Samsung gives off an impression of being giving SmartThings additional consideration recently as the stage continues improving and more comprehensive. Today the tech goliath reported another significant update to its savvy home stage. It will open up ahead of schedule one year from now and, when it does, it will permit clients to control their Google Nest home computerization gadgets utilizing SmartThings.

 

This association among Samsung and Google will prove to be fruitful beginning January 2021 when SmartThings clients will get new instruments for controlling Nest gadgets. Generally, Google Nest items, for example, cameras, indoor regulators, and doorbells will have the WWST (Works With SmartThings) authentication beginning January.

 

Samsung intends to bring all brilliant home gadgets together

Samsung's objective for SmartThings is to build similarity for buyers and furthermore rearrange keen innovation advancement for producers. The organization is focused on making a general framework where all shrewd home gadgets can work strongly together, said Ralf Elias, Global VP of IoT at Samsung Electronics.

 

The ongoing Google Nest association mirrors these objectives, thus does Samsung's newly discovered cooperation with Mercedes-Benz. The association was reported in October and it will prompt the 2021 S-Class Mercedes-Benz to help SmartThings out of the manufacturing plant entryways. Generally, SmartThings clients will before long have the choice of controlling their Google Nest home computerization gadgets utilizing SmartThings on a Galaxy smartphone or even the S-Class Mercedes-Benz.

 

If you love your Samsung Galaxy watch, then you shouldn't upgrade your smartphone before getting a new watch in the new year. A notification in the Samsung Members app has notified users that the company's old wearable won't be compatible with its 2020 smartphones. "The existing service quality of older Samsung Gear wearables cannot be guaranteed and ensured through app updates alone," reads the translated notification. "Therefore, older Samsung Gear wearables can no longer be used in conjunction with new Samsung smartphones (from the year of publication 2021)."

 

The update has listed exactly 5 wearables that will be affected by the decision. The list includes the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear S, and Gear fit. Fortunately, this rule doesn't apply to smartphones released in 2020. If you bought your smartphone this year, it will continue to support wearables. The announcement, however, will affect you if you are planning to buy next year's Samsung Galaxy S21 or any other future smartphone from Samsung. Interestingly, it doesn't mean that the company is dropping support to Android 11 and One UI 3.0.

 

Regardless, if you are considering an upgrade to your current smartphone, you may be also considering purchasing a new wearable next year as well. Samsung is aiming to remove the support for a handful of older hardware released as part of the Galaxy series. So, could Samsung prolong its support for its Gear fitness trackers? All of these devices are pretty old and it's been a few years since we have seen them in the market. These devices are almost 6 years old and it's not reasonable to expect Samsung to support these for much longer.

 

 

According to some rumors, the future of the Galaxy Note series was in the dark. Some leaders suggest that there won't be any Galaxy Note next year, as Samsung has decided to cancel the series altogether. But these rumors proved to be false and we are expecting a new Galaxy Note phone in 2021. Two leakers with tweet handles @chunvn888 and @cozplanes confirmed that the Samsung galaxy note 21 is coming.

 

This isn't the first time we heard about the device. A few days ago, a Korean publication ET News stated that there will be a single Galaxy note model as a successor of note 20 next year. The latter says that he has confirmed from three reliable sources that the phone is under development and will be ready to ship by next year. He further adds that he expects other reliable leakers to report the same soon.

 

Chun on the other hand goes one step ahead and reveals some specs detail about the coming device. According to him, the Galaxy Note 21 is already taking shape and will be a successful successor to the Galaxy note 20 ultra - which means that we can have more than one model in the series - a regular one and an ultra model. The last time, Samsung launched a single Galaxy note phone in 2018. So, while it might come as a surprise, it is not unusual to have a single model. Samsung has integrated the S pen with a few more Galaxy phones this year, and this might be the reason Samsung isn't putting too many models in the Note series.

 

 

Samsung is getting ahead with its official Android 11 update schedule, confirming that this year's Samsung Galaxy S20 phones will be getting the stable One UI 3.0 update in December. According to the list, there will be almost 40 Galaxy smartphones and tablets will be getting hte update. The list includes a few entry-level and budget phones. The Galaxy S20 FE is one of the best Android phones which was launched earlier this year, but surprisingly the phone won't be getting the update right away. Maybe it will get the update later as this phone is eligible for at least 2 OS updates.

 

The Galaxy S20, S20+, and the Galaxy S20 ultra will be the only Samsung phones to get the latest user interface update before the start of the year. However, here is the list of the phones getting the update.

 

December 2020

Galaxy S20
Galaxy S20+
Galaxy S20 Ultra

January 2021
Galaxy Note 20
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Galaxy Z Fold 2
Galaxy Z Flip
Galaxy Note 10
Galaxy Note 10+
Galaxy S10
Galaxy S10+
Galaxy S10 Lite

February 2021
Galaxy Fold

If you have a Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 ultra, you can enroll using the Samsung Members app. Just choose the One UI 3.0 beta banner within the app, confirm your registration status, and you will be able to download the One UI 3.0 beta build based on Android 11 as an OTA update. Samsung hasn't made any significant design changes in OneUI 3.0 as compared to the earlier version. That said, there are lots of exciting features, including the ability to see all associated widgets just by long press and add these to the home screen. You can double tap anywhere on the display to turn off the screen.

 

OneUI 3.0 is getting the conversations view and persistent media player. The update also improves auto-focus and exposure controls in the camera. You can also customize the call screen and add your own pictures and videos. The update also enables users to store recently deleted messages in the trash bin.

 

 

The mobile phone industry is one of the fastest evolving sectors on the planet. Even though current smartphones represent the most advanced and powerful handheld devices the world has ever known, it would be foolish to think they have stopped progressing. Some major developers, including Samsung, seem to believe that foldable smartphones are the next step for the industry. The question is, does the Galaxy Z Flip have the potential to push the entire smartphone market in this direction?

 

The Advent of Foldable Smartphones

Samsung began its forays into folding smartphones in 2019 when it released the Galaxy Fold. The device which was retroactively renamed the Galaxy Z Fold was designed to bridge the gap between smartphones and tablets, providing users with a larger screen that could be reduced to pocket size easily. Samsung has continued to develop its range of foldable phones and has released the Z Fold 2 along with the Z Flip. At present, they could be considered more of a novelty for high-end users, though, as the price point of around $1500 - $2000 per device is high.

 

 

There have been some trepidations about the foldable screens, with many people concerned about the durability of these offerings. Samsung has claimed that the Z Fold can be opened and closed 200,000 times before any damage or problems occur. The average American looks at their phone 96 times per day, meaning that the phone would last just shy of six years if Samsung's estimate can be trusted. This is a fairly decent shelf life, but the mere fact that there is a timeframe on it could put some buyers off.

 

Samsung isn't the only major smartphone company working on developing a foldable range, and this suggests that the industry as a whole could be heading in the direction of these models. Other notable foldable smartphones to date include the Huawei Mate X, the Microsoft Surface Duo, and the Moto Razr 2019.

 

Could Appeal to Audiences in Search of Nostalgia

The Galaxy Z Flip folds across the middle horizontally and clearly harks back to the flip phones seen in the late 1990s. These began with Motorola's StarTAC in 1996, and the design became the most popular form of mobile up until smartphones came into existence in the late 2000s.

 

 

Some of the most memorable foldables included the Motorola V300, the LG VX-6000, and the Samsung SGH-X426. During their heyday, these devices seemed to represent the height of technological progression. Less than twenty years later, though, they are considered retro. This highlights just how rapidly the industry is moving.

 

The new foldable smartphones could gain traction because they have the nostalgia factor working in their favor. Certainly, the Z Flip looks reminiscent of the classic pre-smartphone era flip phones. Older users, in particular, may have fond memories of their early cell phones and have a strong desire to rekindle some of the feelings associated with them.

 

The refreshing of old themes and the evocation of nostalgia have been highly successful marketing tools in recent years, and this has been especially apparent in the entertainment industry - a sector that goes hand-in-hand with mobile.

 

It has been seen with series like Stranger Things on Netflix and the reboots of classic films like Ghostbusters and Blade Runner. In gaming, the online casino industry often recycles old themes and gives them a modern twist. With games like roulette and blackjack, which have existed for more than a century, now having digitalized versions. There are innovative ways to play as well, with blitz options being an example of a recent development. In other offshoots of the gaming industry, such as mobile, traditional games like craps are staging comebacks. This is even to the extent that there is a need for sites such as this to curate the best online casinos in the US, helping players find the best bonuses. Even then, these operators are leveraging the new technology to bring in new advances such as real-time live dealers too.

 

Are There Other Old Phone Aspects That Could be Brought Back?

With the flip phone looking to make a return, it would be interesting to consider whether there are any other aspects of old phones that could be rejuvenated. This has been done with games, and the classic Nokia offering Snake has undergone various iterations on smartphones over the years.

 

It seems as though the Blackberry may be about to make a return to the forefront of the industry as well. The company has partnered with OnwardMobility and FIH Mobile Limited to develop a 5G capable device that uses the classic Blackberry keyboard. If this is successful, it could disrupt the trajectory of the smartphone market again.

 

The Z Flip has the potential to have a heavy influence on the smartphone market. The nostalgia aspect could be a driving force behind sales, and the fact that users can have a pocket-sized larger screen will also be appealing. At the moment, though, the high price point is enough to stop it from going mainstream immediately. It will take the release of a few more generations to see mass adoption.