Samsung Galaxy Note 20 event: all the latest rumors, news, and more – The Verge

Here’s where you can buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 20

2020-08-25T15:20:10-04:00

Samsung announced its new Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra phones at its Unpacked 2020 online event in early August 2020. At this point, The Verge's Dieter Bohn has now published his full review of the larger Note 20 Ultra. You can read that here or watch the video component of the review above. I'm just here to tell you where to buy them. Oh, and if you're curious about when you can preorder the new Galaxy Z Fold 2, that's coming on September 1st.

Both Note 20 phones have already released, and if you placed a preorder, you can go ahead and redeem free goodies with your purchase. Buying the $1,000 Note 20 earned you a $100 Samsung credit th …

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FDA confirms Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 is cleared for EKG, just like the Apple Watch

2020-08-05T14:45:44-04:00

Samsung announced FDA clearance during today’s event.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 includes a heart-monitoring electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) app, which has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's the second smartwatch in the US with this feature; the Apple Watch received clearance for a similar app in 2018.

"I'm excited to announce that we have just received the US FDA clearance for Samsung's ECG monitoring app," said Samsung SVP Federico Casalegno in today's Unpacked event.

The clearance means that the watch can be used as a medical device. It's not the same as full approval, which is a high standard only given to high-risk Class III devices (like pacemakers) that go t …

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Samsung will let you reserve a Galaxy Z Fold 2 today ahead of official preorders

2020-08-05T14:25:50-04:00

Samsung has opened its online reservation system for the new Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable announced earlier today at its Unpacked event. For those unfamiliar with this approach, Samsung now occasionally uses reservations ahead of preorders for devices it expects to be in immediate high demand but for which there is still limited official information - like how much it might cost, for instance.

Effectively, you reserve a spot now to preorder later, so that you're guaranteed the chance to put money down and secure a unit once you know how high the price tag will be. The company opened a similar reservation system for the Galaxy Note 20 last month …

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Samsung guarantees three ‘generations’ of Android OS updates for some Galaxy phones

2020-08-05T14:03:43-04:00

Samsung is promising to "support three generations of Android updates" for Galaxy phones, but that won't apply to all the phones it makes. Samsung says it will happen for phones from the Galaxy S10 and newer, but that some of its lower A-series phones may not be up to it. In a statement to The Verge, Samsung clarifies that the guarantee "applies to S, N and Z Series. A Series will support until hardware allows."

The original promise flew by near the end of its Unpacked keynote for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (and many other devices). Samsung has made big strides in offering Android updates in recent years, reducing the amount of time Galaxy S …

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Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 Plus tablet has a 120Hz OLED display and 5G

2020-08-05T10:52:10-04:00

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 on the left, Tab S7 Plus on the right. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Android tablets may not be nearly as popular as Apple's iPad, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from continuing to dish out new models on a fairly regular basis. Today, the company is announcing its latest high-end Android tablets: the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7 Plus. Both models will be available in silver, black, or bronze this fall for $649.99 and $849.99, respectively.

Like the Tab S6 from last year, the Tab S7 and S7 Plus are meant to pull double duty as both content consumption devices and productivity machines. As a result, they both have optional keyboard cases available ($199.99 for the S7, $229.99 for the S7 Plus) that allow you to us …

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Microsoft and Samsung have a special partnership for Xbox Game Pass on Android

2020-08-05T10:52:08-04:00

Samsung is unveiling its new Galaxy Note 20 handset today, and with it, a unique Xbox Game Pass partnership. Microsoft is partnering with Samsung to include a special version of the Xbox Game Pass app in Samsung's Galaxy Store. This version will allow Xbox players to redeem tokens and make in-app purchases like buying skins or DLC items in the Xbox Store.

The Xbox Game Pass app available on the Google Play Store will not support these types of in-app purchases. It's clear Microsoft and Samsung have struck a special deal, which likely undercuts the 30 percent Google asks for, to enable them exclusively for the Galaxy Store version. The deal …

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Samsung announces the Galaxy Z Fold 2 with bigger screens and better cameras

2020-08-05T10:30:14-04:00

Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at its Unpacked event. It's the successor to last year's Galaxy Fold, with a new camera system, larger external display, and hole-punch cameras that give the new model a far more elegant and cohesive look than the original.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 2 - renamed to match the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G released earlier this year - marks Samsung's first major refresh for its flagship foldable phone, and it looks to improve on nearly every shortcoming of the original model.

Instead of an awkward, tiny external display, the Z Fold 2 has a full-size 6.2-inch screen that covers the entire front of the …

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How Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 compares to its predecessors and competitors

2020-08-05T10:08:05-04:00

Samsung just announced the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, the two latest phones in its stylus-equipped lineup. The specs of Samsung's Note phones are always top of the line, with big, high-resolution screens, fast processors, and big batteries. So how do they compare to Samsung's previous flagship phones as well as the best its competitors currently have to offer?

We've rounded up the most important specs for both the Galaxy Note 20 and the Note 20 Ultra below and compared them directly against Samsung's previous flagships (including those from its recent Galaxy S20 series and last year's Note 10 lineup) as well as competing devices from …

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Samsung announces Galaxy Buds Live with active noise cancellation and bean-shaped design

2020-08-05T10:00:00-04:00

Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live, the bean-shaped true wireless earbuds that have leaked extensively over the past couple of months, are now official. Priced at $169.99, they'll be sold alongside the more traditional $149.99 Galaxy Buds Plus as a step-up option with larger audio drivers and the addition of active noise cancellation. They'll be available starting August 6th in black, bronze (which looks more rose gold in certain light), and white.

But with the unconventional design of the Galaxy Buds Live and their lack of in-ear tips or an actual seal, Samsung's noise canceling works a bit differently here compared to what you'd experience from t …

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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 is thinner, lighter, and more expensive

2020-08-05T10:00:00-04:00

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in 45mm and 41mm sizes. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Samsung has just announced the latest model in its long line of smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 3. The Watch 3 succeeds the Galaxy Watch that was first released in 2018 and joins the Galaxy Watch Active and Watch Active 2 in Samsung's current lineup. It will be available for purchase starting on August 6th for $399.99 and up.

The Galaxy Watch 3 (no, you're not imagining things: there isn't a Galaxy Watch 2 - Samsung decided to skip a number to make it appear newer than the Galaxy Watch Active 2 that's been out since last year) looks similar to the prior model, with a physical rotating dial, two buttons on the side, and a chunkier design comp …

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