had complained about their mobile data connection not working on the second Pie beta, and this has been fixed with the hotfix update. Also fixed is a problem that prevented some apps from opening.

A small update that fixes big issues

The hotfix update is a 90 MB download and is available in Germany at the moment. It comes with software version G960FXXU2ZRKN and G960FXXU2ZRKN for the S9 and S9+ respectively. To download it, simply open the Settings app on the phone, go into the Software update menu, then tap Download and install. Don’t pay heed to the changelog mentioned in the update notification on the phone, however. The proper changelogs for each beta update can be found in the Samsung Members app (Samsung+ for those in the US).

If the new beta update fixes any glaring issues for you, do tell us in the comments.

Galaxy S9

• Model: SM-G960F
• Dimensions: 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm
• Display: 5.8” (146.5mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS OIS (F1.5/F2.4)

More specifications

Galaxy S9+

• Model: SM-G965F
• Dimensions: 157.7 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm
• Display: 6.2” (158.1mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9810
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS Dual OIS (F1.5/F2.4) & Telephoto: 12MP AF F2.4)

More specifications

Thanks, Sebastian!

The post Galaxy S9 Android Pie hotfix update fixes issues with second beta release appeared first on SamMobile.

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According to a report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Samsung Electronics was the 4th largest R&D spender globally during the one-year period beginning H2 last year. The report which looked into the R&D spending of 1000 major firms, placed Samsung’s R&D spending at $15.3 billion, netting it the 4^th rank for the second year in a row. The Korean giant’s investments in R&D went up by 6.8% year-on-year and accounted for 6.8% of the company’s sales.

E-commerce giant, Amazon, topped the list with an R&D spending of $22.6 billion, while Alphabet Inc. with $16.2 billion and Volkswagen with $15.8 billion occupied the next two spots, respectively. Intel came in fifth with $13.1 billion, followed by Microsoft with $12.3 billion and Apple with $11.6 billion. The combined R&D spending of all the 1000 firms in the report stood at a staggering $782 billion – an increase of 11.4% year-on-year.

Consistently ranked as one of the top R&D spenders

Samsung has been consistently ranked as one of the R&D top spenders in recent years, with some reports even placing it at the top of the list. The differences in ranking across these reports could be probably due to the research methodology and the time period under consideration. While Samsung’s investment in R&D sounds impressive, it is worth noting that the company is far more diversified compared to other top spenders in the list.

In related news, Samsung Electronics secured sixth place in the list of most innovative companies in the world in a survey of 869 CEOs and executives by the same global accounting major PwC. Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet are ranked as the top three for the second consecutive year.

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Honor just introduced its latest midranger in India, as promised. The Honor 8C comes with Snapdragon 632 chipset and 4,000 mAh battery and can be pre-ordered on Amazon and Honor's online store, with shipments and store launch scheduled for December 10. The Honor 8C has a 6.26" HD+ screen with a notch and a tall 19:9 ratio. There is a dual camera on the back that has a 13 MP main module and a 2 MP depth sensor, and it can recognize over 500 scenes in 22 categories. The 4 GB RAM + 32 GB version costs INR11,999, while the variant with double the storage is INR12,999. Only two of the...

Samsung isn’t just competing with Chinese companies in the smartphone market. Chinese component manufacturers are also eyeing the Korean giant’s lead in this market. Samsung has been able to retain its dominance largely due to its greater technological prowess and scalability. The protection of Samsung’s intellectual property is, therefore, key to its very survival.

Its lead in the market is no laughing matter. Samsung Display has a near monopoly in the small to mid-sized OLED segment as it supplies over 95 percent of all panels. It contributes a significant chunk of the conglomerate’s revenues. Even Chinese smartphone manufacturers have been using Samsung’s OLED panels in their flagship smartphones. That’s because the OLED technology of Chinese panel manufacturers still has a lot of catching up to do with Samsung’s technology.

Vendor’s employees were leaking Samsung’s OLED secrets to China

Prosecutors in South Korea have indicted 11 people for leaking Samsung’s OLED technology to China. They’re the employees of a vendor that apparently produced automated equipment used for manufacturing OLED panels. They have been indicted on charges of leaking Samsung Display’s 3D Lamination technology for curved OLED panels. Three of the 11 people indicted have been arrested and now await trial. The list includes the company’s CEO as well.

They had allegedly set up a shell company to which they sent the information received from working with Samsung about equipment and drawings of the display panels. The trade secrets were then sold to an undisclosed Chinese buyer for approximately $14 million. Secondary names, phones, and personal email addresses were used to avoid being caught even as they violated a non-disclosure agreement signed with Samsung.

Samsung will certainly not be letting this go. The technology that was leaked reportedly took Samsung Display six years and millions of dollars to develop. The company had a team of 38 engineers working on it. Samsung had the technology designated as a national core technology protected by South Korea’s industrial technology protection laws.

Samsung Display has said in a statement that it is “shocked at the results of the investigation by prosecutors, at a time when competitors are intensifying their technological rivalry.” It will be keeping a close eye on the trial.

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We have obtained an exclusive first look at a new Huawei poster for its upcoming smartphone with a hole in the screen. The poster urges us to take One Step Further to See the Future in December. It also confirms Huawei's plans to announce its first phone with a hole in the screen next month. Huawei will desperately try and beat Samsung to its Infinity-O phone launch. There have been sightings of such as device - first in the wild and later through a Huawei nova 4 render. Your move, Samsung! Thanks to our anonymous tipster for sending this in!

In an interview with Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf on CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Cramer, host of the show asked Mollenkopf for an update on the company's ongoing legal feud with Apple. "Can you give us a little update," asks Cramer, "because I wanna buy an Apple 5G phone and I wannit to have Qualcomm in it." This, of course, referring to the ongoing legal battle the two companies face: Qualcomm demanding royalties and claiming patent infringements while Apple claims that the royalties are excessive. Qualcomm CEO: We're 'on the doorstep' of a resolution with Apple from CNBC In response,...

The vivo V11 arrived in India back in September under the name vivo V11 Pro in two colors - Starry Night Black and Dazzling Gold. According to numerous sources, there is a third option on its way called Supernova Red and should be announced any time now. vivo V11 Pro Supernova Red The Supernova Red is similar to the Black color option - The top part is extremely dark and will likely be deep red, but looking down, the color gets brighter to the point where some texture is visible on the bottom side. The rim will also be in sexy red color, with all other physical features like the...

Last month we heard Lenovo is dropping plenty of its Moto series, but the G line will stay with a fourth powerful addition to the family. Today the Moto G7 Power appeared in certification listings in Thailand with the model number XT1955-4. The model appeared on FCC as well, revealing some key specs. The diagonal of the phone will be 167 mm, or around 6.45", but the actual screen will likely be around 6.2". It will have one main camera with an LED flash. The Moto G7 Power will have at least four variants for different markets - XT1955-1 for Brazil with Dual SIM, XT1955-2 for...

In an interview with CNET, Greg Joswiak -- Vice President of Apple's product marketing made a comment about the ongoing sales of the latest entry-level iPhone offering from Apple. Carefully worded, he said that the iPhone XR "has been our most popular iPhone each and every day since the day it became available." This comes just a week after The Wall Street Journal reported yet another cut in iPhone XR production and a few other reports (1,2,3) of dwindling iPhone demand causing the company to lower production. Apple iPhone XR Also this month, Apple decided to no longer share...

DJI's latest product isn't a drone, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting. The Osmo Pocket is a small camera that's three-axis stabilized by its own gimbal. It shoots 4K60 video at 100Mbps with its 1/2.3" 12 MP sensor that has 1.55μm pixels, f/2.0 aperture, and an 80-degree field-of-view. The Osmo Pocket has dual mics, as well as an 875 mAh battery that should last up to 140 minutes and charges from 0 to 100% in 73 minutes. The Osmo Pocket has a sandstone finish non-slip and sweat-proof handle, and a built-in 1" touchscreen paired with buttons for a single-handed user...

Xiaomi has started sending out the updates to MIUI 10 for the Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A today. We're talking about the international models, as this is a stable Global ROM, and not a China-only affair. The Redmi 4 was released in May of 2017, while the 4A is even older, from two years ago. As usual, Xiaomi is great in supporting its previous smartphones with the latest versions of its UI overlay. Xiaomi Redmi 4 Unfortunately, and also as usual, the underlying Android versions aren't being updated. It's still Android 7.1.2 Nougat under the nice new MIUI 10 paint job. Additionally, the...

The prematurely posted report from yesterday was right: Google has indeed rebranded its Project Fi carrier into Google Fi. To further mark its exit from beta status, it's also announced that the network finally supports iPhones and most Android devices. There's a huge catch, however. While you can bring your own phone to Fi, in order to benefit from the full functionality of the service you still need to use one of only a few Android handsets that the carrier is offering directly (or has in the past). This means that the smart network switching between T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular,...

Qualcomm is announcing its next top of the line mobile chipset at the Snapdragon Technology Summit which is taking place from December 4 to December 6. The three-day extravaganza is sure to focus a lot on 5G, with many announcements from carriers, phone makers, and laptop manufacturers expected. So far we've been operating on the theory that Qualcomm is ready to reshuffle its naming scheme for mobile SoCs once more - first we got S1/S2/S3/S4 and then the company jumped to the current 200/400/600/700/800 naming scheme, but a new chipset has shown up in benchmarks identifying as...