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Samsung and iSmash partners to expand high street repair in UK
Samsung has appointed iSmash, one of the UK’s largest walk-in tech repair specialists, as an Authorized Service Partner to expand high street repair. With this, the company wants to offer out-of-warranty repairs on selected Galaxy smartphones.
Samsung offers its customers the widest selection of the most convenient and accessible support options to enhance their experience with their Galaxy smartphones. And, to further improve its services, the company has now partnered with iSmash.
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With this partnership, Samsung Galaxy smartphone users who require repair outside their standard warranty terms will be able to take their device to 38 iSmash service centers across the United Kingdom for diagnosis and repair.
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Furthermore, being a Samsung Authorized Service Partner, iSmash uses genuine parts procured directly from the company to repair the equipment. This means after the repair is completed, clients will benefit from reverting their Galaxy smartphones to Samsung’s manufacturer standard.
Moreover, the repair specialist, iSmash is dedicated to delivering professional high-quality repairs with an express turnaround, meaning customers are never left without their device for too long.
As an Authorized Service Partner, all its technicians are fully qualified and trained by Samsung to enable customers to repair Galaxy smartphones. On this partnership, Brian Ford, Vice-President of Samsung Customer Experience, UK says –
“We are pleased to announce iSmash as an Authorised Service Partner, as a further customer option within our repair network. We know that access to convenient support on the high street is incredibly important for UK consumers. The iSmash nationwide service centre coverage gives more choice to our customers, who can now get a fast repair safe in the knowledge that their smartphone is in the hands of an accredited and trusted service partner.”
Aside from in-store repairs, Samsung also offers a suite of repair and support options to its customers. This includes a ‘We come to you’ doorstep repair service, where a mobile repair van will travel to customers’ chosen location and repair their devices on-site.
A pick-up repair service is also a great benefit from the company, where it posts an empty box for customers to package their devices in and an at-home service to pick up and repair the device before returning the device to the customer.
Google is putting much effort into Gemini Assistant. The company has already replaced Google Assistant with Gemini. Now, Google apparently working to slap a Gemini AI button right on your Samsung Galaxy phone’s lock screen.
AndroidAuthority discovered Google’s experiment to bring the Gemini AI button to Samsung Galaxy’s lock screen. It’s going to be an Android feature, which Samsung won’t miss out on bringing to Galaxy smartphones.
Android lets you trigger Gemini in many ways. You can swipe up from the home screen’s bottom, press and hold the home button, or hold the power key. A dedicated AI button on the lock screen would make things a lot easier for consumers.
The QPR1 Beta 2 of Android 15 has a flag, which could unlock the AI button on the lock screen. Mishaal managed to enable the button on the Pixel smartphone, placed right below the fingerprint sensing area on the lock screen.
Image – Android Authority
Although the button appeared on the lock screen, it doesn’t function at all. It’s a pill-shaped toggle, which is slightly larger than the two lock screen shortcuts. The button also has the AI sparkle icon in the middle, which looks classy.
Android 15 is about to begin rolling out on Pixel smartphones. Google is also running the QPR Beta Program on various Pixel models. The Gemini AI button could be a part of the company’s preparations for the Android 16 operating system.
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 will be equipped with Multimodal Gemini Nano capabilities. MediaTek today confirmed its collaboration with Google. Future flagship chipsets, starting with the Dimensity 9400 will feature Gemini Nano with multimodality.
According to MediaTek, Dimensity SoCs are now optimized to support Gemini Nano with new multimodal capabilities. The upcoming chip will debut Gemini Nano integration, with existing models that could also add support in the future.
MediaTek revealed that the Dimensity 9400 features a new 8th-gen NPU with hardware acceleration for text, image, and speech. The Taiwanese chip designer is expanding its footsteps eyeing significant growth amid the AI boom.
Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy Tab S10 series supports GenAI capabilities. It means the Dimensity 9300+ processor could also gain multimodal Gemini Nano integration. We are hearing that the S25 could also use Dimensity 9400.
MediaTek’s partnership with Google highlights a shared vision for bringing Generative AI experiences across the Android ecosystem, and is a big step forward in the advancement of complex AI models running on-device.
Multimodal Gemini Nano will ensure users can take images and receive detailed descriptions of what’s been captured. MediaTek previously announced support for Google’s LLM, optimized for on-device AI processing.
Samsung recently updated its software support plan for October 2024, and it has noted that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will no longer receive any updates. This popular foldable smartphone has been removed from the list of eligible devices for One UI updates and security patches because it has completed its update cycle.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 was launched in 2020, initially coming with Android 10. It has since received updates, including the Android 13 update with One UI 5.1.1. After that, it is not eligible for any more major Android OS updates. Now, Samsung has also ended its software support, which means it will not receive any new security updates.
Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G will not receive further updates from Samsung, it is still a secure and functional device for everyday use. The phone operates on Android 13, which supports all major apps, including those for banking, so users can continue to perform their daily tasks without issues.
Additionally, Google Play continues to provide system updates to ensure that the phone’s key features remain up to date.
For those considering an upgrade, Samsung offers new foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5. These newer models come with improved features and will receive software updates for a longer period.
However, if your Galaxy Z Fold 2 is still working well for you, there’s no need to replace it. The device can still serve your needs effectively, even without the latest updates.
October 2024 | Samsung Galaxy Devices getting Monthly and Quarterly Updates