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Jumat, 31 Januari 2020

EU to consider mandatory common charger for smartphones, paving the way for USB-C domination (Update: Vote passed) - Android Police

The European Union will soon hold a vote to decide if it will enforce a mandatory, universal charging connector for all smartphones and other similar, small electronic devices. Arguments in favor of the new legislation include a reduction of e-waste and easy, interoperable charging for end-users. The introduction of USB Type-C has energized standardization talks as it incorporates many of the advantages (reversibility of connection, data transmission rates, and charging speeds) used to justify the existence of proprietary charging connectors.

A similar initiative, first introduced back in 2014, differed in that compliance was entirely voluntary. It also allowed the continued sale of phones with proprietary connectors as long as they used a standard USB port to connect to a charging adapter. Many in favor of the new regulation argued that the voluntary nature of previous measures had proven ineffective. Although the final language of the bill has yet to be approved, initial reports indicate that the EU is considering mandatory compliance this time around.

A majority of voting members approved an initial draft of the law, but it still needs to receive final approval from the EU Council at a future meeting. If finalized, this could be one more long-overdue nail in the coffin of Micro-USB. One notable objector to this push for standardization is Apple, which continues to use its proprietary Lightning connector on the iPhone.

Members of the European parliament officially voted in favor of establishing a universal charging connection standard for all smartphones and small electronics sold in the EU. The next step for moving this vote forward would be to pass it into law, which TechCrunch reports is planned for Q3 2020. Once finalized, mobile device manufacturers will be forced to adopt universal solutions like USB-C.

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2020-01-31 16:57:00Z
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Xbox Series X Vs PlayStation 5: Microsoft Has One Pretty Huge Advantage Over Sony - Forbes

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2020-01-31 13:00:09Z
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EU Lawmakers Vote Overwhelmingly in Favor of Charging Cable Standard, Despite Apple's Protestations - MacRumors

Despite criticism from Apple, EU lawmakers on Thursday voted overwhelmingly in favor for new rules to establish a common charger for all mobile device makers across Europe (via Reuters).

Members of the European Parliament voted by 582-40 for a resolution urging the European Commission, which drafts EU laws, to ensure that EU consumers are no longer obliged to buy new chargers with each new device.
The resolution said voluntary agreements in the industry had significantly reduced the number of charger types, but had not resulted in one common standard.

The Commission should adopt new rules by July, the lawmakers' resolution said, calling for "an urgent need for EU regulatory action to reduce electronic waste, empower consumers to make sustainable choices, and allow them to fully participate in an efficient and well-functioning internal market."

The proposed charging ports for portable devices include Micro-USB, USB-C, and the Lightning connector. Thursday's resolution didn't specify what the mobile charging standard should be, but non-Apple mobile devices and increasingly laptops and tablets are charged by USB-C, so the EU is highly unlikely to choose Apple's Lightning connector.

Apple last week pushed back against proposals for binding measures to make smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices use a standardized charging port such as USB-C.

In a statement, Apple said that the industry was already moving to USB-C and that regulation to force conformity would stifle innovation, harming European consumers. Apple also claimed that such a move would "create an unprecedented volume of electronic waste and greatly inconvenience users."

The European Commission, which acts as the executive for the EU, has been pushing for a common charger for more than a decade. However, the latest resolution makes legislation more likely, with the EU executive having included the common charger standard as one of the set of actions it plans for this year.

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2020-01-31 10:27:00Z
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Kamis, 30 Januari 2020

Apple outsold every other smartphone manufacturer last quarter - Engadget

Apple’s App Store still limits developers’ options for how to make money - The Verge

It’s not every day we get to talk about a good old-fashioned utility app update. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re a dying breed, but the Apple App Store platform dynamics of recent years have made their row much harder to hoe.

Which is one reason I’m happy to say that if you’re a Mac or iPhone user (or, ideally, both), you should absolutely go check out the newly updated Fantastical apps. There are a few new features and parity across platforms — I personally am excited for a calendar app that integrates with several to-do apps.

The thing about this update that may grab some attention is that it is moving to a subscription model. Historically, this kind of move has sparked consternation, but I’m not feeling any of that. It’s $4.99 a month or — in my preferred way to talk about subscription pricing — $40 per year (a $20 discount). That subscription gets you access to the iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch apps. Non-Apple users should look elsewhere.

You are reading Processor, a newsletter about computers by Dieter Bohn. Dieter writes about consumer tech, software, and the most important news of the day from The Verge. This newsletter delivers about four times a week, at least a couple of which include longer essays. You can subscribe to Processor and learn more about it here. Processor is also a YouTube series with the same goal: providing smart and surprising analysis with a bit of humor. Subscribe to all of The Verge’s great videos here!

By subscribing, you are agreeing to receive a daily newsletter from The Verge that highlights top stories of the day, as well as occasional messages from sponsors and / or partners of The Verge.

I think the subscription model is totally fair, especially given Flexibits’ history of updates and quality. That’s partially because, as I alluded to up top, there really aren’t better options for this category of apps given the rules laid down by Apple in the App Store.

If you’ve watched the App Store market dynamics over the past years, none of this will come as a surprise, but let’s recap:

First, there was a rush to the bottom when it came to pricing. Many apps were priced at $0.99, which set a consumer expectation that iPhone apps are cheap.
Driven by that dynamic and by ranked lists on the App Store, the app market moved to a sort of hit-based system, where games and free apps dominated downloads.
(Many of those games switched over to very skeezy in-app purchase schemes once Apple later allowed microtransactions in free apps, but that’s a story for another time.)
Over the years, Apple refused to offer more flexible pricing options to developers. There never has been (and may never be) such a thing as “upgrade pricing” in the App Store, unlike on more open platforms like the Mac. Developers either had to offer major new versions for free, charge current users the same amount as new users, or try to jerry-rig an in-app purchase system.
(Apple also obstinately refused to let any app so much as gesture to the whisper of an idea that it might be possible to pay the developer in any way other than through Apple’s 30-percent-cut payment system, and is now facing anti-trust complaints on this point, but again, story for another time.)
Perhaps realizing that the rules it had put in place for the App Store were skewing the market dynamics for apps, Apple switched over to a new system that encouraged subscriptions by reducing its cut after a year.

There are pros and cons to the subscription model for both developers and users and they’re all heavily context-dependent. So I’m not making a judgement on that one way or the other — only pointing out that the realm of possible business models has been heavily constrained by the App Store’s rules.

Those limitations have sometimes forced developers into weird decisions and I obviously wish Apple would open up to more pricing models. I especially wish it weren’t engaging in such blatant rent-seeking when it comes to taking a cut of in-app fees.

Anyway, the point is that if you see an app switch to a subscription model, it’s not necessarily doing so because it’s the trendy thing to do — instead, there may not be any other real choice.

One thing strikes me about Fantastical’s switch to a subscription model is how elegantly it was handled. I can’t imagine figuring out how to fork its versions to support this, but Flexibits is doing it:

If you already own Fantastical 2, though, Flexibits has a pretty cool offer to help mitigate that feeling, in part. If there’s any feature in Fantastical 2 that is now a Fantastical Premium feature, you will still be able to use that feature in the updated app on the platform you own it on, even without a Premium subscription.

One quick note: A lot of my newsletters have had a little “▼” in the subject line. It’s there not to evoke The Verge logo (though that’s a nice side effect), but instead to indicate that the newsletter includes a longer essay. I’ll aim to keep doing it, but you’ll notice this one doesn’t have one because it’s relatively short. I bring it all up as a reminder and also a heads-up that as tech news picks up over the next few weeks there may be a few more ▼-less editions than usual.

Earnings news

Verge Deal of the day

Get a two-pack of Google Nest Mini smart speakers for $46.99

Daily Steals is offering Verge readers a big discount on a two-pack of Google Nest Mini smart speakers. By using the offer code VERGENEST at checkout, you’ll get two for $46.99. These cost about $35 each right now, so getting two for around $10 more is a very good deal.

Why would you need two, exactly? They can hang on your wall, so you won’t have to give up precious desk or table space. And compared to the previous generation Home Mini, this speaker sounds better and uses an ultrasonic sensor to detect when you’re near, which then turns on lights that guide you to the right button.

└ Samsung hopes 5G will save its slumping profits this year

└ Tesla’s record 2019 has bought it some breathing room

Tesla has bought itself more breathing room than it’s had in years, maybe ever. The company spent the last few years — especially 2017 onward, as it started spinning up production of the Model 3 — moving at breakneck speed with little margin for error. Tesla CEO Elon Musk even said in late 2018 that his company was single-digit weeks away from death at one point. Its workforce suffered through what Musk dubbed “production hell” as he pushed to make the Model 3 — the company’s most affordable electric car — at mass-market scale.

└ Tesla says it will start delivering the Model Y this spring, months ahead of schedule

Is Elon Musk feeling okay, do you think? Delivering something ahead of schedule is very out of character for him so I’m a little worried.

└ Microsoft Q2 2020 earnings: Office, Surface, and cloud lead results

Most divisions are up. The Windows 7 transition helped Windows, Surface is making respectable but not outsized gains, and of course the real money driver is cloud services. The following note from Tom Warren made me laugh, it’s funny because it’s surely true:

Microsoft notes that Xbox content and services revenue also decreased by 11 percent, primarily due to a “third-party title” (likely Fortnite) performing better last year. Subscription growth has partially offset this decrease, but clearly the third-party game boosted Xbox content revenue last year.

└ WarnerMedia takes $1.2 billion revenue hit in hopes that HBO Max pays off in the long run

AT&T really, really seems to think there’s going to be a virtuous cycle between HBO Max, 5G, and hardware upgrades. I am far from convinced that’s the case with any two of those three nodes, much less the entire flywheel. And even if it turns out to be true, it will mean that content services end up getting tied more tightly to other products.

More from The Verge

└ Apple reportedly working on tracking tags, high-end headphones, a new wireless charger, and more

└ 2020’s new emoji include the transgender flag and more gender-inclusive options

└ LastPass is discontinuing its native Mac app and replacing it with a more universal web app

As should be blindingly obvious to readers of this newsletter, I use a ton of web apps every day, and in many cases I use them instead of native apps because I prefer their interfaces and functionality. Password managers are not one of those times when I prefer a web app. They benefit so much from being integrated into the OS. This one’s a bummer.

└ Grubhub lets customers order from restaurants that never agreed to be on its platform

The increased competition in the food delivery space is leading to a lot of scummy practices. Natt Garun looks at the latest.

└ SpaceX successfully launches its fourth batch of internet-beaming Starlink satellites

SpaceX has permission to launch nearly 12,000 satellites and has expressed interest in launching 30,000 more. To fulfill its licensing obligations, SpaceX has to launch nearly 6,000 within the next five to six years. The company plans to launch up to 24 Starlink missions this year. ... Each Starlink launch consists of 60 satellites, so today’s mission will bring SpaceX’s constellation to about 240 satellites in orbit

└ Wireless carriers may soon boost speeds with a bunch of free spectrum

The FCC has been trying to open up 3.5GHz airwaves since 2015, but it’s taken years to put structure around how it’ll happen. The trouble is, this spectrum is already being used by the US Navy, as well as a small number of companies. Particularly when it comes to the Navy, the FCC doesn’t want any of these new deployments getting in the way. ... So the commission spent the last several years setting up a scheme to make it all work. Any company that wants to use the 3.5GHz spectrum will have to work with an approved company

└ The Twitch streamer behind Tfue’s custom $3,500 mechanical keyboard

Really nice profile from Nick Statt:

One commenter referred to Kim as the “Bob Ross of keyboard making,” and it’s an appropriate assessment. What makes the videos so appealing is Kim’s steady, soothing narration of the rather technical keyboard construction process. He walks through each step slowly and accentuates the precision involved in, say, soldering the key switches onto the printed circuit board. He also fields live questions from his Twitch chat about his work, the parts he finds, and why he enjoys doing what he does. All the while, light lounge music plays in the background.

└ Lincoln will build an electric vehicle using EV startup Rivian’s tech

Lincoln’s parent company, Ford, announced a $500 million investment in Rivian in April 2019, and said it would build an electric vehicle on the startup’s platform (basically the battery, electric motors, and all the other tech that makes an EV go). It was reported in the months following that the vehicle would be a Lincoln SUV, but Ford’s luxury marque had not confirmed any parts of those reports until today.

Coronavirus and tech

└ Google is temporarily shutting down all China offices due to coronavirus outbreak

└ Apple is limiting China travel and has closed one retail store due to coronavirus outbreak

└ LG now banning all employee travel to China to protect against coronavirus risk

└ Tesla says China has ordered its Shanghai factory shut down over coronavirus fears

└ Overwatch League cancels February and March games in China following coronavirus outbreak

└ British Airways suspends all China flights due to coronavirus outbreak

└ Delta is limiting flights between the US and China due to coronavirus outbreak

└ American Airlines cancels some flights to mainland China after coronavirus outbreak

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2020-01-30 12:00:00Z
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Samsung's profits are down again, but the turnaround may be near - CNN

The tech giant reported Thursday that operating profit plunged 34% to 7.2 trillion Korean won ($6 billion) in the quarter that ended in December compared to a year ago, in line with its forecast issued earlier this month.

Sales rose 1% to almost 60 trillion Korean won ($50.5 billion), beating expectations of a 4.4% decline.

Samsung's shares closed down 3.2% in Seoul on Thursday.

This year's Samsung Galaxy phones may be called the S20 and S20+

The firm attributed its latest profit drop to poor demand for display panels and "the continued fall in memory chip prices," a problem that has dogged its earnings for at least a year.

Prices of memory chips around the world have declined over the past year due to a glut in the market, though analysts are projecting a rebound in 2020 as the global supply stabilizes.

Samsung said Thursday it still expects some weak sales for a while, particularly in memory chips, display panels and consumer electronics due to lower seasonal demand over the first quarter.

Overall, however, this year could bring some relief. Samsung says it's anticipating a general pickup across its business in 2020, attributing the expected improvements to "increasing demand from data center companies" for memory chips, as well as greater adoption of 5G smartphones.

The conglomerate also posted an upswing for its mobile unit in the last quarter, "thanks to solid sales of flagship Galaxy smartphones" as well as changes to make its wider device lineup more profitable, it said.

Samsung used to sell too many smartphone models, leaving customers confused, according to analysts at Counterpoint Research. They said last fall that the company simplified its lineup in 2019, fixing that problem.

A pedestrian walking by a Samsung showroom in Seoul in 2019.

Last year, Samsung also "drastically increased its portfolio and slashed operating margin" to fend off competition from Huawei, which has made no secret of its desire to overtake Samsung as the world's biggest seller of smartphones, noted Mo Jia, a research analyst at Canalys.

"But the battle never came," he wrote in a Thursday report, pointing out that Huawei was placed on a US trade blacklist last May that stifled its overseas business.

Ultimately, Samsung managed to retain — and slightly extend — its lead in the global smartphone market in 2019, taking 21.8% share of all shipments followed by Huawei and Apple at 17.6% and 14.5% respectively, according to Canalys.

The future of Samsung TVs? One that rotates to play vertical videos

The global rollout of 5G has already provided a boost. Since hitting the market last year, Samsung's 5G smartphones have proven to be so popular that they've trumped the company's own sales targets. The company said earlier this month that it accounts for more than half the global market.

— Sherisse Pham contributed to this report.

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2020-01-30 08:53:00Z
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Nintendo Switch overtakes SNES with more than 52 million sold - The Verge

Nintendo had its strongest Switch quarter ever this holiday season, moving 10.81 million units to reach a total of 52.48 million sold as of the end of 2019. That means it’s now overtaken the SNES to become Nintendo’s third best-selling home console of all time behind the Wii and the NES.

Pokémon Sword and Shield were a huge hit over the holiday season, moving more than 16 million copies. That’s almost 4 million more than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate registered in its launch quarter a year ago, although Pokémon went on sale about three weeks earlier. Luigi’s Mansion 3 was another big success, selling over 5 million copies.

Nintendo’s Switch hardware sales are up about 15 percent year-on-year, which the company attributes partly to the launch of the cheaper Switch Lite while also noting the December launch in China — though that’s unlikely to be a major factor yet. The 3DS, meanwhile, is now officially a non-factor with just 260,000 consoles sold even in a holiday quarter.

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2020-01-30 07:31:01Z
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Rabu, 29 Januari 2020

Roku is combining its soundbar and wireless speakers into a surround sound system - The Verge

Roku is doing the obvious thing: it’s creating a surround sound system that brings together the company’s Smart Soundbar, subwoofer, and Roku TV Wireless speakers for a more immersive audio experience. A software update, due in February, will allow owners of the Roku-branded soundbar to add the wireless speakers — previously only compatible with Roku TVs — and subwoofer to the mix. Roku uses Dolby audio (Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus), which is widely supported across Disney+, the Apple TV app, Netflix, and other streaming apps.

The audio components all connect to each other wirelessly, which is one convenience compared to traditional surround systems. Another is that sound settings (voice enhancement, volume leveling) are handled through Roku’s on-screen menus. Setting up Roku’s surround sound system takes just a few minutes: you hold the home button on the remote down for a few seconds and then a menu pops up for pairing everything together. There’s a sound check for making sure the rear channel left and right speakers are assigned properly, and then you’re done.

But there’s a weird snag in all of this: the whole proposition really doesn’t make a lot of sense for Roku TV owners. See, the Smart Soundbar has Roku’s software built in and doubles as a streaming gadget in its own right. But if your 4K TV already runs Roku OS, you’re going to be dealing with a lot of redundancy. Roku tries to explain some of that on this page. But it seems impractical to me. You’ll be dealing with two Roku remotes and two Roku interfaces. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to pair two sets of Roku TV speakers to form a surround setup: the soundbar is mandatory.

This solution is clearly designed for the many people who own TVs from other brands like Samsung, Vizio, LG, Sony, and others. Roku thinks it can simplify home theater in a meaningful way for those consumers. For non-surround audio, you can still choose to hear audio coming from all the speakers (with added ambiance) or just from the front speakers in regular stereo mode. In a brief demo back at CES, Roku’s system sounded quite good to me, but it obviously doesn’t match the experience of Atmos. If you’re after that level of enveloping audio, you might still be better off with a surround-system-in-a-box from the likes of Vizio.

Walmart is releasing a cheaper version of the wireless speakers that carry the retailer’s “onn.” branding for $149 (compared to $199 for the standard Roku set) in February. That could make for a cheaper way into Roku’s surround sound system. Oddly, Roku isn’t (yet) offering a discounted bundle of the $159 Smart Soundbar, $199 Roku TV Wireless speakers, and $159 subwoofer, but that might not be far off.

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2020-01-29 14:00:00Z
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[Update: US Note 9] Galaxy S9 Android 10 update rollout begins, starting with US and Germany - 9to5Google

After some hints, an updated roadmap, and extensive beta program, the Android 10 update is now rolling out for the Samsung Galaxy S9 with Germany and those on Verizon’s Xfinity network in the US first in line.

The update brings with it the stable One UI 2.0 update which we’ve taken a closer look at on the Galaxy Note 10+ in recent weeks. Considering that a very recent roadmap hinted at a February release in the Netherlands, getting Android 10 a few days early feels like a gift.

[Update 01/29]: Good news for US Note 9 owners as it appears the Android 10 rollout has started according to SamMobile. The software version for this Android 10 update is N960USQU3DTA4, however, it’s worth noting that this may change depending on your local carrier. It’s also great to see that the January 2020 security patch is included in the update.

If you’re in the US and have the Galaxy Note 9, it may be worthwhile checking your device Software updates panel regularly as the rollout continues over the coming days and weeks.

Confirmation has come from Reddit, with posters in the US and Germany sharing information on the Android 10 upgrades they’ve received on their Galaxy S9 and S9+ devices. This is especially great news for those in the US, as often we see Exynos hardware get updates ahead of Snapdragon models. It also is a big hint that we’ll see the “big four” US carriers start rolling out their own localized update versions.

Being a full OS upgrade, this is a sizeable update at around 2GB and will bring with it firmware version G9600USQU7DTA5 and even includes the January 2020 security patch. It’s a little smaller for those in Germany at around 1.8GB but it too comes with the January patch.

Samsung has really done a superb job at getting all of the main Samsung Galaxy flagships right up to date with Android 10 this time around. Although we likely won’t see the Galaxy Note 8 and S8 get the upgrade, those with the S9, Note 9, S10 and Note 10 can now enjoy all of the benefits of OneUI 2.0 — with all updates being released within weeks of each other.

If you do have the Samsung Galaxy S9 and have seen the Android 10 update on your device, be sure to let us know down in the comments section below. We expect a wider rollout to happen over the coming days and weeks as more OS localizations are made.

More on Samsung:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

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2020-01-29 09:25:00Z
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Google Translate will soon transcribe recordings in other languages - The Next Web

If you attend a lot of meetings and lectures, or simply interview people often, transcribing your audio recordings is perhaps the most tedious task in your workflow.

. But we might soon have some help from Google. The search giant showed off a new transcription feature in the Google Translate app during an event at its San Francisco office last night.

A report from The Verge noted that once the feature is rolled out, you can record audio in one language and get live transcription in another language. Initially, it will only work with live recordings — not pre-recorded audio files — and rely on cloud-based AI. Google also said it’ll launch the feature first on Android.

New from Google Translate: a transcription feature that can translate and transcribe speech in “close to real time,” coming to the Android app pic.twitter.com/IB15UhgE40

— Karissa Bell (@karissabe) January 28, 2020

A report from CNET says the company is already testing the feature in several languages including French, German, and Spanish.

Google already has a transcription feature in the form of the Recorder app on Pixel phones. However, that relies on on-device AI and provides transcriptions only in the English language.

The company has provided no absolute timeline as to when the feature will roll out. We’ll keep an eye out for you, and update you when the transcription feature goes live.

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2020-01-29 07:25:46Z
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Samsung Galaxy S20: everything we think we know about the Unpacked event - The Verge

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S20 — the successor to last year’s Galaxy S10, and the company’s next flagship — at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on February 11th.

Per the rumors, Samsung will have three new flagship phones this year in the US (internationally, it’s a bit of a different story): the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S20 Plus, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. There are also rumors of a new foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip, for a total of four new flagships.

But if you can’t wait until the big announcement, don’t worry. Here’s everything we know so far:

S20 and S20 Plus

The two bread-and-butter phones are the S20 and S20 Plus, the direct sequels to last year’s Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus models (think of them as basically a Galaxy S11 and S11 Plus, by the old naming standards).

There are three big changes that Samsung’s expected to make with the S20, though: a new 120Hz display, an overhauled quadruple rear camera system, and updated processors that will include 5G support by default (at least in the US).

The 120Hz display has already been thoroughly leaked, thanks to an S20 Plus unit that’s made its way out into the wild. A leak from XDA Developers shows the display in action, revealing the super-fast 120Hz refresh rate that should offer far smoother animations. According to the leak, though, you’ll only be able to use the faster refresh rate with the lower FHD+ resolution. The higher-res WQHD+ setting will only work at 60Hz.

The rear cameras on the S20 are also getting upgrades. Last year, the S10 and S10 Plus offered three lenses: a wide-angle 12-megapixel (77-degree) lens, telephoto 12-megapixel (45-degree) lens, and an ultra-wide 16-megapixel (123-degree) lens. The new S20 models are expected to bump that up to the following specs:

A 12-megapixel main camera lens
A 64-megapixel telephoto lens
A 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens
A 3D time-of-flight sensor, but only on the larger S20 Plus

The new phones are also expected to be even bigger than last year’s. According to a leaked spec sheet from Ishan Agarwal at MySmartPrice, the S20 will have a 6.2-inch screen, which is just slightly bigger than the 6.1-inch S10 from last year. The rumored 6.7-inch S20 Plus is closer to the similarly sized S10 5G model (which also had a 6.7-inch display), rather than the 6.4-inch S10 Plus. The larger S20 Plus is also expected to feature a bigger battery (4,500mAh) than the S10 Plus (4,100mAh).

Both of the new phones are expected to follow in the footsteps of last year’s Galaxy Note 10 lineup when it comes to overall design, featuring a taller 20:9 aspect ratio and a single, centered hole-punch selfie camera — an Infinity-O display, by Samsung’s branding.

Both models are expected to feature an ultrasonic fingerprint reader once again, as opposed to the conventional optical scanner used by most other in-display readers. It isn’t clear yet whether Samsung is using the same, occasionally problematic model as the S10 or Qualcomm’s new second-generation 3D Sonic Max sensor.

And finally, early rumors have confirmed that, much like the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Fold, the new S20 models will both sadly forgo the 3.5mm headphone jack, marking one of the last high-profile flagships to lose the audio standard.

S20 Ultra

The regular S20 models are all well and good, but the real star of the show is shaping up to be the S20 Ultra: an ultra-premium model with a bigger screen, beefier battery, and some truly absurd camera specs.

The S20 Ultra takes basically everything about the S20 and S20 Plus and just adds more. The display is still a 120Hz 20:9 panel, but the S20 Ultra reportedly has a massive 6.9-inch screen, making it even larger than the 6.8-inch Galaxy Note 10 Plus from last year. The battery is equally big at 5,000mAh, and it offers more RAM (up to 16GB).

But the groundbreaking upgrades come with the cameras. Like the S20 Plus, the S20 Ultra is expected to feature five lenses, with four rear cameras and a front-facing hole-punch selfie camera. But it’s the hardware here that’s different. Instead of a 12-megapixel main camera, the S20 Ultra is expected to feature the 108-megapixel sensor that Samsung has been working on for months. That ultra-high resolution sensor is apparently being combined with some software enhancements to enable a combined zoom of up to 100x, which Samsung is apparently calling “Space Zoom.”

Additionally, the phone will also reportedly feature a 48-megapixel telephoto lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 3D ToF sensor on the back. The front-facing camera is also getting upgraded to a 40-megapixel sensor, compared to the 10-megapixel sensor on the other models.

Assuming the leaks are accurate, all this would add up to making the S20 Ultra the biggest, most powerful phone Samsung’s ever made. Those specs won’t come cheap, though, with XDA’s Max Weinbach claiming that the phone will cost $1,300.

5G

Where last year’s S10 lineup was strictly LTE-based, with just the pricey S10 Plus 5G offering support for next-generation networks, all three S20 phones in the US will apparently offer 5G by default, and a single model may be able to support multiple US carriers. The US models are expected to feature Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 chipset — which has mandatory 5G support — making it likely that the S20 lineup will also serve as the biggest test for fledgling 5G networks yet.

Internationally, Samsung is expected to use its Exynos 990 processor, and offer both 4G and 5G variants, at least for the regular S20 and S20 Plus.

Go big or go home

Unfortunately, compared to Samsung’s 2019 lineup, there are no rumors this year about a replacement for last year’s smaller Galaxy S10E model, which featured a 5.8-inch display. While the foldable Galaxy Z Flip may fill the role of a physically smaller device for small phone fans, it seems that if you’d like a standard Galaxy S20 phone this year, the smallest size available will be the 6.2-inch S20.

Galaxy Buds Plus

The S20 lineup isn’t expected to be the only news for Samsung: the company is expected to announce a second-gen version of its Galaxy Buds headphones, the aptly named Galaxy Buds Plus. The new model appears pretty similar to last year’s version, but reportedly will offer twice the battery life and improved active noise isolation technology (they won’t feature true noise cancellation, though, like Apple’s recent AirPods Pro do).

According to a post from leaker Evan Blass, Samsung will also be offering the new Galaxy Buds Plus for free to customers who preorder the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, but apparently not the standard S20.

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2020-01-28 13:30:00Z
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S20 and S20 Plus

S20 Ultra

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Go big or go home

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