Almost every year, it seems that Microsoft and Samsung extend their partnership on mobile, and this year is no different, with the two firms announcing further integration between Samsung’s devices and Microsoft’s services.

“Today, we joined Samsung on stage in New York City at their Galaxy Unpacked event to share a vision for the future of productivity and how we will continue to partner in the coming years to empower people to achieve more across new Samsung devices and Microsoft experiences,” Microsoft corporate vice president Shilpa Ranganathan writes. “This begins the next chapter of our long-standing partnership with Samsung and is another step in our journey to bring the best of Microsoft productivity to the devices you know and love.”

So what exactly did the two firms announce?

First, the Galaxy Note 10 family of products that Samsung announced today will have even more Microsoft apps and services pre-installed than did previous Samsung devices. This includeds OneDrive, Outlook, Your Phone app with Link to Windows, plus Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Second, and as was the case last year, Galaxy Note owners will get early access to new Your Phone features in Windows 10, including the Phone screen feature that Microsoft says “allows you to access your Android phone’s apps, right from your PC while using your keyboard and mouse, or touch screen.”

“As I demonstrated at the event today, whether it’s messaging someone, requesting a ride, scrolling through friends’ updates or ordering dinner, your phone’s screen will be available directly on your PC,” Ranganathan added. “And we are not stopping here; later this year, we are planning to introduce the ability to make and receive mobile calls directly from your PC. Accept the call, reply with a text, or send the caller to voicemail right from your PC. All of these features and experiences will continue to deliver meaningful innovation to help you stay focused and more productive on your Windows PC.”

But the most interesting announcements, perhaps, are related to deep integration between Microsoft services and Samsung’s apps. OneDrive will be integrated with the Samsung Gallery app, providing automatic syncing of photos and videos and enabling new protection and cross-device experiences. And OneNote will soon sync with Samsung Notes.

In a related note, Microsoft is also improving Outlook for Android to better support the larger displays on tablets and on Samsung Galaxy handsets using DeX with an external display.

“You can now see your folders, message list and reading pane all together with a three-pane view – and, it’s flexible so you can expand the reading pane based on your personal preference,” Ranganathan says. “When connected using the Samsung DeX Station for PC, you can open multiple messages in separate windows and interact with Outlook with your mouse and keyboard. Lastly, we look forward to launching a new Outlook app for Samsung Galaxy wearables in the future so you can get things done even when your mobile phone is not in hand.”

Tagged with Galaxy Note, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Your Phone