Samsung
Samsung Build Number Explanation: How to Decode
Samsung is the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world at present. It received this status via having a vast & varying range. Samsung issues regular updates to its devices in four parts, i.e., monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, and yearly. These updates depend upon the recently updated Samsung’s Fours Year Software Support Policy. But that’s a subject for another time; today, we are going to explain how you can read the build no. of the updates known as firmware identifier or build no.
Samsung Build Number:
If you are a Samsung device user, you must have noticed that the different update on your smartphone brings different serial no./build no. in the changelog, aka your updated notification. We are sure many of you will be curious to know how what & why of that update, meaning just what changes the update brings and how to read them. So that is what we are exactly doing. Fasten your belts because it’s going to be a little confusing at the beginning. Still, we are sure once you get hold of it, you will become an expert at reading the firmware numbers.
How To Decode Samsung Build Number:
So there are four sections of a build number, all but one divided into three parts. Starting with the first segment, we will take an example from the Galaxy S22 series of a Galaxy S22 Ultra Asian variant with build no. S908-EXX-U2A-VF9.
- First Segment Device Information Section (DIC); We will dub this section the Device Information Section (DIC), consisting of the first four letters.
First Letter; Let us start with the first Letter. The first Letter, e.g., S denotes the device’s series name; here, it will be an S series device. Below is a list of series represenattaionby letters;
Note: The ‘G previously denoted the S series,’ so don’t be confused if you come across an older device’s Letter.
- N – denotes the recently canceled Galaxy Note series.
- S – This is the flagship Galaxy S series.
- F – Clamshell foldable Galaxy Z series occupies this alphabet.
- E – Mid-range Galaxy F series.
- A – Starting-Mid range A series.
- M – Entry-Mid level M series, most popular in Asian and Indian countries.
Second Letter; 3 represents price range, e.g., S908- 9 here denotes the flagship devices, and then it further decreases to mid to entry-level range, following with 7, 5, and 3, etc. Here in S908, nine is to represent a high-end device in terms of price. For a Galaxy S21, its starting second will be 9 as in G99.
Third Letter; this Letter represents the generation of the device, i.e., how many series generations have been released till now, usually following a yearly pattern. Let’s take S908– then it’s the new hybrid of the Note and S series; thus, it has ‘0’ in the Letter. For an S21, it would be the 9th generation of the device.
Fourth Letter; This represents the display size of the device but there is a catch; ‘0’ and ‘5’ are for LTE/4G, and 1,6 and 8 are for 5G devices. For example, a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G would consist of 6 in the fourth Letter across all variants.
That concludes our first section. Let’s move on to the second;
- Second section or Region Details (RD) of the device; We take an example of a Galaxy S22 Ultra with the EXX in the second constituting 3 letters. Let’s start with the first.
Fourth Letter; It represents the region for the different regions; there are different alphabets. They are;
- F & B; Global versions with F being LTE & B being the 5G.
- N; Reserved for S.Korea.
- E; Asian markets.
- U; the USA, U1 for unlocked, and U for the carrier’s locked networks such as T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.
- FN & FG; these are region-specific codes which represent.
Last Two Letter Of Second Section: The two last two letters denoted by XX contains even further information about the device region, i.e. XX would be European or Global variant. Usually, it’s the European model we see associated with XX.
However, if the device belongs to the USA, these two Alphabets would be changed to SQ for locked models and UE for unlocked variants. Let us understand by an example, take Galaxy Z Fold 3 with firmware no. F926USQ here for locked the alphabets would be replaced by UE for an unlocked model.
Section Three or Device Software Information:
This is the device software information center, you can know about what the update brings in these three letters.
The first letter; will always be either a U or an S, with S representing only security patch and U representing Patch + updates with additional features like apps, system tweaking, visual improvements, etc.
Second Letter; This letter can change, which represents the Bootloader version i.e. the basic input and output system responsible for the startup or system initiation. If we take an example of U2A here 2 will represent the Bootloader version, that would be the second build and this cant revert back it will always be in numerical progression or remains unchanged.
Third Letter; This is an alphabet that changes and is related to the OneUI upgrade and how many versions of the OneUI the device has received. The alphabet will change in progression wrt the OneUI version.
Fourth Section or Device Software Time Information:
This section deals with informing the Time related to firmware development, yearly and monthly.
First Letter; Let us take an example of VF9 as the last three letters. The V here is the year of firmware development, with U being 2021 so if it progresses here V will be 2022 and continue further.
Note; However, this could also show the OS version for newer smartphones.
Second Letter; It represents the firmware completion month, A is considered as Jan so F here would be June, however, this does not always coincide with the time meaning the version could be older but with the release next month.
Third Letter; This deals with build identifier and is a Letter or a digit, meaning it always starts with an A or 1, e.g. 9 with the 9th build. However, it also doesn’t coincide always.
We tried to simplify this information, but that’s it for now, we will keep you updated for more of this information.
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Samsung has introduced the One UI 6.1 update with the Galaxy S24 devices. With this update, the company has introduced several new Galaxy AI features, including Circle to search, transcript assist, chat assist, live call translation, and many more.
Later, the company expanded the One UI 6.1 to more Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5, and moved forward. The company has already announced that it will provide the One UI 6.1 with Galaxy AI features for the 2022 flagship smartphones, and it has confirmed its intention to distribute more eligible devices. However, a question arises: will it provide Galaxy AI features to every One UI 6.1 eligible device or not? Let’s find out.
Samsung Galaxy AI features are available for Galaxy devices
Only the 2022 flagship devices will receive the Galaxy AI feature, as Samsung has already confirmed its provision for nearly all flagship devices. However, the latest developments have left some devices, such as the Galaxy S21 series, including the Fan Edition version, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, without any AI features except Circle for search. Along with this, there are several non-flagship devices that are eligible to get the UI 6.1 update, but the company hasn’t confirmed the availability of the Galaxy AI feature for them.
The recent release of Galaxy A55, 5G, and Galaxy A35 devices also confirms the statement that they debuted in the market with the One UI 6.1 update, but they haven’t received any Galaxy AI features, which indicates that the company may not provide the Galaxy AI feature to non-flagship devices.
These Galaxy devices may get One UI 6.1 without any Galaxy AI features
We have compiled a list of devices expected to receive OneUI 6.1 updates without the AI feature, based on our speculations:
Galaxy A series: Galaxy A73, Galaxy A72, Galaxy A53, Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52s, Galaxy A34, Galaxy A33, Galaxy A25, Galaxy A24, Galaxy A23, Galaxy A15, Galaxy A14, Galaxy A13, Galaxy A05s, Galaxy A04, and Galaxy A04s.
Galaxy M series: Galaxy M54, Galaxy M53, Galaxy M33, and Galaxy M23
Galaxy F series: Galaxy F54, Galaxy F23, and Galaxy F14
Galaxy XCover series: Galaxy XCover 5 Pro, Galaxy XCover 6 Pro, and Galaxy XCover 7
Galaxy Tab series: Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
Will midrange Galaxy devices get Galaxy AI features in the next update?
In addition to its Galaxy flagship devices, Samsung is also prioritizing the development of advanced features for some midrange smartphones, including the Galaxy AI feature. However, due to hardware limitations, optimizing this feature may take some time, depending on the capabilities of the devices. Given the high-spec devices recently released, it’s possible that the company will introduce the Galaxy AI feature in the upcoming major updates.
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A new Samsung Galaxy Fan Edition named Galaxy S24 FE is in the works, and now the giant appears to be developing an ‘Exynos 2400+’ to power the forthcoming Galaxy S24 FE devices.
Samsung introduced the Exynos 2400 a couple of months ago and powered several Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ versions. Distinct from previous Exynos models, the Exynos 2400 performs well against competitors such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 A17 Pro. Similar to Qualcomm’s strategy, Samsung could release a mid-year upgrade, the Exynos 2400+, for the forthcoming Galaxy S24 FE.
According to a post on X by @kro_roe, Samsung’s new Exynos 2400+ is a new AP that will power the Galaxy S24 FE, offering improvements in power efficiency and yield by about 5% to 10%.
Samsung may launch a campaign to assist consumers in distinguishing between the regular Exynos 2400 and the upcoming Exynos 2400+. We expect the brand-new Exynos 2400+ to prioritize enhanced power efficiency and potentially provide additional benefits. However, the tipster also revealed that the Exynos 2400+ yield will improve. The higher yield points towards the Korean foundry, which can produce more chipsets from a single wafer, decreasing the total number of manufactured wafers and lowering the overall cost.
However, the Exynos 2400 processor powering the Galaxy S24 series performed well. If the reports come true and the GalaxyS24 FE also uses the cooling solution, the rumored Eynos 2400+ might perform just as well in terms of power efficiency and likely other areas.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) require secure smartphones but usually lack the time and resources for complex security solutions. Luckily, Samsung makes smartphone device security and configuration easier in three ways.
Samsung makes it easier to buy cloud-based management for smartphones and tablets by licensing Knox Manage directly through our online store. Apart from this, a pre-packaged QuickStart service helps IT teams with their primary configuration and deployment.
The term Knox Manager itself represents an exemplary device management tool for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and also wearables. Knox uses a multi-layered approach, which is as follows: it’s built-in checks to ensure the device itself has not been tampered with; multi-layered encryption to keep data secure from unauthorized access; ongoing monitoring and protection from security threats throughout the device’s lifespan; and many more.
Samsung Knox Manage:
Knox Manage is available from the Samsung for Business store, giving SMBs an easy way to add cloud-based management to smart devices such as Android, iOS, Windows, WearOS, and ChromeOS.
Kevin Eaton, Director of SMB and B2B Direct Channels, stated, “Direct licensing makes it easier for new customers who want to buy devices and management services directly from Samsung. But the Samsung for Business store is also a great option for existing Samsung customers who want to get started with Knox Manage cloud-based device management or just add a few Knox Manage licenses to an existing deployment.”.
Samsung Knox Manage QuickStart Services, for small businesses with limited IT resources, are available through their online store. This service has two levels: standard QuickStart, which helps configure Knox Manage with basic features such as policy and group controls and remote device management; and advanced QuickStart, which includes all features of Standard plus additional functionalities.
Knox Manage is beneficial for SMBs in many ways, such as helping simplify device enrollment and configuration, reducing setup time, and reducing human error. It manages device settings such as passwords, updates, encryption, app restrictions, and app stores; it tracks device location; it identifies devices needing updates; and it provides reports to help businesses stay informed about their mobile device fleet.
Knox Manage is optimized for Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S24, but it’s a cross-platform MDM tool. Knox Manage delivers unified management, for instance, with a single tool and single interface.
It’s just one of the tools based on Knox, Samsung’s unique approach to keeping data secure from the inside out. This includes on-device, OS-independent integrity.