Samsung boosts security with a built-in fingerprint sensor on new SSD, the T7 Touch

435

Samsung revealed the Portable Solid State Drive (SSD) T7 Touch at CES, set to be available within the month at the starting price of $129.99.

The T7 Touch has major improvements over its predecessor, but the highlight is the integration of a built-in fingerprint sensor on the device to provide additional security. As the sensor can support up to four different fingerprints, you can also share the storage drive with your colleagues for work purposes or with your friends or family. There’s even a “Motion LED” feature that can help the user determine when the device is in process of data transmission.

Apart from its outer design, Samsung also increased the transfer speed of the device based on USB Gen 3.2 standards. The T7 Touch now has a read speed of 1,050MB/s and a write speed of 1,000MB/s — Samsung says that’s “twice as fast” as compared to its predecessor, the T5. While the T5 was 4.9x faster than external HDDs, the T7 Touch is 9.5x faster.

Despite the major improvements, the device is only 7g heavier than its predecessor at 58g. It is bundled with a USB Type-C-to-C cable and also a USB Type-C-to-A cable, in addition to being compatible with Windows, Mac and Android operating systems.

The T7 Touch will go on sale in more than 30 countries by the end of this month, with the 500GB model priced at $129.99, the 1TB model priced at $299.99 and the 2TB model priced at $399.99.

samsung
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T7 Touch


Samsung teases with possible release of foldable smartphone

341

Its been years and months since rumours have it that Samsung will release a foldable phone by the end of the year and now it seems that its slowly becoming a reality as Samsung Mobile official Twitter have tweeted a video that shows what seems like the visual of a foldable phone alongside with the announcement that they will be having a developer conference by the month of November at San Francisco.

The crossroads between the present and the future – Samsung Developer Conference is where you’ll meet the knowledge needed to stay on tech’s cutting edge.
#SDC18
 Learn more:
https://t.co/t66edOWIUi

pic.twitter.com/bDZHuZVWee

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile)
October 18, 2018

The video shows two lines unfolding to become a right facing arrow, then finally settling into a single vertical line. Although there isn’t much shown in the video, but there are speculation that there might be a prototype of the phone shown in the event.

According to Samsung CEO DJ Koh in an interview with CNBC, he has hinted that “the product could arrive as soon as this year” and it seems that soon everyone will know when will the product be launched once it’s announced during the conference.

Foldable phone
samsung
Samsung foldable phone


Samsung temporarily suspends production of the Galaxy Note 7

300

Over the weekend, there were
more

reports
 that the supposedly “safe” replacement Galaxy Note 7 has exploded in the United States. After the recent exploding cases, Samsung has reportedly decided to pull the plug on the smartphone’s production until further notice.

According to a report from Yonhap News, an anonymous official at a supplier for Samsung has stated that the Korean tech company has decided to suspend production of the Galaxy Note 7. This action is done in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, the United States and China. “This measure includes a Samsung plant in Vietnam that is responsible for global shipments,” says the official.

Samsung’s decision to freeze production of the Note 7 is understandable, considering that the replacement Note 7s are just as susceptible to explosion as the original batch of smartphones. That said, Samsung has yet to issue an official statement saying that the production of the Note 7 has been suspended, so nothing is set in stone quite yet. Whatever the case, the Galaxy Note 7 is probably the most problematic device that Samsung has launched within the past few years or so.

Source:
Yonhap

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Samsung to begin building chips for AMD in 2016

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It seems that Samsung’s chip manufacturing plant will be manufacturing chips from a different company as the Korean tech powerhouse has announced that they will be manufacturing chips for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) starting from 2016.

Before the deal between AMD and Samsung, AMD chips are mainly manufactured by the Abu Dhabi-owned GlobalFoundries. Starting from next year though, both Samsung and GlobalFoundries will manufacture AMD’s “Greenand” GPUs and “Zen” CPUs using a 14nm process, making the chips faster and more enery-efficient compared to previous AMD chips.

This partnership comes at a time where both companies are struggling to keep up in the marketspace. AMD lags behind Intel and Nvidia in CPU and GPU sales and has seen a layoff as well as two hardware experts leaving the company. Samsung continues to struggle as their smartphone division is no longer the juggernaut it once used to be.

Whether or not this partnership will be bemeficial to both companies remains to be seen, but if all goes well, it could be just what both companies need to remain relevant in the market.

Source :
Engadget

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Samsung to discontinue the Milk Music service next month

298

If you’ve ever own a Samsung device, chances are good that you’ve seen the company’s own take on the music streaming service called Milk Music. Well, it appears that Milk Music has not done as well as Samsung would like it to be, and as such, they have decided to shut down the service on the 22nd of September.

First launched in 2014, Milk Music was Samsung’s take on a Pandora-like free personalized radio service in 2014. Over time, Samsung has expanded upon Milk by introducing a video aggregation app dubbed Milk Video with plans for a Milk app that is specifically tailored to sports.

Unfortunately for Samsung, the Milk project did not pan out as well as Samsung expected it to be. Milk Video was shut down last September, and Samsung’s U.S. based services group went through a series of layoffs.

With Milk closing down next month, it remains to be seen if Samsung would replace Milk with a more mainstream service such as Spotify or even Pandora. Samsung has not mentioned about a Milk replacement in its statement about the closure of Milk, so only time will tell if Samsung will replace Milk with another app.

Source:
Variety
,
Samsung

milk
music
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Samsung to ditch physical Home button with the Galaxy S8

364

The short lived Galaxy Note 7 earlier this year has proven to be a nightmare for Samsung, as the company suffered huge losses due to battery issues surrounding the phablet and its failed global recall. Since then, the Korean giant has been picking up the pieces in hopes of making up for its losses and damages sustained, which brings us to why the Galaxy S8 is very much vital to Samsung.

The Galaxy S8 has been rumored for quite a bit now since the death of the Galaxy Note 7. The former device will definitely be Samsung’s life line, hence the company is said to be putting a lot of ground work into its next flagship series. Recent rumors tell us that Samsung will be using bezel-less OLED display panels for the S8. It is uncertain as to whether or not there will still be two variants when it comes to the S8 – a standard variant and an Edge variant, but a source from Weibo has claimed that the S8 will be retaining the same QHD resolution on its display, while Samsung will be implementing its new bezel-less OLED technology upon the 2017 flagship handset.

Samsung has also reportedly not ordered home buttons for the S8, which hints that the company might be ditching the physical Home button altogether with the device. The handset is also said to be featuring an on screen optical fingerprint sensor, replacing the current fingerprint sensor which doubles as the physical Home button. This leads us back to the company’s bezel-less display, with a huge possibility that the S8 will sport a much slimmer chin, also meaning that we might be expecting on screen buttons instead of capactive ones that currently flank the physical Home button.

These rumors support a previous rumor claiming that the Galaxy S8 will have 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, which will definitely make it an aesthetically attractive handset. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
GizmoChina

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Samsung to introduce Apple-style upgrade program for the Galaxy S7

297

Last year, Apple announced that it will be providing
an upgrade program
 for the iPhone, allowing users to get a new iPhone so long as they are on a contract. With Samsung’s S7 looming over the horizon, the Korean company is about to take a page out of Apple’s book and will be offering a similar upgrade program for its latest flagship.

According to reports from South Korea news source
Electronic Times
, Samsung may be launching a phone upgrade program when the S7 is released. Much like Apple’s upgrade program, Samsung’s upgrade program will allow users to upgrade their devices every year so long as they have a signed a 2 year contract with their telco provider. This system will first be implemented in its home country and may eventually be expanded to include other countries.

Currently, the Samsung S7 is expected to launch in March.

Source :
Electronic Times
,
Reuters

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Samsung to introduce an in-screen camera phone next year – might be the Samsung Galaxy Note 11

275

Yesterday, we reported that Samsung had filed a patent for a
reverse notch display
, following in the same trail as Xiaomi. Seemingly hot on the Chinese company’s heels again, Samsung looks set to introduce an in-screen camera phone sometime next year – Xiaomi and OPPO both teased their take on the tech a few months ago.

Reliable leaker Ice Universe tweeted shared on Twitter the news while mentioning that the phone in question will not be the Galaxy S11 or the Galaxy Fold 2 – so immediate guesses point towards the Galaxy Note 11 instead, as pointed out by Tech Radar.

But considering Samsung’s track record for testing out new innovations on their Galaxy A-series devices, we can’t discount the idea that the flagship Galaxy models won’t actually come with the feature at all, not yet at least until one of the A-series phones get it.

According to GizChina, Samsung’s version of the in-screen camera sensor would be called the HIAA2 and its mass production is set to begin early 2020. This is exciting stuff, because this could be
the
solution to notchless displays without the girth of a pop-up camera phone.

galaxy note 11
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selfie


Samsung to launch Galaxy S23 on February 2nd

5.8K

Samsung has sent out media invites on the announcement of the Galaxy S23, the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 will take place on 2nd February 2023 at San Francisco, and if you’d like to watch the livestream, you’d have to stay awake at 2AM Malaysian time.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S23 in three models as usual, which will comprise the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra, they are expected to come powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and the S23 Ultra might come with a 200MP main camera, which suggests why Samsung has decided to have the tagline “Share the Epic” for the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event, the phones’ cameras are also expected to have improved low light performance.

Malaysians looking forward to preorder the Galaxy S23 series can register your interest here, as Samsung is offering a RM200 e-voucher to be used when purchasing the phones, most details of the phone remained tight lipped for now, but as the day draws closer, we won’t be surprised if the Galaxy S23 series makes a leaked appearance like how we’d expect from any phone launches.

You can watch the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 livestream on 2nd February 2023, 2AM, on
Samsung Malaysia YouTube
,
Samsung
 Malaysia Official Website
,
Samsung Malaysia Facebook
 and
Samsung Malaysia Newsroom
.

galaxy unpacked 2023
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Samsung to launch the Galaxy Note 7 on the 2nd of August

286

It’s official, in three weeks’ time, Samsung will be officially announcing the Galaxy Note 7 at the company’s Unpacked 2016 event.

Held in New York City on the 2nd of August, this event will showcased the Galaxy Note 7 in all its glory. Also confirmed is the fact that the Samsung will indeed be skipping a number for its Note-series of smartphones in order to keep it up to date with its S-series counterpart. Most of the details regarding the Note 7 has been leaked out over the course of the past few months but for those who missed it, here’s a rundown of what we know of the Note 7 thus far.

For one, the phone will be sporting a 5.7″ QHD Super AMOLED dual-curved display, much like the ones found on the Galaxy S6 Edge and the S7 Edge. Other specifications that we do know about the Note 7 includes 64GB of storage space with microSD support, a 12MP rear camera with dual-pixel phase-detection autofocus, a 5MP front camera, an iris scanner, and an IP68 rating. Although nothing specific has been revealed just yet, Samsung did tease that the S Pen and the screen of the Note 7 will receive some added functionality.

So if you’re anticipating the release of the Note 7, mark the date on your calendar.

Source:
Samsung

galaxy
note7
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Samsung to manufacture a mid-range 14-nanometer processor : The Exynos 7 Octa 7870

300

Flagship level chips such as the Exynos 8 Octa 8890 won’t be the only thing coming out of the Samsung’s semiconductor factory as the Korean company has announced that they will be using the 14nm FinFET process technology to develop a chip meant for mid-tier mobile devices.

Dubbed the Exynos 7 Octa 7870, the chip is touted to consume over 30 percent less power than other mobile SoCs built with 28nm High-K Metal Gate process technology of the same performance level. Specifications-wise, the chip will be equipped with eight 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 cores and LTE Cat.6 2CA Modem that supports 300Mbps downlink speed and FDD-TDD joint carrier aggregation for better network flexibility. The chip will be able to support 1080p 60FPS video playback and WUXGA (1920×1200) display resolutions.

For imaging, the Exynos 7 Octa 7870’s image signal processor would be capable of delivering up to 16MP for both rear and front cameras, or 8MP each in dual camera mode. GNSS solution is also integrated to the chip, allowing it to deliver fast time-to-first-fix (TIFF) feature, enabling a robust mobile experience based on more accurate and rapidly transitioning location based services.

exynos7octa7870
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Samsung to open up second batch of Galaxy S7 Edge pre-orders tomorrow

262

Earlier today, Samsung opened pre-orders for 1,000 Galaxy S7 Edge units on its website. As expected, the website fell due to the amount of people attempting to pre-order the phone. After three hours, all 1,000 units have been snapped up. Now, thanks to the overwhelming response to the pre-order today, Samsung will be holding a second round of pre-orders for the company’s flagship smartphone.

Beginning tomorrow at 10 AM, Samsung will be holding another S7 Edge pre-order. This time, Samsung will be making 2,000 units available, giving more people the chance to snag the phone ahead of the S7 Edge’s official launch in Malaysia. Those who pre-order the S7 Edge tomorrow will receive a 15% discount as well as a complimentary 64GB microSD card.

If you’ve missed out on the first chance to pre-order the S7 Edge, tomorrow will be your next chance to do so. Seeing as the pre-order opens at 10 AM tomorrow, there is no reason to stay up late for this round of pre-orders. As usual, you’re going to want to bookmark the pre-order website as when the pre-orders officially open, we expect the website to go down a second time.

galaxys7edge
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samsung


Samsung to provide temporary fix for fire-prone Galaxy Note 7

295

It’s undeniable that the Galaxy Note 7 issues have taken a toll on Korean manufacturer Samsung. To recount earlier events, Samsung has announced a global recall involving appromixately 2.5 million units of the Galaxy Note 7 due to recent fire incidents reported by users worldwide. On top of that, numerous airlines have started banning the in-flight use of the phablet. Though there were rumors claiming that Samsung will start remotely disabling the Note 7, the company has since denied such claims. Now we have news that Samsung will be issuing a quick temporary fix for the overheating battery problem.

According to the Associated Press, Samsung will be rolling out an OTA update which will limit the Note 7’s battery charge to 60 percent, meaning that users won’t be able to recharge the phone to its full capacity, to prevent the battery from overheating. Spotted on the front page of South Korean newspaper Seoul Shinmun is an advertisement by Samsung, announcing the software update for the Galaxy Note 7, for users who intend to continue using the handset. According to Samsung, the sofware update will begin rolling out to South Korean Note 7 users at 2 a.m. on September 20. However, it is still a mystery on whether there will be a global rollout of the said software update. Samsung claimed that the OTA update is a safety measure for its consumers:

“
It is a measure to put consumer safety first but we apologize for causing inconvenience.”

The company will start shipping out replacements for recalled units of the Galaxy Note 7 starting 19 September next week. As the world’s largest smartphone maker, the Note 7 recall has badly hit Samsung’s reputation. Along with the launch of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus last week, it’s tough to say whether Samsung is able to bounce back from its loss.

 Source:
The Associated Press

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Samsung to reveal cause of Note 7 explosions next week

293

The Note 7 saga will come to an end next Monday as a person familiar with the matter has told Reuters that Samsung will be revealing its results of the investigation into the Note 7’s tendency to explode without warning.

While the specifics of the Note 7 investigation will not be revealed until the report is either published or announced, the person who spoke to Reuters confirmed that the cause behind the explosions that the Note 7 is indeed attributed to the battery. Said person further revealed that Samsung has managed to replicate the fires during its investigation and claims that the cause doesn’t seem to stem from either the hardware design or software of the smartphone.

Seeing as Samsung is looking to launch the Galaxy S8 in April, many investors and analysts have mentioned that Samsung must provide a convincing and detailed explanation about the Note 7’s flaws. Should Samsung fail to do so, it’ll most certainly impact its trust with the consumers.

Source:
Reuters

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Samsung to set up Galaxy Note 7 exchange stations in airports

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Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 has been outright banned from flights, meaning that the phone is not allowed onboard, even if its battery is completely discharged. This can pose a problem to frequent flyers as they would need to dispose of the phone they’ve paid good money for in order to get on the flight.

Samsung has a team of representatives at SFO to help customers with the Note7 phone. It’s banned from US flights.
pic.twitter.com/2IiEcg6hsU

— Sergio Quintana (@svqjournalist)
October 17, 2016

Because Samsung doesn’t need yet another PR disaster at this point, the Korean company has begun setting up exchange stations in various airports that would allow customers to refund their Note 7s, or swap it with a new phone. Currently, these exchange stations are only available in South Korea, but
CNet reports
 that Samsung will be setting up these stations in high traffic airports around the world. Samsung has announced that airports in Australia will be getting the exchange stations, and
ABC News
 has reported that the San Francisco International Airport will be getting one as well.

No word was given as to whether or not these exchange stations will be available in any of Malaysia’s airports. Until then, you should get your Note 7 exchanged at your nearest Samsung dealer.

Source:
CNet
,
ABC News

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Samsung to skip pass Note 6 and launch Galaxy Note 7

277

Rumors about Samsung’s upcoming flagship phablet have come a long way now, since their initial emergence at the beginning of this year. Claims that the Galaxy Note 6 will launch early have recently been shot down. This time round, we’re hearing that Samsung will be skipping the Note 6. But not to worry, the Korean manufacturer will still be releasing the phablet, known as the Galaxy Note 7, according to ET News.

Based on the report by South Korean news outlet, the reason behind the change in name, is to bring it level with the Galaxy S7 series, enabling consumers to perceive them better, instead of having to constantly remind themselves that Samsung’s Note series is a number behind the S series. More sense and less confusion, if the report turns out to be true. The Galaxy Note 7 might also sport a dual-edge panel on both the front and back of the device, which might just explain the absence of an Edge+ handset in this year’s cycle.

But then again, releasing a sole dual-edge phablet to the consumer market might end up in disappointment. Hence, we could be expecting a Galaxy Note 7, and just maybe, a Galaxy Note 7 Edge. What do you think?

Source:
ET News

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Samsung to unveil flagships on Feb 21

243

It isn’t leaked specs this time, but a leaked launch date. It turns out that Samsung might just be releasing the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge on the day before MWC (Mobile World Congress) at Barcelona.

While this isn’t as much of a surprise, two images, courtesy of Evan Blass’ Twitter seem like images of a press invite from the Korean OEM itself. One image shows the hashtag #TheNextGalaxy and the other clearly shows the launch date, which is Febuary 21 2016.

The source also claims that the devices will be released on March 11, nearly a month earlier than last year’s release of the S6 and S6 Edge.

Not too long ago we have received rumors that Samsung will be launching three flagship devices instead of the originally planned four. The S7 Edge is tipped to sport a 5.5 inch screen. hence the omission of the S7 Edge+.

With Samsung’s launch three weeks away, rumors have been on the roll so standby as we bring you more updates and juicy leaks!

Source: Evan Blass (
@evleaks
 on Twitter)

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Samsung to use all-ARM cores for future Exynos chipsets as mass layoffs hit custom CPU department in Texas

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In appears that not all is smooth sailing for world-number-one phone maker Samsung, as news have surfaced of a retrenching in their Texas CPU outpost.

The Korean giants apparently plan to halt the production and development of their custom Mongoose CPU cores for their Exynos chipsets. They will be utilizing ARM chips instead. Mongoose CPU cores are used as high-power chips within the CPU housing alongside mid-tier and low-powered ARM Cortex cores. With this news, it means that future Exynos chipsets will bell all-Cortex.

It’s still unsure if they will make custom versions of these Cortex processors like with Qualcomm and their Kyro cores in the Snapdragon processors.

It has been reported that 290 employees from custom CPU division will be laid off. According to Samsung, the company is doing this in order to remain competitive in the global market.

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Samsung tops the US smartphone sales chart, but iPhone still remains as best seller

286

Regions like the US are example of markets where smartphone makers push their flagship models. Unlike countries such as India and China, consumers in the US are often more capable of affording flagship smartphones. According to a report by Kantar World Panel, Samsung has bounced back, once again clinching first place in the US in smartphone sales.

The Q2 statistics show Samsung claiming 36.2 percent of the US smartphone market share, with Apple following closely behind at 34 percent. Both these giant brands already account for 70 percent of the market share, but Apple’s devices are still the more popular ones.

Kantar World Panel has pointed out that the iPhone 7 is the most popular smartphone in the US, followed by the iPhone 7 Plus. This goes to show that Samsung’s handsets aren’t the most popular even though they sell more collectively. The company’s Galaxy S7 sits in third, while its latest flagship the Galaxy S8 takes fourth place. The domination of both Apple and Samsung shows once again with both brands occupying 5 spots each in the top 10 smartphones in the US.

Samsung is said to face an uphill battle when Apple launches the iPhone 8 later this year, but with the former company launching the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung will probably be able to hold its own for some time.

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Samsung teases triple foldable phone and rollable OLED display

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Next year could well see Samsung take the spotlight once again as they tease two new unique devices – a triple-fold smartphone, and a rollable (and portable) OLED display.

Let’s start with the foldable smartphone – Samsung’s repertoire currently consists of two single-fold series in the Galaxy Fold and
Galaxy Z Flip
; so, this new supposedly upcoming device
differs
 in that the display has two hinges – letting it fold three times.

The adorable
comic/blog
 post on Samsung’s website details a drawing of the foldable and it
shows
 how flexible the device actually is. The overall size of the phone looks to be similar to the Galaxy Fold, both when closed and opened.

Moving on to the next device – this one’s a bit of a head-scratcher because it’s a
rollable
 screen, with possibly a smartphone or tablet’s hardware built into it. The screen rolls out from a tube and allows users to display apps and even type on with a digital keyboard. The tube, besides housing the display and hardware, also acts as a tilt stand of sorts, angling the panel downwards, making typing more comfortable.

It’s disorienting to imagine people carrying around white tubes in their pockets only for them to whip it out and start working on them like a tablet. But with that said, it’s also hard to imagine a digital keyboard being very intuitive to regular typing methods, since that relies on people being able to feel each key.

Of the two devices shown, the triple-fold smartphone seems the more likely to see the light of day, while the rollable screen looks more like a demo-piece more than anything. In any case, we’ll likely hear more of this from Samsung in the near future, so we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

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Samsung U28D590D 4K PC Monitor Review: Huge, Stunning and Plasticky

859

While 2K displays are ruling smartphone displays, 4K displays are starting to take over our living rooms and workplaces just like once Full HD does, people like you and me probably don’t have the budget to invest one of those curved and huge 4K TVs, our rooms might not even fit to have one either. Therefore, Samsung’s new 28” 4K PC Monitor – the U28D590D will do some justice for that budget and small space entertainment.

Samsung
 U28D590D Video Review

Samsung
 U28D590D Hardware Specifications

Screen Size:
 28”
Panel Type:
 TN (Twisted Nematic)
Contrast Ratio:
 1000:1 (Typ), Infinity Dynamic Contrast Ratio
Response Time:
 1ms (GTG)
Color Supported:
 1 Billion
Resolution:
 3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz (HDMI), 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz (DisplayPort)

Inputs:
 1 x 3.5mm Audio Out, 2 x DisplayPort 1.2, 1 x HDMI 1.3

The
Samsung
 U28D590D sure looks like a great monitor in pictures, when you look close at it the entire body is fully made of shiny gloss plastic, just like how old
Samsung
 monitors look like back a few years. We had actually thought that the product could’ve gotten a much more inspired design from the company’s own Smart TV design, however that doesn’t seem to be thecase.

Well, at least plastic chrome like
stand
 looks good to us.

Being a LED monitor, the Samsung U28D590D looks really thick in our opinion, it isn’t as sexy as you’ve seen on Samsung’s own Smart TV line ups, and with such a huge 28-inch panel, it is certainly going to take up some table space on your workplace. Lastly, there’s no built-in speakers on it.

At the back of the monitor, you’ll get 2 x DisplayPort 1.2 that outputs 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz and a HDMI port that outputs 3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz pictures, which means if you want to get a great and smooth experience, you’ll need to have a graphics card with DisplayPort output or you’ll have really choppy motions on that high resolution that’s going to make your head spin.

Instead of using an IPS panel, Samsung has opted the traditional TN (twisted nematic) display technology that benefits from short response times and lesser power consumption, despite having drawbacks such as color shifts on wider viewing angles, we have no problems in viewing the monitor from the side and top, color still looks great as it is and you will really appreciate that non-reflective matte display. The monitor has a response time of 1ms GTG (grey-to-grey).

This is a button and joystick that powers on/off and used to control the features of the monitor, it feels a little fragile.

The monitor’s OSD menu offers pretty much the same options that you’ll find on most Samsung monitors, one of the great features in there is Samsung’s MagicAngle which you can select the optimal viewing angles of the display, and that pretty much resolves the TN (twisted nematic) issue.

There’s also PIP (picture-in-picture) option if you have multiple input sources connected.

Our experience with the Samsung U28D590D was a good one, though we relied on a HDMI connection and easily got up to 4K resolution with our graphics card, the 4K resolution serves as an extremely good multitasking resolution, you will be able to open multiple working windows on it , and switch to them easily from one display, of course you may want to perform simple tasks when you’re on an HDMI connection as its motion refresh rate is limited at 30Hz. Thanks to the short 1ms response time, gaming and watching movies on the Samsung U28D590D isn’t too bad despite of that unbearable refresh rate, thanks to Samsung’s clever UHD up-scaling feature, watching Full HD movies on a 4K resolution is still a pleasure.

Verdict – A great budget 4K monitor, just make sure you have DisplayPort

While we have to admit that the Samsung U28D590D uses pretty cheap plastic materials for its body, this isn’t something that you are going to show off your friends like a smartphone, the 4K monitor performs as it should and we find no issues on using it, the only thing is that you just got to have a DisplayPort 1.2 device ready if you truly want to enjoy a smooth and great 4K computing experience. The Samsung U28D590D currently retails at RM1,899 and is available at local IT resellers.

The Good:

+ Great viewing angles for a TN panel
+ Two DisplayPorts
+ Reasonably affordable for a 4K monitor
+ Easy to use OSD menus
+ UHD up-scale

The Not so Good:

– Plastic build quality
– No VESA
mount
 capability
– Wobbly and fragile power/menu joystick
– Hurts to see 30Hz motion on HDMI

The Samsung U28D590D gets a score of 8.2/10.


Samsung U9000 65” Curved UHD TV Quick Review

397

4K TV’s are starting to become mainstream today and they are still sold at an expensive price tag, you can’t simply find a reason to invest one simply because of a better screen resolution. Meet the
Samsung
 U9000, the world’s first Curved UHD TV that gives users an immersive TV watching experience and doesn’t compromise in features. Before diving deep into features, the U9000’s design language looks gimmicky on first impressions. In fact, the TV is sleek and sexy, its curved form factor makes it look extremely futuristic and actually gives viewers a great viewing angle no matter where you sit in the living room.

Samsung
 U9000 65” Curved UHD TV Video Review

Future proof ready with One Connect

Similar to the S9 85” UHD TV that we reviewed last year, the
U9000
 also features the One Connect module which does cable management and offers a variety of input ports – 1 x Analog Antenna Input, 4 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Port, 2 x AV Component Inputs, 1 x USB 3.0 (1A), 1 x USB 2.0 (0.5A), and Optical Audio Output.

The One Connect still pretty much manages most of the processing power of the
U9000
, while Samsung claims that there is a quad-core processor built in to the TV itself, the device will also serve as an Evolution Kit, which consumers will be able to buy newer revisions of the hardware to upgrade their Smart TV experience.

Auto Depth Enhancer and 4 Level UHD Upscaling makes Pictures Alive

The
U9000
 features two important picture quality enhancers – the Auto Depth Enhancer and Real time 4 Level UHD Upscaling. Auto Depth Enhancer makes pictures pop and pronounced while watching the TV, it gives you a 3D like experience without wearing 3D glasses, you’ll immediately perceive it once you watch any HD content. If you think Full HD movies look bad in a 4K TV, the U9000’s real time 4 Level UHD Upscaling technology dramatically improves picture quality and color saturation, making our Full HD movies more detailed than ever.

New Remote with Bluetooth Connectivity and Gyroscope’

Samsung’s remote control used to be square looking or dominated by number pads, the U9000’s remote features an all new design with and has Bluetooth and NFC connectivity, the remote pairs with the TV via Bluetooth and eliminates the need of an IR blaster, you can also pair the remote with any
Android smartphone
 via the remote’s NFC to control the TV.

We like the curved and ergonomic design of the new remote,
Samsung
 mentions that the remote uses its built in Gyroscope to sense the user’s motion and determine the cursor’s selection on the TV, which we find it to be pretty precise in our usage.

Pricing and Availability

The
Samsung
 U9000 65” Curved UHD TV retails at RM21999 and available at all home consumer electronic stores such as Harvey Norman, SenQ and etc. The price isn’t cheap but for the features and quality you are getting in the
U9000
 and combined with a really great product design and future proof hardware, the
U9000
 is a product worth burning a hole in your pockets.


Samsung unleashes tough and powerful Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro tablet

4.6K

Samsung Unveils the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro in Malaysia: The New Gold Standard for Business and Frontline Workers

In a bid to cater to the evolving and demanding needs of businesses and frontline workers across a wide array of industries, Samsung has taken the wraps off the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro in Malaysia.

This rugged tablet not only boasts enterprise-level features that can be tailored to meet specific needs but also a sleek and portable design that effortlessly transitions between work and personal use.

Made to withstand tough environments without compromising performance, the tablet comes loaded with everything you need to hit the ground running – from end-to-end security to a plethora of accessories – right out of the box.

The Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro promises an enhanced performance and improved task efficiency, all thanks to its Snapdragon 778G SoC paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage, it features 5G and WiFi 6 connectivity options ensure seamless communication whether you’re indoors or braving the outdoors, delivering fast speeds, low latency, reliable access, and great capacity, making it an ideal companion for mission-critical applications.

The device also houses a substantial 7,600mAh battery that can be replaced, a boon for frontline workers who can now go through multiple shifts without having to recharge. The tablet can be fast charged via a USB-C cable or POGO cradle for multiple devices adds to its convenience.

The 10.1” LCD screen is ideal for multitasking and, weighing in at just 674g with a slim 10.2mm profile, the device can easily be carried around. To enable better productivity, the tablet supports Samsung DeX, which you can simply connect the tablet to a monitor or TV, and take video calls or presentations onto a bigger screen, while simultaneously carrying out other tasks on the tablet.

The tablet’s Touch Sensitivity mode allows usage even with gloves, and it can function in a No Battery mode for long hours without overheating or risking battery health. The device’s Active Key can be customized to launch specific apps or features, and its enhanced speaker volume ensures clear audio even in noisy environments.

Engineered for harsh environments, the Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro offers peace of mind to workers with its MIL-STD-810H certification, demonstrating its resilience against a series of 23 tests including exposure to altitude, temperature, vibration, dust, and humidity. The tablet, along with its S Pen, is also rated IP68 for dust and water resistance. Moreover, it is built to endure falls of up to 1.2m with the protective cover and 1.0m without.

The Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro comes with comprehensive security features and up to 5 years of security patch updates to ensure business continuity. It is also compatible with a range of accessories like a smart case, charging cradle, keyboard, and wearable barcode scanner, making it versatile for different work scenarios.

The Galaxy Tab Active4 Pro retails at RM3,299. To purchase, customers can reach out to Samsung’s authorized distributors: M-Link System (M) Sdn Bhd, SNS Network (M) Sdn Bhd, and Tri-e Marketing Sdn Bhd.

galaxy tab active 4 pro
samsung
samsung malaysia


Samsung Unpacked Part 2: What to expect

536

Samsung’s second instalment of their Unpacked 2021 event will happen tonight at 10pm.

There’s not a lot of information out there regarding what the brand will launch, but since we’ve witness all of Samsung’s big-ticket items already launched, we can expect to see everything else arrive during this event.

A new product that we’re hoping to see is the Galaxy S21 FE – this should be a value flagship like its predecessor, and it’ll come with plenty of premium hardware including a Snapdragon 888, a 120Hz AMOLED panel, wireless charging and more.

Aside from that, we can look forward to seeing the
Galaxy Z Flip3
 come in new colours; and many are basing this off of the event trailer shared by Samsung. We see in the video folding boxes coloured in white, blue, yellow, black, and pink; and these could be the new colours in question.

Image credit: @FrontTron (via Twitter)

Speaking of new colours, the Galaxy Buds 2 will also sport new colours – the most interesting addition is a custom-designed motif made in collaboration with
Maison Kitsune
, a French-Japanese music and fashion label.

These are likely all the products launching during the Unpacked event tonight; you can tune into the livestream via Samsung’s YouTube channel
here
.

samsung
unpacked


Samsung could unveil new social network with Galaxy S9

338

Last year, the Galaxy S8 got Bixby, the company’s revamped virtual assistant over S-Voice. This year, the Galaxy S9 is reportedly to come with the company’s own social network called “Uhhsup”, which will apparently compete with established social media platforms out there. As reported by Android Community via HeraldCorp, the service will have features such as sharing real-time location as well as sending messages, though it is unknown if the latter feature would work with non-Samsung smartphones, we did also report back then that the Galaxy S9 would come with 3D emojis, Apple’s Animoji competitor, so Uhhsup might be the service taking advantage of the feature.

Samsung ChatON, Image Credit: Android Headlines.

This isn’t the first time Samsung has experimented with a social messaging app, as the company used to have ChatOn pre-installed on its phones a long time ago, which was discontinued due to the lack of users and increased demand of WhatsApp and Viber. HeraldCorp also reports that the company has also trademarked “Samsung Social” for the service’s name in the Korean Market, while Uhhsup is registered with the EU Intellectual Property Office.

It is unclear what Samsung’s motive is behind Uhhsup, or Samsung Social, but if this feature were to be released exclusively for the Galaxy S9 or recent Samsung flagships, the company is sure to have a hard time to even compete with Apple’s iMessage and Animojis, but let’s hope this doesn’t become the next Bixby when it unveils on February 25.

galaxy s9
mwc 2018
samsung
uhhsup


Samsung to unveil non-Galaxy clamshell flagship

354

Clamshell phones used to be one of the most popular form factors in the era of feature phones apart from candy bars and sliders. Today, some companies are still trying to tap into the disappearing demand for clamshell phones, but Samsung is rumored to be launching another clamshell smartphone later this year with flagship specs but no Galaxy branding.

A tipster from Twitter has claimed that there will be a Samsung W2018 clamshell smartphone, which was leaked on TENAA not too long ago. The recent TENAA listing indicates that the Samsung W2018 will sport two 4.2-inch AMOLED displays which form a combined Full HD screen.

Twitter tipster “mmddj_china” claims that the Samsung W2018 will be powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor underneath the hood, with a possible 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. These specs differ from the ones listed on TENAA – SD821 with 4GB of RAM. Either way, take them with a huge grain of salt.

Other rumors so far include a 12MP rear facing camera, which might be the exact same sensor used for the Galaxy S7 and S8 series. Would you fancy a clamshell smartphone in 2017?

clamshells
flagship
samsung
smartphone
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w2018


Samsung unveiled its foldable smartphone with 7.3-inch Infinity Flex display

299

Leaks and rumours on the foldable smartphone by Samsung have been going around for a few months now and for the first time, Samsung reveals the smartphone at the Developer Conference in San Francisco.

Unlike the FlexPai, Samsung’s foldable smartphone can be folded all the way just like a book, and when it’s unfolded it measures at 7.3 inches. Samsung also called their new display the Infinity Flex Display when unfolded and when folded, it’s referred to as the Cover Display. The phone comes with multiple layers that includes flexible backplane for the foldability and shock absorbent film to prevent the phone from easily breaking. Samsung also created a new polariser that is 45% thinner to allow the phone to be folded properly, in addition to announcing that they plan on creating technology that can allow rollable and stretchable displays in the future. Apart from that, it was announced that the foldable smartphone will be able to run up to three apps at once.

Many are now guessing the name of the Samsung’s foldable phone, some calling it the Galaxy X while the others referring it as the Galaxy F. Though the smartphone is still just a prototype, Justin Denison, Samsung’s SVP of mobile product marketing announced that there will be a mass production of the Infinity Flex Display in “matter of months” which means that the smartphone might be released as early as the first half of next year.

Though Royole is the first startup to released their foldable Android phone called the FlexPai, the smartphone did not seem as practical because few issues where spotted when it was displayed and it cannot be fully folded unlike the Samsung’s foldable smartphone, which makes it less convenient to be carried around, in addition to the smartphone having a 7.8 inch display. There are also other smartphone brands that hinted on releasing foldable smartphones such as Huawei, Lenovo, Xiaomi and also LG.

Although this is a great advancement in technology, we will have to wait till next year to know if the foldable smartphones are going to be well-received by consumers.

foldable smartphone
Infinity Flex Display
samsung


Samsung unveils a 360 camera that has 17-lens for VR use

303

After releasing a headset that will support the Mixed Reality update that will be coming to Windows 10, Samsung feels really confident in the VR market and has unveiled a new 17-lens 360-degrees camera for VR and can live-stream in 4K.

This device is called the 360 Round and alongside its 17 cameras, it also has six onboard mics for spatial audio and supports two external mic hookups. Other than that, it comes with 50GB of internal memory with support for 2TB of SSD, gyroscope, accelerometer and live-streaming of up to 4,096 X 2,048 resolution at 30FPS. It is also dust and water resistant with a rating of IP65, so shooting out in the elements would not be a problem just as long it is not submerged in water for too long.

Samsung has not announced the price for this VR camera but we would assume that it will come with a premium price as the specs are no joke. It is also obvious that this camera is targeted at professional filmmakers and users that will take advantage of this power.

30FPS
360
4k
camera
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Samsung unveils collaboration with Under Armour to offer better fitness tracking

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When it comes to fitness tracking, sometimes it is not just all about the hardware; the software is just as important. With that in mind, Samsung strengthens its wearables with a collaboration with Under Armour, a popular sports apparel brand, to bring you a more authentic fitness experience. By combining Samsung’s mobile technology via its wearable devices and bringing it together with Under Armour’s connected fitness expertise, you can better track your nutrition, daily workouts, running routes, or just simply keeping in touch with a digital personal trainer to keep you motivated.

Under Armour will develop four of its globally renowned health and fitness apps for the Samsung Gear Fit2, Gear S2 and Gear S3, with access to Under Armour’s digital community. The fitness apps will be available as part of Under Armour Connected Fitness suite including UA Record, MyFitnessPal, MapMyRun, and Endomondo.

In addition to these apps, Samsung will also offer unique functionalities for the Gear Fit2, Gear S2, and Gear S3. Samsung Gear Fit2 users will have access to UA Record, MapMyRun, and MyFitnessPal apps starting 4 January 2017, and the Endomondo app will also be available for Gear Fit2 in January. As for Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S3 users, you will be able to download the suite of apps in early 2017 with complete features, depending on your region.

apps
fitness
samsung
trackers
underarmour
wearables


Samsung unveils India exclusive Galaxy On8

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Samsung has just launched a new Galaxy On8 in India earlier today, adding another handset to their budget “On” lineup. Apart from that, its spec sheet sounds like just another mid range device in Samsung’s huge collection, but let’s take a look at it anyway.

The Galaxy On8 differs from the likes of the Galaxy On5 and On7, sporting an Super AMOLED panel as opposed to an LCD one, at 5.5-inches and in 1080p resolution. This will mean deeper blacks, more saturated and vibrant colors compared to the On5 and On7. Underneath the hood is a unnamed 1.6 GHz processor, which could possibly be Samsung’s home grown Exynos 7870 Octa. Coupling the processor are 3GB of RAM plus 16GB of onboard storage, expandable via micro SD.

The rear camera on the Galaxy On8 is a 13MP shooter with an impressive f/1.9 aperture to capture more light, plus a 5MP selfie camera on the front. The handset packs a 3,300mAh battery. Other specs include VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) support for crystal clear calls on supported carriers and devices. The Galaxy On8 is an India exclusive device as mentioned in the title, and will be available through FlipKart (exclusively as well) starting this coming 2nd of October. The phone carries a price tag of INR 15,990 (RM994.87). What do you think?

Source:
GSM Arena

amoled
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Samsung unveils new Burgundy Red Galaxy S8

318

As usual, Samsung is adding more color options for its flagships so it’s no surprise that the company’s early 2017 flagship Galaxy S8 is now made available in a new Burgundy color. Launched in South Korea in conjunction with the fall season, this attractive looking version of the Galaxy S8 will likely stay if the demand is great.

Five years ago, Samsung made the Galaxy S3 available in Red. The Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 looks very similar to the former handset, just with a little more hint of brown in the paint job. If only Samsung would have made the Burgundy Red color option as one of the S8’s original variants during its launch, who knows? The company might have sold a couple million more units of its flagship.

The Burgundy Red color option is certainly a gorgeous sight, but will likely be limited to the South Korean market. We might see this variant of the Galaxy S8 making its way out of the country to other regions be we can’t confirm anything at the moment. What paint job would you like to give the Galaxy S8?

burgundy red
color
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Samsung unveils their new Exynos 9810 flagship processor

351

Samsung said that they would launch their new Exynos processor when the Galaxy S9 launches next year but recently, they have announced that the new Exynos 9810 is now official. This is the successor to the 8895 which is currently in the S8 and Note 8 phones.

There was no launch event or press releases so there is still not much information that has been released by the Korean company. Some of the things that we know are that it comes with a new Category 18 LTE modem which they unveiled earlier this year which will allow speeds up to 1.2Gbps. They also stated that it will come with eight cores, an upgraded Mali G71 clocked at 550MHz but no mention if it comes with an AI processor. Another known fact is that they have opted for a custom design route which means that they will not take advantage of any ARM resources like DynamIQ technology or any design that relates back to ARM.

With an early unveil of their new flagship processor, it would seem like the first step in developing their new flagship device will probably be underway as well. We will probably get more information on the features and capabilities of this new processor closer to the launch of next year’s flagship phone.

9810
exynos
mobile
processor
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Samsung unveils a smartboard with a 55-inch 4K screen

323

Samsung has just unveiled their own smartboard called Flip during CES 2018. The Flip is Samsung’s answer to Google’s Jamboard and Microsoft’s Surface Hub which allows companies to perform collaborative work and use it as a display for other devices.

The Flip can be used in landscape or portrait mode and comes with a height-adjustable stand making it perfect for meeting rooms or collaborative spaces. It has a 4K display and comes with wireless connectivity, USB, PC and mobile ports allowing almost any device to connect to the display. This will allow you to share contents on your devices to the screen, four people can draw on the screen at the same time using a stylus or with their fingers and there is a meeting software to manage and store meeting content in a central database.

Samsung has not revealed the operating system powering the Flip or pricing during their unveiling, but an assumption would be that it would be priced around the same as Google’s and Microsoft’s smartboards as they both have 55-inch screens and are made for the same reasons as the Flip

business
flip
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smartboard


Samsung unveils a Snapdragon equipped flip phone

322

Flip phones in a time long past, was the in-thing, similar to what smartphones are now but since the age of slab phones, flip phones have been left in dark, until now. Samsung has been trying to bring back the glory of flip phones by unveiling the SM-G9298 flip phone that has recently been certified by TENAA in China.

The new phone will be most probably be called the Samsung W2018 which looks similar to the W2017 with a few differences. According to the TENAA listing, it sports two 4.2-inch Full HD display on the two sides on the top half of the phone and is powered by the Snapdragon 821AB chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 2,300mAh battery, 12 MP rear camera, 2 MP front camera and will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Looking at the specs, we can conclude that this is just an updated version of the previous rendition of this phone however, nothing has been confirmed and we would still need to wait for the official statement from Samsung.

What do you think about the revival of the flip phones? Could there be a place for these phones in this current time, or is this just a gimmick that might die out in a couple of months? We will find out soon when the phone launches.

android
dual screens
flip phone
samsung
w2018


Samsung unveils the extremely thin 5.9mm Galaxy A8 with a huge 3050mAh battery

350

After a moment of silence,
Samsung
 is beginning to make things interesting in the mobile space as the leading Android smartphone manufacturer, the company’s Galaxy A8 has just gone official on its site and it is the thinnest smartphone ever released by Korean company at a mere 5.9mm.

The
Galaxy
 A8’s performance internals consist of a mid-range Snapdragon 615 SoC which has been widely used in most thin smartphones, it has 2GB of RAM, up to 32GB of internal memory expandable via Micro SD, a 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, a f/1.9 aperture 16-megapixel main and 5-megapixel front camera, and surprisingly packs a huge 3050mAh battery despite of its form factor which also challenges many of its competitors out there. The phone will also come preloaded with the company’s slimmed down TouchWiz UX based on Android Lollipop, features the very same swipe fingerprint scanner found on the Galaxy S6 and supports LTE networks.

Now that the
Galaxy

A8 is made official, there has been no indication on pricing and global availability from officials, as it is currently a China exclusive device, but knowing Sammy, we could expect the device to reach here very soon, and this could be a more appealing device if you’re not up for the
Galaxy

S6’s performance since the phone packs pretty much the same camera optics and should have a decent everyday performance.

59mm
a8
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malaysia
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Samsung unveils the Galaxy Tab S2 in two different sizes

384

Samsung

has released yet another model in its premium
tablet

range that is designed for style, productivity and entertainment. The
Galaxy Tab S2
, the slimmest and lightest
tablet

to date with a sleek metal frame finishing, come in two iterations: the 8-inch and the 9.7-inch sizes, and weighing 272g and 392g respectively.

Just like most of Samsung’s premium devices, the
Tab
S2

is fitted with Super AMOLED display to give you 94% natural tones to show true-to-life colours. Inside, you will find Samsung’s Exynos Octacore application processor, paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory. Not enough storage? No worries there, as the
Tab S2

comes with expandable memory support up to 128GB.

The
Galaxy
Tab
S2
 will also come preloaded with iflix, a popular Internet TV streaming service in South East Asia, as well asSamsung Milk Music, a radio streaming service designed especially for
Samsung
 users. Good news to those planning to buy aSamsung Tab S2: you will enjoy 1-year free subscription to iflix with your purchase of the tablet.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will be available in Malaysia starting from 14 August 2015, priced at RM1,699 for the 8-inch size, and RM1,999 for the 9.7-inch.Comes in three colour options: gold, white and black.

Here’s a quick first look and hands-on during the media orientation.

colours
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pricing
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Samsung unwraps Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

308

If you have been following the rumors and leaks about Samsung’s flagship lineup, chances are that you won’t be surprised by what Samsung has in store for you. Nevertheless, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge has been unveiled by Samsung so let’s dive in deeper to the hype.

Samsung has returned yet again with a flagship and a curved screen variant like it did last year with the S6 and S6 Edge. This time however, as rumored, the Edge Plus variant is being ommited, with the S7 Edge sporting a larger form factor compared to the S7. We’ll get back to that in a bit. But first, let’s talk about the design. Samsung did not go drastic with its design like it did last year, maintaining a glass and metal unibody design with some smoothing of rough edges. Similar to the Galaxy Note 5’s design build, the S7 lineup has more rounded edges instead of the sharp ones in the S6 lineup. Apart from that, the placement of buttons are the same. One thing to note is Samsung has decided to maintain its micro USB port instead of the new USB Type-C port featured on many Android devices lately, including the brand new LG G5.

It is no surprise that Samsung’s devices always sport one of the best displays out there and it still seems to be the case this year. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge come with 5.1 inch and 5.5 inch displays respectively. Both at QHD resolution and are Super AMOLED screens, known for deep blacks and saturated colors. Like on the LG G5, a new always-on display that shows the time and notification is being added to the S7 lineup, with Samsung claiming that the always-on display will only drain less than 1% of the battery.

Under the hood, the S7 lineup will sport either a Snapdragon 820 or Samsung’s homegrown Exynos SoC, which has yet to be confirmed but it is rumored to be the Exynos 8890. 4GB RAM seems to be the benchmark for 2016’s flagships, and the S7 and S7 Edge weren’t left out. Having caused quite the commotion with the ommision of expandable storage in the S6 lineup, it has made a return this year. A micro SD slot is available on the S7’s hyrbid dual SIM or one SIM with expandable storage slot. Another resurrected feature from 2014’s Galaxy S5 is water and dust resistance. The S7 lineup comes with an IP68 rating. Both the batteries on the S7 and S7 Edge have received a bump up to 3,000mAh and 3,600mAh respectively. Quick charge returns to the flagships as a staple for smartphones, with wireless charging available as an essential. Rumors have hit the jackpot once again, with the S7 lineup featuring a 12MP rear facing camera from last years 16MP, but with a larger pixel size of 1.4 microns, coupled with an aperture of f/1.7, to create better low lighting performance. Samsung has also reduced the protrusion of the camera, giving it a smaller bulge this time. The S7 lineup has maintained a 5MP selfie shooter, with the increased f/1.7 aperture.

On the software side, the S7 lineup runs TouchWiz UI with a slight overhauk on top of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. There seems to be another hint that Android N won’t be having an app drawer, with TouchWiz providing an option to remover the app drawer. The LG G5 on the other hand, decided to omit the whole idea of an app drawer. Like on the S6 Edge, Samsung takes advantage of the Edge interface, squeezing more content into the Edge panel.

With the S7 lineup and the LG G5 out the open, how do they fare against each other? What do you think about the Samsung’s new flagship devices? Let us know at the comments section below and stay tuned as we bring you more news from MWC.

edge
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Samsung’s upcoming phone is reported to come with a pop-up camera

401

You’ve seen Samsung’s phones; they have their own names for the different types of notch — Infinity O, Infinity V and Infinity U — but now the Korean company might finally be joining the pop-up camera party.

According to renders by OnLeaks and Pigtou, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy phone has a pop-up front camera which we’re guessing will be from the Galaxy A series since the design features a physical fingerprint scanner on the back.

Image credit: OnLeaks/Pigtou

Other than the obvious triple camera setup paired with a rear fingerprint scanner, this Samsung phone should come with a 6.5-inch display. You’ll also notice that the headphone jack is gone and it’ll be sporting a USB-C port.

According to
Pigtou
, the phone is most likely to be launched in the coming months, but there’s no specific dates yet. We’ll have to wait and see if Samsung has anything unusual to offer with this phone; right now, the design is nothing out of the ordinary.

pop up camera
samsung


Samsung has a new update to fix camera autofocus issues

369

When the Samsung Galaxy S20 series was launched, reviewers and many users have noticed an autofocus issue that was then promised to be fixed by Samsung in its next software update. Well, that update is here.

Galaxy S20 users have been complaining about the slow speed of autofocus when they’re using the cameras, hindering them from focusing on a subject properly in videos. In addition, taking picture of a subject consecutively will also cause some pictures to turn out blurry. But Samsung has a fix for that now in its newest update.

Image credit: Cnet

The update is currently only available to Exynos variants of the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra. However, this is not an OTA update yet, so users will have to sideload it via Samsung Smart Switch.

As for those with Snapdragon variants of the phone, you’ll have to be more patient. Luckily for us Malaysians, the Samsung Galaxy S20 series uses the Exynos chipset here.

exynos
galaxy s20
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Samsung’s update roadmap excluded the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8

360

Samsung has begun releasing the Android 10 update roadmap for its devices in many regions, but surprisingly all these roadmaps are excluding the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8.

The roadmaps all point to the fact that the first Galaxy S10 series will be the first to get One UI 2.0 based on Android 10 in January 2020, followed by several other devices like the Galaxy M20, Galaxy S9 series and more — but none mentioned the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 that were released in 2017.

One UI 2 update schedule
 from
r/Android

While the two models were shipped with Android 7 Nougat and received their upgrades up to Android 9, there are many who argued that they should have been shipped with Android 8 from the beginning. This would’ve saved them from being excluded from Samsung’s Android 10 update roadmap, but sadly that isn’t the case.

In the meantime, Samsung is rolling out the Android 10 update to many of its recent devices, but some may have to wait till September 2020 to get the update. By then, we might already be looking at Android 11.

Android 10
galaxy note 8
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Samsung ups the ante by introducing new 64MP ISOCELL sensor for mobile devices

344

Smartphone manufacturers are just starting to implement 48MP lenses in their devices; while users are starting to only grasp the capabilities of such a high resolution. Samsung, however, is setting their sights even further as they’ve introduced new sensors that are capable of 64MP imaging.

The Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 boasts the highest resolution in the market and is built on a 0.8 micro-pixel image sensor and uses Tetracell pixel-merging technology as well as re-mosaic algorithm. Tetracell technology merges four pixels into one to create higher quality images.

Image credit: Samsung

In situations with proper lighting, Tetracell utilizes re-mosaic algorithm to create full resolution images – so you’re still producing the full 64MP resolution that the lens is capable of. This sensor also supports real-time high dynamic range (HDR) of up to 100-decibels to improve hue production.

It may take a while before manufacturers start implementing this sensor into their devices, so for now, 48MP will have to do.

48mp
64MP
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Samsung Wallet to be available in Malaysia in coming weeks

9.4K

Looks like Samsung is starting to ramp up its efforts in the digital wallet space, as the Korean smartphone maker is set to introduce Samsung Wallet in Malaysia by the end of January, which Malaysia is one of the eight new countries to have support the feature.

Much like Apple’s Wallet app, Samsung Wallet not only integrates the existing Samsung Pay feature that enables digital credit and debit card payments, but also supports storing other credentials securely such as digitalised personal IDs, student IDs, boarding passes, supported cryptocurrencies, digital keys, movie tickets and more.

Samsung Wallet is only supported on Galaxy phones, which isn’t surprising as it is built on an operating system level with the company’s Knox security in place, compatible devices include most recent phones that come with Samsung Pay already preinstalled, which you can perform either a software upgrade or download the Samsung Wallet app from the Galaxy Store when it becomes available.

Samsung has worked with automotive companies such as BMW, Porsche, Hyundai on enabling digital car keys using Samsugn Wallet in other markets, we should also expect some partnership announcements when it launches here, and Samsung definitely needs to keep this momentum high as Apple Pay and Google Pay are already available to Malaysians.

Source:
Samsung Newsroom

samsung
samsung pay
samsung wallet malaysia


Samsung wants the Gear S2 to help make your new year resolution

263

Shortly after launching the Gear S2 in Malaysia, Samsung isn’t quiet just yet as the company has initiated a roadshow in Sunway Pyramid for its most exciting ever smart watch yet, the Gear S2 smart watch features an entirely new and modern design yet it continues to deliver improved features out of the box, such as a redesigned user Tizen based OS interface for its round clockface and the ability to support most Android 4.4 KitKat and later devices.

As year 2015 is coming to an end, Samsung wants the Gear S2 to make your new year resolution come true, either being more productive or active in life, hence the four day roadshow in Sunway Pyramid happening from today until this weekend is set to make purchasing your new Gear S2 and Samsung devices more attractive:

The first 100 customers to purchase a Gear S2 will receive a free band strap worth RM199

The first 50 customers who purchase a Samsung Galaxy Note5 or the Galaxy S6 edge+ will receive a 10% discount for the Gear S2 plus a free band strap.

Just to recap as well that the Samsung Gear S2 will retail at RM1,399 and RM1,599 respectively for the standard and Classic variant, we would recommend you to get the Classic, as you would be able to switch the straps if you want.

gear
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Samsung wants to change its traditional work culture into a startup-like environment

303

Korean work culture isn’t exactly one of the country’s strong points. With ridiculous amounts of overtime and a top-down culture, being a salaryman in Korea is an extremely taxing prospect. Samsung is no different as far as work culture in its home country is concerned. However, rumours are going around that Samsung is looking to move away from this taxes system in favour of a more startup-like work culture.

In a report by Reuters, Samsung’s executives will be signing a pledge to move away from its hierarchy-based culture and is aiming to move to a working environment that fosters open dialogue. Samsung is also expected to reduce the number of levels in its staff hierarchy and hold more frequent online discussions between business division heads and employees.

Samsung’s move to change its entire work culture is attributed to the company’s rapid decline in smartphone profits as well as the absence of new businesses to drive growth. Thus far, various moves to ease the rigid corporate culture in Samsung have been implemented such as including flexible work hours, loosening dress code requirements and putting less pressure on employees to attend after-work drinking sessions.

While Samsung’s attempts to change its work ethics around, some of the company’s current and former employees are skeptical about the effectiveness of the change. Analysts also say that by shifting to a more startup-like work environment, the company may lose its edge as a fast-execution hardware company.

Whatever the case, it’ll be interesting to see if Samsung is serious about changing its work culture, or it is yet another flash in a pan idea that would be reverted within months.

Source:
Reuters

corporate
samsung


Samsung wants you to know that the GALAXY Note 4 is STRONG!

345

After seeing the iPhone bend and bend tests on other current smartphones, you might start to get worried if the durability of future smartphones.
Samsung
 wants you to feel confident on its upcoming
GALAXY
 Note 4 and the company has just uploaded a pretty legit video on telling you that the GALAXY Note 4 is thin, light but strong.

The test is done similarly using the three point test and it is sufficient enough for breaking 3 pencils,
Samsung
 has even done a pretty good job by showing a test of a usual human hip weighing 100kg and sit on it for 100 times. The phone does tilt a little but it doesn’t bend permanently or deform as you can see on other devices. The reason that the Note 4 has not bent is due to its metal frame, magnesium bracket while mutually reinforcing structure between parts.

Samsung
 has begun to made more sense in its recent marketing videos and we really commend the company for doing that. Let’s hope the GALAXY Note 4 really survives in that way when it gets released in the market.


Samsung will be mass producing 256GB Universal Flash Storage chips

254

Smartphones don’t exactly have huge storage space to begin with. However, Samsung is aiming to change that as they have announced that they will be mass producing the industry’s first 256GB embedded memory chip.

Based on the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 standard, Samsung states that these chips are capable of exceeding the performance of a typical SATA-based SSD for PCs. This chip will be capable of handling up to 45,000 and 40,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) for random reading and writing respectively. For sequential reading, Samsung is saying that this memory chip will take advantage of two lanes of data transfer to move data at up to 850MB/s. It will also support up to 260MB/s for sequential writing.

The performance of this chip, Samsung says, will allow it to support seamless Ultra HD video playback and multitasking functionality on large-screen mobile devices, such as watching 4K Ultra HD movies on a split screen while searching image files or downloading video clips. The 256GB capacity that comes with the chip will also allow it to store up to 47 Full HD movies.

With this announcement, you can expect to see high-end smartphones with a huge storage capacity some time in the near future.

Source:
Samsung

chip
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Samsung will continue using the Galaxy Note brand

301

Back when the Note 7 explosion became a common occurance, many were wondering if Samsung would retire the Galaxy Note brand altogether in order to distance itself from the Note 7 disaster. Well, you don’t have to wonder any longer as Samsung has come out and said that the Galaxy Note brand will continue to live on.

Speaking to CNet, Samsung’s mobile chief D.J. Koh assures them that the Galaxy Note 8 will be coming to the market. Koh also mentioned that the phone will be “better, safer, and very innovative.” As for the reason why Samsung has decided to continue using the Galaxy Note brand, Koh cites the fact that there are many loyal Note fans in the market as the reason why the company will stick with the brand, despite the fact that the Galaxy Note 7 has managed to tarnish the name of the brand.

As yesterday’s report shows, Samsung has been doing a good job with revealing what exactly went wrong with the Galaxy Note 7. Should this be the attitude that Samsung brings forward with the upcoming Note 8, it seems to be a good sign that the Note 7 will just be a black mark on the Galaxy Note brand as a whole.

Source:
CNet
,
The Verge

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Samsung will issue a "quick fix" for the Galaxy Note 7's battery; limits battery to 60% capacity

341

As some of you may know, Samsung currently has a tiny problem with the Galaxy Note 7’s battery. This problem has led to the company issuing a global recall of the phone, advising owners of the Note 7 to trade in their phones ASAP. Of course, there are people who are way too stubborn to do so, so Samsung will be issuing a software update to the Note 7 that would see the limit the phone’s battery capacity to 60%.

Scheduled to be available on the 20th of September in South Korea, this update would limit the Note 7’s battery capacity in an attempt to prevent overheating issues that may lead to an exploding phone. Samsung has not currently mentioned anything about an international version of this update, but it isn’t too much of a stretch to say that international users will be getting the update as well.

It is uncertain if limiting the battery capacity of the Note 7 would actually prevent the phone’s battery from exploding in the first place. In any case, Samsung hopes that the more stubborn users would proceed to switch their Note 7s due to the subpar battery. If that still doesn’t convince current Note 7 users to swap their phones for a brand new unit, Samsung can, at the very least, say that they’ve actively tried to fix the battery issue when the company eventually defends itself against lawsuits from consumers.

Source:
AP

battery
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Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 phones on 25 February

326

Samsung has sent out media invites for the launch of the Galaxy S9 phones which will be held on 25 February in Barcelona. The smartphone maker is set to launch both the S9 and S9 Plus which will supposedly come with the latest Exynos 9810 processor and the Snapdragon 845 processor.

Samsung Galaxy S9 leaked render

The invite comes with a slogan that says “The Camera, Reimagined” which indicates that the S9 phones will come with improved camera technology. Based on current leaks, the phones are said to come with 18.5:9 Infinity display with reduced bezels and the fingerprint sensor is now in a better position under the camera. The S9 is said to come with a single camera setup, while the S9 Plus comes with a dual-camera setup.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus leaked render

There will be an increase in performance over the S8 with the new processors and advanced software that will be in the S9 phones. Reports have also indicated that the phone will be open for pre-orders one day after the event with units shipping on March 16 to customers.

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Samsung will launch the Galaxy S22 in the Decentraland metaverse

869

Virtual tech launches aren’t new since the pandemic happened, as the Galaxy S22 and Tab S8 series is about to be unveiled today, Samsung has made a rather interesting move by letting users experience the Galaxy Unpacked experience in the
Decentraland
 metaverse.

Decentraland is a 3D virtual world web browser platform where it allows users to purchase assets and land as an NFT, we are unsure if you can actually purchase any Gaalxy S22 related NFT in its virtual world, there should be something in store for NFT collectors to purchase, this is a rather ingenious way of launching a smartphone and could potentially attract more people due to the popularity of the platform.

Samsung isn’t new to the Metaverse by all means, as it has launched its 837X virtual world back in CES 2022, could this be a sign of the tech company for the Metaverse and continue developing products and services for it, or does it have anything to do with the future of Galaxy flagships?

More will be unveiled today at the
Galaxy Unpacked 2022
 event starting at 11PM.

Source:
Sammobile

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Samsung will launch the Galaxy S8 on the 29th of March in New York

296

After months worth of rumours, Samsung has finally pinned down a date for its upcoming Galaxy S8 launch and it will be on the 29th of March.

On that day, Samsung will be hosting an Unpacked event that will be held at New York. While Samsung will only reveal more details about the S8 and the S8+ at the event, the rumours that have been leaked thus far has revealed quite a few things about Samsung’s next flagship phone. For one, we know that the S8 units will not come with a
Home Button
. Storage-wise, the S8 is expected to come with UFS 2.1 storage. The S8 is also rumoured to come with the company’s own A.I. called Bixby. For specifications, rumours are going around that some models of the S8 will sport the brand new
Exynos 9
 processor with up to 8GB of RAM.

Seeing as there’s still a whole month left before the S8 gets revealed proper, do expect more leaks about the phone as the launch date approaches.

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Samsung will pocket more than $14 billion from Apple’s iPhone X

286

While both Apple and Samsung are constantly at loggerheads with ongoing patent disputes and so on, most of us do know that behind all that, Samsung still manufactures numerous components for the Cupertino giant’s iPhones, especially OLED displays, which Samsung is known for. According to a report by Wall Street Journal, Apple won’t be the only one coming out as a winner when the iPhone X rises to success.

Since Samsung plays a vital role in making iPhone components, the South Korean company will be raking in a huge amount of cash from Apple. A recent research estimates a total sot of $110 in Samsung made components in the iPhone X. Apple is currently making a total of 130 million units of the handset, which will translate to more than $14 billion in earnings for Samsung.

How much does rivalry matter when Samsung is busy collecting its money behind the scenes? While Apple will only further boost its brand fame and prestige with the release of the iPhone X, Samsung will be a definite winner together with Apple, at the expense of the latter’s flagship. What do you think?

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Samsung will reveal the Gear S3 on the 31st of August

356

While nobody is quite sure if ASUS will indeed be announcing the Zenwatch 3 at the end of the month, Samsung has been a bit more direct as they have announced that they will be announcing a new wearable device on the 31st of August.

Stay tuned for a timely innovation. August 31. Berlin.
pic.twitter.com/kUMG3l6BEs

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile)
August 15, 2016

The image used for this event is that of an abstracted round clock face with the caption “Talk about 3.” Putting these two together, it is easy to draw a conclusion that Samsung will be revealing this year’s iteration of the company’s own smartwatch. Of course, Samsung has not explicitly said that it would be announcing the Gear S3.

Barely any information about the supposed Gear S3 has been leaked so far, so no one really knows what to expect of the device, but if the image is to be believed, we can at the very least expect that the Gear S3 will retain the shape of the Gear S2. Samsung’s announcement will take place on the 1st of September at 12am local time.

Source:
The Verge

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Samsung will reveal the launch date of the Galaxy S8 at MWC 2017

276

We know for a fact that Samsung will not be launching the S8 at Barcelona in two weeks’ time. That being said, Samsung will at least be giving out one specific piece of information about the S8 during the week of MWC 2017 as there are reports that Samsung will be announcing the launch date of the S8 on the 27th of February.

According to a report by Korean news site
Hankyung
,  Samsung’s President of Mobile Communications Koh Dong-jin has stated that the company will be revealing the “official launch schedule” for the S8 at MWC 2017. Up until today, rumours are going around that Samsung is looking to hold a launch event for the S8 at New York sometime during late March or early April, with the device officially going on sale in late April. Come the following Monday, we will have confirmation as to whether or not the rumours have any merits.

While Samsung may reveal the launch date for the Galaxy S8, don’t expect the company to reveal any details about the phone itself. That particular bit of information will most likely be saved for its New York reveal.

Source:
Hankyung
,
GSMArena

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launchdate
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Samsung will roll out a Pink Gold variant of the S7 and S7 Edge

367

Quite recently, many smartphone companies have been rolling out pink variants of their flagship smartphone months after said phone is available in the market. Today, Samsung is doing just that as they have debuted the Pink Gold Samsung S7 and S7 Edge.

Available in Korea, the Pink Gold is an additional colour scheme for the S7 and S7 Edge. This gives both smartphones a total of five colour choices. The Pink Gold colour option is obviously targeted at the feminine market as, according to Samsung, the Pink Gold colour scheme “is intended to soothe and incorporate a touch of gentleness, radiance and sophistication to the smartphones’ design.”

Right now, the Pink Gold option is limited to South Korea. Samsung has said that the colour will be available for customers in selected markets, but only time will tell if the Pink option will be made available in Malaysia.

Source:
Samsung

pinkgold
s7
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Samsung will soon introduce the Galaxy J2 Core, the company’s first Android Go phone

363

Samsung is in the midst of creating an Android Go phone and it has just been confirmed by the official firmware that has just surfaced on the Internet. The phone will launch as the Galaxy J2 Core and will come with Android 8.1 out-of-the-box.

With its official firmware out on the Intenet and a recent certification by the FCC, the phone is all ready to launch to the market soon. We know that Samsung is about to unveil the Galaxy Note 9 but we expect that this phone will probably not be part of the showcase as Android Go phones are catered to those that want a smartphone on an extreme budget. The phone will come with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display Exynos 7570 processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP front camera, 8MP rear camera and 8GB of storage. Powering all the hardware is a 2,600mAh battery.

We should expect to see this phone released in India first before moving to other parts of Asia before we see a global release.

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core
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Samsung will unveil new Gear wearable at IFA 2017

271

We are only a week away from the last major technology trade show of the year before we start it over again with CES next year. IFA 2017 is drawing close as manufacturers gear up to launch their respective products. Samsung might have been done with this year’s major flagships like the Galaxy S8 and the freshly baked Galaxy Note 8, but the company is “Gear”-ing up for another product launch at Berlin when IFA 2017 commences.

According to news outlet CNBC, Samsung will be launching a new smartwatch under its Gear brand. This comes from CNBC’s exclusive interview with DJ Koh, the president of Samsung’s mobile division. Koh claims that the next iteration of the company’s Gear S series will be launched next week. This is likely part of Samsung’s efforts to combat Apple’s products, particularly its upcoming Apple Watch Series 3 with this launch.

August 2016 saw the launch of the Gear S3 series by the South Korean manufacturer, so it is no surprise that the wearable collection will see a refresh next week. Apple holds more than 14% of the wearable market share while Samsung pales in comparison with 5.5%, despite a 90% year-on-year growth.

Samsung’s Tizen OS powered Gear S3 has proven to be feature filled and possibly a little more practical than Android Wear devices. Let’s hope Samsung carries that on with the upcoming Gear S smartwatch.

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Samsung will unveil the Galaxy A9S, with quad-cam on its rear.

348

Previously, Samsung was rumoured to be producing a smartphone with four cameras on its back, with the name Galaxy A9 Star Pro. Now the report suggests that it could be named Galaxy A9S, and the specs have been revealed.

Firstly, the Galaxy A9S comes with a 6.28 inch AMOLED screen with Full HD+ display. The back of the phone has a fingerprint sensor, and the the four cameras will be positioned vertically on the top right of the phone.

Its quad camera will comprise of a 24MP sensor, a wide angle lens with 8MP sensor, a 10MP sensor for its telephoto lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. Its front camera will have a 24MP sensor and allows 1080p at 30fps video recording.

The phone will be powered by Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor and run on Android 8.1 Oreo, with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. It uses a non-removable 3720mAh battery and comes in three colours of Black, White and Blue. More details will be revealed during Samsung’s event that is happening on 11th October.

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Galaxy A9S
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Samsung Wireless Audio 360 R7 in white now available

378

Everyone seems to be going towards wireless audio, and
Samsung

does not fall back when it comes to following that trend. Now you can get a home audio device that uses
Samsung
’s proprietary ring radiator technology to distribute sound in multi-directions, giving you an ambient music experience. The
Samsung

Wireless Audio 360 R7 in white features a futuristic “Object Design”, concealing the speaker unit, which is oval in shape and easily integrated in any home.

The Wireless Audio 360 R7 allows wireless connection with your smartphone via Wi-Fi using Samsung’s Wireless Audio-Multiroom App. This gives you the flexibility and convenience when it comes to listening to your favourite music, especially if you have other devices connected to the same network such as a TV or a Soundbar.

If you are using the Multi-room app, you can also stream various music services from Korea and other countries. On top of that, you can also use other music streaming services with this app such as Deezer and Spotify, giving you an even larger database of music to enjoy.

The
Samsung
 Wireless Audio 360 R7 in white colour will be available in Malaysia at RM2,199.

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player
price
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white
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Samsung Z Launched, Powered by Tizen

343

When
Samsung
 launched the Tizen powered Gear 2 and Gear Fit this year, we have noticed that the company has intended to switch away from Android, even the company’s old
GALAXY
 Gear has got an software update to Tizen. Tizen is apparentlySamsung’s own baby and they can’t simply waste it on smart wearables, this is why you’re looking at the company’s all newSamsung Z, the world’s first commercial smartphone that runs on Tizen.

From the looks of the device, the Z looks extremely premium with its faux leather back cover and sharp corners, the design language also seems to have a mixture of Samsung’s
GALAXY
 and Bada-powered WAVE devices. The
Samsung
 Z will come with a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display and a 2.3GHz Quad-core processor (we think its a Snapdragon 800), 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage with MicroSD expansion.

The phone also has a 8MP main camera and 2.1MP front camera, LTE network support, finger print scanner and heart rate sensor.

It’s been sometime since we’ve saw
Samsung
 releasing a smartphone with it’s own operating system (remember Bada?), while we know its really time for a new mobile operating system to surface in the market, will
Samsung
 ever succeed in making Tizen the next great operating system when Android is already dominating the smartphone market?

The Samsung Z will start selling in Russia at Q3, knowing Samsung Malaysia, we should be seeing the phone here around that time as well.

Source:
Samsung


Samsung’s 16GB LPDDR5 RAM begins mass production for next-gen phones

316

No smartphone really needs more than 8GB of RAM – you could argue however that gaming smartphones could benefit from it, but that’s besides the point. Most mainstream devices only need about 8GB RAM – but Samsung thinks enough is never enough.

The Korean giants have announced that they have begun the mass production of 16GB LPDDR5 RAM modules for the usage of next-gen smartphones. The currently line-up of Galaxy S20 smartphones are equipped with up to 12GB LPDDR5 memory and that helps the phone stay blazing fast and smooth.

Still, even a phone such as the Galaxy Ultra doesn’t need that much memory – that’s why the local variants only come with 8GB of LPDDR5 memory.

But then again, being the industry leaders in memory chips, you’d expect Samsung to push the envelope with their technology way ahead of any real-world requirements for it. With these upcoming chipsets, Samsung claims that the modules are 20% more energy efficient compared to the older 8GB LPDDR4X packages.

We should be seeing the new RAM modules arrive later this year, perhaps even with the Galaxy Note 11 series.

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Samsung’s 98-inch QLED 8K TV will cost you a glorious RM300k

5.3K

Most of us might have just started embracing 4K TVs, but Samsung has unveiled its new generation of 8K QLED TVs here in Malaysia, with the largest screen size of 98” down to 82” and 75”, the QA900R 8K Smart QLED TV series have features to excite the media enthusiast, with the top of the line-model costing you a cool RM299,999.

If you have always wondered, how is 8K practical when 4K content has barely gotten mainstream? Well, Samsung quoted that its QLED 8K TV features an all new Quantum Processor that employs AI capabilities to learn and compare millions of images that help it to calibrate lower-resolution sources and optimizes them into 8K-quality content regardless of the original content.

For connecting external devices, the QA900R series has the latest HDMI 2.1 standards for 8K 60p transmission with support for the HDR10+ standard, the TVs will also have a faster input and reduced blur motion for a great console gaming experience. Furthermore, Samsung has incorporated the Apple TV service and AirPlay 2 into the TVs, while at the same time revealing that a software update will arrive at eligible Samsung SMART TV models to enablethese two features later this year.

Samsung has also brought in its updated line up of 4K QLED TVs and a new Soundbar powered by Harman Kardon in Malaysia, which you can go check out at their roadshow at Centre Court, Mid Valley, prices and promotions of the new products are revealed as below:

QA900R 8K Smart QLED TV

98″ – RM299,999

82″ – RM99,999

75″ – RM59,999 (2+3 Years Extended Warranty)

QA90R 4K Smart QLED TV (2+3 Years Extended Warranty)

75″ – RM29,999

65″ – RM18,999

QA75R 4K Smart QLED TV (2+3 Years Extended Warranty)

75″ – RM19,999

65″ – RM13,999

55″ – RM7,999

QA60R 4K Smart QLED TV

82″ – RM19,999
(Free 1 x Samsung Galaxy S10e worth RM2,699)

75″ – RM13,999
(Free 1 x Samsung Galaxy A50 worth RM1,199)

65″ – RM8,999
(Free 1 x Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0 worth RM659)

55″ – RM6,499
(Free 1 x Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7.0 worth RM659)

49″ – RM4,999
(Get RM1,500 off at RM3,499)

Soundbar N950 with Harman Kardon – RM6,499
(Promotion Price at RM3,999 with any Samsung TV Purchase)

8k tv
CES 2019
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Samsung’s all metal GALAXY Alpha reportedly to launch on August 4th

330

Everyone of us have been complaining about Samsung making plastic smartphones, now it seems that sources have confirmed that the Korean smartphone maker is ready to debut its first ever all metal smartphone after so many years. According to SamMobile, a very reliable source about Samsung smartphone releases, the GALAXY Alpha will not be positioned as a premium device like its GALAXY S5 but rather a mid-range device with some flagship hardware onboard.

SamMobile is very sure that the device will be launched on August 4th and suggests that the company will want to make this device go live before the debut of its GALAXY Note 4 flagship in September. The GALAXY Alpha is reported to have a 4.8-inch 720p display, 32GB Internal storage with no expansion options and a fingerprint scanner found on the GALAXY S5.

We aren’t excited with this announcement, considering the fact that Samsung is really late to the all metal phone game, but here’s something to think for the day, could the all metal GALAXY Alpha somehow lead to some hints on the GALAXY Note 4’s design language? We can’t wait to find out and its just another month away.

Source:
SamMobile


Samsung's Android browser can now block ads

391

Samsung has begun adding support for ad blocking plugins to its on web browser which is pre installed on its Android devices.

The update which has started rolling out to Samsung smartphones running Android Lollipop and above, now enables users to install ad blocker plugins or apps to block sites that they visit, resembling to that of Apple’s Safari in iOS 9. Blocking out ads, clickbaits or unwanted content will save data usage on a browser, not to mention the reduce in page loading times.

Chrome’s desktop browsers, together with most other known desktop browsers have ad blocking capabilities through installation of plugins. Its Android version however, does not have support for additional plugins. Since then, a number of 3rd party browsers with ad blocking features embedded in them have been released but can never best the popularity of Chrome even with such features.

Adblock Fast is the first blocker available on the Play Store specifically for Samsung phones with its own browser Internet 4.0 installed. According to Adblock Fast, its plugin is able to reduce loading times by an average of 51%.

We’re not sure whether this newly added support will turn the tide towards Samsung’s favor, or will consumers stick to using the all-popular Chrome. What do you think?

Source:
The Verge

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Bixby can now speak Mandarin in Malaysia

323

Samsung Malaysia has just announced that they are updating their smart assistant, Bixby, to support Mandarin Chinese. This will offer a different voice option to Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 users to converse with Bixby in Mandarin.

Prior to this, Bixby only supports US English and Korean but with the addition of Mandarin, this will allow Malaysians more flexibility, contextual awareness and cognitive tolerance to interact with their devices. Samsung has also mentioned that the reason for including this is due to the large Mandarin-speaking community in Malaysia. With this update, the new language will be integrated into Bixby Home, Reminder, and Vision as well as native apps like Bixby Lab and other third-party apps. They have mentioned that they will be constantly improving Bixby and adding new features based on the feedback from Samsung users.

Bixby on the S8, S8+ and Note 8 is just the first step un in the Bixby ecosystem, as it grows it will be able to connect to many other devices, apps and services to open up new experiences and ensure convenience.

assistant
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Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant is now available in over 200 countries

400

Samsung Galaxy S8 users will be happy to know that the Bixby voice assistant is now globally available after expanding it to over 200 countries. Initially, some owners were disappointed that the assistant did not come with the S8 and will only be available later on. Samsung did roll out a preview version of the assistant in June but it still lacked many features that the company mention it could do.

This rollout is limited to owners of the S8 and S8+ but they will be bringing Bixby to more devices in the future sadly, they did not mention the devices that will get the assistant. There have been rumours that indicate the assistant will not only come to phones as Samsung is planning to release a smart speaker with Bixby enabled. Other than that, they also said that they are working on bringing more languages to the assistant and ways to integrate it with other third-party apps.

If you are owners of the phones, then you can check out the voice assistant in your phones. Just make sure that you are on the latest software update and the Bixby app is up to date.


Samsung’s CEO said they might introduce the first foldable smartphone in November

325

A while back, Samsung has mentioned that they are in the process of releasing a foldable smartphone early 2019. It was supposed to be called the Samsung Galaxy X but recently, DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung’s Mobile Division has mentioned that we could see the phone release somewhere in November.

He did not confirm the name of the phone, but he did mention that the company is working on developing applications and features that will set it aside from other regular tablets when completely folded out. Koh has said that if the phone is folded out into a tablet but it works like any other tablet, there will be no reason to buy the product. Because of that, Samsung is doing their best to make it stand out from other tablets with the objective of making users understand why a foldable phone is made.

It does make a lot of sense as people who travel around with a bag full of tech do not have issues slotting in a tablet into their bags along with a laptop. Giving the option to users to carry around a phone that doubles as a tablet could be a great idea, providing it can stand out from the other tablets.

foldable
phone
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Samsung’s fingerprint vulnerability issue is causing banks to blacklist the affected phones

428

Samsung takes another hit; it was recently discovered that the Samsung Galaxy S10 series has a “faulty” ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that allows anyone to unlock the phones as long as there’s a screen protector on top of the phone.

Simply put, if you want to hack into someone’s Galaxy S10, just get a screen protector and you’ll have access in no time. Samsung has already acknowledged the problem and promised to provide a solution in the next software update, but that doesn’t stop others from taking precautionary measures.

Reddit users from UK have been reporting on the platform that two UK banks — NatWest and Nationwide Building Society — has already taken the necessary measures. Natwest has completely removed its app on PlayStore for Galaxy S10 users (meaning non-S10 users can still access it) while the Nationwide Building Society disabled the fingerprint log-in option in the app.

Samsung also confirmed that the Galaxy S10 series aren’t the only ones that can be easily bypassed. Apparently, the Note 10 series are also affected. Samsung reassured its consumers by promising a solution via its software update by this week but in the meantime, if you have one of the Galaxy S10 or Galaxy Note 10 phones, either give up on your screen protector or just make sure it’s always with you.

Galaxy Note 10
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