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Google gets 207B won punishment from South Korea’s KFTC for preventing Android forking
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has issued a $207 billion won ($176.64 million) fine imposed on Google for protecting OEMs from Android. The anti-trust regulator said Google’s contractual terms with OEMs lead to abuse of its top position, which has prevented competition from the mobile OS market.
According to Reuters, Google intends to appeal the decision, claiming that it “disregards the benefits offered by Android compatibility with other apps and undermines the benefits enjoyed by consumers.” KFTC’s Chairperson Joh Sung-wook maintains that the ruling is “meaningful in a way that it provides an opportunity to restore future competitive pressure in the mobile OS and app market markets.”
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Talking about the decision, the KFTC said Google had disrupted competition by pressuring OEMs to comply with the “anti-fragmentation agreement (AFA).” As part of AFA, Google requires manufacturers not to offer Android Forks to their devices, which has helped to strengthen its market dominance in the mobile OS market.
The report indicates the example of Google forcing Samsung to switch to a different OS to its smartwatch back in 2013 after Google realized that the original OS was a violation of AFA. Interestingly, Samsung has recently moved from Tizen to Wear OS on its smartwatches.
In line with the fine, the decision prevents Google from forcing OEMs to sign AFA contracts, thus allowing them to offer modified Android versions on their devices. The KFTC decision came on the same day as the latest amendment to South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act came into effect.
The amendment, forcing Google and Apple to adopt alternative payment methods, was passed late last month. It also prevents companies from delaying the adoption of applications or improperly blocking them from their market. If Google and Apple fail to comply with the new law, they could be fined up to 3% of their total South Korean currency.
Samsung reiterated its commitment to raising investment in Vietnam. The company’s Chief Financial Officer recently met the Prime Minister of the country, ensuring him towards investment plans.
According to reports, Samsung pledged to boost its annual investment in Vietnam by $1 billion. This announcement showcases the company further strengthening ties with Vietnam responsible for half of its smartphone output.
Since Vietnam plays a pivotal role in the operations of Samsung, the official expressed hopes that the country’s business environment would continue to improve. Chinh also requested Park to help local firms enter Samsung’s supply chain.
In return, the Vietnamese PM confirmed to help Samsung do business in the country. The country is reportedly considering reforms to its business environment, administrative process, and regulations important.
Park said during the meeting that Samsung Electronics has already invested $22.4 billion in Vietnam so far and incorporated a total of 309 Vietnamese companies into its supply chain, a more than 12-fold increase from 2014.
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Samsung is considering to launch an FE-branded Galaxy Z Flip 7 next year. The company reportedly entered a review of plans to introduce an affordable foldable phone this year. There is speculation that the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE might not debut this year.
According to TheElec, Samsung has been planning to launch the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE next year. It may be cheaper than the regular variant in favor of a downgraded display and processor. However, Samsung’s pricing strategy would be worth seeing for its first affordable Flip phone.
This year, the South Korean tech giant is expected to launch only two foldable phones. While there are no signs of a Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra, the Fan Edition may also be canceled in review. Therefore, an FE lineup of foldable phones – Flip and Fold will likely join the segment in 2025.
Samsung could hold the next Galaxy Unpacked on July 10 in Paris. At the event, the company may not only launch new foldable phones but the Galaxy Watch 7 series and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro could also be launched. Well, Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed the event so far.
We are also hearing that the Exynos 2400 might not be employed in the Galaxy Z Flip 6 this year. The company has reportedly tested it but the chip has failed to offer satisfactory results. This means the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will also use Snapdragon chip internationally.
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Samsung is rumored to bring 16GB RAM to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s going to be a big upgrade over the recently released flagship phones by Samsung. Meanwhile, it shows the company is taking a U-turn on its decision to reduce the RAM, starting with the S22 Ultra.
Chinese vendors continue to increase RAM on their flagships. Samsung has either reduced or stuck with the same configuration. Well, a major shift seems to be loading, with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra being equipped with 16GB RAM, keeping the base storage unchanged.
X user Sawyer Galox claims that the Galaxy S25 Ultra could have increased RAM than the S24 Ultra. The input is based on what specifications are being tested on the prototype model. Notably, Samsung’s S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra debuted 16GB RAM variants.
Starting with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the South Korean tech giant has reduced the RAM to 12GB. This continued with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra. As Gemini Nano v2 is also rumored to be available in the next flagships, more RAM may be required.
Galaxy S25 Ultra
• 12GB + 256GB
• 16GB + 512GB
• 16GB + 1TB• 6.9 inch
Confirmed in prototype 3 ✅️
— Sawyer Galox (@Sawyergalox) May 8, 2024
Apart from this, a new design language is expected to be introduced with the Galaxy S25 series. After following its signature design from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the company’s next Ultra flagship would finally bring a much-anticipated design refresh.
As far as other specifications are concerned, an upgraded display with 3000 nits of peak brightness and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy will likely come. The camera department may also be enhanced with the arrival of enhanced image sensors.
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