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Galaxy Z Fold SE: Samsung’s most durable foldable with UFG screen
Galaxy Z Fold SE could be Samsung’s most durable foldable yet. The smartphone could launch in the next few weeks, bringing some notable upgrades. It will be slimmer and lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but Global availability is unlikely.
IceUniverse revealed that the Galaxy Z Fold SE is 10.6mm (12.1mm Fold 6) thick when folded and 4.9mm when folded. There are also reports that the upcoming foldable could be equipped with Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 200-megapixel camera.
Also 200MP camera. Most of the volume is going to China. Phone production starts in September.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) August 29, 2024
In a recent development, RossYoung shed light on the biggest upgrade in the year. The Galaxy Z Fold SE could get UFG screen technology, which is more durable than the UTG It will survive better against scratches and is said to be less visible than the current foldables.
Ross also pointed out that the UFG technology refers to a UTG with “uneven” thickness. The glass will be at its thinnest state around the folding area. However, the remaining glass will be comparatively thicker to offer boosted durability.
Rumored to get UFG which is thicker UTG except in the seam area which will help with scratch resistance, durability and seam visibility.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) August 29, 2024
UFG refers to UTG with uneven thickness, thinner in the seam where it folds, thicker elsewhere to enable a thicker chemical strengthening step resulting in improved scratch resistance, better durability, etc.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) August 30, 2024
Meanwhile, the insider suggests Samsung could be planning Fold SE specifically for the Chinese market. Mass production of the smartphone reportedly starts next month, with most units going to China and remaining in South Korea.
It seems a strategic move to counter Chinese phone makers on their own turf. South Korea and China are the markets with high volume foldable sales reported. Samsung may bring SE upgrades to future foldable in the global market next year.
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Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus front look could be intact
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus could look the same as S24 Plus from the front. The company has reportedly reduced side bezels on the vanilla and Ultra variants. Meanwhile, the lineup’s middle child could introduce no bezel refinements.
The Galaxy S25 Plus could have wider bezels than S25 and S25 Ultra. Tipster IceUniverse claims that the move is aligned with differentiating the Plus from Ultra. It’s also said that the recently leaked renders have frame appearance errors.
The S25 Ultra is said to be slightly thicker and more squarish than the S25 Plus. This is highly due to identical display size with a difference of only 0.1mm. The backplate will have notable differences due to distinct cameras and sensors.
Samsung’s next-gen flagships will likely debut in January next year. Details about the upcoming phones are floating heavily, fading the One UI 7 trend. However, things may change with time as early rumors couldn’t be considered final specs.
A bad news,S25+ will be the widest bezel among the three models, which is almost the same as S24+.
It may be that Samsung did this on purpose to make way for S25 Ultra.
Among the three models, the narrowest bezel is S25 Ultra. pic.twitter.com/CaEPyeooAC— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 17, 2024
I have a more accurate CAD than onleaks, which contains lines that were missing before, so I know this.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 18, 2024
The Galaxy S25 Plus could be equipped with a 4900mAh battery. Similar to the S24 Plus, it would support 45W fast charging technology. Yet, you can expect even longer battery performance due to the enhanced application processor.
Samsung will either use Exynos 2500 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Both chipsets will be developed using the next-generation 3nm chipset. Improved display technology may further push the power efficiency, offering even more juice to run.
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[Report] Samsung Foundry Division undergoes major restructuring
Samsung Foundry is not doing well with the newest cutting-edge technologies. Now, a new report from a Korean media outlet suggests that Samsung could begin DS Division restructuring by year-end, aiming to break down silos.
According to ChosunBiz (via TrendForce), Samsung plans a major shuffle in the DS (Semiconductor Foundry) Division. The move is aimed at addressing issues like lack of communication and team self-interest.
Additionally, Samsung is also facing competition in the DRAM market, falling behind SK Hynix in HBM and DDR5. TrendForce highlights that the company needs to go beyond restructuring to fundamentally change its organization.
Samsung’s DS division reportedly planning to strengthen collaboration processes by integrating existing team-based structures into a project-centered model, to resolve issues arising from the siloed operation of departments.
Recently, it was reported that the company is planning to cut up to 30% of its workforce in the future. The Korean tech giant’s Foundry business is struggling due to various issues, including low yields for the 3nm GAA process.
Earlier, The Korea Times reported that yield for Samsung’s 3nm process remained in the single digits until Q1 this year, and slightly improved to about 20% in Q2. The company needs the yield rate to be at least 60 percent to trigger mass production.
A Samsung spokesperson cited by Chosun Biz admitted that there continues to be a disconnection between the departments developing new processes and those responsible for mass production, with serious issues arising from the shifting of blame for failures.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 joins historic SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 joined the historic SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission. The company has recently announced the return of its smartwatch from space post-completion of a space mission aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn.
SpaceX launched its Polaris Dawn (spacewalk) on September 10, which returned safely on the 15th. Samsung today disclosed the Galaxy Watch 5 was “used in a study to monitor the body composition of astronauts” in the Polaris Dawn mission.
Galaxy Watch x SpaceX
Sending the smartwatch to space in a flagship SpaceX mission wasn’t a general task. Samsung collaborated with different US authorities and institutions so its Galaxy Watch is eligible for joining the spacewalk mission.
Samsung says the study was conducted to monitor the human body’s response and health status in a space environment. The company’s Galaxy Watch 5, launched last year, was used in the study to monitor the body’s response of astronauts.
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center have announced that the body composition values measured with the Galaxy Watch showed a high correlation of 93% to 97% with the results measured by clinical equipment, such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
Notably, the human body’s response and health status in a space environment are completely different from Earth’s. The study was conducted to prevent muscle loss, hence, astronauts wore the Galaxy Watch 5 to experiment.
Samsung’s Watch is way more preferable compared to conventional body composition monitoring gadgets. The Galaxy smartwatch reportedly offered smooth space health research with its accurate monitoring capabilities while being easy to wear.
Body Composition:
Galaxy Watch’s Body Composition feature is supported by Samsung’s BioActive sensor. It allows users to accurately understand physical conditions by analyzing skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, body water content, and % of body fat.