Although Samsung has tons of features that give it an edge against the iPhone, its lineup of phones has never sported MagSafe without the use of a third-party case. A new leak suggests that might be about to change thanks to multiple first-party accessories, including a so-called ‘Magnet Case.’
According to well-known tipster Max Jambor, the Samsung Galaxy S25 will be releasing alongside a line of magnetic and non-magnetic accessories, including the Standing Grip Case, Kindsuit Case, Ultra Clear Case, Silicone Case, Rugged Case, and the Magnet Case. He also said Samsung will have a magnetic wallet, although we haven’t yet learned what it will be called.
There will be a lot new accessories – this time even a magnetic wallet! https://t.co/NNjVvySQDi
— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) December 13, 2024
Samsung is behind the curve on accessories, as Apple has utilized magnets for years now with MagSafe charging. The Oppo Find X8 also had a respectable lineup of magnetic accessories. It’s good to see Samsung finally coming on board, especially when most of its previous magnetic accessories have been sold by third parties.
Many of the Samsung Galaxy S25 leaks have come from accessory manufacturers, so it’s a safe bet these will be available for purchase at the same time as (or even before) the Galaxy S25 officially hits the market.
Why magnets? While MagSafe is a proprietary Apple technology, the basic mechanisms it uses are not. The phone has an array of magnets around the charging coil on its back. When you place the phone on a wireless charger, these magnets help ensure proper alignment for faster, more efficient charging. It’s more convenient than plugging in a cord every single night before you go to bed.
Like we said before, Samsung has never had its own in-house version of this technology. The Galaxy S25 is said to support Qi2 wireless charging, but not natively; the support is dependent on Samsung’s magnetic case.
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it’s a…
Samsung’s One UI 7 beta is out today. Here are all the new features
Samsung has started the official rollout of the latest version of its One UI software for Galaxy smartphones, and there’s a very good chance you can try it out today. One UI 7 has been released as a beta version and is available for Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphones in the U.S., the U.K., India, Korea, Germany, and Poland starting today, December 5. To try it out, you must sign up to join the beta program, but what features will you get if you do?
New design and simplified home screen
Samsung says One UI 7 has a “significant new look” and a “simple, impactful, and emotive design” that includes less clutter on the screen, new One UI widgets, and greater customization features to give you finer control over the look and function of the software. The home screen and the lock screen have been simplified, too.
Now Bar
The most intriguing new design feature in One UI 7 is the Now Bar. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait to try it out because it’s “set to be supported on upcoming Galaxy S series devices,” which means it’s probably not going to appear on the Galaxy S24 or earlier devices and won’t be inside the beta version of the software you can try today.
The Now Bar is part of a new notification system that reduces the need to unlock your phone to view information or interact with notifications while also highlighting certain activities like music playback, the stopwatch, voice recording, and the AI Interpreter mode. Samsung claims the Now Bar will “transform the lock screen experience” and promises to support it with new features in the future. We may not get a look at the Now Bar until the Galaxy S25’s release, but it sounds a lot like Apple’s Dynamic Island and Live Activities features.
New Galaxy AI features
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Some big Galaxy S25 news has left us disappointed
Three Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones have been certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). While that’s good news because it means the official launch is getting closer, it’s also a bit disappointing because it’s not four new Samsung phones being certified. What do we mean? The devices are almost certainly the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra, so where’s the so-called Galaxy S25 Slim?
The FCC certification registers devices by model number rather than name, and lists the SM-S931B/DS, the SM-S936B/DS, and the SM-S938B/DS as new entries. The SM-S931 model number follows on from the Galaxy S24’s model number of SM-S921. The case is the same for the Galaxy S24+’s SM-S926 model number and the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s SM-S928 model number. The letter B signifies the certified model is an international version, while DS denotes a dual-SIM capability.
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Forget the Galaxy S25. Samsung may announce smart glasses soon
As excited as we are about the Galaxy S25 and its upcoming release (and we’re really excited), something even more exciting may be coming soon from Samsung. The company may reveal plans for a pair of smart glasses at the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early in 2025, according to the Korean news site Yonhap News. The augmented reality glasses are expected to closely resemble a standard set of glasses and weigh only 50 grams, or about a tenth of a pound. The average weight of eyeglasses is between 20 and 40 grams, so these wouldn’t be much heavier.
Don’t expect them to launch right away, though. Only the reveal is scheduled for January, with an estimated public launch sometime in the third quarter of 2025. In addition, Samsung is looking to hire more people and “strengthen leadership in related departments” to ensure a steady development cycle. It would be Samsung’s second new push into the wearables space in recent times. It launched and released the Samsung Galaxy Ring in July 2024, alongside the new Galaxy Watch Ultra smartwatch and its latest Galaxy Watch 7.
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