NEWS
Samsung holds onto its crown, leads smartphone market in 2024
Samsung has managed to maintain its dominance in the global smartphone market. Despite increasing competition from Apple and Chinese brands, the South Korean company has been led by strong demand for its S24 series and A-series product lines.
Samsung was the world’s biggest smartphone brand in 2024
According to a report by market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung was the world’s largest smartphone brand in terms of market share. The South Korean firm had a market share of 19% alone, up from 18% secured by Apple during the same period.
The Galaxy S24 series sold very well, as it was the first phone to be promoted as an AI device, outperforming its predecessors, and was particularly well received in Western Europe and the US. Samsung expects its new flagship phones, the Galaxy S25 and the upcoming Galaxy Fold, to do well in 2025.
Overall, the global smartphone market grew by 4.4% compared to last year, and Xiaomi and Vivo were the biggest beneficiaries. Samsung is at the top, with a gap of 1% between it and Apple.
Samsung was the world’s second-largest smartphone brand after Apple in 2024
Furthermore, according to a report by market research firm IDC, Samsung was the world’s second-largest smartphone brand in terms of shipments. The South Korean firm shipped 223.4 million smartphones in 2024, grabbing 18% of the market. Its shipments declined by 1.4% compared to the second quarter of last year.
According to IDC, the leadership crown is shifting from Samsung to Apple, due to a difference of just 1% or less. On the other hand, Apple shipped 232.1 million smartphones in 2024, capturing 20.1% of the market.
As always, Xiaomi was the world’s third-biggest smartphone brand during the same period. The Chinese firm shipped 168.5 million smartphones and managed to capture a 12.5% market share. That is a serious uptick of 15.4% in terms of shipments compared to last year’s figures.
At the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event on February 25, 2026, Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S26 series. The series includes the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26. These new smartphones come with smarter AI features that help simplify everyday tasks. Now, we are talking about four hidden Galaxy S26 Ultra camera improvements, helping improve image and video quality.
Notably, the Galaxy S26 Ultra features Samsung’s most advanced camera system to date. Samsung has integrated its 200MP primary camera and 50MP telephoto camera into the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with a wide aperture to allow more light to reach the sensor.
Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra features the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, allowing Samsung to improve camera performance, even though the phone uses the same sensor as the previous Galaxy S series Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra gets four camera improvements
1. Improved 200MP images
The Galaxy S26 Ultra feature a mutltiframe HDR processing, so that it may now capture the better 200MP images. The company says these 200MP photos deliver clearer, more detailed, and greater dynamic range than 200MP shots taken on earlier Galaxy S series models.
2. New 24MP mode in the stock camera app
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a new 24MP resolution option in the stock camera app. This new mode combines a 12MP multi-frame processed image with a 50MP high-resolution image using a system called AI Fusion. The resulting 24MP photo offers more detail than a 12MP image to reach the sensors, resulting in brighter, cleaner, and sharper images.
3. Virtual Aperture in Portrait Mode
The Galaxy S25 Ultra launched with a virtual aperture feature, but it was limited to the Expert RAW app. Now, Samsung adds a virtual aperture feature to the Portrait mode of the stock camera app on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, allowing users to digitally adjust the aperture.
4. Auto option for Motion Photo
As the name suggests, a motion photo is a short video clip captured alongside a still image. It includes a few seconds before and after the shutter button is pressed.. Now, on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, when the Auto option is on, Motion Photos are only recorded when significant movement is detected in the scene. If you capture a static scene, such as a…. landscape, with no visible motion, the Motion Photo will not be saved.
Samsung has released the February 2026 security update for four more Galaxy devices – the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6. This update keeps your phone secure and running smoothly instead of adding new features or changing its look.
As always, this update improves the phone’s security and makes the system run more smoothly. This update fixes issues with the previous software version and helps make the device more stable. Samsung says this update is important because it protects users from security risks and keeps personal data safe.
Galaxy Z Flip 7 February 2026 update
Users of these devices can verify the latest update via the One UI build versions given below.
- Galaxy Z Flip 7: F766NKSS8AZB2
- Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE: F761NKSS8AZB2
- Galaxy Z Fold 6: F956NKSS3CZB2
- Galaxy Z Flip 6: F741NKSS3CZB2
.
Samsung usually rolls out updates gradually, so users in other markets should also receive the same update in a week or two.
To manually download the update, go to Settings >> Software Update >> Download and Install. Once the download is complete, tap Restart/Install Now to complete the installation. Make sure your phone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network and has enough battery.
In addition to the security update, Samsung is also working on One UI 8.5. The beta version is currently available for the Galaxy S25 series in some regions, and Samsung has confirmed that the stable version will launch with the Galaxy S26 series tomorrow. Stay tuned for more details.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series has started receiving the One UI 8.5 beta 5 update. The latest beta software contains several bug fixes and provides stability. This is likely the last beta before a stable release.
One UI 8.5 Beta 5 ZZAN is rolling out to Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra in key markets. So far, it has been rolled out in Germany, India, South Korea, the US, and the UK.
Additionally, the February 2026 security patch has been tagged with the latest Beta update. It provides fixes for 25 that come from Google for Android, and 12 are provided by Samsung Mobile for additional protection of the One UI operating system.
The One UI 8.5 Beta 5 software includes an updated Bixby version that improves the usability experience. Moreover, this beta version updated your Samsung apps to the latest available versions.
One UI 8.5 Beta 5 update changelog:
- Version – One UI 8.5, ZZAN
Major changes/improvement
- Bixby version update applied
Samsung also revealed that the One UI 8.5 official rollout for the Galaxy S26 series will begin next week. That said, users of these flagships can expect the Stable update next month, and no new Beta will be provided in between.
If you’re already part of the One UI 8.5 beta program, you can get beta 5 on your Galaxy by going to Settings > Software updates > Download and install.
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