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Galaxy S20’s rumored specs

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Samsung’s Galaxy S10 could get a major overhaul in the Galaxy S20 — unless it’s called the S11.

 


Andrew Hoyle/CNET

If the rumors are right, the Galaxy S20 — formerly known as the Galaxy S11 — could be a beast of a phone, with a bold design on the back and a suite of powerful features within. Leaks and reports predict that the unannounced phone, which we’re expecting to see Feb. 11 at Samsung’s Unpacked event, will have up to four rear cameras (one of them with 108 megapixels) along with a large, sharp screen and a massive 5,000-mAh battery. This sounds impressive. I want it all, but I also want the little things that can take a phone from impressive to enjoyable.

Consider the Galaxy Note 10 Plus that sits beside me as I write this. It’s one of the best phones of the year — I even gave the standard Note 10 an Editor’s Choice Award for its balance of value, features and performance. Samsung has sold enough of them to firmly secure its place as the world’s largest phone brand. Still, if I could pass a magic wand over both Note 10s, there are a few extra features I would add. They’re the same things I want in the next flagship Galaxy phone.

Every device has minor annoyances that keep you from fully loving it. I’ve heard them all. “I love this phone, but I wish it did this,” or, “You know what I can’t stand? It’s that,” and then the person I’m talking to launches into a detailed account of a tiny feature or design issue that’s become the thorn in their side despite an otherwise good experience.

So far, my wish list for the Galaxy S20’s most important features — 5G speeds, processing superpowers and camera advancements — aligns with the rumors. Now I’ll give you the smaller bonus details that could help take the Galaxy S20 over the top for me, whether they happen or not.

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Secure face unlock

I’m not afraid to say it: I miss Samsung’s iris-unlocking feature that was cut from the Galaxy S10. It wasn’t perfect, and I complained about it, but it was a good alternative to the fingerprint reader and secure enough for mobile payments, which is important for everyone.

I had hoped that the Galaxy S10 and Note 10’s in-screen fingerprint reader would be more accurate than it has been, and that it wouldn’t matter that iris scanning was gone. That’s not the case. I’ve gotten used to repeated print-reading errors, and to eventually typing in my passcode after getting fed up with yet another failure. I barely think about it anymore.

But compare this experience to Apple’s steadily improving Face ID and the excellent face unlock on the Pixel 4, it’s evident that Samsung has a chance to take its phones further. Even though I expect the Galaxy S20 could use Qualcomm’s new and improved in-screen fingerprint reader, there’s room for two biometric unlocking methods on the same phone.

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The Pixel 4 gets face unlock right.

 


Juan Garzon / CNET

Fix the problem with curved, edge-to-edge screens

Curved screen phones look amazing. They’re immersive and make images pop. But when you combine them with edge-to-edge displays, you wind up with a shrunken bezel, which gives your hand little to no buffer against accidentally touching the screen while simply shifting the phone in your hand.

Samsung has software to fight accidental touches, but it can only go so far. I constantly press something I didn’t mean to, just by holding the phone. With the screen’s curve so close to the edge it also means you’re tapping your cursor along a precarious bend where the screen drops off. If you’re using the stylus, it’s easy to run right off the edge of the waterfall.

For Samsung, the curved display helps its Galaxy phones stand out, but we need a better solution now that bezels and borders are effectively a thing of the past. I hope the Galaxy S20 has one.

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Don’t get the Note 10’s S Pen too close to the sides or you’ll fall right off.

 


Angela Lang/CNET

Return of the headphone jack

File this one under “definitely not happening.” The dedicated headphone jack is gone, I know it’s gone and I even understand why. Samsung gets more room to work with inside the Galaxy S20 this way, which it could use for more sensors or a bigger battery, and USB-C is the standard all the phone-makers have rallied behind.

That said, I watch a lot of movies and shows with my wired headphones in, and while battery life is generally really good, there are times I need to recharge. That’s usually when I’m watching a show, of course. I don’t want to be forced to use wireless headphones (especially if I forget to charge them) and I’d rather not have to stop what I’m doing to charge back up.

On the bright side, fast-charging on the Note 10 Plus never takes more than an hour to complete. Maybe it’ll be longer on the Galaxy S20. It’d just be nice to charge and listen at the same time, no matter my headphone choice.

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This camera mount said to belong to the Galaxy S20 is anything but subtle.

 


XDA Developers

A flush camera mount (yes, that likely means a thicker body)

If the photo leaks and rumors are right, all of the Galaxy S20 models will have a wide, rectangular camera array. If it winds up looking like the iPhone 11 or Pixel 4, the cameras could stick out awkwardly.

A protruding camera mount never looks good, and it puts the lenses at risk for fractures and cracks if the phone falls without a case on. A cracked lens can decrease the quality of your photos. I’ve learned this the hard way.

If the Galaxy S20 does wind up having a chunky camera module, you’ll pretty much automatically need a case just to help keep this area a little more flush with the rest of the phone. A slightly thicker phone body could potentially achieve the same effect.

I’m reminded of the Motorola Moto Z family of phones with the snap-on backs. Without any sort of “case” on the back, the camera looked like a comically large eyeball and the edges were too sharp to comfortably hold for long. I just hope that Samsung has comfort and usability at the top of its list.

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The Galaxy S10 Lite’s camera mount could hint at designs to come in the Galaxy S20.

 


Juan Garzon / CNET

A stripped-down UI that’s much closer to stock Android

Samsung already has a new interface layer for Android, called One UI 2, which aims to simplify the company’s software skin. Many phone-makers, including Samsung, prefer to have their own user interface to give their phones a distinct look and feel.

Unfortunately, the more the UI strays from Android, the longer it takes to test with software updates, like Android 10, for example. That means Samsung phones like the Galaxy S20 could continue to get Google’s software updates a lot later than its rivals.

When you’re grinding your teeth waiting for exciting new Android features like system-wide dark mode in Android 10, it’s easy to lose patience.

Motorola does a particularly good job keeping its OS close to Google’s vision, while also adding some of its own features and look. Samsung’s custom interface has a lot of great touches that I use and enjoy. I just wish updates came sooner.

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Cytiva Introduces Its Xcellerex Magnetic Mixer at Interphex – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

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Cytiva introduced its Xcellerex magnetic mixer at the annual Interphex meeting in New York City this week. The single mixing system has been specifically designed to address challenges faced by customers engaged in large-scale monoclonal antibody, vaccine, and genomic medicine manufacturing processes, according to Amanda Halford, president, bioprocess, Cytiva. Sized in 2000 and 3000 L capacities, the mixer offers several configurations to cater to diverse mixing processes, she adds.

“We’re tapping into our differentiated portfolio to solve a wide range of challenges for our customers,” continues Halford. “Our new magnetic mixing system is flexible and capable of meeting the many demands and constraints during buffer and cell culture media preparation. By reimagining the design, we’ve tackled some of the biggest obstacles to downtime.”

A major contributor to time and money losses are leaks. A minor leak can cause or lead to a major setback—it can mean a full working day lost for our customers, notes Jon Van Pelt, vice president, bioprocess single use technologies, Cytiva. When dealing with a 3000 L batch of cell culture media, the estimated financial loss can cost between $60k to upwards of $100k. That’s just the material and labor. It doesn’t factor in the opportunity cost and other effects caused by not having media available for your cell culture processes, continues Van Pelt.

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Mixer biocontainer

To help prevent leaks, the system includes a mixer biocontainer incorporating user-centered design elements aimed to bolster durability and improve ease of use. This evolution in design results in enhanced safeguards, providing added protection against leaks throughout shipping, storage, and operation, says Halford.

Another constraint during the development of drug therapies is the quality and time it takes to mix a batch. Mixing floating powders, like cell culture media, can be a challenge with many of the mixing systems currently available, maintains Halford, pointing out that most of these systems have underpowered impellers and with a circular or cubicle shape that is less than ideal, particularly for large production volumes. Powder tends to float on the surface of the liquid, making it difficult to mix evenly into the fluid or leading to prolonged mixing times.

The new mixing system has an impeller that when combined with the mixer’s hexagonal shape creates a vortex, enhancing the interaction at the liquid surface, according to Van Pelt. This vortex effectively pulls down the floating powders into the main body of the liquid to allow for a more efficient and shorter mixing process, he explains.

“Process engineers and scientists, who currently experience problems with tight facility constraints or complicated installation of large-scale consumables, will benefit from its compact size, allowing it to fit into tight facility spaces without compromising on capacity or requiring the need for facility expansion,” says Van Pelt. “We are always listening to our customers—solving issues to more quickly get life-changing therapies to patients.”

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Aaron Sluchinski adds Kyle Doering to lineup for next season – The Grand Slam of Curling

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Aaron Sluchinski’s team announced Wednesday on social media that Kyle Doering has joined the club for next season.

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Sluchinski was searching for a new player after second Kerr Drummond stepped back from competitive curling late last month. The Airdrie, Alta., team also includes third Jeremy Harty and lead Dylan Webster.

Sluchinski had a breakout season, winning the Boston Pizza Cup to represent Alberta at the Montana’s Brier for the first time and also competed in three Grand Slam of Curling events. The team finished 16th in the world rankings and seventh among Canadian clubs.

Doering has spent the past two years playing with Edmonton’s Karsten Sturmay and was also on the lookout for a new squad after his skip announced his departure from competitive curling.

Winnipegger Doering earned a silver medal at the world men’s curling championship earlier this month as the alternate on Team Canada, skipped by Brad Gushue.

Doering captured the Canadian junior title and a world junior bronze medal in 2016 playing with skip Matt Dunstone.

The Canadian men’s curling landscape has seen several shifts in recent days. Brendan Bottcher’s teammates announced Tuesday they were looking for a new skip and Reid Carruthers’ team revealed Wednesday it has parted ways with skip Brad Jacobs.

Skip Glenn Howard also announced his retirement Tuesday.

Meanwhile, skip John Epping unveiled his new team last week, featuring third Tanner Horgan, second Jacob Horgan and lead Ian McMillan.

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New EV features for Google Maps have arrived. Here’s how to use them. – The Washington Post

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Google has announced new features in its Maps app designed to help electric car drivers find a charge.

The updates include a tool to help drivers find nearby chargers with real-time information about availability and charging speed, the ability to find charging stops on longer road trips and more detailed instructions about how to find chargers within parking lots and garages.

Google expects to start rolling out these features “in the coming months,” according to a blog post. Some will come first to people who drive a car that comes with “Google Built-in,” the company’s driver-assistance software. Google updated its other route-finding app, Waze, with information on EV chargers last month.

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The update addresses one of Americans’ top concerns about owning an electric vehicle: finding a place to charge. Range anxiety remains a significant barrier for EV sales — especially for drivers who don’t own a house. Among people who don’t drive an EV, roughly half say they think finding a place to charge would be “extremely” or “very” difficult, according to a 2023 Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

EVs make up roughly 7 percent of new U.S. car sales, which some experts believe is a tipping point at which electric cars will quickly become popular and take over the market. But lately, the EV market appears to be cooling off. Sales slowed in the first quarter of this year.

In addition to building more charging stations, companies can make driving an EV easier by building apps that help drivers find chargers, said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of Industry Insights at Cox Automotive. “That could be really helpful with mitigating some of those concerns about charging anxiety,” she said.

Find available EV charging stations

For electric-car drivers who need a last-minute charge, Google is developing a feature that can find nearby chargers with updated information about how many ports are available and their charging speed. The company says this feature will eventually be available to all drivers but will be available first for drivers with Google Built-in.

Plan a road trip with EV charging stops

The Maps update will allow EV owners with Google Built-in to plan where they can power up when taking long trips with multiple stops, such as a cross-country road trip. The feature will access information about your car’s battery life to suggest the best places to charge up.

The company also announced a search feature that allows travelers to look for hotels with electric car chargers.

Locate hard-to-find EV charging stations

Some EV chargers are tucked in hard-to-find corners of parking garages. The Maps update will crowdsource information from Google reviewers to generate more detailed instructions about how to get to a charger. According to the company’s blog post, the instructions might read something like, “Enter the underground parking lot and follow the signs toward the exit. Just before exiting, turn right.”

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