Gaming monitors are turning out to be a lucrative business and Samsung is fully engaged in making the most of this opportunity. The company leads the gaming monitor market as it continues to release new models that provide superior performance and quality.

Samsung is running a new promotion in the United States, providing customers with a chance to win the 49-inch Odyssey G9 gaming monitor, one of the best products in this lineup, in addition to offering up to $1,200 off many top monitors.

Who wouldn't want a free Odyssey G9 gaming monitor?

This deal is being offered as part of Samsung's Gaming Week promotion which is available until Sunday, August 18. It's offering discounts of up to $1,200 on some of its most popular gaming monitors, including:

• 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen
• 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9
• 49-inch Odyssey G9
• 32/34-inch Odyssey OLED G8
• 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6
• 32-inch Odyssey Neo G8
• 32/27-inch Odyssey G5
• 32-inch Odyssey Neo G7

Further promotions will be announced for each monitor during the promotion period, which will be revealed on Monday, August 12. Aside from offering big discounts on these models, Samsung is also giving customers a gift card of up to $100 which can be used to purchase anything on Samsung.com.

Customers in the United States who buy any of these monitors from Samsung.com will automatically be entered into the Unlock Your Inner Champion sweepstakes. Samsung will announce three winners who will all have the choice to receive a free 49-inch Odyssey G9 (G95C) or Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) gaming monitor.

It's best to familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions of this sweepstakes offer to ensure that you're complying with the rules and have the best chance to pick up one of Samsung's best gaming monitors for free.

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Samsung's entry-level range is pretty solid and sells a significant number of units in markets across the globe every year. The company refreshes these models frequently so that customers get good bang for their buck.

It's been known for a while now that Samsung has been working on a new entry-level device, dubbed the Galaxy A06. New renders of the device have leaked online, giving us a good look at it.

New Galaxy A06 press renders have emerged

Earlier reports have suggested that the Galaxy A06 will be powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset with Android 14 onboard alongside One UI 6.1. There's going to be 4GB of RAM in one of the variants as well, while 6GB will be standard in most markets. This will be a dual-SIM smartphone with 4G LTE support. Don't count on 5G support, though.

Its design was seen in an earlier leak as well, which revealed that the Key Island design element that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55 series is now trickling lower down the order. The leak further suggested that the Galaxy A06 will come with an LCD 6.7-inch display with HD+ resolution and a U-shaped notch on the front for the selfie camera.

This will be one of the few Samsung phones with a 3.5mm headphone jack as you don't find that in most mid-range and premium devices these days. The Galaxy A06 is also said to come with a dual-camera setup that has an LED flash. A 5,000mAh battery will keep the lights on with support for 15W fast charging.

These new renders reiterate what we already know about the device, and they're also a hint of the impending launch, which could happen over the next few weeks.

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Samsung has “Ultra-fied” its smartwatch lineup this year with the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The new model has been launched alongside the Galaxy Watch 7, with which it shares much of its hardware and most of its features, but Samsung hopes to offer enough differentiation in the former to get you to pay $649.

Now that's a lot of money for a smartwatch. You can get a fairly decent conventional watch with an automatic movement for that price. You can even get two of the regular Galaxy Watch 7s with some money left over. Is spending that much on a smartwatch justified? We'll get to the bottom of this in our Galaxy Watch Ultra review.

Design

Samsung clearly wanted to go in a different direction for the Galaxy Watch Ultra's design without giving up the circular design that has become synonymous with its smartwatches. So it struck a compromise by fusing a circular display with a squarish chassis.

It kind of reminded me of some Panerai models when I saw it the first time. If executed well, this design language can look amazing. Panerai has done that for decades, and I'm happy to see that Samsung has nailed it.

The new design is beefy while also being the most sporty of any Samsung smartwatch yet. The case itself is made from titanium with a sapphire glass. Durability is the name of the game here, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra being IP68-rated for up to 10ATM—100 meters—of water resistance.

It can also withstand elevations of up to 9,000 meters and temperatures as high as 131 degrees Fahrenheit. To put that into perspective, Mount Everest tops out at 8,849 meters. You could summit the world's tallest mountain wearing the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

I do miss the physical rotating bezel on this smartwatch, but it was likely excluded due to durability concerns. The design will feel a bit nostalgic to long-time users of Samsung's smartwatches, as it also reminded me of the Galaxy Frontier.

No other smartwatch has given me a similar sporty and bulky look since that 2016 model. The only thing I don't like is that it's a bit too thick to go to sleep with. But that is a matter of personal preference — I never liked going to bed with a smartwatch on, which is why I love the Galaxy Ring so much.

You could summit Mount Everest with the Galaxy Watch Ultra

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is only available in the 47mm size, which may be a bit too big for many people. I feel that there should be a smaller model with the same design cues. Nonetheless, I love how the Galaxy Watch Ultra looks and how it stands out.

There's a new orange-hued Quick Button that you can assign a function to, such as launching a workout, switching on the flashlight, or triggering the SOS siren that's quite punchy at 85 decibels.

It's another reminder of the idea behind this product, as it's surely much easier to activate the safety siren when you're in a tough spot by simply pressing a button instead of having to fiddle with different menus on the display, especially when you've got gloves on. I hope that Samsung will make it possible to do a lot more with this button, such as dialing a preferred contact, launching a SmartThings Routine, getting a quick heart rate reading, etc.

In keeping with the overall aesthetic of this device, the watch straps are similarly sporty, and easily interchangeable. The new watch bands are available in nice, bright colors that complement the titanium finish very well.

Performance

The Galaxy Watch Ultra has the same internal specs as the Galaxy Watch 7. Both feature the new 3nm Exynos W1000 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. They have the same new BioActive sensor that does the heavy lifting for health and fitness tracking. So as far as performance is concerned, there's nothing differentiating the two.

The dual-band GPS merits mentioning as it improves path tracking for a variety of activities in the outdoors. Track Back, a feature first introduced with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, is also included. It guides you right back to where you started the workout from, which is very useful if you're on a hike and want to return to the starting point, for example.

Samsung's best-performing smartwatch to date

Samsung's got the hang of making the software and hardware play nice on its smartwatches, and it's a similar story on this new model. Navigating the interface feels swift and smooth. There's no lag when launching apps, and fitness tracking features fire up quickly. Evidently, there hasn't been a Galaxy Watch before this that has provided this level of performance.

The marriage of convenience between Android-based Wear OS and Samsung's One UI is well and truly thriving. One UI brings an air of familiarity to the look and feel, thus eliminating the learning curve for anyone upgrading from an earlier model, while Wear OS provides unmatched support for apps.

It merits mentioning that some of the more useful features, such as Energy Score, only work when the smartwatch is paired with a Samsung phone.

Display

The 1.47-inch 480 x 480 resolution panel is the brightest display Samsung has ever put on a smartwatch. It tops out at 3,000 nits, one of the highest in the industry.

The sun can't faze the Galaxy Watch Ultra's display

The sapphire crystal glass protects it very well, so you can push as hard as you like on your extreme outdoors adventures with the peace of mind that the display cracking is the least of your worries.

Since this is meant to be worn primarily in the great outdoors, the ability to hit that level of peak brightness helps make it much easier to see the display even under the bright sun.

While we didn't scale any mountains or hike trails through the clouds, it can be said with reasonable certainty that the display would ensure ample visibility even when the climate conditions allow little.

Health and fitness

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a very capable health and fitness tracker. The new BioActive sensor can track all the metrics you expect from a Samsung smartwatch—heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen, body composition, heart rate zones, sleep, and more—with enhanced accuracy.

There's also auto workout detection for dozens of exercises. Certain exercises, such as walking, running, and cycling, demonstrated a high degree of accuracy in tracking. However, the accuracy diminished when attempting to track exercises like crunches, lunges, push-ups, and planking.

The Multi-Sport Tile is a new addition to create and track your own workout routine. It has the potential to be a truly exceptional tool. It's restricted to a limited number of common exercises and supports a maximum of three workouts, but its user-friendly interface makes it accessible to a wide range of users.

Samsung could further enhance the tile's capabilities by expanding the variety of exercises it supports and enabling personal trainers to create and assign customized workout plans to their clients through Samsung Health. Additionally, the tile could facilitate the sharing of workout data with personal trainers, allowing them to provide feedback and optimize future workouts.

There's almost every health and fitness tracking feature under the sun

Functional Threshold Power metrics are a great addition for serious cyclists who want in-depth data to improve their performance. The feature doesn't turn the Galaxy Watch Ultra into a bona fide bike computer. But it provides good enough insights to help cyclists hit their peak performance.

Also new on the Watch Ultra is the Advanced Glycation End Products Index. It factors in various datapoints to signal potential health risk. But this can end up being confusing for someone who has little knowledge of their genetic predisposition to certain diseases that AGEs index can indicate. There's not much in the way of context either, so if the index seems troubling, speaking with a doctor would be the more appropriate course of action.

Samsung's smartwatches are pretty good at sleep tracking and the Galaxy Watch Ultra is no different. It provides a great breakdown of the various sleep stages. The watch can detect snoring and provides sleep coaching to help you get more restful sleep. It's also the first smartwatch of its kind authorized for sleep apnea detection in the US.

The Samsung Health gets all the data and calculates your Energy Score. It's a metric that provides an overview of your body's overall state. Wellness Tips provide personalized recommendations to make targeted improvements. It doesn't work quite as well as it could, but that could be due to the AI requiring more time to understand the user, so it's better to give it some time to get the true lay of the land.

Battery life

There's a beefy 590mAh battery in the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It's one of the main reasons to buy this model over the more affordable Galaxy Watch 7. We were consistently able to get two days and two nights of use on a single charge, which is impressive. You can extend it further in Power Saving mode which just about stretches it to a third day and change.

Good for most users, could be better for some

Is that enough, though, for the target demographic that Samsung is aiming this smartwatch at? It won't last through serious multi-day hikes or mountain scaling expeditions, at least with the full extent of its capabilities enabled, so you'll need to carry a power source on those adventures.

It's also unfortunate that the Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn't support reverse wireless charging from Samsung phones. That makes it impossible to borrow juice from the smartphone should you need it.

However, most people who buy this smartwatch probably won't be indulging in such extreme activities. So, the two-day battery life will be more than good enough for them. Those who do take part in such activities will feel that there's room for improvement here.

Verdict

Is it really worth spending $649 on the Galaxy Watch Ultra? The answer is no for most people. This watch isn't Ultra enough in all the ways that it needs to be.

Take away its ability to withstand extreme operating environments that the majority of buyers won't find themselves in, and you're left with a smartwatch that has the same chipset, BioActive sensor, Galaxy AI features, and software experience as the model that's less than half the price.

What you're paying a premium for are the looks. If you like it that much, there won't be a better smartwatch for you. It's an absolute must buy for someone with a lifestyle that can take advantage of all the Ultra features. Otherwise, you're better off getting the Galaxy Watch 7.

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NVIDIA is the world's leading supplier of AI accelerators. It has a borderline monopoly on the market right now as it accounted for 97.2% of the sector last year. The company has invested considerably in its next-gen AI accelerators to maintain this dominance even as rivals amp up their efforts for a piece of the pie.

As a supplier of high-bandwidth memory solutions used in these AI chips, Samsung stands to benefit if NVIDIA or others buy chips from it. With NVIDIA potentially facing delays in mass production of its next-gen accelerators, Samsung stands to benefit if those that it has alliances with step up to fill the gap.

NVIDIA expects a three-month delay in Blackwell-based AI chips

NVIDIA has reportedly informed Microsoft and other top customers that its next-generation Blackwell AI accelerator shipments have been delayed by three months, potentially even more, due to flaws in the design. Reports suggest that the processor die used to connect the two Blackwell GPUs on the GB200 has a flaw that will take some time to rectify.

Tech companies like Microsoft and Google can't get enough of these AI accelerators as they develop new solutions that require much greater processing power. They're expected to look for a replacement from AMD with which both companies have already been developing next-gen chips. Microsoft has already purchased AMD's MI300X AI accelerators.

Major tech companies are already concerned about over reliance on one company, NVIDIA, for their AI accelerator needs, even as they've ordered billions worth of GB200s from NVIDIA. If AMD sells more of its AI accelerators, that results in more money in Samsung's pocket, as it supplies fourth-generation HBM3 chips to AMD and is also on track to supply advanced HBM3E memory modules to the US-based chip designer.

Even if NVIDIA manages to get the Blackwell project back on track, Samsung stands to benefit from that as well, since it's been trying to win approval from NVIDIA to supply it with HBM3E memory as well. Whatever happens, Samsung's got itself in a good position to cash in on the AI boom.

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Things have been leaking ahead of Samsung's next Unpacked event on July 10. The company will be unveiling a whole host of devices at the event, including new wireless earbuds. It has been a while since the Galaxy Buds lineup received a major refresh and the company is set to deliver it alongside its new wearable devices and the new flagship phones.

While a design change was expected, it wasn't expected that Samsung would take a page out of Apple's playbook and be completely inspired by the AirPods. Apple's first wireless earbuds, the AirPods, were launched back in 2016. They had a distinct design element compared to other earbuds of that period, the AirPods had elongated stems with both form and function. The stems brought the microphones closer to the mouth and helped with call quality.

Meanwhile, Samsung came out with wireless earbuds under its Gear brand first with an in-ear design. It wasn't until March 2019 that Samsung really focused on its wireless earbuds when it rebranded the lineup to Galaxy Buds. It has released some decent models since then, but the upcoming iteration brings one of the biggest design upgrades yet for the lineup.

If you've been using Samsung earbuds since the early days, you'd remember very well that the call quality left a lot to be desired. The person on the other end of the phone call wouldn't be able to hear you all that well, and that just defeated one of the main reasons to buy wireless earbuds, which is to take calls hands-free. It become more frustrating as Samsung gradually ditched the 3.5mm port on its phones yet the call quality on its earbuds remained lacking.

Recent models, particularly the likes of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, have significantly improved the call quality. However, this new design change that Samsung is introducing is perhaps a tacit admission that Apple got it right the first time around. Leaked images of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro have revealed that they're going to have elongated stems as well, making them appear quite similar to the AirPods. In fact, they look more closer to the AirPods than they do to the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

Naturally, a lot of Samsung fans aren't too thrilled by the company copying Apple's design, but one can certainly hope that this would bring a major improvement in call quality. To play the devil's advocate for a bit, the stem design is associated with Apple largely because the AirPods are so popular, but you'll find countless brands, particularly in China, that have been using similar designs for just as long. Samsung won't find itself being sued over this design change, it's just that it looks odd to Samsung fans, and they'll probably be made fun of by their fans in the Apple camp most likely.

It's very easy to get caught up in the age old debate of Samsung copying Apple but there are some undeniable facts as well that highlight how Samsung has been ahead of Apple in realizing where the market was heading and helping lead it there. At a time when companies weren't to keen on the idea of smartphones with large displays, Samsung rightly understood customers' desire and forged the way for larger displays with the Galaxy Note series.

Samsung has already rightly understood customers' boredom with the conventional style of phones and has ushered in a new era of mobility with foldable phones. It was the first manufacturer to ship foldable phones at a global scale in 2020 and has remained the leader in the segment ever since, while Apple's still undecided on whether it wants to make a foldable iPhone.

Ultimately, what matters the most is providing customers with a better experience and making them feel that the money they've spent on a new device was well worth it. The audio quality on Samsung's earbuds has always been good. If call quality has been significantly improved with this design change, and perhaps more battery life can be squeezed out of it as well, then it doesn't really matter all that much. What matters most is that users will have a better product that provide them with more bang for their buck.

Expect Samsung to unveil the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro at the Unpacked event on July 10, 2024 in Paris, France. We'll be on the ground with the latest updates, so be sure to join our Telegram channel for the latest updates.

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As one of the leading companies in South Korea and the world, you can imagine why investors from across the globe like to purchase shares in Samsung Electronics. It provides them with an opportunity to share in the success, as this Samsung company is the conglomerate's cash cow, making everything from mobile devices to high-bandwidth memory.

However, recent business headwinds seem to have spooked invested based out of South Korea, who have now begun to dump shares of Samsung Electronics worth billions of dollars. This trend is expected to continue in the absence of buyers willing to pick up the stock at current prices.

Over $1.7 billion worth of Samsung Electronics stock sold this month

Foreign investors were the biggest buyers of Samsung Electronics stock between November 2023 and May 2024, scooping up $8.72 billion worth of shares. The average purchase price is estimated to be 75,942 won or $54.99. Samsung Electronics stock is down nearly 8% year-to-date, ending at 73,500 or $53.22 at end of business today.

The stock has traded below that average purchase price for a few weeks now. Foreigners have been closing their positions, selling 2.37 trillion won or $1.7 billion worth of Samsung Electronics shares since May 9. They dominated the selling side in today's trading session as well. With fewer buyers in the market at current prices, this may lead to a further decline in share price, prompting more foreign investors to close their positions.

There are a few factors behind the lagging share price. From concerns about Samsung falling behind SK Hynix in the high-bandwidth memory race to potentially failing NVIDIA's quality tests for HBM3E memory.

There's also the risk of the first-ever strike at Samsung Electronics by the National Samsung Electronics Union, with 90% of the union's members belonging to the semiconductor division. Since semiconductor manufacturing is a very lengthy and precise process, even the most minor disruptions could cause a snowball effect that leads to product issues.

It's the combination of this risk and the negative sentiment that's driving down Samsung's stock price, even as local and foreign analysts maintain a higher price target for the stock at 105,000 won or $76, since the fundamentals of Samsung Electronics' business are still rock solid.

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Chinese smartphone manufacturers have been trying to catch up to Samsung's lead in the foldable segment for a few years now. They've been able to close the gap but the progress still remains limited, largely due to the problems with market access that they face in North America, particularly the United States.

Those manufacturers are now taking the fight to Samsung in other lucrative markets where they don't have such issues. Vivo's already come out with its Galaxy Z Fold 6 rival, dubbed the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, and it appears the company will be assembling the device locally in India to enhance competitiveness.

Vivo wants to improve its competitive in India's foldable market

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro was first unveiled in China back in March this year. It features a 6.53-inch OLED cover display and an 8.03-inch internal foldable panel. It even has an IPX8 water resistance rating, matching one of the key selling points of the Galaxy Z Fold series.

You'll find Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset under the hood with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. It has a whole host of other top-notch features as well, making the device deserving of its ~$1,385 price tag, lower than the Galaxy Z Fold's $1,799 starting price.

Vivo has its sights set on the premium segment in India. The company is going to assemble the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro in India, using some local materials in the supply chain as well, to better compete against Samsung in the rapidly growing foldable smartphone segment. The devices will be assembled at Vivo's new 170-acre factory in Noida.

No word as yet on pricing but the mid-June launch window makes it clear that Vivo wants to get its product out in the market before Samsung releases the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which won't happen until the end of July at the very least, as the Unpacked event takes place on July 10.

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Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Book 4 Edge earlier this month. It's the company's first laptop that's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. As you'd expect, AI is front and center on this product, with the Galaxy Book 4 Edge boasting some Galaxy AI features.

The company has started taking pre-orders for the device in some markets already. The launch information was limited for its home market of South Korea, but Samsung has now provided clarity on the matter.

Samsung's first Snapdragon X Elite laptop coming next month

Samsung confirmed during a media day event for the product yesterday that it's going to launch the Galaxy Book 4 Edge in South Korea next month, June 18th, to be precise. Pricing starts at 2.15 million won or $1,563 for the 14-inch variant, with other models in larger sizes costing a bit more.

It's a pretty capable notebook, powered by the Snapdragon X Elite and a dedicated NPU for 45 TOPS of AI performance. An ARM64-optimized version of Windows 11 is onboard with the promise of exceptional battery life. The chipset is paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Other specs include a Dynamic AMOLED 2X touchscreen display with 3K resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 120% color gamut average.

A handful of AI features are also present on the device. This includes Circle to Search via Link to Windows, access to Windows Copilot with a dedicated key, a new Recall feature that lets users search for recently created emails, videos, or documents, Live Captions with translation, Windows Studio Effects during video calls, and more.

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Buying a used phone is always a gamble. It might work fine now but you never know what gremlins it must be hiding. When they do surface, you could be on the hook for expensive repairs, particularly if the devices are out of warranty.

If you're in the market for a used Samsung phone, it might be best to avoid the models that have the display green line issue. Samsung has been offering free display replacements in select markets but there's a time limit on that offer. If you get caught outside that window, you'll have to pay for the costly display replacement yourself.

We first heard about the display green line issue on some Samsung phones last year. Users reported seeing unusual green lines on their device's display. What was particularly confusing was the fact that these lines didn't appear because people dropped their phones or bumped something sharp on the display. The lines appeared after a software update.

The issue seems to plague Samsung devices that have Super AMOLED displays. There have even been similar reports about phones from other companies that use Samsung displays in their devices. It's unclear precisely what's causing the issue. Samsung hasn't shed much light on it, even though it has offered free display replacements.

Galaxy S20, S21, S22, and Note 20 series are most affected

The display green line issue affects the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S21, and Galaxy S22 series as well as the Galaxy Note 20 series. Any model from these lineups could develop the problem, but that's not to say it most certainly will. The affected units are still few and far between when you consider that Samsung has sold tens of millions of units across all of these product lines.

Nevertheless, if you're going to buy a used Samsung phone, it would be best to steer clear of these models if you don't want to deal with a potential problem with the display later on. Samsung's free one-time display replacement offer for out of warranty devices ends on April 30, 2024, anyway, so don't count on a free fix beyond that.

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Reports about green lines appearing on the display of some Samsung devices have been going around since last year. This is a big enough issue that the company has officially responded in some markets with the offer of providing a free one-time display replacement for out of warranty devices.

Samsung has been offering these display replacements for select models in India since last year, and the company has now expanded the list of supported models to include the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S22 series as well.

There's now a deadline to avail this replacement offer

This green line issue has primarily been reported on devices with Super AMOLED displays. Reports about the issue have reemerged over the past couple of weeks, highlighting the fact that even more devices suffer from it now, requiring Samsung to expand the free replacement offer to additional models.

Samsung India has been providing a free display replacement for affected devices since July last year. The eligible devices included the Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Note 20 series. The company has now expanded this list to include the Galaxy S21 series and the Galaxy S22 series.

Just like last year, all devices will also be offered a free battery and kit replacement, but it appears that there's now a deadline to avail this offer. Appointments must be booked at a Samsung Service Center until 30th April, 2024 to get a free replacement from the company.

Customers are effectively getting their entire device refurbished with this offer. Getting a new lease on life for a device like the Galaxy S22 that's still relatively modern and will have software support for some time as well is a deal too good to pass up.

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Meta is heavily invested in artificial intelligence and extended reality. As such, the company is in need of advanced chips, and there are only a handful of companies in the world that can produce these chips. TSMC is one of the leading producers which is why all tech companies flock to it, but Samsung's also carving a niche for itself in this market.

Since companies like to dual-source for supply chain diversification and reduction of procurement costs, Samsung becomes a valuable second option for those looking to reduce their reliance on one company for all of their chips. That's precisely the role Meta wants Samsung to play for it.

Samsung is a viable option for companies that need a TSMC alternative

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was recently on a visit to South Korea after over a decade. He met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and discussed a wide range of mutual interest topics. Zuckerberg highlighted Samsung's status as a major foundry company and that this was a key point of cooperation between the two companies.

The Meta CEO reportedly spoke about his company's increasing dependence on TSMC for chips, describing it as a “volatile” situation. A senior official from the presidential office told local reporters that Zuckerberg's remarks suggest Meta wants to diversify its risk during the current geopolitical climate and have Samsung produce some of its AI and XR chips as well.

The country's president highlighted the government's support for Samsung's investments in chip manufacturing, particularly the construction of the world's largest semiconductor cluster, near Seoul. It sends a signal to Meta that the country's administration stands behind its semiconductor industry, and that companies willing to reduce their reliance on TSMC will find a willing partner in not just Samsung but also the South Korean government.

Zuckerberg also met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong during his trip to Korea. While no official handout was provided, reports suggest that discussions between the two likely included the production of AI chips.

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The Galaxy Ring offers many of the same health and fitness tracking features as the Galaxy Watch. There are some additional sensors that provide tracking for other metrics not possible on the Watch, but it's quite likely that users feel that if they have one, they don't need the other.

Samsung obviously doesn't want to be in a situation where either product is cannibalizing the other's sales. It envisages a symbiotic relationship between the two products, whereby they work together very well to provide you with enhanced health tracking.

Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring will vibe well together

All of the health and fitness data generated by the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring will be fed into the cI hope Samsung brings Health app to Galaxy Book laptops next platform anyway. If you use both devices, you get the benefit of having access to the most accurate data from either device. Their data can also be combined to deliver more detailed results.

Samsung VP Hon Pak pointed out during a roundtable discussion on the Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024 that the company has seen during its tests that sleep stages can be more accurately identified when both devices are worn.

The Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch are independently good at what they're supposed to do, so there's no compulsion that you must wear and use both devices together. Even if you have one, you're going to get class-leading health and fitness tracking. If you have both, you'll get the best insights.

Ultimately, it's about choice. A Galaxy Ring users may prefer the passive nature of this device. It doesn't have a screen and doesn't require any active input from you. If you prefer a Galaxy Watch, it provides some of the best fitness tracking capabilities while also being a full-fledged smartwatch that lets you read messages, take phone calls, make mobile payments, and more.

You'll be able to get your hands on a Galaxy Ring later this year. Samsung hasn't confirmed as yet when it's officially going to be launched, but it's possible that we may hear more about it during July's Unpacked event.

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Samsung finally showed off the Galaxy Ring at the Mobile World Congress 2024 this week and as you'd expect, there's a lot of excitement for this device. Since this is a Samsung device, you can rest assured that it's going to work like magic with Galaxy phones, but what about those who prefer phones from a certain company named after a fruit?

It turns out that the Galaxy Ring will not have support for the iPhone. So if you want to use a smart ring with your iPhone, since Apple doesn't make one right now, you either opt for one that's not the Galaxy Ring or wait until Apple comes out with one.

Apple users have no choice but to switch and buy a Galaxy phone

Samsung VP Hon Pak revealed during the roundtable discussion for the Galaxy Ring at MWC that the company is working to add support for non-Galaxy Android devices. When asked about iOS support, he said “We recognize the iOS/Android challenge, and we ultimately hope that our devices are of such caliber that people will be willing to switch.”

Clearly, Samsung sees the smart ring as an opportunity to bring more Apple users over to its ecosystem. It wants to capitalize on the curiosity that will exist for the Galaxy Ring to get Apple users, at least those that aren't entirely locked inside its walled garden, to give Android and Samsung devices a try. That's happened to some extent with the company's foldable phones, so there's no harm in trying the same with the Ring as well.

It was also revealed during the session that the smallest size of the Galaxy Ring has a 14-mAh battery while the largest size has a 21.5mAh battery. The company has previously said that we can expect battery life of up to 9 days, but obviously that claim needs to be put to the test.

Samsung hasn't confirmed as yet precisely when the Galaxy Ring will be unveiled. We exclusively reported yesterday that Samsung's next Unpacked event will take place in July. There's a good chance that the Galaxy Ring's launch might happen then.

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Intel has made a return to the foundry business and the company is making significant investments to give incumbents like TSMC and Samsung a run for their money. Samsung's already been having a tough time dealing with TSMC's dominance of the contract chipmaking segment, it now has to keep looking over its shoulder because of Intel as well.

Samsung has been trying to speed up commercialization of highly advanced chipmaking processes in a bid to leap TSMC. The company previously confirmed that its 1.4nm fabrication process would be ready by 2027. Looks like it Intel might be ready by then to give Samsung some competition.

There won't be much smooth sailing for Samsung in the foundry business

Intel has announced that it will start making chips on the cutting-edge 1.4nm process in the coming years. The announcement was made at Intel's first foundry event where Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger announced Intel 14A for the first time, the company's name for its 1.4n process.

While Samsung and TSMC have both started making chips on the 3nm process, Intel is currently on 5nm, and it's racing to start 2nm production alongside both incumbents by 2025. The US-based chipmaker has a late start in the foundry injury but it's hoping that an increased focused on advanced processes will help it bridge the gap.

Samsung is looking to commercialize 1.4nm chips by 2027 while TSMC is also aiming for 2027-2028. Intel might be looking to get its chips out by the same time. TSMC currently accounts for almost 60% of the contract chipmaking market whlie Samsung is in a distant second place with 13% of the market.

Intel's already signing up big clients, Microsoft has become its first foundry customer by choosing Intel's 1.8nm process to manufacture chips. Intel's CEO has reiterated the company's goal to become the world's second largest foundry by 2030. This all but confirms that Intel is looking to overtake Samsung in the market, which might throw a spanner in Samsung's plans to expand its share.

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Whether an accidental spill or a drop in the swimming pool, we've all been there when our phones have likely suffered water damage. It's not a nice feeling, because nobody wants to lose their phone.

If you've ever frantically searched for advice on how to revive a wet phone online, you'll most definitely have come across the suggestion to leave the phone in a bowl of uncooked rice for a few hours. It doesn't take two brain cells to figure out that this is a stupid idea, and Apple's even gone as far as to advise iPhone users to not do that.

Rice is meant to be eaten, not for drying phones

Granted, this isn't as big of a problem as it once was. Most of our mid-range and high-end Samsung phones, even foldables, are water resistant and can handle even prolonged submersion very well. iPhones are water resistant as well, so exposure to water in normal circumstances won't faze the devices.

However, there may be prolonged instances of exposure which causes the liquid-detection alert to show up on the iPhone's screen. You'll definitely want to prevent the water from causing any damage to the phone. The general myth that a lot of people swear by is that dropping your phone in a bag of uncooked rice works because the rice draws out moisture, but that's been scientifically debunked many times.

Apple has updated its support documents to warn iPhone users from doing just that. “Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone,” the company advises, instead users should leave their device in a dry area with some airflow. That should generally do the trick. Or just buy a Samsung phone, they have much better water resistance.

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Oppo is one of the handful of companies making foldable phones. Like all of them, it aims to challenge Samsung's dominance of the foldable phone market. The company has launched a few models so far and the reactions have been mixed.

A recent rumor, a rather outlandish one at that, claimed that Oppo was giving up on foldable phones because it wasn't seeing a lot of demand for them. Vivo was also named in that rumor with a similar claim that it was no longer going to make foldables. Oppo has now gone on the record to deny the rumor, saying that it's committed to making foldable phones.

Oppo isn't exiting the foldable phone market

In a statement provided to GSMArena, a spokesperson for the company said: “Oppo's dedication to the continuous development of foldable smartphone technology remains unchanged.” The company has effectively rubbished these rumors and assured its fans that Oppo foldable phones aren't going anywhere.

Oppo is one of the few Chinese manufacturers that sell their phones outside the People's Republic. Huawei is one of the leading manufacturers of foldable phones in China but its troubles limit the sale of its devices largely to its home country. That's prevented Huawei from achieving a larger footprint for its foldable.

Nevertheless, these devices have yet to become serious challengers for Samsung's popular Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip lineups. These are the devices people immediately think of when you mention a foldable phone, so Samsung has clearly been able to win the attention of the market, so much so that foldables are now instantly associated with its brand.

Oppo hanging around and continuing to compete against Samsung is good for Samsung fans also. It will keep the company on its toes and provide it with the heat to keep pushing the envelope. Ultimately, it's the consumers that benefit from the improved products at competitive prices.

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Samsung and LG are both major Korean conglomerates that also compete against each other in various industries, such as component manufacturing, electronics, and home appliances. LG used to make phones back in the day as well but has since given up on that business.

Samsung Display and LG Display are the leading South Korean display makers. As you'd expect, they're tough competitors, but there's recently been an improvement in their relationship. This has likely come from a realization that China's relentless pursuit of OLED dominance is a threat to the Korean OLED industry.

China's OLED onslaught is concerning for the Koreans

Samsung recently confirmed that it would source OLED panels from LG Display. As many as 5 million panels may be sourced in the coming years, with the number expected to grow if there's consistent demand.

Since Samsung has also shut down its last LCD panel production facility in China, it's also sourcing LCD panels from LG. Reports suggest that LG is also looking to shut down its remaining LCD factory in China. It's no secret that Chinese display manufacturers have flooded the market with cheaper LCD panels and now have their sights firmly on the last bastion of Korean display technology superiority: OLED.

BOE, China's state-owned display manufacturer, is building a $9 billion OLED manufacturing plant that will produce OLED substrates on the latest 8.6-generation technology, putting it squarely against Samsung Display in the race to supply panels for Apple's upcoming OLED MacBooks and iPads.

Even though the quality of Korean OLED panels may be better, China's will be much cheaper, and it will aggressively price them to gain market share, even if it loses money in the process. It will effectively force competitors to exit the market due to loss pressures, like it has already done in the LCD segment. China is poised to overtake Korea in the OLED market if the likes of Samsung and LG Display don't take steps to hold on to their dominance.

Industry watchers feel that both Samsung and LG need each other to counter the onslaught from China's in the lucrative OLED business. The Chinese manufacturers will not stop until they achieve their goal, so it's up to these Korean conglomerates to compete more effectively and retain their leading position.

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