Founded in 1938, Samsung is the largest chaebol in South Korea. The myriad of companies under its brand are some of the biggest in their respective industries, but Samsung Electronics is the most notable. It makes some of the most popular phones in use today, and its flagship portfolio includes the Galaxy S-series and foldable Z-series devices. It also makes televisions, tablets, computers, headphones, and many of the displays, chips, and batteries found in devices from Apple, Sony, and others.
Both @evleaks and @sondesix are saying that’s the date for Samsung’s next Unpacked event, with the former sharing a leaked Italian marketing image as confirmation. In addition to the company’s much leaked Galaxy S25 series of phones we’re expecting to hear more about Samsung’s “Project Moohan“ XR headset we recently previewed.
The Six, which launched in June on Samsung Smart TVs, is launching today in the Samsung News app on Galaxy phones.
Here’s Samsung’s description of the game, if you’re interested:
The Six offers daily trivia challenges where players compete by answering six questions on topics ranging from entertainment to world history, with faster correct answers earning higher scores.
[Samsung U.S. Newsroom]
It’s called Project Moohan — and if you’re wondering what the heck is a moohan, it means infinity in Korean. Because there are “infinite possibilities” in XR.
Naming aside, I demoed the headset earlier this week and got a sneak peek at Android XR, Google’s new OS for mixed-reality devices. It’s for devs only right now, but a consumer launch is planned for 2025.
Music Sync in the SmartThings app can now start your YouTube Music playlist automatically when you hit the button to get your Philips Hue smart lights in sync with the tunes.
Press the Party button to get your Party playlist and party lighting, or opt for Relax, Workout, etc.
However, you’ll need YouTube Premium, a Galaxy device, and Hue smart lights for all this to work.
All the Matter-compatible devices you can buy, plus the latest on the smart home standard backed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung.
The company’s take on Android 15 looks like a major update, with a Dynamic Island-ish feature called the Now Bar and a redesigned camera app UI, along with refreshed widgets and app icons. It’s available starting today to Galaxy S24 owners via the Samsung Members app.
The upcoming redesign teased in a (seemingly premature) video found on Samsung’s Spanish website shows off smoother animations and a revamped Quick Panel, with quick settings now packed in bubbles — just like on iOS. The pill-shaped live activities feature also shares some similarities with Apple’s Dynamic Island.
6
Verge Score
The S24 FE feels less like a ‘Fan Edition’ and more like an exercise in retail positioning.
Following an earlier video leak, some new photos and screenshots have appeared that show the bottom half of the upcoming Samsung flagship (including its USB-C port, SIM slot, speaker, and S Pen), and what the One UI 7 update will look like on the device.
The company is rearranging the deck chairs on the C-level after falling behind SK Hynix and TSMC in its memory and foundry chip businesses. The move should also better position the chaebol in the event that its grand-nepo-baby leader Jay Y. Lee has to serve yet another prison term.
[SamsungNewsroom]
5
Verge Score
As an entry-level device, the FE doesn’t quite nail the right mix of price, features, and hardware.
Audi’s A6 e-tron series, Q6 e-tron series, and A5 series vehicles in Europe will get the feature this month before it rolls out globally based on the “launch timeline of Audi vehicles.” Samsung Wallet already supports various Genesis, Kia, Hyundai, and BMW vehicles.
The Samsung Internet extension, which allows users to sync bookmarks between their phones and computers, currently redirects to a webpage that says the domain is up for sale.
The extension has reportedly been broken since at least October 29th — if Samsung itself hasn’t noticed until now, we can only hope that scammers and other bad actors haven’t either.
[Android Authority]
not in 2024 if you were holding out hope. The apparent delay of the AI-infused eXtended Reality (XR) headsets manufactured by Samsung comes courtesy of a slide from Sammy’s official earnings release. Qualcomm’s CEO is particularly excited by mixed reality smart glasses being developed by the partnership, and Google is getting the Play Store ready for whatever does arrive.
The Special Edition of Samsung’s flagship will be released on Monday, according to perennial know-it-all Ice Universe who shared a Samsung teaser announcing the date (but not the device). Rumors suggest it’ll be thinner and feature a host of improvements throughout.
8
Verge Score
The company’s latest flagship earbuds might lack originality, but they nail sound quality, transparency mode, and voice call performance.
At its developer conference today, the company announced support for the latest version of the Matter spec, which includes EV chargers, ovens, cooktops, microwaves, tumble dryers, extractor hoods, water sensors, and water valves — along with energy reporting.
There aren’t Matter devices available in these categories yet, but this news might mean we’ll see some soon. Though not Samsung appliances, which don’t support Matter yet.
That’s according to Google’s head of Android security, David Kleidermacher, who is publicly pushing back on the claims made by Epic Games in its new lawsuit against Google and Samsung.
Earlier, Samsung said it plans to “vigorously contest Epic Game’s baseless claims.”
Hyundai and Kia are working on a next-generation infotainment system and have brought Samsung in as a strategic partner as the automakers venture further into smartphone connectivity and in-car apps. Using Samsung’s SmartThings app to find your missing (or stolen!) car is but one feature envisioned.
[Kia Global Media Center]
We’ve heard rumors about AI chip manufacturing projects in the Middle East linked to OpenAI Sam Altman and Elon Musk.
Now, the WSJ says Samsung and TSMC execs have visited the United Arab Emirates “recently,” discussing projects worth up to $100 billion despite concerns about water sources and building up local engineering talent.
