Samsung has opened registration for the 8th ‘C-Lab Outside’ startup recruitment from June 16 to July 4. The program is looking for creative and promising startups to grow and work together with Samsung.

This year, the recruitment is happening in four regions, including Seoul, Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and Gwangju, to find talented startups from all over Korea. Startups working in areas like AI, robots, digital health, IoT, content and services, materials/parts, mobility, and ESG are encouraged to apply.

Eligible applicants must be Korean-registered startups that have received Series B or earlier-stage investments. Applications can be submitted via the official Samsung C-Lab website.

Startups selected for the program will receive up to 100 million KRW in support, office space, expert advice from Samsung, and chances to show their products at global events like CES. They can also use some of Samsung’s patents and explore ways to work with Samsung’s products and services.

There are already some great success stories of some startups. For example, Lyduck, a fitness AI startup, worked with Samsung to add its service to the Samsung Health app. Another startup, Pinpoint, created a smart building app that is now used in Samsung’s office buildings.

Back in 2018, Samsung started C-Lab Outside to help young companies grow and create more jobs. So far, it has supported over 500 startups. Now, Samsung is looking forward to more startups with the 8th C-Lab Outside Startup Recruitment.

Samsung Creative Development Center Vice President Jeon Pil-gyu said:

“We look forward to the participation of many innovative startups that can explore new possibilities and create synergy with Samsung C-Lab. Samsung will prepare for the future through joint growth with startups and continue to create successful cooperation models.”

Samsung TVs, Art Basel’s Official Art TV partner, launched the Art Basel in Basel (ABB) Collection today. This exclusive Art Basel digital art curation, available on Samsung TVs via the Samsung Art Store, features 38 diverse works.

It’s the largest Art Basel collection yet, showcasing global artists and galleries to bring world-class art to more homes. The ABB Collection emphasizes diversity, spanning continents, mediums, and voices.

For the first time, it includes an Africa-based gallery, enriching its cultural depth. Select pieces will be displayed at Art Basel, June 19-22, at Messe Basel, Switzerland.

With the Samsung Art Store, your TV becomes a personal art gallery, offering over 3,500 works by more than 800 artists. It’s available on 2025 Samsung TVs like Neo QLED 8K and The Frame, with Samsung Vision AI making the visuals and sound even better.

Image – Lynn Hershman Leeson’s Seduction (1985) shown on Samsung Neo QLED 8K

38 out of 100 artworks were picked with a focus on artist diversity, medium variety, and geographic representation. The collection shows both up-and-coming talents and well-known names, aligning with Art Basel’s dedication to contemporary art from everywhere.

Notable works include:

1. Roméo Mivekannin, “Young woman with peonies after Frédéric Bazille” (2023): A compelling reimagining of classical portraiture from a postcolonial perspective.
2. Basim Magdy, “An Intergalactic Messenger Teleported us to a Cave Settlement Ruled by Shared Compassion and Humility” (2022): A vibrant exploration of utopian futurism.
3. Zandile Tshabalala, “Pink Blossoms” (2024): A powerful portrait celebrating Black femininity and nature.
4. Antonia Kuo, “Willo” (diptych) (2024): A striking dual-panel composition that fuses digital manipulation with analog techniques.

At Art Basel, Samsung’s ArtCube lounge shows off how The Frame, MICRO LED, and Neo QLED 8K TVs make digital art pop with stunning clarity. You can check out the Samsung Art Store, create your own custom art portraits, and join talks about how tech and art come together.

Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch with One UI 8.5, and Samsung has reportedly kick-started the firmware development. If true, it’s a quiet revolution that would make a big shift in Samsung’s software distribution mechanism.

One UI 8.5 has been in rumors for the past few months. It will be a follow-up version of the One UI 8.0, built on Android 16. This mid-cycle version’s launch is highly likely, as it was also discovered in one of One UI 7’s hidden menus.

Recently, two credible Samsung tipsters claimed that the development of Galaxy S65’s firmware has begun. The sources specifically mentioned “One UI 8.5” as the software that is now being developed for the Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung could expand One UI 8.5 features to older devices via firmware updates. The Galaxy S25 series would get most of the new goodies, while Samsung may share some love with devices like the Galaxy S24, S23, and S22 series.

Here’s why One UI 8.5 is a quiet revolution

One UI 8.5 appears to be a significant upgrade over One UI 8.0. It’s coming after Samsung’s bringing no mid-cycle version over the One UI 7.0. There’s neither One UI 7.1 nor One UI 7.1.1 succeeding the One UI 6.1 and One UI 6.1.1.

Well, Samsung’s likely move to debut the x.5 version isn’t surprising for enthusiasts. Until the One UI 2, Samsung used to release x.1 and x.5 versions. With the One UI 3, the company replaced the x.5 version with a more minor x.1.1 iteration.

Galaxy S25 Plus – Samsung x Van Gogh Museum

One UI 8.5 not only sounds like a major upgrade, but it would indeed be. As Android 16 is coming early to Samsung phones, this mid-cycle One UI version would work like a gap filler at the company’s conventional OS rollout time.

Apple’s iOS 26 brings major design changes, and new features are also coming. We are hopeful that the One UI 8.5 will bring Galaxy phones an additional edge over the upcoming iPhones in terms of user experience and productivity.

Samsung is rolling out the One UI 7 update for the Galaxy A34, which brings hidden GPU tools for gamers. The company has taken extra time in initiating the rollout for this particular device, but the scope seems vast.

One UI 7 update installs Vulkan and GPU Watch tools onto the Galaxy A34. These hidden tricks are pretty useful for gamers, offering crucial metrics. That said, the One UI 7 brings much beyond a rich new user interface to the device.

Samsung’s One UI 7 update aims to improve GPU performance and adds graphics monitoring features. The famous Vulkan and GPUWatch tools are now available on the A34, allowing you to monitor GPU activity.

GPUWatch is a nice tool developed by Samsung for the developer community. When activated, it allows users to observe GPU activity, containing metrics like GPU Load, FPS. Detailed information is overlaid onto the screen in real-time.

The GPUWatch tool can be activated on Galaxy devices through Developer Options. You can do it easily by navigating to Settings > Developer Options > GPUWatch. When enabled, it shows FPS, CPU and GPU load, ID, API, resolution, and driver type.

Vulkan is the second major addition that replaces the legacy OpenGL. As compared to the previous solution, Vulkan brings notable improvements to graphics, while retaining efficiency to improve gaming performance.

Source: Tsuruugi / Reddit

All in all, GPUWatch is a graphics monitoring tool, while Vulkan, replacing OpenGL, improves GPU performance. One UI 7 has widely adopted the Vulkan graphics API on Samsung devices to level up experiences without hurting the battery life.

Samsung’s One UI 7 rollout is taking place gradually on the Galaxy A34. While the update’s available in most countries, a broad release may take some time. You can check for the updates via Settings > Software update > Download and install.

Samsung made a whopping 64 million Galaxy phones in early 2025, up 21% from last quarter’s 52.4 million, according to TrendForce. New Galaxy smartphones and extra stock before possible US tariffs fueled this boost.

The worldwide market flagged 289 million smartphones made in Q1 2025, a 3% dip from 296 million last year. Still, Samsung’s numbers soared, leaving rivals behind as its focus on shiny new flagship models paid off big time.

As predicted by TrendForce, the worldwide smartphone market sales would be sluggish in Q2. Meanwhile, Samsung’s stellar start to 2025 proves the company is ready to tackle challenges like US tariffs and tricky market changes head-on.

Apple, on the other hand, slipped to second place. Its production dropped 40% to 48 million phones from 80.1 million last quarter. The report mentions that Apple struggled in China, where sales slowed and subsidies didn’t help.

Worries about US tariffs pushed Samsung to act fast. The Korean tech giant built more phones to ship before new US rules could raise prices. This smart move helped Samsung grab the number-one spot in global smartphone production.

Source – TrendForce

China-based vendors, including Xiaomi, took third place, making 42 million phones, driven by China’s subsidy program. Oppo made 27 million, Vivo 24 million, and Transsion (Tecno) brought up the rear with 22 million units in Q1.

Tariffs are shaking things up

President Trump’s talk of a 25% tax on foreign-made phones could hurt sales. Research firms like IDC and Counterpoint now expect 1.233 to 1.839 billion phones shipped in 2025.

Samsung and Apple, producing in countries like India and China, face potential price hikes if tariffs hit. SigmaIntel even suggested shipments could drop to 1.1 billion units, with Samsung at 208.7 million and Apple at 202 million units.