Last month, Xiaomi launched its first smartphone with a clamshell form factor and a foldable display, the Mix Flip, a direct competitor to the Galaxy Z Flip 6. After debuting the phone in China, the company confirmed that it would launch the phone in Europe with a price tag between EUR 1,300 and EUR 1,400. However, there was no information about when it would launch the phone there and exactly how much it would cost in the region. Well, now we have some information on the matter that could be troubling for Samsung.

On X/Twitter, @Sudhanshu1414 claims that Mix Flip is already available to purchase in Europe from a few retailers and costs EUR 1,299 in the region for 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant, which is the only memory configuration the company is offering there.

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In comparison, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 costs EUR 1,319 for the same memory configuration in Europe. So, the one from Xiaomi is undercutting the one from Samsung by EUR 20. Although that’s minimal, the Mix Flip is now technically more affordable than the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Will that hamper the sales of Samsung’s latest clamshell smartphone? Well, we don’t think so. That’s because of two reasons. First, while the Mix Flip has excellent specifications, it is still not as durable or polished as the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Second, since it is the company’s first such device, people could avoid buying it in favor of the one from Samsung. That being said, Samsung could lose a few sales of its latest foldable clamshell phone in Europe due to the launch of the Mix Flip. It would be interesting to see which phone most people go with.

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Qualcomm has launched a new chipset today, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. It comes as a successor to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 and sits below the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3. Before we discuss what it offers, the company has interestingly revealed that Samsung is already developing a device with this SoC.

In the past, we have seen Samsung use Snapdragon 7 series chipsets in F and M series smartphones, such as the Galaxy F55. So, the company may offer it in the next phones in those lineups, which would be the Galaxy F56 and the Galaxy M56.

However, that’s just speculation. The brand could also offer it in an A-series device. That being said, the chances of that happening are quite low as we already have a rumor of Samsung powering the Galaxy A56 with its upcoming Exynos 1580 SoC.

Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 features

Coming to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, it is made on a 4nm fabrication process and features one Prime core clocked at up to 2.5GHz, three performance cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz, and four efficiency cores clocked at up to 1.8GHz.

Qualcomm hasn’t provided any details about the GPU. According to the company, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 offers 20% faster CPU performance, 40% faster GPU performance, 30% better AI performance, and 12% lower power consumption compared to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.

The new chipset can drive a display with FHD+ resolution at up to 144Hz. It supports up to 16GB RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The ISP can handle 200MP photos and 4K HDR videos. Connectivity options include 5G mmWave and Sub-6GHz, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Lossless Audio, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDoU, Galileo, QZSS, and NavIC.

Samsung won't be the only brand using this SoC. Qualcomm says that Realme, Sharp, and Xiaomi will also launch devices with the new chipset.

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Last month, Samsung launched the company’s current flagship smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It hasn’t even been a month since then, and now, the brand has released the first software update to the wearable. It brings improvements related to the stability of the device and its battery. Let’s check it out.

Currently, Samsung is rolling out the software update to the variant of the Galaxy Watch Ultra that it sells in the US, which has the model number SM-L705U. The new update carries firmware version L705USQU1AXG2 and has a size of 175.81MB. According to Samsung, it brings three improvements. Here they are in the company’s own words:

1. Battery charging stability has been improved
2. Battery stability has been improved
3. Overall device stability has been improved

Samsung is rolling out a software update to the Galaxy Watch 7 that offers the same improvements as this update for the Galaxy Watch Ultra. You can learn more about it here.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 already have excellent battery life and super-fast performance. With these software updates, they should perform even better. If you're still on the fence about the Watch Ultra, check out our full review to find out if the watch is worth your hard-earned money.

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It is an open secret that Samsung is developing the Galaxy S24 FE, thanks to all the leaks we have had about it. However, none of those leaks came directly from the company, which means that we didn’t have a confirmation directly from the brand that the phone exists. Well, that’s changing today, as Samsung has listed the Galaxy S24 FE on its official website.

We have spotted a support page for SM-S721B, which is the international variant of the Galaxy S24 FE, on Samsung’s official website for France, as you can see in the screenshot below.

So, the South Korean tech giant has now given us a confirmation that the Galaxy S24 FE exists. Considering that the company has made the support page of the phone live, it looks like the launch of the phone is imminent. Unfortunately, the support page doesn’t reveal anything else. That being said, previous leaks have given us a pretty good idea about the device.

Galaxy S24 FE leaked specifications

According to previous leaks, the Galaxy S24 FE will have the Exynos 2400 SoC, the same chipset that’s in the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+. Samsung will ship the phone with Android 14 (most likely with One UI 6.1.1). One of the memory configurations on offer will have 8GB RAM. On the imaging front, the device’s primary rear camera will feature the ISOCELL HP3 50MP sensor.

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Compared to the Galaxy S23 FE from last year, the upcoming Fan Edition phone will have thinner bezels, a larger screen, and a slimmer waistline. The company will launch the phone in four colors: Gray, Light Blue, Light Green, and Yellow. Hopefully, we will get to know more about the phone as its launch nears. Follow us on Telegram or WhatsApp to get more such news.

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Samsung rolled out the July 2024 security update to the Galaxy Note 20 5G last month. In fact, it was one of the first devices to which the company released the security update. However, back then, the brand made it available only for the carrier-unlocked variant of the phone. Now, almost twenty days later, the tech giant is rolling out the July 2024 security update to the international variant of the phone (SM-N981B).

At the moment, Samsung is rolling out the July 2024 security update to the Galaxy Note 20 5G in many countries across Asia and Europe as well as in Australia and the UK. The new firmware carries version N981BXXSCHXG1. The latest security update fixes 58 security issues. To get it, head to Settings » Software update » Download and install. You can also download the new firmware from our database and install it using Odin.

The story continues after the video…

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 20 5G in August 2020 with Android 10 (One UI 2.X). After offering Android 13 (One UI 5.X), the company stopped releasing major software updates to the device. If you want to experience the features that Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 or the upcoming One UI 7.0 offer, you will have to get a newer device. If you are looking for one with S-Pen, you should consider the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

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Update: As pointed out by our readers, Samsung offers a toggle for turning off the 2G network in some countries. You can check it out in the screenshot below. However, this feature isn't available in most regions.

The original story follows…

Google has just published an article on the Google Security Blog. It highlights the lack of a feature in Samsung’s smartphones and tablets that could expose people to privacy and security attacks leading them to fall for fraud and scams.

Criminals can use unsafe 2G network to attack Android devices

In the blog post, Google explains that fraudsters or scamsters can use cell-site simulators, also known as False Base Stations (FBS) or Stingrays, which are radio devices, to create their own 4G and 5G networks. They can then customize those to make them appear as networks provided by well-established carriers.

At this point, mobile phones nearby might start connecting to these fake networks as they might not be able to differentiate between a fake and a real one. Once that happens, criminals force these devices to connect to a 2G network created by them.

Now, the 2G network lacks many crucial security measures that 4G and 5G networks offer. Leveraging the lack of those security features, criminals can send an SMS containing spam to those devices, which could lead their owners to fall for frauds and scams, as well as surveil them and intercept their communications.

Google says turning off 2G network protects you from those attacks

To safeguard from these privacy and security attacks, Google asks people to turn off the 2G network on their Android devices. According to the company, Android has been offering people the option to turn off the 2G network since Android 12.

Unfortunately, Samsung’s phones and tablets don’t offer an option to turn off just 2G network and keep other networks (3G, 4G, and 5G) working, even though Android has been offering it for more than two years. Samsung's devices provide only the network modes that you see in the screenshot below.

This exposes Galaxy phone and tablet owners to scams and fraud through the attacks mentioned above. We hope that Samsung is taking note of this and offers a software update to all Galaxy devices that adds the ability to turn off just the 2G network.

Additional screenshot: Angel Castro Lagunes 

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One of the biggest developments in OLED displays in the last couple of years is the tandem OLED technology, which uses two layers of OLED panels to offer higher brightness and increased longevity. Honor’s Magic 6 Ultimate was the first mass-market device to offer an OLED display with this technology. However, tandem OLED was popularised by the recently launched iPad Pro, the first tablet to use a screen with this tech.

Currently, three companies are mass producing OLED displays with the tandem OLED tech, BOE, LG Display, and Samsung Display. While BOE is making this type of screen for phones, LG Display and Samsung Display are making it for tablets, namely, the iPad Pro. Well, LG Display has now started mass manufacturing OLED displays with the tandem OLED technology for laptops as well, leaving BOE and Samsung Display behind.

LG starts mass manufacturing tandem OLED displays for laptops

LG Display has announced that it has started the mass production of OLED displays with tandem OLED technology for laptops. According to the company, the first tandem OLED panel for laptops that it is mass producing is a 13-inch unit with 2,880 x 1,800 pixels resolution, touch functionality, and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

LG says that it offers three times higher brightness and two times better durability than conventional single-layer OLED displays for laptops while consuming a 40% lower amount of power and being 40% thinner and 28% lighter than typical OLED screens for laptops today. Those are very impressive figures and something to look forward to.

Next Dell XPS 13 will be the first laptop with LG's tandem OLED panel

According to LG Display, Dell’s next XPS 13 model will be the first laptop to use LG’s tandem OLED panel and should be the first laptop in the world to feature a tandem OLED screen. However, the display in Dell's upcoming XPS 13 laptop will have a higher resolution than the panel that LG Display has started mass manufacturing. LG Display will supply around 100,000 units of tandem OLED panels to Dell in the initial stage.

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With the latest development, LG Display is leaving Samsung Display behind in the tandem OLED market. However, Samsung Display has the upper hand in the OLED market for monitors, as the majority of (gaming) monitors with OLED displays nowadays use Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panels. Samsung is also giving a tough fight to LG when it comes to OLED TVs with the company’s QD-OLED TVs, such as the S95D.

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Samsung’s air conditioners (ACs) are one of the best in the market, especially the WindFree models, owing to their great build quality, a long list of features, high cooling power, and high power efficiency. As such, they sell in high numbers. However, the sales of Samsung’s ACs have reached new heights in its home country this summer.

Samsung has announced that it sold an average of 10,000 air conditioner units every day last week in South Korea (from 17 April 2024 to 21 April 2024). According to the company, it sold seven units per minute in those five days.  That’s a very impressive number.

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Among all the ACs sold in the 5 days, 80% were WindFree units. The company also says that the sales of the WindFree series have increased by 25% this May and June compared to the same period last year. That isn’t surprising considering what these ACs offer.

The standout feature of Samsung’s WindFree ACs is that they have thousands of holes on the indoor unit’s front panel for dispersing air. Dispersing air through these holes is more gentle compared to dispersing air from the air flaps. Other features include Wi-Fi support for controlling the AC using your smartphone or tablet and a 4-way swing.

The post Samsung air conditioner sales reach new heights this summer appeared first on SamMobile.

The Galaxy A54 is costlier and more advanced than the Galaxy A53. As such, the former should get software updates before the latter. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case with the June 2024 security patch. Samsung pushed the latest security update to the Galaxy A53 first, and now, the company is rolling it out to the Galaxy A54.

At the moment, Samsung is rolling out the June 2024 security patch to the carrier-locked variant of the Galaxy A54 for the United States, which has the model number SM-A546U. The new software update changes the phone’s firmware version to A546USQS7CXF3.

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There are two ways you can get the June 2024 security patch on your Galaxy A54. The first way is to get it by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install and the second way is to download the new firmware from our database and install it manually.

The June 2024 security patch fixes 59 security issues. You can read all about the latest security update here. Samsung will roll out the next major update to the Galaxy A54 later this year, which will bring Android 15-based One UI 7.0. Follow our channel on Telegram or WhatsApp to get the latest updates about everything that’s related to Samsung.

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Samsung has started rolling out a new software update to the carrier-unlocked variant of the Galaxy A53 5G for the United States (SM-A536U1). It brings the June 2024 security patch to the smartphone, which fixes 59 security issues.

The latest software update carries the firmware version A536U1UES9EXF2. Apart from the June 2024 security patch, the new firmware doesn’t bring any change. You can get it by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install. The new firmware is also live in our database for you to download and install manually.

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For your information, Samsung has already rolled out the June 2024 security patch to the international, European, and carrier-locked variants of the Galaxy A53 5G, which carry model numbers SM-A536E, SM-A536B, and SM-A536U. The next major update for the phone will arrive later this year with Android 15-based One UI 7.0.

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Usually, people blame Samsung’s mid-range smartphones for costing too much for what they offer. However, there have been a few mid-range phones from the brand that offered an excellent set of features for their price. The Galaxy A52 is one of them, and because of that many people bought it. However. We didn’t know that the Galaxy A52 was so magnetic that even CEOs of big companies bought it.

The CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has revealed that he has been using the Galaxy A52 for the last two years. According to him, he chose this smartphone because it is “one of the most widely used phones among Telegram users” and he “wanted to understand their experience to serve them better.” So far, so good. However, what he revealed after that is very concerning for Samsung and Galaxy A52 users.

In the post, Pavel revealed that the back panel of his Galaxy A52 got separated from the phone due to Dubai’s heat, as you can see in the image above. His exact words were “My phone got “unlocked” by the Dubai heat.” Dubai is indeed very hot. However, the build quality of a smartphone should be good enough that it doesn’t pop open in such heat. Sadly, the Galaxy A52 doesn’t couldn't take that torture.

With that, the CEO of Telegram says that he will now have to upgrade to a new smartphone. It would be interesting to see which phone he goes for this time around. We would be surprised if he goes for a Samsung smartphone once again.

The post from Pavel suggests that the Galaxy A52 was one of the highest-sold smartphones as it was one of the most widely used phones among Telegram users. However, it also reveals that the Galaxy A52 isn't as well built as many of us thought.

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Usually, Samsung rolls out a new software update to all the devices in a series together. However, that was not the case with the last software update to the Galaxy Tab A9 series. Last week, the company released One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy Tab A9 but not the Galaxy Tab A9+. Well, the tech giant is now rolling out One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy Tab A9+ as well.

One UI 6.1 brings many new features to the Galaxy Tab A9+. You can check out all the features it offers in our article dedicated to the topic or in our video below. To give you a quick rundown, it brings additional options to customize the user interface, including wallpapers, edit images and videos in the Gallery app, share files with Galaxy phones and tablets and other Android devices, protect your data in the tablet and the device’s battery, check the weather, multitask, and type.

Currently, Samsung is rolling out One UI 6.1 to the international variant of the Galaxy Tab A9+, which carries the model number SM-X216B, in many regions around the globe, including Europe and India. The new software update has firmware version X216BXXU2CXF1. Along with the new software, the update also brings the May 2024 security patch to the Galaxy Tab A9+. It fixes 45 security issues. To get the update, go to Settings » Software update » Download and install.

The post Galaxy Tab A9+ finally gets One UI 6.1 update appeared first on SamMobile.

Last week, Samsung released One UI 6.1 to many smartphones. The Galaxy A23 5G was one of those devices. However, back then, the company rolled out the new software only for the Verizon-exclusive variant of the smartphone in the United States. Now, Samsung has released One UI 6.1 to the international variant of the Galaxy A23 5G in India.

The software update that brings One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy A23 5G in India changes the firmware version of the phone to A236EXXU5EXDA. It also brings the April 2024 security patch to the smartphone, which fixes many security issues. To get the latest software update, go to Settings » Software update » Download and install. You can also download it from our database and install it manually using Odin.

One UI 6.1 brings many new features to the Galaxy A23 5G. A few noteworthy ones include new options to customize UI, edit images and videos, and protect your data in the phone and the device’s battery. Unfortunately, the new software doesn’t bring Galaxy AI to the Galaxy A23 5G. You can check out our video above to learn more about One UI 6.1.

The post Galaxy A23 5G gets One UI 6.1 update in India appeared first on SamMobile.

At CES 2024, Samsung unveiled the company’s entire lineup of televisions for 2024. It included the 2024 OLED, Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, QLED, The Frame, and Crystal 4K series. Since then, the brand has been rapidly launching these series in various countries around the globe.

As for India, Samsung launched the 2024 Crystal 4K series in the country on 12 April, the 2024 OLED and Neo QLED series in the region on 17 April, and the 2024 The Frame series in the Indian market on 19 April. Today, the South Korean tech giant has launched the 2024 QLED 4K series in India.

Samsung’s 2024 QLED 4K series models for India

In the press release about the latest announcement, Samsung didn’t mention which models the 2024 QLED 4K series in India offers. However, after going through the company’s official website and various online shopping websites, we learned that Samsung’s 2024 QLED 4K series in India has three models: QE1D, Q60D, and Q70D, which come as successors to 2023’s QE1C, Q60C, and Q70C series. Internationally, the series also offers Q75D and Q80D.

From what we could gather, in India, Samsung has launched the QE1D in three sizes, 55-inch and 65-inch, and 75-inch, Q60D in six sizes, 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch, and the Q70D in two sizes, 55-inch and 65-inch. The South Korean tech giant has listed some of these models and their prices on its official website for the country and some on Amazon India. We noted down the prices and listed them below for you.

• QE1D 55-inch – INR 65,990
• QE1D 65-inch – INR 115,990
• Q60D 43-inch – INR 55,990
• Q60D 50-inch – INR 63,990
• Q60D 55-inch – INR 74,990
• Q60D 65-inch – INR 117,990
• Q60D 75-inch – INR 204,990
• Q60D 85-inch – INR 449,990
• Q70D 55-inch – INR 79,990
• Q70D 55-inch – INR 125,990

What improvements do Samsung’s 2024 QLED 4K series TVs offer over 2023 models?

So far, Samsung has not revealed what exact improvements do the QE1D, Q60D, and Q70D offer over QE1C, Q60C, and Q70C. However, from what we could gather, the only difference you’ll see between 2023 QLED 4K and 2024 QLED 4K TVs is in the operating system. The new models have an updated version of Tizen OS which offers additional features, including a Daily+ section that gives you access to SmartThings, Samsung Health, and much more.

Depending upon the model, Samsung’s 2024 QLED 4K series TVs have a VA panel with 4K resolution and quantum-dot (QD) layer, 60Hz refresh rate, and support for HDR. Samsung says that these TVs feature Dual LED and Motion Xcelerator, and come with Pantone Validation. You can check out our video above to learn more about Samsung’s 2024 lineup of televisions. On a related note, Samsung also launched 2024 lineup of monitors in India recently.

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So far, Google Wallet for Wear OS has allowed you to make payments using credit or debit cards. Well, Google is now adding a new payment option to its digital wallet app for wearables.

Google has announced that Google Wallet for Wear OS now supports PayPal. Currently, the feature is live only in the United States and Germany. Expect the company to extend the support for PayPal in Google Wallet for Wear OS to other regions over the next few months. That means you can now pay using PayPal through Google Wallet on your Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Watch 6 series models.

How to add PayPal as a payment method in Google Wallet on Galaxy Watch?

To add PayPal as a payment method in Google Wallet on your Galaxy Watch, open the Google Wallet app on your wearable. If you have not added any payment method to the app yet, it will show you the plus icon. If you have added a payment method, scroll down, and you should be able to see the plus icon. Tap on this icon.

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Your watch will then ask you to continue the setup on your phone. Once your phone brings up Google Wallet, tap on Add to watch, click on Payment card, and select PayPal. From there, follow the directions that the app shows. Once you complete the setup, you should be able to see PayPal as a payment option in Google Wallet on your Galaxy Watch.

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Samsung started rolling out the May 2024 security patch to Galaxy phones and tablets in the second week of this month. So far, the company has released the latest security update to many devices. Unfortunately, we have reached the last day of the month and there’s a long list of devices to which the brand hasn’t released this month’s security update.

Well, the Galaxy M15 won’t be on that list as Samsung is rolling out the May 2024 security patch to the phone in India right before we bid goodbye to the month. The new software update changes the phone’s firmware version to M156BXXS2AXE5 and fixes 45 security issues. To get the update, go to Settings » Software update » Download and install.

Samsung launched the Galaxy M15 with Android 14-based One UI 6.0, and the device is eligible to get One UI 6.1. The new software packs many new features. You can check them out in the video above or learn more about them in this article. Expect Samsung to roll out One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy M15 in the next couple of weeks, or at worst, a couple of months.

The post Samsung releases May 2024 security update to Galaxy M15 in India appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung has put the Galaxy A12 on a biannual security update schedule, which means that it offers two security updates to the smartphone every year. Now, the company is rolling out the first of the two software updates to the Galaxy A12 for this year. It brings the May 2024 security patch to the phone, which fixes 45 security issues.

So far, Samsung has made the May 2024 security patch only for the carrier-locked variant of the Galaxy A12 for the United States. However, we are sure that Samsung will expand the new software update to other variants of the smartphone and in other regions very soon. The new firmware has version A125USQS8CXE6.

The story continues after the video…

If you live in the United States but your carrier-locked Galaxy A12 hasn’t notified you about the new software update, you will have to check for it manually. You can do that by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install. The new firmware is also available in our database for you to download and install manually.

It is worth mentioning that Samsung will offer security updates to the Galaxy A12 for only one more year (till the end of 2025). After that, your smartphone will be more prone to security attacks and at that point, it is a good idea to get a new phone. If you are looking for an affordable one, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy A35.

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Samsung is rolling out a new software update to the cellular variant of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022), which carries the model number SM-P619, in Europe. It brings the May 2024 security patch, which fixes 45 security issues, as well as improves the tablet’s support for LTE TDD bands.

The latest update changes the tablet’s firmware version to P619XXU6CXE2. Apart from mentioning that the update brings the May 2024 security patch, the changelog says “Regional LTE TDD band support has been updated.” The company has been rolling out updates to various devices in the region with the same changelog for the last few weeks.

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To get the latest update, go to Settings » Software update » Download and install. Samsung could be rolling out the update in phases. So, a few users might get it before others. The company should also start rolling out One UI 6.1 to the tablet in the next few weeks/months.

The post May 2024 security update reaches Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) appeared first on SamMobile.

Back in February, Google upgraded Android’s Photo Picker with the ability to display photos and videos that are stored locally as well as in cloud backups apps, such as Google Photos, on the same screen. A month later, the company made the feature available on Samsung’s devices as well.

Unfortunately, this new feature in Android’s Photo Picker lacks a very basic and needful option, and that is the ability to search for photos. Due to that, you have to manually go through all the photos to find the one you are looking for, which could take a lot of time. Well, that's going to change soon.

The story continues after the video…

On the second day of Google I/O 2024, Google revealed that it will soon upgrade Android’s Photo Picker with a search option (via Android Authority). This option should appear as a search bar in the user interface. You will then be able to search for a photo by describing it in the search bar, which should save you a lot of time.

What’s even more impressive is that the search functionality will work for files that are stored locally as well as in the cloud backup apps, which should save you even more time. Google says that this feature is coming “later this year.” We hope that the company rolls out this feature quickly as it will be very helpful to many people.

The post Android’s Photo Picker on your Galaxy phone to get a search option appeared first on SamMobile.

In May 2023, Meta introduced the Chat Lock feature in WhatsApp, which allows you to lock and hide chats behind a passcode or biometric authentication. While this is a very useful feature, it only works on primary devices. Fortunately, last month we got to know that the company had started testing Chat Lock on linked devices by rolling it out to a limited number of people. Well, Meta is now making the feature available to more people.

According to a new report from WABetaInfo, the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android (version 2.24.11.9) offers the Chat Lock feature on linked devices as well. More importantly, the feature seems to be available for everyone who is using this version of the app rather than just to a select few users.

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At the moment, there’s no information about when Meta will make this feature available in the stable version of WhatsApp. However, we expect the company to roll it out to the public after thoroughly testing it in the beta version of the app, which could take at least a couple of weeks.

The post More people get WhatsApp’s Chat Lock feature on linked devices appeared first on SamMobile.

In 2020, Samsung launched Samsung Care+ in India, a series of plans that offer extended warranty and/or accidental damage protection for Samsung’s devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Well, Samsung India has just made an announcement about Samsung Care+ and we can’t get our heads around it.

Samsung has issued a press release announcing that it has launched Samsung Care+ in India. It doesn’t make sense considering that the company has already been offering the service in the country for the last four years. It looks like the brand is just relaunching the service to let more people know that such a thing exists and attract more customers.

No, Samsung hasn't upgraded Samsung Care+ in India with more benefits

Some publications have reported that the announcement is about the company upgrading Samsung Care+ to offer two screen replacements per year instead of one. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case as Samsung hasn’t mentioned that upgrade anywhere in the press release.

In fact, the page for Samsung Care+ on Samsung’s website for India clearly says “Under Screen Protection, ADLD & Comprehensive Protection Samsung Care+ plans, you are allowed to raise One (1) damage claim per year.” The same condition is also mentioned on the buying page.

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We have come across an image from Samsung that says “Multiple Claims Zero Worries,” which the company seems to have taken down. We think that it would have given some people the notion that the company will now offer at least two screen replacements per year rather than one. However, that isn’t the case.

On a related note, Samsung has given owners of Galaxy S24, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the United States a (second) chance to purchase Samsung Care+. The campaign is live for a limited period of time. So, if you are interested, now is the time to act.

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Samsung's latest smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic, support charging at up to 10W. Well, it looks like the company's upcoming smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 7, will feature a 50% faster charging speed than the current models.

A little while ago, we reported that FCC had listed the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch 7 FE on its website. Well, after taking a closer look at the listing, we have discovered documents which reveal that the Galaxy Watch 7 supports 15W charging.

Galaxy Watch 7 to feature 15W charging

According to the certifications documents, one of the four variants of the Galaxy Watch 7, SM-L305, supports charging at 5V and 3A, which calculates to 15W. The other three variants of the upcoming smartwatch, SM-L300, SM-L310, and SM-L315, should also feature 15W charging.

That means the Galaxy Watch 7 should theoretically take 50% less time to get charged than the Galaxy Watch 6, which takes around one hour and thirty minutes to get charged from 0% to 100%. So, in theory, the Galaxy Watch 7 should take only 45 minutes to get charged from empty to full.

Galaxy Watch 7 FE to have a much slower charging speed

Unfortunately, Samsung hasn’t extended the faster charging speed to the Galaxy Watch 7 FE. In fact, the certification documents show that the Galaxy Watch 7 FE supports only 5W charging, which is 50% slower than that of the Galaxy Watch 6.

With that, Samsung’s upcoming affordable smartwatch could take almost three hours to get charged from 0% to 100%, which is quite a lot. It would be interesting to see what charging speed the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro Classic/Pro features.

The post Galaxy Watch 7 to have 50% faster charging speed than Galaxy Watch 6 appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung will launch the company’s next lineup of smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 7 series, at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, which, as we exclusively reported, will take place on 10 July 2024. The Galaxy Watch 7 lineup will have three models: Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch 7 Classic/Pro, and Galaxy Watch 7 FE.

So far, there have been plenty of leaks and rumors about the Galaxy Watch 7 models, which have shed light on their features. The wearables have also been spotted on multiple platforms, which have confirmed their existence. Now, the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch 7 FE have been spotted on another certification platform.

Galaxy Watch 7, Watch 7 FE spotted on FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has listed the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch 7 FE on the agency's website (via Droid Life). The listing mentions five model numbers of the smartwatches, SM-L300, SM-L305, SM-L310, SM-L315, and SM-R861, all of which were spotted earlier on various certifications platforms, including Bluetooth SIG.

The SM-L300 and the SM-L305 could be the 40mm and 44mm variants of the Galaxy Watch 7 without cellular connectivity. The SM-L310 and SM-L315 could be the 40mm and 44mm variants of the Galaxy Watch 7 with cellular connectivity. The last model, SM-R861, could be the Galaxy Watch 7 FE, a more affordable version of the Galaxy Watch 7.

The story continues after the video…

This certification of the Galaxy Watch 7 series further strengthens our speculation that Samsung will launch it at the next Galaxy Unpacked event alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. In the meantime, you can check out our video above to know how Samsung's current flagship smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, performs.

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Samsung has announced that according to a new analysis by Euromonitor, it sold the highest number of microwave ovens among all the brands in Europe last year, making 2023 the ninth consecutive year where the tech giant ranked first in the sector.

Samsung had a 15.3% market share in the sales of microwave ovens in 19 European countries. With that, it has received the ‘Europe’s No.1 Selling Microwave Brand in 2023’ badge from the research firm, which it can now proudly use to advertise its products.

The story continues after the video…

Last month, Samsung launched the Bespoke lineup of microwave ovens globally, including standalone and over-the-range units. These are smart microwave ovens that you can monitor and control with Samsung’s SmartThings app or voice commands over Samsung Bixby, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa.

They also come with some interesting AI features, such as Sensor Cook, which can automatically adjust cooking time. If you are planning to buy a Bespoke microwave oven, there’s up to USD 150 discount going on the lineup, making this a perfect chance for you to grab one. Click on the link below to get the benefits.

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Samsung has released new software updates for the carrier-unlocked variants of the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. They bring the May 2024 security patch, which fixes 45 security vulnerabilities. The company rolled out the software update to the carrier-locked and the international variants of the three devices last week.

The new software updates for the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra carry the firmware versions S921U1UES2AXD3, S926U1UES2AXD3, and S928U1UES2AXD3 respectively. To get the update, go to Settings » Software update » Download and install. That is if your phone hasn’t already notified you about the new firmware.

The story continues after the video

Many people have been complaining that after installing the previous update on their Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra, the battery life of the three devices has decreased. Sadly, the latest update doesn’t seem to carry a fix for that issue. We expect Samsung to release this update in the remaining regions in the next couple of weeks.

The post More Galaxy S24 units get May 2024 security update in USA appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung’s One UI 6.1 brings the Transcript Assist feature to the company’s Voice Recorder app as a part of Galaxy AI. This feature can transcribe voice recordings and it can even provide AI-generated summaries of those transcriptions to make it easier for you to understand the content. There’s no doubt that this feature can be very useful for many people in their day-to-day lives. Well, Apple seems to be impressed with it as the tech giant is working on copying Samsung’s Transcript Assist for iPhone in iOS 18.

According to a new report from Apple Insider, the Voice Memos and Notes applications in iOS 18 will offer the ability to transcribe voice recordings. The two apps will also be able to provide AI-generated summaries for those transcriptions.

The story continues after the video…

That's not the only feature Apple is copying from Samsung

Recently, we also learned that Apple is working on updating the Notes app for iOS with the ability to allow people to record audio from within a note, which is something that Samsung already offers in its Notes app for Galaxy smartphones and tablets. So, that’s another feature Apple is copying from Samsung. Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 at WWDC on June 10. It would be interesting to see which other features the company will copy from Samsung for the upcoming version of the iPhone’s operating system.

The post Apple is copying a Galaxy AI feature for iOS 18 appeared first on SamMobile.

Right after releasing the One UI 6.1 update to the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra in Europe, Samsung is now rolling out the same update to the three tablets in the United States too. The news comes directly from Samsung.

Samsung might be rolling out the One UI 6.1 update to the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra in the US in phases. So, some people might get the update before others. It’s also possible that the company might be pushing the update only to the Wi-Fi-only variants of the three tablets initially, just like it’s doing in Europe. If your Galaxy Tab S8 hasn’t notified you about the latest update yet, you can check for it manually by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install.

One UI 6.1 brings many new features. However, the star of the show is Galaxy AI, a suite of AI-powered features that can make it easier for you to carry out many tasks, including researching something, writing messages, translating content, and transcribing voice notes. Along with that, the new software offers improved imaging editing, UI customization, content sharing, security, and health capabilities. You can check out all the new features One UI 6.1 offers in our video above.

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Samsung started rolling out One UI 6.1 to the company’s tablets in March with the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Now, almost one and a half months later, the South Korean tech giant is expanding the new UI to the Galaxy Tab S8 series. That’s right. Samsung has released One UI 6.1 for Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra.

Currently, Samsung is rolling out One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy Tab S8 series in Europe, and the company is pushing the update only to the Wi-Fi-only variants of the three tablets. The update carrying One UI 6.1 changes the firmware version of the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra to X900XXU6CXE2, X800XXU6CXE2, and X700XXU6CXE2 respectively.

If you live in Europe but your Galaxy Tab S8 hasn’t notified you about the update, you can check for it manually by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install. If you don’t see an update, it means that the update hasn’t become available in your country or for your device yet and you’ll have to wait for a few more days for the update to arrive.

One UI 6.1 is based on Android 14 and it brings many new features, including Galaxy AI, which is a suite of AI-powered features that should come pretty handy to you in day-to-day usage, new image editing capabilities, and UI customization options. You can check out all the new features that One UI 6.1 offers in our video above.

Thanks for the tip, Hachiroku!

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A few days ago, Meta started rolling out an update to WhatsApp for Android which brought a completely new user interface to the messaging platform that’s more convenient to use, offers new features, and looks cleaner and more modern. However, the company hadn’t made any announcement regarding it back then, most likely because it hadn’t made the redesigned UI available to everyone. Well, the brand seems to have completed releasing the app’s new design to everyone, and with that, Meta has made an announcement about it.

In a new post on X (previously known as Twitter) and Meta’s official website, Meta announced that it is “rolling out design updates to give WhatsApp a fresh new look, while keeping it familiar + easy to use.” The new design brings quite a few changes.

The story continues after the video…

First, it has tabs at the bottom of the screen instead of at the top, and now there are four tabs instead of three (Meta has replaced the Status tab with Updates and Communities tabs). Second, it offers chat filters right above the chats list, which makes it easier for you to find unread and group chats. Third, you now have a search bar instead of a search button. Fourth, you get a new color palette and new icons, all of which make the app look much better. You can check out the difference between the old and the new design in the image below.

To get the new design in WhatsApp on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet, update the app to the latest version from the Google Play Store. The redesigned UI is live in version 2.224.9.78 of the app on our Galaxy S23 in India. The new UI is also live on iOS.

The post WhatsApp gets an exciting new design on Android appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung’s One UI 6.1 brings the Transcript Assist feature to the company’s Voice Recorder app as a part of Galaxy AI. This feature can transcribe voice recordings and it can even provide AI-generated summaries of those transcriptions to make it easier for you to understand the content. There’s no doubt that this feature can be very useful for many people in their day-to-day lives. Well, Apple seems to be impressed with it as the tech giant is working on copying Samsung’s Transcript Assist for iPhone in iOS 18.

According to a new report from Apple Insider, the Voice Memos and Notes applications in iOS 18 will offer the ability to transcribe voice recordings. The two apps will also be able to provide AI-generated summaries for those transcriptions.

The story continues after the video…

That's not the only feature Apple is copying from Samsung

Recently, we also learned that Apple is working on updating the Notes app for iOS with the ability to allow people to record audio from within a note, which is something that Samsung already offers in its Notes app for Galaxy smartphones and tablets. So, that’s another feature Apple is copying from Samsung. Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 at WWDC on June 10. It would be interesting to see which other features the company will copy from Samsung for the upcoming version of the iPhone’s operating system.

The post Apple is copying a Galaxy AI feature for iOS 18 appeared first on SamMobile.

Right after releasing the One UI 6.1 update to the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra in Europe, Samsung is now rolling out the same update to the three tablets in the United States too. The news comes directly from Samsung.

Samsung might be rolling out the One UI 6.1 update to the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra in the US in phases. So, some people might get the update before others. It’s also possible that the company might be pushing the update only to the Wi-Fi-only variants of the three tablets initially, just like it’s doing in Europe. If your Galaxy Tab S8 hasn’t notified you about the latest update yet, you can check for it manually by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install.

One UI 6.1 brings many new features. However, the star of the show is Galaxy AI, a suite of AI-powered features that can make it easier for you to carry out many tasks, including researching something, writing messages, translating content, and transcribing voice notes. Along with that, the new software offers improved imaging editing, UI customization, content sharing, security, and health capabilities. You can check out all the new features One UI 6.1 offers in our video above.

The post One UI 6.1 update is now live for Galaxy Tab S8 in USA! appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung started rolling out One UI 6.1 to the company’s tablets in March with the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Now, almost one and a half months later, the South Korean tech giant is expanding the new UI to the Galaxy Tab S8 series. That’s right. Samsung has released One UI 6.1 for Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra.

Currently, Samsung is rolling out One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy Tab S8 series in Europe, and the company is pushing the update only to the Wi-Fi-only variants of the three tablets. The update carrying One UI 6.1 changes the firmware version of the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra to X900XXU6CXE2, X800XXU6CXE2, and X700XXU6CXE2 respectively.

If you live in Europe but your Galaxy Tab S8 hasn’t notified you about the update, you can check for it manually by going to Settings » Software update » Download and install. If you don’t see an update, it means that the update hasn’t become available in your country or for your device yet and you’ll have to wait for a few more days for the update to arrive.

One UI 6.1 is based on Android 14 and it brings many new features, including Galaxy AI, which is a suite of AI-powered features that should come pretty handy to you in day-to-day usage, new image editing capabilities, and UI customization options. You can check out all the new features that One UI 6.1 offers in our video above.

Thanks for the tip, Hachiroku!

The post Samsung releases One UI 6.1 to Galaxy Tab S8 series appeared first on SamMobile.

A few days ago, Meta started rolling out an update to WhatsApp for Android which brought a completely new user interface to the messaging platform that’s more convenient to use, offers new features, and looks cleaner and more modern. However, the company hadn’t made any announcement regarding it back then, most likely because it hadn’t made the redesigned UI available to everyone. Well, the brand seems to have completed releasing the app’s new design to everyone, and with that, Meta has made an announcement about it.

In a new post on X (previously known as Twitter) and Meta’s official website, Meta announced that it is “rolling out design updates to give WhatsApp a fresh new look, while keeping it familiar + easy to use.” The new design brings quite a few changes.

The story continues after the video…

First, it has tabs at the bottom of the screen instead of at the top, and now there are four tabs instead of three (Meta has replaced the Status tab with Updates and Communities tabs). Second, it offers chat filters right above the chats list, which makes it easier for you to find unread and group chats. Third, you now have a search bar instead of a search button. Fourth, you get a new color palette and new icons, all of which make the app look much better. You can check out the difference between the old and the new design in the image below.

To get the new design in WhatsApp on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet, update the app to the latest version from the Google Play Store. The redesigned UI is live in version 2.224.9.78 of the app on our Galaxy S23 in India. The new UI is also live on iOS.

The post WhatsApp gets an exciting new design on Android appeared first on SamMobile.

Google has announced that it has started rolling out version M124 of ChromeOS on the Stable channel. The latest version of the operating system brings five new features to Samsung Galaxy Chromebooks: Faster Split Screen Setup, support for Wi-Fi QoS, increased maximum size of the mouse pointer, Fast Pair support for mice, and a redesigned settings menu. Let us take a deeper look at each of those features.

Faster Split Screen Setup

As you might know, ChromeOS allows you to use two applications simultaneously by arranging them side-by-side on the screen. With the new feature, once you snap or lock a window on one half of the display, the OS will show you an overview of all the open applications on the other half of the screen. You can then choose the app that you want to use on the other side. Alternatively, you can choose applications from the shelf to use on the other half of the display.

Support for Wi-Fi QoS

ChromeOS M124 brings support for Wi-Fi Quality of Service (QoS), which, according to Google, “ensures better traffic prioritization of video conferencing and gaming applications on congested Wi-Fi networks” and as a result “users can experience smoother video play with less buffering.” The company says that this feature will not be available for managed users initially.

Increased maximum size of mouse pointer

ChromeOS has been offering people the ability to adjust the size of the mouse pointer for quite a while now. Well, the latest version of the OS offers mouse pointers in even bigger sizes. According to Google, “This can be helpful for people who have low vision, for teachers who want students to follow along during a lesson while presenting, for people who are presenting on a video call, or if you just want to have a larger mouse cursor.”

Fast Pair support for mice

ChromeOS features Fast Pair for Bluetooth. However, it is available only for certain types of devices, and the mouse isn’t one of them. Well, that’s finally changing. Google says that Fast Pair will work with mice with ChromeOS M124. It means that now when you bring a compatible Bluetooth mouse near a Chromebook, ChromeOS will show you the option to connect and pair with it.

Redesigned settings menu

According to 9To5Google, version M124 of ChromeOS also brings a redesigned settings menu. The publication says that it now features a Material You theme and offers a split-screen view, which makes it look like a settings menu of Android on a tablet and offers a better user experience.

Google says that “This update and the features associated with it, will be progressively rolling out over the coming days” and that “Your device may not immediately be eligible for this update.” To check for the ChromeOS M124 update manually, go to Time » Settings » About ChromeOS » Check for updates.

The post ChromeOS M124 brings many new features to Galaxy Chromebooks appeared first on SamMobile.

The Galaxy S24 series brought One UI 6.1, and one of the highlights of the new software is Galaxy AI, a suite of AI-powered features that come in very handy in day-to-day life.

Last month, the company rolled out One UI 6.1 to its flagship smartphones and tablets from last year, including the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S23 series, and the Galaxy Tab S9 series, along with most of the AI-powered features from the Galaxy S24.

Yesterday, Samsung released One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3. While One UI 6.1 on the S22, Fold 4, and Flip 4 comes with the same set of Galaxy AI features that we see on newer devices, it is severely restricted on the Fold 3, Flip 3, and S21. These three devices only get one Galaxy AI feature and that's Google Circle to Search.

Why hasn’t Samsung brought the remaining Galaxy AI features, including Live Translation, Chat Assist, Generative Edit, and Browsing Assist, on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, and Galaxy S21? Well, it could either be because these devices don’t have enough processing power and memory or Samsung doesn’t want to offer Galaxy AI to older devices.

If it is the latter, the brand might be taking that approach because if it keeps bringing new features to old devices, people might not upgrade to a new phone, and that's not something any brand, including Samsung, would want. Still, it's disappointing, and Samsung may have to deal with some backlash because of the decision.

The post One UI 6.1 for Galaxy S21, Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3 lacks most Galaxy AI features appeared first on SamMobile.

Meta has announced that it will soon be adding two new features to WhatsApp, the ability to create events in groups and the ability to reply to messages in Community’s Announcements Groups. Let’s take a detailed look at them.

Starting with the first feature, WhatsApp will soon let you create an event in a group, such as a birthday or a get-together. You can add a date and a time to this event. Once you create an event, the app will send it as a message to the group and will also add it to the group’s information page. That’s not all though. People will be able to respond to the event, allowing them to let others in the group know if they are attending the event or not, or share their thoughts about the event. The new feature makes it easier to plan an event with members in a group.

Coming to the second feature, WhatsApp will soon let everyone in an Announcement Group reply to messages in it. Currently, only admins can send messages there, and non-admin members can only read messages in them. The upcoming feature will make Announcement Groups more conversational, and therefore, more useful. What’s even better is that when people reply to a message in it, the app will keep those messages minimized and not notify you about them to make sure that you’re not constantly disturbed by  every message.

Meta says “Events are coming to groups that belong to a Community first, and will roll out to all groups over the coming months.” Unfortunately, the company didn’t say when it will roll out the ability to reply to messages in Announcement Groups.

The post Meta announces two very useful features for WhatsApp appeared first on SamMobile.

Despite challenging market conditions globally, Samsung has been quite resilient in India over the past year. While Apple stole Samsung's crown in 2023 worldwide, it isn't even close in the Indian market. In Q1 2024, Samsung was India's biggest smartphone manufacturer, and it achieved growth compared to Q1 2023.

Samsung performed well in the Indian smartphone market during Q1 2024

According to the latest figures released by market research firm Canalys, Samsung was India's biggest smartphone brand with a 19% market share. The South Korean firm shipped 6.7 million smartphones during the quarter, a 6% growth compared to Q1 2023. Canalys said that Samsung's strong performance came from stronger sales of the Galaxy S24 than its predecessor, thanks to attractive pre-booking offers, Samsung Finance+, and AI features.

Xiaomi ranked second in the market during Q1 2024, shipping 6.4 million smartphones and capturing an 18% market share. Samsung needs to be wary of Xiaomi, as there is just one percentage point difference between the two. Xiaomi's impressive 29% annual growth came on the back of great sales of affordable phones like the Redmi 13C 5G, Redmi Note 13 5G, and the POCO X6.

Vivo ranked third with 6.2 million smartphone shipments and 18% market share. That's a 14% rise compared to sales from Q1 2023. OPPO was the only brand among the top five OEMs with declining sales. It shipped 3.7 million smartphones, a 4% drop compared to sales from Q1 2023.

Realme shipped 3.4 million smartphones, 17% higher than last year's performance. It ranked fifth in the Indian smartphone market during Q1 2024. Overall, over 35.3 million smartphones were shipped in India in Q1 2023. That's 15% higher than smartphone sales in the country during the first quarter of last year.

Watch our review of the Galaxy S24+ below and click on the link below the video to buy the phone at a great price.

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Google Drive is among the best cloud storage solutions for a reason. It is extremely reliable, and Google keeps adding new features to the app on all the popular platforms. In a recent move, Google added new filters to the Google Drive app on Android. However, this feature was released a month after it was released to the iOS version of the app.

Google Drive gets new filters to find files quicker

Google has released a new update to the Google Drive app for Android, offering users a more straightforward and intuitive way to search for files. Filter categories are located just below the search bar at the top of the screen. You can filter files by File Type, Owners, and Last Modified. This will make finding files more accessible than ever. You can choose even more filters on the search results page to narrow down the file you want to see.

This updated version of Google Drive should be available to all Google Workspace users in the coming days. Some people might have received this new version already. You can search for the update on the Google Play Store by navigating to the My Apps section of the app and then hitting the Update button.

Google has added many new features to Google Drive over the past few years. Last year, it significantly improved Google Drive on foldable phones and tablets through a multi-column UI and a navigation rail on the left side of the screen. It also introduced Dark Mode to the app and a document scanner.

The post Google Drive gets new filters on Android phones for better usability appeared first on SamMobile.

Updates usually bring new features and performance improvements. However, sometimes updates also bring performance and reliability issues. One such issue could come to YouTube on older or affordable Galaxy phones and tablets.

Older and lower-end Galaxy phones could have performance issues on YouTube with AV1 decoding

Google’s Arif Dikici (Android Video and Image Codecs Team) revealed that Android will now use the AV1 decoder known as ‘libdav1d’ for YouTube. This codec was created by the team behind the popular VLC player. All devices running Android 12 or newer have software support for the codec once they have received the March 2024 Google Play System Update.

While this update will bring the improved AV1 codec that makes videos look good at lower bitrates (or slower internet connections), not every phone has native hardware support for the AV1 codec. Most mid-range and high-end phones that don’t support AV1 hardware decoding use the software decoder.

By default, apps use the existing AV1 decoder called ‘libgav1’ instead of the newer ‘dav1d’ decoder. To use the newer decoder, apps have to request it specifically. This is the same thing that YouTube started doing immediately after the March 2024 Google Play System Update was released.

So, when the older AV1 decoder is used, older affordable and mid-range phones may experience performance issues and skipped frames. Moreover, some users have expressed concerns (via Android Police and Mishaal Rahman) that their phones may use more battery power while using the older decoder on a software level.

Since not everyone has received or installed the March 2024 Google Play System Update, people with older and less powerful Galaxy phones and tablets might notice performance slowdowns in the coming weeks.

The post YouTube could cause battery life, smoothness issues on older Galaxy devices appeared first on SamMobile.

In 2022, TSMC announced that its 2nm fabrication process, dubbed N2, will be ready for mass production by 2025. Soon after that, it was reported that the chipset in Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro series phones would be the first to use TSMC’s 2nm fabrication process. However, after that, we didn’t get any update on the matter. Well, that’s changing today.

According to a new report from Digitimes, TSMC is on track to ready the 2nm fabrication process for mass production by 2025. The publication also claims that the company plans to start small-scale production of chips on the N2 technology by the end of this year. It means that Apple could get chipsets for the iPhone 17 Pro series devices made on TSMC’s 2nm process, making them the first devices to use the company’s N2 technology.

Samsung Foundry is also expected to ready its 2nm fabrication process, dubbed the SF2, by 2025. Reportedly, Qualcomm will use this fabrication process for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. That year's flagship Exynos chipset might also use that fabrication process. However, since the iPhone 17 Pro will come out before the Galaxy S26 series, Apple will beat Samsung in the 2nm race, at least when it comes to launching phones with 2nm chips.

The post Apple iPhones to get 2nm chips before Galaxy phones appeared first on SamMobile.

In May 2020, the NFC Forum introduced NFC Wireless Charging, a standard for offering wireless charging over Near-Field Communication (NFC). This specification offers up to 1W of power transfer over a distance of 2cm. So, if there are two devices supporting this protocol, one device can send up to 1W of power to another device wirelessly using NFC.

This technology can be very helpful in offering wireless charging over NFC in small devices that feature NFC for data transfer but don’t have enough space to house dedicated wireless charging solutions, such as wireless earbuds, location trackers, and styluses. Sadly, we haven’t seen any devices offering this feature, and that’s most probably because no platform supports it. Well, that could change very soon.

According to a new report from Mishaal Rahman on Android Authority, the system application in Android 15 Beta 1p that handles tasks related to NFC includes a class called ‘NfcCharging‘. It suggests that Google is working on adding support for wireless charging over NFC in Android 15.

If Google plans to offer this feature with the stable version of Android 15, and Samsung enables it on its devices, it will open a whole new world of possibilities. For instance, a Galaxy phone or tablet will be able to charge Galaxy Buds or Galaxy SmartTag over NFC. Unfortunately, the current Galaxy SmartTag models don't have a rechargeable battery. So, Samsung cannot offer this feature on existing SmartTag models.

However, this feature could allow Galaxy smartphones/tablets without wireless charging to charge Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watches. When  Samsung launches a SmartTag with a rechargeable battery, this technology will enable those Galaxy smartphones/tablets to charge that SmartTag as well.

The post Android 15 could enable wireless charging over NFC appeared first on SamMobile.

In December 2022, Samsung added the option to Good Lock to update all the modules at once. Well, the company is now improving that functionality.

Samsung is now rolling out a new update to Good Lock, and according to the changelog, it improves the ability of the app to update all the modules at once. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t mentioned what those improvements are. According to the changelog, the update also fixes “various” bugs. All in all, with the update, Good Lock should work better than before. With the update, the app’s version should change to 2.2.04.92. To update Good Lock, go to Galaxy Store » Menu » Updates.

Since last month, Samsung has updated multiple Good Lock modules, including Theme Park, LockStar, Home Up, ClockFace, Wonderland, and MultiStar to offer new features and fix bugs. You can check out information on those here. On a related note, it is worth mentioning that Samsung recently released One UI 6.1, which brings many new features, including Galaxy AI and Circle to Search (CtS) to a bunch of Galaxy smartphones and tablets. You can check out all those features in our video below.

The post New Good Lock version improves updating all modules appeared first on SamMobile.

A couple of months after launching an M-series smartphone, Samsung usually introduces an F-series variant of that device. The company is doing the same with the recently launched Galaxy M55. Last month, the brand confirmed the existence of the Galaxy F55. Now, the tech giant has started getting the phone certified on various platforms.

91Mobiles has spotted the Galaxy F55 on Google Play Listing. It not only suggests that the F-series version of the Galaxy M55 is arriving soon but also reveals the key specifications of the upcoming smartphone. According to it, the Galaxy F55 has a display with Full HD+ resolution, Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, 8GB RAM, and 5G connectivity, and the phone runs on Android 14, most likely with recently-released One 6.1.

These specifications suggest that the Galaxy F55 will be a rebranded variant of the Galaxy M55. Other features of the device could include a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, a triple-camera setup at the rear with a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP macro lens, a 50MP front-facing camera, a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and an under-display fingerprint scanner.

The post Google confirms Galaxy F55 is a rebranded Galaxy M55 appeared first on SamMobile.

In 2018, Samsung opened the company’s first Premium Experience Store in Bengaluru, India, the Samsung Opera House, which is also the company's flagship store in the country. Today, Samsung has opened the second Premium Experience Store in Bengaluru. This one is located in the Mall of Asia, which is situated in the Northern part of the city.

The new store is spread across 1,200 square feet of area. It has a “SmartThings station, Gaming zone, an audio-visual zone, and a smartphone and wearables section.” Samsung says that it will host a variety of events at the store, including the ‘Learn@Samsung’ program, which is designed for “tech-savvy consumers, especially Gen Z and millennials.” It will include “workshops around AI education focusing on consumer passion points.”

Inaugural offers

Samsung says that people coming to the store will get assured gifts, 2x loyalty points on all transactions above INR 15,000, and Galaxy Buds FE at INR 2,999 with select Galaxy devices for a limited period. The first 200 customers will also get early bird giveaways on the purchase of Samsung products worth INR 20,000 or more. Along with these offers, people can available a 10% student discount on smartphones, laptops, and smartwatches, “up to 22.5% cashback, and INR 22,000 in additional benefits on select items.”

In the press release, the Vice President of Samsung India’s D2C Business, Sumit Walia, says “Following six years of fantastic response to our flagship experience center in the city, the Samsung Opera House, we are delighted to introduce another Premium Experience Store in the Mall of Asia, Bengaluru. We aim to captivate local shoppers with immersive and uniquely tailored premium product experiences.”

“Our newest store is dedicated to engaging Bengaluru’s diverse consumer base by hosting ‘Learn @ Samsung’ workshops including productivity masterclass, portrait photography, nightography, and photo editing sessions that cater to various passion points. The dynamic retail market of the city provides an ideal backdrop for us to connect with our consumers and create memorable engagements,” he further added.

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Over the last couple of years, Samsung has lowered the usage of Exynos chipsets in its phones and tablets. Take the Galaxy S23 series for example. The company used only the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset for the lineup. The brand is also not using Exynos SoCs in mid-range and low-end devices as much as it used to a few years ago.

While it is clear that the usage of Exynos chipsets is going down, we didn’t have any figures on the trend. Fortunately, that’s changing today. Canalys has just posted a report analyzing the global smartphone market by processor vendor, and it reveals some disappointing news about Exynos chipsets and Samsung Semiconductor.

According to the report, the shipment of smartphones with chipsets from Samsung Semiconductors was 13 million in Q4 2023, which is 48% less compared to that in Q4 2022. As a result, the company’s revenue from smartphone chipsets stood at USD 5 billion in the last quarter, which is 44% lower than what it was in Q4 2022.

Unlike the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung has used Exynos chipset for the Galaxy S24 lineup. So, the shipment of smartphones with Exynos chipsets should go up in this and the upcoming quarters, and with that the revenue of Samsung Semiconductors should also see a steep increase. It would be interesting to see future figures.

The report from Canalys also reveals that MediaTek processors powered the highest number of smartphones (117 million) in Q4 2023. Apple was the second-largest chipset provider with its SoCs powering 78 million smartphones and Qualcomm was the third-largest chipset supplier with its processors powering 69 million smartphones.

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In a new post on X/Twitter, Sony has announced that people will be able to log into their PlayStation account using passkeys starting later today. On a support page, the company further reveals that the support for passkeys will be available on the PlayStation website, in PlayStation apps, and on PlayStation devices (via MacRumors).

Once people set up a passkey for their account on PlayStation, they will be able to log into that account from their Android phone by verifying their identity using biometric authentication, such as using a fingerprint scanner, and device pin/pattern/password. If you have an iPhone, you will be able to log in using Face ID, Touch ID, and device passcode.

Passkeys are considered more secure and convenient compared to passwords. Currently, passkeys are available on Android 9 and newer, iOS 16 and newer, iPadOS 16 and newer, and MacOS Ventura and newer. Lately, many companies have added support for passkeys, including Google, Microsoft, Best Buy, PayPal, and eBay.

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Since July 2023, there have been multiple reports claiming that Sony is developing an upgraded version of the PlayStation 5 (PS5), called the PlayStation 5 Pro (PS5 Pro). Today, we have another report about the company’s allegedly upcoming gaming console. This one comes from CNBC and reveals the launch timeline of the product.

It says that industry analysts have told the publication that Sony is planning to launch the PlayStation 5 Pro this year. According to the analysts, the company is planning to launch the new console to increase interest in the PlayStation 5 and to offer hardware that’s ready for the launch of the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).

The latest news comes right after Sony revealed that the company expects a gradual decline in the sale of the PlayStation 5 from the next fiscal year as the product has entered “the latter half of the console cycle.”  Microsoft is also planning to launch two new gaming consoles by 2026, including a high-end one and a handheld, dockable one.

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In November 2023, Signal started testing usernames for accounts on Signal in the pre-beta version of the instant messaging service’s Android, iOS, and PC applications. Now, the company has announced that it will make the feature available in the stable version of the Signal app for those platforms in the coming weeks.

At the moment, if someone wants to chat with you on Signal, they need to have your mobile number saved on their device, which means that you have to hand out your mobile number to them. With the new feature, you can share your Signal account’s username instead of your mobile number with them to let them connect with you on the platform, which keeps your mobile number private and enhances your privacy.

Signal allows you to create a desired username (unless someone else has already claimed it). You can also change the username whenever you want. However, on an FAQ page, Signal says “You cannot transfer your username to another person or hold it for someone else to claim. Once you change your username, anyone can claim it soon.” Recently, WhatsApp also started testing usernames for accounts on the platform.

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