Samsung just unveiled their latest entries into their Galaxy A series which bring with them a totally new approach for their midrange smartphones. The new Galaxy A72 spearheads the line up with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G and 8GB of RAM. It also has up to 256GB of internal storage.
The new Galaxy A72 will be coming to the market in the next few weeks and will retail at EUR€449 internationally. In Malaysia, the smartphone will set you back MYR2,299.
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Samsung is taking an all-new approach to their midrange with the newly announced Galaxy A line up. With the company bringing flagship features to their midrange, they’ve diversified their offerings across the Galaxy A Series.
The Galaxy A52 is a step down from the Galaxy A72 but brings the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal memory. However, it replaces the 8-megapixel telephoto sensor with a 5-megapixel depth sensor and comes with a slightly smaller Super AMOLED display.
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Samsung’s new approach to their Galaxy A series doesn’t leave anyone behind when it comes to offerings. The new Galaxy A32 looks to bring an even more affordable powerhouse to the masses with a MediaTek powered smartphone for content consumption.
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Together with their recently unveiled Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72, Samsung also took the covers off their new Galaxy A32. The Galaxy A32 maintains the ethos of the new Galaxy A series but looks to bring even more value. That said, it does compromise a little bit more when it comes to specs and features.
The Galaxy A32 comes with a MediaTek Helio G80 with 128GB of onboard storage and 8GB of RAM. Like its bigger siblings, the A32 also supports up to 1TB of extra memory through its microSD card slot. It will come with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with support for 90Hz refresh rates.
Similar to the A52 and A72, it comes with a quad camera setup. It has a 64-megapixel main sensor with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF). This is complemented by an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, it comes with a 20-megapixel fixed focus camera. The camera setup on the Galaxy A32 support recording 4K UHD videos at 30fps.
The A32 also comes with all the bells an whistles from the new A52 and A72. This includes KNOX integration and One UI 3.0. It has a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging.
Pricing & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A32 will be available in Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue and Awesome Violet. No pricing has been officially announced just yet.
Samsung just revealed something really awesome! Their Galaxy A series is taking some notes from their successful flagships. The new A series line up brings some of the most sought features from their Galaxy S series to a more affordable price point. Samsung’s new approach is a return to their approach from the Samsung Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 of 2017.
The new Galaxy A72 and the Galaxy A52 both come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G for their 4G versions while the A52 5G comes with the Snapdragon 750G. They will be coming with 8GB of RAM with up to 256GB of internal memory which can be expanded with an additional 1TB of memory with a microSD card.
Awesome Features Come to the Galaxy A Series
The new headliners for the series are the Galaxy A52 and the Galaxy A72. These two models bring features like IP67 water- and dust-proofing to the Galaxy A line up and even complement this with more features that make their devices so compelling. The new approach comes after Samsung’s own Galaxy A51 became one of their best selling smartphones. According to them, consumers are looking for more compelling offerings which are affordable and don’t compromise much when it comes to features.
The A52 and A72 bring a large, Super AMOLED display to the table. The former comes with a 6.5-inch display while the latter comes with a larger 6.7-inch display. Both of them come with 90Hz refresh rates while the 5G variant of the A52 comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. Samsung is claiming that even at 90Hz their A72 and A52 are able to provide a more seamless experience without too much compromise. This is particularly true when it comes to LCD panels that are commonly used in A series competitors. Samsung is also equipping the new A series with Eye Comfort Shield which lowers blue light emissions significantly for better eye health and less strain.
On the battery end of things, Samsung is equipping the Galaxy A52 with a 4,500mAh battery on both the 4G and 5G versions while the Galaxy A72 will be coming with a larger 5,000mAh battery. Samsung claims that these will allow their offerings to last for up to 2 days on a single charge.
Awesome Quad Camera Setup with up to 30x Zoom
While Space Zoom doesn’t make it to the Galaxy A series, it comes with a capable quad camera setup with slight tweaks across the line up. The main camera sensor of the Galaxy A series is a 64-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and autofocus (AF). This is complemented by a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor with 123° field of view and a 5-megapixel macro sensor. The final fourth sensor is different on the Galaxy A72 and the A52. The A72 comes with a 8-megapixel telephoto sensor capable of 3x optical zoom with OIS and AF. The A52, on the other hand, comes with a 5-megapixel depth sensor. On the selfie front, the two devices come with a fixed focus 32-megapixel sensor.
Hardware is only part of the story when it comes to the new Galaxy A series. Samsung is bringing features like Single Take to the series to complement the capable hardware. But, before we jump into that, Samsung has also brought tetra binning to the new A series. The camera on the A series creates a larger single pixel by binding four pixels together to allow more light and detail to reach the sensor. This improves low light performance and creates more detailed night shots.
Awesome Software to Complete the Experience
In addition to this, the new A series is coming with AI powered scene optimizer capable of automatically enhancing your photos. The scene optimizer is able to detect and optimize 30 scenes. However, if you can’t find the perfect picture in with scene optimizer, you’re able to take control with Pro mode. Once you have the perfect settings you can store them in the new “My Filter” feature which allows you to apply them to the 4K UHD videos or pictures you take down the road. You can even take 8-megapixel pictures from 4K videos with Video Snap.
Samsung is also bringing KNOX along for the ride with the new A series. While there are components of KNOX built into Android’s core. This will be the first time that Samsung is brining KNOX’s full capabilities to the series. This means that your data is encrypted and secured from the source. This comes as a part of Samsung’s One UI 3 which will be available on the A52, A52 5G and A72 at launch. Keep in mind, Samsung has also promised at least 4 years of updates for their devices to ensure device security.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy A52 & A72 will be available in Awesome Black, Awesome Violet, Awesome Blue and Awesome White with a haze (matte) finish. They are available now with prices starting at EUR€349 (MYR1,713.20) for the regular A52, EUR€429 (MYR2,105.91) for the A52 5G and EUR€449 (MYR2,204.08) for the Galaxy A72.
In Malaysia, the A52 and A72 will be available with 256GB onboard memory with 8GB of RAM. No pricing details have been announced just yet. The A52 5G isn’t available in Malaysia just yet. However, Samsung may make it available later on.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds series has been steadily improving over the years. Its many iterations seem to build on the strengths of the previous iterations while tweaking the weaknesses from the previous iteration. The Buds Pro is no different. It’s possibly Samsung’s best Buds to date building on lessons and features that the company introduced with the Buds Live.
The Galaxy Buds Pro brings new features that Samsung hopes will help enhance the aural experience of their ecosystem. While this may be the lofty goal of their latest true wireless earphones – the question remains: Is it really worth the price tag and should you be investing in the experience even if you’re not in the Samsung ecosystem?
Design
Samsung is definitely hearing the feedback it’s receiving from reviewers and customers. The Galaxy Buds Pro dropped the bean-like design of the Galaxy Buds Live like a hot potato – which is a shame but a very much needed step to help Samsung get on track with its Buds line up. That said, remnants of the Galaxy Buds Live still remain in some of the design queues we see in the Pros – particularly in its shiny finish.
The new Pros adopt a more conventional earbud design but manages keeps the comfort level of the Galaxy Buds Live. It has just enough heft for you to handle in your hands but when it comes to having them in your ears, they seem to disappear. Wearing the Buds Pro was truly a weightless experience – pretty similar to the Live. However, it has one major edge over the Buds Live – you literally have minimal ear fatigue. During the review, we were able to wear the buds for more than 4 hours on end without the feeling of fatigue you get from other earbuds on the market.
The Galaxy Buds Pro has one of the most pocketable designs on the market. The simple, square design makes it easy to slip into your jean pockets or purse. It’s also substantial enough that it doesn’t get lost in the chaos in your purse or pockets. That said, if you’re putting it in your pocket, you may find yourself forgetting to remove from your pocket as it’s so light that you might end up forgetting about it.
Features
The Galaxy Buds Pro doesn’t lack in the features department. The earbuds is definitely one of the more feature packed choices on the market coming with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), voice pass through and even 360 sound. However, being feature packed may be a little bit of a burden for the Pro as it seems to be stuffed a little too much to the brim sacrificing some of the finesse we see in the competition.
That said, Samsung’s ability to have so many features is one of the boons of the Buds Pro. In fact, they have iterated so well from the features of the Galaxy Buds Live that most of their “legacy” features are so polished you wouldn’t think they are second generation. Some features seem to be there just because and some are more well thought out than others.
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) & Voice Pass Through
When it comes to ANC, the Galaxy Buds is leaps better than its predecessor. The Buds Pro is able to give you a really effective seal. The form factor and it’s more conventional design is able to dampen sound from the outside a lot better. During our review period, the Buds Pro became one of our go-to earbuds to keep the world out and drown ourselves in our favourite music or podcast.
Unlike some of the other ANC capable earphones on the market, the Galaxy Buds Pro doesn’t give the feeling of pressure building up over long durations of use. Instead, it feels comfortable and simply feels like you have got a good pair of earplugs in.
Another feature which makes for a better overall experience with the Galaxy Buds Pro is voice pass through. It works pretty well on the Buds Pro however, there’s one caveat – it only works when you talk. It isn’t able to detect overhead announcements or when someone is talking to you. So, if someone is meaning to talk to you, they’ll still need to tap you on your shoulder. If you’re waiting for a flight, you’ll need to use ambient mode. That said, voice pass through could use a little fine tuning. There were times when we tried to use it that it simply couldn’t pick up the voice of the person speaking, and we had to remove one earbud to make an order.
Bluetooth Audio Source for Video
The Galaxy Buds Pro is also able to act as a Bluetooth audio source when you record in Pro mode on Samsung devices – and therein lies the biggest problem. The feature is exclusive to Samsung devices and only those who support Pro Video. It would be nice if Samsung found a way to build in the feature to the Buds itself or its Galaxy Wearables app to extend the feature to non-Samsung devices.
We tried this feature with the S21, S21 Ultra and the Note10+. To be honest, it’s just good enough. While we wouldn’t recommend using it as a main source of audio for recordings, in a pinch, the audio is definitely useable. That said, it still has some improvement to do to make it a viable replacement when you want to record videos. When we tested it, there were instances where the audio was choppy – possibly due to the wireless interference. Vocal pick up was not an issue but the clarity of the recording could use some improvement. We’re pretty sure that Samsung should be able to fix this with an OTA update.
Galaxy Wearables App & Voice Assistants
Samsung’s Galaxy Wearables app has improved over the time it has grown its ecosystem. The app has become easier to use with more and more features being put front and centre in the app. The app is also more intuitive that it was when it first was released. However, features like 360 Audio still remain hidden in the menu.
When it came to using Voice Assistants with the Buds Pro, it performed pretty well. The Buds made it easier to interact effectively with both Bixby and Google Assistant. However, the need to download a TTS file for the Buds to be able to read out your messages isn’t communicated anywhere until you try to use it. Then you have to find out where to download it – in this case it was via the Galaxy Store. We would think that Samsung would make this process more seamless particularly since we don’t expect users to actually do the hunting.
Performance
The Galaxy Buds has to be best performing in the Galaxy Buds to date. It has one of best sound reproductions – at least compared to the Galaxy Beans Buds Live. It had better sound reproduction across the sound range from lows to highs even the mids. Sound was a lot cleaner. The sound from the Galaxy Buds Pro was also a little warmer and fuller. While it still was a little bit heavy on the mids, the overall sound quality was definitely more well rounded compared to previous buds. You are able to hear the highs and lows in classical and orchestral pieces clearer in the Pro.
Aside from the tuning, Samsung’s Adapt Sound also helps when it comes to compensating for hearing/sound lost. Tuning the Buds Pro with Adapt Sound actually helped the sound feel even more full. That said, a word of warning, if you use Adapt Sound, don’t use presets on equalizer apps as the feature may result in the preset feeling off tune. We would strongly recommend you use custom profiles if you use Adapt Sound.
The Galaxy Buds Pro performed pretty well when it came to taking calls on them. In fact, callers weren’t able to tell that they were being spoken through wireless earbuds. Instead, they reported that it sounded like the call was being taken directly on the phone. Voice pick up was very good with little to no distortion. However, there were a few instances where the connection was a little choppy but it seems like Samsung has fixed this with a recent update.
Battery Life
The battery life of the Galaxy Buds Pro is decent with Samsung promising at least 5 hours of playback with a single charge on the buds and extra 13 hours with the case. That increases to 8 hours with ANC off with the charge in the case going up to 20 hours.
During our time with the Galaxy Buds Pro, we were able to get about 4.5 hours to slightly above 5 hours for a single charge. While it’s not the longest, it should be sufficient for most users. If you’re taking a long-haul flight, you may find yourself without your entertainment for a little bit as you charge your earbuds.
360 Audio
360 Audio on the Buds Pro is a mixed bag for us. While it seems to be developed with Dolby, when we used it, it felt as if it was using the smartphone as a guide to where the sound source should be. So, listening to podcasts was a little bit of a mixed bag with sound travelling everywhere when the phone was out and then 360 Audio magically turning off when the screen was off. We even tried it with 360 audio tracks on Tidal and were sorely disappointed by the performance.
Samsung’s 360 Audio goes up against Sony’s 360 Reality Audio which uses the user and earbuds as a reference for sound positioning. The experience with this was a little more enjoyable with the sound feeling more true to life and immersive. Samsung’s 360 Audio felt very flat and actually gave us a headache when using it cause of the constant shifting. While it’s just the first generation, it feels like Samsung shoehorned this feature into the Galaxy Buds Pro to keep up with the competition. We feel that it could have used a little more time in the pot before release. Perhaps an OTA update will be able to address the issues we faced. While there have been updates for the Buds Pro, none of them have addressed the issue yet.
Ambient Sound
Samsung’s implementation of ambient sound is one of the better implementations we’ve used to date. It’s good enough that we were comfortable walking on the street with the Buds Pro set to ambient mode. Ambient sound actually felt like it was giving us bionic hearing when we used it. It was able to pick up conversations and voices a good distance away from us – which we found a little creepy.
That said, Samsung also allows you control the sensitivity of the ambient sound pick up in its Galaxy Wearables app. You’ll be able to adjust it to a level where you are comfortable. You can even enhance ambient sound pick up further which makes it even louder.
Samsung’s Hitting the Right Notes but it has a ways to go to be on par with competition like Sony
The Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro is one of the most comfortable and responsive true wireless earphones we have used. The Buds are super reactive when you touch it, and they are comfortable to have in your ears over long periods of time. The fact that they are compact and come with wireless charging gives them a slight edge over their competition.
That said, while the Galaxy Buds Pro is overall one of the best true wireless experiences you can get on the market, the earbuds still have some work to do if they are looking to take on the experience of the likes of the Sony’s WF series. There’s no doubt that Samsung is on the right track with the Buds Pro, but the aural experience of the Buds Pro is missing that awe and umph of its competition.
There isn’t much you can’t do with a smartphone these days, from filming content to banking online from anywhere with just a few taps. But there is always room for improvement, and Samsung Electronics is constantly seeking to make the smartphone experience more intuitive to help us do even more. This is why One UI was created.
Unveiled in November 2018, One UI improved smartphone usability for millions of users. After two years of further evolution, Samsung launched One UI 3 in December 2020, building on the design, efficiency, and user experience of the original across various devices. Now Samsung is raising the bar yet again with One UI 3.1. From February 18th, the latest One UI is bringing updates to support powerful functionality for some existing smartphones.[1]
So what kind of experience can users enjoy with One UI 3? Samsung Mobile Press sat down with the designers of One UI to ask them what we can expect.
The 4 Principles of One UI
1) Focus on the task at hand 2) Interact naturally 3) Be comfortable to view 4) Make things responsive
These four principles were established by One UI designers to give users the best experience possible.
▲ Jeonggun Choi, Principal UX Designer in the Core UX Group, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics
The fourth principle is a completely new principal introduced for One UI 3.1.
“From tablets to foldable phones and regular smartphones, the types of devices people are using has diversified, and the number of features and functions has also increased,” said Principal UX Designer Jeonggun Choi. “Following this trend, new principles were needed to provide the best layout for our users.” Whether an app is running on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy Tab, or the foldable Galaxy Z series, the UI is optimized for each device.
When using the Samsung Notes app on smartphones with regular sized displays, for example, users can access the app menu by pressing the navigation button at the top left side of the screen. But on the Galaxy Z Fold and Tab series, users can take advantage of the larger display by having the entire menu always in view, without having to press anything.
▲ Before (left) and after (right) views of the high contrast menu function
As part of the fourth principle, Samsung has also improved the accessibility experience by recommending features that complement the ones already in use. When someone with impaired or weakened vision has High contrast fonts turned on, for example, One UI suggests other features that improve visibility such as Bold font or Dark mode on the Recommended for you screen. One UI also reduces the hassle of having to sort through several menus by allowing users to turn off any accessibility features they are using from a single screen.
“Accessibility features are so diverse that it can often be difficult to use them to their full potential,” said Jeonggun Choi. “The ‘Recommended for you’ function increases convenience and helps users get more out of those features by identifying and recommending ones that users may need. We’ve also made it easy to use these features only when needed by allowing users to turn the features on and off while in use on one page.”
Galaxy Ecosystem Allows for Seamless Connectivity Between Devices
Another perk offered by One UI 3 is the ability to seamlessly switch between smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Taking into account the increased use of tablets and laptops spurred by a boom in remote learning and work, the new update provides a ‘connected device experience.’ This seamless ecosystem is paramount to enhancing study and work productivity.
“A new feature called ‘Continue apps on other devices’[2] has been added so that users can continue whatever they were doing on their smartphone – whether browsing a web page or working on a draft in Samsung Notes – on their tablet,” said Principal UX Designer Min-Young Chang. “Users can also copy text on their smartphone and paste it onto their tablet.”
In addition, users can connect their Book Cover Keyboard to both their tablet and smartphone with the Wireless keyboard sharing feature. The new Auto Switch feature also automatically connects Galaxy Buds to whichever device is playing media, so that users can seamlessly switch between their smartphones and tablets.
Connected device experiences are not only available with mobile devices, they are also available on home appliances such as TVs. Starting with One UI 3, users can use Smart View to enjoy multimedia content from their smartphone on their TV alongside the camera feed from their smartphone. This is especially beneficial for users who work out at home, allowing them to compare their movements with those of their virtual instructor.
“Starting with the One UI 3.1 update, users can cast their Google Duo video calls onto their TV with one just click,” said Jeonggun Choi. “With an increasing number of people connecting with their family via video calls and conducting virtual work meetings, this is an especially useful feature.”
A Customizable Galaxy Experience to Suit Your Needs
Smartphones are no longer just a tool that gives users the power to do various tasks—they’ve become a means of self-expression. Perhaps the best example is decorating the Galaxy Z Flip with stickers to create your own unique phone. But there are many ways to create a custom smartphone experience with the latest updates. “We have implemented a diverse array of features to let users use their smartphone as a form of self-expression,” said Jeonggun Choi. “Users can enjoy a customized Galaxy experience by choosing a video as the incoming and outgoing call screen or changing the wallpaper in the Messages app.”
▲ Before (left) and after (right) views of the quick panel. The design has been simplified and the most commonly used icons have been placed to speed up the search process. Users can add other icons by clicking the ‘See more’ button in the top right corner.
“We first analyzed the usage for each feature available in previous models,” said Min-Young Chang. “After ranking the features based on their popularity, we placed the most used features at the top while hiding the least used features to simplify the panel.”
Saving Your Time, Even if it’s Only 1 Second
▲ Min-Young Chang, Principal UX Designer in the UX Design 2 Group, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics
Another updated feature available through One UI 3.1 is the integration of the Clock app with Digital Wellbeing’s Bedtime mode.[3] After opening the Clock app, users can tap See More, then tap Set bedtime to set their sleep and wake-up times. Users no longer have to switch between two apps, making setting a daily sleep schedule easier and faster.
“Users might not be aware of all of the One UI design updates that have been made but these improvements combined help users recognize and react to various features quicker and in a more direct manner. Even if it saves 1 to 2 seconds of user’s time, I think it would have been worth the effort,” said Jeonggun Choi. “The One UI designers are going to continue coming up with designs that elevate our users’ happiness and satisfaction with Galaxy devices.”
[1] Features of One UI 3.1 may vary by device model. Updates may vary by carrier, country, and model. [2] Both connected devices need to be running One UI 3.1 or above, have Bluetooth turned on, be signed into the same Samsung account, and be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. [3] The feature allows users to change the background to grayscale and mute incoming notifications in order to help them sleep better.
Samsung is at it again. Just when we thought Samsung is quite done with the first half of the year with the Samsung Galaxy S flagship series, they come back with their budget class Galaxy M series. Samsung is launching their Samsung Galaxy M62 on the 3rd of March 2021 and it will be available then too.
The Samsung Galaxy M62 is not here to impress the speed freaks. But it is still formidable in its class. It packs a Samsung Exynos 9825 System on a Chip (SoC), which is no slouch. The 7nm is supposedly boasting flagship level of processing power at a fraction of the cost. With that (SoC) you also get 8GB of RAM to ensure you do not run out of gas running multiple applications and even having multiple tabs open on Google Chrome.
The SoC and RAM combination powers a large 6.7-inch Infinity-O AMOLED display that churns out Full HD+ resolutions. That also means that you get a better look and view of your Social Media apps. You can even enjoy movies on Netflix with the large display and still make out details in the films, so you do not miss a thing. Of course, AMOLED comes with great colour contrasts and saturation.
Source: Samsung
The biggest selling factor of this device though is its huge battery. It packs a 7,000mAh battery. 7,000mAh is larger than most conventional power banks you can buy in the market today. It is more than two times bigger than a Samsung Galaxy Note8’s battery pack. That also means that you are carrying a smartphone that can double as a powerbank with Wired PowerShare.
Beyond that though, you can survive in the wild for a while with 7,000mAh, you are not going to be wanting to look for a charger for a few days. A large battery does not mean that you need to charge it for hours on end though. With the included 25W USB Type-C charger, the Samsung Galaxy M62 charges from nothing to full within 2 hours.
The Samsung Galaxy M62 will be available 3rd March 2021 onward exclusively on Lazada. The device will retail for MYR 1,999. For one day only on the 3rd of March 2021, the Samsung Galaxy M62 will be available for MYR 1,599. For more information on the Samsung Galaxy M62, you can visit Samsung’s website.
A month after the introduction of their new flagship series: the Galaxy S21, Samsung is adding new options to their lineup. The Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra are getting an additional 128GB version on top of the 256GB and 512GB version already in the market. The new variants also come with lower prices starting at MYR3,499 (USD$865.67) for the Galaxy S21.
The new variants lower the barrier of ownership for the series. Bringing the S21 to a palatable price. However, keep in mind that the new S21 series doesn’t come with a microSD card slot; this means you’ll be stuck with only 128GB of memory. However, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be needing more. The new variants keep the RAM spec of the base models. The S21 and the S21+ will have 8GB of RAM while the S21 Ultra will have 12GB of RAM.
Purchases of the Galaxy S21 series will come with a few freebies including the Galaxy SmartTag, the Galaxy Fit2, and the Wireless Charger Trio during the introductory period. These freebies come with the purchase of any S21 series variant.
The introduction of the new variants comes after Samsung revised the pricing for their Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy S20 FE smartphones. The smartphones get a pretty significant repricing with the Galaxy Z Flip getting over MYR1,000 in reduction. It is now available at MYR3,999 (USD$989.28) from the original MYR5,888 (USD$1456.58). The Galaxy S20 FE gets an MYR400 reduction for both the 5G and 4G LTE variants. Their prices are now reduced to MYR2,999 and MYR2,299 respectively.
Pricing & Availability
The smartphones are currently available in the market.
Let’s be frank, Samsung’s track record when it comes to device support hasn’t been the best. However, in recent years, the company has shown a vested interest in demonstrating its commitment to providing more secure devices. One of the ways in which they have done this is by decreasing their rollout times for updates across the board.
However, it seems like they are looking to up the ante with new policies. Just recently, in August, the company announced that it would provide three major updates to all its Android-powered devices at the launch of the Note20 series. Today, Samsung announced that, in addition to the three major updates, they would be providing four years of security patches. This promise extends to devices released since 2019 – i.e the Galaxy S10 series onward. The commitment doesn’t only cover flagships though, Samsung is committing to support all their major line ups including the Galaxy S, Galaxy A, Galaxy Note, Galaxy XCover, and Galaxy Tab line ups.
In its announcement, Samsung listed the complete list of Galaxy Devices eligible for this new commitment.
Tab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+
That said, Samsung also highlights in the footnotes that the availability of security patches and updates is subject to market and device. This could mean that lower priority regions may still be stuck getting lagging updates if any at all. So far, Samsung has kept to its word in Malaysia and countries like the U.S. and U.K.
Samsung’s move to provide these updates go above the minimum requirement that Google has set for its Andoird OEMs. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t seem like the company has been enforcing the requirement. However, Samsung’s move to champion the updates under their security umbrella brings a little bit more reliability and longevity to the Android Ecosystem.
