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Samsung’s future smartphones will come with unlocked FM Chips. For a number of years now, manufacturers have locked off the hardware inside of their smartphones, even if they are capable of receiving FM radio signals, forcing users to stream instead. Now, however, NextRadio has confirmed that Samsung will be the latest manufacturer to unlock the chip in its upcoming smartphones, in partnership with them.
Because of this move from Samsung, owners of future devices will now be able to use the NextRadio app as intended in order to listen to radio stations, while also using less data and battery due to the lack of streaming requirements. NextRadio’s President Paul Brenner was also full of praise for the South Korean company, stating that the company should be “lauded” for its decision. Samsung is yet to confirm which of its devices will be the first to feature an unlocked FM Chip, but with its next flagship – expected to be called the Galaxy S9 – officially confirmed to debut at MWC 2018 in Barcelona next month, it’s likely that Samsung could debut the new feature on the device. Speaking of features, for those who don’t know, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S9 is expected to come with wide range of them. Although the overall design is set to resemble that of the Galaxy S8 line, the bottom bezel will be even slimmer, while the internals and camera department will also be receiving an upgrade. On the inside, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 will likely power the device in the US, alongside 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. he Galaxy S9 Plus variant will feature a dual-camera setup, much like the one featured on the Galaxy Note 8, albeit in a new vertical setup, which will also see the fingerprint scanner move below the camera sensors.
No matter when Samsung debuts the new unlocked FM chips on its smartphones, the Seoul-based company follows in the steps of its close neighbor LG, and competitors Motorola and Alcatel, who have all announced that they will also be unlocking FM chips in their devices. The decision is so far limited to US and Canada variants, but Samsung could bring the unlocked chip to other variants across the globe in the future if the decision proves popular enough.