There was a lot of interesting stuff this week. I'm not just talking about the first problems Android 11. And not about the fact that once again Whatsapp began to break after receiving a certain message. All this was and will remain in history. But with the fact that the main sanctions against Huawei have come into force, you will have to somehow live. We will have to live with the new Samsung phone, which will be released next week, but we already know everything about it, thanks to the leaked smartphone sales page. To remember what happened this week and, as they say, to consolidate the material, let's go through the main news in our traditional collection.
Newer OS versions often lead to problems.
Why Whatsapp might not work
Do you know what death messages are? For those who have never had iPhone, let me explain. This is a special combination of characters from rarely used alphabets that can be sent via any messenger to the user iOS, and it is guaranteed to freeze the operating system. This is due to the fact that the platform is unable to process the sent message by matching its contents with unicode characters. This provokes a conflict, and the smartphone either hangs up tightly or goes into an endless reboot. But on Android this also occurs, albeit within the framework of Whatsapp .
WhatsApp can be killed with one message. Interesting?
A new batch of death messages began to spread on the Web, which disable the mobile version of WhatsApp, which is unable to process it correctly. This happens if one user sends a message with unreadable characters for the messenger to another, who will open it on a smartphone. Despite the fact that the mobile version of WhatsApp is vulnerable to this kind of messages, the desktop and web versions are completely unaffected by them, and therefore can be used to send 'text bombs'.
This is how those death messages look like
According to users who have become victims of death messages on WhatsApp, at the moment such a message arrives, the messenger simply crashes. Of course, very few users stop application crash from reading what is written. As a result, he launches WhatsApp again, but this time the messenger does not just crash, but, as they say in modern slang, 'hangs up' the smartphone itself. And then, as you are lucky – either the smartphone will sag and allow the application to close, or it will freeze until it is hard reset.
There is only one way to get WhatsApp back to work – delete the messenger from the device and reinstall it. It would seem that there is no logic in these actions, because the correspondence is stored not on users' devices, but in the cloud. It really is. But when you delete the messenger, the correspondence is erased and does not appear automatically when you reinstall it. You can restore it, but only by installing a backup, which is saved to Google Drive. In this case, all correspondence will be restored, and the death message will not appear and will no longer cause any inconvenience.
Only deleting WhatsApp can save him
I think you've noticed that the title contains the meaningful adverb 'again'. The fact is that this is not the first such case that WhatsApp crashes due to the so-called death message. Frankly, this happens almost every year. It's just that enthusiasts, who even have their own groups, are purposefully looking for certain symbols that can hang the messenger itself. They then launch large-scale attacks against ordinary users, preventing them from interacting with WhatsApp. What for? We have no definite answer to this question.
Is it possible to somehow protect yourself from death messages in advance? Obviously, there is no one hundred percent method here and cannot be. Another thing is that your acquaintances most likely will not do this if everything is in order with their heads, and attackers, before intruding into your chat, will have to take your number somewhere. Therefore, perhaps the only recommendation that can be given here is not to leave your personal number anywhere, but to use a spare number for ads on the Internet, which should not be tied to messengers.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE specifications
It's no secret that the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will take place. The company itself has already officially announced this, calling the presentation date – September 23. There were some leaks, but we still don't know much about the smartphone. Although it would be more correct to say “knew little”. Now the smartphone has appeared literally on a silver platter and you can tell a lot about it. It is unclear whether the leak is planned or someone really “stole” the materials that were at the disposal of the journalists, but the fact remains. Now we know almost everything about this smartphone a little less than a week before the presentation.
The novelty will have protection from water and that's good.
The much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S20 FE launch is scheduled for September 23rd, but Evan Blass has already unveiled an entire pre-order page for Samsung's new flagship. The official product page lists all the specifications and features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G.
On the one hand, such leaks are interesting, but they deprive us of what used to make us wait for every presentation and follow what is said from the stage. Now we all know in advance and are waiting in fact only for the announcement of the price and the date of the sale. Therefore, if you are not ready to know too much and want to see everything on September 23rd, attention, there is a powerful spoiler ahead.
According to information cited on the leaked Galaxy S20 FE product page 5G, the phone will feature a 6.5-inch FHD + Infinity-O display with thin bezels and what Samsung is apparently referring to as an 'ultra-small' hole for the camera. The screen has a refresh rate of 120Hz, which is more than the regular Galaxy Note 20.
Like all Samsung flagships at the moment, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G also has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. What is important, since this requirement has already become one of the main ones, because users are accustomed to certain handling of phones and they do not want to worry about getting water on it.
Under the back cover is the Snapdragon 865 chipset with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The value is not so great for a modern device, but it is possible to expand the storage using microSD memory cards up to 1 TB.
It will be possible to play
Explanation of the frequency.
The smartphone will be fueled by a 4,500mAh battery and the product page promises that it will last all day. In order to quickly charge it, 25W charging is provided, but a fast charger will not be included in the package. It can be purchased separately. The standard power adapter will have a power of only 15 W. The smartphone will also support wireless charging and reversible wireless charging. That is, it will be possible to charge other gadgets from it. This is especially true for headphones, but other phones can be charged if desired.
A large battery is good.
Also, a leaked product page reveals some previously unknown information about the Galaxy S20 FE 5G camera features. Earlier rumors had suggested that the phone would have a triple camera: a 12MP wide-angle, 12MP ultra-wide camera and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. A leaked product page confirms this information and also makes it clear that the front camera will be 32MP.
Camera features.
Also mentioned is the 30x ultra high resolution zoom. This is a digital zoom similar to the Galaxy S20 Ultra's 100x spatial zoom, so you can expect some (to say the least) degradation in image quality. The S20 Ultra's 100x zoom really was function for function's sake. On the one hand, the magnification was really huge, but the quality of such photos could not be counted on. Something could be seen in the distance, but even then not always. And there was no need to talk about the desire to take such a photo for memory. Therefore, it's entirely possible that the 30x zoom on the upcoming phone won't impress either.
The camera will have a zoom …
Large zoom. That's just what quality it will be.
Other notable features of the Galaxy S20 FE 5G camera include Night Mode, Single Take Mode, and Super Steady Mode. All of them will complement the usual shooting in the already familiar modes.
Single Take mode.
Storage mode.
The software version is not mentioned on the leaked product page, but the phone will most likely run the One UI 2.5 out of the box. Of course, after a while, it will receive a software update to the newest version. If not forgotten, Samsung promised to update its products within three years from the moment the model was released. There is no doubt that this also applies to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G.
If there were still doubts about the characteristics.
The new product will be released in six colors at once, which, as usual, will receive beautiful marketing names, namely: Cloud Navy, Cloud White, Cloud Pink, Cloud Red, Cloud Blue and Cloud Gold.
And here are the colors. Nice.
The release of the model is logical and logical, but it's too early to say what place it will take among the brand's fans. If you are one of them and want to speak, then the doors of our warm and cozy Telegram chat are always open. And I also wonder if the covers from the usual Galaxy S20, for example, are suitable for the new smartphone? Most likely not, but it would be interesting.
Sanctions against Huawei entered into force
Earlier this year, the US government initiated a series of additional sanctions against Huawei aimed at its capabilities as a smartphone manufacturer. The purpose of the sanctions was to complicate the company's life in terms of the production of components and, as a result, smartphones in general. Some of the new sanctions took effect on September 15, 2020. Some of them can be potentially dangerous for the company, but at the same time it has some chances to neutralize this danger. Let's see what measures are designed to harm the company from today, and what it should do at all. After all, as they say, there is always a way out. Or not?
The sanctions hit Huawei very hard.
The White House imposed tougher restrictions on Huawei in May 2020, forcing foreign chipmakers making chips using US hardware to stop manufacturing and shipping to Huawei.
At the same time, a slight relaxation was given, according to which it was possible to complete the fulfillment of obligations under previously concluded contracts by September 14 and by that time completely stop working with the Chinese company.
Taiwanese chip maker TSMC is one of these affected companies, and from Wednesday this company is prohibited from manufacturing and shipping chipsets for Huawei. The chipmaker reportedly stopped accepting new orders shortly after the restrictions were first announced in May. However, TSMC itself was interested in releasing as many chips for Huawei as possible and making more money from it. Rumor has it that the production was carried out even to the detriment of other orders, and the workers worked overtime.
As a result, at least one of the upcoming Mate 40 series phones will indeed be powered by the new flagship Kirin processor. However, the accumulated stock is not enough even for this model, so don't expect the P50 series to offer a new version of Kirin.
The smartphone won't work without this baby.
Another big blow to Huawei may have come from the Chinese chip maker SMIC. The company recently began mass production of the budget Kirin 710A processor in a 14nm process for Huawei, but SMIC was also reportedly forced to comply with US sanctions and abandon custom-made chips Huawei. However, Reuters reports that the chipmaker has applied for a license to resume business with the Chinese giant. A similar desire can be found from Qualcomm and even Samsung, which also requested permission from the United States to continue working with Huawei.
The lack of a flagship Kirin processor means that Huawei chipsets must be purchased from other companies. It is believed that the Chinese chipmakers do not yet have the know-how to produce the latest flagship processors, and in any case, they could be shackled by sanctions. One of the first companies to supply flagship chipsets for Huawei was MediaTek, but has now come under sanctions.
Despite the fact that this year Huawei was increasingly using chipsets MediaTek in its mid-range devices and even bought chips of the Dimensity 800 family, at the end of last month MediaTek confirmed that she will comply with the latest US sanctions, but will also try to request permission from the Americans for further work with Huawei.
It is unlikely that MediaTek can single-handedly save Huawei.
Companies like Microsoft, for example, have previously been licensed to do this, so the Huawei Matebook line can run on Windows. This means that some manufacturers may get the green light to work with Huawei, but this is not certain.
Another casualty in this war against Huawei is display shipments from LG and Samsung. Both companies are reported to have decided to suspend shipments of premium displays for Huawei by today.
In addition to Samsung and LG, Huawei used displays from the Chinese company BOE. After the first two refused to cooperate, apparently, the telecommunications giant has only one partner left – BOE. However, it is believed that Huawei is testing screens from other Chinese companies such as CSOT, Tianma and Visionox. So for now, she has several alternatives, but this is only a solution to half the problem.
The display only displays information, but an additional chip is needed for its operation, which is not included in the main chipset with a processor. First of all, it provides handling of the touch of the sensor. According to a report released last week, Huawei may have trouble getting these special display chips as well as power management chips. However, DigiTimes reported last month that Huawei and SMIC have teamed up to develop some solutions.
A display is needed for any smartphone.
Memory suppliers Samsung and SK Hynix suspended their relationship with Huawei earlier this month in line with the latest sanctions. Both firms supplied RAM for the company's smartphones and tablets.
As reported, they, like the rest of the former partners, have applied to renew their relationship with Huawei. Again, some companies managed to obtain these licenses, while others have been waiting for over a year and still have not achieved any result.
Of course, there are other companies that produce RAM for use in mobile devices, but it is not clear how they will behave and whether they will work with Huawei despite the sanctions. Here the question of the quality of the offered products also arises. Perhaps, she will not want to use some options herself Huawei, if she is not satisfied with the quality of the options offered. This should not be forgotten either.
Huawei is well known for its cool cameras, but that part of its smartphones could be under threat. Nikkei Asian Review also notes that sales of Sony image sensors for Huawei were completely stopped by September 15th.
Cameras Huawei have always been in the top lately.
Sony's image sensors used Huawei contain RYYB color filters to improve low-light performance, in contrast to the RGB filters used in the vast majority of smartphone cameras. This has been one of the main reasons the latest flagships Huawei provide excellent image quality in near total darkness.
There is no doubt that in this case there is a corresponding application for continued cooperation. It’s just unlikely that she will be approved so easily. Let's just say the odds are 50/50.
As you can see, Huawei was strangled on all fronts, but there is still a chance of salvation if other suppliers are found. The main thing is that the quality of the finished smartphones does not suffer. In general, it is interesting that the United States left for itself the opportunity to step back a little. It turns out that if they are interested in this, they will issue the appropriate permits. But in what situation will this happen?
Who will produce the Snapdragon 875
In the modern world, we still need to look for such a manufacturer who does something more or less complicated, but at the same time does not buy anything from other manufacturers. Even manufacturers of scoops and brooms buy plastic and rods, respectively. In the high-tech world, things are even more complicated. An example is Qualcomm, which makes chips for nearly every flagship smartphone in the world. But the problem is that she is only developing them. Other manufacturers are working on the creation and production. Processors are getting harder every year, but who will be producing top-end processors next year and who will they be for?
A new processor is always good!
Qualcomm usually unveils its next-gen flagship chip in December and is the best in the industry in most parameters. Most likely, this year will not be an exception, because we have already seen the leaked production schedule. But even without that schedule, we can safely say that it will be called Snapdragon 875.
Basically, the production of chips for the Qualcomm project was carried out by the Taiwanese company TSMC at its factories. By the way, the same factories produced processors for Huawei and Honor, which are no longer produced. Things have to change sometime and as reported by Business Korea and Hankyung, the Snapdragon 875 will now be manufactured by Samsung Electronics.
It is also reported that the new processor will be manufactured using a 5nm process technology. This will lead to some improvement in the quality of the processor and reduce its size relative to the current generation Snapdragon 865.
Companies such as Apple, Huawei, MediaTek and Samsung are also expected to move to 5nm as the time has come. It was even reported that Huawei already has 5nm chips and will release them in September as part of the new Huawei Mate 40. Moreover, at the presentation on Tuesday Apple already talked about the production of a 5nm processor. As a result, the time has really come and it's time to produce something like that. Therefore, Qualcomm has no options.
The release of the new Snapdragon processor will leave many manufacturers thinking.
Business Korea reports that it has a $ 1 billion manufacturing contract for the generation of Qualcomm's processors. Also, according to information coming from the publication, the production of such a processor has already begun. As you would expect, it will run the Samsung Galaxy S21 (or S30), as well as other flagships from Xiaomi and OPPO. This is usually the norm for newer Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.
If you think this is unheard-of behavior of two companies, then it is not. Let me remind you that earlier the Korean company was already engaged in the production of processors for Qualcomm. It was in 2016, when the Americans introduced the Snapdragon 820. It was then that Samsung was engaged in bringing the project to life.
Despite the fact that this has already happened, if the rumors are confirmed, it will be a big win for Samsung. Firstly, this is a lot of money, and secondly, it is the honing of technologies and equipment, which will be useful for creating your own processors. Let me remind you that earlier it was reported that Samsung does not plan to release 5nm chips, but go straight to 3nm in a couple of years. With the state of affairs that we see, such a development of events is quite possible.
While it is impossible to confirm or deny the leak with certainty, and we must wait for more news about the Snapdragon 875. Even a small additional number of rumors or leaks will be enough to clarify the picture at least a little.
Even the companies themselves will sooner or later receive confirmation or denial of such rumors. So far, we can only say a few words about the chipset itself Qualcomm Snapdragon 875.
According to the information that appeared earlier, which was even confirmed, the new processor will receive a new architecture. In addition to the cores with the Cortex-A78 architecture, it will use the Cortex-A1 cores. This should allow companies that want to install the novelty in their smartphones to better optimize the processor for their needs. Incidentally, this is what could save Huawei if Qualcomm does agree with the US government to be allowed to supply chips to the Chinese company.
Few would argue that Snapdragon processors are the best. The processors Apple may work a little faster sometimes, but the versatility of Qualcomm's solutions is always better.
In addition to the new architecture, the new processor will receive an updated Snapdragon X60 modem 5G. This will improve the performance of smartphones in fifth generation networks. After all, this year can be safely called a year 5G. Especially against the background of how rapidly the coverage and the release of new smartphones with the support of this technology. And mass hysteria about the towers 5G. The latter also suggests that the networks are already nearby and must be accepted.
It is not yet clear which Samsung models will be equipped with the new Snapdragon processor, and which with their own Exynos processors, but most likely nothing will change globally and the distribution of processors by market will remain the same. The only hope is that Exynos will slightly catch up with the Snapdragon of the current generation at that time.
Why Android Auto doesn't work
Anyone who has used something like this will most likely agree that it is very convenient to synchronize a smartphone with a car. Even a simple connection via Bluetooth with the ability to dial from the head unit is already good, and if we talk about systems like CarPlay or Android Auto, then it's generally super. We are most interested in Android Auto, but it still has too many problems. Especially often they started to complain about problems after the release of Android 11. This is especially offensive, because it was in this operating system that the function of wireless connection of a smartphone was supposed to appear. At the same time, the problems that users complain about are very serious, and they simply cannot ignore what is happening.
Android Auto is very convenient. Only in the new version it began to work poorly.
The main goons, except for those that were before, began to appear exactly last week, after Android 11 came out to the general public. Before the release, it was impossible to say that the problems were predictable, but after the release took place, which is called “burst”. Regular problems were supplemented with something that was not initially expected.
Google may not link Android Auto directly to system updates, but major updates can be a source of bugs when working in a car. As our colleagues at Android Police recently pointed out, it looks like this is specifically about Android 11.
Apparently, the problems that arise when connecting Android Auto to the phone under control Android 11 are not of any regular nature, and their appearance can be very sudden. Moreover, its likelihood varies from person to person. For some, everything works fine and there are no problems, while others constantly have something wrong. In fact, even if something happens for 3-5 percent of users, it is millions of people, and the problem can be safely considered critical.
Those who are used to Android Auto will no longer want to use the system without this feature.
Some users say the music doesn't play smoothly, others say the Calendar app is missing – although in Android Auto v5.6 this bug appears to be fixed – and still others mention disabled notifications and phone calls calls that do not go through the vehicle's speakers. Moreover, a couple of people even stated that their smartphone went into such a state that it had to be reset to factory settings. Now this is no gate at all.
Since Android 11 can be fully installed only on Google Pixel smartphones, the problem cannot be called a massive one for our country. We don't have many of these smartphones, although we do have fans, which is proved by the number of comments and reviews in our Telegram chat that followed our thematic articles. Since we have significantly fewer users of this smartphone than in the USA, we have to look for answers there.
If you go through foreign sites or just forums, then journalists, bloggers and ordinary people do not often complain about a problem, but this is still just a certain section of society. As I said above, a few percent of users with such a problem are enough to recognize the problem as widespread.
Google has not yet reacted in any way to what is happening and did not say that any corrections will be made in the near future. But at the same time, you can be one hundred percent sure that the company is watching what is happening, collecting information and probably examining why this could have happened. In the end, as soon as Android 11 go out to more devices, the problem will become not just massive, but literally catastrophic.
Everything is fine in Android Auto and CarPlay, except for that stupid wiring. Android 11 allows you to use the system without it, but maybe that's why the problems started.
As it should be in this situation, some users have even found a kind of solution to the problem and ways out of the situation. The fact is that they were helped by disabling device scanning Bluetooth. This action did not help everyone, but in some cases the problem was resolved.
In general, the use of in-car systems such as Android Auto and CarPlay allows you to make a car a gadget on wheels. You may not use all the functions, but the smartphone is our constant companion. It has everything from our home address to our musical preferences. As a result, all this can be broadcast to the head unit of the car. It turns out that the car becomes, as it were, an extension of the smartphone.
You open the cards and you have all the bookmarks. You start the music and you can select a song on the screen of the car head unit, and not on your smartphone, as with a simple Bluetooth connection. It's just convenient and native. It's good that both Google and Apple are developing this direction. It's just a pity that from time to time the number of bugs that I would like to avoid generally increases. Let's see how events develop further, but for now we will have to wait how Google will react to this and will try to fix it in the next update. Hopefully it won't take long.