Samsung tipped to be adding 3D emoji and stereo speakers to the Galaxy S9

Venture Beat

Samsung isn’t one to shy away from “borrowing” features from Apple. If reports are to be believed, the company is set to add another feature familiar to Apple iPhone X users: 3D emojis. Samsung will reportedly have their own take on Animojis but will supposedly be more advanced than what Apple is offering. It’ll supposedly be similar in the sense that a 3D character (including animal ones) can track your facial movements and copy those. It’s not surprising that this is coming to the Galaxy S9 as Samsung is set to bring its latest Exynos chip to this device, which the company says has “realistic face-tracking filters” as well as improved security features for unlocking the device using facial recognition.

Aside from adding 3D emojis, rumour has it the Galaxy S9 will be sporting stereo speakers that have Dolby Surround and will be tuned by Samsung-owned acoustics company AKG. The speakers will supposedly be placed at the top and bottom of the phone. We don’t have that long of a wait before Samsung unveils the device. It’s set to debut at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this February 25^th.

Source: The Verge

LG to bring AI camera features to new V30 model

LG is joining the bandwagon of putting artificial intelligence tech into its smartphone’s camera. The South Korean company said they will be showing off “the first of a suite of AI technologies into a new version of the V30 at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. This was leaked earlier in Korea with reports that a phone called the V30s will be coming to MWC and will have AI-powered camera features.

This Vision AI tech, as LG calls it, will be initially focused on image recognition and will provide auto image analysis to recommend shooting modes instantly as well as help recognize objects and offer shopping suggestions (similar to Google Lens on the Pixel devices). The technology will also supposedly be used to offer better low-light performance.

Source: The Verge

Leaked image of the Galaxy S9 show up online

Looks like Samsung doesn’t want to change things up too much with the upcoming version of its flagship—at least if we are to believe the renders that renowned leaker Evan Blass shared. At first glass the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus look rather similar to its predecessor. But this time there are more cameras and sensors above the screen. We won’t be surprised if they improve the face unlock capability of the device. And if a portrait mode similar to the ones we’ve seen on the Pixel 2 and iPhone X appear, we won’t be surprised either. As Engadget points out, the bezels do seem somewhat larger than those in the S8. But this is something we have to take a closer look at first. Thankfully, the wait isn’t that long as Samsung is set to unveil the new flagships next month.

Samsung hints at camera improvements for the Galaxy S9 in event invite

Samsung has started to send out press invites for the launch of the Galaxy S9 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain and now we know when exactly the company is unveiling the device. The Samsung Unpacked event will happen a day before MWC kicks off on February 25 at 6PM CET and like usual will be live streamed on Samsung’s website.

One thing about the invite is Samsung included in the words “Camera, reimagined,” which means we can expect new camera technology to head our way. But as The Verge puts out, these brands do “reimagine” the camera every year so we’re not sure how groundbreaking Samsung’s announcement will be this year.