Samsung’s Good Lock app has recently been spotted on the Google Play Store hinting at a wider release. Good Lock, if you’re not familiar with it, is a customization app exclusive to Galaxy smartphones. It allows users to decorate various aspects of their device with the help of “modules”. These modules can be used to apply new themes, change the lock screen, revamp the keyboard, and more. The software has been around since 2016 and is a favorite among Samsung enthusiasts.
Initially spotted by severalusers on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), Good Lock on the Play Store is currently sitting in Early Access. You can’t even find the app on the digital storefront unless you have a direct link to the listing page. Reports state you can only download the software on a Galaxy phone. 9To5Google in their coverage says you’ll see a line of text informing you that your device is not compatible if you try this.
It appears the app doesn’t work with jailbroken hardware either. We managed to download Good Lock on our jailbroken tablet, but when we tried to launch it, the app immediately crashed. The instability is probably due to the fact that Good Lock on Google Play is still under development.
Missing modules
No one knows if the Google Play version of Good Lock will have all of the same modules as the one found on the Galaxy Store. However, it’ll at least house one – One Hand Operation Plus. This module lets you create custom gesture controls. For example, a long swipe to the right launches the Quick Tools menu while swiping diagonally to the upper right opens the notification panel. Judging by the fact One Hand Operation has its own listing page, modules may be separate downloads.
At the time of this writing, it’s unknown when Good Lock will exit Early Access. Samsung may be doing some testing before committing to a formal launch. If it does come out soon, we could see more Galaxy Store-exclusive apps make their way to the Play Store. There aren’t many exclusive options, although there are a few such as Samsung’s Edge Panels and Camera Assistant.
We reached out to the tech giant asking when the app will become widely available and if it plans to expand its availability to non-Galaxy phones. They most likely won’t allow this, but you never know.
As we get closer to the full launch of the Samsung Galaxy Ring, we're slowly learning more about its many talents – and some fresh rumors suggest these could include planning meals to improve your diet.
Samsung calls this app an “AI-powered food and recipe platform”, as it can whip up tailored meal plans and even give you step-by-step guides to making specific dishes. The exact integration with the Galaxy Ring isn't clear, but according to the Korean site, the wearable will help make dietary suggestions based on your calorie consumption and body mass index (BMI).
The ultimate aim is apparently to integrate this system with smart appliances (made by Samsung, of course) like refrigerators and ovens. While they aren't yet widely available, appliances like Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator and Bespoke AI Oven include cameras that can design or cook recipes based on your dietary needs.
It sounds like the Galaxy Ring, and presumably smartwatches like the incoming Galaxy Watch 7 series, are the missing links in a system that can monitor your health and feed that info into the Samsung Food app, which you can download now for Android and iOS.
The Ring's role in this process will presumably be more limited than smartwatches, whose screens can help you log meals and more. But the rumors hint at how big Samsung's ambitions are for its long-awaited ring, which will be a strong new challenger in our best smart rings guide when it lands (most likely in July).
Hungry for data
(Image credit: Samsung)
During our early hands-on with the Galaxy Ring, it was clear that Samsung is mostly focusing on its sleep-tracking potential. It goes beyond Samsung's smartwatches here, offering unique insights including night movement, resting heart rate during sleep, and sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep).
But Samsung has also talked up the Galaxy Ring's broader health potential more recently. It'll apparently be able to generate a My Vitality Score in Samsung's Health app (by crunching together data like your activity and heart rate) and eventually integrate with appliances like smart fridges.
This means it's no surprise to hear that the Galaxy Ring could also play nice with the Samsung Food app. That said, the ring's hardware limitations mean this will likely be a minor feature initially, as its tracking is more focused on sleep and exercise.
We're actually more excited about the Ring's potential to control our smart home than integrate with appliances like smart ovens, but more features are never a bad thing – as long as you're happy to give up significant amounts of health data to Samsung.
The Apple Vision Pro has become a massive talking point in the tech world, and it promises to become one of the best virtual reality headsets when it's released next year. Now, Samsung wants to get in on the action with a headset of its own, and it could be revealed alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6 in 2024.
We already know that Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm to launch an extended reality (XR) headset at some point in the future (extended reality is a catch-all term that covers VR, AR, and MR or mixed reality). While Samsung hasn’t given any indication of a launch timeframe, Korean outlet JoongAng (translated version) claims it will launch by the end of 2024.
Specifically, it says the headset, supposedly codenamed ‘Infinite,’ will be produced by December of next year, and we’ll get our first peek at it during one of Samsung’s Unpacked events. Samsung usually hosts two of these shows every year, but JoongAng’s source says the headset will be revealed at the event held during “the second half of next year,” which is when the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is widely tipped to make an appearance.
The headset might have launched sooner, JoongAng says, but for delays caused by “product completeness” issues. Now, though, it looks like Samsung is closing in on a firm release date.
Seriously limited production
(Image credit: Vrtuoluo / Samsung)
Numerous reports have suggested that Apple has seriously cut back production of its Vision Pro, from around one million units to just 400,000 headsets a year. Yet even that dwarves the number of XR headsets Samsung is set to produce.
According to JoongAng, Samsung will initially limit production of the device to just 30,000 units. This is due to the company wanting to gauge the response to its device, and assess how the industry looks after launch. In other words, Samsung wants to play it extremely safe without having to dedicate itself to a niche device in a fluctuating market.
Part of the reason for Samsung’s uncertainty might be the price. JoongAng’s report didn’t quote an expected launch price, but stated that Samsung aims to engage in a “fierce battle for leadership” in the XR space. If that’s the case, it might be planning a high-end device with a costly price tag to match. And if that’s the case, it may want to see how the industry develops before committing too heavily to its headset.
Either way, it looks as though the XR headset battle might be about to heat up, with both Samsung and Apple working on challengers to the existing incumbents like the Meta Quest Pro. Whether it will be enough for these devices to break through into the mainstream, though, is anyone’s guess.
At the same time as launching the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2 last week, Google also unveiled its new AI-powered Assistant with Bard tool – and now we've got a better idea of which phones might be getting the app first.
The team at 9to5Google has dug into the latest Google app for Android to look for references to Assistant with Bard, and based on hidden code that's been uncovered, it looks as though the Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24 phones will be first in line.
With the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro shipping tomorrow, it seems likely that users of these phones will be able to try Assistant with Bard before anyone else – and Google intimated as much when it announced the AI bot. The Samsung Galaxy S24 isn't due to launch until January or February next year.
However, Google has also gone on record as saying Assistant with Bard will be available to “select testers” to begin with, before more people get it over the “next few months”. In other words, even if you've got a Pixel 8, you might be waiting a while.
Coming soon
After Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 owners have had a good play around with everything that Assistant with Bard has to offer, 9to5Google suggests that the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Galaxy S23 handsets will be the next to receive the upgrade.
Some example queries have also been found in the Google app code, including “help explain in a kid-friendly way why rainbows appear” and “give me some ideas to surprise my concert-loving friend on their birthday”.
Those lines will be familiar to anyone who's already played around with the generative AI in Google Bard: like ChatGPT, it can write poetry, reports, emails, and much more, as well as coming up with ideas and explaining difficult topics.
Assistant with Bard adds all that to what we already have in Google Assistant: answering questions, controlling smart lights, finding out what the weather's doing, and so on. It could soon be the most powerful Google app on your phone.
That’s right, I TikTok. Don’t look at me like that. There are lots of middle-aged people lip-synching, dancing, showing off hacks, and demonstrating oddball skills on the wildly popular social media platform.
My channel is not filled with dances or songs. It’s mostly a hodgepodge of conversations with myself, visual tricks, tech stuff, and a lot of me experiencing the latest trending filter. Lately, I’ve been using a lot of filters, which rely on augmented reality to transform my face into animals, movie characters, optical illusions. They’re harmless fun.
While I can find filters that do work, some of the newest, coolest and maybe most sophisticated ones do not work on Samsung’s premier smartphone.
TikTok filter fail screens on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Image credit: Future)
This came as something of a surprise to me. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is an excellent and powerful Android 12 phone. It has a great collection of powerful cameras, including two 10 MP telephotos, 108MP wide and 12Mp ultrawide on the back, and a 40MP camera on the front.
It’s that last camera that I rely on for TikTok work. It’s more than capable of shooting standard TikTok videos. However, every time I try to use a new, trending filter like Raindrop control (which lets you freeze raindrops by using hand motions), or SYMMETRY (which lets you see what you’d look like if both sides of your face were exactly the same – for me the answer was Voldemort), the app informs me, “This effect doesn’t work with this device.”
Even simple filters like the “Your Decade,” which guesses your birth decade theoretically based on how you look (though I think it may be random), don’t work.
Listen, I like to spend a portion of each evening losing myself in the TikTok stream. It’s mind-numbing, entertaining, and kind of relaxing. When I see a fun filter, I like to try it out. I don’t always post the often-embarrassing results, and my draft folder is filled with unpublished efforts.
There’s real joy in consuming TikTok video on the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s high-definition 6.8-inch AMOLED, 120Hz-capable display, which only intensifies the frustration when I can’t test drive a new filter.
But why?
From a technical perspective, this, at least on the surface, makes little sense. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 40MP front-facing camera is capable of some light AR work. There’s literally an AR Zone in the Camera app that lets me doodle in AR on my face, turn my whole head into an AR emoji, and do other AR-based tricks.
There are, when it comes to the front camera, limitations. In the AR Doodle, it will only support face doodles. Plus, even though the phone can plop a dinosaur head emoji on my body that can follow my head's movement and some facial expressions, it’s not that precise.
AR options in Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Image credit: Future)
If I were to compare what’s possible with Apple’s TrueDepth Module on the front of its iPhone 13 line with what the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s single front-facing camera is capable of, I’d call the Samsung effort a 1.0 version.
Ever since Apple introduced that depth-sensing module, its front-facing camera’s AR capabilities have grown substantially. When the iPhone 13 Pro paints my face with Mardi Gras makeup, the effect is realistic and disturbing. As I’m sure you know the camera is fully capable of supporting all of TikTok’s latest filters and effects.
Need some answers
I’ve contacted Samsung for more details on why the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra doesn’t support all these filters and will update this post with the company’s response. Perhaps they’ll tell me it’s just a matter of a software update, but I doubt it. That lone camera can only do so much with software to understand the real-world depth and create a realistic marriage between artificial reality and my face.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s rear camera array includes a laser to assist with autofocus. It does that by reading the depth information of a subject and their environment. I’d have to assume that if Samsung had drilled one additional hole in the screen next to the 40MP front camera for a laser, it might also have brought that depth info to the front of the phone, and then better support all those TikTok filters.
So, while you’re passing harsh judgment on my TikTok activities, maybe spare some for a brand-new, innovative phone that somehow forgets to fully support the world’s most popular social media platform.
As for me, I guess I’ll stick to my iPhone 13 Pro in my unending quest to become TikTok famous.
Windows 11 and Windows 10 users are getting a fresh introduction to the taskbar which will be a crowd pleaser for those with Samsung smartphones who make use of the Your Phone app.
As you’re doubtless aware if you fall into that category, it’s possible to run apps from certain supported Samsung handsets on the Windows desktop via Your Phone, and soon there’ll be an icon in the taskbar to facilitate opening the most recently used phone apps easily and conveniently.
This was pointed out on Twitter by Analy Otero Diaz, Principal Program Manager Lead at Microsoft, as noticed by XDA Developers (and the tech site further noted that this capability was mentioned by Samsung at its Unpacked event yesterday, where the Galaxy S22 and other models such as the Note-like S22 Ultra were unveiled).
#WindowsInsiders new @MSYourPhone feature coming your way! Recent apps built into your taskbar. Making it easier to go back to the apps that you were recently using on your Samsung phone. pic.twitter.com/fJgXT6zgRzFebruary 9, 2022
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As the tweeted screenshot shows, the Your Phone icon sits on the right-hand side of the taskbar, in the notification area (or system tray as long-time Windows users will be used to calling it), next to the date/clock, Wi-Fi/network and so forth. Click the icon, and a panel with your three most recently used phone apps will appear, so you can easily access the applications you’ve just been using on your Samsung device and carry on working with them on the Windows desktop.
This feature is ‘coming your way’ Diaz says, so shouldn’t be too far off, and it’ll make the lives of both Windows 10 and 11 users easier as we mentioned at the outset.
Analysis: Still Samsung only, then?
Of course, for some time now you’ve been able to use Android apps off Samsung devices on the Windows desktop, but what this is doing is making it much easier to do so. For those who don’t want another taskbar icon, though, it’ll be easy enough to turn it off (head to the Apps panel under Settings, find the Your Phone app, then turn off ‘Show recently used apps in the Windows notification area’).
Some Twitter denizens have posted asking Diaz why this feature is for Samsung phones only, getting a reply along the lines of what Microsoft has already told us – that this particular ability requires a deeper level of device and operating system integration, with the software giant collaborating directly with Samsung to get it all working.
Interestingly, Diaz indicated that we will have further treats with this feature in the pipeline, later tweeting that “there’s more coming soon” without revealing any further info about exactly what that might be. (It won’t be support outside Samsung hardware, we can tell you that much).
Remember also that Windows 11 will get native Android app support in the very near future, later this month, in fact; albeit still in beta form. And the other catch is, it won’t be all Android apps, just those available through the Amazon App Store (delivered via the Microsoft Store). Still, that’s a good start, and this will actually be running the apps on the PC (as opposed to remotely operating them from a Samsung phone).
The Samsung DeX technology is almost there when it comes to the original idea it had been chasing for long. However, the current avatar has a lot of limitations and bugs.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 release date may be August 5, according to rumors, and with the OnePlus 8 devices out the way, Samsung's latest are the next big phones we're expecting in 2020. Our eyes are starting to shift away from the Samsung Galaxy S20 phones, to ponder what the new devices could be like.
We'd expect a lot of the tech from the Galaxy S20, as well as S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, to make their way to the Note 20 phones – after all, the S20 devices were the company's first flagships of the year. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite from January 2020 might also affect the Note 20 DNA, given it beckoned in a future of affordable stylus phones.
If there's a Galaxy Note 20 Lite, Samsung wouldn't need to worry about other cheap phone stylus competitors, and could instead focus on creating a true top-end model that blows the socks off any device before it. Some think Samsung is angling for the Galaxy Fold 2 to actually be the top-end Note phone, but that seems like a Game-of-Thrones-style plot twist, so we're not too sure just yet.
Before the Samsung Galaxy S20 came out we were expecting it to be called the S11, and we were also expecting this phone to be the Note 11, although that seems unlikely now. Some of the early phone leaks refer to the Note 11, but that's just referring to this handset.
So you can have an idea of what's to come with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, we've collected every leak we've heard so far. On top of that we've got a wishlist of what we want to see in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. Since the stylus is so central to the phone’s identity, we want to see the S Pen become a true extension of the device: more physical controls, more reason to pull it out of the phone.
What is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20? The next stylus-packing flagship phone from Samsung.
When is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch date? Probably August 2020.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 cost? The price may be around $ 949 / £869 / AU$ 1,499
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 release date and price
Given previous phones in the line came out in August or September of their year, we’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 to be released in August 2020, and specifically August 5 has been rumored multiple times.
One thing we can be confident of is that it's coming, and this year. Not only because Samsung always releases its Note handsets on a yearly cycle, but because the company has now said that a new Note is on the way in 2020.
As for cost, the Note 10 was released at a starting price of $ 949 / £869 / AU$ 1,499, so we’d expect a starting pricetag around there or even higher. The larger Note 10 Plus cost $ 100 / £130 / AU$ 200 more, so we expect a similar price jump for the inevitable Note 20 Plus. This price scheme has become pretty standard for top-tier flagship phones.
It’s likely that Samsung’s flagship phones will come with 5G capability across the whole range – the Snapdragon 865 chipset is expected to be at the heart of the almost all 2020 flagship Android phones, and Qualcomm's new chipset is coupled with a 5G modem.
That brings up an issue for all 5G phones in 2020. The Note 10 Plus 5G was sold by Verizon in the US for $ 1,299 (around £974 / AU$ 1,888), so we’d expect a higher-than-normal price tag for any 5G-capable version of the Note 20.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 leaks and news
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is still months away from being released, but there’s been a few potentially revealing leaks that give us a first look at the phone.
Let's start with something disappointing – there might not be a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and it seems there will only be two phones in the range (the 'base' device and the Note 20 Plus). However the same source that provided that information suggested the Galaxy Fold 2 could functionally replace the Ultra, acting as the top-end device in the line.
Now, let's get into some section-specific leaks, news and rumors on the phones:
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 design and display
Our clearest look yet at the possible Galaxy Note 20 design comes from leaked renders, which show a flat 6.7-inch screen with hardly any bezel, a single-lens punch-hole camera, and a large Galaxy S20-like camera block on the rear.
Dimensions are apparently 161.8 x 75.3 x 8.5mm, which would make it thicker than the 7.9mm Note 10 range, and despite that massive screen this is apparently the standard Note 20, not the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus.
The renders also show the power and volume buttons having been shifted from the left to the right edge, and the S Pen slot moving from the right to the left.
The source of these renders says to expect a 6.9-inch screen and dimensions of 165 x 77.2 x 7.6mm, rising to 10.7mm thick at the camera block.
It's worth noting though that these screen sizes are at odds with an earlier leak, which listed a 6.42-inch screen with a 2345 x 1084 resolution for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, and a 6.87-inch screen with a 3096 x 1444 resolution for the Note 20 Plus, both with 120Hz variable refresh rates.
We also have an idea of the colors the phones might come in, with sources suggesting gray, copper and green shades for the Galaxy Note 20, and black and copper shades for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus.
Elsewhere, we've seen that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 screen might curve at the top and bottom as well as the sides, according to one patent, which would make the phone look a lot more pebble-shaped than the Note 10.
A Samsung patent won just after the Samsung Galaxy 20 launch shows a phone with a display that curves all the way to the rear of the body, but with physical buttons that protrude from the curves of the screen. Could this be the Galaxy Note 20? We're not sure, as it could be a 2021 phone (or never materialize in reality), but we'd hope so.
We've also heard that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 could have a 120Hz refresh rate screen that's 'more fine-tuned' – they don't say what it's more fine-tuned than, but presumably they mean the Galaxy S20.
Either way, this could mean it's less of a drain on battery, or has better automatic refresh rate detection. We're not totally sure yet, and the tweeted message was rather cryptic.
The Note 20 could also pack an in-screen front-facing camera, which would sit under the full display instead of within a notch or pin-hole, industry sources told South Korean tech site The Elec – and backed up by a tweet from notable leaker @UniverseIce.
And that's not the only time it has shown this device. The company also posted an image on its site showing a mystery phone with the same design. You can see it below, it's the center phone, and again, there's no visible front-facing camera, which could mean this is built into the screen.
There are of course other options – it could use a pop-up camera, and in the case of the image below it could be in the obscured top left corner (though that's not an option in the video above).
Or, perhaps most likely, this could just be a generic design, rather than one that shows a real phone. Indeed, reports elsewhere have suggested the in-screen camera tech isn't ready, so we wouldn't count on it.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20
If Samsung does stick with a punch-hole for the Galaxy Note 20 then the company might at least make the most of it though, as five Samsung patents have detailed a status indicator that would either encircle or sit beside a camera cut-out, and could display things like download progress without turning the screen on.
Finally, we've seen a Samsung foldable phone patent that seems like the Note 20 – except it's a foldable phone. While this could suggest Samsung's new stylus device folds, it seems more likely that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which could come out alongside the Note 20s, will have a stylus too.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 camera
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus camera specs have leaked more than the 'base' device's. Apparently it'll have a 108MP main, 12MP ultra-wide and 13MP periscope snapper, joined with a laser focus system that replaces the Time-of-Flight sensor Samsung's top-end phones normally have.
A leak suggests it won't have the same 100x digital zoom capability as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, so presumably it won't have the 10x optical zoom either. This backs up what the Galaxy Note 20 Plus camera leak claimed, positing a 50x digital zoom as the Note 20 Plus' capability.
Having said that, a source claims it (or at least the Note 20 Plus) will have a periscope lens, like the S20 Ultra. That sort of lens design allows for a high level of zoom, so while it might not hit 100x digital zoom, you could still be able to get in close.
Patents meanwhile suggest the Note 20 might pack a spectrometer – a component that analyzes objects to discover its chemical composition. While it wouldn’t be the first phone to pack the device after the Changhong H2, as pointed out by LetsGoDigital, the Note 20 would be a phone with a much wider release.
Curiously, those are the only camera or sensor leaks we've heard so far, so we don't really know what resolution or lenses the snappers on the phone could have, or if there are any post-processing tricks that will change the way you take photos. Expect more on this front soon, though.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 specs, features and battery
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 will allegedly come with the same Snapdragon 865 chipset that debuted in the Galaxy S20 line – which makes sense, as they're packed with the Snapdragon X55 modem to enable 5G connectivity.
Some regions though could get an upgraded chipset in the form of the Exynos 992. Samsung typically uses its own Exynos processors in most regions outside the US, and it's rumored that an Exynos 992 could be used instead, offering a slight upgraded on both the Exynos 990, used in the Galaxy S20 outside the US, and on the Snapdragon 865.
There might only be 128GB storage in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, at least in its smallest variant, and there wasn't a device with this amount in the previous range. That suggests there could be a more budget-focused handset in the range, perhaps a phone that's 'Lite' in all but name (or even 'Lite' in name too!).
One source claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 could have a battery of around 4,000mAh – up from 3,500mAh in the Galaxy Note 10. That new size would put it in line with the Samsung Galaxy S20, and would likely mean that the Galaxy Note 20 Plus would also get a bigger battery.
However, the most recent battery leak puts the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 at 4,300mAh, so we're not sure what to expect from the standard model.
Elsewhere, we've seen what's believed to be the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Plus listed on an official Chinese certification database. As well as pointing to the phone's existence, this reveals support for 25W fast charging and 5G.
Should I wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or buy a discounted Samsung Galaxy Note 10 now?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 release date is still months away, if the August 2020 launch window stays constant, so you should probably consider the discounted Galaxy Note 10 or Note 10 Plus if you need a new stylus phone in the next days, weeks or even months.
In an ordinary year, this is a long time to wait anyway – like, say, if you broke your phone and need a replacement ASAP – but it’s possible Samsung's launch date might be pushed back due to the coronavirus. We don't know if the phone is far enough along in production that it will avoid these delays, but we'll report it first here if we find out.
In any case, if you need a new top-tier Samsung phone now (and have ruled out the Galaxy S20 range), you’re looking at the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or the larger and higher-spec Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Here are the best prices in your region:
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Samsung Galaxy Note 20: what we want to see
Since we haven't heard many rumors about the Note 20, we'll speculate as to what we want to see – improvements on last year's model and innovations we think would set the upcoming phone apart.
1. More capabilities in the S Pen
The S Pen has been the real selling point for the Note series – a stylus tucked neatly in the phone for those who hold a torch for Palm Pilot-style productivity. But aside from a couple of new capabilities introduced over the last couple years – a button that operates as a camera shutter, a few half-baked gestures – the S Pen remains primarily a writing implement.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
Instead, we’d love to see the S Pen evolve into more of a proxy for the phone. If they can introduce one button, why not a couple more? It would be very handy to keep the phone in your pocket or perched for video and use the stylus to fiddle with volume and media navigation. Better yet, it would be great if the S Pen was used as a more universal remote across Samsung’s device family – maybe substituting a four-way joystick for the click-top so users can navigate. All we really know is the S Pen is not living up to its potential.
2. ‘Budget flagship’ version
We’re big fans of the Samsung Galaxy S10e and the standard iPhone 11 for their value as budget flagships of their respective lines, and we’d love to see a more affordable version of the Note family. This isn’t a crazy idea – there already seems to be a Note 10 Lite in production, if this leak to is to be believed.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
But if a Lite version of the last Note isn’t in the cards, getting one in for the next version would be a great opportunity not just to get the S Pen in more hands, but to play around with the Note design in general. Previous phones in the line are sleek yet wide phablets, but why not take a page out of the Google Pixel 4’s book and give the Lite/budget flagship version a funky look?
3. Better cameras, specs, etc
Like every year, we’re hoping the Note 20 gets improvements on its predecessor – most importantly in the cameras. And since they usually get similar if not identical lens suites as in that year’s Samsung Galaxy S-series, we can hope that the developments coming in the Galaxy S11 get ported to the Note 20.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
So the rumor of a 108MP camera headed to the S20 Plus would be great to look forward to in the Note 20 – and in the same report, a 5,000mAh battery. Both are good improvements, and we’d love to see battery life extend to breach two full days, especially with the screen-intensive S Pen functionality.
One thing we pretty much know for sure: the Note 20 will get the same Snapdragon 865 chipset headed to all top-tier Android phones in 2020, which we recently got our hands on – and found it outperformed Apple’s A13 chipset that’s in the iPhone 11 line.
4. Seamless display
While the punch-hole is certainly a less obstructive upgrade from the notch, there are still compromises: we’d love to see a screen without any break whatsoever. That probably means an under-display window for the front-facing lens, which is something a leak actually suggests might happen.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
The Note 20 might not end up being the first phone with this development, but given its status as the sleeker design-oriented flagship in Samsung’s lineup, we would like to see that big phablet display go seamless.
5. Cheaper 5G
The Galaxy Note 10 5G cost far more than its 4G counterparts with only minor spec and camera upgrades, putting connectivity to the next-gen networks out of the hands of most folks. It would be great to see this cost shrink, full stop.
2020 probably won’t be the year that every flagship phone comes 5G-capable as a standard, but it’s going to be a lot harder to access if every 5G phone costs half again as much as its standard version. Given the Note line traditionally comes out toward the end of the year, though, Samsung could get ahead of the curve by trimming the price for a 5G Note 20 – and further differentiate it from the upcoming Galaxy S20.
See where the Note 20 might fall on our best US phones list
The Samsung Galaxy S20 hasn’t been out long at the time of writing, but already we’re dreaming of what Samsung will cook up for the Galaxy S30 range.
These are sure to be some of the most exciting phones of 2021, so hype is already building, and we’re even hearing the first very early rumors.
You’ll find those below, and we’ll be adding to this article any time there’s new information, so make sure to check back regularly if you want to stay up to date.
You’ll also find our wish list for the Samsung Galaxy S30 further down – these are the things that we most want from Samsung’s next Galaxy S phone, in order to make it as good as possible.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The successor to the Galaxy S20
When is it out? Probably February 2021
What will it cost? Likely upwards of $ 999 / £899 / AU$ 1,499
Samsung Galaxy S30 release date and price
Samsung always unveils its new Galaxy S models early in the year, and in recent years it has been announcing them in February, then selling them from March, so it’s very likely it will do the same with the Samsung Galaxy S30 range.
We can’t get much more specific than that, but recently the company has avoided MWC (a trade show which takes place at the end of February) and launched its phones earlier in the month, so that too is likely in 2021.
As for how much the Samsung Galaxy S30 range will cost, the phones will probably be at least as expensive as the Galaxy S20 range, likely meaning a starting price for the basic model of at least $ 999 / £899 / AU$ 1,499, with the Samsung Galaxy S30 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S30 Ultra likely costing even more.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 range is very expensive
Samsung Galaxy S30 leaks and news
At the time of writing the only real Samsung Galaxy S30 leak takes the form of a claim from a post on South Korean site Clien (via SamMobile) that Samsung is working on a 150MP camera for smartphones that can combine nine pixels into one, for 16MP shots that can take in a lot of light.
We would however take this claim with a serious side of salt – it’s very early for S30 rumors, the source doesn’t have a track record, and even if Samsung is working on that camera, that doesn’t guarantee that we’ll see it in the Galaxy S30 range.
Beyond that we can take some educated guesses about the Samsung Galaxy S30. For example, it will almost certainly be powered by whatever the top-end Snapdragon chipset is it at that point (likely the Snapdragon 875), with some regions instead getting the top-end Exynos chipset.
What we want to see
We don’t know much about the Samsung Galaxy S30 yet but we know what we want from it, with the following things being top of our list.
1. A more reasonable price
Hopefully the Galaxy S30 won’t cost as much as the S20
There’s no getting around how expensive the Samsung Galaxy S20 range is. Even the basic model will set you back a lot, with prices rising compared to the previous year and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra almost creating a new category of ultra-premium phones.
The situation isn’t helped by the absence of a Samsung Galaxy S20e or Samsung Galaxy S20 Lite – though it’s possible one will arrive at some point.
In any case, we’d like to see either a cost reduction for 2021’s models or a Samsung Galaxy S30 Lite alongside the rest of the range. Or better yet, both.
2. 100x zoom across the range
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has some of the flashiest camera credentials we’ve seen on a smartphone, headlined by its 100x zoom.
So, for the Galaxy S30 range we’d like to see that feature move down to the more affordable models. But we’d also like to see it improved, as in its current form the quality isn’t great, making it more of a party trick than a feature you’ll actually be using a lot.
3. An in-screen camera
We’ve had enough of punch-holes
Samsung’s current flagships have camera cut-outs in the screen for the selfie camera, and we feel this is a rather inelegant solution, so for the Samsung Galaxy S30 we’d really like the camera to be built into the screen, just like the fingerprint scanner.
That would allow Samsung to deliver a truly all-screen design without having to resort to a pop-up camera (which takes up more internal space and is likely to be more vulnerable).
We’re not confident that we’ll see this – it will likely largely depend on whether the tech is good enough – but it would certainly be a standout feature.
4. A new look
The design of the Galaxy S range didn’t change much with 2020’s models, and other than switching a bezel for a punch-hole camera the design hasn’t changed a whole lot in years, so we’d say it’s time for Samsung to switch things up with the Galaxy S30 range.
One way to do that would be with an in-screen camera, as mentioned above, but one way or another we want the phones to look truly different to the Galaxy S20 range.
5. The same chipset everywhere
Not all Galaxy S20’s are equal
One odd feature of the Samsung Galaxy S range is that the chipset differs depending on where you are in the world, with some regions getting Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon chipset of the time, and others getting Samsung’s top-end Exynos one.
The trouble is these chipsets are rarely equal. Whether in terms of performance or battery life, there’s usually a difference. How much of a difference can vary from year to year, and it’s not normally too massive, but there is always a weaker version of the phone.
So going forward we’d like to see Samsung use the same chipset in all regions.
6. 120Hz at QHD+
Another quirk of the Samsung Galaxy S20 range is that you can have a 120Hz refresh rate or a QHD+ screen resolution, but not both at the same time.
That’s rather restrictive, especially when plenty of other phones – such as the OnePlus 7T Pro and Google Pixel 4 XL – have at least a 90Hz refresh rate paired with QHD+, whereas on Samsung’s phones you have to drop right down to 60Hz.
There are rumors that Samsung might remove the restriction with a software update, but whether it does or not, it’s not a restriction we want to see on the Galaxy S30 range.
7. A slicker scanner
The in-screen scanner in the Samsung Galaxy S20 range isn’t bad, but it’s still not as fast or reliable as the best physical fingerprint scanners, so that’s another thing we’d like to see improved for the Samsung Galaxy S30.
We want it to work instantly, every time, while still being secure.
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