Ultimate battle of Samsung OLED TVs: S95D and S90D compared

We previously reviewed two of Samsung's best OLED TVs for 2024, i.e., the S90D and the S95D, but now it's time for the final battle. We're checking them out side-by-side and explaining everything you need to know about how they are alike and how they aren't.

In our new video, which you can watch below or on YouTube, we compare the S90D and S95D to help you make a better choice. However, if you want to first check out our individual reviews, you can by hitting these links:

• Samsung S90D review.
• Samsung S95D review.

If you want to jump straight to the comparison without checking out our other reviews, it is at least worth noting — again — that not all S90D models are built the same. We explained this in greater detail in our video review, but in short, the S90D has a QD-OLED panel in the USA and other markets, but in other regions, you might get a W-OLED panel instead.

Either way, the S90D is no slouch, but it is a cheaper version of the S95D, the latter of which sits at the top of Samsung's OLED TV line. And it shows. For one, it has a newer-generation panel that has higher brightness levels. The S95D also has a different screen coating than the S90D, which makes for a different viewing experience.

There are also some similarities between the two, including Tizen OS, the same number of ports, and the same AI upscaling processor.

Check out our comparison video below for more information about the differences and similarities between the S90D and S95D series, and join us after for a bit of pricing information.

The S95D is undoubtedly the superior OLED TV from Samsung, but as you might expect, those extra perks come with a cost difference.

In terms of sizes, the S90D offers more options, ranging from 42 to 83 inches. The S95D is available only with a 55-inch, a 65-inch, or a 77-inch panel, so we'll take a quick look at the launch price differences between these three sizes in particular.

• The 55-inch S95D is $600 pricier than the 55-inch S90D.
• The 65-inch S95D is $700 costlier than the S90D of the same size.
• The 77-inch S95D has a $900 higher launch price than the similarly sized S90D.

Those price differences will differ based on current offers and discounts, and sometimes, with the right deal, you might be able to get way better value from an S95D model.

If you are in the market for a new QD-OLED TV, check out Samsung's e-shop this time of year, when deals are plentiful. Hit the button below.

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Low 3nm chip yield might spell trouble for Samsung’s Exynos 2500

Whether or not Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S25 series will use the Exynos 2500 chip in any capacity remains unclear, but some evidence suggests that the flagship lineup will follow a two-pronged chip strategy at least in some regions. By recent accounts, the Exynos 2500 SoC is still in development, but the biggest problem for Samsung might be poor yield rather than poor performance.

Samsung Foundry is reportedly having a hard time getting the 3nm manufacturing node running efficiently. The company has been plagued with difficulties manufacturing 3nm chips, and this could spell trouble for the Exynos 2500 SoC.

Exynos cannot catch a break

The Exynos 2500 chip, which is supposed to both compete and coexist with the bonkers Snapdragon 8 Elite solution from Qualcomm, might be extremely wasteful and very costly to produce.

According to the Korean media (via @Jukanlosreve), Samsung Foundry's chip yield for the 3nm node is less than 20%.

In other words, fewer than 20% of all the chips Samsung manufactures using its 3nm process are usable. The rest can't pass Samsung's manufacturing inspection and are rendered unusable.

Although the recent report doesn't outright mention the Exynos 2500 chip, the latter is supposed to be manufactured on the same Samsung's 3nm node that suffers from such low yield. Which means the Exynos 2500 might be in trouble.

A low yield means Samsung spends more money to manufacture fewer chips. The more wasteful the production process, the more time-consuming, inefficient, and expensive it is.

So far, based on some of the reports we've come across concerning the state of 3nm manufacturing at Samsung's chip plants, the Exynos 2500 doesn't sound like it's doing the company any favors. And that's a real shame, given how solid the 4nm Exynos 2400 has been this year.

Let's hope things aren't as bad as they sound in these early reports and Samsung's chip division can pull through with a solid Exynos 2500 chip in terms of both performance and yield.

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Unlocked Galaxy S24 units in US get improved Auto Blocker feature

Samsung has released the November 2024 security update to the Galaxy S24 in the US. The update was released to carrier-locked Galaxy S24 units in the US last week, and today, the update has been released to factory-unlocked units.

Galaxy S24's factory-unlocked units get November 2024 update with Auto Blocker improvements

The factory-unlocked units of the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra have started getting a new software update in the USA. The update comes with firmware version S92xU1UES4AXJA and includes the November 2024 security patch.

This security patch fixes over 50 vulnerabilities in the previous software version. It also brings the improved Auto Blocker feature. When set to the Maximum option, it blocks all USB devices (except for chargers) connected to the phone. This improves the security of the phone, as external devices connected via the USB port can't send/receive any data.

If you have a Galaxy S24 series device and live in the USA, you can now check for the new update on it. To do that, navigate to Settings » Software update » Download and install.

You can also download the new firmware file from our database and flash it manually. To use the manual firmware flashing process, you need access to a computer running Windows PC and the Odin tool. You also need to be familiar with the process.

This update has already been released in Europe and some other parts of the world.

Samsung is expected to open the One UI 7.0 Beta Program for the Galaxy S24 series in mid-November 2024. The beta program could run for a couple of months before Samsung releases the stable One UI 7.0 update.

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Samsung developing key tech for improved Galaxy AI features

Samsung was the first brand to bring Generative AI-powered features to smartphones and tablets. Now, most rival brands, including Apple, have released such features. So, Samsung wants to stay ahead in the race, and it is developing a key technology in-house for improved Galaxy AI features.

Samsung developing knowledge graph technology in-house for personalized Galaxy AI

In an editorial, Kim Dae-hyun, the Director of Global AI Center at Samsung Electronics, revealed that the company wants to continue improving Galaxy AI features while keeping user data safe and secure.

It intends to improve Galaxy AI's features and usability through better personalization, and one key technology that improves personalization is Knowledge Graph. Kim Dae-hyun revealed that Samsung is developing the Knowledge Graph technology in-house. The South Korean firm wants to connect its in-house Knowledge Graph technology with Generative AI for better experience, security, and usability.

In addition, Samsung plans to use the hybrid AI model in all its devices. Hybrid AI refers to a mix of on-device AI and cloud-based AI based on the user's needs. When data security and speed are of utmost importance, on-device AI is preferred. Cloud-based AI is used when there is a lot of data to be processed.

After bringing Knox Matrix security to its smartphones, tablets, and TVs, Samsung said it will bring the technology to its home appliances. This will ensure that personal data remains secure.

While AI is changing the world, Samsung wants it to be ethical, safe, and accessible to everyone. For this, the company wants governments around the globe to create a legal and ethical framework for AI development and usage. It has already worked with South Korea's National AI Commission to bring together the expertise of academia, businesses, and the government.

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Samsung unveils next-gen Bixby that’s better at understanding context

Earlier today, Samsung unveiled two new foldable phones—W25 and W25 Flip—for China. They share many hardware features with the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. However, they have one new software trick currently missing on Galaxy phones worldwide: next-generation Bixby.

New version of Bixby can understand natural language easily

The new version of Bixby, which debuted on the W25 and the W25 Flip, is powered by large language models (LLMs). So, it is much better in understanding natural language and context. It can understand sentences that have multiple commands. Samsung has offered a few examples of how the new Bixby is better than the current version.

This version of Bixby is already available on some new high-end Samsung appliances.

If you say, “It's cloudy outside. What should I wear to work today?” Bixby will tell you the weather projections and ask you to wear a raincoat on the way to work because there are chances of rain.

Then, if you ask, “How much time will it take for me to reach there?” Bixby will understand that you are talking about navigating to your workplace, and it will show you the directions and estimated arrival time based on traffic conditions.

Bixby can also offer detailed, step-by-step procedures for performing tasks on your Galaxy phone. For example, if you ask how to add a watermark to images captured using the camera, Bixby will explain the camera feature in an easy-to-understand manner.

It can fetch information from the phone's apps and understand the context. So, when you ask when your family function is, it will search the Calendar app and fetch you the related entry with the function's name, date, time, and location.

The new version of Bixby can also understand what's on the screen and offer contextual help. For example, when you are chatting with a friend and if they tell you to meet them at a particular place, you can initiate Bixby and ask it to “navigate here.” Bixby will search the screen for location information and then use the maps app to start navigation.

New Bixby has a modern UI design

From what appears in the images, there the new version of Bixby has a new UI design that takes up the full screen, and you can converse with it through text or voice.

It suggests some commands at the top. You can either use those commands or type your own. It also has multi-colored animations, similar to Gemini and new Siri.

You can also summon it anywhere on the phone. For example, you can summon it during a conversation with your friend and ask about things on the screen.

You can also summon it while browsing the web and ask it to convert the webpage into your language. It can also generate documents (document, presentation, or spreadsheet) based on your requirements.

When can you use the new version of Bixby?

Right now, the new version of Bixby is only available on the W25 and the W25 Flip in China. It could expand to other phones soon.

While the new version of Bixby isn't available globally yet, Samsung could release it across the world (based on language support) with One UI 7.0 sometime early next year.

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Galaxy Z Fold 4, Flip 4 owners, install latest update to get improved Auto Blocker feature

Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 owners can now make their phone more secure thanks to the latest update that's rolling out this week. The new update is rolling out to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 in the US, Europe, and some Asian markets.

If you have a Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Fold 4, you can check for the new update on your device by opening its Settings app, navigating to the Software update submenu, and tap Download and install. You can also download the latest firmware for these foldables from SamMobile.

Samsung is rolling out an improved version of the Auto Blocker feature with the November 2024 update for Galaxy devices, in addition to the latest security fixes. Auto Blocker, introduced with One UI 6.0/Android 14, is designed to improve security by, among other things, preventing installation of apps and software updates and sending of commands using a USB cable.

Once the November update is installed, enabling the Maximum restrictions option in Auto Blocker will stop any USB devices except chargers from working. For some reason, this enhanced and more secure version of Auto Blocker wasn't included with the One UI 6.1.1 update, but it will likely be made available on several devices over the next few weeks.

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Galaxy S24 FE review: Is ‘basic’ good enough?

We've spent countless hours with the new Galaxy S24 FE from Samsung over the past few weeks, and we had the chance to talk about the new Fan Edition phone's cameras and Exynos chipset performance in a couple of videos before. Now, it's finally time for our full Galaxy S24 FE video review.

Without spoiling too much for you, here's what we think of the Galaxy S24 FE in a nutshell. It's “Basic Samsung.” Don't let that disappoint you. There's nothing inherently wrong with not being complicated.

Modesty is beautiful

The Galaxy S24 FE might be your best choice if you're looking for a solid phone that doesn't cost flagship money but does everything right for its price. It doesn't excel at anything, but why would it? It's not a flagship phone meant to beat the Galaxy S24 in anything but the price.

Thankfully, the Galaxy S24 FE is an honest value device. It gets the job done without any thrills but also without perils. It performs well, has decent cameras (particularly the primary unit), decent build quality, and all the Galaxy AI features you might crave.

All in all, maybe the Galaxy S24 FE isn't going to rock your world, but you can trust it, and it might grow on you and became one of your favorites because of it.

Check out our Galaxy S24 FE review video below for all our thoughts on this Fan Edition device, and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like this.

If you, too, see something worthwhile in the Galaxy S24 FE, the phone usually starts at $649, and you can save up to $400 with trade-in (where available). With Black Friday around the corner, — assuming you're not reading this after November 29 — chances are you will find the phone at a discount or through a bundle offer. Hit the buy button below for more details.

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Gemini finally gets Google Home extension for smart home controls

Gemini is getting more features with each new month. When it was launched earlier this year, it couldn't do a lot of things that its predecessor, Google Assistant, could. For example, it couldn't control smart home devices, at least directly. Now, it can do that, thanks to Google Home extension.

Gemini is getting direct integration with Google Home

Google has announced that it has released the Google Home extension for Gemini. This extension allows you to control smart home devices while chatting with Gemini. It is currently only available for Android users through Google Home's Public Preview program.

So, why is Google Home's integration with Gemini so important? First, reaction times will now be faster when you ask Gemini to control your smart home devices or adjust their settings. Second, you can command Gemini to control your smart home devices in natural language.

For example, when you can ask Gemini, “Help me clean up my bedroom,” it will start your robot vacuum cleaner and send it to your bedroom. Or, you can ask, “Prepare my dining room for a romantic dinner,” and it will dim the lights, choose a red theme, and play romantic music.

Previously, when you asked Gemini to control your smart home devices, it would redirect you to Google Assistant or route your commands to Google Home via Google Assistant. Now, Gemini can directly control your Google Home-compatible smart home devices.

Gemini can now control several Google Home-compatible devices, including climate control, smart lighting, smart speakers, TVs, window coverings, and more. However, it can't control all smart home devices, including cameras, doors, gates, and locks.

You may have to use @Google Home in your text prompt in Gemini if it doesn't automatically use the Google Home extension. If you aren't enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview program, you can register yourself in it by following the steps mentioned here.

The story continues after our video below.

New Bixby also understands natural language, as Gemini does

Like Google, Samsung has also upgraded Bixby by powering it with large language models (LLMs). So, it can now understand commands in natural language. It can even understand sentences that have multiple commands. However, the upgraded version of Bixby isn't available on smartphones and tablets yet.

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Samsung Health challenges work on Galaxy Watches, kind of

Over half a million Samsung Health users take on “Together” challenges every month. Many Samsung fans have participated in these global challenges for years, even if they never owned a wearable fitness device. They count their monthly steps using their phones and compete with friends and countless other people they never met.

• Learn all about Samsung Health challenges

Nowadays, smartwatches are gaining popularity and offer more accurate step tracking, which can be a boon for fans of Together monthly challenges. And if you bought a Galaxy Watch and are wondering, then the answer is yes, you can access Together challenges from your wrist.

Well, kind of. Unfortunately, there are some limitations. The most annoying is that you can't check global leaderboards for Together challenges from your wrist.

Likewise, you can't check your step count for the current Together month. So, you might be wondering, what can you do? Again, not a lot, but thankfully you can check out your friends' leaderboards directly from your Galaxy Watch.

The story continues after the video

If you own a Galaxy Watch, all you need to do to check Together is to open Samsung Health on the smartwatch, scroll down, and tap “View challenges.”

You will be able to see your friends' leaderboards as long as you've already set up Together for the month. If you haven't, you can tap “Set on phone” and sign up for this month's challenges on your phone. Now you're all set to view Together challenges on your wrist. Sort of. Again, there are limitations.

Fear not, though. Even if you can't access as many details about Together straight from your Galaxy Watch, all the steps you record with the smartwatch will be added to your tally.

Editor's Note: We're hoping Samsung will expand this feature to include more details about Together challenges directly on the smartwatch. What users can do now is a start, but the system is quite limited.

It would be great if users could at least check global leaderboards and their step counts for the current month, aside from friend's leaderboards. We will keep you posted if anything changes with future firmware updates.

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Galaxy S25+ could use Exynos 2500 in at least one region

There have been several rumors about Samsung going exclusively with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for the entire Galaxy S25 series. However, it appears that the company hasn't left its hopes with the Exynos 2500 chip, as a variant of the Galaxy S25+ has appeared with the Exynos chip for the first time.

European Galaxy S25+ spotted with Exynos 2500 and Xclipse 950 GPU

The European variant of the Galaxy S25+ bearing model number SM-S936B has been spotted in Geekbench's database. It uses the S5E9955 chip, which is the model number for the unannounced Exynos 2500 processor. The phone also appears to be using 12GB RAM and running Android 15 (One UI 7.x).

As you can see in the image above, the Exynos 2500 has a 10-core CPU divided into four clusters. The prime CPU core is clocked at 3.3GHz. It has five high-performance cores, two of which run at 2.75GHz and the rest at 2.36GHz. It has just two power-efficient CPU cores, running at 1.8GHz. The chip scored 2,359 points and 8,141 points in Geekbench 6's single-core and multi-core benchmarks.

	Single-Core	Multi-Core
Exynos 2500	2,359	8,141
Dimensity 9400	2,711	8,632
Snapdragon 8 Elite	3,127	9,509

 

We found that the chip uses the Xclipse 950 GPU based on AMD's RDNA architecture. It appears to be supporting Vulkan 1.3, the most recent version of the Vulkan API for graphics. This version has new features, including additional dynamic state, device profiles, dynamic rendering, and improved synchronization API.

The Exynos 2500's CPU performance appears to be lower than that of the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite. However, you should remember that this is an internal test based on early software. Usually, the performance of a device improves when it becomes available for purchase.

Author's Note: Samsung has already confirmed that the Exynos 2500 is a 3nm chip fabricated using Samsung Foundry's second-generation 3nm process. Some reports claimed that the yield of those chips is so low that Samsung may have to cancel its plans to use the Exynos 2500, but it appears that things might not be so bad after all.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra might use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip globally since that is the path Samsung chose for the Galaxy S24 Ultra earlier this year. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is based on TSMC's 3nm process node. The upcoming high-end phones might launch in January 2025.

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The Galaxy S25 Ultra just got more exciting!

The Galaxy S25 Ultra variant destined for the USA has reappeared in the online benchmark Geekbench, boasting the higher performance figures ever. An increase in scores is nothing unusual, given that synthetic benchmark results usually improve while a device is still in development.

Nevertheless, these new numbers (via @Jukanlosreve) show much promise for the Galaxy S25 Ultra powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Once again, they reflect just how impressive Qualcomm's latest chip is on paper.

As you might know, the Galaxy S25 Ultra for the USA, i.e., SM-S938U, was first spotted on Geekbench in September. At that time, it scored 3,069 and 9,080 points in single and multi-core tests at its very highest, but there were also some much lower scores, as you'll see below.

Now, we can find synthetic performance ceilings topping 3,148 and 10,236 points. These numbers are not only impressive on their own but even more so next to the Galaxy S25+ benchmark scores we saw today.

The other recent test from a few hours ago concerned the European S25+ variant, seemingly powered by the unannounced Exynos 2500 chip. The S25+ benchmark revealed single and multi-core scores of around 2360 and 8140 points.

Although it is easy to get excited by these benchmarks — at least for the Snapdragon version — keep in mind that they are not definitive. As we mentioned at the start, benchmark scores for unreleased devices can't always be reliable. Things often improve, and lab tests aren't always designed to push a prototype device to its limits.

For example, in the screenshot below, you can see a few early Galaxy S25 Ultra (SM-S938U) tests that have yielded unusually poor performance figures. Will they reflect the phone's benchmark performance at launch? Certainly not.

Today's benchmark scores are massively improved, but there's no telling what the conditions of those early tests were. All in all, take these early benchmark scores for what they are. They often can be informative but try not to draw definitive conclusions while Samsung is still working on the phone.

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Galaxy S24 gets November 2024 security update in more countries

Yesterday, Samsung released its newest security update to its most recent flagship phone, the Galaxy S24. However, the update was earlier available only in the US. Now, the update has reached more countries to make the Galaxy S24 series more secure.

Galaxy S24 gets November 2024 security update in Europe

A new software update is rolling out to the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra in Europe. It comes with firmware version S92xBXXS4AXJB and brings the November 2024 security patch that fixes 51 security vulnerabilities discovered in the previous software version.

The update brings improvements to the Auto Blocker feature. When it is set to the Maximum Restrictions setting, no USB devices (except for chargers) will work when connected to the Galaxy S24.

If you have a Galaxy S24 series phone and live in Europe, you can check for the new update on your device. To do that, open the Settings app, navigate to Software update, and tap Download and install.

You can also download the new firmware file from our database and flash it manually using a Windows PC and the Odin tool.

The story continues after our video below.

The Galaxy S24 series was launched earlier this year with Android 14-based One UI 6.1 onboard. The phones in the lineup received the One UI 6.1.1 update a few months ago with more Galaxy AI features, new One UI features, and performance improvements.

Samsung is likely to release the Android 15-based One UI 7.0 beta update for Galaxy S24 series phones sometime later this month. Beta testing will likely happen for a couple of months, and the stable update will be released early next year.

It will be the first major Android OS update for the Galaxy S24. Devices in the Galaxy S24 lineup will get six more Android OS updates after Android 15.

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