News
Samsung considers Bing for Galaxy, Google wants to live on
The AI-powered Microsoft Bing search engine reportedly attracted Samsung to steal the default Galaxy search engine honor from Google. The New York Times reviewed internal messages, revealing Google’s reaction to the Samsung threat was “panic.”
Last month, Google employees were shocked to hear that Samsung was considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on Galaxy smartphones and tablets. The reason could be the integration of artificial intelligence but it’s uncertain.
Google’s estimated $3 billion annual revenue was at stake with the Samsung contract.
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT became the most serious threat to Google’s dominance in the search engine, forcing it to launch its own AI chatbot Bard in hurry. To make Samsung stick with Google, it has signed a new contract and reportedly working on GIFI and MAGI.
What are MAGI and GIFI?
To keep its search engine users’ first choice, Google is working on project MAGI, which is under development by a team consisting of designers, engineers, and executives. As reported, Google search would offer users a far more personalized experience than the current one.
“Not every brainstorm deck or product idea leads to a launch, but as we’ve said before, we’re excited about bringing new A.I.-powered features to search, and will share more details soon,” said Lara Levin, a Google spokeswoman.
GIFI, on the other hand, is also in Google’s pipeline as another AI-derived addition to the search engine. The company is crafting GIFI, a tool that may take on Bing AI Image Generator. This tool is likely to be added to search results so users can get access with fewer taps.
Samsung-Google Friendship Continues…
As Samsung wondered about replacing Google with Bing as a default search engine on Galaxy devices, it became the biggest threat to Google, for dominance and revenue. For the last 12 years, Galaxy devices offer Google as the default search engine, which would live on further as the new contract is under negotiation.
Samsung ships millions of Galaxy devices with the Android operating system every year. Android is owned by Google and it sounds way too odd that the best-selling Android smartphones prefer using Microsoft’s Bing as a search engine over Android’s native Google search.
Samsung will hold this year’s second Global Strategy Meeting next week. Samsung is reportedly gathering executives to plan the Galaxy S25 series strategy for 2025 as well as risk management to seamlessly function all activities.
According to Chosun, Samsung may hold a Global Strategy Meeting from December 17 to 19, where plans for the Galaxy S25 series and risk management are said to be discussed.
The institutional sector for Samsung’s DX Division will hold a global strategy meeting on the 17th and 18th, while the institutional sector for the DS Division will meet on the 19th.
This isn’t a surprise meeting Samsung is preparing for, but it takes place every June and December. The timeline for these meetings aligns with the prior flagship launch to prepare a strategy.
Samsung will be gathering top global executives to share issues by business and regional categories. The meeting will discuss next year’s business goals and sales strategies for the upcoming flagships.
Han Jong-hee, head of the DX institutional sector (Vice Chairman), and Jeon Young-hyun, head of the DS institutional sector (Vice Chairman), are expected to lead the meetings.
Jay Y. Lee, Samsung Elec’s boss and chairman of the board, is unlikely to attend the meetings in person but will receive reports on business strategies later.
South Korea has recently witnessed a sudden martial law implication and quick revocation. It puts a sharp burden on Korean manufacturers as the currency is weakening over the USD.
Samsung will launch Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra early next year. The prices of these devices may be hiked due to increased exchange rates, resulting in additional material costs.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is recognized as the Smartphone of the Year at the NAG Awards 2024. The company’s flagship smartphone has scored this achievement given the best in gaming and hardware in South Africa.
NAG recognized the incredible performance, versatility, and innovation of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which left a significant mark in 2024 in both gaming and content creation—ultimately making it Smartphone of the Year.
While the S24 Ultra secured the number one spot, Samsung had another device also making a great showing in the top five with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 coming in at fourth place.
Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone. The device unleashed new mobile experiences with Galaxy AI, paving the way for a new era.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is undoubtedly a magnificent smartphone, which gives users everything they need to create content, manage NAG editorial, and play mobile games at 120fps.
“Congratulations on a well-deserved NAG Mobile Device of the Year 2024 award. The S24 Ultra is a phenomenal gaming device that we use daily for our gaming fix in the NAG office. Additionally, we have shot many of the NAG videos this year using the S24 Ultra. It is that good,” Len Nery, Publisher at NAG magazine.
Galaxy S24 Ultra wins Smartphone of the Year at NAG 2024 | Source: Samsung
With its exceptional performance, stunning display, and powerful Galaxy AI features and capabilities, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra has cemented its status as one of the leading mobile devices globally and South African market.
“We are honoured to receive the Smartphone of the Year award for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. It’s a testament to our commitment to delivering high-performance devices that elevate user experience. We knew at the beginning of 2024 that the Galaxy S24 Ultra was going to be a game-changer for creators, gamers, and professionals alike with its AI-driven features, and we’re thrilled to see its success acknowledged by the NAG community,” Kgomotso Mosiane, Head of Marketing for Mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Galaxy S25 series could get a price hike in South Korea. The reason is political chaos in the country, including the brief implementation of martial law.
Korean media reports that Samsung may increase the price of the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. Due to political turmoil, the Korean currency has significantly weakened to the US dollar.
The Galaxy S25 series could be affected by exchange rates. TSMC has already raised its production costs, and the rising value of the dollar has significantly increased chip purchase costs.
After President Yoon’s “emergency martial law” incident, the Korean Won’s rates have weakened against the US dollar, which has led to an increase in product prices.
Samsung is likely to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip across the Galaxy S25 series. As there is no Exynos configured, the company may have an intense burden of product costs.
Galaxy S24 and S24+ released earlier this year cost the same as their predecessor. However, the S24 Ultra’s price increased by 100,000 won compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra due to Snapdragon.
Qualcomm has increased the Snapdragon chipset’s pricing by up to 30%. This is due to the utilization of TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm fabrication process for the first time.
As all models tentatively use Snapdragon chips, a price hike seems unavoidable. However, freezing prices would significantly affect the company’s operating profit and revenue generation.
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1299 in the US, while the S24 Ultra starts at $1399. There’s already a difference of $100, and another price bump would reduce Samsung’s storm.