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Showing posts with the label Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra announced with S Pen support, dual telephoto lenses

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The Galaxy S series has been around for over a decade but this year we’re starting to see some major changes as the company reshuffles its portfolio. The division between the S Ultra and the other S-phones has become quite stark, at the same time the division between the S Ultra and Note Ultra has blurred. Samsung introduced the Ultra badge a little under a year ago. Back then, the camera was the major difference between it and the Plus model. That is true this year as well, but the display has emerged as another important distinction. Easily the most impressive of the three new models is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which marks a number of firsts for the Galaxy line (the S family especially). And as we said, it’s all down to the screen and the camera. The 6.8” Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is a tad smaller than last year, but still has curved sides and now Gorilla Glass Victus protection. And it kept its 1440p+ resolution while the other two S21 models dropped to 1080p+. This is Samsung’s ...

Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+ bring new design, modest upgrades

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With the Ultra having the clear technological superiority, the Galaxy S21 and S21+ offer to fill smaller pockets and smaller budgets instead. In fact, these two are €50 cheaper than their 2020 predecessors (if you look at the 5G models). The Contour-Cut camera and dual-tone paint jobs help these two stand out from the crowd. Their flat screens are similarly distinctive in an age where “premium” equates to “curved screen”. These two phones are nearly twins in terms of hardware, but their size makes them easily to tell apart. And it’s exactly their size and what that entails that make them different. So, we’ll start with what the two models have in common. Let’s get it out of the way – yes, both the S21 and S21+ have 1080p+ displays, a downgrade from the 1440p+ resolution of the S20 series. The new panels have an adaptive refresh rate, however, which adjusts depending on the content from 48Hz to 120Hz. Hiding behind the display is an ultrasonic fingerprint reader that 70% larger than las...

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip announced with UTG screen and Snapdragon 855+

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip almost stole the spotlight from the Galaxy S20-series as it's the second phone with a proper foldable display for the company. This time around, however, the handset employs a largely different spin on the foldable formula - unlike the Galaxy Fold which unfolded to a tablet-sized screen the Z Flip is a regular-sized phone that folds to a tiny size. It's built around a super tall 22:9 6.7" Dynamic AMOLED. Excitingly, unlike all foldable screen phones so far, it employs Ultra Thin Glass layer on top, so it should be far more resistant to scratches. The resolution is 1080 x 2636px, which add up to just over 50% more pixels than its closest rival - the Motorola Razr. The Galaxy Z Flip also has a 1.1" secondary Super AMOLED positioned on the back of its cover so you can see your notification at a glance. It sits below a sheet of Gorilla Glass 6 along with the rest of the phone's outer body. Inside you have last year's Snapdrag...

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 108MP main camera and a 48MP periscope zoom camera

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The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is the first in a new class of Samsung flagships, more premium than even the “Plus” phone of the S20 family. The camera department shares almost no hardware with the S20 and S20+, bringing several firsts for the Galaxy lineup and the industry in general. The main camera features a large 108MP sensor. Using 9-in-1 pixel binning, the camera can capture 12MP photos with the equivalent of 2.4µm pixels, which promises to set a new benchmark for low-light photography. This camera has optical image stabilization (OIS) and an f/1.8 aperture. The phone can record 8K video, which you can upload to YouTube and share with those few who own an 8K TV. With Super Steady 2.0 that promises dolly-like stability, Samsung promises “professional-level filming”. The telephoto camera uses Samsung’s first periscope lens. It’s built around a very large 48MP sensor, which supports 4-in-1 pixel binning for 12MP shots. Samsung says this camera delivers 10x hybrid optical z...

Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+ come with 120Hz screens, 8K-capable 64MP camera

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The Galaxy S20 and S20+ build on the successful formula of the S10 generation with notable improvements to the screen, battery and especially the camera. Note that the camera on the S20 Ultra is a whole different beast and that phone is covered in another article. The Samsung Galaxy S20+ has Dynamic AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, a first for Samsung, and features increased touch responsiveness (240Hz touch sensing). The 6.7” panel has 1440p+ resolution with a taller aspect ratio than before, 20:9. What this means is that the phone is the same width as the S10+, but slightly taller. The main camera on the back has a new 12MP sensor with large 1.8µm pixels (compared to 1.4µm for the S10 phones). It has an f/1.8 aperture and features optical image stabilization (OIS). The telephoto camera boasts the highest resolution sensor on a zoom camera yet – 64MP. Samsung advertises 3x hybrid zoom and up to 30x “Super Resolution Zoom”. This module also has OIS and a bright (for a...

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note10 Lite announced

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Samsung has introduced the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note10 Lite. Both are built around 6.7" FullHD+ Infinity-O displays and pack 4,500mAh batteries with 25W fast charging support. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite is powered by a 7nm chipset featuring an octa-core CPU that has its clusters running at 2.8GHz, 2.4GHz and 1.7GHz. While not explicitly confirmed it matches the Snapdragon 855 perfectly.The platform will be coupled with 6GB or 8 GB RAM and 128GB storage. A microSD card slot enables further storage expansion. It features a trio of cameras - main 48MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture, 123-degree FoV ultrawide angle f/2.2 lens sitting in front of a 12MP sensor and a 5MP macro shooter. The front-facing camera in the punch hole has a 32MP sensor and an f/2.2 lens. More excitingly the Galaxy S10 Lite is the first Samsung phone to feature the company's new Super Steady OIS for its main camera, which is said to offer even better stabilization than its flagships. The Sam...

Samsung’s foldable phone is the Galaxy Fold, available April 26th starting at $1,980

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Samsung first teased its foldable phone back in November, and at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event, it’s further detailing its foldable plans. Samsung’s foldable now has a name, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, and the company is revealing more about what this unique smartphone can do. Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy Fold on April 26th, starting at $1,980, through AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, with a free pair of Samsung’s new wireless earbuds. There will be both an LTE and 5G version of the Galaxy Fold, and Samsung is even planning on launching the device in Europe on May 3rd, starting at 2,000 euros. Samsung is using a new 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display that allows the phone itself to have a tablet-sized screen that can be folded to fit into a pocket. The main display is QXGA+ resolution (4.2:3), and when it’s folded, a smaller 4.6-inch HD+ (12:9) display is used for the phone mode. Samsung is using 512GB of Universal Flash Storage 3.0 (eUFS) for fast speeds, alongside ...

Samsung Officially Announces The Galaxy S10 And S10+,Starting at $899

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Samsung just announced the 10th iteration of its flagship Galaxy smartphone, the Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus. This S10 pair succeeds last year’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, and they are also accompanied by a new Galaxy S10E model. All three phones will be available for preorder starting February 21st, and they will start shipping on March 8th. In addition to all four major US carriers, the S10 family will also be available unlocked from Samsung and other retailers, starting at $899.99 for the S10 and $999.99 for the S10 Plus. Continuing Samsung’s years-long effort to eliminate bezels and provide the most screen possible in a device you can hold in your hand, the S10 and S10 Plus’ design centers on 6.1-inch and 6.4-inch screens, respectively, with nary a bezel around them. Both models have considerably larger displays than the S9 and S9 Plus, but their overall dimensions are just a smidge larger than before. In fact, the S10 Plus is actually slightly shorter than the S9 Plus, despite havi...

The Samsung Galaxy S10E Is Small Without Skimping Too Much

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Alongside the flagship Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus, Samsung is launching a lower-cost, smaller smartphone it’s calling the Galaxy S10E. Starting at $749.99, it has a 5.8-inch display and lacks some of the more advanced features you’d get on its siblings — but I suspect most people won’t miss them. It’s only a millimeter shorter and narrower than the iPhone XS. But compared to the ever increasing size of many flagship Android phones, it’s night and day. Unlike recent Samsung Galaxy phones, the screen on the S10E is completely flat. That means the bezels are very slightly larger (or at least look larger) than on the S10. The screen itself isn’t much of a compromise. It’s bright and colorful, Samsung says that it has been certified for HDR10+. The resolution is “Full HD+,” which means it’s 1080 pixels wide with a 19:9 aspect ratio. And hey, there’s a headphone jack, too, if you have been holding out to get a modern phone that still has one. The processor is the Qualcomm Snapdra...

Samsung’s Galaxy S10 and S10+ leaked yet again

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There’s less than a month to go before Samsung unveils its next flagship smartphones in San Francisco, but the devices have already been roundly leaked. The latest images come from German tech site AllAboutSamsung, and show what looked to be the Galaxy S10 and S10+ from the front, back and sides. Not much new information is revealed in these photos, but they do offer a clearer view of the dual-lens, hole-punch camera on the S10+ and what seems to be a refreshed UI. Other than that we can also see the new “Infinity-O” display, with its thin bezels and slight chin at the bottom of the device, and a familiar-looking bottom edge, complete with SIM card slot, USB-C port, and headphone jack (phew). From previous reports, we’re expecting Samsung to be announcing at least three new Galaxy S10 devices at its Unpacked event on February 20th, ranging in size from 5.8-inches to 6.4 inches. Some rumors have even suggested there will be a fourth Galaxy phone: a 6.7-inch, six-camera 5G “ann...

The Samsung Galaxy S10 is coming on February 20th

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Samsung has announced the date of its next Unpacked event, at which it’s widely expected to announce the latest Galaxy S flagship phones. The event is happening on Wednesday February 20th at 11AM PT at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Samsung notes that 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy series, and the invitation prominently features the number 10. According to a report today in The Wall Street Journal, Samsung will show off a “fully functional” version of its long-in-development foldable phone, as well as the rumored three variants of the Galaxy S10. A higher-end fourth model with 5G connectivity is set to be launched later in the spring. Unusually, Samsung is holding its Unpacked event the week before Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the massive trade show at which it tends to announce its flagship Galaxy S phones. MWC 2019 is likely to be a huge showcase for 5G technology, however, so it’s possible that Samsung will save some details of its 5G...

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ Revealed

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Last year, Samsung walked out of the ashes of the Note 7 debacle and launched the Galaxy S8, which was one of the best phones of 2017 and one of the best products Samsung ever made. So it’s not much of a surprise that this year’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, which will be available for preorder on March 2nd and arrive in stores on March 16th, aren’t hugely different from the S8 phones. In fact, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are so similar to their predecessors that on passing glance, they look and feel exactly the same. The S9 pair maintain the S8’s attractive and efficient design, with extra tall 18.5:9 screens, curved sides, and glass front and backs. The 5.8-inch (S9) and 6.2-inch (S9 Plus) screens are the same Super AMOLED panels with 2960 x 1440 pixel resolutions, though Samsung says they are slightly brighter this year. Also interesting, though the phones look and feel the same as last year’s models, they have slightly different dimensions and weigh a little more, so don’t expect to b...