Tech News

As Roku reached the end of its contract with Google to host the YouTube TV app on its channel store, Roku sent all its customers an email notifying them that they may lose the ability to use the YouTube TV channel on Roku devices. In this messages to consumers, it pointed at Google and accused it of “unfair and anticompetitive requirements” that are, according to Roku, designed to allow the collection of user data and to “manipulate” search results. That was on Monday. Fast forward to Friday, Roku has actually removed the YouTube TV channel from its store and issued a statement to...

Foldable smartphones are generally considered to be more fragile than 'normal' ones, unlike gaming phones for example - then again it turns out that among the latest batch of the latter, two out of three do snap in two or three parts when bent. So you may be thinking that foldables should fare even worse in such testing, but is that actually true? Let's find out. Zack from the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel is back at it again, and this time the device being 'durability tested' is Huawei's latest and greatest, the Mate X2. Will it scratch? Burn? Bend? Take a look below. In case...

Xiaomi went all-in with the Mi 11 Ultra this year, producing what is its first proper mainstream flagship smartphone ever to be released internationally (as last year's Mi 10 Ultra was a China-only affair). The company unveiled the Mi 11 Ultra's European eye watering €1,199 pricing at an event in late March, but it stayed mum on a release date for the continent. Now thanks to Xiaomi's official Dutch Facebook page, we know that the Mi 11 Ultra is expected to finally become available on May 11. Get it? May 11. This is at least true for the Dutch market, and even if the other...

Xiaomi announced its MIUI 12.5 back in December last year, but Poco phones are yet to receive the update. Now the company has announced a testing program for plenty of its devices globally and you need to be fast because slots are limited. Here's the full list of eligible devices and their respective regions. POCO F3 [MI, RU, ID, EEA] POCO X3 PRO [Global, IN, EEA, RU, ID] POCO X3/NFC [Global, RU, IN, EEA, ID] POCO F2 PRO [Global, RU, ID, EEA] POCO X2 [IN] POCO M3[ Global, RU, ID, EEA, IN] POCO M2 PRO [IN] POCO M2 [IN] POCO C3 [IN] As you can see, only the original...

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite has broken the silence a second time this week after the tablet got spotted in the database of Chinese regulatory agency TENAA. The application contains a few live photos of the tablet in black, though a silver variant is also expected to be released.

TENAA seemingly confirms that the tablet will measure 212.5 x 124.7 x 8mm and weight ~300 grams. The photos reconfirm the same design that’s been spotted in leaked renders a couple of times before. The tablet has a single rear-facing camera, and also visible right below the loudspeaker is a single selfie sensor.

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite might still be on track for a summer release

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite has been eluding an official announcement for a few good months now, but every approval brings it closer to its debut, whenever it may be. Samsung’s been keeping quiet about the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, but leaked material suggests that the slate will be equipped with an 8.4-inch IPS LCD, a Helio P22T chipset supplied by MediaTek, and 3GB of RAM. The tablet will likely be powered by a 5,100mAh battery with 15W fast charging capabilities.

According to previous rumors, Samsung might be planning to introduce the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite in June or July, and the device could be accompanied by another Lite-branded model, namely the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite.

The post Galaxy Tab A7 Lite dimensions and design got confirmed in China appeared first on SamMobile.

We’ve already seen plenty of rumors and renders of the upcoming Huawei P50 series and today we have our first live look at the vanilla P50. The images come courtesy of reliable tipster DigitalChatStation who shared them on his Weibo account. Huawei P50 (source: DigitalChatStation) We can see the display which is rumored to measure in at 6.3-inches, will sport a much smaller centered punch hole cutout this time around instead of the pill shaped one on the P40. More importantly, we can see the huge camera cutout on the back composed of two large circles which should house 4 camera...

The Galaxy A72 is bound to follow the quarterly update schedule so it won’t enjoy the same level of security as its smaller sibling — the Galaxy A52. Nevertheless, the Galaxy A72 is now getting a new firmware that brings a newer security patch along with it, and interestingly enough, the package is large enough to contain other significant improvements on the side.

The new update for the Galaxy A72 carries firmware number A725FXXU1AUD2 and, to be precise, it includes the April 2021 security patch. The changelog mentions the usual generic ‘new and / or enhanced features’ and ‘further improvements to performance,’ but this time around, Samsung’s copy-pasted changelog might actually ring true. The new Galaxy A72 firmware update is large enough to contain more than just a security patch, weighing around 1GB.

The Galaxy A72 was launched with Android 11-based One UI 3.1 out of the box, so there’s not a lot of room to go from there. Security patches aren’t normally larger than 200MB, so given the size of the latest update, it might include additional camera and / or performance improvements.

The new firmware update is now rolling out for the Galaxy A72 in dozens of markets across different continents. Galaxy A72 owners should be able to update their phones by tapping the update notification once it arrives, or from the Software update menu inside the Settings app on their phones. And as always, SamMobile readers can download the latest firmware from our archive and install it manually using a Windows PC.

Thanks for the tip, Amin!

The post Samsung’s rolling out a massive firmware update for the Galaxy A72 appeared first on SamMobile.

The jury is still out there whether Asus will be launching two or three members of the Zenfone 8 family and we are still unsure how Asus will call them. In any case, the alleged Mini model is subject to a big leak revealing not only battery capacity but memory variants as well. Asus Zenfone 6 and 7 Pro According to Dealntech's inside sources, the smallest of the bunch will come in five memory variants - 6/8GB paired with 128GB of storage and 8/12/16GB of RAM coupled with 256GB of internal storage. The battery capacity is said to be 4,000 mAh, which would probably make the phone feel...

Amazon’s daily deals website Woot! is offering a few cool Samsung products at a discount as part of its latest Random Samsung Stuff promotion. It includes deals for the 40mm and 44mm Galaxy Watch Active 2, as well as the 25W Samsung Fast Charger. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the 45mm Galaxy Watch 3 were also part of this promotion but the deals were attractive enough for Woot! to run out of stock. But if you’re in the market for a 25W charger or the LTE-enabled Galaxy Watch Active 2, you still have around 16 hours left to act — at most — before the deal ends.

Woot! is now offering the 40mm Galaxy Watch Active 2 unlocked with LTE connectivity for only $169, down from the original price of $279. That’s a significant 39% discount, though you can get a slightly better deal for the 44mm model. The larger Galaxy Watch Active 2 variant is now available for $179 instead of $299 after a 40% discount.

And finally, Woot! is offering a massive 43% discount on the Samsung 25W super fast charger. And although a discount on a wall charger might not sound like that big of a deal under normal circumstances, let’s not forget that the Galaxy S21 series was shipped without a charger, so a lot more people than usual might be looking to complete their experience. In any case, the 25W charger is now available for just $19.99 as opposed to $34.99.

You can refer to the links below for more details, though you might want to hurry, seeing how it didn’t take long for Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy Watch 3 stocks to run out.

• Buy the 40mm Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE at Woot!
• Buy the 44mm Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE at Woot!
• Buy the Samsung 25W super fast wall charger at Woot!

Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm)

• Model: SM-R825
• Dimensions: Watch: 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm
  
• Display: 1.4 inch / 35.56 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

Galaxy Watch Active 2 (40mm)

• Model: SM-R835
• Dimensions: Watch: 40 x 40 x 10.9 mm
  
• Display: 1.2 inch / 30.48 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

The post The Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE is now 40% off with this limited-time deal appeared first on SamMobile.

Memory allocation has been all the craze lately. Take the vivo X60 Pro+, for example. It gives you the option to extend the memory by allocating storage so you gain extra 3GB of RAM. Well, it seems that Xiaomi is working on such a feature of its own too. A tipster found buried deep in MIUI 12's source code a feature named "Memory extension". It does what the vivo X60 Pro+ does but it's limited to 1GB only. It requires some tinkering before you can unlock the toggle, though. Memory extension feature description Hopefully, the feature won't be limited to high-end Xiaomi...

Strategy Analytics has published its latest research on 5G smartphone shipments around the globe, and the numbers look mightily impressive, with increases between 114% and 1,165% among manufacturers. According to the report, the period between January and March 2021 saw 133.9 million sales, which is 458% more than last year’s mere 24 million. Company Q1 2020 sales(in million) Q1 2020market share Q1 2021 sales(in million) Q1 2021market share Yearly change Apple 0 0% 40.4 30.2% N/A Oppo 1.7 ...

After PUBG Mobile received a ban in India, the company behind the game said that it would release an Indian-friendly version in the future with reduced gore, violence and nudity. The adapted version was first teased back in November 2020, but PUBG Studio has been fairly silent since then. Until now, that is. A short teaser video of PUBG Mobile India showed up on the Indian YouTube branch but has since been taken down. Sadly, it didn't reveal a release date or an approximate time frame, so we are still in the dark. However, the fact that the video showed up is a strong indication of...

The Galaxy S20 FE became pretty popular last year, thanks to its affordable price tag and well-rounded specs. After receiving such a good response to the phone, Samsung has decided to launch a follow-up to the smartphone, and the device is expected to be launched over the next few months. Earlier today, the phone was mentioned on Samsung’s website.

GalaxyClub discovered that Samsung Mexico’s website accidentally mentioned the Galaxy S21 FE, confirming its existence. While we could think of it as a typo, it is a weirdly uncommon one. Currently, the link points to the Galaxy S21 series, but it could be a part of Samsung’s preparations for the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE. The phone is actually expected to be unveiled sometime in August 2021.

The design and some specifications of the Galaxy S21 FE have been leaked already. Going by the leaked 3D CAD renders of the phone, the phone has the same camera assembly design as that of the Galaxy S21, but it is made using plastic instead of metal. We had exclusively revealed in February that the Galaxy S21 FE has model number SM-G990B.

The upcoming affordable high-end smartphone could feature a 120Hz Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, a Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 processor, 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB internal storage, and a 4,500mAh battery. At the rear, it features a triple-camera setup (probably with 4K 60fps video recording). The phone will be available in at least five colors: gray/silver, light green, pink, violet, and white.

The post Samsung starts preparations for Galaxy S21 FE launch appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung has unveiled its new Galaxy Book Pro series laptops this week. It has revamped its entire laptop lineup and for good reason. With the pandemic changing the way we work, the devices that we need now have to be in line with that reality.

Samsung has approached the development of these laptops with a simple aim. It wants to provide mobile-first users with the same convenience and seamless experience that smartphones do. The company has been able to do that without compromising on performance and features. The Galaxy Book Pro lineup actually has some of the best features to support your work from home lifestyle.

Screen Recorder and Samsung Studio Plus

Video content production has increased as in-person meetings are no longer encouraged by most organizations. To support that change, the Galaxy Book Pro laptops come with a screen recording feature built-in.

The screen recorder provides a webcam feature that can show the speaker’s face or gestures, perfect for those virtual presentations. The S Pen can also be used to add a footnote at the end of the video.

Samsung Studio Plus is a powerful editing tool that can be used right after the screen recording stops. It can be used to trim the video, add text, music and narration. Text and subtitles can be added as well. Samsung developed this software with ease of use in mind. So that users can easily take advantage of the features.

Intelligent Noise Cancelling

Background noise can be a pain on video calls and Samsung is addressing that with the new Intelligent Noise Cancelling feature. Sophisticated AI technology distinguishes between the voice and the ambient noise captured by the mic.

It then deletes the ambient noise for a distract-free video calling experience. The AI was trained with over 400,000 sound samples of typical background noises to improve its performance.

Studio Mode

With in-person meetings being replaced by video conferencing, it’s normal now for many professionals to spend the better part of the day in front of their webcam. Not everyone can have a studio-like setup at home but Samsung has come up with a solution for that.

Enter Studio mode on the Galaxy Book Pro series. Studio mode is basically like a filter app that lets you control some aspects of your video. This software makes you feel more camera ready with a makeup effect. It’s quite simple to use and there are even presets for the user with options for adjustment.

The screen freeze feature is another cool addition. It can be useful when you need to step away from the screen during a video call. The other participants would continue to see a frozen screen with your face on it while you run down to the kitchen to grab a drink.

What do you think about the new Galaxy Book Pro series and its great features? Share your thoughts with us by dropping a comment below.

The post Samsung’s Galaxy Book Pro series has the best work from home features appeared first on SamMobile.

After releasing the April 2021 security patch to the Galaxy M10 earlier today, Samsung has started rolling out the May 2021 security patch to the Galaxy A51. The new update for Samsung’s best-selling smartphone is currently available in Russia and is expected to hit more countries over the next few days.

The new software update for the Galaxy A51 with the May 2021 security patch has firmware version A515FXXU4EUD7. While an official changelog isn’t available yet, it is likely that the new update won’t include any new features and will be restricted to security and bug fixes. Samsung hasn’t yet revealed exactly which security vulnerabilities are fixed by the May security patch.

If you are a Galaxy A51 user in Russia, and if you haven’t received a notification for this update yet, you can check for it manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install. If you don’t want to wait for the OTA update, you can download the latest firmware for the Galaxy A51 from our firmware section and flash it manually.

The Galaxy A51 was launched in December 2019 with Android 10-based One UI 2. It started receiving the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update earlier this year, bringing various new features and a refreshed UI design. Last month, Samsung started rolling out the One UI 3.1 update to the Galaxy A51 last month.

The post Samsung has released May 2021 security patch to Galaxy A51 appeared first on SamMobile.

A new update for the Samsung Internet Beta just dropped, introducing two key features to its Chromium-powered web-browsing experience. Numbers one, there’s a new bookmarks bar on offer. It’s an optional addition that you can enable by going to Settings > Appearance. A tap of the accompanying toggle and you’re done.

Two, cross-device functionality has been improved in a big way. Go to Settings > Useful features (duh) > Open links in other apps to start doing just that. If you own another Galaxy device, you can now not only share links, but browsing positions on individual pages between them.

Is Samsung Internet the best mobile browser ever?

With this addition, Samsung Internet makes yet another claim for the title of the ultimate mobile browser. If you haven’t been using it regularly so far, you really ought to give it a chance. No matter what other app you’re coming from.

Feature updates and refinements are a weekly occurrence, and the One UI 3.1 redesign is really beautiful to look at

Samsung Internet Beta version 14.2.1 debuted on the Google Play Store Thursday afternoon, CET. By now, the newest build of the Android app should be available for download worldwide. On the off chance you aren’t reading these lines on mobile already and the download isn’t showing up on your desktop, see if you can get it to install directly from your smartphone or tablet anyway. As there’s always a bit of a delay with the browser version of the Play Store due to caching and a few other things.

The post Samsung Internet Beta improves cross-device functionality and more appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung has been consistently releasing Android 11 updates and the latest security patches to its smartphones and tablets. It was the first brand to roll out the April 2021 security patch. Now, the company has released a new security patch to the Galaxy M10.

The Galaxy M10 (SM-M105G) has started receiving a new software update in Malaysia and Vietnam. This new update brings the April 2021 security patch to the smartphone. The new software rolling out in Malaysia has firmware version M105GDXS6CUD6, while Vietnam is getting the update with firmware version M105GDXS6CUD4. As per Samsung’s documentation, the April 2021 security patch fixes various critical vulnerabilities, and includes 21 fixes from Samsung and 30 fixes from Google.

We don’t have an official changelog for the update yet, but it is safe to assume that it doesn’t bring new features to the Galaxy M10, and includes just security-related fixes and stability improvements. If you are a Galaxy M10 user in any of the countries mentioned above, you can manually check for the update by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install.

The update could roll out in more countries over the next few days. The Galaxy M10 was launched in February 2019 with Android 8.1 Oreo. Since then, Samsung has released two major Android updates to the phone, and it is currently running Android 10 (with One UI 2).

The post Galaxy M10 is getting a new software update with April 2021 security patch appeared first on SamMobile.

Almost a year ago Realme announced its first smartwatch with the aptly named Realme Watch. Since then the brand has expanded with two more models in the Watch S series but now there’s a true successor to the original Realme Watch with the same square look. The Watch 2 brings an identical 1.4-inch touchscreen IPS LCD with 320x320 pixel resolution and up to 600 nits of brightness. Realme is bringing over 100 watch faces to choose from including new live options. There’s a single button on the right-hand side and the whole package is IP68 water/dust resistant. The Watch 2 weighs 38...

Yesterday we shared an exclusive render of the Honor Play 5 and reported the smartphone will come with a 64MP primary camera and 66W charging. Today we learn more about the Play 5 as reliable tipster Digital Chat Station revealed the smartphone's full specs. According to the tipster, the Honor Play 5 will be powered by the Dimensity 800U SoC and pack a 6.53" FullHD+ OLED panel, which we know will have a notch for the selfie camera. The Play 5's back cover doesn't have a fingerprint reader, but since the smartphone will come with an OLED screen, we could see an in-display...

Xiaomi’s brand Redmi has launched its own understanding of what a gaming smartphone should be under the name K40 Gaming. The device runs on Dimensity 1200 chipset and comes with the latest bells and whistles like UFS 3.1 storage, LPDDR5 RAM, 67W ultra-fast charging and several solutions for cooling and heat dissipation. With such specs, it is no wonder that the Redmi K40 Gaming was a huge success during its first flash sale in China. According to the brand, the device sold 100,000 units in just one minute. The sale includes all five different memory combinations - from the cheapest...

Just last year, Samsung was leading the global 5G smartphone market. The company had a whopping 94% market share in the US 5G smartphone market. However, things seem to have taken a drastic turn for the company, and Samsung should be quite worried about its latest 5G smartphone shipment numbers.

A recently published report from market research firm Strategy Analytics claims that Samsung has dropped from the first position to fifth position in the global 5G smartphone market. Although the company doubled its shipments from 8.3 million to 17 million in Q1 2021, Samsung’s 5G smartphone market share dropped from 34.6% to 12.7%. That’s because Apple, OPPO, and Vivo have made remarkable improvements. Apple, which had not shipped even a single 5G smartphone in Q1 2020, managed to ship a whopping 40.4 million 5G iPhones in Q1 2021. Its market share reached chart-topping 30.2%.

OPPO shipped 21.5 million 5G smartphones globally in Q1 2021, which is an 1165% (or 11.65x) year-over-year growth. The Chinese firm now has a 16.1% share of the 5G market and is ranked second on the list. Vivo shipped 19.4 million 5G smartphones during the quarter, which is a 646% year-over-year growth compared to Q1 2020 numbers. Xiaomi narrowly missed beating Samsung. The Chinese smartphone giant shipped 16.6 million 5G smartphones in the first quarter of this year and saw a 564% growth compared to last year.

The global 5G smartphone market grew 458% in Q1 2021 compared to last year and over 133.9 million 5G phones were shipped during the period. Although Samsung launched a lot of 5G smartphones over the past year, most of them were priced higher than competing phones from the likes of OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Apple, on the other hand, launched four high-end 5G smartphones—iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max—in Q4 2020.

So, what can Samsung do to improve its 5G smartphone market share? Well, it needs to bring down the prices and launch more 5G smartphones so that they become accessible to more users worldwide. Recently, Samsung launched its cheapest 5G smartphone ever, the Galaxy M42 5G, in India.

The post Samsung should be worried about these numbers appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung is working on multiple Galaxy M series smartphones, including the Galaxy M32, Galaxy M42, and the Galaxy M62 5G. The company recently launched the Galaxy M42 5G in India, and it is expected to unveil the Galaxy M32 soon. Ahead of the launch, some specifications of the Galaxy M32 have been leaked.

The Galaxy M32 bears model number SM-M325F, and it appeared in Geekbench’s database earlier today. The phone appears to be running Android 11 (probably One UI 3.1) and using the MediaTek G80 processor (MT6769V) in combination with 6GB of RAM. Going by these specifications, it appears that the Galaxy M32 is indeed based on the Galaxy A32 4G that was launched a few months ago. The only difference between the two phones could be the battery capacity. The Galaxy A32 4G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy M32 was revealed to feature a 6,000mAh battery.

Galaxy M32 expected specs

The upcoming smartphone could feature a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with Full HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The phone could also have 6GB/8GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. At the front, it could have a 20MP selfie camera with Full HD video recording. At the rear, the Galaxy M32 could sport a 64MP+8MP+5MP+5MP quad-camera setup with the ability to record 1080p 30fps videos.

The Galaxy M32 is expected to feature GPS, LTE, dual-SIM card slot, Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Samsung could launch it in India and other emerging markets sometime this quarter.

The post Galaxy M32 is indeed based on the Galaxy A32 appeared first on SamMobile.

A Samsung device bearing model code SM-M325FV, and believed to be the Galaxy M32, has popped up on Geekbench with its key specs. According to the benchmark database, the SM-M325FV runs Android 11, has 6GB RAM onboard, and is powered by MT6769V/CT, which we know is a part of the Helio G80 SoC. Geekbench doesn't reveal any other specs of the SM-M325FV, but the smartphone was spotted on DEKRA last week with a 6,000 mAh battery. The Galaxy M32 is said to be based on the Galaxy A32 4G, which comes with the Helio G80, 6.4" FullHD+ 90Hz AMOLED screen, in-display fingerprint scanner, and...

The Chromebook market saw explosive growth over the past year, riding on the remote learning and work-from-home wave. Compared to just 2.8 million Chromebook shipments in Q1 2020, the market grew 3.57x in Q1 2021 to reach shipments of 13 million units. Samsung achieved a whopping 496% year-over-year growth in Chromebook shipments during the quarter.

IDC’s (International Data Corporation) latest report suggests that Samsung shipped over a million Chromebooks in Q1 2021. While the company still maintained its fifth position in the global Chromebook market, its market share improved from 6.1% in Q1 2020 to 8% in Q1 2021. The South Korean firm was the second-fastest-growing Chromebook brand. HP, which saw the highest growth (633.9%) in the Chrome OS market, was ranked first with 4.4 million shipments and a 33.5% market share.

Lenovo shipped 3.3 million Chromebooks in Q1 2021 and grabbed a 25.6% share of the global market. The Chinese tech giant saw a 356.2% year-over-year growth in this space. Acer didn’t grow as much as other brands did, and fell down from the first position to the third position. It shipped 1.9 million Chromebooks and had a 14.5% market share. Dell is ranked fourth in this list with 1.5 million shipments (327% year-over-year growth) and an 11.3% market share.

Samsung launched just one new Chrome OS-based laptop over the past year: Galaxy Chromebook 2. It features a QLED screen and a 2-in-1 convertible design. It has a backlit keyboard, a large trackpad, 10th Gen. Intel Core processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, impressively loud 10W stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 45Wh battery. The company may launch more Chromebooks later this year.

Despite such massive growth, the Chromebook market is still isn’t as big as the tablet market. As you can see in the graph below, over 40 million tablets were sold in Q1 2021. It means that the tablet market is still 3x bigger than the Chromebook market. Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Tab S7+, and the Galaxy Tab A7 over the past year and was ranked second in the global tablet market. The company saw a 60% year-over-year growth in the tablet segment.

The post Samsung achieved a whopping 496% growth in the Chromebook market appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung makes the world’s best Android tablets, ranging from the affordable Galaxy Tab A 8.0 to the ultra-high-end Galaxy Tab S7+. Since the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the company saw impressive growth in tablet sales worldwide, riding the remote learning wave. The South Korean tech giant maintained its second spot in the global tablet market during Q1 2021.

Market research firm IDC’s (International Data Corporation) latest report claims that Samsung managed to ship 8 million tablets in Q1 2021. This is an impressive 60.8% year-over-year growth compared to Q1 2020, when it shipped 5 million tablets. Samsung’s Q1 2021 tablet market share was 20%, and it maintained its second rank. Apple was the world’s biggest tablet maker with shipments of around 12.7 million units, which translates to a 31.7% market share. The iPad maker saw a 64.3% year-over-year growth compared to 7.7 million shipments in Q1 2020.

Lenovo ranked third with a 9.4% share of the market and shipments hanging around the 3.8-million mark. However, compared to its Q1 2020 numbers, it achieved a whopping 138.1% year-over-year growth. Similar is the case with Amazon, which shipped 3.5 million Fire tablets and ranked fourth, achieving a staggering 143% year-over-year growth. On the other hand, Huawei slipped from third to the fifth position as its market share dwindled to just 6.8%.

Samsung’s performance was quite impressive considering that it didn’t launch any new tablets in Q1 2021. Its latest tablets—Galaxy Tab S7 and the Galaxy Tab A7—were launched in Q3 2020. The company is expected to unveil the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite sometime in June 2021. The successor to the Galaxy Tab S7 lineup could launch in Q3 2021 to compete with the recently launched iPad Pro (2021) from Apple.

The post Samsung was the world’s second-biggest tablet brand in Q1 2021 appeared first on SamMobile.

The global chip crisis keeps chugging along, and Apple has long been rumored to be affected in the production of its new devices. Case in point - the new iPad Pro 11 and 12.9 and the new iMac with M1 that the company announced at last week's spring event are going up for pre-order later than new devices usually do after an Apple event. And in a move that's very uncharacteristic of it, Apple hasn't actually revealed an official release date for any of these three products. Thankfully though, a British third-party retailer, John Lewis, has risen up to the occasion and given us the date we've...

Samsung is now on the receiving end of a class-action lawsuit due to a possible manufacturing defect surrounding the Galaxy S20 series. As some of you might recall, right around the time the Galaxy S20 series was being released a year ago, dozens of customers complaints were cropping up on the web to describe a potential Galaxy S20 design flaw that was seemingly leading to the rear camera glass breaking.

What made this issue that much more intriguing was the fact that all the complaints were describing a similarly unusual phenomenon, wherein the glass covering the main camera setup would crack without any force being applied to it. The affected phones haven’t been accidentally dropped, but rather, the glass was reportedly breaking on its own.

Initially, Samsung hasn’t made any comments on the issue, but as more complaints came in, the company has reportedly acknowledged the problem as stemming from internal pressure, claims law firm Hagens Berman. The problem is seemingly caused by foreign particles building up underneath the glass, leading to lower tolerances and a higher chance for the glass to crack under pressure.

The firm has now filed a class-action lawsuit against Samsung on account of the company ignoring the issue and refusing to cover it under warranty. Galaxy S20 owners who have experienced this problem have had to pay for the glass replacement out of their own pockets. The law firm believes that customers shouldn’t have to pay for Samsung’s faulty design and Galaxy S20 owners deserve to be compensated.

Galaxy S20 owners who feel the same way and happen to have had their camera glass breaking are encouraged by Hagens Berman to fill out a form on their website. Assuming that Hagens Berman or any other firm obtains a settlement, the court will decide a reasonable fee to be awarded to the legal team for the class.

Do you or have you owned a model from the Galaxy S20 series? Have you experienced any issues with the glass covering the main camera module? And do you think Samsung should be subjected to a class-action lawsuit on account of this issue? Leave a comment below.

Galaxy S20

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

More specifications

Galaxy S20+

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

More specifications

Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

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

More specifications

The post Faulty Galaxy S20 camera glass leads to class-action lawsuit appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung laptop news just keep arriving these days. After announcing four laptops yesterday and another one today, Samsung looks set to premiere an affordable Windows laptop with an ARM processor. The Samsung Galaxy Book Go runs on an 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c chip and the ARM version of Windows 10. The machine is fanless, has a 14-inch 1920x1080px IPS LCD, built-in LTE, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. The screen isn't touch-enabled and the housing is fairly standard, in order to keep costs down. However Samsung has made sure the Galaxy Book Go is compliant with the Mil-810G durability...

Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy Book series laptops yesterday at its Unpacked event. The company has been calling the laptops its “most powerful Galaxy” devices so far. It now envisions the laptop as an integral part of the Galaxy ecosystem.

The new models include the Galaxy Book, Galaxy Book Pro, Galaxy Book Pro 360 and the Galaxy Book Odyssey. This wide variety of notebooks aims to offer something for everyone. The entry-level models are affordable yet versatile.

The Galaxy Book Pro is thin and light with powerful specs while the Pro 360 has an incredible hinge as well as the S Pen. The Odyssey features top-tier specs and happens to be the world’s first laptop with NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 Ti GPU.

As this lineup represents a fundamental shift in Samsung’s approach to laptops, we wanted to find out more about the vision behind it. Who better to unpack the new Galaxy Book series with than Dr. Hark-sang Kim. He is the Corporate Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics and leads the New Computing R&D team at the Mobile division. Dr. Kim led the development project for the Galaxy Book series.

SamMobile: How do you assess the global laptop market post-pandemic and will Samsung now be making a more concerted effort to compete in it?

Hark-sang Kim: As global demand for PCs grows, we’re listening closely to consumers and designing devices around their ever-evolving needs and expectations. Despite an intense increase in PC demand during 2020 and 2021, we still believe demand will be high moving forward due to consumers wanting these connected and seamless experiences.

With the Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360, Samsung is meeting this demand with a new
generation of PCs that combine the power of a laptop with the mobile DNA of a Galaxy smartphone.

The Galaxy Book Pro series offers improved solutions in post-pandemic usage such as video
conferencing and virtual lectures. With Studio mode, you can enjoy video call environments that
help you look as you prefer regardless of your setting. Combined with Intelligent Noise Cancelling, which eliminates ambient noise from your microphone, you’ll be seen and heard with clarity.

With Screen Recorder and Samsung Studio Plus, you can also make the next viral gameplay tutorial by recording your screen in combination with your voice and polish your video with easy editing tools.

Consumers also prioritize full ecosystem connectivity perfect for a more mobile world. Link to
Windows (Microsoft Your Phone) provides seamless cross-device operation between the Galaxy
Book Pro series and Galaxy smartphones. Easy Bluetooth Connection effortlessly manages Galaxy
Buds connections between devices. These types of connected experiences on the PC are now more important than ever, and we will continue to build Galaxy Books that complete the Galaxy ecosystem for our users.

SM: Does Samsung’s research show that existing Galaxy device owners would consider switching to a Samsung laptop if it enabled them to get more out of the ecosystem?

HSK: As consumers add more devices to their home and office spaces, we learned that they want them to work together seamlessly so there’s no time wasted trying to find a note, transfer files, or connect to audio. In designing the Galaxy Book series, we looked across our entire mobile portfolio—from earbuds and IoT devices to tablets and smartphones—in search of ways for your devices to work together to help you do more.

Now with Galaxy Book Pro series, users can instantly sync photos and files with their smartphone
or enjoy their favorite Galaxy apps on PC via Link to Windows (Microsoft Your Phone). Users can also enjoy one unified Samsung Notes experience—with PDF annotation, voice recording, and auto-syncing—across smartphone, tablet, and PC. We’ve also developed new ways for different devices to support one another.

With Easy Bluetooth connection, the Galaxy earbuds automatically toggle between the PC, tablet, and smartphone as you switch tasks. Second screen allows users to expand your PC workspace onto their tablet. SmartThings Dashboard simplifies their smart home, allowing them to dim the lights, change the temperature, and set oven to preheat all from one central hub.

SM: How were the sizes determined? Were 14-inch and 16-inch also considered instead of the 13.3- inch and 15.6-inch sizes?

HSK: We’re constantly listening to consumers and launching products that best meet market needs. According to IDC data, 13-14-inch and 15-16-inch devices are the most in-demand PC sizes on the market. Determined to fulfill this need, we chose sizes at 13-inch and 15-inch. The 13-inch models are for those who prioritize mobility first and foremost, and 15-inch models are for those who want to balance mobility with a larger screen experience.

SM: What is the external graphics processor (GPU) which would only be available for the 15.6-inch Galaxy Book Pro?

HSK: The external graphics processor (GPU) in the 15.6-inch Galaxy Book Pro is NVIDIA® GeForce® MX450. We decided to offer an external graphics processor to the 15.6-inch
Galaxy Book Pro to provide a more optimized experience for consumer who expect to use their
PC for this type of work.

SM: What is the difference between the Galaxy Book Pro 360 Super AMOLED and Galaxy Book Pro AMOLED screen?

HSK: For the first time ever, we built Galaxy Book Pro series with AMOLED displays, meaning users now have access to incredibly accurate colors, richer contrasts and more depth across their entire Galaxy ecosystem from their smartphones, tablets, wearables and now PCs.

Galaxy Book Pro and Pro 360 uses an AMOLED display that’s perfect for daily use and after work
entertainment thanks to the SGS Eye Care-certified displays. It also comes with the Intelligent
Color Engine which can automatically adapt the display’s color space depending on the on-
screen content.

In addition to those features, Galaxy Book Pro 360 uses a Super AMOLED display, which enables
touch and S Pen input. This makes it ideal for creative users, from artists looking for real-world brush effects to graphic designers who need pinpoint accuracy.

SM: How many nits is the peak brightness of the laptop and wouldn’t QLED be better, which was used in the past laptop line-up? If so, why was OLED chosen and not QLED again this time?

HSK: The Galaxy Book Pro series is packed with innovations and development knowledge that Samsung has accrued over the years building the mobile devices. Generally, consumers use PCs primarily indoors so we naturally optimized the Galaxy Book series’ brightness for indoor usage.

Among many considerations when developing the new Galaxy Book Pro series, one of the most
important consideration for our target users was mobility- how thin and light the device can be.
Even if the performance is top of the line, if it’s too thick or heavy, it starts to become a trade-off and can disrupt mobility. To balance these considerations, we chose AMOLED technology which has competitiveness for thin and light, for the Galaxy Book Pro series, the same technology found on other Galaxy devices such as smartphones.

Secondly it is crucial to provide users with the most accurate and optimized displays possible.
This led to the development of the Intelligent Color Engine, which can switch color spaces. The
reason this is important is because different tasks require different color fields. For example,
videos are more vivid in DCI-P3, photo editing typically requires Adobe RGB and general usage
relies on the all-round sRGB. The Galaxy Book Pro series’ displays can switch between these
seamlessly, ensuring all content is optimized.

Finally, the display should be comfortable and consistent. Users who work all day on their
devices should not feel strained or lose concentration due to their display. The Galaxy Book Pro
and Pro 360’s AMOLED displays SGS Eye Care-certified. They transmit less blue light, and they are more comfortable to look at. In addition, by providing the exact same color range as the Galaxy smartphones do, photos and design works can be seen exactly the same between devices for
accuracy.

SM: With this significant revamp, has Samsung reconsidered its position on offering laptops and notebooks in limited markets only?

HSK: In 2020, PCs became permanently woven into everyday life. They helped us connect to the wider world, work remotely, video conference with friends and family, and find outlets for creativity and relaxation. In turn, we’ve seen consumer expectations rise. Our mobile-first users want their devices to deliver seamless communication, sustained productivity, and immersive entertainment—all in one.

In 2021, we’re expanding the Galaxy ecosystem with the new Galaxy Book series. With the
growing marketing needs, we are moving into more markets this time and constantly evaluating
new growth. We aim to provide consumers with a new mobile computing experience powered
by innovations spanning across the Galaxy ecosystem as we establish Samsung’s leadership and
long-term commitment to the PC market.

The post Unpacking the new Galaxy Book series with Samsung’s HS Kim [Interview] appeared first on SamMobile.

LG announced its mobile division will be closed this year since it cannot turn profitable in the current market. However, the company's report confirms all other branches have posted a yearly increase in sales, bringing the total revenue to KRW18.8 trillion - the most LG has ever recorded between January and March. Mobile Divison Performance Q1 2021 Q4 2020 QoQ Change Q1 2020 YoY Change Sales in KRW / USD 998.7B / 901M 1,385B / 1.24B -27.9% 998.6B / 901M 0% Profit in KRW / USD -280B / -252M ...

The highly anticipated ECG and blood pressure firmware update for the Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 was released in 31 markets earlier this year, but some key regions such as Russia were left out. Thankfully, the roll-out continues and Samsung confirmed today that the two additional health-tracking feature are now becoming available in Russia thanks to a new firmware update that’s being distributed to both the Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Galaxy smartwatch users who have never used the blood pressure reading feature before will be required to set up the Samsung Health Monitor app first. It’s available at the Galaxy Store and it has to be installed on the smartphone that’s connected to the Galaxy Watch 3 / Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Once the app is installed, users will have to calibrate the smartwatch for accurate measurements using a dedicated blood pressure monitor. Of course, nothing’s stopping Galaxy Watch 3 or Galaxy Watch Active 2 owners from taking blood pressure readings without calibrating the sensors using medical equipment first, but this would defeat the purpose.

As for the ECG functionality, it can be used to determine if the user has a sinus rhythm or suffers from atrial fibrillation. Once an ECG is performed using the Galaxy Watch 3 / Galaxy Watch Active 2, the ECG data will be synchronized with the connected smartphone in the form of a PDF report.

Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 owners in Russia who want to use the new ECG and blood pressure monitoring features will have to download the aforementioned Samsung Health Monitor app from the Galaxy Store, and they’re also required to update the basic Samsung Health app on their smartphones to enable the ECG and blood pressure reading functionalities.

Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm)

• Model: SM-R840
• Dimensions: Watch: 46.2 x 45.0 x 11.1 mm
  
• Display: 1.4 inch / 35.56 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm)

• Model: SM-R820
• Dimensions: Watch: 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm
  
• Display: 1.4 inch / 35.56 mm Circular Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9110
• Camera:

More specifications

The post ECG firmware update lands on Galaxy Watch 3, Watch Active 2 in Russia appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung was expected to unveil the Galaxy Book Go alongside the Galaxy Book Pro, Galaxy Book Pro 360, and the Galaxy Book Odyssey during its April 28 event. However, the company didn’t unveil the ARM-based Windows 10 laptop. Now, the laptop’s first set of images have been revealed alongside its full specs sheet.

German tech publication WinFuture published the press renders and specifications of the Galaxy Book Go. The laptop features a 14-inch IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution. It uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor, which features an octa-core 64-bit CPU clocked at 2.5GHz. The laptop has 4GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot. It runs the ARM version of Windows 10 Home and will reportedly be priced at just €449.

The Galaxy Book Go appears to have a tenkeyless backlit keyboard, a decently-sized trackpad, a fingerprint reader, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos audio, and a 720p webcam. It reportedly weighs just 1.39kg and is 14.9mm thin. In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy Book Go features LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Miracast, Bluetooth 5.1, one USB Type-A port, two USB Type-C ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Since it uses an ARM processor and doesn’t need active cooling, it does not feature any air vent, which makes it resistant to dust. It is also MIL-STD-810G rated for resistance against drops and shocks. The Galaxy Book Go reportedly comes powered by a 42.3Wh battery and can be charged using a 25W USB Type-C charger.

The post Galaxy Book Go images and specs leak ahead of launch appeared first on SamMobile.

It’s a sad day for all of us at SamMobile. One of the biggest Samsung fans is no longer among us. This week our dear colleague and good friend Henk van Loosbroek passed away. We firmly believe that Henk was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Samsung fan of all time. Henk had a passion for the company, he was super proud of the brand and how innovative Samsung has been and still is.

In 2013 I met Henk via Twitter and we started talking. He always made sure that we were the first to report on new updates and the latest Samsung news. Impressed by his dedication and passion, we thought it was time to embrace Henk in our SamMobile team. Since then, he had been an integral part of our team. Henk did his job with pride and joy. Our readers would remember well his ubiquitous presence on our forum, social media networks and various other sites.

In addition to being our omnipresent online colleague that was always the first one to start working from The Netherlands in the early morning, he would also regularly visit us at our office for conversations, laughs, and most importantly, coffee and cake.

The icing on the cake was that in 2019, he was invited by Samsung for the launch of the first foldable phone in San Francisco, the original Samsung Galaxy Fold. Henk loved innovation and thus everything Samsung did, how great that was for him.

Unfortunately, he has left us way too soon. We cherish the memories he has left us with. We remember his love for life, Star Wars and all things Samsung. It was an absolute honor knowing such a gem of a person.

Henk, we are so very happy to have known you and to have been a part of your life! We have experienced wonderful things together, such as our SamMobile team building in Dubai, our Christmas dinners and our beautiful moments of laughter during the office days.

From the entire SamMobile team: Rest in peace and thank you for everything. You will be dearly missed. Till we meet again.

We will never forget you! And may the Force be with you.

Love, Team SamMobile.

The post RIP Henk, saying goodbye to our good friend and colleague appeared first on SamMobile.