HUAWEI is now more than just smartphones. They are an ecosystem of products that forms a bigger picture of Internet of Things (IoT). HUAWEI has been making products other than smartphones for a while now though. The only issue is that you do not know about it because they do not make those things available in Malaysia.
One of their most successful products from China is their televisions. Yes, you read that right, televisions. Now, you can experience that too, in the HUAWEI Vision S, touted to be available in Malaysia now.
Here is the thing though; why should you buy a television from HUAWEI? There are other smart TVs around that you probably have been eyeing for a while now. You get really good options from the likes of Sony, LG, and Samsung. If you need something that fits a smaller budget, and still want 4K with smart TV functions, there are manufacturers like HAIER, TLC, and even HiSense.
The HUAWEI Vision S 65 is and interesting and compelling product on its own though. It has its own smart TV functions, and its packs quite powerful speakers. All of that costs less than MYR 5,000 too. That said, should you actually consider buying this hardware? We find out.
Design
Right out of the bat though, we have a problem with the 65-incher HUAWEI Vision S. It barely fits our TV surface. Then again, our TV surface is made for TVs at up to 55-inch. The good news is that its legs still fit on the surface and we can work with the TV at a comfortable angle. That is more of an us problem than HUAWEI problem though.
They say that the simply straight and somewhat plain legs that comes with the TV is inspired by ice skates. But its design and angle help make the TV look like it is somewhat floating when you place it on any surface. It hides itself well is what we are saying. Its minimalist design cues help the projecting surface stand out a little bit more and does not leave too much dead space below the TV. In that sense, we like that very much.
The rest of the front silhouette of the TV is pretty much an expected thing. It has thin bezels, like any modern smart TV you can buy today, even the super cheap ones. Really, the thing that should stand out on a modern TV should be its projecting panel, in this case the LCD panel on this large glass thing in front of you.
Once you move to the side of the TV though, there is a small difference between this HUAWEI Vision S and a lot of the modern Smart TVs. The I/O panel is on the right side of the TV instead of the left. While it is not that big of an issue in most cases, if you are used to something that came out of Sony, or LG, or even Samsung, you might want to reconsider rearranging some of your things to fit that layout. Either that, or make sure that you extend your HDMI or AUX cables a little bit.
Other than those though, nothing really makes the HUAWEI Vision S stands out compared to other TVs with its projection panel turned off. Just like any other modern Smart TV, it is just a slab of glass you can either rest on a shelf or hang on the wall. You can turn it into a digital photo frame if you really want too.
Features
What differentiates a TV from one another is usually their features. What separates this HUAWEI Smart TV and other Smart TVs in the market is the Operating System (OS) on it. That OS is also unique to this TV only and will come in the other HUAWEI TV that will come later. They call it HarmonyOS, and it is unlike any other TV OS we have come across, which may not be entirely a good thing.
Keep in mind that the unit we are reviewing is a China unit and there may be some differences between it and the official Malaysian unit. For one, the Malaysian unit will not have VMall pre-installed, and there will not be any exercise guide app. The Malaysian unit also will not have as much content within the App Gallery.
Webcam – MeeTime and Family Photo Time
While we are going to go into HarmonyOS, we first have to talk about the thing that is sticking out of the TV, or the optional item that could stick out of the top of the TV, its camera. When we say optional, it comes with the TV when you buy it. You can choose to keep it detached, however.
If you choose to attach it to the TV, the procedure is pretty simple. Just line up the gold pins to the port on the back of the top of the TV and the webcam will snap in place. HUAWEI also includes a cap to protect the gold pins on the TV just in case you do not want the webcam in place. For a TV, the webcam sticking out looks quite odd to us. If you are buying this for a meeting room though, you might be glad to know that it comes with a webcam, and you do not need to buy one
There is a caveat however, it is a HUAWEI device after all. That also means that it does not work like an Android TV and it has limited apps available to it. That means, you cannot just pick up the TV remote and start a video call on it on any app.
There is only one app you can use for video calls on the HUAWEI Vision S currently and that is MeeTime. MeeTime, as you may have found, can only be used with other HUAWEI devices. So, if your entire office uses HUAWEI’s most current devices, you are good. If not, you are out of luck, because you cannot use it to make calls to anyone else.
If you do have friends with a current HUAWEI device that supports MeeTime though, you are going to get a very cool Full HD video calling capability That also means that you get very crisp, very clear videos transmissions. Audio is not half bad too. Sadly, we do not have enough people using MeeTime in the office to test it out.
Of course, you can also use the webcam to take a family photo of sorts. It is a 13-Megapixel camera, good enough for most social media use and even sharing it with your friends or family. Of course, you need to make sure to share the photo to your smartphone first before sharing it out. That, or you can just use it as a wallpaper for the TV. Make sure you have the Home Vision app for that though.
HarmonyOS on top of Honghu 818– Mirror, Control, and Mirror Control
This brings us to HarmonyOS, a sort of peculiar TV OS that is, on its own, quite brilliant. Once you compare it to other TV Systems though, it starts to show a lot of cracks. We do not know how to feel about the HUAWEI Vision S mostly because of HarmonyOS.
HarmonyOS looks great on the 65-inch panel. We are guessing that it will translate nicely on the smaller 55-inch display too. We like it because it looks pretty, it is smooth, it looks light.
Navigating through the interface is a breeze as well. Everything is laid out clearly and all of them are labelled properly. The settings make plenty of sense and is very intuitive as well.
We like how minimal and simple the remote is though. It is a far fetch from TV remotes of old. The minimalist approach is also remarkably similar to Samsung’s approach with TV remotes these days. The extra space below the buttons are not wasted too, because it is an NFC detection panel, for One Hop sharing features from your smartphone to the TV and vice versa.
That feature itself makes the Vision S a compelling purchase. Only thing is that it only works with HUAWEI devices. Then again, the unit we have is China unit. The HUAWEI Home Vision app will be available the Google Play Store when the official Malaysian units launches, so we do not know if HUAWEI will bring the One Hop feature for the Vision S TV available to other Android devices.
Home Vision App
The Home Vision app will allow you to do a few things with the TV via your smartphone. You can use your smartphone as a regular remote control. You can also control the TV via mirroring the TV on the smartphone screen itself.
You can fire up MeeTime directly from the app itself too. You do not need to go into the TV to even pick your contacts. All you have to do is go into the Home Vision app itself and fire up MeeTime from the home page.
Limited Screen Mirroring
Of course, all Smart TVs should be able to do simple screen mirroring from your smartphone today. The HUAWEI Vision S can do that too, of course. But take it with a pinch of salt though, it does not scale all the way to 4K. Most of the time, you get up to Full HD resolution when you mirror your smartphone to the display.
We use a HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to mirror its contents to the display. This is also the only way you are going to get Netflix contents to project on the TV, if you are using the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro. If you are on other Android devices, you may not be able to get Netflix on the TV. You most likely will not get Amazon Prime Video on the TV panel, we tried on both the HUAWEI Mate 40 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
If you have a HUAWEI device though, you do not have to dig through your smartphone settings to mirror your display. All you need to do is to tap your device to the remote’s OneHop NFC receiver area, and you get your TV to display what your smartphone displays. Keep in mind that for you to get a full screen experience though, you want to make sure that you are displaying in HUAWEI Desktop Mode instead. Again, not all apps can be mirrored from the smartphone.
Hey Celia!
This is one feature we did not try extensively on the HUAWEI Vision S because the unit we have is a China unit. We got a quick hands-on the official Malaysian unit before its launch though. We have to say that the AI assistant is responsive and sensitive enough to voice inputs even though you may be sitting four feet away from the TV. That is a good thing, you can sort of lose your remote in this case. The only issue is that it is no Google Assistant, so there could only be so much you can do if you do not own other HUAWEI devices at home.
HUAWEI Video and Music
Despite the lack of Netflix, or Amazon Prime Video, or even YouTube, there are still things you can watch on the TV though. HUAWEI’s Video and Music platform still has a selection of movies and TV series to work with. Although, you will have to live with less contents than the likes of Netflix and Prime Video. Even HUAWEI Music’s library will not be as extensive as Spotify or even Tidal.
Performance
Yes, there are shortcoming on the HUAWEI Vision S. The shortcomings are mostly with the HarmonyOS. In that sense, its hardware does shine through.
65-inch of 120Hz 4K Goodness
HUAWEI did not specify the sort of projection panel they use on the HUAWEI Vision S. We suspect that they are probably working with an IPS panel. There is a reason for our suspicion, more on that later.
HUAWEI claims a DCI-P3 colour gamut of up to 92%, and TUV Rheinland certified Low Blue Light and Flicker Free certification. They also claim that the panel produces vivid, vibrant colours very close to what you might see in real life. We believe them.
We say that the display could very well be an IPS display because of the colour reproduction of the TV panel. Videos and images looks amazing on the HUAWEI Vision S. While HUAWEI did not mention anything about local dimming features, there is very little colour bleeding on bring images with black background. The blacks are really deep as well when it needs to be.
Colours, as per HUAWEI, are super vivid and vibrant. Vibrant films like ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ shines on the Vision S. While it is a shame we could not test Netflix or Prime Video films natively on the Vision S, we were able to test the TV with our contents at 4K as well. Yes, they look really good too.
The Honghu 818 processor is also not just to keep the TV trundling along at a respectable pace. It can also upscale Full HD contents to 4K when it recognises it. Since it is also a 120Hz panel, the processor also scales to 120 frames a second when it can. That also means that you get very smooth viewing experience too at 4K.
The thing is though, when you upscale contents, you tend to get some screen tears and even weird shadow flickers. You tend to not notice too much of that on the HUAWEI Vision S though. What we are trying to say is that even Full HD movies that plays at 30fps tend to look really good on the HUAWEI Vision S. Of course, you would get the full benefit of 4K and 120Hz when you game on it.
HUAWEI Sound – Do You Really Need a Soundbar
This is another thing we really liked about the HUAWEI Vision S. We usually would recommend our friends to get a good piece of sound bar to really elevate their entertainment experience. There are just a few TV out in the market that may not need a sound bar to work with, if you are on a budget.
The HUAWEI Vision S is one of those TVs that we think may not need a soundbar to work with. That is because HUAWEI bothered to fit this TV with four speakers within the TV. The result of the four speakers really changes what we know about modern Smart TVs with the kind of dimensions modern TVs boasts.
There is a lot of detail coming from the quad speaker array on the HUAWEI Vision S. We expected the speakers to sound a little on the weak side. That is the total opposite of what you will get on the HUAWEI Vision S though. The audio profile is pretty much powerful in all ranges of frequencies.
Of course, there will be some benefits to a soundbar. You get dedicated woofers that would really enhances the lower frequencies for bigger booms. But they have not forgotten on the higher frequencies too.
This also means that you can even enjoy music on the TV itself. To save some power the HUAWEI Vision S still can play audio without the display being on. Again though, the HUAWEI Music App is a little limited currently. You can connect your smartphones to the TV via screen mirroring and play music via Spotify or Tidal though.
Gaming on the HUAWEI Vision S
With 4K 120Hz, the HUAWEI Vision S is really made for the new next-gen gaming consoles. The Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X are made to handle games at 4K at up to 120fps to fully take advantage of high refresh-rate displays like the HUAWEI Vision S. Unfortunately, we do not posses any of the next-gen console just yet.
We have a PlayStation 4 Pro and Nintendo Switch though. We also tried plugging our gaming PCs to the TV, for the native high refresh-rate support. We must say that we are impressed here too.
While Nintendo Switch does not scale up to 4K, most of the games on Nintendo Switch are made with more vibrant colours and softer textures in mind compared to detailed, sharp graphics. Vibrant colours shine on the HUAWEI Vision S. Animal Crossing: New Horizons look gorgeous on the 65-inch panel because the colours look so vivid and sweet. God of War on PlayStation 4 Pro looks amazing too. Of course, there is no 120Hz here. Thing is HUAWEI’s Vision S will try to scale it up a little to 120Hz. It is barely noticeable though because you are just blown away by the colours and details you get on games like God of War. You technically can play CS:GO and push the fps boundaries to 120Hz if you connect your PC. But you would have to sit a little further away too. Thankfully though, the blacks are so black and detailed that you still can see the darker spots when you play games like PUBG.
HUAWEI’s website markets its gaming capabilities via your smartphone though. Obviously, we gave that a go. But then again, you are just mirroring your smartphone’s content on the display, so there is nothing too special there. There are also games within the HUAWEI Vision S’s HarmonyOS AppGallery. We did not try any of them though.
HUAWEI Vision S – Yes, But No
HUAWEI’s Vision S (65-inch as tested) commands MYR 3,999 in asking price. If you go for the one smaller, at 55-inch, it will set you back MYR 2,999. While you might want to say that the commanding price is what we call expensive, you might want to hold back your horses though. HUAWEI mentions that the Vision S is meant to go up against models like Samsung’s latest AU9000 series TV. That also means the HUAWEI is also in the league of Sony’s X80H TV and LG’s UN74 series TV. Against the competition, the HUAWEI suddenly looks like a bargain at MYR 3,999. The difference in price is up to MYR 1,000 compared to its competition.
Where the HUAWEI Vision S falls apart though is the contents itself. It is the only Smart TV to feature the HarmonyOS and Honghu 818 CPU. In all fairness, HarmonyOS and Honghu 818 works like a charm, they work great; we like them.
While it does look like a bargain, I would still suggest you consider getting the Sony or the LG TV hard. While there can be a significant price difference between the TVs, we would say contents and compatibility matter. In the case of the HUAWEI Vision S, you might want to consider getting and Android TV box, or Apple TV box, or plug in a PC, and even a gaming console to get to contents you want and love. We resorted to relying on our Sony PlayStation 4 Pro to get Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and even Spotify working.
The HUAWEI Vision S is an enticing product, with its excellent colour reproduction that rivals even other higher end TVs. It even has sound system we can stand behind, because the four speakers are that good. But to us, its content matters. We really wanted to like it, but we could not.
Ultra-thin, stylish and all the power to satisfy your mobile needs. We got our hands on one Acer Swift 3x. This ultra-portable package packs a powerful combination of the 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor and Intel® Iris® Xe MAX Graphics discrete GPU. All of these packaged in an all-metal chassis worth MYR 4,599 (as tested).
It is thin, not Swift 5 thin, but thinner than most textbooks. The Steam Blue colourway is also stylish. But does it give you all the power you need on-the-go though. We put it through its paces to find out if this ultra-thin, stylish package has all the power that you really need out of it. Of course, we want to know if its worth your MYR 4,599 too.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds series has been steadily improving over the years. Its many iterations seem to build on the strengths of the previous iterations while tweaking the weaknesses from the previous iteration. The Buds Pro is no different. It’s possibly Samsung’s best Buds to date building on lessons and features that the company introduced with the Buds Live.
The Galaxy Buds Pro brings new features that Samsung hopes will help enhance the aural experience of their ecosystem. While this may be the lofty goal of their latest true wireless earphones – the question remains: Is it really worth the price tag and should you be investing in the experience even if you’re not in the Samsung ecosystem?
Design
Samsung is definitely hearing the feedback it’s receiving from reviewers and customers. The Galaxy Buds Pro dropped the bean-like design of the Galaxy Buds Live like a hot potato – which is a shame but a very much needed step to help Samsung get on track with its Buds line up. That said, remnants of the Galaxy Buds Live still remain in some of the design queues we see in the Pros – particularly in its shiny finish.
The new Pros adopt a more conventional earbud design but manages keeps the comfort level of the Galaxy Buds Live. It has just enough heft for you to handle in your hands but when it comes to having them in your ears, they seem to disappear. Wearing the Buds Pro was truly a weightless experience – pretty similar to the Live. However, it has one major edge over the Buds Live – you literally have minimal ear fatigue. During the review, we were able to wear the buds for more than 4 hours on end without the feeling of fatigue you get from other earbuds on the market.
The Galaxy Buds Pro has one of the most pocketable designs on the market. The simple, square design makes it easy to slip into your jean pockets or purse. It’s also substantial enough that it doesn’t get lost in the chaos in your purse or pockets. That said, if you’re putting it in your pocket, you may find yourself forgetting to remove from your pocket as it’s so light that you might end up forgetting about it.
Features
The Galaxy Buds Pro doesn’t lack in the features department. The earbuds is definitely one of the more feature packed choices on the market coming with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), voice pass through and even 360 sound. However, being feature packed may be a little bit of a burden for the Pro as it seems to be stuffed a little too much to the brim sacrificing some of the finesse we see in the competition.
That said, Samsung’s ability to have so many features is one of the boons of the Buds Pro. In fact, they have iterated so well from the features of the Galaxy Buds Live that most of their “legacy” features are so polished you wouldn’t think they are second generation. Some features seem to be there just because and some are more well thought out than others.
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) & Voice Pass Through
When it comes to ANC, the Galaxy Buds is leaps better than its predecessor. The Buds Pro is able to give you a really effective seal. The form factor and it’s more conventional design is able to dampen sound from the outside a lot better. During our review period, the Buds Pro became one of our go-to earbuds to keep the world out and drown ourselves in our favourite music or podcast.
Unlike some of the other ANC capable earphones on the market, the Galaxy Buds Pro doesn’t give the feeling of pressure building up over long durations of use. Instead, it feels comfortable and simply feels like you have got a good pair of earplugs in.
Another feature which makes for a better overall experience with the Galaxy Buds Pro is voice pass through. It works pretty well on the Buds Pro however, there’s one caveat – it only works when you talk. It isn’t able to detect overhead announcements or when someone is talking to you. So, if someone is meaning to talk to you, they’ll still need to tap you on your shoulder. If you’re waiting for a flight, you’ll need to use ambient mode. That said, voice pass through could use a little fine tuning. There were times when we tried to use it that it simply couldn’t pick up the voice of the person speaking, and we had to remove one earbud to make an order.
Bluetooth Audio Source for Video
The Galaxy Buds Pro is also able to act as a Bluetooth audio source when you record in Pro mode on Samsung devices – and therein lies the biggest problem. The feature is exclusive to Samsung devices and only those who support Pro Video. It would be nice if Samsung found a way to build in the feature to the Buds itself or its Galaxy Wearables app to extend the feature to non-Samsung devices.
We tried this feature with the S21, S21 Ultra and the Note10+. To be honest, it’s just good enough. While we wouldn’t recommend using it as a main source of audio for recordings, in a pinch, the audio is definitely useable. That said, it still has some improvement to do to make it a viable replacement when you want to record videos. When we tested it, there were instances where the audio was choppy – possibly due to the wireless interference. Vocal pick up was not an issue but the clarity of the recording could use some improvement. We’re pretty sure that Samsung should be able to fix this with an OTA update.
Galaxy Wearables App & Voice Assistants
Samsung’s Galaxy Wearables app has improved over the time it has grown its ecosystem. The app has become easier to use with more and more features being put front and centre in the app. The app is also more intuitive that it was when it first was released. However, features like 360 Audio still remain hidden in the menu.
When it came to using Voice Assistants with the Buds Pro, it performed pretty well. The Buds made it easier to interact effectively with both Bixby and Google Assistant. However, the need to download a TTS file for the Buds to be able to read out your messages isn’t communicated anywhere until you try to use it. Then you have to find out where to download it – in this case it was via the Galaxy Store. We would think that Samsung would make this process more seamless particularly since we don’t expect users to actually do the hunting.
Performance
The Galaxy Buds has to be best performing in the Galaxy Buds to date. It has one of best sound reproductions – at least compared to the Galaxy Beans Buds Live. It had better sound reproduction across the sound range from lows to highs even the mids. Sound was a lot cleaner. The sound from the Galaxy Buds Pro was also a little warmer and fuller. While it still was a little bit heavy on the mids, the overall sound quality was definitely more well rounded compared to previous buds. You are able to hear the highs and lows in classical and orchestral pieces clearer in the Pro.
Aside from the tuning, Samsung’s Adapt Sound also helps when it comes to compensating for hearing/sound lost. Tuning the Buds Pro with Adapt Sound actually helped the sound feel even more full. That said, a word of warning, if you use Adapt Sound, don’t use presets on equalizer apps as the feature may result in the preset feeling off tune. We would strongly recommend you use custom profiles if you use Adapt Sound.
The Galaxy Buds Pro performed pretty well when it came to taking calls on them. In fact, callers weren’t able to tell that they were being spoken through wireless earbuds. Instead, they reported that it sounded like the call was being taken directly on the phone. Voice pick up was very good with little to no distortion. However, there were a few instances where the connection was a little choppy but it seems like Samsung has fixed this with a recent update.
Battery Life
The battery life of the Galaxy Buds Pro is decent with Samsung promising at least 5 hours of playback with a single charge on the buds and extra 13 hours with the case. That increases to 8 hours with ANC off with the charge in the case going up to 20 hours.
During our time with the Galaxy Buds Pro, we were able to get about 4.5 hours to slightly above 5 hours for a single charge. While it’s not the longest, it should be sufficient for most users. If you’re taking a long-haul flight, you may find yourself without your entertainment for a little bit as you charge your earbuds.
360 Audio
360 Audio on the Buds Pro is a mixed bag for us. While it seems to be developed with Dolby, when we used it, it felt as if it was using the smartphone as a guide to where the sound source should be. So, listening to podcasts was a little bit of a mixed bag with sound travelling everywhere when the phone was out and then 360 Audio magically turning off when the screen was off. We even tried it with 360 audio tracks on Tidal and were sorely disappointed by the performance.
Samsung’s 360 Audio goes up against Sony’s 360 Reality Audio which uses the user and earbuds as a reference for sound positioning. The experience with this was a little more enjoyable with the sound feeling more true to life and immersive. Samsung’s 360 Audio felt very flat and actually gave us a headache when using it cause of the constant shifting. While it’s just the first generation, it feels like Samsung shoehorned this feature into the Galaxy Buds Pro to keep up with the competition. We feel that it could have used a little more time in the pot before release. Perhaps an OTA update will be able to address the issues we faced. While there have been updates for the Buds Pro, none of them have addressed the issue yet.
Ambient Sound
Samsung’s implementation of ambient sound is one of the better implementations we’ve used to date. It’s good enough that we were comfortable walking on the street with the Buds Pro set to ambient mode. Ambient sound actually felt like it was giving us bionic hearing when we used it. It was able to pick up conversations and voices a good distance away from us – which we found a little creepy.
That said, Samsung also allows you control the sensitivity of the ambient sound pick up in its Galaxy Wearables app. You’ll be able to adjust it to a level where you are comfortable. You can even enhance ambient sound pick up further which makes it even louder.
Samsung’s Hitting the Right Notes but it has a ways to go to be on par with competition like Sony
The Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro is one of the most comfortable and responsive true wireless earphones we have used. The Buds are super reactive when you touch it, and they are comfortable to have in your ears over long periods of time. The fact that they are compact and come with wireless charging gives them a slight edge over their competition.
That said, while the Galaxy Buds Pro is overall one of the best true wireless experiences you can get on the market, the earbuds still have some work to do if they are looking to take on the experience of the likes of the Sony’s WF series. There’s no doubt that Samsung is on the right track with the Buds Pro, but the aural experience of the Buds Pro is missing that awe and umph of its competition.
It’s not every day that we get a new smartphone that is able to turn heads and is acclaimed as a return to form for one of the most iconic Android lineups, but that’s exactly what the Samsung Galaxy S21 is. The new flagship smartphone from Samsung is one of the most well-rounded flagships we’ve had in a while.
In the video we breakdown the Galaxy S21’s total package; dissecting how each of the features either make or break it. Everything from how the new intelligent Dynamic AMOLED 2X makes a difference, the new camera setup with the 64-megapixel main sensor and even the design outlook from the new design language that Samsung has adopted in the Galaxy S21.
Follow techENT as we take a look at all the features that make this smartphone and how it ranks in our review.
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We loved the WF-1000XM3, this is no secret. I personally own a WF-1000XM3. We actually went out to pre-order one to get it before they officially launched them in Malaysia. It is that good.
But there is something better than an in-ear headphone though. That is an over-ear headphone like the WH-1000XM3. There is a reason why we settled for the WF-1000XM3 though. Its performance is close enough to the WH-1000XM3 and is fractionally cheaper, and it is a lot more portable.
We still love the WH-1000XM3 very much though. It is one of the best active noise cancelling headphone in the industry at its time and still holds its own to this day. If you are looking for a noise cancelling headphone at a budget at this time, the WH-1000XM3 is still a very good choice. The problem is, the new Sony WH-1000XM4 is not that much more expensive in price.
The WH-1000XM4 is still a premium product at MYR 1,599. The question here is not whether it is better than the WH-1000XM3 or not though. The question here should be, should you change from the WH-1000XM3 to this one? Or should you get this one over the discounted Mark III? We find out.
Design
It looks exactly the same as the WH-1000XM3, and that is it. Really, they look the same. They come with the same shaped hardcase too, with a slight difference in material choices over the case. Put the two side by side and they look nearly indistinguishable other than the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4 label on the head band.
So that is that, right? Not really
The padding on the Sony WH-1000XM4 is of newer materials that is supposed to be more breathable and more comfortable than the WH-1000XM3. This is not to say that the Sony WH-1000XM3 was not a comfortable headphone to work with in any way though. The newer materials ensures that the WH-1000XM4’s earcups are slightly more breathable apparently.
In Malaysia, you are still going to sweat your ears out wearing the headphones out in the open. It will still be warm no matter how you put it, but that is not the fault of the headphone itself. We suspect also that the extra breathability has something to do with the more comfortable clamping force on the headband.
There is another subtle change within one of the earcups too. Specifically, on the left earcup there is now what seems to be a cut out for some sort of a sensor. The sensor is an optical sensor to tell the headphone whether or it is being worn.
Features
The Sony WH-1000XM4 inherits most of its great features from the Sony WH-1000XM3. That is kind of expected. What we did not expect is how much Sony added on the WH-1000XM4 to make it a class of its own.
Talk-to-Chat Transparent Mode
The new Sony WH-1000XM4 is a rather clever piece of kit to bring with you wherever you go. You technically do not have to take it off your ear ever (until the battery drains and you have to charge, of course). It turns on ambient noise mode the moment you want to start a conversation with anyone.
We tried the function in the office to have conversations with everyone else in the office. It only detects speech from you before it turns to transparent mode automatically. Which also means that your friends still need to tap on your shoulders to get your attention and you have to start talking first before the feature itself is turned on.
We do find it nifty in certain situations, and a little jarring in a lot of situations. There are times that we had to say “what?” twice before you can get the headphone to turn transparent mode on. You can still cover the right cup of the headphone to turn on ambient mode temporarily too, which might work better in our opinions.
Transparency mode on the Sony WH-1000XM4 may not be the most natural experience you have on your surroundings too. You can sort of hear your friends when you talk to them in transparent mode, but there are times where you tend to hear more environmental noise and buzz than the people you want to have conversations with. At least the delivery of ambient noise is accurate enough you know where everything is coming from.
Noise Cancelling Made Even better
The WH-1000XM4 packs the same type of audio signal processor from its predecessor. It is the very powerful Sony QN1 processor. This is also the reason why the Sony headphone is not aptX or aptX HD certified. Then again, it is not a Qualcomm processor the headphone packs.
The QN1 on the WH-1000XM4 is programmed differently compared to the QN1 in the older headphone and the WF-1000XM3 though. It is technically more powerful as it now does more complex and robust calculations for noise cancelling. That also means that the noise cancelling in the new WH-1000XM4 is technically better than the WH-1000XM3.
To put it in words, you might hear the headphone feeding you anti-noise at times, when there is no other audio playing through the headphone. When the music comes alive, most of the world is tuned out and quiet. There are still some situations that you can hear the rest of the world, especially when loud noises are involved, but no active noise cancelling technology can remove noise or sounds completely.
Using the active noise cancelling feature on the WH-1000XM4 for an extended period of time is a very comfortable affair. You do not feel like your head is stuck in a vacuum chamber or feel like your eardrums are being sucked dry by the headphone. What we mean to say is that you will not get a headache or discomfort.
DSEE Extreme
But the QN1 does more than just clever noise cancelling. It upscales audio now with Sony’s proprietary DSEE Extreme, an even more powerful version of Sony’s DSEE HX from the WH-1000XM3. What it does is it upscales audio and delivers them more cleanly via Bluetooth. The technology fills gaps in an audio and delivers it to the listener for a better listening experience.
Again, the differences are very marginal to a regular listener. To us at least, the differences between audio delivery between the new headphone and older headphone is hardly noticeable and very easy to miss if you do not pay attention. The differences lie in some of the higher-end frequencies and a slightly fuller low-frequency notes.
In theory then, even Spotify should sound a little more amazing and impressive with DSEE Extreme. It does though, it does work. It does make Spotify sound less Spotify and a little more Tidal. To put it into perspective, Spotify can be likened to compressed MP3 audio format and Tidal delivers up to CD AAC audio format, which has higher bitrate and throughput. In turn, AAC audio format tends to be more detailed and in higher fidelity compared to MP3.
Multi-Device Connection
There was not much we could complain about when it comes to the WH-1000XM3. The only thing we thought was a little lacking was the fact that the headphone could only connect to one device at a time. Sony also fixed that with the new WH-1000XM4.
While the new WH-1000XM4 headphones does connect to multiple devices, do not be fooled into thinking you can connect your smartphone, your notebook PC, and your tablet at the same time. You can only choose up to two devices to connect to the Sony WH-1000XM4.
Connecting your WH-1000XM4 to both devices as simple as you would expect too. You can use your smartphones to connect to the device via NFC and then Bluetooth. Connecting your PC too is just about a simple working with Windows’ Bluetooth.
You might have to keep in mind that the Sony WH-1000XM4 turns off the moment you plug a USB Type-C cable to the headphone. The headphone will automatically go into charge mode. You can still plug the headphones in to a 3.5mm AUX jack for listening though, just that you do not get to use the noise cancelling function.
Performance
Of course, the whole point of a headphone is an audio experience. That is what this MYR 1,599 Sony WH-1000XM4 is all about, the aural experience. For that kind of money, you will not be disappointed with the Sony headphones.
An Aural Experience
It is a solid product no matter how you look at it for MYR 1,599. While the build is mostly plastic, most of the money goes into making the internals as good as it can be. You are looking at a 40mm driver that is capable of producing frequencies from as low as 4hz all the way to 40,000hz. Of course, what you hear depends on your own ears and the music format itself.
We tested most of our audio products with Tidal because it streams at 16-bit/44kHz quality. Spotify streams at half that. That also means that you get higher quality audio and more detailed audio from Tidal to work with.
As with plenty of Sony audio products, we can safely say that the WH-1000XM4 produces a very balanced sound signature. Sound is detailed enough through all the frequencies. Some might say that it lacks lower frequency punch (bass) though, and that is also mostly a matter of preference. Still, the mid and high frequencies shine with detail and there is enough punch for us in the lower frequencies.
What it lacks in punch though, the Sony WH-1000XM4 makes up in detail. The lower frequencies forms with distinction, not just booms that you hear in your ear. You also have to keep in mind that too much lower frequencies can hurt your ears too. This will not do that.
The headphone gets pretty loud too on Bluetooth. If you plug it in though, depending on your source device, the headphone tends to be a little softer and less punchy. We do somehow find a bit more detail when you plug it in though. Just remember that you still need to use the battery if you want to use the Noise Cancelling function and DSEE Extreme.
Listening on the WH-1000XM4 can be very personal though. Via the app, you could also take a picture of your ears and let Sony tune the headphone to your ears. In that case, your friends might not get the same experience as you do on the headphone itself. Of course, the app also allows you to adjust your own equaliser to make it even more personal.
With the WH-1000XM4 as well you get the benefit of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio that gives you some spatial effect. Of course, not all streaming platforms have this feature. That is also why we refer to Tidal for our audio needs, they support the 360 Reality Audio feature.
Battery Life
Sony claims that the WH-1000XM4, like the WH-1000XM3, has 30 hours of continuous playback. That is technically longer than the world’s longest direct flight at 18 hours. We have not had the privilege to travel from Singapore to New York directly for that matter. No thanks to the pandemic situation too, travelling is rather limited to intercity travels by car. Which also means that we have not sat in an airplane for over a year now.
If we do though, we are glad that we have the WH-1000XM4. In our tests, we can assure you that it the headphones can last more than 20 cumulative hours of use. Of course, this also depends on how high or how low you set your volume to. We set our volumes to an average 70 to 75% most of the time and we mostly use it with our PC and smartphone wirelessly. In that regards, we only had to charge the headphone once in a week.
Call Quality
Of course, because we pair it to our smartphone as well, we use it to make phone calls from time to time. On PC as well, by default the headphone connects to the device as two separate devices and go into handsfree mode the moment you get into a conference call. This is also to prevent the headphone to go into talk-to-chat transparency mode.
In hands-free mode, or when you make a call, the audio gets a little distorted for some reason. It is not as bad as before where audio sounds tiny and extra distorted though. We just thought that it sounds a little sketchy at times and it could be a little better and clearer.
It is still convenient for you to just pick-up a call and tune everything else out. Whenever a call comes in, the headphone prioritises feed from the calls on your smartphone or your video conferencing tools first.
On the PC, you will hear the difference between conference calls made in hands-free mode and with hands-free mode turned off. It is night and day. You also want to keep in mind that if you want to use this headphone for multiplayer gaming (it is quite excellent for gaming too, if you must know), you really want to disable hands-free mode and Talk-to-Chat function.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 – Oh Yes!
We really like the Sony WH-1000XM4. They never really changed its design compared to its predecessor. To be fair, the design language has not changed all that much since their first iteration of the noise cancelling over-ear headphone series. Then again, why fix something that is not broken? That is also very Japanese, if we must say.
Issue with that is that ergonomics is the same and the touch controls are the same too. The touch controls are not exactly the Sony WH-1000XM4’s strongest suit. Thank goodness you have a smartphone app to control the headphone too. Of course, the app makes the WH-1000XM4 even more personal.
It is a slightly more comfortable headphone compared to the older WH-1000XM3. It is also better sounding and packs better active noise cancelling algorithm. We thought talk-to-chat function was something that would be a game changer, but we end up looking at it as more of a gimmick now instead.
So, if you are looking to spend a little bit more money for a headphone, the WH-1000XM4 is a good buy. We would recommend it very strongly. The problem only comes if you already own a WH-1000XM3.
To solve the problem, we would not recommend you change from your WH-1000XM3 to this new one. While all the small improvements may make it seem like the fourth-generation headphone from Sony holds a big gap over the WH-1000XM3, the improvements made in the areas that matter is not so much that the older generation headphones become obsolete. If you do want the latest and greatest though, who are we to say that you should not spend your money on the Sony WH-1000XM4?
When it comes to personal hygiene, facial hair – or the lack thereof, can play a huge role in how you feel about yourself. That’s why we were pretty excited when we got ahold of the Philips S1301 Shaver for review. Philips has been one of the biggest names when it comes to personal health and hygiene and getting up close and personal with one of their offerings proved to be an interesting experience.
Shaving is a very personal thing for men, especially when it comes to how close it is or even how the final look ends up. Most men are either going for a more manly, rugged look nowadays which usually translates to having a semblance of a stubble. That said, a good percentage of us still default to being clean-shaven. That’s where a shaver – electric or otherwise comes into play.
Packed with Technology
The Philips S1301 shaver is definitely a candidate for a good shaver. It ticks most of the boxes that we would personally look at when it comes to an electric shaver. The first is, like most other electronics – the design. The Philip S1301 shaver is definitely designed well. It feels natural in the hand. It’s ergonomic as well; you won’t be straining your wrist while using it.
It’s also compact, allowing you to simply pack it along with your other toiletries in your bag. However, the one thing that threw us off with the design is the exposed charging port at the bottom. This charging port is also not a standard USB port, instead it’s a proprietary port that requires its own charger – so you’ll need to remember to pack it as well. Speaking of charging, the battery level is indicated by the power button albeit a little counterintuitively. Aside from that, the shaver is sleek and pretty much ticks all the boxes in terms of design.
That said, the true worth of a shaver lies in how well it carries out its function. When it comes to technology, the Philips Series 1000 isn’t lacking much. It’s packed with 27 self-sharpening, mini-blades which Philips guarantees won’t dull for up to 2 years. It has IPX7 certification for use in both wet and dry conditions. This also means that you’ll be able to clean it quickly by simply running water over it.
A Close, Irritating Shave
So the big question is – how does this technology translate when it comes to performance? The gist of it? Not too bad. The small blades are housed within floating heads. These floating heads allow the blades to conform to the contours of your face for a closer shave.
However, when it came to the shaving process, the Series 1000 ended up causing quite a bit of irritation when I used it. It was later pointed out that to get the best experience from the shaver, you needed to use a circular motion. This helped a little bit when it came to irritation. Nonetheless, if your facial hair is on the longer side of things, you may want to avoid doing a dry shave. In my experience using it, it felt as if my facial hair was being plucked more than cut.
Using the Philips S1301 for a wet shave minimised a lot of the irritation I experienced with the dry shave. It seems like the foam provided some much needed lubrication and protection to my skin. That said, the Series 1000 does provide a pretty close shave – something I really appreciated.
A Good Shaver – But We Expected More
With all that in mind, it makes you consider the overall package. The Philips Series 1000 is definitely one of the better, more affordable shavers in the market right now. However, to be very honest, being Philips product, I had higher expectations for the price. This is exacerbated by the options from other brands that come with the same features at a much lower price point.
That said, the Philips Series 1000 shaver is not a bad buy. It’s a shaver which you can travel with and it does what it’s meant to well. You may need to take some extra steps to prevent skin irritation, particularly if you have sensitive skin. However, the Philips S1301 gives you one of the closest shaves that you can get from a shaver in its category. It’s also easy to use out of the box and you can get enough battery life for a shave with just 5 minutes of charging.
All in all, I’d say if you were looking for an affordable shaver with a recognised brand name – you pretty much have it lock, stock and barrel with the Philips Series 1000.
Welcome to the 2004 Nokia 9110 Communicator. This device harks back to a simpler time where mobile phones did not have coloured displays. The green hued colourless displayed was more related to an 8-bit animation console of the time than the Full HD HDR displays we have today.
Fast forward to 2019, the kind of device that the communicator was never made it. Every smartphone today, while they have roots from the Nokia Communicator device, looks completely different. They all feature QWERTY keyboards but in a regular candy bar form. You do not see a foldable behemoth that is the communicator anymore. Until they introduced the Samsung Galaxy Fold in 2019 of course.
Thing is, the Samsung Galaxy Fold, in our hands at least, did not feel like a product we can consciously recommend our friends to buy. It did not feel like a complete product. It felt too much like a prototype, fragile. We do not deny its innovative approach to a keyboard-less smartphone that folds in. foldable screens, while still in its infancy, is a technology we all have been asking for.
To be fair, we like the idea of a smartphone that folds. We like the idea of a smaller smartphone display that hides a larger display behind it. We like the idea of the Samsung Galaxy Fold in 2019. We just did not feel like the Samsung Galaxy Fold was complete enough as a product that commands MYR 8,000 from your back accounts.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 replaces the Samsung Galaxy Fold as Samsung’s most expensive flagship smartphone yet at MYR 7,999. It is also supposed to be the foldable device that finally works. It was made for everyone, supposedly. Is it though? Can we safely recommend this device to anyone now? We find out.
Design
When you first pick it up from the box, the device comes unfolded. What greets you when you open the box then is an expansive and oddly proportioned 7.6-inch display. What do we think when we first opened the box? Find out on our first 24-hours with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 feature.
We said oddly proportioned because it is not the usual wide body 16:9 display ratio. Rather, it looks more square-ish than anything else we have seen so far. While the display real estate nearly matches an 8-inch tablet in size, its usable display in videos is far less than one. Then you fold it for the first time to see a smaller 6.23-inch Super AMOLED display that looks a little more normal.
It is not that normal though; the display’s ratio is an even weirder 25:9 ratio. That also means that the secondar display, or the outside display is much narrower than a regular smartphone display with a Full HD+ type display. It is not even a Full HD+ display that you get up front, just an HD+ resolution here (816 x 2260 pixels, to be exact).
Flip it to the back and a triple camera array greets you. Plenty somehow things that the camera is the exact same on as you would find on a Samsung Galaxy S20 or Galaxy Note20. We assure you that it is not. All three camera sensors top out at 12-Megapixels. At least you can still get decent stills and 4K videos out of it. We will discuss that later though.
The unit we got is labelled as the Mystic Bronze variant. It only comes in either the colour we got, or Mystic Black. Both colours are finished in Matte instead of the usual glossy type finish. But we somehow prefer the Mystic Bronze colour variant over the Black.
When you open the device up to reveal the full glory of the 7.6-inch display and look at the bottom part of the device, you might notice that the display part of the device does not seem like it is laid flat. That is because the device is not flat when you open it up. Technically, the only almost truly flat and level part of the device when it is opened up is the main display. The secondary display and the device’s back are ever so slightly tapered off from each other when the device is opened.
We mentioned also in our first 24 hours feature on the device that we liked the brushed aluminium textured frames on the Galaxy Z Fold2. It adds a bit more texture to grip on for your device. While adding better grip, it also gives the device a distinctive side profile. we thought that the device had enough thickness for a 3.5mm jack. Of course, they did not include a 3.5mm jack
Still, thanks to the vast amount of space on the sides, top and bottom, one of the dual speakers do not have to share space or module with the earpiece. This also means better clarity and balance to audio when playing videos or music. But this also means a lot of wasted space on one side of the device. There is not much else to put besides the volume rockers and the fingerprint sensor cum power button though.
When you fold the device, you reveal another glossy part of the device that separates the secondary display and the matte metal backing of the Galaxy Z Fold2. This forms the left side frame of the device when its closed and we think that it looks gorgeous, somehow more so than the older Samsung Galaxy Fold. This enclosure frame side though houses the new folding mechanism that you see in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. The look of the casing also mimics that of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
That bulging frame tucks away behind two separate gloss finished bars that frames the glass back and secondary display of the device though. Those two frames continue from the rest of the frame of the devices. It is quite hard to believe that there are two frames on this device when it is in its open position. Folded up though, it is more believable since it is the thickness of two smartphone devices sitting on top of each other.
Still, we think that this is a mighty handsome device. We mentioned in the 24 hours feature that this looks and feels like a proper device that is ready for the market instead of the prototype feel and look of the Samsung Galaxy Fold of 2019. The crease of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is still very much visible and it is something that we expect Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers will continue to work on in future devices. The difference between this new model and the old one is that the crease somehow feels less profound and less disruptive to the display than before.
Hardware
Powering two different displays is usually very taxing, even on a regular PC. Thankfully though the internals that lives inside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is all but regular. It packs the best of 2020’s Qualcomm SoC, not an Exynos chip, surprisingly. It has a battery larger than most flagships as well, for good measure. Despite not having any of the super high-resolution cameras that the other Samsung Galaxy flagship devices, this still features five on-board cameras (3+1+1).
FRONT Internal: 10-Megapixel (f/2.2, 26mm wide angle) 4K video recording (30fps)
FRONT External: 10-Megapixel (f/2.2, 26mm wide angle) 4K video recording (30fps)
Sensors
Accelerometer Proximity Side Mounted Fingerprint Ambient Light Gyroscope Face Unlock Compass
User Interface – Still OneUI 3.0
One advantage of mobile optimised operating system is its adaptibility with almost any kind of display at any screen ratio. That is very apparent on the Android 10 based OneUI 3.0 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. The oddly shaped WQHD+ display feature a display factor that you have never seen before, other than the older Samsung Galaxy Fold of 2019.
Naturally, we were a little concerned about the app and system scaling on these devices when we first pick up the devices. Of course, our concerns are not entirely baseless after using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 for a while. The fault is not entirely on Android though.
We have to say that Android does a good job in scaling itself into any display factor, resolution, and size. The implementation on OneUI 3.0 on top of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is really just a testament to that. Android even scales properly on the 4K display of the Sony Xperia 1 and its successor if you are wondering.
The same cannot be said to all the available apps though. Of course, not all the apps available will be subject to the same issue. Still, the scaling issue happens on certain apps that you might use daily.
Sure, things like Gmail, or other email apps may not look too funky. That is because these apps scale nicely and quite normally on larger displays. In fact, you get to see more on your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 than on a Samsung Galaxy Note20, for example. Even apps like WhatsApp and Telegram looks like the normal smartphone application that they are albeit on a larger, slightly oddly rationed screen. Telegram even works nicely with horizontal typing mode; you still get to scroll through the chat even with the keyboard occupying the bottom half of the display. The same cannot be said for WhatsApp on the horizontal typing front.
Then you go to Instagram, expecting a better experience with bigger screen. Of course, you see photos bigger and everything seems peachy at first. You actually get a very regular smartphone-ish interface with two wasted space on both sides of the main interface. It still works because you are still scrolling through the feed like a normal smartphone. The wasted space is a little bit annoying since you could get contents to shine with the extra display real estate.
Then you go into Instagram Stories and realise that the app really does not play well with the larger display of the Galaxy Z Fold2. To be fair, we could be the only one facing this issue. When we launch Instagram Stories, the display greets us with options to interact with the post, instead of the usual clean post. We had to back out of Reactions by hitting the comment box and back out of it again to have normal interaction with Instagram Stories. If the account user disables comments, you cannot do anything but view the contents behind the reaction overlay. Strangely, Snapchat works fine.
So far though, this is the only app that seems to have an issue with the oddly shaped display. Other apps seem to work fine and scales nicely with the display, either showing a little bit more information than the regular smartphone app or having larger interfaces. Do not get us wrong though, they are largely still the same interfaces as a regular smartphone.
Of course, the ones that takes the most advantage of the larger display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 are Samsung’s own developed apps. You can see the simple optimisation of the OneUI 3.0 from Samsung’s native Messaging app or even its settings menu. On the Messaging app at least, you get to view your list of conversations on the left side and get into the conversations on the left side.
Bigger Videos
The biggest benefit of a larger display is always on the gaming and video front. You can either watch YouTube with the regular vertical layout and the video looks big enough already. We initially thought as well that with YouTube, you may not need to go full screen horizontally until we did.
There is about 1-inch of difference in the video size when you stream YouTube vertically and when you go on full screen horizontally. That means you get a much bigger real estate that you are looking at on YouTube. But what is interesting with YouTube on the Galaxy Z Fold2 is that the interface looks more like what you will get on tablets instead of a regular smartphone.
Of course, the bigger screen and resolution benefits Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The bigger display in the format of the Galaxy Z Fold2 can easily be tucked away in your pockets. That also means that you can be on the train on the way to work and whip out the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and feast on Netflix the whole way there without ever needing to squint your eyes too much to pick out details. When you are done, you simply fold it back up and put it in your pockets. No cable worries here too if you are using a pair of Bluetooth earphone.
Like the smartphone app, Netflix and Prime Video cleverly sizes down their videos a little just to avoid projecting over the camera hole that is on the display. That also means that you are not interrupted by a black hole in your screen when you enjoy your videos, unlike YouTube. While it means smaller display real estate for videos, it is still a large enough footprint for Netflix and Prime Video.
Same-Same but Different
The advantage of having two displays on a device though is having two separate home screens for different functions. The OneUI 3.0 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 encourages this. Your main home screen, if you use Samsung’s Smart Switch, will be transferred and translated into the main home screen. Keep in mind that there will be a lot of extra space on your home screen inside too, meaning you can add even more apps and shortcuts on your home screen. If you like to keep the minimal amount of home screens on your smartphone, this could be perfect.
Out the front secondary display though is a fresh home screen that you can customise to your liking. You have to keep in mind though that the display up front is plenty smaller than the main display. That also means that your YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Videos get squished quite a lot. We keep all the apps that we need quick access to up front. We have a calendar widget up front too for a quick glance when we need to.
Of course, because this is a Super AMOLED display still, it is a great display to watch videos on still. It is a perfect display to discreetly watch your YouTube, Netflix, or Prime Video shows. You can stand it up to get it to the perfect screen angle on your desk too. Make sure you have a pair of Bluetooth earphones though, just so that you do not disturb your co-workers or alert your boss.
In that mode as well you can use the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 as a video conferencing device with half the main display. There are two front-facing cameras you can rely on as well for that matter. Unfortunately, the selfie camera out the front of the device does not support this function. Not that it will be a deal breaker.
Performance
With two screens, you will want a lot power to get this behemoth of a device going. That is where the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ on the device comes into play. Credits where credits are due, the flagship Qualcomm System on a Chip (SoC) is the most powerful processing chip you can find on an Android device today, before they introduce a new one with 5nm build next year.
These are all just numbers though, what matters is how they perform in your hands, in your pockets, out in the real world. But big numbers do have some merits. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, the numbers mean that the device should feel buttery smooth and ultra-snappy, together with the 120Hz display. Thankfully the 120Hz refresh rate is not resolution limited like the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Call Quality and Connectivity.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is a standard 5G device. No, that does not mean you get to experience 5G now. It just means that it will be ready for that experience once it is available in Malaysia. Yes, 5G technology is not commercially viable just yet in Malaysia. We are hoping that would change soon though.
The rest of the antenna array on the device is quite the usual affair from Samsung. That also means that you are going to get about the same call quality and performance from the usual Samsung Galaxy flagship. Calls sounds crisp as long and signal is strong enough (one bar and above). You can expect some choppiness when the signal drops to one bar. Of course, do not expect calls to get through when you get no cellular signal.
Still, when calls get through, the party on the other side of the line reports that calls are as clear as day. This is thanks to the noise cancelling mic combination. We thank whichever engineers that has figured out the art of noise cancelling on calls on this.
Making calls is as simple as clicking through the Phone app too. It is the same exact layout and interface as any Samsung Galaxy device you might be familiar with. Then again, any Phone app these days look the same and function somewhat similarly. Like any other Samsung device too, you can quickly swipe right on your contact name or recent calls page to quickly make a call. Swipe left to message the person.
The only thing you might want to keep in mind when using the device to call is that you can only hold it up to your ear (as in, use the earpiece) with the device folded in and using the front display. You cannot use the earpiece with the device unfolded. You would look ridiculous too, even if you can. Remember the days where you can pick up calls on an 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab? Remember how stupid people look picking up calls on those devices? You look even more ridiculous using this, because its is so disproportionate.
You can use loudspeaker mode in both folded and unfolded state though. The experience on that is also quite similar to other Samsung Galaxy flagship devices. The only difference is that one side of the stereo speaker system does not share an outlet with the earpiece. That allows the speakers to fire more evenly for a better all-round experience in your conference calls.
The loudspeaker can be quite loud as well, so if you are sitting in a small discussion table with 6 people, you can use the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 to make conference calls. The only issue is that if the table is not a perfect round (oval and elongated format), some people who are further away from the device might not get picked up on the conversation. We find that anything between 1m to 1.5m from the device is the maximum you should go when using the device as a teleconferencing device.
Gaming
In theory, a bigger screen should also mean a better gaming experience. Samsung did sell this device to gamers as a gaming smartphone. We do not think that was quite wise though.
To be fair, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 does fare well in games, especially when games can take advantage of the 120Hz refresh rate. Games look extra smooth and ultimately looks amazing on the Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. Thanks to a larger display footprint also, it feels that you are looking at a great sweet spot of a display (unfolded) for gaming. The display, in most cases, is the perfect size for plenty of games.
Games like Mobile Legends Bang Bang scales properly to the oddly shaped display. This allows you to see more on the field and gives you a slight advantage in matchups. You tend to be able to see your opponents from further away and react accordingly. This is not the case for every game.
There is a problem, however. Games like Brawl Stars does not scale to fully fill the display. While it does make it a little fairer when it comes to games and matchups, it completely misses the whole point of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. You get two big black bars on top and bottom of the display area. In some sense, it does mean that the alerts and control panels are not obstructing your game view. In a lot of sense, the black bars are annoying and feels like a little bit of a waste.
Still, all these games look really good on 120Hz. With games like PUBG, you might be able to really enjoy and immerse yourself in the game with such a huge display. Thanks to the extra real estate too, games are appearing bigger than the usual smartphone devices. Therefore, we say that the display size, when unfolded, is quite ideal for gaming.
Multitasking and Productivity
We feel that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 feels a little incomplete without an S Pen. We feel that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 will be a more wholesome and complete device with an S Pen. The follow up to this device is rumoured to receive an S Pen treatment though, so that is something to look forward to.
Still, a big screen means you should be able to fit more windows on a single screen. We found that we can open up to 5 applications on floating windows and two split screen windows at the same time. That also means you can have 7 running apps at any give time with the internal main display. When all the apps are open at the same time, you would expect some lags there and here. Not on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. The applications still run smoothly with nearly zero hiccups.
Of course, as the device ages, you might expect some slow down and decrease in performance in that region. You are most likely not going to use up to 7 applications at any given time though. At most, you might have three applications open at any given time to work with. In that sense, the display size is quite perfect for a three-application workflow.
Battery Life
We wanted the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 to pack a large battery, because we know packing two screens on a smartphone will drain its battery quickly. Unfortunately, Samsung only manages to shoehorn a 4,500mAh battery into this behemoth of a thing. This is also because of the oddly constructed device that does not allow for a lot of wiggle room in its mostly metal and glass body.
Despite the bigger display, you could sort of get about the same battery life from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 as the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. When we say about the same, it also depends on what you do with your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2.
On most typical days, we did get more than a whole working day. Our typical day, these days, is mostly using the smartphone to make a few calls throughout the day, messaging via WhatsApp, Telegram, and even Facebook Messenger sometimes, checking emails, one or two YouTube Videos, a 20-minute session of Mobile Legends, and an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. on Netflix. In that type of use, we get about a full workday of battery life and a little bit more.
There are days that there is some non-typical use though. That non-typical use usually involves binging on Netflix non-stop for a few hours, or gaming for a few hours at a time, some messaging here and there, and mostly nothing else. In that use case, you might want to keep yourself near a charging point.
You can probably drain half your battery before lunch time if you start your Netflix binge at 9 in the morning. If you choose to play Mobile Legends, you probably can half your battery life in about the same time frame too, maybe a little quicker if you push your brightness up. This is on WiFi mind you. Of course, if you drain your battery while gaming, expect some heat from the device.
Display
That brings us to the thing that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is built upon; is display, or rather, displays. Unlike most smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 has two displays, one out the front, and one inside. There have been smartphones that packs two displays before from the likes of Vivo. The difference is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 has one large foldable display.
No, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is not the first foldable smartphone, nor is it the first foldable smartphone with two displays. That is a title snagged by its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Except, the Samsung Galaxy Fold’s front secondary display was quite unusable thanks to its minute size from the 2000s.
The Main Display – Folded Away and Tucked In
That was the first time we see an adaptation of a foldable display that was showcased by Samsung and LG a few years prior to 2019. That was also the only adaptation that worked with two different displays on the device for different usage cases. Its closest competition at the time featured a single foldable display that wraps around the device when folded.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is targeted toward a completely different market segment. We have to say though, it is a niche segment that they are looking at. At least at this time, we struggle to find someone who needs a much larger display than what they already have on their own smartphone. That was what people say when the Samsung Galaxy Note launched back in the day though.
It has an oddly shaped 7.6-inch main display inside the device that is foldable. That is about the same size as the device that came before. It is a bit more expansive thanks to the modern looking Infinity-O punch hole camera solution though.
The main display is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X, the same one as the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. It is larger in footprint though at 7.6-inch. In that case, the colour reproduction, HDR quality of the display is excellent. We do not expect anything less from Samsung with the display.
It is bright enough under bright sunlight that we can use the device outside. While you might not use the main display that often outside of home, the brightness can be appreciated. The colour contrasts are of course excellent as well for Netlfix movies and such. Again, it is just a very odd display factor, so your Netflix movies or YouTube will have two huge black bars on top and bottom of the device. That is why we say that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 could use a longer body.
It is sort of a WQHD display as well. We say sort of, because it is actually a little higher in resolution than a 1440p display. It packs 2,000 pixels in height, and about 1,700 pixels across. While it is odd, it makes for a great personal movie watching experience on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2.
Protecting the Main Display
We have to talk about the raised bezels though, because they are an important design aspect on the device. There are small plastic bumps on the corners of the bezels too, which acts as shock absorbers and a spacer when the device is folded. These bezels are an essential part in making the foldable display work as intended and as protected as possible from itself, and you.
No matter how Samsung spins it, the display is still a delicate thing. The middle part especially, is not solid. You can sort of press it down with a little give. We have to give it to Samsung though, the center fold creases is not as bad as before. At certain angles, it is barely noticeable, and you can easily forgive the crease. It does not even distort any images or videos on the display, which is a big improvement in the display’s usability.
The raised bezel sort of continues as well through the fold to make it seem as seamless as possible. Here also is where the raised bezel design, though can be quite undesirable in modern smartphones, is a life saver for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. It covers all sorts of gaps between the display and the frame of the device. That also means unlike the first batch of Samsung Galaxy Fold introduced last year, there are less chances of dust particles to be trapped in the folding mechanisms to destroy your display.
The folding mechanism is also the same improved mechanism that you get on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. That also means there is 180o of articulations, and the device will hold at any folded angle. Of course, we have spoken a little bit about this earlier.
There is another thing on the main display that we suggest you do not remove when you get the device – its screen protector. This is just a PSA, do not remove the screen protector that comes with the device, you might break your expansive and expensive main display if you do.
The 6.2-inch Display Up Front
Fold the main display away and you will see the glass protected 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display come to life. This is an odd display too, at 2,280 by 816 pixels. It is not exactly HD, but it is not exactly Full HD either. Samsung labels it at HD though, since it is close to 720p than 1080p.
The front secondary display gives you a different home screen and lock screen from the main display though. This makes the Galaxy Z Fold2 feels like two different devices mashed into one. One bigger, entertainment and productivity beast inside, and one portable, little secondary device outside. Perhaps that was the point from day one anyway and we all have missed the point.
In our case, we set it up to access the simples of apps we tend to work with when we are out and about. That also means surfacing the messenger type apps, the phone app, and even a calendar for quick schedule check. The front display is our ‘quick access’ screen, sort of.
Thanks to Super AMOLED technology too, the display is brilliant and bright. Colour contrasts and saturation is excellent and very vivid. While we think that the display is a tad small, and quite odd in display factor, it is very useable for a quick video fix. Either that, or white noises. You definitely can use it as your media controller for music playback in public transportation spaces. No, you might not want to game on this display. Why do something you might not enjoy?
Camera
You would think that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 packs the same camera array as the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. We can forgive you for that, because it features a very similar camera bump module. It does not though.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 packs three 12-Megapixel shooters. One for a regular wide-angle shot, one for ultra-wide photos, and one for longer telephoto shots. While the numbers are quite underwhelming, the results are not.
We have mentioned again and again that you never really need more than 12-Megapixels on your smartphone cameras and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is a great example of that statement. That is because the 12-Megapixel camera on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 produces quite stunning examples in any conditions. The 12-Megapixel shooter can and will produce stunning photos at any time and every time, even when light is a little scarce.
Of course, if you go into the detailing, there is noticeably less from the 12-Megapixel shooter than the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra’s 108-Megapixel. That is only because there are more pixels packed on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. That is about the only thing the Galaxy Note20 Ultra has in advantage compared to its foldable cousin. That, and 8K video recording which you may never use.
Colours across all the cameras on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 are excellent. Sure, they could use some saturation before you post, but that is easy to do with the device’s pre-installed photo editor anyway. That adjustment can take anywhere from 2 seconds to 1 minute depending on what you want from the photo. You can just throw a clever ‘auto’ adjust and the device can decide what looks best for you, and that should be enough.
That is probably the only complain we have from the camera though. The photos that come out of the camera can look a little flat before you edit them. Because there are only 12 million pixels on the sensor too, cropping photos can make them look a little less crisp, unless you work with the telephoto lens. Still there are three lenses you can choose from anyway, so not like you would be strapped for choice when it comes to photo taking.
A benefit of a 12-Megapixel sensor compared to a 108-Megapixel one is heat management. While boasting similar camera bump, the cameras on the Galazy Z Fold2 heats up less, if it happens at all. In that case, your device is still comfortable to work with at any given time. You still get to record 4K videos, mind you.
Of course, beauty is in the eyes of its beholder. You should see the unedited results of the photos from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 and be your own judge. Check out the gallery below.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold – Much Wow, Much Premium
We want to say that we like it. We like the experience of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 not because it is a unique device. We like it because it feels like a proper Samsung device. We like it because it is smooth, it works well, and it is some high-quality stuff. We like it because it feels like a regular well-built, well developed Samsung device.
It is a rather unique device. The folding mechanism adds some layers of functionality over the regular smartphone. We like the direction that Samsung is heading with the folding smartphone form factor too. We think that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is the right step forward from the older Samsung Galaxy Fold. We think that there is more to explore in the world of folding smartphones and Samsung, no doubt, will exploit that in future iterations.
Thing is, using the device does not feel unique in a lot of times. It can feel cumbersome too. From the awkwardly narrow keyboard in the front display, to the oddly factored inner display for videos, there are things that makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 a little less intuitive than a regular smartphone. Its heft is also a constant reminder that you are carrying a sort of thoroughbred. A fragile one at that. You have to remember to not use it in wet conditions too, since it is not IP rated.
So in the end, we think that MYR 7,999, although a reasonable price point for a unique product like the Galaxy Z Fold2, can be better spent elsewhere. Sure, if you have the extra cash and you really want to flash your wealth, this is really the device for you. It turns heads.
Thing is, that kind of money can buy you a Smartphone and a great notebook PC for extra productivity. That kind of money can buy a decent gaming notebook too. That kind of money can buy you a 4K TV and a PlayStation 5 to go along with the TV. You can probably get a few games too, with some extra money you saved.
So, do we think that you should get the device? In short; no. But it is more than that, you really can spend your MYR 7,999 on multiple things that could achieve the same things as the Galaxy Z Fold2, and even more. But again, if you have MYR 7,999 lying around somewhere just waiting to be used, we do think that your money buys more than just the device. Your money buys Samsung’s confidence to go into a territory no one dares to go into. Your money busy their research and development into future products. Your money buys affordability for this kind of technology in the future. So, you decide.
Some might look at the title and ask us about 5G. We will address that first. Yes, it does come with 5G connectivity. Why did we not include that moniker into the review? Our answer would be it does not really change anything. Since it comes in 5G natively anyway, we do not see the point to the ‘5G’ label at the back.
Then again, the Samsung Galaxy Note series is a trend setter, in our humble opinions. They are always made to be a little overpowered, not overstated. There is always a little more extra ‘oomph’ from the processor of the Samsung Galaxy Note series. They are always beasts of devices.
Who are their target users? If we must describe them in our own words, we will put them as people who heavily rely on their smartphones to do their daily heavy lifting. These things are not really lifestyle connected devices anymore. They are your best companions at work, at home, and at parties. They are what you rely on for everything that you do.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is technically the ultimate expression of whatever that you understood from the previous paragraph. It is a culmination of today’s advanced understanding of a smartphone user that requires more than just texting and calling on a smartphone. It is not really Samsung’s Tour de Force. It is more about Samsung giving a regular Samsung Galaxy Note user what they want.
Is this over-the-top Samsung flagship worth its MYR 5,199 price though? We do admit that it is an expensive piece of kit for your gearbag or pockets. Most importantly then, is it something that you should get? In other words, is it a device for you? We will do our best to answer these questions with our review. Meanwhile, bear with us.
Design
This is by far the largest Samsung smartphone to ever hit the market. It is the largest Samsung Galaxy Note series device by just a few mm on the top, sides, and even less in thickness. Then again, Samsung Galaxy Note devices are not known for their petite sizes.
You would want the large display though, to take advantage of the S Pen stylus. This time, the S Pen is tucked away at the bottom left corner of the device. We are so used to the right bottom arrangement of the previous Galaxy Note devices that it feels like there is a small learning curve here. No, this is not a complain.
We are glad that they moved the S Pen holster to the bottom left though. That means that the power button is now moved back to the right side along with the volume rockers. Nope, no more Bixby button too like the Galaxy Note10 (we did not review that, unfortunately; reasons).
We like that they managed to round of the curved edges that we are getting used to from the Samsung Galaxy Note8. The rounder edges continue to the screen from the back too. This does give the device a good unibody feel. Even the sides feel like they are part of the curve this time.
While thickness has not changed much, the rounded edges on the sides does make the device feel a little beefier than before though. Do not get us wrong, we are not saying that that is not a good feel. It does improve grip levels somehow.
Speaking of grip, we are not big fans of the finish on the glass back. It mutes and softens the colours underneath the glass, which we think is quite brilliant. We mentioned this in our 24 hours article too. But at the same time, it makes it a little more slippery in the hands, which is a big negative.
The rounder edges also give way to a very flat top and bottom of the device though. The bottom’s flatness is only interrupted by the small bump that is the S Pen’s ‘clicky’ bit. Oh, and the frame of the device is also a glossy piece, not a big fan of that either.
We were talking about the back earlier. The muted and slippery glass back is interrupted by one thing though. It is a big bulge of a thing. It looks like its own greenhouse, to be fair. It is the biggest camera housing that we have ever seen in a smartphone. The bulge is about half the thickness of the S Pen. It really stands out too since the frame of the camera is glossy. We really do not like this part because it also means that you really need to get a case for your smartphone that accommodates the thing that is jutting out the back of the smartphone.
That aside though, the device is a light one for its size. It actually feels lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Note9, which is no bad thing. While it is light, there is never a sense of cheapness when you go around the device. It feels premium, just like a Samsung Galaxy flagship should. It does not feel fragile, it feels solid, like a lightweight hammer (do not smash it against anything though, we strongly discourage that).
While the device does gain a little bit in size (it is not a woman, it will not get offended), we do think that it is a really handsome device, even if you put it beside a Samsung Galaxy Note9 in Copper. Oh yes, the one we have here is the Bronze colour variant. We think it looks good, but the colour may not be for us. Keep in mind that this is just our preference though.
Hardware
The battery pack powers an Exynos 990 System on a Chip (SoC) that clocks at a maximum 3.0GHz. That octa-core processor is just as powerful as an average PC processor. Thanks to 12GB of RAM as well, the device might as well be as powerful as a modern PC.
There is still one thing that we really hate about new modern devices like this Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. It does not have a 3.5mm jack, and that is a big shame, we really think that there is enough space at the bottom or top of the device for a proper 3.5mm audio jack. Still, at least they included the USB Type-C Samsung AKG earphones out of the box.
One Port to Rule Them All
The Samsung Galaxy Note line lost one big port when the Samsung Galaxy Note10 was introduced. In that case, this is not the only Galaxy Note device without a traditional AUX jack. Moving from a Samsung Galaxy Note9 though, the 3.5mm jack is sorely missed. I could not use my high-end Shure SE535 anymore with the Note20 Ultra unless I get a USB Type-C to 3.5mm AUX dongle for it.
Out of the box though you get a USB Type-C AKG earphones, which is still a nice touch. That also means you do not have to go out looking for a dongle or a specific USB Type-C earphone for it. You also have to keep in mind that not every USB Type-C dongle will work with the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. In this case also you might want to consider getting a portable DAC.
Still, since you are already getting a USB Type-C earphones out-of-the-box, you do not need to squeeze wallet to get another hardware just to get earphones working. The earphones do sound relatively good anyway (it is an AKG earphone), so it is not like you are losing out on audio.
The USB Type-C port, as you have guessed, is also its charging port. It is capable of taking on Samsung’s Super-Fast Charger that is also included in the box. Thing is, charging the battery at that speed not only damages your battery though, it produces a lot of heat. In that sense, you might want to keep it charged at a relatively normal speed. This is the part we like.
Even if you use the included charger, you do not have to necessarily charge at the maximum available speed. You can choose to keep fast charging off to charge it at a relatively slow speed. That also means your device charges from nothing to full in about 3 hours or so, perfect for overnight charging.
If you need the speed though, you can turn on Fast Charging and Super-Fast Charging for an accelerated charge time. In Super-Fast charging speed, you can get your battery to a full charge well within 2 hours, faster if your device is turned off. Keep in mind that charging at that speed will shorten the battery’s shelf life.
S Pen – Better Than Before
The Samsung Galaxy Note series’ party piece is always the stylus that comes with it. It has always been the S Pen since day one that sells the Samsung Galaxy Note series devices. It is the defining piece of the Samsung Galaxy Note device. After all, the Samsung Galaxy Note started out life as a smartphone that could take natural handwritten notes via a Pen.
The tenth generation of the world-famous S Pen is technically a remarkably similar piece to its previous generation. The Samsung Galaxy Note10’s S pen technically fits into the tray of the Samsung Galaxy Note20. However, they could not be interchangeable in our tests though, somehow.
Still, the Samsung Galaxy Note20’s S Pen is still a battery powered Bluetooth remote device. It is still a sleek looking pen that functions as just that on the smartphone. You get about half an hour of battery life out of it. But even when the battery is depleted, you can sort of use the S Pen to a certain degree. You just cannot use it as a remote for the cameras and gestures.
The S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, on paper, might not look like a huge improvement or big leap over the older S Pen. It may not even seem like two different products on paper. But put it to use though and you do see the difference.
The Samsung Galaxy Note10’s S Pen does almost all the things that the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra’s does. You can get gesture controls, camera remote, and it still does all the writing stuff that any Samsung Galaxy Note devices does. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra’s is just a little bit better, a little bit more instant.
This is more apparent when you start writing with the S Pen. You realise that the S Pen follows your stroke no matter how fast you write or draw on the expansive display. That is thanks to 9ms of response time. Again, that does not seem as instant as it sounds or that much difference when you put it beside the older Samsung Galaxy Note10’s. But the experience is completely transformative and is much better. Of course, the 120Hz display does help as well in that.
Reverse Wireless Charge – Wireless PowerShare
This is technically a feature that was carried over from the previous Samsung Galaxy Note10 series. It is nothing new technically, and there is not much in terms of improvements here. Still, it is a welcoming feature when you have TWS earphones that has wireless charging capabilities. If you pre-ordered your Samsung Galaxy Note20 series smartphones you would get them with either Samsung’s Galaxy Buds+ or Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live.
It is not the fastest charging wireless charging technology to be fair. You only have 4,500mAh to work with, after all. By mid-day you might not even have as much battery capacity left too to reverse charge other devices. In that sense, you might not want to be charging other smartphones with the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. If you do, you will see the battery life dwindling quite quickly.
Facial Recognition in Place of Iris Sensor
Like the Samsung Galaxy Note10 Plus, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra does not pack an Iris sensor anymore. We do think that the Iris sensor is a more sensible and secure platform for security. We do miss that from the Samsung Galaxy Note9. The problem with that was that you could not fit the sensors under the display just yet.
You still get a brilliantly quick facial recognition security feature though. Setting it up is quick and easy too in that sense. If not, you can set your fingerprint sensor in and use that instead. While the under-display fingerprint sensor works, it is not exactly quick as well. It is just as fast or faster than most fingerprint sensors from other smartphones though.
User Interface – OneUI 2.5 on Android 10
The differentiation between one device and another currently is mostly its interface. You interact with your largely touch based device through this graphical interface. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra comes with OneUI 2.5. Yes, it is still an Android 10 device, OneUI is an overlay interface on top of Android 10.
OneUI 2.5 is the latest and greatest of Samsung’s interface. When we first had the Samsung OneUI interface to replace the old, clunky TouchWiz interface, we were quite delighted. Everything is cleaner, lighter, faster, and more intuitive. OneUI 2.5 builds on that with a few difference and upgrades over the years.
For example, OneUI’s camera app has seen plenty of improvements over the camera function. This year’s OneUI that was introduced with the Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with One Take feature that also trickles over to the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. You just do not get to zoom all the way to 100x on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. What is the point anyway?
Multitasking and Split Screens
An expansive display was also the signature of the Samsung Galaxy Note device. It was necessary wen Samsung started introducing dual window mode or split screen mode for Android devices on their TouchWiz UI. The current OneUI still support split window mode natively of course.
Of course, having split screens for apps is amazing. We were able to work with two apps open at the same time; what is there not to like? We could, for example, reply a text while having YouTube open in the other window. We could also leave Spotify on while Google Maps is open for a drive through town. There is one thing we do not like about the new OneUI’s implementation of the split screen though; it is not very intuitive anymore.
On the Samsung Galaxy Note10 you could easily launch an app and launch another app with it in an instant from Edge Panels. It was the most intuitive multi-window User Interface (U.I.). You could even launch two apps at the same time if you bothered to set up your Apps Edge Panel tray.
On the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, split screens are still much nicer with a slightly bigger display. Which also means that you get more real estate for both apps open at the same time. You cannot get instant split apps to open via the Edge Panel though, for free anyway. You could get your hands on the Edge Panel function by going to the Galaxy Store via the Edge Panel for MYR 8.31
This also means that having split screens is still a little inconvenient. We had to open Google Maps and Spotify, one after another, and then go into ‘recent apps’ interface and long press the app icon to get split apps to work. Keep in mind that not all apps get split screen capabilities.
Quick Access Edge Panel
This is also a feature that was native to Samsung’s Galaxy Note devices until quite recently. Of course, the luxury of display real estate does play into this. It was just as before too; the quick access panel tray can be placed anywhere at both sides of the display’s edges. We prefer it on the right side where the power button and volume rockers are.
You still can customize what you see or get on the Edge Panel too, as usual. You could load up shortcuts for apps that you like to access, something that you might not want to put into your home screen or open your app tray to access. You could put shortcuts to your favourite contacts too, or even a screenshot setting. You also get access to the music app, annoyingly that does not sync to Spotify, our preferred music streaming service.
As mentioned, the Edge Panel apps could not be paired like what was on the Samsung Galaxy Note10 series or the Samsung Galaxy Note9. Technically you can, but you must pay for it now, as mentioned. It is worth MYR 8.31 in the Samsung Galaxy Store, and we do think it is a worthy investment if you do use Split Screen plenty. It just adds a degree of convenience for you on the smartphone. We are a little annoyed by that though, we do think that the dual app pairing should be a thing for all Samsung Galaxy Note devices.
S Pen Air Actions and Gesture Controls
With OneUI 2.0 update, you could lose all the on-display buttons on the Samsung Galaxy Note devices. On the Samsung Galaxy Note10, you could revert of Android’s original gesture control of swiping at the edges to go back, swipe up from the bottom for ‘home’, and swipe and hold from the bottom for recent apps.
We stuck back to the three-bottom gesture function though, we prefer that. We also hid the on-display button that hints where you should be swiping. That cleans up the interface even more than before.
Additionally, on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra though was S Pen Gestures to navigate the device. There are three main gestures from the pen. You can scribble it around or do specific gestures to navigate your screen without touching your smartphone. This could be useful in presentation situations. Unfortunately, we did not get to try it in that environment.
Of course, you could use S Pen’s Air Actions in the camera app as well to control the camera or just use it as a remote shutter button. If you use it while your media player is playing something you could even use gestures to Play/Pause, get to the next song or previous song, and even control its volume. You can customise how the S Pen Air Actions work with specific apps too.
Bixby
Voice assistants have improved over the years. Smart assistants emerged from that too. The culmination of what Samsung’s know how and Google’s smarts over the years gives birth to the current Bixby that we know today in the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
Yes, the current Bixby is partly based on Google’s Assistant algorithm. Bixby is a little cleverer than Google Assistant in some sense though. For one, it does better with Asian names.
But Bixby is not just a smart assistant that tells you what is going on in the day or help you keep track of weather and what not. Bixby, if you connect it to your home devices or other smart devices keeps track of you habits too. When you are going to work, or going home, or certain times of the day, Bixby can open certain apps, brief you on certain happenings, remind you of your daily schedule, or wind down if you are at home.
Setting up schedules or sequences for Bixby is not that difficult as well. You just need to launch Bixby to get everything set up according to times of day or voice commands. Once that is done, you can just leave it be and have your device be your best friend and personal assistant.
There is no longer the annoying Bixby button that you constantly press unintentionally though. Now, you can set it to a longer press on the power button or not at all unless you call “hey Bixby”. That also means less accidental Bixby launches and annoyance.
You can still call the good ol’ Google assistant, but Bixby does a mighty job on its own too. In that sense, we find that we are using Bixby a little bit more. Plus, swiping your home screen to the right brings up daily briefings that shows you the latest news of the day and the weather forecast and other popular news for the day too.
Samsung DeX
Samsung’s Desktop Experience (DeX) has been a staple in Samsung’s flagship devices. Especially on a productivity type device, Samsung’s DeX is a must have feature. On the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, DeX can now be used wirelessly with any smart displays. That means you can make your presentations on your smartphone without using any cables if you have a smart TV connected to WiFi. Of course, it has to be under the same WiFi umbrella to work still.
Like the Samsung Galaxy Note10, you still can use the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra’s DeX on top of your PC as well as a separate window. You just need to connect it to the PC via any USB data transfer cable. We recommend you use either the provided cable or Samsung’s original cables for the best experience.
The DeX feature on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is something we really appreciate though. You are not just screen mirroring your smartphone. Yes, you still can work with screen mirroring instead and have your device’s display projected directly on a smart display. Nothing wrong with that, except you are still working on your smartphone as a smartphone.
With DeX your smartphone becomes a PC on the wireless display. In that sense, the interface changes to something a little cleaner. Of course, you can still mess up your interface too if you use it often enough and not organise them properly. But you are technically controlling a computer out of a handheld device wirelessly. You can type via your smartphone or a connected Bluetooth keyboard, you even have the option to navigate your pointed via the smartphone or a connected Bluetooth mouse.
So far as well, we think that Samsung is the only manufacturer to nail their mobile based desktop interface. Using DeX does not feel like you are using a smartphone at all, especially if you have your keyboard and mouse connected via Bluetooth, or 2.4GHz dongle (if you have another USB Type-C multi-function extension dongle).
Thanks to 12GB of RAM, you really can have multiple apps open at the same time on the device and still not lose any response time. This is a huge improvement over the previous generation Galaxy Note devices too. Everything on DeX feels just as snappy as they should without sacrificing performance of the smartphone. Of course, if you are connecting directly to a screen without charging the device, the battery drains quite fast. In that case, we do suggest that you get a multi-function USB Type-C dongle for your smartphone.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra technically comes in two variants globally. There is a variant with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ and the other with the Samsung Exynos 990. The one we have in Malaysia comes with Samsung’s own Exynos 990. While they are different System on a Chip (SoC), they are not completely different in performance figures.
Call Quality and Connectivity
As mentioned before, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs 5G connectivity. We cannot however tell you what 5G on the device is like. Malaysia does not have 5G coverage just yet. Thank goodness for 4G LTE+ then.
Phone call works just like any other smartphones. If you have been on Samsung’s devices, the phone app is as familiar to you as the back of your hands. Technically the app has not seen plenty of changes over the years.
In the call department then, you still get the dual mic arrangement for noise cancelling. That also means that what you get with phone calls is pretty much what you expect. You get clear voices transmitted to the other side of the phone call. The same may not be said when other people calls you though, that really depends on their own devices.
We tried making calls in a crowded restaurant (still socially distanced) and still could get our voices out to the other end of the caller with no issues in clarity. Even when the other side of the line decided that they need to put us on speakerphone, in a group call, it works just as well with little to no distortion.
As the recipient of a call in a group is great on the device too. The speakers on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra sounds a little louder than its predecessor. In that note, loudspeaker calls when you are in a conference is workable if you are in a small room. Of course, if you sit too far away from the Galaxy Note20 Ultra, the mic may not pick up your voice too much thanks to noise cancelling. Sadly, you have no 3.5mm jack to plug in a speaker or mic to.
Gaming
This is one powerful smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. They did not actually market this as a gaming device though. Of course, as a smartphone we do have to test out its gaming capabilities.
Before we do go on with the gaming aspect though, keep in mind that mobile games are highly optimised for the most popular devices in the market. In that sense, for Android users anyway, gaming is pretty much similar on almost any other Android device.
Still, PUBG Mobile gives you the option of popping itself to the highest available settings. Of course, AOV looks good too alongside Sky Fore Reloaded. We will give this credit to the display prowess more than its internal hardware though. Most mobile games can run smoothly and nicely on most mid-range smartphones these days.
Running the games at 120Hz is a different level though. We have tried gaming with the OPPO Find X2 which features a 120Hz QHD display and we though that was plenty amazing. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs a new Dynamic AMOLED with better colour contrasts and accuracy even compared to the Samsung Galaxy Note10.
120Hz and better colour contrasts and accuracy means a better image in games. Colours are more vibrant suddenly and details can be made out easily through the display. The device itself does not give you a dexterity or reactive advantage to games. But the games do look good, and if you are not a competitive gamer, you can live with that.
Battery Life
Battery life has not been Samsung’s strongest suite, we do admit to that. The Samsung Galaxy Note9, when we reviewed it, could give us a whole day of battery life and more. New updates have shortened its battery life a little bit though. At heavier usage patterns too, the Samsung Galaxy Note9’s battery life was shorter than expected.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs a large 4,500mAh battery. This is also the largest battery pack ever fitted to a Samsung Galaxy Note device. Which also means it should have a greater battery life than all its predecessors right? Yes, it does, but not by much.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra does have a slightly longer battery life than its predecessors. We used it as our main daily driver for a period of two weeks and I only had to scramble for power banks and charging ports in two occasions. One of which was because I was using the camera a lot from 9.00 a.m onward. In that case, the battery went down to 20% by about 2.00 p.m.
Of course, battery life was not just affected by the camera functions. It was also affected by our WhatsApp, Telegram, phone calls, and even hotspot usage on the device. Thank goodness for power banks.
On a day-to-day basis though, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra gets a fair amount of use for WhatsApp conversations, Telegram, Social Media updates and scrolling, some internet browsing, a few phone calls, and plenty of Spotify use with Bluetooth speakers and a certain Samsung Galaxy Buds (not like there is a 3.5mm jack anyway).
In that case, our battery could last us a whole workday and a little bit more. Just as long as you do not open your camera app too much or for too long. The 108-Megapixel camera array is surprisingly power hungry. Well, when we say surprisingly, it is a 108-Megapixel sensor after all, it needs to process 108 million pixels within the capacity of the device.
You can choose between a normal fast charge or super-fast charge too if you use the provided charging adapter with the provided USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable. The normal Fast Charge will allow you to charge your battery from nothing to full in about two hours. Super-fast charge on the other hand will charge your Galaxy Note20 Ultra in less than an hour, which is wickedly fast at 25W. But that is also extremely scary because the battery really heats up in that situation. You also need to keep in mind charging a battery that fast will degrade the battery faster over its shelf life.
Display
Speaking of the brilliant display which enhances the gaming experience, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra comes with, what we think is Samsung’s most advanced display yet. It is a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with 120Hz in refresh rate. By default, you are looking at Full HD 1080p resolution in your face. You can turn that up to QHD resolution if you want, but you drop refresh rate to 60Hz.
This is one area where we think Samsung should be criticized. Do not get us wrong though, the display is quite brilliant when it comes to its colour accuracy, saturation, brightness, and contrasts. We would like to see a QHD display that would work with 120Hz on Samsung’s end though. OPPO can do it, Samsung should be able too with their technology.
Sadly, we are limited to Full HD at 120Hz. We do somehow understand why though. At 120Hz, your display could be eating into your battery life more than usual. That also means that if you leave your device at QHD with 120Hz, you might drain the battery of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra in less than a workday, which is not what you want to do with a smartphone you want to keep around as a workhorse.
Still, at 6.9-inch, the differences between Full HD resolution and QHD resolution are minute enough that you might not notice them in the first place. What matters then is what you do not need to squint to see, colours and contrasts.
As we have previously mentioned, the Dynamic AMOLED display has improved quite tremendously on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. The blacks are still just as deep as any AMOLED display, and the white just as white and bright. But the other colours are now more natural, less painful and straining to the eyes.
It is impossible to see the difference between one display to another if you look at the devices individually though. You really must put devices side by side to see the difference in colours and textures. You can see the clear difference when you put the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra against the Samsung Galaxy Note9. The reds and yellows are vibrant enough on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra without straining the eyes.
Camera(s) – 108-Megapixel of Goodness
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra packs a large 108-Megapixel sensor at the back. It comes packing with a larger than usual lens too in that sense. Flanking the main camera is a 12-Megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 12-Megapixel telephoto camera. Out the front is a 10-Megapixel front-facing shooter, 2-Megapixel more than before.
The 108-Megapixel main shooter gets brilliant photos in proper lighting situations. The photos come out highly detailed in bright and vivid colours in proper daylight. Which also means you get properly good-looking photos. Of course, you can get RAW photos out of the camera as well if you want. By default, the device shoots JPEG images.
Of course, we mainly shoot in auto mode. You can turn on pro mode to have more control over the camera, but we never really saw a point to that in smartphones. In normal Photo mode and with its AI scene recogniser, the device does a good job at adjusting its own settings for the best photos.
Of course, with a bigger sensor than before and more Megapixel to work with, photos come out with more details. Even in normal photo mode you get a better depth detail from the main camera. Yes, it has something to do with the AI algorithm as well, but anything that makes the photos look better without extra hands is a welcome addition to any camera.
Ultra-Wide shots are still as impressive as before. To be fair though, not much has changed in this department, everything looks similarly saturated and pretty as wide-angle shots from the Samsung Galaxy devices that comes before. That may not necessarily be a bad thing though.
Probably the biggest difference, other than the overkill 108-Megapixel sensor, is the 12-Megapixel telephoto lens that gives us the ability to optically zoom up to 5x. You are still only getting 12-Megapixel photos, but when has 12-Megapixel become less than ideal or enough for photos you share on social media platforms? You can even get a 50x digital zoom on the telephoto, but I suspect that you might not do a lot of that; we know we do not. No, it does not do 100x zoom like the Galaxy S10 Ultra; what for? Who are you stalking?
With a big camera, comes a big frustration of focusing distances though. The 108-Megapixel camera comes with a slightly longer lens and therefore a longer focus distance. You have to be at least 50cm away from your subject now to get a good 108-Megapixel photo, which is quite ridiculous in our opinion. While it is nice to have a high-resolution image, it is frustrating to relearn what a good focus distance is. Although, autofocus is quite fast and near instant. You might not have the same problem with the lesser Samsung Galaxy Note20 though.
We are not very avid selfie takers. In other words, we are not good with selfies. I tend to make stupid faces more than anything with selfie cameras. That said, the 10-Megapixel camera on this thing is quite brilliant. Selfie has not been the Samsung Galaxy Note line-up’s strongest suite. The Samsung Galaxy Note10 Plus had a decent selfie camera with clever beauty mode, but it was not the best in the market and there are plenty of devices with better selfie modes.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra’s 10-Megapixel front facing camera is a big improvement though. It actually looks good an natural with light beauty mode. If you turn it all the way up, you will start looking a little unnatural, obviously. If you turn beauty mode completely off though, you get a nice wide-angle camera than can take a photo with multiple people in the shot. If you do not need the wide angle, the device cleverly crops the photo anyway and make it an 8-Megapixel shot.
Colour depth and detailing has improved on the front facing camera though. Colours come out more natural than before and plenty detailed than before. In short, selfies look good in the right hands, or stick.
The Elephant on the Back
There is one thing we are not very fond of, to be fair on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra. Yes, it is a feature – because you get a 108-Megapixel shooter out the back of the device, which is no bad thing. We will talk about the camera a little bit more later though.
What we want to centre around, in this section is the huge camera bump. It is more necessary than you think. There is no getting around the fact that it is humungous and quite ugly when you see it on the side. It is like looking at Squidward’s nose from the side of his face. We have berated the large bump in the design portion though, and now we are going to justify it.
The bump, in what we can tell, is a sort of a dome to separate the heat from the main board. You prevent burning out your main board thanks to the raised platform. It is supposed to help the cameras cool a little more too.
In the sense of keeping the camera operating at a cool temperature though, that does not work so well. After 10 minutes of photo taking or even videos, you do start feeling the heat on the camera bump. That heat quickly spreads through the device though, which is not a good sign for a smartphone that you might want to shoot videos with.
Of course, if you make a living with photos and videos, and you rely on cameras plenty, you might already have a dedicated camera for most of these purposes. If you are planning to fully rely on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, we recommend that you do not. In any case though, the device is still quite a capable one. Which brings us to the next point.
8K Videos in Your Pocket
8K video recording is something really new with consumer level devices. Not too long ago, 4K was still something that plenty of mid-range smartphones could not do. Now, we are moving toward 8K.
Of course, while we can start enjoying 8K resolution technology with the newest TVs and displays, there is not much 8K video contents to work with or enjoy at this time. Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra does not have one of those displays for us to enjoy 8K resolution contents on. The device only has a maximum of QHD resolution, that is quite plenty less resolution than 8K.
It does shoot 8K resolution videos, however. That also means that you can shoot and enjoy 8K resolution contents with the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra paired with a Samsung TV with 8K resolution. While that can happen, it does not necessarily mean that it is anywhere near affordable.
In that case even if you can shoot in 8K resolution, it does not mean you should. This is, of course, unless you are in video production houses and need that kind of resolution for cropping or zooming purposes. That extra resolution in production environment is quite appreciated and important at this point, especially if you settle with 4K published contents.
Even then, you, as a person that makes a living out of videos should already have your own gear to work with. In our case, we rarely produce 4K videos due to the huge file size, heavy load on our editing rigs, and the whole unnecessity of it. You can hardly get a 4K display on plenty of mobile devices and even the PC these days. In this case, shooting at 4K is way more plenty than enough to compensate for details lost when we zoom into videos or crop them for stabilisation purposes.
By default, the videos taken via the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is of Full HD 1080p quality. You can change that in the settings to take 4K and 8K resolutions. At 8K resolution though, image stabilisation does not work. That also means that you should consider spending on a new tripod or gimbal if you plan to shoot at 8K.
Still, if you shoot at 4K, stabilisation works nicely. It is not as silky smooth as we would like it to be. It would help if you do have a gimbal with you, but a moving video is not too jarring to follow with the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra – One Stop Shop Device
At MYR 5,199, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is an expensive device. To be fair, it is while it is a lot of money for a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is a lot of smartphone for that money. That does not mean that we could consciously recommend the device to all our friends.
We could even hardly justify it if we are buying the device for ourselves unless we get it on a carrier plan. But that is not saying that the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is not a good device. It is a great device that does set a few standards of its own.
For MYR 5,199, you are getting not just a smartphone. You are also getting an impressive package that turns to a camera when you need it to be, and even a PC if you have a dongle and monitor to pair with. Like we said, you are getting a lot of smartphone from MYR 5,199; more than a smartphone, to be fair.
We feel though that under regular circumstances you will not be able to fully utilise or take full advantage of the device. Sure, you get the power of a portable PC in your pockets. But unless you are going to fork out an extra MYR 1,000 or so to get a portable monitor and a wireless keyboard you can carry with you in your backpack, it will remain a smartphone. That is not even considering that you already have a reliable work notebook PC to go with already.
It shoots at 108-Megapixel and 8K videos, but with the amount of heat that comes from the camera, you might want to think twice of relying on this device as a main shoot device for a whole day. If you do rely on photography for work too, you most likely would have another camera that you are already relying on. While the 108-Megapixel camera on the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra is impressive, you are equipped enough with a regular 12-Megapixel shooter in your pockets.
In this case, while the retail of the device goes for MYR 5,199, you might be spending more than MYR 6,000 to make full use of the device. That is also considering that this remains the only smart device you own in your life, barring your notebook PCs, your cameras, or even tablets. Keep in mind also making this the only modern computing device and camera gear you own in your life also limits you to a lot of things. In reality then, it might make more sense to spend a little less on a smartphone, and more on other things that you could integrate in your life for a more complete digital experience.
Sure, it is nice to own a smartphone that can do everything. The question is do you really need it though? At the same time, are you wasting the device’s potential away by just keeping it in your pockets? We do have to say though, if you are asking the second question, you know that you should already be looking elsewhere for a smartphone.
With reviews dropping for the Galaxy S21 series today, we thought it would be better to take you through some of the first the impressions we got from the Samsung Galaxy S21 when we first started using it instead. We will, naturally, have a full review with an in-depth breakdown for you to get into the nitty gritty details of the phone.
The first thought that came into my mind when I held the Galaxy S21 is, “It’s back”. The latest iteration of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S series finally brings back the qualities that made the Samsung Galaxy S series stand out. Aside from the colour, the phone’s design gives you the impression that Samsung spent its time thinking up the S21.
It a subtle but loud design choice – a metallic accent on a glasstic body. After years of dealing with glass front and backs, the new approach is the breath of fresh air and new life that the series needed. While it may seem like a downgrade going from glass to glasstic, the Galaxy S21 still feels premium and is so much easier to hold in hand. The subtle curves of the back make the phone more palmable and easy to manoeuvre in one hand. It’s also just hefty enough.
The FHD+ AMOLED 2X display brings a pretty brilliant display. We say brilliant not to praise the display but to highlight that this display is plenty bright. Even under direct 11am sunlight, the screen was still legible. We haven’t really noticed the difference with adaptive refresh rate just yet – but rest assured, it’ll be one of the main points in our in-depth review.
Aside from the visuals, it really feels like Samsung took the time to think out this flagship and deliver an experience that is well rounded. The speakers are loud! Even watching Instagram videos on the Galaxy S21 can be risky business (especially if you’re on a video call!). Even at 30% volume, the phone was audible about 3 to 5 meters away. It’s a pretty good indication of the media experience you’ll be getting from the device.
That said, the first 24 hours is usually about the batter and the setup for us. The battery on the Galaxy S21 is actually pretty small – considering the size of the other devices in the series. However, while size does matter, the Galaxy S21 is still able to impress with its battery life. After charging it up to 100%, the battery lasted a good 40 hours before it needed to be charged. The 40 hours included the setup process and the downloading of apps needed on the device. After which, it was swiftly put to a barrage of gaming, YouTube, Instagram and TIDAL. This bodes really well for battery life on the S21 moving forward.
The setup process is pretty straight forward. Samsung asks you to sign in to your Google account and you Samsung account. You can restore your device from either service. Of course, if you’re jumping or upgrading from another Samsung device, you get everything – including your home screen layout transferred over. Something that not many other manufacturers are doing. That said, we didn’t setup the S21 with a back up instead we opted to set it up from scratch. It took us roughly 30 minutes to get all our apps downloaded and all the relevant emails synced. The time from the start of the setup excluding setting up email accounts on a new app and downloading apps was about 10 minutes. Not too bad considering not many of us would like to baby the phone while it updates.
You’ll have to wait when it comes to the camera. We’re definitely excited to see what Samsung has in store there. However, barring that, the Galaxy S21 is definitely hitting the right notes when it comes to a flagship. It seems to be somewhat of a return to form for the Galaxy S series.
Samsung’s big launch of the second half of 2020 came with a big announcement too. It came with the big announcement of their follow up to their very innovative 2019 product, the Samsung Galaxy Fold. They now call it the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, basically to align the device to the newly introduced Samsung Galaxy Z series line-up with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is a completely different beast though. It is not a nostalgic keepsake that is bringing back a very popular smartphone design language that is the flip mobile phone. It is not technically new in its form factor too. Well, technically because it is a successor to the 2019 Samsung Galaxy Fold.
This is not just a mere minor product update from the older foldable device though. This looks like a complete overhaul of the device. This feels more like a major evolution, rather than an improvement.
Picking up the Z Fold2
The evolution is apparent from the moment you pick up the device from the box. It feels untypically heavy. Untypical, because you are used to the near weightless feel from Samsung’s vast portfolio of flagship smartphones.
The first touch feels solid, robust; more so than the old Samsung Galaxy Fold. It feels like a product you can properly chuck in your bag when you need to. It feels complete, unlike the ‘prototype’ that was the Samsung Galaxy Fold. It feels substantial, cold, durable.
The first fold did not feel like a mechanism breaking maneuver. That first fold motion does not feel like you are breaking the ‘Glastic’ in to prepare it for even more folds that the display is going to do in its lifetime. The first fold feels tight and satisfying too, nothing fearful or doubtful.
We love the Mystic Bronze colour option. Somehow, the black does not accentuate the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2’s design characteristics enough. Somehow, the Mystic Bronze highlights the odd glossy chromed lining that runs down the center of the device at the back (opened). It accentuates the proportions of the device and somehow frames it beautifully.
The brushed aluminium on the sides adds a contrast to the whole body. It adds some needed texture for better grip, of course. But its contrasting finish also hides the size, or thickness of its body, especially when its folded in. No 3.5mm jack in sight; just dual speakers, USB Type-C, mic ports, rocker and power buttons, and a SIM tray on the sides.
Fold the device and the center line splits to reveal a very pretty, very classy looking chromed housing for the folding mechanism. It closes with a satisfying thud. You know the inner display is protected by a screen protector and a raised bezel with a recessed panel. There are also some little plastic nubs to prevent the sides to completely crash into each other.
Then you unfold it, because you want to set it up for the first time. The back is now a split of a proper glass back and glass protected front secondary display. It feels weird to say that the display on the outside, that is supposed to be tougher and more protected than the inner display is a secondary display here. It is what it is though, with the device opened and spread out to its full glory, the back is made up for the secondary display under a glossed up glass, and the Mystic Bronze matte finish of the main back plate only disturbed by a protruding camera module.
That bulge is quite disturbing on a flat surface though. The device also does not come with a case out-of-the-box for the device, so you might want to consider getting an OEM case for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. Go for something good, you have spent a good deal of money to get your hands on the device, do not cheap out on the case.
Then you turn it on to set it up for the first time, you rely on its inner display, of course. While it is the same set-up process that comes with any other Samsung device, you feel like you are looking at a completely new set-up experience. Part of that is due to the fact that Samsung bombards you with the ‘dos and do nots’ of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2. But most of it is because you are looking at a much larger display than usual. Not quite tablet display, but not quite smartphone as well.
Everything is the same as when you set up your Samsung for the first time though. We have the benefit of having an older Samsung smartphone to switch from, so Samsung Smart Switch is the way to go. You can get Samsung Smart Switch to work on other devices to, for you to transfer the data from those older devices to a Samsung device.
Larger Than Life
I personally remembered mentioning that the Samsung Galaxy Note series was ‘larger than life’. That was because the Samsung Galaxy Note series, at the time, boasts displays bigger than most smartphones features. The display on a Samsung Galaxy Note series, at that time, borders that of a tablet. Hence the word ‘phablet’ was used to describe the older generation Samsung Galaxy Note devices.
The main display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 is even bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Note series though. Unfolded, the screen measures 7.6-inch. It is not a mere Full HD+ screen too. It is a high-resolution 2,208 by 1,768 pixels of Dynamic AMOLED 2X goodness. The other display is still quite large at 6.2-inch but only features Super AMOLED and 2,280 by 816 pixels, in the region of HD+ territory.
There is nothing to complain about up front though, it is a much bigger and much more functional screen than before. The only issue I have with it is how narrow it is. While I have smaller hands and thinner fingers, typing on the narrower display is still quite a nightmare. We can talk about that a little later though. We focus on the bigger picture now, the inside flexible display.
Flexible display is not necessarily a new technology. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2, in fact, features the same type of flexible display that the Samsung Galaxy Fold had. The improved the panel and its working tremendously though. The mechanism feels more solid, looks more substantial, and more industrial. There are no more gaps between panels, as they have harshly learnt from their past product. The mechanism is closer to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip than the older Galaxy Fold, to be fair.
The nice thing is that Samsung managed to retain the almost bezel free look that most devices feature today but still have enough bezel to raise a protective barrier for the highly sensitive display. They also managed to fit a punch hole camera instead oof that awkwardly placed notch on the older device. The drawback is that there is only one front-facing camera here instead of two. It is an overall improvement though with less wasted screen real estate.
While the display is that large, videos can hardly take full advantage because of the oddly proportioned display. In the case of YouTube, where you can view the videos either in horizontal or vertical mode, it feels like there is nearly no difference in viewing videos in both forms. Of course, when you put the videos in full horizontal mode, you get an inch more than you get on the normal vertical viewing layout. You hardly notice though, because there are such big black bars on top and bottom of the display.
If you want to watch your videos without holding the device at an angle, you do not need a kickstand. Simply fold the Galaxy Z Fold2 a little bit to create a natural stand. But your YouTube video will shrink to fill one half of the display. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video does not have this feature.
Flipping the device like that also gives us the ability to type messages horizontally with more keyboard space. Samsung’s default keyboard layout when the device is open is a split key mechanism that we actually like very much. We think that it makes sense so that you do not have to reach too far into the middle of the device when typing horizontally. It sort of protects the tender middle of the display in vertical typing mode. Keep in mind though that typing horizontally on Whatsapp will not allow you to see the chat window, that works on Telegram and almost any other app though.
One thing you want to keep in mind if you want to keep your device angled is that the device is back heavy. That also means that your device will tend to rest on the camera side. In this case, if you did not get a case for your Galaxy Z Fold2, the left side of the device will be slightly raised.
Large, but Compact
The large screen folds away to a smaller 6.2-inch display as we mentioned earlier. Technically you get about half the display real estate compared to what is tucked away inside. You get an ultra-narrow workspace and home screen up front. What is nice about this layout is that you can have a completely different home screen on your secondary display compared to what you have on your main display.
You can set up the front display to be a quick access page to things you want to quickly access like calls, messaging, WhatsApp maybe, camera app, or clock. Whatever tickles your fancy can be on that home screen, just like a normal Android home screen. You just have to keep in mind that the display is narrower than even the modern regular small smartphone.
That also means that your keyboard layout is massively compressed and extra small. As mentioned, I had a lot of trouble typing on the front display quickly and accurately. There will always be some sort of typo in every word that I type because the display is so small. Of course, flipping it horizontally helps with typing, but the keyboard will take up at least half the screen at that point. The horizontal layout mimics the keyboard layout when you open to the main display though, which is nice.
The front display though is quite perfect for single handed use, especially when you are out and about. The size of the device in its folded form fits perfectly in your pockets. It is a little on the thick side, we admit, but it still does fit nicely in the pockets, which is all we ask for.
You do not have to watch your YouTube or Netflix videos on the inner display, as it turns out. The secondary display works just fine with all sorts of videos. You get the benefit of making the back plate a stand and just angle the display a little bit for a more comfortable viewing angle on the desk.
We do not think that the secondary display would be as useful or as regularly used as the main display at home just because it is so much smaller and so much more difficult to type on. You will have to keep the device folded to answer calls though. The only earpiece of the device is sitting on top of the secondary display. Imagine if the earpiece was placed on the inside as well.
There is no transition that we can find from the inner display to the outside display though. As far as we know the display locks when you close the display. Which also means you have to turn on the device again if you want to purely use the front display.
4,500mAh Battery – That Cannot Possibly be Enough
When we first heard that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 comes with a 4,500mAh battery, we started getting concerned on its battery consumption. Remember you are powering two displays and up to five cameras. How the same battery pack you find on a Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra going to help you keep the device running the entire day?
We cannot comment too much here though, we need more time to do a proper review of its battery life. We can report to you that 4,500mAh could be just enough to keep you running from morning to at least after work. Not on your first day with the device though.
Your first set up will take some time if you use Samsung’s Smart Switch. You want to wait for everything to be transferred and installed properly. That is going to take some battery life already unless you leave it plugged in. The next thing you will do is start downloading all the other apps that has not yet been installed already. You are going to start setting up your Google apps, check if your emails are coming in properly, see if all your necessary accounts like Netflix, Prime Video, and such are signed in and working.
There are going to be apps that are not transferred from the older device and you might want to go through Google’s Play Store to install them. Because the display is now much bigger, you might want to play new games on it too. You are going to be on your device for the whole day just to see what its like to do everything.
That is the thing though. If you rely on your battery, you are going to run out of battery by the end of your lunch hour. Thankfully charging is relatively quick, though I do feel that it should be a little faster. Still, getting it from nothing to full in less than 2 hours is not bad at all. You can at least keep it plugged in at work.
24 Hours with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 – We Are Not Sure Just yet
This is a piece of kit that we find cool, to be honest. It is unique, innovative, and it feels like a proper Samsung product; a quality product. At the same time though it costs MYR 7,999. That also means that it could be gimmicky, and obnoxious as a product. If you do buy one, you are making a statement too.
To be fair, we do see potential of this type of form factor in the competitive world of the smartphone industry. We do think that this sort of device has a place somewhere in the world if Samsung keeps at it and probably add S Pen functionality to it. The stylus is a little bit much to ask at this point of time, I know. Technology has not caught up to that request just yet, we understand.
The thing is though, we do not know if we would tell anyone to buy this device. What is wrong with a Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra? What is wrong with an Apple iPhone, for that matter? It is a novelty though, this piece. It is an exquisite piece of engineering we cannot find anywhere, and that is important to keep in mind as we review the device.
We have not explored its capabilities and functions fully just yet. We are just peeling off that first layer of fascination you always have when you get a new smartphone or gadget. Would we change our minds completely on this device? Stay tuned to our review.
