Controversy over the quality of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 20, which was recently released, was raised over condensation that occurred on cameras. Galaxy Note 20 Ultra started pre-opening on Aug. 14th after pre-booking from Aug. 7 to 13. The official release date is Aug. 21.
On Aug. 18, many of the customers who received pre-booked devices are pointing out the problem of moisture forming inside the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra model camera in IT community including Samsung Electronics' smartphone community 'Samsung Members'.
Customers who raised the issue point out, "Especially when a mobile phone is hot and placed on a stand placed in front of an air conditioner vent in the car, water drops form inside the camera lens, not on the outside. According to them, this phenomenon of condensation disappears within a minute."
Regarding the condensation of the Galaxy Note 20 camera, an official of Samsung Electronics explained, "It is a natural phenomenon that occurs in waterproof phones," adding, "If other devices with similar structures are tested under the same conditions, similar results will occur."
"We are currently investigating the case because some consumers have raised the issue," he said. "The actual number of applications for service centers is no different from before."
Previously, the phenomenon of condensation of smartphone cameras has often been controversial. Manufacturers attach Gore-Tex to air vent hole so that air can flow without water flowing into the smartphone, which can cause moisture to flow into the air along with outside air.
In this situation, if the temperature difference between inside and outside of the product is large, internal moisture is congealed, causing the condensation phenomenon.
However, consumers claim that the Galaxy Note 20 has a higher frequency of condensation than conventional smartphones. "It's not that we didn't have any condensation in our previous smartphones at all," a user said in a posting on the Samsung Members community. "The result occurs in other smartphones, but it happens too often in the case of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra."
In the video of South Korean YouTuber "Techmong," the company tested Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy S20, and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra on a cradle in front of the air conditioner with the temperature set at 18 degrees Celsius inside the vehicle, and found that only the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has water bubbles.
"Small amounts of moisture do not affect product performance, but if condensation continues to occur that is severe enough to form water droplets, it can affect the performance of the camera," Samsung Electronics said. "We recommend using it to avoid sudden changes in temperature inside and outside, such as air conditioners and vents."
The Galaxy Note 20 is Samsung Electronics' second-half strategic smartphone, and it has become a huge hit in Korea, posting a record 258,000 units on the first day of its launch. The previous record on the first day of its launch was 250,000 units of the Galaxy S8 in 2017.
Industries predict that Galaxy Note 20 will dominate the premium smartphone market for the time being as there are no distinct competitors in the second half of this year.
The securities industry, including Daeshin Securities, predicted Samsung Electronics' smartphone shipments to 77.8 million units in the third quarter of this year. This is an increase of 43.5% compared to 54.2 million units shipped in the second quarter.
If the forecast is met, it will recover to 70 million units in four quarters since the third quarter of last year when Samsung Electronics sold 77.8 million smartphones.
Samsung Electronics is rapidly recovering its market share, focusing on low-end smartphones, amid a slump in Chinese companies in overseas markets. As Samsung Electronics' smartphones are doing well in domestic and overseas markets, it is expected to recapture the top smartphone position that it gave to China's Huawei in the second quarter.
