How to set up the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

Samsung has finally unleashed its latest lineup of flagship tablets upon the world — the Galaxy Tab S8 Series. These three devices come in different sizes and specifications to match various needs and budgets. They’re some of the best available options in this department right now. Though, if you buy one, make sure to check out our best cases for the Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. They’re delicate tablets, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Now, you must be wondering how to go through the initial boot after unboxing the device. All three tablets share the same process — here’s how to set up the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series.

How to set up the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series

• When you first turn on your Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 device, click the arrow right above the big blue button to change the language — if you want to set it to a language other than the default one.

• Scroll through the languages and select the one of your choice, then click the big blue Start button shown in the first screenshot.

• Agree to the End User License Agreement and the Privacy Policy — otherwise, you won’t be able to proceed and use your Galaxy Tab S8. If you’d like Samsung to collect diagnostic data to improve their products, you can enable the third option — you’re not forced to, though.

• Choose which of the sensors and data Samsung can access to personalize your experience. Note that denying access to some of these could cause certain stock apps to function in a limited manner. The company explains briefly why it needs access to each of them, so you can decide accordingly — depending on the relevance of the features to you.

• Find your home network and click on it. Your device needs internet access to communicate with Samsung and Google servers to complete the setup. In some regions, you do get Cellular options for the Tab S8 series, so you may be able to pop in your SIM card and use data. But for the most part, you’d need to connect to a WiFi network. We’d advise a WiFi connection anyway since the setup process can chew through your data limit.

• Type the password of your Wi-Fi password and click the Connect button when you’re done.

• Give your Galaxy Tab S8 a few minutes. Don’t attempt to turn the tablet off or click any buttons — just wait for the process to complete on its own.

• Decide if you want to copy apps and data from a device you’re already using. If you want to start fresh, click on Don’t copy. Otherwise, hit Next.

• If you decide to copy your data, choose whether you have access to it or not. If you don’t, you will need to restore an old backup from the cloud. Otherwise, follow the steps below.

• Select whether your current device runs Android or iOS/iPadOS. If it’s an Android device, you will be able to copy more of your personal data, including paid app purchases from the Google Play Store.

• Sign in to your Google account to use the company’s services, such as the Google Play Store to download apps and games. Start by typing your Gmail address, followed by its password.

• Go through the authentication process as instructed. This is to confirm that it’s indeed the account owner signing in.

• Agree to Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy after thoroughly reading them. If they sound fishy to you, you can simply skip adding your Google account to the Galaxy Tab S8. You will miss out on some of the company’s features and services, though.

• Give your tablet a few moments to communicate with Google servers after agreeing to the terms.

• Choose which sensors and data Google is permitted to access. You can also enable Google Drive backups to secure your data in the cloud and make moving to a new device in the future a faster process.

• Optionally protect your tablet with a password, PIN, pattern, or through biometric authentication. Going for fingerprint or face recognition protection will require you to set another non-biometric protection method. Note that the base Galaxy Tab S8 comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, while the Tab S8 Plus and Ultra have an in-display fingerprint sensor.

• Choose your desired password or PIN and confirm it. Make sure it’s not too easy to prevent potential thieves or snoopers from accessing your data if they gain physical access to your Galaxy Tab S8.

• Optionally enable the Hey Google hot word. This would allow you to control your tablet and ask for information by using your voice only.

• Decide if Google Assistant is permitted to work when your device is locked. If you leave your tablet at home at all times, there’s no harm in enabling that if you trust the people you live with.

• Give your Galaxy Tab S8 a few minutes. Again, don’t click any buttons or attempt to turn it off at this stage.

• You can optionally sign in with your Samsung account to take advantage of more of the company’s services, such as the Galaxy Store and Samsung Members — which can be used to run device diagnostic tests.

• Voila! Once you’re done with the previous step, you’re ready to start using your new tablet! You can either click Finish to use your Galaxy Tab S8 or tap on Explore your Galaxy to read through more tips.

• After clicking Finish, you’re taken to the familiar home screen — where you can start personalizing and using your new device.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is the entry level tablet of the company's latest flagship lineup, featuring an 11-inch screen.

View on Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the middle-range tablet of the company's latest flagship lineup, featuring a 12.4-inch screen.

View on Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the highest-end tablet of the company's latest flagship lineup, featuring a 14.6-inch screen.

View on Samsung

Which Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 model did you buy, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Microsoft Store gets a new look on the web, along with a search bar

Microsoft is making it easier to find Windows apps on the web version of the Microsoft Store. The company has quietly launched a redesigned portal for Windows apps on the web, and it includes major improvements to make it easier to find the apps you’re looking for.  That includes a new search bar and improved navigation.

For starters, yes, there’s now a search bar on the left side of the screen on this new storefront. To be clear, you could use the general search icon at the top of Microsoft’s site to search for apps, but this way, the search bar is more contextualized and focuses only on apps. Below the search bar, there are also various categories for apps, so you can explore the different sections. It’s arguably even more organized than the Microsoft Store app for Windows 11, so we wouldn’t be surprised if this eventually becomes the experience on the app as well.

Taking center stage is the home page for apps, which still serves the same purpose. You get a slideshow with a few major apps at the top, and other popular apps as you scroll down. The overall design does look a bit cleaner and more consistent than the previous version, though.

The new design extends to individual app pages, too. When you click on an app’s name or image, you’ll see the new page, which also looks cleaner and more organized now. At the top, you’ll see the app icon, name, and publisher, with screenshots right below it. Next to the screenshots, you can also see when the app was last updated and what languages it’s available in. Notably, the previous version didn’t mention when the app was last updated at all.

There’s no more tabbed navigation in this design. The app’s description is below the screenshots (and it’s not shown twice anymore), and then ratings and review are below it. Related apps can be found at the bottom. One thing that seems to be gone from the app page is the system requirements.

One last big change is that the Microsoft Store’s web portal can now install Store apps, a feature that Microsoft announced alongside Windows 11 last June. Before, if you clicked the button to download an app, you’d be taken to the Microsoft Store app on Windows to see the full app listing again, and then download it. In this new web version, when you click the “Get in Store app” button, it just opens a small pop-up window to confirm the install.

This new experience is still in preview, so the old version is still the default if you try to navigate to Windows apps from the Microsoft website. You can head here to check out the new Microsoft Store web portal.

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Via: FireCubeStudios (Twitter)

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VESA launches a certification program for DisplayPort 2.0 products, introduces certified DP40 and DP80 cables

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) on Monday announced a new certification program for DisplayPort products. The program will make it easier for consumers to understand whether a DisplayPort 2.0 monitor, cable, or video source they’re buying indeed supports all the bells and whistles promised by the new standard.

The latest DisplayPort 2.0 standard enables up to 16K video output along with high refresh rate support and a maximum throughput of 80Gbps. However, there’s no way to tell if a DisplayPort 2.0 cable or monitor you’re buying actually supports the higher bit rates and other features laid out in the spec. This is where the DisplayPort UHBR (Ultra-high Bit Rate) Certification Program comes into play. VESA says certified DisplayPort UHBR products are guaranteed to support the higher bit rates supported by DisplayPort version 2.0.

As part of the certification program, OEMs can send their new products to DisplayPort authorized test centers for testing and certification.

Multiple video source and display products are undergoing testing in the DisplayPort UHBR Certification Program now, and should complete early certification soon.

Certified DP40 and DP80 UHBR cables

VESA has also introduced certified DP40 and DP80 UHBR cables. Cables with DP40 certification must support up to 10Gbps link rate (USBR10) and a maximum throughput of 40Gbps over a four-lane connection. Meanwhile, DP80-certified cables must support up to 20Gbps link rate (UHBR20) and a raw bandwidth of up to 80Gbps with four lanes.

“No matter how high the performance of your graphics card and monitor are, the resulting image quality can still be limited by the cable used to connect those devices. Thanks to improvements in both the DisplayPort connector and cable design, the new VESA certified DP40 and DP80 UHBR cables enable consumers to get the highest performance possible from their VESA certified devices,” said James Choate, compliance program manager, VESA.

VESA certified DP40 and DP80 cables come in both full-size and Mini Displayport configurations and are backward compatible with other DisplayPort links such as Reduced Bit Rate (RBR), High Bit Rate (HBR), and HBR3. Companies currently selling VESA certified DP40 DP80 cables include Accell, BizLink, and WIZEN.

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Source: VESA

Via: ArsTechnica

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Android 13 will let you adjust the brightness of your phone’s flashlight

Google rolled out the first developer preview build of Android 13 last month, giving us a look at some of the new features coming in the next big Android release. Along with major changes like new privacy features, themed icons, improved language controls, etc., Android 13 also includes a couple of minor improvements, like the ability to turn on the flashlight using Quick Tap gestures on Pixel devices. In addition, recent reports suggest that Android 13 will also include another flashlight-related feature that has been available on iPhones for a while.

According to Esper’s Mishaal Rahman, Android 13 introduces two new APIs to the CameraManager class — getTorchStrengthLevel and turnOnTorchWithStrengthLevel. The first returns the current brightness level of the flashlight, while the second sets the brightness level from a minimum of 1 to a maximum determined by the hardware. In essence, these new APIs will let users adjust the brightness of their phone’s flashlight, which could come in handy in various scenarios.

Flashlight brightness slider in Samsung’s One UI 4

For the unaware, Android currently only offers a toggle to turn the flashlight on or off. While the custom Android skins from some OEMs, like Samsung, include a brightness control slider for the flashlight, such a feature is not available on devices from most other OEMs. Google plans to address that with Android 13 by offering a native brightness control feature for the flashlight. However, despite the change, some devices running Android 13 might not get the feature.

As Mishaal notes, “The reason support for this feature will be limited is that it will require an update to the camera hardware abstraction layer (HAL)…[Since] Google has frozen its new HAL requirements to ensure that vendor implementations built against version N will be certifiable for up to version N+3…device makers can upgrade their devices to Android 13 while reusing a vendor implementation designed for an older Android release that doesn’t include the new camera device HAL and its support for LED brightness control.”

To offer the feature, OEMs will have to implement version 3.8 of the camera device HAL in their Android 13 release. And whether OEMs implement version 3.8 or not will depend on the requirements laid out in the vendor software requirements (VSR) for Android 13, which Google is yet to finalize.

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Source: Esper

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MediaTek debuts Dimensity 8000 series for premium 5G smartphones

Although MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity 9000 SoC is yet to make its way into consumers’ hands, the company has already released two more chipsets for premium 5G smartphones. Built on TSMC’s 5nm production process, the all-new Dimensity 8000 and Dimensity 8100 feature octa-core CPUs and borrow several premium features from the Dimensity 9000. The new chipsets will make an appearance on upcoming smartphones from Realme and Xiaomi in the first quarter of this year, offering users flagship-level performance at a relatively affordable price.

MediaTek Dimensity 8000 series: Specifications

Specification	Dimensity 8000	Dimensity 8100
CPU	4x Arm Cortex-A78 @ up to 2.75GHz 4x Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2.0GHz	4x Arm Cortex-A78 @ up to 2.85GHz 4x Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2.0GHz
GPU	Arm Mali-G610 MC6	Arm Mali-G610 MC6
Display	Maximum On-Device Display support: FHD+ @168Hz	Maximum On-Device Display support: FHD+ @ 168Hz / WQHD+ @ 120Hz
AI	5th Gen APU 580	5th Gen APU 580
Memory	LPDDR5 Max frequency: 6400Mbps	LPDDR5 Max frequency: 6400Mbps
ISP	Imagiq 780 ISP Simultaneous dual-camera HDR video recording Max camera sensor supported: 200MP Max video capture resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160) Camera features: 5Gbps 14-bit HDR-ISPs/Video HDR/Video Bokeh/Video EIS/AI-Shutter/AI-AE/AI-AF/AI-AWB/AI-NR HDR/AI-HDR/AI-FD	Imagiq 780 ISP Simultaneous dual camera HDR video recording Max camera sensor supported: 200MP Max video capture resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160) Camera features: 5Gbps 14-bit HDR-ISPs/Video HDR/Video Bokeh/Video EIS/AI-Shutter/AI-AE/AI-AF/AI-AWB/AI-NR HDR/AI-HDR/AI-FD
Modem	3GPP Release-16 5G modem 5G/4G Dual SIM Dual Standby, SA & NSA modes; SA Option2, NSA Option3 / 3a / 3x, NR TDD and FDD bands, DSS, NR DL 2CC, 200MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO, 256QAM NR UL 2CC, R16 UL Enhancement, 2×2 MIMO, 256QAM VoNR / EPS fallback Peak downlink: 4.7Gbps 2CC Carrier Aggregation (200MHz) MediaTek 5G UltraSave 2.0	3GPP Release-16 5G modem 5G/4G Dual SIM Dual Standby, SA & NSA modes; SA Option2, NSA Option3 / 3a / 3x, NR TDD and FDD bands, DSS, NR DL 2CC, 200MHz bandwidth, 4×4 MIMO, 256QAM NR UL 2CC, R16 UL Enhancement, 2×2 MIMO, 256QAM VoNR / EPS fallback Peak downlink: 4.7Gbps 2CC Carrier Aggregation (200MHz) MediaTek 5G UltraSave 2.0
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth LE Audio technology with Dual-Link True Wireless Stereo Audio Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 (BW80) Beidou III-B1C signal support	Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth LE Audio technology with Dual-Link True Wireless Stereo Audio Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 (BW80) Beidou III-B1C signal support
Manufacturing process	TSMC N5 (5nm-class) production process	TSMC N5 (5nm-class) production process

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MediaTek Dimensity 8000

The MediaTek Dimensity 8000 features an octa-core CPU, consisting of four Arm Cortex-A78 cores clocked at up to 2.75GHz and four Arm Cortex-A55 cores clocked at up to 2.0GHz. The SoC packs an Arm Mali-G610 MC6 GPU for gaming and graphics-intensive tasks. The GPU can drive an FHD+ display at a peak refresh rate of 168Hz and includes support for 4K AV1 media decoding.

For imaging, the Dimensity 8000 makes use of the Imagiq 780 ISP, which offers support for simultaneous dual camera HDR video recording, 200MP camera support, AI-Motion unblur, AI-NR/HDR photos, and 2x lossless zoom.

The SoC also features MediaTek’s 5th Gen APU 580, which is 2.5x faster than the APU found on older Dimensity chipsets. It can power various AI experiences, ranging from AI camera features to multi-media and more.

In terms of connectivity, the Dimensity 8000 packs a 3GPP Release-16 5G modem that offers 5G Dual SIM Dual Standby support, peak downlink performance of 4.7Gbps, and 2CC Carrier Aggregation (200MHz). Other connectivity features include Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E 2×2, Bluetooth LE Audio with Dual-Link True Wireless Stereo support, and Deidou III-B1C signal support.

MediaTek Dimensity 8100

The MediaTek Dimensity 8100 is a minor step up from the Dimensity 8000. It also features an octa-core CPU featuring four Arm Cortex-A78 cores and four Arm Cortex-A55 cores. However, the Cortex-A78 performance cores on the Dimensity 8100 can boost up to 2.85GHz. The octa-core CPU is paired with the same Mali-G610 MC6 GPU. MediaTek claims that the Dimensity 8100 upgrades gaming performance with up to 20% more GPU frequency over the Dimensity 8000 and over 25% better CPU power-efficiency over previous Dimensity chips.

The Dimensity 8100 also features the same Imagiq 780 ISP, which offers simultaneous dual camera HDR video recording, 200MP camera support, 4K60 HDR10+ video capture, AI-Motion unblur, AI-NR/HDR photos, and 2X lossless zoom.

Like the Dimensity 8000, the Dimensity 8100 features MediaTek’s 5th Gen APU 580, but with a 25% frequency boost than the one found on the Dimensity 8000. Thanks to this, the APU offers slightly better performance in AI workloads.

As far as connectivity features are concerned, the Dimensity 8100 packs a 3GPP Release-16 5G modem with 5G Dual SIM Dual Standby support, peak downlink performance of 4.7Gbps, and 2CC Carrier Aggregation (200MHz). Other connectivity features include Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6E 2×2, Bluetooth LE Audio with Dual-Link True Wireless Stereo support, and Deidou III-B1C signal support.

Availability

MediaTek says that smartphones featuring the new Dimensity 8000 and Dimensity 8100 chipsets will hit the market in the first quarter of this year. While the company hasn’t shared any specifics, a few OEMs have confirmed that they will soon launch smartphones featuring the new Dimensity SoCs.

Realme says its upcoming Realme GT Neo 3, which will feature its revolutionary 150W fast charging tech, will be based on the Dimensity 8100. Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi has also confirmed that one of its upcoming Redmi K50 series devices will pack the Dimensity 8100.

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OnePlus 9RT, OnePlus 8 / 8 Pro and OnePlus Nord pick up new OxygenOS updates

OnePlus has started working on the next major version of its custom skin: OxygenOS 13. While the new software isn’t coming anytime soon, the company is keeping its smartphone portfolio up to date with the latest security patches and software improvements. The company has just released new software updates for the OnePlus 9RT, OnePlus 8 series, OnePlus Nord, and OnePlus Nord CE.

OnePlus 9RT

The OnePlus 9RT is picking up a big software update, bringing tons of bug fixes, camera improvements, and system optimizations. Most notably, the new update optimizes the video quality when taking 60fps footage with the ultra-wide camera, fixes distortion and blurring issues when taking photos with the 50MP primary sensor, improves Bluetooth performance, and fixes the video call freezing issue in Instagram. The update also bumps the security patch level to February 2022.

OxygenOS 11_A4.05 update changelog:

• System
  • [Optimized] the button color of Data saving
  • [Fixed] abnormal display of permission box when accessing File Manager for the first time
  • [Fixed] abnormal display issue when checking software update in Administrator mode
  • [Fixed] low probability issue that setting the auto screen off time not working and the screen becomes always on
  • [Fixed] the issue that Clock not responding after switching to dark mode on the World clock page
  • [Fixed] the issue that alarm is incorrectly restored in specific scenarios
  • [Improved] system stability
  • [Updated] Android Security Patch to 2022.02
• Camera
  • [Optimized] the video quality when taking 60 fps video with ultra-wide in dark scenes
    [Fixed] the issue that may lose photos when using ultra-wide in night mode with night tripod mode on
    [Fixed] slight distortion and blurring issue of photos when taking pictures under 50 MP
    [Fixed] abnormal issue of the Flash when taking videos with Flash and Ultra steady on
    Bluetooth
    [Optimized] the stability of connecting phone to car with Bluetooth
    [Optimized] audio playback stability while connecting phone to car via Bluetooth
    Gallery
    [Optimized] response time for “sync photos” in Cloud Service
    [Fixed] the freezing issue while sharing pictures in Gallery
    Others
    [Fixed] the freezing issue when making video call on Instagram

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro receive February 2022 patches

The OnePlus 8T received the February 2022 patch last week, and now the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are getting the same treatment. Both phones are receiving OxygenOS 11.0.11.11 with the latest Android security patches.

Changelog:

• System
  • [Updated] Android Security Patch to 2022.02

Minor bug-fixing update for OnePlus Nord and Nord CE

Finally, the OnePlus Nord and Nord CE are getting a minor update that fixes the freezing issue when sharing photos in the default Gallery app. Both phones are still on the Jan 2022 patch level.

Changelog:

• System
  • [Fixed] freezing issue when sharing pictures in Gallery

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Download the latest OxygenOS update for the OnePlus 9RT, OnePlus 8/8 Pro, OnePlus Nord, OnePlus Nord CE

If you don’t want to wait for the OTA update, you can download the firmware package from the links provided below and flash it manually.

OnePlus 9RT

• India
  • Incremental from A.04
  • Incremental from A.03

OnePlus 8

• Global:
  • Full 11.0.11.11 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.0.10.10
• Europe:
  • Full 11.0.11.11 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.0.10.10
• India:
  • Full 11.0.11.11 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.0.10.10

OnePlus 8 Pro

• Global:
  • Full 11.0.11.11 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.0.10.10
• Europe:
  • Full 11.0.11.11 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.0.10.10
• India:
  • Full 11.0.11.11 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.0.10.10

OnePlus Nord

• Europe
  • Full 11.1.9.9 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.1.8.8
• Global
  • Full 11.1.9.9 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.1.8.8
• India
  • Full 11.1.9.9 OTA
  • Incremental from 11.1.8.8

OnePlus Nord CE

• India
  • Incremental from 11.0.14.14

Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

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Source: OnePlus forums [1], [2], [3]

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Gboard tests Emoji Kitchen-style text stickers

Gboard is one of the best Android keyboards out there, and Google keeps adding new features and improvements from time to time to keep things exciting. In December, Gboard gained thousands of new emoji kitchen combinations. Now the company is testing a neat feature that generates contextual stickers based on your texts.

As spotted by Android Police, Gboard is picking up a new feature that automatically generates stickers based on the text. As you type your message, Gboard identifies the text and displays various stickers in the suggestion row with different styles and colors. For example, typing “See you soon” followed by a heart emoji will generate the following stickers, as shown below.

Gboard shows a preview of the sticker in the left corner of the suggestion row, tapping on which reveals additional variants of the sticker with different styles. These stickers don’t appear in the emoji picker or the existing sticker gallery. Android Police reports that sticker suggestions work with both long and short phrases but don’t work with just about any text. The feature is quite similar to Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen, which lets you pick two different emoji and merge them into one to create unique supersized stickers.

Text-based stickers have rolled out to some users with the latest Gboard beta update. The feature isn’t live on my device running Gboard version 11.4.08.422524001-beta, suggesting this is a limited beta rollout. You can increase your odds by joining the Gboard beta program on the Google Play Store.

Google recently rolled out Gboard’s Pixel 6-exclusive grammar correction tool to other Pixel phones. The tool automatically catches your grammatical errors and provides corrections as you type. It works locally on your device and can be disabled from the keyboard settings.

Have you received the new text-based stickers in Gboard? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Source: Android Police

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