For every few great new features and changes in One UI 6.1, there's one that makes me wonder what Samsung was thinking. Don't get me wrong, I love the Galaxy S24+ and One UI 6.1 so far, but some aspects go against my idea of improvement.

As I pointed out before, one such issue has to do with the Notification Categories feature, which One UI 6.1 hides behind a new and arguably useless menu that only serves to make this incredibly useful and streamlined tool unnecessarily obscure. Especially for new users who may not know this feature ever existed.

But, anyway, here's another change in One UI 6.1 that I simply don't understand and bugs me. It's in a similar vein as Notification Categories, i.e., a primary feature that used to be highly accessible and is now inexplicably hidden behind extra menus.

Voice Recorder took steps backward with the Galaxy S24 series

The Voice Recorder app in One UI 6.0 and earlier versions lets users pick between the Standard and Interview recording modes straight from the home screen. In my mind, it makes perfect sense to have these two main modes at the forefront of the Voice Recorder UI. It's sensible to let users choose the best recording mode for each situation with ease.

Here's what the Voice Recorder app's home screen looks like in One UI 6.0, with easy-to-reach “Standard” and “Interview” selection buttons.

Voice Recorder modes in One UI 6.0

Now, moving on to One UI 6.1. True enough, the Voice Recorder app gained very useful new Galaxy AI features like summarize, transcribe, and translate — at least for the Standard recording mode. But for whatever reason, the update also hid the Standard and Interview recording options deep into the app's settings menu. These modes are now four taps away instead of just one.

Voice Recorder modes in One UI 6.1

Needless to say, if you want to record audio with your Galaxy S24, you better go through the app's settings menu and make sure you have the right option selected for the occasion every time you want to start a recording. It's convoluted for no reason, and I'm adamant that the old UI design was superior.

Perhaps Samsung moved the two recording modes to a new menu to ensure that people read the detailed information about each one and understand the Interview mode's AI limitations. Even so, the execution is far from ideal. If you ask me, a new “Recording Mode” shortcut button on the app's home screen would have been much better than hiding this new mode menu deep into the settings screen.

With the next big update, I'm hoping Samsung will address some of these odd UI shortcomings that cropped up on the Galaxy S24 series. I do love the Galaxy S24+, but sometimes, it feels like One UI 6.1 took a few steps back, and it's hard to understand Samsung's decision-making process.

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Samsung announced its Discover Spring Sale 2024 event last week. Officially, the event starts this Monday and ends Sunday, March 10. However, we have some good news for Samsung fans who might want to start doing discount shopping this weekend. The Early Access Discover Spring Sale event is already underway until March 3.

These exclusive Early Access deals are available when you use the links below. You can save on watches, tablets, smartphones, and monitors. Here's all you need to know:

• Save up to $70 on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.
• Save up to $120 on the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
• Get up to $1,000 enhanced trade-in credit on the Galaxy S24 Ultra or S24+, in addition to $100 extra credit. Available for AT&T and T-Mobile variants.
• Save up to $600 on the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 curved gaming monitor.

As usual, the deals work whether you buy these devices outright or through a monthly installment plan via Samsung Financing. Do keep in mind that these exclusive deals are available only throughout the weekend, and make sure you use the links above.

In case you miss out on these exclusive discounts, fret not. Samsung will launch new ones for other products throughout the week. We will highlight the best deals every day, so stay tuned.

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Samsung could soon announce its new Galaxy A phones, the Galaxy A35 and the Galaxy A55. The leaks show that Samsung is trying to bring more high-end bits to its mid-range phones. The Galaxy A55 is expected to get a metal frame, the first for any Galaxy A series phone. But the Galaxy M55 could be the Galaxy A55 we actually deserve.

Galaxy M55 has Snapdragon 7 Gen 1

Some of the Galaxy M55 specifications have leaked over the past few months. It features the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, a relatively new chip made using Samsung Foundry's 4nm process.

It has four high-performance Cortex-A710 CPU cores and four power-efficient Cortex-A510 CPU cores. Its Adreno 644 GPU has proven to be around 20% faster than the one inside the Snapdragon 778G that Galaxy fans loved from the Galaxy A52s. It is also similarly faster than the Mali-G68 MP5 GPU inside Galaxy A54's Exynos 1380 processor.

The Galaxy M55 is expected to feature 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. From the looks of it, the upcoming mid-range phone should be powerful enough to handle most tasks, including gaming, proficiently.

People also love the efficiency of Snapdragon 5G modems, as they offer excellent sleep times. And when you pair that with the 6,000mAh battery and 45W fast charging that the Galaxy M55 is rumored to feature, it should result in extremely good battery life.

Galaxy M55 looks like a recipe for mid-range success

It has the potential to be a great mid-range smartphone, featuring a big 120Hz OLED screen, a capable Snapdragon higher mid-range processor, a triple-camera setup, possibly four Android OS updates, a gigantic battery, and 45W fast charging. Since the Galaxy M54 has 4K video recording on front and rear cameras, it is highly likely for the Galaxy M55 to have it too.

Usually, Galaxy M series phones forgo things like an IP rating and a premium design for a bigger battery and a lower price tag. If that holds true for the Galaxy M55 as well, it could please many consumers looking to buy good overall mid-range smartphones. I hope Samsung continues equipping the Galaxy M55 with OIS for its primary rear camera.

Editor's Note: Galaxy M55 will likely be launched only in a few emerging markets in Asia and Latin America, like Brazil and India. Going by Samsung's track record, the Galaxy M55 will likely be priced lower than the Galaxy A55. With a powerful processor, a big 120Hz OLED screen, a triple-camera setup, and a big battery, the Galaxy M55 will be really attractive to many potential buyers.

The only features that I now want Samsung to bring to the Galaxy M series are an IP67 rating and a higher-resolution ultrawide camera. According to my opinion, those two features matter more to people than a metal frame or an under-display fingerprint reader.

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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 S24 series is chock-full of Galaxy AI features, some of which have not even been advertised. Nevertheless, these clever Advanced Intelligence technologies from Samsung exist and can open up new and interesting possibilities if you know where to find them.

Here's one you might not be aware of. Samsung added a new AI-powered Gallery feature that can turn any Motion Photos captured with the Galaxy S24 into long-exposure photos. Here's all you need to know.

Motion Photos can now be long-exposure photos

When the Motion Photo option is turned on in the Camera viewfinder, your Galaxy S24 captures a short video alongside your photo. And now, with the power of AI, these short videos, a.k.a. Motion Photos, can be turned into long-exposure photos via the Gallery app.

Below is our short TikTok video demonstrating how you can take advantage of this AI tool on your Galaxy S24. Make sure you check it out and stay tuned for more tips and tricks.

@sammobileofficial

Galaxy S24 Long Exposure HACK! #galaxys24 #samsungtips #samsungmobile #samsunggalaxy #galaxyai #fyp #foryoupage

♬ original sound – SamMobile Official

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Samsung already has the second software update for the Galaxy S24 lineup ready to go in some parts of the world, two weeks after the first one was released. The second update is all about security fixes: the only thing it is bringing to the Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra is the March 2024 security patch.

Technically, the second Galaxy S24 update came out a few days back, but it was limited to South Korea and was bundled with the February 2024 security patch. The update that started rolling out today, on the other hand, is available in many more markets.

Galaxy S24's second update is all about security enhancements

Europe appears to be the first region where the latest Galaxy S24 update–featuring a firmware version with AXBG as its last four characters–has been released, but here's hoping it doesn't take long to go live in other regions. And if you haven't yet received even the first update, you may directly get the second one, though this is just speculation for now.

To check for the update on your Galaxy S24 series smartphone, open the Settings app, navigate to Software update, and tap Download and install. Once the new firmware is available in our database, you can download it and flash it manually on your phone using a Windows PC.

As mentioned earlier, this update is exclusively about enhancing the device's security. That shouldn't be surprising considering it comes so soon after the previous update, which brought notable display and camera improvements and didn't begin rolling out in earnest until just a week ago.

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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.

The post How the Galaxy Ring and Watch will bring out the best in each other appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung's Galaxy Book laptops and Galaxy mobile devices are getting better integrated every year. Features like Second Screen work great across One UI for tablets and Windows OS on Galaxy Books. And recently, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro earbuds received a firmware update that enabled Auto Switch for the new Galaxy Book 4 series.

Meanwhile, Samsung is now making big moves to become a better health and fitness-oriented mobile device brand, and to this end, the company will release its first smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, later this year.

This new wearable has health and fitness tracking capabilities like a Galaxy Watch and even enables additional sleep-tracking features that are not yet available to Galaxy Watch users, i.e., respiratory rate tracking, heart, night movement, and sleep latency tracking.

With such a powerful push into the health and fitness market and cross-device features becoming more prevalent, I think it might be time for Samsung to expand the Health platform to include Galaxy Books laptops.

Samsung Health for laptops would even outsmart Apple

It took a long while for Samsung to bring its Health app to tablets, but it happened with the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Now, Samsung is expanding its wearable lineup with new Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Ring devices. And as Galaxy Book laptops are seemingly becoming more interconnected with mobile devices, it makes sense, in my mind, for the Health platform to expand its reach even further.

The Galaxy Ring should be a no-nonsense fitness and health tracker for all. It has the opportunity to become ubiquitous among health and fitness enthusiasts, as it works seamlessly in the background and doesn't have unnecessary gimmicks or distractions. And I think it would only be fitting for Galaxy Ring users to have the option to check their health and fitness data through their Galaxy Book laptops.

In doing so, Samsung would prove that the Galaxy Ring and its Health platform are designed for every type of user. It seems fitting for Samsung, an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, to overcome platform-specific limitations.

This move could even attract customers from Apple's camp. The Cupertino giant's Health app doesn't work on MacBooks, possibly to lure customers into buying iPhones and iPads. Samsung could, and should, in my opinion, show Apple how it's done.

Editor's Note: The mobile Samsung Health app can be accessed on the Galaxy Book series through the Phone Link software. However, it's not a native solution for Windows OS. It's more like mirroring your mobile Health app to your laptop. Nevertheless, you can technically access Samsung Health on a Galaxy Book via Phone Link if you connect your Galaxy laptop and phone. That's better than nothing, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

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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.

The post No, iPhone users, the Galaxy Ring won’t work with your phone appeared first on SamMobile.

This might be your last chance to buy the Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen. gaming screen from Samsung at a significant price cut. The company offers a $1,000 discount on this 55-inch monitor and says the promotional period ends on March 3.

The Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen. costs $2,999 outright or $125.01 a month when purchased through a 24-month Samsung Financing agreement. However, if you take advantage of this deal, you can buy the giant 55-inch screen for $1,999 outright or $83.34 a month.

Samsung's Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen. is an impressive 55-inch Quantum Mini-LED curved gaming monitor with a 4K resolution, a gray-to-gray response time of 165Hz, and FreeSync Premium Pro.

The panel has a 1000R curve, which looks spectacular, and just as spectacular is the versatile stand that allows this giant 55-inch gaming screen to rotate to 90 degrees in Cockpit Mode.

We had the chance to check out the original Odyssey Ark a couple of years ago, and you can view our video below for a general idea of what to expect. The 2nd generation model was announced in October 2023. It brings four-way Multi-View connectivity and replaces one HDMI 2.1 port with a DisplayPort.

Story continues after the video

This monitor also has a built-in KVM switch, allowing you to switch between different sources and control them using a single mouse and keyboard set. And the Ark Dial controller offers quick access to Multi-View, Game Bar, Flex Move Screen options, as well as Gaming Hub, TV Plus, and other smart TV apps.

This 55-inch screen boasts HDR10+ and can reach 600 nits of peak brightness with full-array local dimming. The monitor also embeds a 60W audio setup with Dolby Atmos support.

If you don't want to miss out on a $1,000 discount, make sure you hit the Buy button below and take advantage of this limited-time offer before March 3. You never know when Samsung might bring back a deal for the Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen. that is as good as this one.

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