Samsung’s Galaxy S20+ may have actually outsold the base S20 and S20 Ultra

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S20 series at the Samsung Unpacked event earlier this year in February. Much like last year, the company launched three new devices as part of the series — the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. However, unlike last year, the difference between the base Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20+ wasn’t as prominent as the one between Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10, which led many people to assume that the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Ultra made the Galaxy S20+ irrelevant. A number of people over on Twitter speculated that the Galaxy S20+ wouldn’t sell as well as the other two devices and a few publications also asked why the Galaxy S20+ even existed.

Remember when I said the S20+ would be the best selling S20 and everyone said I was wrong because it didn’t make sense and there was no reason to get it over the S20…

That aged well. https://t.co/YfyIIv3BhG

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) May 26, 2020

Despite the speculations and uncertainty surrounding the Galaxy S20+, it now seems like the device may have actually outsold the base Galaxy S20 and the Galaxy S20 Ultra. According to a recent report from UK-based market intelligence firm Omdia, the Galaxy S20+ was the only device from the Galaxy S20 series to secure a spot in the top 10 global smartphone shipments list for Q1 2020 with the company managing to ship 3.5 million units in the time period. It was also the only 5G-capable device to make it to the top 10 list, with the Huawei Mate 30 5G and Mate 30 Pro 5G taking the second and third spots in the 5G segment, followed by the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Along with the Galaxy S20+, Samsung’s Galaxy A51, Galaxy A10s, and Galaxy A30s also secured a spot on the top 10 list with 6.8 million, 3.9 million, and 3.4 million devices shipped, respectively. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro took the third and fourth spot on the list, with 6.6 million and 6.1 million devices shipped. The remaining spots were claimed by Apple, with the iPhone 11 taking the top spot with 19.5 million units shipped, iPhone XR taking the fifth spot with 4.7 million units, iPhone 11 Pro Max on the sixth spot with 4.2 million units, and the iPhone 11 Pro on the eighth spot with 3.8 million units.

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OnePlus confirms they’re making affordable smartphones again

Towards the end of last year, we first saw renders of an upcoming mid-range OnePlus device shortly after renders of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro surfaced online. At the time, we believed that the company would launch the mid-range device as the OnePlus 8 Lite alongside its flagships for 2020. However, when the OnePlus 8 series was finally unveiled earlier this year in April, there was no sign of the OnePlus 8 Lite. Just a few weeks after the OnePlus 8 series launch, we learned that the mid-ranger might be launched as the OnePlus Z later this year in July with the MediaTek Dimensty 1000 SoC in tow, but there was still no official information from the company regarding the device. Now, the company has finally confirmed that they’re indeed working on an affordable smartphone which will be launched later this year.

In a recent post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that the company is working to diversify its portfolio and, once again, make affordable smartphones that will give more users the chance to experience OnePlus devices. In an exclusive interview with Fast Company, Lau further revealed that the company is also planning on expanding into new product categories.

While the company hasn’t officially revealed any of the upcoming products, Lau has confirmed that a glimpse of this new strategy will arrive soon with an upcoming announcement for the Indian market. Following that, the company plans to bring affordable devices to other markets, including North America and Europe. Lau was quoted saying, “We can look at it as having more affordable product offering…but all products that still remain up to the OnePlus standard…and through this enabling, more people to have access to OnePlus products.” We believe that the aforementioned announcement will, most likely, be the new mid-range device featuring MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000L SoC, a flat display, a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera, and triple rear cameras.

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Source: Fast Company, Weibo

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ARM’s Cortex-X custom CPU program may finally make Android flagship performance competitive with Apple

Each year in May, UK-based ARM, owned by Japan-based Softbank, announces its new Mobile IP (intellectual property) for use in mobile devices. This IP consists of new CPU cores as well as new GPUs. ARM’s instruction set is used in every smartphone in the world – it’s a crucially important company. In terms of CPU core architectures, from 2021, every major mobile chip vendor of note will use ARM’s stock CPU IP (as Samsung System LSI has given up on its Exynos M custom cores). That’s why, it’s doubly important that ARM gets things right. This year, ARM has now announced the ARM Cortex-A78 CPU architecture and the Mali-G78 GPU, the successors of the Cortex-A77 CPU and the Mali-G77 GPU respectively. While these announcements were expected, what was not expected was for ARM to announce another CPU core. For years, tech reviewers and users have bemoaned the fact that Apple’s CPU architectures are multiple years ahead of ARM’s Cortex-A series. With the Cortex-X CPU program and the Cortex-X1, this may finally change in 2021.

ARM knows that its customers are demanding more solutions and products based on different needs in different product segments. The Cortex-A76, for example, is used in flagship SoCs as well as in some lower mid-range SoCs. Its maximum performance was not as high as Apple’s competitors because ARM needed to focus on PPA (performance, power, and area) first. Energy efficiency and power efficiency were higher priorities for the company instead of absolute performance.

With the Cortex-X1, this changes.

ARM has announced the Cortex-X Custom (CXC) program. This program entails close collaboration with ARM engineering teams and ARM’s program partners, who can shape a final CPU product to meet their specific market demands. ARM notes that this allows program partners to define their own performance points outside of the “usual Cortex-A envelope of PPA”. The final custom CPU, designed and built by ARM, will be delivered under the ARM Cortex-X brand. The first CPU as part of the CXC program is the ARM Cortex-X1 CPU.

ARM is very proud of the Cortex-X1, saying that it’s the most powerful Cortex CPU to date. It brings 30% peak performance improvement over the current Cortex-A77. It’s said to bring “ultimate performance” for next-generation custom solutions. The CPU came in response to partners who wanted to maximize performance in line with their own use cases.

The Cortex-X1, as expected, is also faster than the newly announced Cortex-A78, which slots in below it. The wording is important here. ARM says that it provides performance uplifts when compared to the Cortex-A78 with up to 22% single-thread integer performance improvements. The “uplifts” refers to the fact that the improvements are related to short bursts of high performance, which are best for reactivity and responsiveness, according to ARM. This will supposedly enable the highest performance ever for smartphones and large screen devices, but on account of the numbers, the Cortex-X1 still won’t be able to match the upcoming Apple A14, with which it will compete. It may be able to score on par with 2019’s Apple A13, though.

The Cortex-X1 offers 2x machine learning (ML) performance improvements over the A77. This is a notable improvement, and it comes as part of ARM’s wider push for more local compute performance.

The DynamIQ cluster of 4x Cortex-A78 and 4x Cortex-A55 cores provides 20% sustained performance improvements over the 4x Cortex-A77 and 4x Cortex-A55 cluster. For more information on the 20% claim, check out our article. (Yes, ARM didn’t announce a successor to the Cortex-A55, unfortunately. It may come next year.) The Cortex-X1, on the other hand, enables greater scalability while boosting peak performance. Partners adding 1x Cortex-X1 as part of the DynamIQ cluster alongside 3x Cortex-A8 and 4x Cortex-A55 will get 30% improvement in peak performance over the previous generation, which is a feat worth noting. The A78 is especially made for efficiency, so when combined with the Cortex-X1, the combo will deliver the best sustained and peak performance. Flagship Android phones will get a lot faster.

ARM says the key market for solutions with the Cortex-X1 are smartphones and new form factors (foldable phones and big, multi-screen devices). The X1 provides a quicker UX with faster app loading times and improved web page scrolling responsiveness. AI and ML-based experiences will get better with the improvement in ML performance. The X1 will, predictably, also improve use cases such as productivity, communication, security, multiple digital immersion, camera-based, advanced gaming, and XR experiences.

ARM Cortex-X1 – CPU architecture

The Cortex-X1’s architecture is where things get interesting. It has numerous microarchitectural upgrades that provide that peak performance boost. The Cortex-A76, which was announced in 2018, upgraded the instruction decode width to 4-wide from the 3-wide of the Cortex-A75, which, in turn, had increased from the 2-wide width of the Cortex-A73. However, the Cortex-A77 opted to keep the decode width constant at 4-wide. Apple’s A-series chips are big and wide, as the decode width of all A-series chips since the A11 has been 7-wide, which is wider than even desktop CPU architectures. ARM has taken a step closer to Apple with the Cortex-X1, as the decode bandwidth has been increased by 25% to 5 instructions decoded per cycle.

Moreover, ARM says the MOP cache throughput has been increased by 33% to 8 MOPs per cycle. The Cortex-X1’s Neon engine gets two additional pipes that doubles its compute capacity over the A78. In terms of cache sizes, the X1 supports 64kB L1 and up to 1MB L2 cache, while the DynamIQ cluster has been upgraded to now support 8MB of L3 for ultimate performance. The larger L3 can also be used by the A78 when it is used in combination with the Cortex-X1.

The Cortex-X1 is the first example of a Cortex-CPU produced under the CXC program. The very need of the CXC program is to push performance at an envelope outside of the Cortex-A PPA. That’s because all that increased performance comes at a cost. The Cortex-X1 is 1.5x the size of the Cortex-A78. This means it has worse PPA as well as worse energy efficiency. Thus it’s unlikely to be found in any mid-range or budget phone, as it will likely be restricted to high-end flagship phones. Allowing partners to have a CPU that is specific to their market need will differentiate between the roadmap of the Cortex-A CPUs. It should be noted here that program partners will not be able to directly customize any CPU under the CXC program. Instead, the CXC program is essentially the successor of the “Built for Cortex” license, where ARM makes modifications upon partners’ request, and designs the CPU IP to be sold to the partner. In this way, ARM says it will meet the needs of the ever-expanding ecosystem.

The Cortex-X1’s target clock speed is 3GHz. ARM has been targeting 3GHz since the A76, and the clock speed has notably failed to materialize. With the upcoming advent of 5nm SoCs, though, ARM is hopeful that vendors will finally ship ARM’s big core design at 3GHz. ARM notes that all performance estimates were based on SPECint2006, which is an industry standard benchmark.

Outlook

The Cortex-X1’s announcement is exciting for aspiring buyers of flagship Android phones in 2021. For the first time since 2013 and the Apple A7, ARM will be able to get close to Apple’s A-series chips in terms of peak performance. Even if the Cortex-X1 doesn’t match the A14, it will be closer than it was in the last seven years.

The upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 will probably incorporate both the Cortex-X1 as well as the Cortex-A78 as part of its “Prime Core” and “Performance Cores”. HiSilicon is in no position to adopt ARM’s newest IP as TSMC has been barred from supplying it chips, so Huawei phones won’t feature the new CPU cores this year, and probably not even early next year. Notably, Samsung is in a strong position to adopt the Cortex-X1 + Cortex-A78 as part of the next flagship Exynos SoC, which will succeed the Exynos 990. Samsung released a statement in which it said it was “very excited” to see the new direction ARM is taking with the Cortex-X Custom program. The Cortex-X1 essentially negates Samsung’s failed custom cores venture. It is to be hoped that next year, the Exynos-powered Galaxy S21/S30 phones will finally be free of major or minor CPU performance deficits against the Snapdragon-powered competition. Finally, it’s uncertain whether MediaTek will adopt the Cortex-X1. The Dimensity 1000‘s successor may adopt the A78 only, or it could go for the X1 + A78 combo in order to compete head on with Qualcomm. We will have to wait to see how things play out next year.

The future for CPU performance in Android looks bright even as one major CPU chip producer stands on the brink of closure.

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Sources: ARM (1, 2), AnandTech

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Motorola rebrands the Moto G8 as the Moto G Fast for the US, Moto G Stylus as the Moto G Pro for Europe

Motorola has had a busy 2020 so far. The company launched its first flagship smartphones in a long time, the Motorola Edge and Edge+, as well as launching a slew of new mid-range devices including the Motorola Moto G Power, Moto G Stylus, and the Moto G8 Power Lite, just to name a few. Next up appears to be a pair of rebranded phones for the U.S. and Europe: the Moto G Fast and Moto G Pro.

Moto G8 (Moto G Fast) Forums ||| Moto G Stylus (Moto G Pro) Forums

Moto G Pro

We’ll start with the Moto G Pro, which was officially announced for Europe earlier today. This is a rebranded Moto G Stylus, which was announced back in February for North America. The Moto G Pro has a 6.4-inch FHD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and triple rear cameras. The device has a 4,000mAh battery and ships with Android 10 (Android One). The Moto G Pro, of course, retains the Moto G Stylus’ pen input. If pricing is similar, then the Moto G Pro should cost around $300.

Specification	Moto G Stylus/Moto G Pro
Size	158.55 x 75.8 x 9.2mm, 192g
SoC	Snapdragon 665
RAM	4GB
Storage	128GB
Display	6.4-inch, FHD+, LCD, hole-punch
Rear Cameras	48MP (f/1.7, 1.6μm) 2MP (f/2.2, 1.75μm) macro Action Cam 16MP (f/2.2, 2.0μm, 117-degrees FOV)
Front Camera	16MP (f/2.0, 1μ)
Battery	4,000 mAh
Ports	USB-C, Headphone jack
Software	Android 10

Moto G Fast

The Moto G Fast, on the other hand, has not been officially announced yet. Motorola prematurely leaked the device in a YouTube video, which they have been known to do. Earlier evidence from XDA’s Mishaal Rahman pointed at the Moto G Fast being a rebranded Moto G8, and that certainly appears to be the case based on the video.

The Moto G8 was announced in March for Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Assuming it’s the same device, the Moto G Fast will have a 6.4-inch HD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It also has triple rear cameras, a 4,000mAh battery, and Android 10. The Moto G8 launched for around $230-$280 depending on the market, so we should see pricing around the same ballpark when the Moto G Fast is officially announced.

Specification	Moto G8/Moto G Fast
Display	6.4-inch, HD+, single hole-punch
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 665
RAM	4GB
Storage	64GB
Rear Camera(s)	16MP 2MP Macro lens 8MP 119° wide-angle
Front Camera	8MP
Battery	4000mAh, 10W charging
Ports	USB-C, headphone jack
Software	Android 10
Security	Fingerprint scanner (physical)

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Google tests one-click subscription sign-ups on the Android TV Play Store

Subscription models are present in the vast majority of video streaming services, and in fact, most of them don’t even offer a free version of their services. This has become so commonplace that downloading a new video streaming app basically guarantees you can’t use it immediately since you need to sign up first. If you’re doing that on a phone, then it’s not too difficult to do. On Android TV, though, it’s a bit more difficult to sign up for a new account since you have to deal with the clunky remote for keyboard input. A solution to this clunky setup process is being tested on Android TV’s Google Play Store at this moment.

This solution will give you the ability to tap “subscribe and install” or “free trial and install” on the Play Store for Android TV. Tapping on either of these buttons will instantly create and activate an account on the service and, depending on the service in question, will also charge you the first monthly fee right away or enable the “free trial” period. This way, the app is ready to go as soon as it gets downloaded, although in some cases, you may need to finish setting up your account through email confirmation. In order to manage or cancel a subscription, you’ll need to browse the Play Store’s subscriptions page using a separate phone or PC, though.

This feature was first teased during Google I/O 2019 and is now being tested as a limited pilot for certain apps and services Google has partnered with. However, we don’t have a list of apps that currently support this feature.

Here’s a video that Janko Roettgers from Protocol recorded that briefly shows off this feature. This video was taken during an Android TV session at Google I/O 2019:

Google has also told Android Police that users should expect to see more information about this feature, including a list of supported apps, in the near future. Google is expected to launch a redesign of Android TV—possibly called Google TV—very soon, so this could be one of the features that will be landing with this rebranding.

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Xiaomi teases the 4K Mi TV stick with Android TV

Android TV has seen a bit of resurgence in the last year or so. The platform continues to get new features as a possible rebrand is in the works. There has also been an influx in new hardware with products from Realme, TiVo, TCL, and NVIDIA, to name a few. Xiaomi has also been in the Android TV game for a while and they’re teasing the Mi TV streaming stick.

Xiaomi has released a few different Android TV devices in the past. The company has 4K televisions with Android TV built-in from 65-inches to 43-inches. The Xiaomi Mi Box, however, is the more traditional Android TV set-top box offering, and it has several generations. Now, the company is teasing a new form factor: a streaming stick.

The Xiaomi Mi TV appeared on Gearbest a couple of weeks ago and it seems to have been legit. Today, during an online event, a Xiaomi official showed off an image of the Mi TV stick (at 27:58 in this video). From the image, we can see a remote and a sleek dongle. The remote has a Google Assistant button along with buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The Gearbest listing reveals many of the specifications for the Mi TV stick. In a nutshell, it’s a dongle version of the Mi Box S. It will have an Amlogic S905 Y2 quad-core chip, a Mali-G31 GPU, 2GB of DDR4 RAM, and 8GB of storage. It will apparently ship with Android 9 Pie, DTS-HD, Dolby Stereo Sound, and “High Clarity 4K HDR.” The connector for the dongle is HDMI 2.0.

The Xiaomi Mi TV stick is listed at $79, but it’s best to not put too much merit in that yet. It would be more expensive than the similarly equipped Mi Box S, which cost $59 at launch. We should see an official launch sometime soon.

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Via 1: WinFuture | Via 2: 9to5Google

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Spotify gets rid of its 10,000 song limit cap for your Library

Like many streaming services, Spotify has a few limits, even for paying customers. One of those limits was a 10,000 song cap on Library sizes. Users have been clamoring for this limit to be removed for years – a request started in 2014 has over 12,500 votes. Spotify has finally relented and started rolling out an “unlimited library” experience.

Before now, it was only possible to save 10,000 items in your Library. If you ran into this limit, a message would pop up that said “Epic collection my friend. There’s no more room in Your Library. To save more, you’ll need to remove some songs or albums”. This was especially annoying for anyone who was paying for Spotify Premium. Thankfully, that limit is gone now.

The new “unlimited library” means you can like/save as many song and albums as you want. There are still a few other limitations in place. First, users are still limited to downloading 10,000 songs per device for a max of 5 devices. Playlists are still limited to 10,000 items.

Spotify also says you may see the error message for a few more days, but it’s rolling out right now. It always felt kinda arbitrary to have a limit for how many songs could be saved to your Library. Spotify themselves once said only 1% of users actually reached the limit. Now, those few people can like/save to their heart’s content.

FAQ

•  Can I like/save as many songs, and albums as I’d like?: Yes
• Does this impact the offline listening limit?: No
  • Spotify users are able to download 10,000 songs on 5 different devices for offline listening.
• Can I add as many songs as I’d like to a playlist: No
  • This doesn’t impact the current limit of 10,000 items in a playlist.

Spotify: Listen to new music, podcasts, and songs (Free, Google Play) →

Source: Spotify

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