Centre nod to incentive scheme of Rs 40,995 cr for electronics firms

In a move that may encourage global mobile device manufacturers such as the US-based Apple and South Korean major Samsung to make India one of their global hubs for exports, the Centre has announced a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme with a budgetary allocation of Rs 40,995 crore. Under the scheme, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on Saturday, electronics manufacturers will be offered incentives ranging from 4 to 6 per cent on their incremental sales of goods manufactured in India for a period of five years.

Together with the PLI, the government also announced a scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronics Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) with an outlay of Rs 3,285 crore over eight years, and Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) 2.0 with a budget of of Rs 3,762.25 crore spread over eight years.

Addressing the media on Saturday, IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Because of these schemes, we hope to generate manufacturing revenue potential of Rs 10 lakh crore (Rs 10 trillion) by 2025.”

The PLI scheme will replace the current Merchant Export from India Scheme (MEIS), which was challenged at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and declared void in October 2019. The new scheme is WTO-compliant as it targets production of phones made by or for foreign players which have a manufacturing value of at least $200, according to device manufacturers.

Under the MEIS scheme, the incentive was reduced to only 2 per cent for all sectors and to 4 per cent for a three-month period ending March 31 for mobile devices. Under the new scheme, foreign companies have to invest at least Rs 1,000 crore in the next four years to set up their manufacturing units and will be offered 6 per cent incentive in the first two years, followed by 5 per cent in the next two years and then 4 per cent in the fifth year, according to industry sources.

The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association, welcoming the move, said, “PLI will be a mid-term stimulus to correct the manufacturing disability that India faces in manufacturing mobile devices in relation to China and Vietnam”. The higher incentive will help mobile players narrow down the large manufacturing disability in the manufacturing cost which ranges from 9 to 23 per cent in these countries.

Mobile manufacturers point out that the move will give a push to Apple, which has been scouting for an alternative manufacturing hub beyond China. Currently, as much as $220 billion worth of phones in value terms or 95 per cent of its devices and components are manufactured in China. However, the Chinese domestic market constitutes makes up for 20 per cent in terms of its total sales share.

Apple already manufactures devices and components from India through its two vendors Foxconn and Wistron but the value is minimal at about $500 million. Among others, the Cupertino-based firm has been pushing for implementation of the PLI scheme to expand its export capacity from India.

Even Samsung, which has moved its manufacturing hub from China and has invested multi- billion dollars to set up mega plants in Vietnam, is likely to gain from the latest Cabinet decision. A large foreign investor for India, Samsung has made a beginning in the country as far as manufacturing is concerned. The company has invested Rs 5,000 crore in a new plant near Delhi with a peak capacity to manufacture 120 million phones per annum. It has also committed that 30 per cent of the capacity can be used for exports as long as the country’s polices are conducive.

The move to offer incentives will also help domestic players including Lava, Micromax and Karbonn, which invest in manufacturing mobile handsets. Experts say that many of them could become white label suppliers to global companies and even export on their own.

Currently, India exports only $1.6 billion-worth of mobile devices. That works out to less than 0.5 per cent share of the global exports of devices. According to ICEA, the new move could push India up in the top three league for mobile handset exports. The government also expects the new incentive scheme to help increase domestic value addition for mobile phones to 35-40 per cent by 2025 from the current level of 20-25 per cent. It’s also expected to result in a total employment (direct and indirect) of over 800,000 jobs.

The manufacturing of mobile handsets, which has been a top priority of the government, is a focus area of the National Policy on Electronics 2019 with a target of 1 billion mobile handsets by 2025, valued at $190 billion, including 600 million mobile handsets for export.

Under SPECS, the government will provide financial incentive of 25 per cent on capital expenditure for machinery, research and development, electronic components, semiconductor/ display fabrication units, telecom equipment, specialised sub-assemblies and capital goods for manufacturing of such products. The scheme will be applicable to investments in new units and expansion of capacity/ modernisation and diversification of existing units. It is expected to create around 600,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country.

PRODUCTION PUSH

The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme replaces the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)

Incentives will be linked to incremental sales and capital investment of companies

Rs 10 trillion Revenue potential in production of mobile phones and components by 2025

Rs 50,000 crore New investments in electronics manufacturing likely

500,000 direct jobs, and 1,500,000 indirect ones, expected

35-40%: Rise in domestic value addition for mobile phones by 2025

EMC 2.0 will provide infrastructure with minimum area of 200 acres along with industry specific facilities like common facility centres, ready built factory sheds/ plug and play facilities. It will offer financial assistance up to 50 per cent of the project cost subject to an upper limit of Rs 70 crore per 100 acres of land for setting up of Electronics Manufacturing Cluster projects.

For common facility centres (CFC), financial assistance of 75 per cent of the project cost, subject to a ceiling of Rs 75 crore will be provided This scheme expects to create 800,000 direct and indirect jobs.

According to the Manufacturers Association for Information Technology, the steps taken by the government, beginning with reducing corporate income tax to 15 per cent followed by the production-linked incentive scheme, are significant towards having an export-led electronic manufacturing strategy at a global scale and making India manufacturing globally competitive.

“India should now see large-scale manufacturing happening in the country, translating into progressive increase in value addition from 20 per cent to 35-40 per cent. Major EMS (electronics manufacturing services) companies like Flex, Wistron, Foxcon, Dixon will lead the manufacturing thrust,” said Nitin Kunkolienker, president, MAIT.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus review: Wholesome package justifies premium pricing

Like in earlier years, South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung has again beaten direct rivals in introducing premium flagships with its Galaxy S20 series of three new devices. Marking the beginning of a new decade for Samsung’s premium devices, these smartphones – the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra – focus on imaging, connectivity and software. While the first two are successors to the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10 Plus, respectively, the third is a new addition to the mix.

Business Standard reviewed the Galaxy S20 Plus, priced at Rs 73,999. Read on to know if it justifies its premium price tag.

Design

Though a new-decade smartphone for Samsung, the Galaxy S20 Plus has a familiar design, which looks similar to what we have previously seen in other Samsung flagships. It has a glass-metal build with a Gorilla Glass protection on the front and back. Though minimal, the phone’s overall design looks premium. It is one of the big-screen smartphones that do not compromise on ergonomics. It is thin, compact, and lightweight. And its overall form factor is such that you do not find it difficult to operate using one hand.

Samsung Galaxy S20 PlusOne of the most notable design changes when compared with predecessor is the Galaxy S20 Plus’ rectangular rear-camera module, placed at the top-left corner. It protrudes a little from the phone’s body but not enough to look distasteful. It does, however, make the phone wobble on flat surfaces like table tops. The Galaxy S20 Plus also has new button placement on its chassis – a dedicated Bixby key has been removed and the volume rocker keys have been moved to the right side, above the power key, which doubles up as the Bixby key. The new button placements make it easy to use the phone.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus sports a 6.7-inch punch-hole (Infinity-O) screen of a QHD+ (3200 x 1440 pixels) resolution. The screen covers the entire front, leaving negligible bezels around it; even the most prominent bottom bezel is quite narrow. Samsung has continued with the screen’s two-side-curved profile, common in the company’s premium smartphones. However, the curves in the Galaxy S20 Plus are subtle and look almost flat from the front. The enhanced side curves improve the accessibility of the screen by making it less prone to accidental touches.

Samsung Galaxy S20 PlusAs for upgrades, the Galaxy S20 Plus has added minor but important features to Samsung’s already capable Dynamic AMOLED screen, which the company introduced last year in the Galaxy S10 series. Named the Dynamic AMOLED 2X, the screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. While an enhanced refresh rate improves the experience by making user interface transitions smooth and responsive, it operates only at a fullHD+ resolution. Besides, not all apps and games support the enhanced refresh rate and the screen dynamically switches to the conventional 60Hz. This is not limited to the Galaxy S20 Plus – most phones (affordable or premium) with enhanced screen refresh rates suffer from this, and they will continue to do so unless developers of apps and games add support for enhanced screen refresh rates to their products.

Imaging

Imaging has always been a strong area for Galaxy S-series smartphones, and the Galaxy S20 Plus takes that legacy forward. The rear-camera module of the Galaxy S20 Plus has got a major boost in terms of features, optics and capabilities. The phone sports a quad-camera module – a 12-megapixel primary sensor of an f1.8 aperture, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor of an f/2.2 and 120-degree field-of-view (FoV), a 64MP telephoto lens of an f/2.0 aperture, and a depth sensor. On the front, the phone has a 10MP sensor of an f/2.2 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus camera sampleCamera sample: Wide angleSamsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: PrimarySamsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: 3x ZoomSamsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: 30x ZoomTechnical details aside, both the rear and front camera modules are capable units, irrespective of light conditions and scene settings. The phone’s primary rear camera is tuned to capture bright and warm images. It takes detailed shots with an excellent dynamic range, decent highlights and shadow details, and a minimal noise. The ultra-wide sensor is a huge improvement when compared with the predecessor. It is as good as the primary autofocus sensor with regard to capturing details. It also manages to flatten out distortions on frame edges and makes the output linear. It is this lens that also enables going down to up to 0.5x for close-up shots, which turn out well only in daylight conditions. The telephoto lens, a major improvement, enables up to 3x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom – a first in Samsung smartphones. While the images zoomed at 3x look decent and show a limited noise, those captured at 30x turn out soft and lack detailing. In fact, anything captured beyond 3x zoom shows some quality deterioration.

Samsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: Night modeSamsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: Night mode (moving objects)Samsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: HDRSamsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: Ultra-wide (HDR)To utilise all the available optics and their value-added features at once, Samsung has added a new mode called ‘Single Take’. In this mode, the camera captures frames in multiple formats and shows them all at one place. You can select the best shot, and delete the rest, keep all of them, or delete them all.

Besides exceptional photography, the rear camera module is also a capable unit for videography. Like other S20-series smartphones, the Galaxy S20 Plus supports 8K video recording. However, not all of the camera’s value-added features – tracking autofocus and video effects, for example – are supported at this resolution. Nonetheless, it is a good addition to the mix. Moreover, the phone’s ability to pull off a 33MP image from the 8K recorded footage is a welcome addition.

The selfie camera is also a good performer. Though it lacks a secondary camera, it manages to take decent portraits with a good amount of background blur. It also supports the night mode for lowlight selfies, which turn out well.

Samsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: Dynamic rangeSamsung Galaxy S20 PlusCamera sample: Dynamic rangePerformance

Software and hardware are both equally important for any phone’s overall performance. Thankfully, the Galaxy S20 Plus scores big on both. Powered by the Exynos 990 system-on-chip paired with 8GB RAM, the phone is a consistent performer that handles most tasks with ease – processor- or graphic-intensive. Complementing the hardware is Android 10 operating system-based Samsung’s updated OneUI 2.0 user interface, one of the best custom skins for smartphones. The UI is a delight to look at and easy to operate. Its key functional elements, such as the notifications area, settings menu, dialer, etc, are designed to make one-hand operations handier. The UI supports a system-wide dark mode, which goes well with the dynamic AMOLED screen, capable of rendering true blacks.

While the performance and user experience is top-notch, the phone’s 128GB internal storage seems underwhelming – its 8K video recording capability eats up storage space quite quickly. Though the phone has a dedicated microSD slot for storage expansion, more built-in storage variants or 256GB as the base variant would have been better.

Battery

The Galaxy S20 Plus works for almost a day on regular use with screen set at the fullHD+ resolution (120Hz). Bump the resolution up to QHD+ and the on-battery time takes a knock (but it sails through a day). On moderate to heavy usage, expect 9-11 hours of operations on one full charge.

The phone comes bundled with a 25W fast charger, which replenishes the battery from zero to 100 per cent in less than two hours. The phone supports fast wireless charging, and there is also the provision for reverse wireless charging, which allows the phone to charge other devices wirelessly.

Verdict

At Rs 73,999, the Galaxy S20 Plus costs just as much as its predecessor, the Galaxy S10 Plus. By bringing several major upgrades and keeping the price unchanged, Samsung has made the Galaxy 20 Plus a worthy premium smartphone. The phone cuts no corners. It has a premium build, sharp screen with enhanced refresh rate, versatile cameras, top-notch performance, and satisfactory on-battery time. Moreover, it boasts an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, dual stereo speakers tuned by AKG, and a fast wireless charging support. Almost nothing seems to have been missed out in this wholesome package.

Samsung plans to bring update to improve camera in Galaxy S20 Ultra

Responding to isses of several reviewers have discovered on the camera system of the newly launched Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphone, Samsung is readying an update to improve the camera.

The company has already released a pre-launch software update that cites camera improvements. However, this is available only in South Korea, which some are saying starts to address the auto focus issue.

"The Galaxy S20 features a groundbreaking, advanced camera system. We are constantly working to optimise performance to deliver the best experience for consumers. As part of this ongoing effort, we are working on a future update to improve the camera experience," The Verge quoted Samsung as saying on Wednesday.

It is pertinent to note that Reviews from publications including Input and PC Mag have highlighted that the autofocus system is unreliable.

Initial reviews of the Galaxy S20 Ultra have panned it for its poor autofocus performance, aggressive skin smoothening and image processing.

The autofocus issue, in particular, has been a major cause of concern among reviewers as well.

Also, the Galaxy S20 Ultra's camera system is one of its main selling points, including a huge 108MP sensor and a periscope telephoto lens.

Samsung announces additional bonus of upto Rs 5,000 on Galaxy S20 series

Samsung on Thursday announced an additional bonus of upto Rs 5,000 on the Galaxy S20 series in exchange of their old smartphones.

In terms of pricing, the Galaxy S20 smartphone in India will cost Rs 66,999, while the S20+ is priced Rs 73,999 and the Galaxy S20 Ultra at Rs 92,999.

Potential consumers pre-booking the Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra can purchase Galaxy Buds+ at Rs 1,999 and consumers purchasing the Galaxy S20 can buy them at Rs 2,999.

One can also avail Samsung Care+ (accidental and liquid damage protection) at just Rs 1,999 against the original price of Rs 3,999.

Samsung Care+ offers complete protection for phone from any kind of accidental physical or liquid damage. This includes front screen and covers phone from any liquid damage for a period of one year.

Additionally, the smartphone manufacturer has also collaborated with different networks like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone to provide discounted plans to Galaxy S20 users.

Jio users will get double data benefits with additional one-year unlimited services with Jio's annual plan of Rs 4,999 annual plan.

Airtel customers can also avail double data benefits on the recharging with Rs 298 or Rs 398 for the first 10 consecutive recharges.

Similarly, Vodafone and Idea customers can avail double data on recharge of Rs 399 along with 56 days validity for the first six recharges.

In terms of specifications, Galaxy S20 comes in Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink colours; Galaxy S20+ comes in Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cosmic Black and Galaxy S20 Ultra comes in Cosmic Grey, Cosmic Black colours.

The Galaxy S20 series comes with a 25W fast charger (S20 Ultra supports 45W superfast charging). S20 houses 4000mAh battery, S20+ has 4,500mAh battery while Ultra has a huge 5,000mAh battery.

The entire series is equipped with massive storage as standard -- S20 in 128GB variant LTE version with 8GB variant while S20+ and S20 Ultra in in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB variants.

S20 and S20+ have a triple camera system at the rear with main 64MP camera and a 10MP selfie shooter while S20 Ultra has main 108MP camera and 40MP front camera.

Samsung Note10 Lite: A phone that's better for doodlers than gamers

Samsung is testing a new turf. The South Korean company has come up with trimmed-down versions of its two flagship phones — the S10+ and the Note10+ — to ward off competition from the Chinese.

While the S10 Lite (Rs 39,999) is simply a powerful mid-range phone, like the OnePlus 7T (Rs 34,999) and the Realme X2 Pro (Rs 31,999), the Note10 Lite (Rs 38,999) has the creative edge with the S-Pen stylus. Here’s how it competes and differs.

Design 4/5

The Note10 Lite has a slightly smaller 6.7-inch screen compared to the 6.8-inch screen on the Note 10+, but both phones have a full-screen display with a punch-hole camera and look almost the same. However, Samsung has replaced the Note10’s glass back with a “glasstic” — glass, but mostly plastic — back on the Note10 Lite. Irrespective of the cost cutting, the Note10 Lite is audaciously flashy in its “Aura Glow” colour variant. The silver back reflects light to create an RGB effect, which is unique, ostentatious, yet classy.

The screen packs Samsung’s proprietary Super AMOLED display with a medium-sharp resolution of 1080 x 2400 — the same as the One Plus 7T. But Samsung has cleverly retained the 3.5mm headphones jack and thrown in a pair of wired headphones — which is a score on the OnePlus 7T.

Performance 3.5/5

The Note10 Lite’s Exynos 9810 processor is not future-proof and certainly not as stellar as OnePlus 7T’s Snapdragon 855 in terms of peak performance. Despite this, the Note10 Lite with 6GB RAM and 128 GB storage is smooth in day-to-day performance. It can also handle heavy mobile games such as PUBG on best graphics settings.

But the Note10 Lite’s low screen refresh rate of 60Hz is a noticeable bummer while gaming — an area where the OnePlus 7T outperforms with its 90Hz refresh rate.

In terms of battery power, however, the Note Lite outdoes the OnePlus 7T despite having a bigger screen, its 4,500mAh battery easily lasting 24 hours.

The S-Pen is where the Note10 Lite tips the balance in its favour. This Bluetooth-enabled stylus acts as a camera trigger (in its most primitive use) and as a tool to write, sketch, doodle and create delightful GIFs and multimedia messages. In the Android market where phones tend to clone each other far too often, the S-Pen is a key differentiator.

Camera 4/5

After the design and the S-Pen, the Note10 Lite’s rear camera is its next strong suit. It’s a trio of 12MP lenses, one each for wide, ultra-wide and telephoto photography. The primary wide lens of f/1.7 aperture ensures accurate colour reproduction and good saturation levels. And the quality is exceptional in night mode. The shots are well-lit and sharp, and match the results of the formidable Google Pixel 3a.

The ultra-wide lens of f/2.4 aperture is handy but far from perfect. It does a comparable job in natural light but not so much after the sun goes down. The telephoto lens with a 2x optical zoom brings faraway subjects close, while retaining most of the details. As a package, the Note10 Lite’s rear camera is perhaps the best in the price range.

The 32MP selfie camera is barely average. It does a decent job outdoors but indoor shots are over-exposed even after you disable the default “beauty” filter.

Verdict 4/5

The OnePlus 7T and the Realme X2 Pro are better multi-tasking and gaming devices. The Note10 Lite’s strength lies in its creativity. Buy the phone for its beautiful design, quirky S-Pen functions, a good rear camera, a smooth Samsung One UI 2 interface and excellent battery.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip pre-booking starts Feb 21; to cost Rs 109,999

Samsung annnounced the Galaxy Z Flip along with Galaxy S20 series at its Unpacked event held last week. The smartphone maker says the Galaxy Z Flip will go on pre-booking from February 21, 2020.

Those who pre-book Galaxy Z Flip will start receiving their orders starting February 26, 2020.

This is the second foldable phone from Samsung after the Galaxy Fold. The phone features Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ SoC.

The Galaxy Z Flip is priced at Rs 109,999 in India.

The smartphone is available in Mirror Black, Mirror Purple, and Mirror Gold colours options.

Samsung is offering one-year accidental damage protection, which includes one-time screen protection.

Premier Service to Galaxy Z Flip buyers that entitles them to 24/7 dedicated support, one-year accidental damage protection and white glove delivery.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip flaunts a 6.7-inch full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with 21.5:9 aspect ratio and a 1.06-inch secondary colour display on the outside. It supports dual sim -- one eSIM and one Nano-SIM.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 855+ SoC coupled with Adreno 640 GPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB onboard storage. The handset runs on Android 10 out of the box with One UI 2.0 custom skin on top.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip features dual-rear cameras consisting of a 12MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. There is a 10MP sensor on the front for selfies. The smartphone ships with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security and a 3,300mAh battery with 15W fast-charging.

Samsung gives a glimpse of new foldable phone in surprise ad during Oscars

Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone maker, gave a glimpse of new square-shaped foldable phones in a surprise TV commercial aired during the Academy Awards on Sunday.

The ad, broadcast only in the United States, comes two days before its Galaxy Z Flip phones, which open and close vertically like a flip phone, are due to be unveiled at an event in San Francisco.

While there were many shots of the phones, which come in at least purple and black, there were few other details.

They are, however, expected to be less expensive than the $1,980 Galaxy Fold which opens like a book and was launched in September, delayed by several months after problems with its screens.

"The new Galaxy Z Flip foldable phone will create a halo effect for Samsung's brand and help it better compete with Apple's pricey models," said Tom Kang, an analyst at research firm Counterpoint, adding that Samsung had taken the lead in foldable phones at a time when Chinese rivals looked set to leap into the nascent market.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite pre-orders begin, sale starts Feb 3: Know more

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung on Tuesday launched the Galaxy Note 10 Lite in India. The smartphone is now available for pre-orders and goes on sale across offline and online platforms from February 3. The phone comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants — both with 128GB internal storage — priced at Rs 38,999 and Rs 40,999, respectively. The phone comes in aura glow, aura black and aura red colours.

Unveiled earlier in January, the Galaxy Note 10 Lite is a new product in the Samsung Galaxy Note line-up. The Galaxy Note10 Lite has a 6.7-inch super AMOLED display of a 20:9 aspect ratio. Touted as 'Infinity-O' display, the screen has a punch hole at the top-centre for the front camera. Unlike the two-side curved dynamic AMOLED screen of the Galaxy Note 10, the display on the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a curved glass covering the flat screen.

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite comes with an SPen – a Bluetooth-enabled stylus that doubles up as a remote controller. Additionally, it also supports the Samsung Air Command feature, which allows you to take pictures, navigate through presentations, change music tracks, and more.

Imaging is covered by a 12-megapixel-based triple-camera set-up — a dual pixel-based primary sensor with optical image stabilisation, an ultra-wide sensor of 123-degree field of view (FoV), and a telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom capability. On the front, the phone has a 32MP selfie camera.

In terms of upgrades, the rear camera setup gets a Super Steady mode that the company promises will reduces motion blurs while recording videos. Additionally, Samsung has added depth-of-field adjustments to the Live Focus mode that provides additional controls to adjust the background blur while recording video.

Powered by the Exynos 9810 system-on-chip, the Galaxy Note10 Lite comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants, coupled with 128 GB of internal storage. The phone supports storage expansion to up to 1TB using microSD. The phone is powered by a 4,500 mAh battery and comes with a fast charger.

Read our full coverage on Samsung

CES 2020: Samsung unveils external PSSD T7 Touch with fingerprint scanner

South Korean tech giant Samsung on Thursday unveiled its latest external storage device - the Portable Solid State Drive (SSD) T7 Touch with an additional hardware security measure in the form of a built-in fingerprint sensor at CES 2020.

"Consumers who are constantly on the go between work, play and passion projects want to be able to securely carry their content with them. Now their data is secure thanks to the fingerprint recognition functionality incorporated into the product, which delivers industry-leading transfer speeds in a compact form factor," Dr. Mike Mang, Vice President of Brand Product Biz Team, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics said in a statement.

According to the company, with a read speed of 1,050MB/s and a write speed of 1,000MB/s3, T7 is approximately twice as fast as its predecessor, the T5, and up to 9.5 times faster than external HDDs4.

Moreover, the device can reach its maximum speed when used with the NVMe interface.

It also features a 'Motion LED', which allows the user to determine the status of the device simply with a single glance.

Available in a black and silver finish, the T7 Touch is offered in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases.

The drive comes with a USB Type-C-to-C cable and a USB Type-C-to-A cable, and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Android operating systems.

The T7 Touch also includes a three-year limited warranty with manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) of $129.99 for the 500GB, $229.99 for the 1TB and $399.99 for the 2TB.

--IANS

wh/rs

Samsung warns of tepid mobile business profit, bets on chip sales instead

Samsung Electronics warned of a smaller mobile business profit on Thursday as its rival Apple gave a positive iPhone sales outlook, dampening hopes new models will help the world's largest smartphone vendor finally get back on a growth track.

Investors have pinned their hopes on a recovery in the mobile business that once made up over half of Samsung's profit, as its chip operation remains in the doldrums due to over-supply and weak global demand.

Strong sales of the Galaxy Note 10 smartphone helped the South Korean firm report its best mobile business profit in six quarters in the three months ended in September, as it recovers from a battery explosion scandal in late 2016 that hurt sales.

The mobile business posted a 32% rise in operating profit to 2.9 trillion won ($2.5 billion) in the third quarter, the highest since the first quarter of 2018.

But Samsung warned that fourth-quarter mobile earnings would decline as marketing costs rise and sales of flagship models soften from their post-launch peaks.

The downbeat forecast came hours after Apple Inc said holiday-quarter sales would beat Wall Street expectations, citing demand for services, wearables and its latest iPhones.

"The new smartphone effect will likely fizzle out in the fourth quarter, as people don't find Samsung's new Note model, which came out several months ago, very attractive anymore," said Song Myung-sup, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities.

"That will result in a drop in shipments and eventually less profit."

Lee Jong-min, Samsung's vice president of mobile communications business, told an earnings call that mobile was on a downward trend.

"Although the mobile market in general will soon enter a period of a strong year-end seasonality, demand is expected to keep trending down year-on-year due to persistent uncertainties in the global macro environment," he said.

Samsung is betting on growth in the markets for 5G and foldable phones next year.

Just this week it unveiled a design for a phone that can fold into a square, hinting at its next innovation in the foldable segment.

Samsung's smartphone shipments rose by 8% in the third quarter to 78.2 million phones, outgrowing Apple whose iPhone sales dropped by 3%, according to Strategy Analytics.

Analysts say Samsung's smartphone sales were boosted by US sanctions on Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], which hurt the Chinese firm's mobile business in the global market.

Chip Recovery

In contrast to its caution over the mobile sector, Samsung said chip sales should pick up next year with positive signs for demand from data-centre customers and 5G smartphone manufacturers.

The world's largest memory chipmaker said September-quarter operating profit fell by 56% to 7.8 trillion won ($6.7 billion), slightly above the 7.7 trillion won estimate the company released earlier. Revenue fell 5.3% to 62 trillion won, in line with its earlier estimates.

The semiconductor business - by far Samsung's main source of income - reported operating profit of 3.1 trillion won, less than a quarter of its take in the same period last year amid oversupply and falling global demand for electronics.

Samsung's profit has slumped on-year for four consecutive quarters and is expected to fall again in the current quarter, before recovering next year on the back of stronger chip sales, analysts say.

"Global 5G smartphone sales will be in full swing next year, supporting solid memory-chip demand growth," said analyst Park Sung-soon at Cape Investment & Securities.

Samsung cautioned that prospects for semiconductor sales in 2020 were shrouded in uncertainty around the macroeconomic environment, a likely reference to the future of US-China trade relations.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 review: Arguably the best Android tablet yet

If you believe tablets are not a very productive device type, you might like to experience the recently-launched Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. Based on the Android platform, which is primarily a smartphone operating system, the Tab S6 also comes pre-loaded with Samsung DeX computing platform and supports digital inking with the SPen stylus that comes bundled. Also, the tablet has other value-added features like call and message continuity which bring it somewhat close to being a true two-in-one device.

We reviewed the Tab S6 to see how it fares on key parameters. Here’s what we found:

Design

The Tab S6 has a compact unibody design with subtle curved corners, which make it easy to slide the tab into a pouch or a compatible backpack. Carved out of a single block of aluminium, the tablet is just 5.7 mm thick and weighs only 420 g. Its lightweight design and thin profile make it an ultra-portable device that you can use without the fear of accidental drops.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6While the tablet’s design may seem practical, it is not fully so. On the tab’s back, there is a dedicated area for the SPen to simultaneously rest and charge. Though this area has magnets to keep the stylus in its place, the magnetic force is rather weak, sothe SPen drop even on light jerks. You might like to consider purchasing the tab with the Samsung BookCover Keyboard (sold separately) as it protects the SPen by covering the entire back.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Aside from the issue with the SPen mount, the other aspects of the Tab S6 appear fine. Its key components, such as volume rocker keys, SIM slot, power button, speakers, charging and data transfer ports, have been placed at the right spots for ease of use both in portrait or horizontal orientations.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Display

The Galaxy Tab S6 has a 10.5-inch super AMOLED screen of a 2560 x 1600 resolution, stretched in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The high-resolution screen, close to the conventional aspect ratio, makes it a perfect match for most tasks like browsing web pages, scrolling through social media profiles, playing games, streaming videos and editing multimedia. The screen is bright and vivid and has a good dynamic range. The screen supports HDR, but the lack of the video enhancer option limits the brightness boost required to render HDR content well. The screen has bezels around it, so the risk of touching the screen accidentally is minimal.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Multimedia

The Tab S6 has Dolby Atmos-certified and AKG-tuned quad-speaker set-up (two each at the top and bottom). The speakers’ output is deep, with an excellent noise level. They are loud enough to stay audible even in loud outdoor conditions. The tablet’s dazzling screen and capable speaker set-up make it an all-round entertainment powerhouse, delivering an immersive experience.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Computing

Though the tablet boots the Android Pie operating system-based ‘Samsung One’ user interface, it also has the company’s productivity-centric DeX computing platform integrated within the OS for computing tasks. The tablet’s default UI is ‘One’, you can easily switch to the DeX mode either from notification settings or by attaching the BookCover keyboard (sold separately).

The Android OS and its vast collection of apps allow the tablet to be a big-screen version of smartphones. On the other hand, for a desktop-like experience, the DeX computing platform adds some productivity features like windows-based user interface with a taskbar, multitasking, etc. The DeX supports 20 windows at a time. These windows support conventional actions like file drag and drop, minimise for taskbar, maximise to cover the entire screen, etc. There is also the option to manually resize the windows.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6When attached with the keyboard, the DeX mode proves to be a game changer. The keyboard has function (Fn) keys for ease of use and a touch-sensitive trackpad that make it work somewhat like a notebook. Though small, both the keys and the touchpad of the keyboard are responsive and have good feedback.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Camera

The Galaxy Tab S6 has a dual camera set-up on the back, featuring a 13-megapixel primary camera and a 5MP ultra-wide sensor. Both cameras are satisfactory, if not exceptional. These are good for daylight photography, but stutter in low light. On the front, the tab has an 8MP camera that also does a satisfactory job while taking selfies or making video calls.

Performance

Powering the tablet is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip, mated with a 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. These top-notch specifications result in sleek performance, unmatched by any other Android tablet in the industry so far, and closer to what the Apple iPad Pro delivers. The tablet has a huge 7,040 mAh battery, which is good enough for two days when used for casual work, including streaming videos from over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Aggressive usage, such as multimedia editing, gaming and streaming audio and videos over LTE, drains the battery faster. But the tablet still sails through a day easily. While the battery is surprisingly good, the charging time is slow as the tab comes bundled with a 15W charger, which takes more than four hours to replenish the drained-out battery.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6Verdict

At Rs 59,900, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is definitely one of the most expensive tablets, but it is worth it. The tablet’s dazzling display, exceptional multimedia prowess, stylus support, class-leading computing platform, top-notch performance and the ability to serve as a two-in-one device make it the best Android tablet yet — one that could really compete with Apple iPads.

Price

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6: Rs 59,900, including SPen

Samsung BookCover keyboard: Rs 10,999 (Rs 5,499 when purchased with Tab S6)

Samsung pours $11 bn into next-gen displays to counter Chinese rivals

Samsung Display Co. plans to spend 13.1 trillion won ($11 billion) developing and building next-generation displays, responding to a flood of supply and price pressure from fast-moving Chinese rivals.

In an announcement event attended by Korean President Moon Jae-in and Samsung Electronics Co. Vice-Chairman Jay Y. Lee, the investment was presented as a move to reorganize the display industry while maintaining Samsung’s global lead and Korea’s established dominance. The government will invest about 400 billion won into next-generation displays to propel that objective, Moon said.

The Samsung unit will build a quantum-dot display production line in Asan, according to a company statement, which will begin operations from 2021 with an initial annual capacity of 30,000 panels larger than 65 inches. Production will then scale up from there, with a long-term development plan that stretches out to 2025. The investment will help create 81,000 jobs, the company added.

Samsung and cross-town rival LG Display Co. are grappling with a surge of competition from Chinese suppliers such as BOE Technology Group Co., which in recent years have ramped up liquid crystal display-making capacity and are increasingly making inroads into next-generation screens. To offset a decline in margins and loss of clients, Samsung is moving forward with development of quantum-dot displays.

Samsung’s heir and de-facto leader Lee has pledged to invest for the long-term in the display business, which is one of the three main pillars -- alongside memory chips and smartphones -- in which the Korean tech champion is world leader. The company is making a huge bet on the market as the business environment deteriorates and a trade spat between Korea and Japan creates uncertainty around the supply of chemicals and components necessary to manufacture advanced displays. This week, Samsung reported a quarterly profit decline of more than 50%, though that was less of a fall than anticipated.

Korea’s largest company is the world’s foremost producer of high-margin OLED displays, but hit a snag last year when orders from Apple Inc. underwhelmed after the marquee iPhone XS fared worse than expected. It remains to be seen how enticing the new iPhone 11 Pro models will be to consumers over the critical holiday shopping season, though analysts are growing optimistic on demand.

Away from displays, the unpredictability surrounding tensions between the U.S. and China -- where Samsung earns a big chunk of revenue -- has led to a downturn in the chip industry at a time when smartphone demand tapers off and the pace of data center construction decelerates.

Samsung anniversary sale: Discount on smartphones, wearables, TVs, and more

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung has announced an anniversary sale, under which the company is offering discounts, cashbacks, bank offers and exchange bonus on wide-range of products, including smartphones, wearables, televisions and audio accessories. The sale, currently live on the company’s official online sales platform, is valid until October 13. Here are some of the deals that the company is offering in its anniversary sale:

Smartphones

Samsung’s flagship smartphones from last year, the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy Note 9, are available at a discounted price of Rs 29,999 and Rs 42,999, respectively.

Besides, the company is offering exchange bonus on the recently-launched Galaxy Note 10- series. In addition, the company is also offering up to 10 per cent instant cashback on select Galaxy M and Galaxy A-series phones.

Televisions

The company’s 55-inch QLED television, the Samsung Frame TV, is available at a discounted price of Rs 84,999. Additionally, the company is also offering up to 49 per cent discount on its UHD and HD televisions.

Wearables

In the sale, the Galaxy Watch 46mm variant is available at a discounted price of Rs 23,990. The company is also offering up to 20 per cent discount on select smart wearables.

Discount on other products:

Refrigerators – Up to 31 per cent

Washing machines – Up to 21 per cent

Microwave – Up to 43 per cent

Air conditioners – Up to 28 per cent

Harman Kardon-branded audio products – Up to 50 per cent

JBL-branded audio products – Up to 60 per cent

Accessories – Up to 40 per cent

Memory and storage – Up to 60 per cent

Additional benefits:

Up to 10 per cent cashback on select SBI, HDFC, ICICI and Axis Bank cards

Up to Rs 1,500 cashback on Amazon Pay transactions

Up to 25 per cent discount voucher for travel bookings via MakeMyTrip

OYO hotel vouchers worth up to Rs 10,000

Additional exchange value bonus on old device, valid only on smartphones

Samsung ends mobile production in China, shifting plants to India, Vietnam

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has ended mobile telephone production in China, it said on Wednesday, hurt by intensifying competition from domestic rivals in the world's biggest smartphone market. The company has expanded smartphone production in lower-cost countries, such as India and Vietnam, in recent years.

The shutdown of Samsung's last China phone factory comes after it cut production at the plant in the southern city of Huizhou in June and suspended another factory late last year, underscoring stiff competition in the country.

The South Korean tech giant's ceased phone production in China follows other manufacturers shifting production from China due to rising labour costs and the economic slowdown.

Sony also said it was closing its Beijing smartphone plant and would only make smartphones in Thailand.

But Apple still makes major products in China.

Samsung's share of the Chinese market shrank to 1% in the first quarter from around 15% in mid-2013, as it lost out to fast-growing homegrown brands such as Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi Corp, according to market research firm Counterpoint.

"In China, people buy low-priced smartphones from domestic brands and high-end phones from Apple or Huawei. Samsung has little hope there to revive its share," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities.

Samsung, the world's top smartphone maker, said it had taken the difficult decision in a bid to boost efficiency. It added it would however continue sales in China.

"The production equipment will be re-allocated to other global manufacturing sites, depending on our global production strategy based on market needs," it said in a statement, without elaborating.

Samsung declined to specify the Huizhou plant's capacity or its numbers of staff. The factory was built in 1992, according to the company.

South Korean media said it employed 6,000 workers and produced 63 million units in 2017.

That year, Samsung manufactured 394 million handsets around the world, according to its annual report.

Samsung Galaxy Fold coming to India on October 1: Specs, features, and more

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Fold in India on October 1. The information came from the company’s official Twitter channel, where the company published a teaser video showcasing the Galaxy Fold, with the following message: “We changed the shape of the phone, and the shape of tomorrow. Future unfolds on October 1, 2019”.

Announced earlier this year, the Galaxy Fold is a new category of smartphones with foldable screens. The phone has two displays — a 7.3-inch dynamic AMOLED foldable display that bends inwards and a conventional 4.6-inch secondary super AMOLED display on the back that becomes primary display when the device is folded. The phone’s primary display supports HDR10+ and has 1536 x 2152 resolution. The secondary display has an HD+ resolution (1680 x 720), stretched in a 21:9 aspect ratio.

The device supports the app continuity feature, which allows easy transition between both displays. For example, you can open an app on a secondary display and continue using it on the primary after you unfold the device. The primary screen also supports three-window multitasking, allowing you to utilise a bigger screen estate to open three different supported apps.

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The device has a total of six cameras; two above the primary display, three on the back and one above the secondary display. The dual camera set-up above the primary display sports a 10-megapixel sensor paired with an 8MP depth sensor. The triple-camera set-up on the back has a 12MP primary wide-angle sensor, 16MP ultra-wide sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens. The one above the secondary display is a selfie camera of 10MP resolution.

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip, the phone comes with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage. It has dual batteries with a total capacity of 4,380 mAh. The phone supports 15W fast charging and two-way wireless charging, too.

Samsung Galaxy A50s review: Great looks and design, performs well too

Samsung recently launched Galaxy A50s, the upgraded version of Samsung A50, with 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED screen and 48MP main shooter. The smartphone has a sleek profile that complements its overall look and design, but faces tough competition as there have been notable entries in the mid-range segment. Can the Galaxy A50s make a mark? Let’s have a look:

Design

Galaxy A50s impresses with its looks. The first thing you'd probably notice is the Prism-cut design on the solid glassy rear panel. We had the Prism Crush White variant and it can take on any rival in terms of looks. The metallic frame adds to the looks while the thin bezels highlights the screen.

The phone is sleek and very easy to hold despite the 6.4-inch screen size. The power and volume buttons are placed on the right side of the frame, while the left side has the tray for two SIM cards and a microSD card. The headphone, USB Type-C and speaker grille sit at the conventional bottom position. However, it’s a bit difficult to reach the sound and power buttons with single-handed use.

Display

Samsung Galaxy A50sThe Galaxy A50s features a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display (1080 x 2340 pixels) with an Infinity-U notch, 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 403 PPI. The screen is bright, the colours are vivid and the viewing experience was fine as far as we could observe.

There is an in-display fingerprint sensor, too, but it is not the fastest that we have seen. The face recognition is not the fastest either, as it takes some seconds for the phone to unlock. At times, you are compelled to key in the password to unlock the device.

Performance

Samsung Galaxy A50sThe Galaxy A50s features the Exynos 9611 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM and a 128GB of storage (the other version being 4GB/128GB). Exynos 9611 is slightly upgraded from the 9810 chip in the earlier A50. The processor easily allows you to juggle social media apps, photo editing apps, heavy games and camera. The phone is swift in performing all operations. The OneUI on top of Android Pie gives it a clean look while operating. The navigation is easy due to clutter-free interface and large icons.

The 4000 mAh battery lasts long enough to sail through heavy camera use, long gaming sessions, and even binge-streaming. The 15W charger enables fast charging as well.

The phone has Widevine L1 certification to confirm its ability to play content from over-the-top platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix, in high-definition.

Camera

Photo taken using mode in Samsung Galaxy A50sPhoto taken using standard mode in Samsung Galaxy A50sThe Galaxy A50s features a triple-camera set-up at the back, including a 48MP main shooter, a 5MP depth sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. Under the notch, there is a 32MP front camera that is satisfactory but not impressive. The rear camera performs well in indoor conditions but the overall image seems a bit grainy and not sharp enough in outdoor photography. The depth sensor works fine, though. The wide angle captures a good area under the frame but the images produced look a bit dull. The pictures in night usually come out grainy, too. Hence, don't expect too much from the camera.

Verdict:

Photo taken using wide-angle lens in Samsung Galaxy A50sPhoto taken using wide-angle lens in Samsung Galaxy A50sThe Galaxy A50s with 4,000mAh battery, 48MP main shooter, and the price tag of Rs 24,999 for 6GB + 128GB version (Rs 22, 999 for 4GB + 128GB) is a considerable offering in the mid-range segment but faces a tough competition from rivals.

The smartphone looks impressive, and scores well on several parameters, especially performance. The camera may not impress too much, but does a fine job otherwise. Overall, we had a good experience with the phone.

Samsung Galaxy M30s first impressions: Significant changes from Galaxy M30

After upgrading the Galaxy A-series smartphones with the launch of the Galaxy A30s and the Galaxy A50s, South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung has now refreshed its M-series with the launch of the Galaxy M30s. This budget smartphone boasts a 48-megapixel primary sensor in a triple-camera module on the back, a segment-first 6,000 mAh battery supported by 15W fast charging, and an efficient processor that lifts the phone’s overall performance.

The phone comes in 4GB RAM + 64GB and 6GB RAM + 128GB configurations, priced at Rs 13,999 and Rs 16,999, respectively. The phone seems to be a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the Galaxy M30. Here are the phone’s first impressions:

Design

The Galaxy M30s looks premium with its sleek profile and is easy to hold, despite its 6.4-inch screen. The screen is of the super AMOLED breed with a fullHD+ resolution. The phone has a glossy plastic panel on the back that has good resistance towards unwanted fingerprints. The rear panel has a capacitive fingerprint sensor, which might not be the fastest in its segment but does the job of unlocking the phone without any hiccups.

Camera

Imaging is one department where the Galaxy M30s gets most of its upgrades. The phone’s triple rear-camera module combines a 48MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a 5MP depth sensor. On the front, the phone has a 16MP selfie camera placed under the infinity-U shaped notch on top of the screen.

The Galaxy M30s’ camera is backed by an artificial intelligence-based ‘Scene Optimizer’ and intelligent flaw detector features. The phone’s camera is capable of identifying up to 20 pre-set scenes, such as food, scenery, etc, and optimises them automatically making it easy to point and shoot. The camera has a dedicated night mode for low-light imaging. It can record 4K videos, Super Slo-Mo, Super Steady and Hyperlapse.

Performance

The Galaxy M30s is powered by the Exynos 9611 system-on-chip (SoC). It boots Android 9 Pie operating system-based One UI, which is a huge improvement over the Experience 9.5 UI that powered its predecessor. The phone’s user interface is clutter-free. The big app icons and easy-to-navigate UI make it easy to use the phone without juggling from one app to another. With regard to gaming, the phone’s performance seems satisfactory. However, we reserve our verdict for the review, which will be out shortly.

Samsung Galaxy Fold finally ready for launch, to be released tomorrow

Tech giant Samsung has said it will launch its hotly anticipated first foldable smartphone on Friday, months after faulty screens forced an embarrassing delay of its release.

The world's largest smartphone maker spent nearly eight years developing the Galaxy Fold, but had to hold its launch in April after reviewers reported screen problems within days of use.

It was a major setback for the firm, which was hoping to spark demand for its high-end phones with the launch of the $2,000 device, with profits plunging in recent quarters in the face of a weakened market and strong competition from Chinese rivals.

After months of "refining" the Galaxy Fold -- which is ready for use on high-speed 5G networks in some markets -- Samsung said it will release the smartphone in South Korea on Friday, followed by select countries including the United States, Germany and France.

The firm will also offer a programme to Galaxy Fold users under which the company would cover 70 percent of the cost of screen repair once within a year of use.

Samsung shares were up four per cent in afternoon trading in Seoul.

The Galaxy Fold has been widely promoted as the "world's first foldable smartphone", while rivals such as China's Huawei have been racing to bring similar devices to market.

Samsung has a history of humiliating setbacks with major products, most notably a worldwide recall of its Galaxy Note 7 devices in 2016 over exploding batteries, which hammered its reputation.

The firm has also been caught up in the intensifying trade war between Japan and South Korea stemming from World War II disputes.

The row saw Tokyo impose tough restrictions on exports crucial to South Korean tech giants in July, and Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong -- who called the situation a "crisis" -- has visited Tokyo to secure materials.

Analysts have said the trade dispute will affect the delivery of Samsung products -- among them the Galaxy Fold as it relies on a chemical film produced by Japanese firm Sumitomo Chemical.

Lee is currently facing a retrial over his role in a massive corruption scandal that brought down former president Park Geun-hye.

He was initially jailed for five years in 2017 on multiple convictions including bribery, which was reduced to a suspended sentence on appeal, only for the Supreme Court to order a retrial last month.

Analysts say the ruling could pose a serious challenge for Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Note10-series India launch today: Livestream, price, specs

After unveiling them globally on August 8, South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10 Plus in India today (August 20). Both phones are currently available for pre-orders, with up to Rs 6,000 cashback on HDFC and ICICI cards, at select retail outlets and online portals like Samsung online shop, Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm and Tata CLiQ. On pre-orders, Samsung is also offering the Galaxy Watch Active, worth Rs 19,990, at a discounted price of Rs 9,999. The phones' sale will commence from August 23.

Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10 Plus price:

The Samsung Galaxy Note10 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage is priced at Rs 69,999. It will be available in aura glow, aura red and aura black colour variants. The Galaxy Note10 Plus, with 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of internal storage carries a price starting Rs 79,999. The Galaxy Note10 Plus will be available in aura glow, aura white and aura black.

Samsung Galaxy Note10-series India launch today: Livestream, price, specs

Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10 Plus key features:

Dynamic AMOLED display

First introduced in the Samsung Galaxy S10-series, the dynamic AMOLED display promises better colour rendition, improved contrast and higher brightness than conventional AMOLED panels. The display is HDR10+ -certified, which makes it the only panel capable of rendering content with dynamic tone meta information mapped with each frame.

SPen

The Galaxy Note-series has always been about productivity and the Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10 Plus add new capabilities on the productivity front. Both phones come with digital stylus, called SPen, which makes it easy to take down notes on the phone. Using the Samsung Notes app, you can now covert handwritten notes into digital text in both phones, and export in different formats, including Microsoft Word.

DeX computing platform

The Galaxy Note10-series extends Samsung DeX’s capabilities, making it easier to shuffle between phone and PC or Mac. With a compatible USB connection, now you can drag and drop files between devices, and use DeX-compatible mobile apps with a mouse and a keyboard. Thanks to Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft, the Galaxy Note10 has a ‘Link to Windows’ feature integrated directly into the quick panel. This allows users to see notifications, send and receive messages, and review recent photos on a Windows 10 computer.

Camera

The Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10 Plus support live focus in videos, allowing users to record videos with DSLR-like natural bokeh (blur effect) in the background which makes the focused subject stand out. Additionally, both phones have ‘Zoom-In’ mics, which amplify the audio of the object in frame by limiting background noise. Besides videography features, both phones’ front cameras support night mode for low-light photography.

Gaming

The Galaxy Note10 phones have an artificial intelligence-based ‘Game Booster’ mode, which optimises phones' performance and power consumption depending on game requirements. Both phones also support PlayGalaxy Link P2P streaming service, which allows users to continue playing PC games on their phones. Additionally, both have built-in screen recorders with SPen support for easy annotations on recordings.

Charging

The Galaxy Note10 phones support fast charging — wired and wireless. While both come bundled with 25W fast charger, the Plus model is also compatible with 45W fast charger (sold separately).

Features that make Samsung Galaxy Note10, Galaxy Note10 Plus great upgrades

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung on August 8 unveiled the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. This is the first time the company has launched two models under its Note-series smartphones. Both phones come with several upgrades, including a more capable SPen with enhanced note-taking and remote-controller functionality. Let’s take a look at some of the key features of the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10 Plus which make them worthy upgrades:

Display

First introduced in the Samsung Galaxy S10-series, the dynamic AMOLED display promises better colour rendition, improved contrast and higher brightness than conventional AMOLED panels. The display is HDR10+ certified which makes it the only panel capable of rendering content with dynamic tone meta information mapped with each frame.

Productivity

The Galaxy Note-series has always been about productivity and the Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10 Plus add new capabilities to the productivity platter. Both the phones come with digital stylus, called SPen, which makes it easy to take down notes on the phone. Using the Samsung Notes app, you can now covert handwritten notes into digital text in both phones, and export in different formats, including Microsoft Word.

Additionally, the Galaxy Note10 extends Samsung DeX’s capabilities, making it easier for users to work between their phone and a PC or Mac. With a compatible USB connection, now you can drag and drop files between devices, and use DeX-compatible mobile apps with a mouse and a keyboard. Thanks to Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft, the Galaxy Note10 has a ‘Link to Windows’ feature integrated directly into the quick panel. This allows users to see notifications, send and receive messages, and review recent photos on a Windows 10 computer.

Imaging

The Galaxy Note10 and the Galaxy Note10 Plus support live focus in videos, allowing users to record videos with DSLR-like natural bokeh (blur effect) in the background which makes the focused subject stand out. Additionally, both phones have ‘Zoom-In’ mics, which amplify the audio of the object in frame by limiting background noise. Besides videography features, both phones’ front cameras support night mode for low-light photography.

Gaming

The Galaxy Note10 phones have an artificial intelligence-based ‘Game Booster’ mode, which optimises phones' performance and power consumption depending on game requirements. Both phones also support PlayGalaxy Link P2P streaming service, which allows users to continue playing PC games on their phones. Additionally, both phones have built-in screen recorder with support for SPen for easy annotations on recordings.

Charging

The Galaxy Note10 phones support fast charging -- wired and wireless. While both come bundled with 25W fast charger, the Plus model is also compatible with 45W fast charger (sold separately).