Tech News

One of the most contested aspects of the MIUI software experience on Xiaomi and Redmi phones in places such as India has been the extensive use of ads all over. But it looks like the appeal of introducing ads into your software UI is just too high, because now Realme is doing it too. Realme as a brand is an Oppo offshoot that is pretty clearly aiming to compete primarily with Xiaomi (and mostly, its Redmi sub-brand), and it's been doing a great job so far. Now though, it will introduce ads in its UI in India, which it's sneakily calling "commercial content recommendation". All Realme...

The Nokia 4.2 was released earlier this year in India for INR 10,990 (approximately $154 or €137). Subsequently it got a price cut down to INR 9,499 ($133 or €118), which made the already affordable phone even more so. Now though it's received a new price cut, and this one is huge. The Nokia 4.2 went from INR 9,499 to INR 6,975 ($97 or €87) over at Amazon, and we expect the price change to be reflected on both Flipkart and Nokia's online store in the subcontinent too. So now the Nokia 4.2 is around 36% cheaper than its introductory price, which makes it a much more appealing purchase,...

Last week, Realme shared a couple of posters of the X50 5G, which revealed the design of the smartphone and confirmed quad rear cameras and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. Today, the company shared a new image, which shows us the front of the X50 5G. A previously shared poster by Realme did reveal that X50 5G will feature a display with a pill-shaped hole in the upper-left corner for the dual selfie camera. But the image shared by Realme today offers a clearer look and shows off the slim bezels surrounding the phone's display on three sides - left, right, and top. The X50 5G will...

Another year is upon us and another cultural decade begins. We can only hope the next 12 months will be as eventful an filled with entertainment as the past 12 have been. Thank you for staying with us for another round of exciting stories from the world of mobile technology. We've been quite the busy bees in 2019 - we are on the brink of reaching 1 million subscribers on our YouTube channel, after publishing more than 140 videos in 2019 - that's almost 24 hours of non-stop phone reviews and opinions. We also posted nearly 6,000 articles, trying to stay on point with every leak,...

This year the mobile phone market saw the rise of many new trends - from high refresh rate screens through 108MP image sensors to periscope cameras. The first foldable phones went on sale, charging speeds went through the roof, displays got curvier and grew punch holes. Some brands used these trends to their advantage and grow in the market, others missed the mark. In this series we look at what each company got right in 2019 and where their efforts came short. Winner: Pixel 3a and 3a XL Undoubtedly, Google's best products this year were the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Sure, you...

Samsung is working on new M-series mid-rangers, and these will also be sold at offline retailers when they launch next year. For now, rumor has it that the M11, M21, and M31 are on the way, and as their names imply, naturally these will be the successors to the M10, M20, and M30, respectively. A new report today sheds some more light on the Galaxy M21, letting us know that its model number is SM-M215F. It will have 64 and 128GB built-in storage options, which is an upgrade compared to the M20's choice between 32 and 64GB. Galaxy M30, M20, and M10 Expect to also see Android 10 with...

Samsung is eager to close out 2019 with all its flagships under Android 10 (well, almost all). Today the maker has seeded the Android 10 update to the Galaxy Note9 and now to the unlocked Galaxy Note10/Note10+ in the US. Up until this point the firmware was available for the Galaxy Note10 devices on Verizon and, as of yesterday T-Mobile. Unlocked devices around the world started receiving the Android 10 update in the middle of December but it's only now that unlocked units in the US are starting to see the firmware pop up on their phones. A bit ironic that the carrier units got to Android...

You've heard this before - Samsung has chosen the S20 as the name of its next Galaxy S flagship, instead of the logical S11. The information originally came from reputable tipster @Iceuniverse and he's now reconfirmed his statement. The renaming makes some sense. 2020 marks the beginning of a new decade and Samsung has concluded the old one with 10 annual Galaxy S flagships. Making the next one the Galaxy S20 will differentiate it, especially when put side by side with the Galaxy S10. Yes🙂— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 31, 2019 By all accounts Samsung is bringing out...

Realme has released a new software update for the Realme 5 Pro that adds Dark Mode toggle to the notification center and bumps up the Android security patch level to December 2019. The new firmware, bearing version number RMX1971EX_11_A.15 also comes with an updated Nightscape algorithm for the selfie camera and extends Clone Apps support to Twitter, Freecharge, Zomato, Swiggy, and Snapchat. Here's the complete changelog of the update: Security Android security patch: December 2019 System Added click the blank area to back to the...

This year the mobile phone market saw the rise of many new trends - from high refresh rate screens through 108MP image sensors to periscope cameras. The first foldable phones went on sale, charging speeds went through the roof, displays got curvier and grew punch holes. Some brands used these trends to their advantage and grow in the market, others missed the mark. In this series we look at what each company got right in 2019 and where their efforts came short. Oppo is one of the most innovative smartphone manufacturers for the past few years and is constantly pushing the envelope...

Yesterday Xiaomi quietly-unveiled the Watch Color but skipped revealing any specs prior to its January 3 release in China. Thankfully, a leaked retail box can fill-in the blanks and confirm some of our earlier suspicions. The Wear OS-based Xiaomi Watch Color indeed has a 1.39-inch 454x454px AMOLED display. Underneath, there's a 420mAh battery, NFC and GPS with GLONASS support. Naturally, the Xiaomi Watch Color is water resistant, up to 5 ATM or 50 meters. It connects using Bluetooth 5.0 low energy. Xiaomi Watch Color We'll know all about its price and potential international...

Samsung's new truly wireless Galaxy Buds+ are ticking all the boxes on their way to becoming official. The latest step in their leaked journey is getting Bluetooth certification with the Chinese MIIT. The buds, model number SM-R175 (the current gen carry the SM-R170), are expected to become official alongside the Samsung Galaxy S11 series, if not sooner. Samsung Galaxy Buds+ coming up.#Samsung #SamsungGalaxyBudsPlus pic.twitter.com/ovxv06rS1X— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) December 31, 2019 So far we've seen an official support page for the Galaxy Buds+ and a pair of short videos,...

Samsung may have already released Android 10 for a surprising number of devices, including both flagship ones and those on the budget end of the spectrum, but according to the company’s roadmap, it will still be a few months the slew of Galaxy phones launched this year will get the new version of Android. Except for the Galaxy A30, Samsung is currently aiming to start updating all of its A series devices to Android 10 from April.

But, as we have seen with the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy Note 9, Samsung has been able to push out the Android 10 update ahead of schedule. Could it do the same for some of its Galaxy A phones as well? It certainly seems plausible, as Samsung has now started development on Android 10 for the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A40. It took the company less than two months after it started work on Android 10 for the Galaxy M20 and M30 to release the official update, so we don’t see why it couldn’t bring the Android 10 update to Galaxy A50 and A40 owners sometime in March.

We say March because we expect Samsung to include at least some major One UI 2.0 features in the update for the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A40. The Galaxy M20 and M30 received a bare-bones Android 10 update, and if Samsung is planning to do the same for the A series phones, then we might even see the A50 and A40 making the jump to Android 10 and One UI 2.0 sometime in late February. However, only time will tell which of the two it will be.

The post Samsung starts Android 10 development for Galaxy A50 and A40 appeared first on SamMobile.

The Oppo Reno3 and Reno3 Pro unveiled last week are now available for purchase in China through the company's official site, JD.com, and TMall. The Reno3 comes in two memory versions - 8GB/128GB priced at CNY3,399 ($490/€435) and 12GB/128GB that costs CNY300 ($43/€38) more. The Pro version also comes in 8GB/128GB configuration, priced at CNY3,999 ($575/€510), and for CNY500 ($70/€65) more you get double storage with 12GB RAM. The Reno3 and Reno3 Pro both support 5G connectivity, but the former is powered by Mediatek's Dimensity 1000L SoC while the latter has Qualcomm's Snapdragon...

We've heard all about the upcoming Realme X50 5G these past few weeks. It's coming on January 7, it will feature a Snapdragon 765G chip, two-day battery , which will get to 70% in just 30 minutes, it will have a 6.67-inch LCD with 120Hz refresh rate and a dual punch hole selfie camera. We also know that its rear cameras will be a 64MP Samsung GW1, an 8MP ultrawide, a 13MP 5x hybrid zoom and a 2MP super macro. But now we can add another name to its January 7 unveil - the RMX2052, or Realme X50 Youth. As of now very little is known about this Youth variant, but it's very likely the Realme...

Samsung has been pretty quick with releasing the Android 10 update to its 2019 Galaxy flagships (not counting the $2000 Fold, which continues to suffer from poor software support), and North American carriers have been kind enough to follow suit. The four major US carriers released the Android 10 update for the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ over the last couple of weeks, and the unlocked variants are now receiving the update as well.

Those who own an unlocked Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ can download the Android 10 update over the air by opening their phone’s settings, navigating to Software update, and selecting Download and install. It may take a few tries before the update shows up, but if it doesn’t, you can always make the jump to the new version of Android and One UI 2.0 by downloading Android 10 firmware from our database and flashing it on your Note or Note 10+.

If you were unable to participate in the One UI 2.0/Android 10 beta or were unwilling to test beta software, you can check out our coverage of some of the major One UI 2.0 features and find out what improvements and changes it makes to the user interface over One UI 1.5, which is what the Note 10 and Note 10+ run out of the box. We also have a list of what we think are the best One UI 2.0 features, which you can check out over at this link.

The post Unlocked Galaxy Note 10/Note 10+ getting Android 10 update in the US appeared first on SamMobile.

Earlier this month, we exclusively revealed that Samsung is working on the Galaxy M11 and M31 and had speculated that a Galaxy M21 may exist as well. Well, our sources tell us that the Galaxy M21 is indeed in development. The Galaxy M20 is perhaps the best-selling device in the entire Galaxy M lineup, so it’s not surprising that a successor is on its way.

The Galaxy M21 has model number SM-M215F, and we can confirm that it will come with 64GB and 128GB storage options. The Galaxy M20 is only available with 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, so storage is an area where the M21 will bring an upgrade. Alas, that’s all we know as far as the phone’s specs are concerned. However, we can expect Android 10 out of the box, Samsung’s Exynos 9610 or 9611 chipset under the hood, and at least a triple rear camera setup.

We have also been able to find out the color options that will accompany the 2020 Galaxy M series phones. Blue and black will be common across all three devices, but each will have a different third color: violet for the Galaxy M11, green for the Galaxy M21, and red for the Galaxy M31. It’s possible the color options will expand later down the line or change as we get closer to the launch of these phones, but we don’t expect that to be the case.

When will the Galaxy M11, Galaxy M21, and Galaxy M31 launch? That’s something only time will tell. The M10 and M20 were launched in late January this year, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think their sequels will make an official appearance around the same time next month. Whether the M31 will be announced alongside the Galaxy M11 and M21 or afterwards remains to be seen.

The post Exclusive: Galaxy M21 in the works, M11, M21, M31 colors revealed appeared first on SamMobile.

2019 has been a busy year for Samsung. The company came out with its usual excellent Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships and also gave us the flawed-yet-beautiful Galaxy Fold, a device we believe represents the kind of change the mobile market desperately needs. Samsung launched plenty of mid-range and budget phones as well, and as a result, we here at SamMobile have had our hands full the entire year.

2020 is promising to be no different, and we are pretty sure we will have our work cut out for us the next 12 months (and beyond). We’ll be widening our scope of coverage to more Samsung products along with an increased focus on its mobile devices, and in the first quarter, you can expect to see the new SamMobile app as well.

Today, however, is a day for celebration, and from all of us here at SamMobile, here’s wishing you a very Happy New Year. We hope you have a great time with your friends and family and that you have the strength to follow whatever resolutions you may decide to make as you ring in 2020!

The post Happy New Year from all of us here at SamMobile! appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung kicked off the Android 10-based One UI 2.0 beta program for the Galaxy Note9 last month and now it's seeding the stable build of Android 10 for its 2018 flagship. However, the update, sporting version number N960FXXU4DSLB, is currently only rolling to those who participated in the beta program and weighs just 100MB. If you are enrolled in the beta program, you can download the stable build on your Note9 by heading to the Settings > Software update menu. Those of you who didn't participate in the beta program and are running Android Pie should expect the Android 10 update...

Samsung is refusing to let up and keeps impressing us with its fervor for releasing security updates as quickly as possible. The company pushed out the January 2020 security patch to the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy Tab S5e yesterday, and it is now rolling out the patch to four more devices. These are the Galaxy A10, Galaxy A10s, Galaxy A20, and Galaxy A30 – all four phones are receiving the January security update in Thailand.

Yes, Samsung Thailand has decided to bring next month’s Android security patch to multiple 2019 A series phones at the same time. And that’s all the latest updates released for these devices have to offer – no new features or improvements are included. Android 10 isn’t here The contents of the January 2020 patch, meanwhile, are a mystery, Samsung (and Google) will not be detailing the next security patch until a few days later.

If you own one of the four phones mentioned above and reside in Thailand, you can check for the update and download it over the air by tapping Download and install in the Software update menu of the phone’s Settings app. We also have the latest firmware in our firmware archive so you can update your phone manually using a Windows PC if the OTA release isn’t available for your device just yet.

The post January 2020 security update out for more Galaxy devices appeared first on SamMobile.

A rather strange patent by Apple has been spotted. The report from LetsGoDigital shows the new patent sketches along with some mock-up screenshots for context. The patent is for a new Apple device that looks like it could be an iPhone, but it is missing a few necessary things that a current iPhone 11 Pro has. As per the sketches, the device has a rectangular display with square corners, it has neither Face ID hardware nor a notch, it has no front-facing camera, but it does feature a power button, volume keys, and a physical notification switch - just like an iPhone. It even appears to have...

Realme unveiled the 5 and 5 Pro back in August and followed up with the 5s later in November. Now the company has announced it will add the fourth member to the lineup, dubbed Realme 5i, on January 6. This information comes through Realme Vietnam who took to Facebook to make the announcement. The company didn't reveal anything else about the 5i, but the smartphone's listed on Vietnamese retailer FPTShop's website with specs and images. The images confirm the Realme 5i will come in Green and Blue colors and look similar to the 5 and 5s, but the back doesn't flaunt the crystal design...

Galaxy Note 9 owners who have been using the Android 10 beta on their phone have more reason to celebrate New Year’s Eve, as Samsung has now released the stable Android 10 update. A 100 MB update is rolling out to beta users in India right now – the stable update comes with software version N960FXXU4DSLB and includes the December 2019 security patch.

The stable update for beta users should also be released in other markets where the beta program was launched, such as the UK. If you are using the Android 10 beta, you can download the stable update by going into the Settings » Software update menu and selecting Download and install. As for those using Android Pie, we can expect the Android 10 update to be released within the next day or two. Once that happens, you can rest assured that you will find out about it right here on SamMobile.

Developing…

The post Breaking: Stable Galaxy Note 9 Android 10 update released for beta users appeared first on SamMobile.

Apple is planning to order a batch of OLEDs from China's BOE with the potential of making the display manufacturer its second largest supplier of OLEDs in 2021. The rumor comes from sources in South Korea and claims that Apple could be looking to order some 45 million OLED panels from BOE, intended for use in the 2021 iPhone devices. This would make BOE Apple's second largest supplier of OLED panels with Samsung continuing to satisfy the bulk of Apple's OLED needs, LG Display would be relegated to third and Japan Display would supply small OLED screens, catering to the Apple...

The OnePlus 7 Pro started receiving the update to Android 10 back in September, but that unfortunately hasn't applied to all units out there. Specifically, those phones sold by T-Mobile in the States have been stuck on Android 9 Pie until today. Now though, owners of a OnePlus 7 Pro purchased from T-Mobile finally have a reason to celebrate. OxygenOS 10.0.1 is rolling out for the handset. It includes everything that's new in Android 10, as well as the November security patches. Yes, that's almost two months late, but OnePlus has yet to figure out how to be more timely about security...

Huami which sits under Xiaomi's umbrella is planning to start 2020 with a bang by bringing its latest Amazfit Bip S smartwatch and a pair of truly wireless earbuds to CES. According to the first teaser, the Bip S will reportedly come with "ultra-long" battery life in a light form factor retaining the same rectangular shape. More powerful with an ultra-long #battery life. The #Amazfit BipS is worth the wait!We'll be unveiling it at #CES2020!Learn more at https://ift.tt/37ncGZ1 pic.twitter.com/WmEThWNbe2— Amazfit (@amazfit) December 26, 2019 In addition to the upcoming...

A new report from French website WatchGeneration cited an Apple database that briefly showed mention of a Product (RED) Apple Watch before it was quickly removed. The report was posted along with the following mock-up images, which depict the aluminum body of the Apple Watch Series 5 in a rather pale hue of red. Source: MacGeneration The report doesn't reveal much more than: "it briefly appeared in an Apple database, under a reference number different from RED bracelets." (translated from French). The report speculates that the supposed (RED) Apple Watch is a Series 5 and...

Earlier today, Xiaomi announced that the 5G variant of the Redmi K30 will officially go on sale on January 7 from select online retailers. There is a way for consumers in China to order the Redmi K30 5G even earlier - office, by going into a select Mi Store. In a Weibo post, Xiaomi announced that buyers can start placing orders for the 5G-supported Redmi K30 starting on January 1. It offers a list of specific locations throughout China where customers can go to reserve a unit - there are 35 Mi Store locations to choose from in the following regions of China: Source:...

Samsung is expected to raise the bar for premium TVs at CES 2020 next month. According to reports, Samsung is going to unveil the world’s first true Zero Bezel TV at the trade show in Las Vegas.

Reports from South Korea suggest that this new premium TV has already received a “two-thumbs up” from Kim Hyun-seok, the consumer electronics boss at Samsung, and other top executives. An indication that this may not just be a proof of concept is that Samsung will reportedly start mass producing this TV in February 2020.

Samsung Zero Bezel TV may only be available in limited sizes

The Samsung Zero Bezel TV will reportedly be available only in sizes from 65-inches and higher. This might mean that the manufacturing process is complicated enough that it’s not suitable for smaller sizes. It could also mean that Samsung wants to further differentiate its premium TVs as more consumers opt for larger screens.

The report adds that this will be unlike “bezel-less” TVs that some other manufacturers have already released. Those TVs still have narrow borders despite the manufacturer’s bezel-less claims. Samsung is said to have completely removed the border that surrounds the Zero Bezel TV. It has apparently been able to achieve this by welding the display panel and the TV’s body together.

While this may raise concerns about the structural integrity of the TV, particularly with the possibility of the display panel separating from the body, a developer who has worked closely on the project says that “Unlike other so-called ‘zero-bezel’ products that actually still had bezels, this product really doesn’t have a bezel. Samsung has become the first in the world to realize such an extreme design.”

It’s important to mention here that Samsung applied for a trademark on the term “Zero Bezel” in Europe two months ago. So it’s quite possible that we may get to see this new premium TV at CES 2020. Besides, CES is the consumer electronics show of the year. If Samsung is to unveil this groundbreaking new TV anywhere, CES provides the perfect stage.

The post Samsung said to unveil Zero Bezel TV at CES 2020 appeared first on SamMobile.

If you're still using an old Android smartphone and rely on WhatsApp messaging, you might want to pay attention to this one. The popular Facebook-owned messaging platform has updated its support page to reflect that the app will no longer be supported on Android devices if they are not running at least Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or iOS 9 and above. Source: WhatsApp As reported by Android Central, WhatsApp will stop working on unsupported devices as of February 1, 2020. After this sunset date, users will no longer be able to register or verify their devices to sign into the...

Since Samsung released the Galaxy S10 this year, it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if next year’s flagship was named the Galaxy S11. That’s already what it’s being called online but is it possible that Samsung is looking to shake things up a bit?

There’s some speculation that the upcoming Galaxy S flagship series may actually be called the Galaxy S20 instead. We haven’t seen any concrete evidence to support the theory so far, which is why it remains just a theory for now.

Galaxy S11 or Galaxy S20 – What’s in a name?

@HarmlessKarl, the founder of case manufacturer Schnail, posted a screenshot of what appears to be a communication of some sort about the next Samsung flagship’s name. It suggests that the handsets which were previously known as the Galaxy S11e, Galaxy S11 and Galaxy S11+ will actually be called the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

There’s no other evidence to back this theory right now. Accessory manufacturers do get some information ahead of a handset’s launch. That’s why we see so many unofficial renders leak out in the days leading up to the launch. So it’s within the realm of possibility that the case maker might have been informed about a name change.

Perhaps Samsung just wants to align the name of its flagship series with the start of a new decade, or perhaps it hasn’t made a change after all. What’s in a name, anyway? It’s not like there’s going to be a radical difference in what we know about the Galaxy S11 so far. Besides, the Galaxy S11 moniker was never officially confirmed, and Samsung can very well decide what it wants to call its next flagship.

While we’re on the subject of the Galaxy S20, there was also a tweet to this effect from notable tech leakster @UniverseIce about a week ago. How many of you would agree that where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire?

The post Is the Galaxy S11 actually going to be called the Galaxy S20 instead? appeared first on SamMobile.

T-Mobile US is the latest carrier to issue the Android 10 update to the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10+. The update requires a download of just over 2GB and brings along OneUI 2.0 as well as a heap of improvements, fixes and tweaks. T-Mobile is only a week behind its local rival Verizon. Meanwhile unlocked Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ units are also receiving the Android 10 update, gradually. However the 5G variant of the Galaxy Note10, not unlike the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, isn't getting Android 10 until sometime in early 2020. Samsung did a finer job this year with software...

Around a month ago Huawei passed the 7 million sales mark with its Mate 30 lineup. Now the figure has grown to 12 million units, according to a new report from Chinese news agency Sina. The figure is quite impressive given the limited availability of the handsets outside of China and their lack of Google Mobile Services. Looking ahead, Huawei's goal with the Mate 30 lineup is to top the 20 million shipments mark which seems like an attainable goal judging by the current sales volumes. In our time with the Mate 30 Pro, we found its one of the best all-around Android flagships of...

C-Lab (Creative Lab), now known as C-Lab Inside, is an in-house start-up incubator set up by Samsung in 2012 to enable its employees to explore new business ideas. Later, the Korean company expanded the scope of its incubator by creating C-Lab Outside, a start-up acceleration program to nurture outside start-ups in Korea by providing them resources, access to technical know-how, and more.

Every year Samsung picks a few C-Lab projects to showcase them at CES, and it is doing the same this year as well, making it the fifth year C-Lab will be participating in CES. The Korean company has announced that it will showcase five new C-Lab Inside projects and four C-Lab Outside start-ups at CES 2020 at its C-Labs booth in the Eureka Park, Sands Expo, from Jan 7-Jan 11.

The five new C-Lab inside projects include:

Selfietype – A virtual keyboard solution that combines front-facing camera and a proprietary AI engine to convert finger movements into QWERTY keyboard inputs without any additional hardware.

Hyler – A smart highlighter pen that digitizes analog text and moves it to an app on your phone, enabling search and other capabilities.

Becon – A combination of a hand-held diagnostic device and a companion app to measure scalp condition, analyze the readings, and suggest a solution for hair loss – all at home.

SunnySide – A window-shaped lighting device for generating artificial sunlight that can, among other things, help users synthesize vitamin D indoors. It can be installed like a picture frame on the wall.

Ultra V – An UV monitoring sensor and service that can be integrated into wearable devices. It helps users monitor and manage their skin condition and vitamin D production.

Apart from the new projects, eight older C-Lab Alumni projects – Linkflow, Welt, Linkface, Lululab, Mopic, Monit, AnaloguePlus, and Luple – that have been spun off into full-fledged start-ups will also showcase their newest products at CES 2020.

Coming to the C-Lab Outside picks, the company has named the following four start-ups for CES 2020

Circulars – An interactive humanoid robot named ‘piBo’ for single-person households, with an option to add new skills and content from the robot application store.

FITT – A healthcare data platform

Vtouch – A gesture-based control system that allows users to control devices without physically touching them.

Smoothy – A video chat application which, among other things, also integrates Samsung’s AR emoji.

The post Samsung to showcase successful C-Lab projects at CES 2020 appeared first on SamMobile.

It’s dangerous to use your smartphone to text or call while driving: Your eyes are meant to be on the road and your hands on the wheel. However, people often need to use navigation via Google Maps or other navigation apps on their smartphone in order to get to their desired location (or find the fastest route back home after a long day at work), and it’s always best to keep the phone located at a position that makes it easy for you to take a glance at the phone’s display.

That’s where car mounts that can be plugged into your car’s air conditioning vents come in. There are plenty of excellent air vent car mount options available on the market, and today, you can get one from VICSEED at 37% off. The VISCEED car mount holds your phone steady as you drive, and it has universal compatibility that lets it hold any smartphone, including the Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy Note 10+ without needing any adjustments.

Hit the Buy Now button below to get one before the price goes back up!

The post Daily Deal: 37% off VICSEED Car Phone Mount appeared first on SamMobile.

The Oppo F lineup has been getting two refreshes per year and we are about to see the Oppo F15 come and replace the Oppo F11. The Indian division of the company has just released an official teaser on its YouTube page, showcasing the device and promoting it with the slogan "Flaunt it Your Way". The device also appears briefly in the 30-second clip with a thin pill-shaped oval flash and four snappers, strongly resembling the Oppo A91, launched in China several days ago. If the Oppo F15 is indeed the Oppo A91, then we're looking at a phone with a Helio P70 chipset, 6.4" AMOLED screen...

Samsung, in collaboration with ERI and CTA, will organize the third annual recycling event in Las Vegas ahead of CES 2020. The event, which will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PST on January 4 at the Salvation Army at 2035 Yale Street, will provide early CES attendees a convenient way to dispose unwanted electronics in an environmentally-responsible manner.

ERI, which is a leading recycler of electronic waste, will securely destroy all the data from the disposed items before recycling the e-waste. Electronic items ranging from calculators to TVs will be accepted and recycled free of charge at the event. You can find the complete list of accepted items in the image below.

“With the help of partners like ERI and CTA, we have recycled over 100 million pounds of e-waste throughout the U.S. in 2018 alone, and more than 1 billion pounds since 2008. We continue to expand programs to reach our global goal of taking back more than 15 billion pounds of electronics by 2030,” said Mark Newton, Head of Environmental, Regulatory Affairs, and Sustainability at Samsung Electronics America.

“Even as tech devices use fewer materials and energy than ever, our industry remains committed to reducing our impact on the environment. CTA applauds Samsung and ERI for holding this recycling event for the city of Las Vegas, home of CES,” said Walter Alcorn, VP for environmental affairs and industry sustainability, CTA.

The post Samsung will organize the third annual recycling event ahead of CES 2020 appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung has been the biggest supplier of OLED displays to Apple ever since the latter made the switch to OLED panels for the iPhone in 2017. That’s because no other display manufacturer has the scale and the quality that Samsung is able to provide its customers.

That’s not to say that they haven’t been trying to catch up. China’s BOE Display has been particularly hard at work trying to bridge the massive gap with Samsung. Reports claim that it may have its sights on one of Samsung’s most lucrative contracts.

China’s BOE may take away a chunk of that Apple cash

Even if the premium iPhone models do well, the ones that directly compete against Samsung’s flagships, Samsung still stands to make billions of dollars because Apple has to source the majority of OLED panels from it. Apple even paid a $684 million penalty to Samsung for not meeting its minimum order quantity for the iPhone displays.

On the other hand, Apple has been trying to diversify its OLED supply chain because unless there’s some competition for its order, the company doesn’t have much leverage to negotiate on prices with Samsung. It has already been asking Samsung for lower prices but the Korean company may not be too accommodating to the idea.

BOE recently became the world’s top supplier of TV LCD panels. It has also been making significant investments in OLED production. It’s now said to have its sights on the Apple order. Apple would have no reason not to source iPhone screens from BOE if the OLED panels are able to meet its stringent requirements and BOE is able to guarantee significant output.

Reports suggest that by 2021, BOE may be shipping 45 million OLED panels for iPhone, which means that Samsung will be shipping 45 million fewer units to Apple. While it would still sell a significant number of panels to Apple, Samsung’s leverage over Apple would be reduced as the company diverts more orders to both BOE and LG Display. There’s obviously a fair bit of speculation here, but all of this is quite possible.

The post Samsung’s lucrative iPhone display contract may be under threat appeared first on SamMobile.

Google's midrange Pixel 3a duo proved to be a real hit with users who don't care about the latest flagship specs but want a solid camera experience and stock Android. A new set of renders courtesy of @OnLeaks is giving us our first look at the upcoming Pixel 4a which brings the familiar Pixel 4 design with a few twists. For starters the display will feature a punch hole in the top left corner for the front-facing camera marking a first in the Pixel line. The screen is believed to come in between 5.7 and 5.8-inches and the bezels appear noticeably slimmer than the current Pixel...

Samsung started rolling out the stable Android 10 update for the Galaxy Note 10/10+ earlier this month. Since then, the update has reached more markets and carriers around the world. It is now released for the T-Mobile-branded Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ in the US. This comes a week after Verizon released the same update for the Note 10 models on its network.

US carriers are usually late in releasing Android version updates, but they have upped their game this time. Ironically, unlocked Note 10/10+ models in the country are yet to receive the update, which should be frustrating for users who bought them to avoid carrier delays in pushing out updates. Samsung and carriers have been comparatively quick in releasing Android 10-based One UI 2.0 so far, thanks to the platform-level improvements made by Google to improve the update process and speed.

Android 10 and Samsung One UI 2.0 are relatively minor updates, particularly when compared to the One UI 1.0 release last year. The latest iteration is mostly about fine-tuning things and eliminating inconsistencies in the UI. We have detailed many of these changes in our One UI 2.0 Feature Focus series and Android 10 coverage in general.

If you haven’t received the OTA notification on your T-Mobile Note 10/10+ yet, you can manually check for it by going to Settings and tapping the Download and install option under the Software Update menu. If that doesn’t trigger the update, you have to either wait for your turn. Alternatively, you can also consider downloading the Android 10 firmware once it’s available in our database and manually flash it.

The post T-Mobile releases Android 10 update for the Galaxy Note 10/10+ appeared first on SamMobile.

ZTE revealed the Axon 10s Pro will look like the Axon 10 Pro from the outside, but a major change on the inside is incoming. Its TENAA papers were just published confirming the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset with the Snapdragon X55 modem, enabling support for 5G connectivity on the flagship. The company kept silent on any eventual launch, but the handset's appearance on the regulator's website suggests it is already being prepared to be released on the market. Images on TENAA confirm once again what is already official - the Axon 10s Pro 5G will have a 6.47"...

Samsung is once again releasing the next month’s security update for a couple of its devices early. The January 2020 Android security patch is making its way to the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy Tab S5e through software updates released for the two devices in some markets. The A50 update is out in Russia and comes with software version A505FNPUU3ASL6. The update for the Tab S5e is out in Panama, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Bolivia and sports build number T725XXS1ASL2.

This isn’t the first time we’re seeing the January security patch on a Galaxy device. The latest Android 10 beta updates for the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note 10, and Galaxy S9 include the patch as well, but it’s only now making an appearance as a part of regular security updates for devices that are running Android Pie. As usual, we have no information on what kind of security vulnerabilities have been fixed in the next security patch, as neither Samsung nor Google will be detailing the patch until a few days into the relevant month.

It’s also unclear at this time if there are any improvements or new features included in the updates in addition to the January security patch. The Galaxy A50 update may have some, as the accompanying software version suggests (it has a U instead of an S before the last five letters/digits, which usually means it’s more than a security update), and you can tell us in the comments if the changelog provides any details when you’re updating your phone.

You can check for the update on your A50 or Tab S5e by opening the Settings app, navigating to Software update, and tapping Download and install. We also have the latest firmware for these devices available in our firmware archive, which you can download and install on your phone or tablet using a Windows PC.

The post January 2020 security update out for the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy Tab S5e appeared first on SamMobile.

After releasing its first "Mi" branded smartwatch in November with the Mi Watch, Xiaomi quietly unveiled the new Watch Color although without the core specs and pricing details which are expected to come on January 3 when the watch goes on sale in China. From the teasers, we know the Xiaomi Watch Color is packing a circular display which is believed to come with a 1.39-inch diagonal and 454 x 454 pixel resolution. It will likely support all the standard fitness tracking features as well as heart rate sensor, accelerometer and barometer. It's also expected to be swim-proof as teased by...

The Redmi K30 and Redmi K30 5G arrived earlier this month, and while the vanilla version is already selling hot, the 5G-enabled variant is still waiting for its launch date. Finally, today the Xiaomi subsidiary announced when the phone will be up for pre-order - January 7. The Redmi K30 5G has a Snapdragon 765G chipset that comes with an integrated modem for next-gen connectivity. It is also the first phone of the sub-brand that can reach 5G speeds, but that is only one of the reasons why the phone is so awaited. It comes with four shooters on the back, the main one being 64 MP...

This year the mobile phone market saw the rise of many new trends - from high refresh rate screens through 108MP image sensors to periscope cameras. The first foldable phones went on sale, charging speeds went through the roof, displays got curvier and grew punch holes. Some brands used these trends to their advantage and grow in the market, others missed the mark. In this series we look at what each company got right in 2019 and where their efforts came short. In this post we'll cover the highs and lows of Sony - only a few Xperia phones came out this year and even fewer managed to...

As the year winds down it's a great time to reflect on the top stories of the past 12 months. This is the last installment where we look at the stories that shaped this year. Here are the top stories of Q1, Q2 and Q3. We've now arrived at the final quarter of the year. There were a number of big stories in the months October, November and December, including many important phone announcements. Xiaomi unveiled its Apple Watch-esque Mi Watch with Google Wear OS in late October. It also detailed its next major software MIUI 11. A few days later Xiaomi held two announcements of...

The changes in the mobile phone world over the last 10 years are bigger than any other time in history. As we say goodbye to this decade of technological milestones, we wanted to have a look back at some of the most influential phones - not only the best sellers, but also the phones that heralded major developments in hardware, software and user experience. Nokia N8 - 2010, April The Nokia N8 is a glorious beast of a device that came out in 2010 and barely makes the cut for this roundup. In more ways that one, the Nokia N8 is kind of the last of the Symbian titans. The end of an...

The wheels are finally in motion: The Galaxy S11 has cleared an obstacle on its way to retail shelves by picking up Bluetooth certification. To be specific, it’s the 5G variant of the Galaxy S11+ (model number SM-G988B) that has been certified. The Galaxy S11+ is likely to be sold as a 5G-equipped device in all markets, while the Galaxy S11e and Galaxy S11+ could have both LTE and 5G variants, despite the fact that the Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865 have 5G connectivity built-in as standard.

The Bluetooth certification simply calls the phone a “Samsung Mobile Phone”, so it’s unclear if a recent rumor about Samsung possibly launching its next flagship as the Galaxy S20 has any truth to it. It’s standard fare for companies to want to keep the names of their upcoming flagships a secret as they make their way through the necessary certifications ahead of an official launch, and that’s probably the only reason why the certification is using a generic product name.

As usual, the Bluetooth certification reveals nothing about the phone’s specs, only that it sports Bluetooth 5.0. As of this moment, some of the expected Galaxy S11+ specs include a 6.9-inch display, the Exynos 990/Snapdragon 865 SoC, up to 12GB of RAM, a 108MP primary rear camera, a 48MP 5x zoom camera, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W super fast charging support. It will also come in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage flavors and introduce us to One UI 2.1, as we had exclusively revealed a couple of months ago.

The post Galaxy S11+ 5G picks up Bluetooth certification appeared first on SamMobile.

A new report from Korean publication Yonhap says the Galaxy Fold 2, Samsung’s next foldable phone, could go on sale before the Galaxy S11. Rumors have indicated that the Galaxy S11 and Galaxy Fold 2 will be announced at the same event, which isn’t very surprising since the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Fold were unveiled together as well. However, it seems Samsung is now planning to put the Galaxy Fold 2 up for sale right after it goes official, at least in its home country.

Rising competition in the foldables market from other manufacturers is said to be the reason for Samsung’s decision. Motorola in particular has likely given the Korean giant the most cause for worry by launching the 2019 Moto Razr a few weeks ago. Motorola recently revealed that the retail launch of the new Razr has been delayed due to high demand, and it’s an opportunity Samsung might want to grab by bringing the Fold 2 to retail shelves as soon as possible.

Just a few days ago, we were treated to live images of the Galaxy Fold 2, confirming that it will indeed have a clamshell form factor. The images also indicated that the Fold 2 will not be a proper flagship. The device seen in the pictures has only two rear cameras, and the rumored price tag of around $1000 is another hint that it will be more of a mid-range device, even if those dual cameras end up being the same 108MP and 5x zoom sensors as the ones on the Galaxy S11.

As usual, nothing is certain until it comes straight from the horse’s mouth. It remains to be seen if the Fold 2 will actually be available for purchase before the Galaxy S11, and with February 12 pegged to be the date for Samsung’s next Unpacked event, it won’t be long before we find out.

The post Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could go on sale before the Galaxy S11 appeared first on SamMobile.

It's that time of the year again - December is the perfect moment to reflect on which phones were the most popular throughout the last twelve months. These are the phones that got you the most interested the most and very likely the most influential phones in the business. Looking at the 20 most popular phones, it's clear why Samsung is the global leader. It captured 55% or 11 out of the 20 phones, including the absolute most popular, the Galaxy A50. Out of the 11, 6 are Galaxy A series phones, proving Samsung's made the right move when it redefined its midrange lineup in 2019. A...

This year the mobile phone market saw the rise of many new trends - from high refresh rate screens through 108MP image sensors to periscope cameras. The first foldable phones went on sale, charging speeds went through the roof, displays got curvier and grew punch holes. Some brands used these trends to their advantage and grow in the market, others missed the mark. In this series we look at what each company got right in 2019 and where their efforts came short. Xiaomi kept pushing in the right direction in 2019 - for the most part. It brought us a 108MP camera with the Mi Note 10,...

Here are the winners - the best phones of 2019 in three major categories - Flagship, Midrange, Entry-level, have been selected by you, our readers, throughout the last two weeks. We started with a preliminary public vote where over 20 devices per category were competing to enter the final round. The Top 5 devices were sent to another vote where over 70,000 readers picked what they think the best phone is. Without further ado, here are the winners: Best flagship of 2019 - Samsung Galaxy Note10+ The latest flagship by the Korean manufacturer collected a third of the votes in the final...

>We are taking a look back at the phones that excited you the most in 2019 and the reviews that got you reading. It's time to focus on Q3 - head this way to find the top reviews for Q1 and Q2. We're now at the quarter of the year at which Apple releases its new iPhones and Samsung and OnePlus their fall flagships. Yet, the most read review in the months July through September was the Xiaomi Mi A3. The Mi A3 was hugely anticipated as it's the maker's only Android One smartphone. In our review we praised it for its battery life, clean software, fast and accurate under-display fingerprint...

Leaked renders of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite expected to arrive at CES 2020 next month have already revealed its design, and now we are looking at the phone's user manual which corroborates those leaks. Galaxy Note10 Lite on the left and Galaxy S10 Lite on the right The user manual only includes the sketches of the Galaxy S10 Lite, but they do confirm that the smartphone will sport a display with a punch hole in the center and a fingerprint scanner underneath. Around the back, it has a rectangular camera island on the left side, housing three snappers stacked on top of each other,...

In the wake of soured relations between Huawei and the US, life has been anything but easy for the Chinese tech giant. However, that doesn't mean that acceptance or desperation have settled in. Quite the contrary, Huawei and its subsidiaries and sister companies have really been doubling-down hard to make up for lost ground and still come out on top. Whether through impressive efforts into 5G infrastructure, expansion and contracts or the aggressive Western marketing for tech accessories like smart TVs and wearables, which haven't been affected by various trade bans quite as badly. And these...

The Oppo Reno3 and Reno3 Pro unveiled two days ago have exceeded 1.46 million registrations of interest in China, out of which 580,000 came through JD.com. The lineup also became the booking champion on TMall for 2019. How many of these registrations convert to sales is something we'll have to wait to see, but these numbers are indicative of the high interest garnered by Oppo's first wave of 5G smartphones. That said, it's worth mentioning that these figures were counted on December 27 at 6:30 PM local time, so the final count is likely to have crossed 1.5 million by...

The battle for ultimate phone fast charging supremacy has always been around, though never really on quite the scale as it is raging right now. Currently, the title is held by Oppo and the Reno Ace, with its 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge tech, capable of getting the 4,000 mAh from zero to full in 30 minutes. However, Xiaomi, among others, might already by on track to best that, potentially with the upcoming Mi 10 flagship line and specifically a 66W (11V, 6A) charger, it certified recently. Realme SuperDart could be the next charging tech by Realme. Gets trademarked.#Realme #SuperDart...

As per a recent patent filing with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), Huawei might be looking to spice things up within its smart accessory business. The Chinese giant already has its FreeBuds 3, truly wireless headphones out on sale in many markets, including Europe. And, in fact, in the wake of the ongoing US scandal, has been pushing these and other accessories hard in places where it is currently facing issues with traditional smartphone products. Thus, it was hardly surprising to see that another pair of earbuds, of some sort, is on the horizon. The story...

The Samsung Galaxy A30s launched in India back in September was available in the country in 4GB/64GB configuration. Now a new variant has arrived with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. The new model is priced at INR15,999 ($225/€200) and is currently only sold through offline stores across the country. But it should soon be available through the company's official India site, Flipkart, and Amazon.in. In addition to launching a new version of the Galaxy A30s in India, Samsung dropped the price of the 64GB model in the country for the second time and it's now available for INR14,999 ($210/€190)...

Xiaomi's upcoming flagship, within the traditional "Mi" lineup is still very much shrouded in mystery. Thus far, we've heard to company's co-founder and president Lin Bin mention a Mi 10 Pro on social media. Naturally, this probably entails a vanilla Mi 10 as well. And, in fact, the existence of a regular Mi 10 was also, kind of, confirmed after the announcement of the Snapdragon 865, which will likely be powering it. A fresh new rumor from Weibo claims to pertain to this vanilla Xiaomi Mi 10 and specifically - it's battery capacity. The latter is said to land somewhere in the 4,500 -...