Galaxy S

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series was launched back in February, and it's now been about three months since the phones hit shelves. Sales numbers are out, and it would seem that the S20 phones have sold considerably less than the S10 series did over the same period last year.

New renders and a video clip of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20+ have been posted online. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Note 20+ is larger than the regular Galaxy Note 20, and it comes with a curved display. However, it’s hard to ignore just how huge the camera bump on the rear is, which could be a deal-breaker for many.

The Galaxy Note 20 phones are just a couple months away from launch at this point, and a new leak has now revealed even more information on the phone. It's hardly good news either, although there may be good reason for the choice.

Some alleged renders of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 supposedly based on genuine CAD drawings have been shared online. The flagship smartphone looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, and the S Pen slot has apparently been moved from the right side to now sit on the left side of the Galaxy Note 20.

Insider reports state that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 20+ will come with a periscope camera. Samsung is likely to use a modified version of the Galaxy S20's 108MP lens, and ditch the ToF sensor altogether.

The Galaxy S20 series is billed to receive additional camera improvements via a software update. Although Samsung hasn't specified what they are, user reports suggest that it has improved the camera's low-light performance. The software is only available in Korea for now and will be rolled out globally in the coming weeks.

Samsung has unveiled a special edition of its Galaxy S20. Dubbed the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition, the new variant is loaded with software and other features that make it suitable for deployment by the military in the field. It also comes with a special protective case that makes it battlefield ready.

Samsung recently unveiled its newest CMOS sensor, the ISOCELL GN1 with a 50 MP resolution, 1/1.3" physical size, and 1.2μm native pixel size. While one could assume that the 108 MP sensors on the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Mi 10 Pro are better, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Samsung is reportedly in talks with Chinese display maker BOE to source some panels for its upcoming Galaxy S21 series. The news confirms an earlier report which suggested that at least one device in the series would come with a BOE panel. We can also expect to see the hardware in some of Samsung's upcoming mid-rangers.

A report by Ming Chi-Kuo indicates that Apple might not include EarPods with its iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro series devices this year. The move appears to be an effort to nudge consumers towards buying AirPods Pro and the upcoming AirPods Studio headphones.

According to a report accessed by SamMobile, Samsung's Galaxy A series smartphones could feature optical image stabilization (OIS) technology this year.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra may flaunt some impressive camera hardware but the effectiveness of its 108 MP sensor has been hampered by focusing issues. Reportedly, the Galaxy Note 20+ will also sport that same sensor, but with new hardware to improve focusing.

The LG V40 had it all: three versatile rear cameras, five cameras in total, an excellent display, and competitive pricing. And yet, it never quite managed to hit the heights attained by its contemporaries; why?

Samsung recently launched its midrange Galaxy A21S smartphone at an event in London. The device offers a quad camera, Dolby Atmos, and a generous 5000 mAh battery at £179. However, a lower end Exynos 850 SoC tempers expectations.

The Galaxy Note 20 phones are less than three months away from launch at this point, and the rumor mill now grinds faster. By most indications, the phones will be an incremental upgrade on the S20 series, but one touted change is expected to significantly improve the user experience.

There have been multiple reports from Galaxy S20 Ultra owners of their phones developing cracks on the huge camera glass. Some claim it happens even without dropping the phone or any such impact. While the veracity of such claims remains in doubt, Nillkin is already selling a case for the S20 series that offers a dedicated slider for the camera glass.

Rumour has it that a "Lite" Samsung Galaxy foldable smartphone will be arriving later this year. A blend of parts from the last three years, the Galaxy Fold Lite or Galaxy Z Flip Lite will apparently retail for US$1,099.

The Samsung Galaxy S20+ has now been tested by DxOMark. The scores offer a few notable takeaways, including inferiority to the S20 Ultra, an overall lack of improvement over the Note 10+, and the real-world effectiveness of the S20 and S20+'s digital zoom.

The Mate 10 Pro, P20 Pro, and Mate 20 Pro all delivered sub-par selfie cameras, and it seemed Huawei was working on that with its recent flagship phones. The Honor V30 Pro appears to be a deviation from that path, as the phone only recorded scores on par with two-year-old flagships when tested by DxOMark.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra features a 40 MP sensor as its selfie camera. Bigger is supposedly better and one would expect it to be the best on the market, yes? Well, no. The S20 Ultra only finishes joint second on DxOMark's selfie chart, and more interestingly, with just one more point than the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and its meager 10 MP sensor.

A device listed as the Mi 10e has surfaced on Geekbench. While that's already surprising enough, the phone is shown to be powered by an Exynos 990, and actually posts scores typical of the disappointing Samsung SoC.

Google has released its latest security patches for Android, and as usual, the Pixel series of phones had first pick of them. However, Samsung has reportedly gotten ahead of all other OEMs by rolling these May 2020 upgrades to 3 of its phones. One is its latest foldable, whereas another is a 2019 mid-ranger.

In an attempt to bolster Galaxy S20 sales in the subcontinent, Samsung India is now throwing in a voucher worth Rs 4,000($53) for everyone who pre-ordered a Galaxy S20 series phone. The offer is eligible for pre-ordered devices that are activated between May 4th and May 20th, and is only valid for purchases made via the Samsung India website.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ celebrated their three-year birthdays a while ago, and Samsung has now relegated them to its quarterly update list, with support expected to end completely in a year. The S8 Active and Galaxy Note 8, however, remain on the monthly update list.

Samsung has officially confirmed that it will be launching a sequel to the Galaxy Fold. The news was buried in its financial report last week as it sought to assure investors that it is going to continue to try innovating itself out of a general decline in smartphone dominance.

The Exynos 990 on the Samsung Galaxy S20 has failed just about every test it's been presented with and that trend continues. In a gaming comparison video versus the MediaTek Helio G90T-powered Redmi Note 8 Pro, the Exynos 990-powered Galaxy S20 proves yet again that it shouldn't be an option for smartphone gamers.

The Galaxy Z Flip is Samsung's contemporary attempt at a clamshell-style foldable phone. The phone starts at just under US$1400, and has now made the trip over to DxOMark where it posted scores akin to two-year-old flagship phones from the competition.

AMD's upcoming mobile graphics chip reportedly outperforms the Qualcomm Adreno 650 by a significant margin on GFXBench. According to a post on a Korean tech forum, the yet-to-be-named chip trounced the Qualcomm GPU by a factor of three in some tests. We can expect to see Samsung unveil this new GPU by 2021.

Chinese sources report that Samsung has finished development for the 150 MP sensors and started work on the 250 MP ones. The first 150 Mp sensors are expected to launch with Xiaomi's flagship handhelds later this year, while the 250 MP sensor could arrive in late 2021.

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra was expected to be the Android enthusiast’s smartphone of choice in 2020, however, things don’t appear to be going too well for the high-end handset. Following reports of a range of issues plaguing the flagship handset in the past couple of weeks, a new report indicates cracked rear camera glass is now also emerging as a possible issue.

A Strategy Analytics report indicates that Huawei and Samsung together account for a tremendous 67.6 percent share in the market for 5G smartphones. Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi trail far behind. However, with Apple set to launch its own 5G iPhones later this year, things could change.

Samsung recently filed trademarks for the Galaxy Buds X in India, the UK, and the European Union. The trademark filing comes just a month after leaked renders for a new, bean-shaped Buds SKU popped up, indicating that the Galaxy Buds X are likely Samsung's next contender in the TWS space.

The Exynos 990 used on the global Galaxy S20 phones has come under fire for poor sustained performance and efficiency, and it would seem that Samsung plans to ditch it. The South Korean company is reportedly working on a 6nm Exynos 992 for its next flagship phone, the Galaxy Note 20.

Samsung is one of the leading mobile device panel makers in the world, so it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that it is using BOE to supply the displays on its sleek Galaxy Book S. A new report points to Samsung potentially using BOE to supply OLED panels for its Galaxy smartphones as well.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 series are Samsung's most ambitious devices yet, and have been painted to represent a giant leap forward. But things aren't always as they seem, and considerably better value can be found elsewhere in Samsung's own stables.

Samsung has decided it is time to ditch notches and punch-hole cameras, at least for one of the upcoming devices in its range. Looking like a Galaxy A series contender, the new smartphone will be the first from Samsung to feature a pop-up camera.

A Samsung Community forum moderator has stated that the company is reportedly working on delivering the One UI update to Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 users. Unfortunately, there is no word about when the firmware will be available for download, but it is reassuring to know that it will make its way to the devices eventually.

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series might not come with a ToF sensor. The company cites a lack of user interest as one of the primary reasons. Additionally, some of the ToF sensor's work can now be done via software.

Some owners of the most expensive Galaxy S20 variant have reportedly complained to its maker, Samsung, that its rear cameras cannot focus over very short distances. The same users have called for a firmware upgrade that might fix this. However, this problem may be due to the physical constraints of the phone's image sensor.

Coming in 11-inch and 12.4-inch variants, Samsung will pitch the Galaxy Tab S7 series as a direct competitor to Apple's fourth-generation iPad Pros. With an S-Pen included in the box and optional 5G, could the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus offer better value for money than the new iPad Pro range?

US$1400 should get you the absolute best smartphone around, one would think. Apparently not, as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has made the trip over to DxOMark and mostly disappointed, with an overall score that places it outside the top five on the website's charts.

A Samsung executive has written a piece on where this OEM's image sensor technology is headed. It includes claims that it is working on new components with qualities that beat those of the human eye. This includes estimated resolutions of about 500MP, whereas the Korean giant is aiming for 600MP.

Since the launch of the Galaxy S10 series a year ago, Samsung users have complained heavily over the slow unlocking speeds of the in-display fingerprint readers on their phones—including the S10, Note 10, and S20 series. Here's how to make things a tad faster.

Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra have complained about a bug that makes their displays assume a green tint when brightness is reduced. It also appears to be present on the regular S20 and S20+. Thankfully, though, Samsung has promised to fix it.

Rejoice, Galaxy S9 series owners, you may just be set to receive the One UI 2.1 update after all. A Samsung chat rep has confirmed that the Galaxy S9 Plus—and the S9 by proxy—will receive the One UI 2.1 update that has already been sent out to the S10 and Note 10 phones.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite has now officially made its way over the US with a not-so-insignificant US$650. Seeing it steps on the toes of the regular Galaxy S10, some may be wondering why exactly the phone exists at all, but there appears to be some logic to it.

There is still hope for Galaxy Note 9 owners who are eagerly anticipating the arrival of One UI 2.1 on their devices. A Samsung Community moderator said the process is under review, but it'll be a while before the update is rolled out.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is undoubtedly an impressive piece of hardware. It costs a massive US$1400 and most would expect it to be perfect at that price point. Sadly, it isn't, as it still suffers from acute autofocus issues, and what appears to be a display defect only compounds issues.

Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, and it is an absolute stinker. While the device may look modern with its thin bezels and slim form factor, the inclusion of a TFT panel means that you should give the Tab S6 Lite a miss. Seriously, why release a £339.00 (~US$425) tablet with a TFT panel in 2020?

The latest variant of the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ are hailed as some of the best non-ANC TWS earbuds out there. However, they are also affected by the potential for severe wind-noise during voice calls. Their latest firmware update is touted to fix this problem.