Galaxy S

While it's still early days yet, more details of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 phones have surfaced, throwing more light on what we should expect from the trio of devices.

Ice Universe informs that the first Exynos 9820 test samples got an unexpected core configuration that includes just two Mongoose M4 cores along with two Cortex-A76 and four Cortex-A55 cores from ARM. This suggests that Samsung may be having some TDP issues with the first test samples. Also, instead of Samsung's rumored in-house GPUs, the Exynos 9820 would be coupled with ARM's Mali-G76 GPU, at least in the upcoming Galaxy S10.

Samsung's Galaxy S10 has been tipped to pick up the company's next-generation ARM-based silicon. Expected to be called the Exynos 9820, the successor to the Exynos 9810 will also be fabricated on Samsung's all-new 7nm FinFet node.

AnTuTu's list of the best-performing handheld devices updated for June shows a clear Chinese dominance. Of the ten featured devices, only three are non-Chinese (Samsung Galaxy S9+/S9 and Sony Xperia XZ2). Topping the chart is Xiaomi's Black Shark gaming smartphone, while the last position is occupied by another gaming smartphone - the Nubia Red Magic.

Latest rumors claim that Samsung's first foldable phone - the Galaxy X - will be getting flexible batteries with capacities between 3,000 and 6,000 mAh. The foldable 7.3-inch OLED displays that will be featured with the Galaxy X are scheduled to enter production later this summer, and the devices should be ready for launch in Q1 2019, along with the Galaxy S10 models.

Samsung is among the latest Windows-on ARM supporters, intending to launch refreshed Galaxy Book models this year. Two upcoming models have already been certified for mass production by the Russian ECC authorities, and these should be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 700/800 SoC. The Always-Connected feature should also allow for the integration of a 4G LTE modem.

With the recent rise of both 3D facial recognition technology and in-display fingerprint sensors, Samsung is set to ditch the iris scanner on the Galaxy S10 in favor of something more mainstream.

Judging by the latest leaks, Samsung is most likely preparing major overhauls for next year's Galaxy S10 / Note 10 high-end devices. Apparently, Samsung is planning to begin production on the LPDDR5 and UFS 3.0 chips later this summer and this could significantly boost the overall performance for the 2019 models. Moreover, it looks like the Galaxy S10 could finally get 4K video recording.

Earlier this week, Android Oreo for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge finally made its way to users on AT&T and Verizon. This will be the last major update the devices receive, with support set to end completely in Q1 2019.

The upcoming Galaxy Tab S4 is supposed to compete with Apple's new iPad Pro model. According to the latest Chinese leaks, the Tab S4 will get a larger 10.5-inch screen with 16:10 ratio and thin bezels, plus an iris scanner and extended DeX support that can turn the tablet into a desktop computer together with a new Book Cover Keyboard.

According to famous leaker Ice Universe, the Exynos 9820 will integrate Samsung's upcoming Mongoose M4 cores which are said to be better than the ARM Cortex-A76 chips. This should translate into frequencies that go over 3.3 GHz, and, since the M4 are 7 nm chips, they should have improved energy efficiency.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 devices have been said to be numerical improvements over the S8 devices but you wouldn’t think that if you saw their sales numbers. The flagships finally overtook the iPhone X and iPhone 8 pair to become the best-selling smartphones in the world in April, although there’s an obvious reason for that.

Samsung is finally acknowledging the arrival of the in-display fingerprint sensors with the launch of next year's premium smartphones. The Korean company has closely been working with Qualcomm to deliver what they call the ultrasonic fingerprint recognition, which will be using updated OLEDS that include the Snapdragon Sense ID 3D.

A report from the research company Gartner has stated that global sales of smartphones in the first quarter of 2018 have risen slightly from figures issued in the same quarter of 2017. Over 383.5 million smartphones were sold in 1Q18 compared to 378.5 million units sold in 1Q17. Samsung was the quarter’s largest vendor, with 78.5 million sales.

Official press photos of the Samsung Galaxy J4 have turned up online, and they show the device available in two different colors. The Galaxy J4 will be an entry-level smartphone featuring a Samsung Exynos 7570 quad-core SoC. No prices are currently available for the handset, and it is believed it will be unveiled at a Samsung launch event taking place on May 21 in Mumbai, India.

A device labeled as the “Galaxy Tab Advanced2” has been spotted in a Bluetooth declaration. The model number given in the details is SM-T583, which just happens to be the same model number currently cropping up on a Samsung support page. The device has also appeared in a listing on the website for the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The latest data from Strategy Analytics, which tracks global smartphone shipments, shows that iPhone X was the best-selling smartphone in Q1, 2018. Rounding out an impressive quarter for Apple, its iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone 7 models took out the number 2, 3, and 4 positions, respectively.

Insiders familiar with the 10th anniversary Samsung flagship claim that the upcoming — apparently not foldable — Galaxy S10 handset is likely going to launch at the CES 2019 trade show. This popular trade show is scheduled to take place in the first half of January, as usual.

The 128 GB and 256 GB versions of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are now available for pre-order in the United States. These have previously been available in some select markets and are now exclusively available from Samsung's own website.

Prices for the Galaxy S9 series continue to fall to as low as 600 Euros in some regions like Spain. An independent study from a market analytical firm has revealed that Samsung's latest flagship is tracking slower than the Galaxy S7 but faster than the Galaxy S8 due to more aggressive pricing and promotional deals. The Galaxy S9 has been widely available for over a month in most markets around the world.

While it is still not clear if Samsung is going to release any foldable phones in 2018 or 2019, sleek 3D renders of a rumored Galaxy X model make an appearance in the wild, depicting a device with 1 external display and 2 other internal ones. The Smartphone can open up and act as a laptop powered by a light version of Windows 10, just like Microsoft's Surface Phone.

Rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S9 Mini have been rife of recent but a new source has claimed that the device is, in fact, the S8 Lite—a mid-range device exclusive to the Chinese market. It will be joined by the A8 Star.

This year, Samsung is porting the Infinity Display technology from the high-end Galaxy S and Note models to the more mid-rangy A and J series. According to FCC, the latest model to get the 18.5:9 aspect ratio Infinity Display screen seems to be a member of the Galaxy J family, most likely to be named J6.

The next Galaxy S flagship phone from Samsung could well incorporate a notched display, if a new patent application is any indication. Also in tow is a second Galaxy Note-like design that is completely bezel-less.

Samsung may still be the world’s largest smartphone vendor but the South Korean company is struggling to make an impact in the important Chinese market. The smartphone market in China is currently dominated by domestic brands, with Apple also managing a small slice of the pie. It has been reported that Samsung’s share dropped to 0.8% in the fourth quarter of 2017, putting the company in 12th position for that particular market.

A Samsung Engineer leaked the fact that he has been working on the next gen Exynos 9820 since January 2018 on his LinkedIn profile. Additionally, the same engineer has been working on a 5G RF chip that is expected to be integrated directly in the Exynos 9820 ever since May 2017. These chips are expected to debut in early 2019.

The Note 9 prototype that popped up on GeekBench was pitted against the S9+ and it ended up a bit behind in both single core and multi-core tests. However, the Note 9 featured in the tests comes with 5 GB of RAM instead of 6 and it is powered by a Snapdragon 845 SoC which is known to be slower than the Exynos 9810 SoC that comes with the non-US versions of the Galaxy S9/S9+.

The OnePlus 6 prototype that is featured in the GeekBench results is powered by the same Snapdragon 845 SoC that comes with the Galaxy S9+ (US version) and Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S and it also features the same 6 GB of RAM. Apparently, the OnePlus 6 prototype might be using an overclocked SoC or better memory, and the final product could end up even faster.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2 smartphone has shown up on the South Korean company’s Indian website. The specifications listed by Samsung for the 5.5-inch device include an octa-core 1.6 GHz CPU from the Exynos 7 Series, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB ROM, and 13 MP rear and front-facing cameras. It is believed the listing may have been posted by mistake.

Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ users are complaining of “dead spots” in their smartphone displays that are failing to respond to touch inputs. With complaints starting to mount on user forums, the Korean tech giant has said that it is actively investigating the issue.

The Galaxy S9+ is Samsung's costliest device to produce to date, but it's still less expensive than the iPhone X. Among the most expensive components integrated in the Galaxy S9 there are the Exynos 9810 SoC, the AMOLED screen and the camera setup.

Samsung is pulling out all the stops to encourage people to upgrade to its new Galaxy S9 models. US customers can currently enjoy steep discounts on genuine accessories when purchasing the new models outright.

Samsung has released kernel sources for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, just weeks after the devices were announced. The combination of kernel sources and Project Treble support should ensure that the devices get excellent community development.

A report by a Korean outlet has estimated the S9 day-one pre-order sales numbers to stand at 180,000, down 31% from the S8's 260,000 figure. It's about expected, though, as the S9 doesn't actually offer a substantial upgrade over its predecessor.

Samsung Canada has released a roadmap for the rollout of Android Oreo. The S8 and S8+ will receive their updates on March 19, and the Note 8 about a week later. Users of other new Samsung devices will, of course, have to wait till much later in the year.

Microsoft is now offering the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ for pre-order through its store. There have been reports that these are "Microsoft Editions" of the smartphones, which will operate on Android OS and will look identical to the flagship devices sold on Samsung’s website. Microsoft’s supposed customizations will come in the form of software additions, such as Cortana, Skype, Microsoft Launcher and apps from Office 365. However, it appears there is no such thing as a "Microsoft Edition" Galaxy flagship.

This year's MWC may have marked a turn in the smartphone market. While the latest flagships were generally iterative improvements on last year's models, the budget and mid-tier segments have begun to explode. The best phones may not be getting cheaper, but cheap phones are definitely getting better.

DisplayMate had a lot of good things to say about the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S9's display. The firm says that the Galaxy S9's OLED display sets new performance records that makes it better than most high-end displays available across form factors and gives it an all time high A+ rating.

Samsung could be looking for a name change to its flagship Galaxy S series and rumors are rife that the next Samsung flagship might not be referred to as the Galaxy 'S10'. Samsung's mobile head, DJ Koh, did not refute the rumors and said while a name change is being contemplated upon, the Galaxy brand is here to stay.

They're finally here. The latest flagships from Samsung, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, share a lot in common with last year's S8 and S8+ with some incremental improvements. The biggest change lies in the camera, which now features a variable aperture for better low-light shots and 960 frame-per-second video capture.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been the victim of many leaks over the past few weeks, and this latest leak reveals a launch video for the much-anticipated smartphones. The video confirms previous rumors and shows off the device itself, and it also presents an Enterprise Edition aimed at business users.

Samsung has released an adjusted version of Opera Max, a mobile browser with a heavy focus on saving data by using compression techniques. Opera discontinued the browser last year, but it appears Samsung has given it a second life on its Galaxy smartphones under the name Samsung Max.

As Samsung has been shipping over 70 million smartphone units each year for the last two years, it certainly seems likely the South Korean company is not short of loyal fans. But will these loyal fans be willing to shell out on the new Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagships when they discover the astronomical price tags? According to a new leak, expect to fork out €841 (~US$1037) for a brand-new Galaxy S9, while the Galaxy S9+ will cost €997 (~US$1229).

A leading market intelligence research company has issued a report forecasting smartphone market share gains for Apple in 2018. Samsung remains in the top spot but could see a drop in overall market share.