Samsung is no stranger to foldables. The company already has more foldables out in the market than any other company out there. This year, the company is doubling down on foldables touting it as the new normal for smartphones. The Galaxy Z series is now Samsung’s new flagship line up which will bring their vision of foldable smartphones to the mainstream. Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Galaxy Z Flip3 are iterative updates that up the ante in what Samsung calls a “meaningful way”.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 looks to be coming in to fill in the void left by the Galaxy Note this year. Samsung is gearing the Fold3 to be the next productivity powerhouse in its arsenal. Similar to previous Z Fold smartphones, the Fold3 comes with two screens: a 6.2-inch cover screen with a 24.5:9 aspect ratio and a larger 7.6-inch display with a 22.5:18 aspect ratio. The two screens strike the delicate balance of being accessible with a large display. Both displays are Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Big Innovations Unfold with the Fold3
The biggest change to the Galaxy Z Fold3 comes with the inclusion of a digitizer in the smartphone. Both the cover and main displays of the Z Fold3 come with digitizers that enable S Pen functionality. What changed with this year’s Fold? Samsung and Wacom worked together to adapt digitizer technology for a new form factor. We say new form factor because, as the company highlighted, a flexible display will continuously bend which can damage the digitizer. So, Samsung and Wacom opted to use two separate digitizers for each side of the phone while filling in the gap at the hinge with an algorithm which allows the phone to seamless detect movement and usage.
Source: Samsung
Together with the integration of the digitizer, Samsung and Wacom also developed a unique S Pen specifically for the Galaxy Z Fold3. The new S Pen Fold Edition comes with design and function changes which allow all the S Pen functionality while preserving the softer, foldable display. The first change is the replacement of the sharp, pointed tip with a rounded one for use on the softer display. The S Pen Fold Edition also has an internal spring to preserve the sensitivity that S Pen users are accustomed to. Latency is also improved on the new S Pen.
In addition to the S Pen, the Galaxy Fold3 is also the first Samsung smartphone to feature an under display camera. The main front facing camera is now hidden behind the pixels of the main screen. The 4-megapixel sensor only appears when it is in active use. Otherwise, it remains hidden behind the pixels of the content on screen giving users a seamless, uninterupted experience.
Powered for Play, Optimized for Productivity
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold3 is running on the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform. The 5nm processor has already proven its prowess in both power efficiency and performance this year. In the Fold3, it’s paired with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. The trifecta promises smooth performance even when it comes to multitasking – which the Fold3’s large screen is built for.
However, it’s not all about the raw power when it comes to the Z Fold3. Samsung has also introduced optimisation to One UI 3 in the smartphone. They have redesigned a number of apps to have better optimisations for the larger main screen of the smartphone. Apps like the calendar app have more functional layouts which maximise the screen to allow better usage. These optimisations are not just limited to Samsung apps. Samsung has collaborated with a number of partners including Spotify, TikTok and YouTube to optimise their apps for the Fold’s unique form factor.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
When it comes to the cameras, the Galaxy Fold3 comes with a triple sensor setup. This year it comes with three 12-megapixel sensors: wide angle dual pixel, ultra wide angle and telephoto. The cover camera is a 10-megapixel sensor.
Pricing & Availability
The Z Fold 3 will cost USD$1,799 (MYR7,632.64*). It will be available in Phantom Black, Phantom Green, and Phantom Silver
The Galaxy Z Fold3 will be available for pre-order in select markets starting from 11 August, 2021. It will be on shelves starting August 27, 2021. A limited edition Thom Browne edition of the smartphone will be available at the same time. It will come in matte white with silver accents.
Official Specifications
Source: Samsung
*USD to MYR conversions taken from xe.com at the rate of USD$1= MYR4.23955 on 12 August 2021 at 1am.
Samsung’s biggest Unpacked event for the year 2021 is happening tonight (11th August 2021). We say tonight because we are in Malaysia at +0800 GMT and the event will go live at 10.00 p.m. local time. It is also one of the most exciting Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event for a few reasons.
1. No Notes
Samsung has made a name for itself in the innovation industry. They introduced their Galaxy line-up 10 years ago with the first Samsung Galaxy S that went on the be one of the best-selling, if not the best-selling smartphone in its day. It showed what and Android smartphone is capable of in the hands of an experienced mobile phone manufacturer. It propelled Samsung into the limelight of modern smartphone world too.
A year later they introduced a smartphone that was heavily criticized by pundits around the world. It was a humungous device that comes with an accessory that was thought to be dead, or rather old fashioned. The first Samsung Galaxy Note was not received very well at all initially (I liked the idea though). But the Galaxy Note line-up was later known as one of the devices that really defined Samsung as a smartphone brand and sealed its hold of the Android smartphone market.
Sadly, we are not going to be getting any new Samsung Galaxy Note devices this year. As per Samsung’s reports from the end of 2020 and early 2021, the Samsung Galaxy Note series will be laid to rest and will be discontinued. There are still rumours surfacing around a final Samsung Galaxy Note device coming in 2022, but we are not entirely hopeful. This is the first time as well in 10 years that Samsung is not launching a Samsung Galaxy Note device for the year.
2. Folding and Flipping into the Future
While we may not be getting Samsung’s behemoth of the Galaxy Note, they are replacing the line-up with two larger than life devices though. They are replacing the Galaxy Note line-up with two foldable devices: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip series. As with any one of Samsung’s innovative devices, these two series have had their fair share of hardships and critics.
While most of the flaws of the first product was sort of corrected when Samsung launched their Galaxy Z Flip device in the same year, its price point is still higher than any flagship device that came before. It was not as stacked, in terms of specifications, as the other flagships around it too. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 last year fixed even more of the Galaxy Fold’s flaw, but it was still the most expensive mass-produced smartphone you can get in 2020.
Thing is Samsung is betting its future in foldable devices. Since Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Fold in 2019, other smartphone manufacturers have started taking notice. Since then, Motorola made the new Razr with a foldable display, HUAWEI also made their foldable line-up (2020) to mimic the form factor of the Samsung Galaxy Fold, OnePlus teased a foldable device just today, and even OPPO is jumping to the bandwagon of a shapeshifting smartphone with rollable displays.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
There are still plenty of unknowns surrounding the new behemoth flagship that is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Like we pointed out, Samsung is betting on foldable devices. The S Pen feature remains a Samsung special though, as we saw on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
That same S Pen capability is touted to be coming to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold line-up too. It makes sense, since the device opens to a large form factor device that would mimic a tablet. Although we are not entirely sure if the S Pen storage is integrated within the body of the Z Fold 3.
The Z Fold 3 is expected to pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G System on a Chip (SoC). Although we would also like to see Samsung’s own Exynos SoC powering the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3; chances are, we are only going to be seeing a new Exynos chip in the coming year 2022 instead on the Samsung Galaxy S22, or whatever they decide to name the next device. The Snapdragon 888 5G SoC is considered the most powerful chip available for Android devices though, so it may not necessarily be a bad thing.
It will also come with up to 12GB of RAM, as we have seen on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Alongside the ample sized RAM is storage choices from 256GB onward to 512GB. It might make sense for Samsung to up the ante this time with 1TB storage though, since there will be no MicroSD support for the device.
Like the previous Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, there are two displays you can work with on the Z Fold 3, obviously. One is an external display that is supposed to measure at 6.2-inch covered by durable gorilla glass and producing a little more than 720p in terms of resolution. You get a 7.6-inch in display real estate that boasts a little more that QHD+ in resolution inside. Of course, each of the display gets their own punch hole cameras.
Like the older device too, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is supposed to come with a triple camera array that is reportedly packing three 12-megapixel sensors for different functions. This is not a device made for ultimate photography, so that is quite understandable.
In terms of battery, it seems like Samsung might have shrunk it a little bit. The previous Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 had a 4,500mAh battery. While it seems like it makes more sense to fit a similarly sized battery on the upcoming foldable, Samsung is looking to put a 4,400mAh battery to keep its weight down. It could also be an indication to an S Pen cargo hold.
There are also rumours pointing to multiple versions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, which also means there might be a more affordable option for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. That is good news if Samsung is planning to bet its future on the foldable devices.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
We are also expecting to see a certain clamshell device to make the event tonight. It is the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip we saw in 2019 too. Instead of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2, they jumped straight into naming the upcoming device the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. As we have discussed in our podcast, it could be because Samsung treated the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G as its second-generation model. It could also to simplify Samsung’s product range and their naming scheme.
More recent leaks show that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 device will be more of lifestyle-centric device. It is supposed to come in more colours than before with a more industrial and minimalistic design language. Apparently also, the device is supposed to come with a larger and more functional external display compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip’s.
Of course, the Z Flip 3 will still command a reasonably premium pricing. You are still getting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G platform. You are also supposed to be getting up to 8GB in RAM and 256GB in storage.
You should get a similarly sized internal display at 6.7-inch that boasts Full HD+ resolutions with up to 120Hz in refresh rate. We do not expect the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 to come with S Pen capabilities though. Because the device is supposed to be more pocketable than the Z Fold 3, it will come with a rather small 3,300mAh battery and also two cameras on the outside rather than the three you get on the Z Fold 3.
3. New Wear OS in the form of One UI for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch Active 4
Source: Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is supposed to be coming, and for the first time ever, it does not come with Samsung’s own Tizen OS for the Galaxy Watch. It is also the first smartwatch to come with Google’s brand-new Wear OS 3, albeit in a Samsung Galaxy flavour.
Samsung calls the new UI the One UI. They have also confirmed that One UI is based on Google’s latest Wear OS 3. It is also the culmination of Samsung and Google’s partnership to creating a unified Android smartwatch ecosystem. In some sense, it is Google’s attempt to not just improve Wear OS, it is Google finally taking wearable devices seriously.
Wear OS 3 is touted to come with a slew of improvements not just on its own functions. With Samsung’s input from the success of their Tizen OS for wearable series, there are new functions that are integrated into Wear OS as well. At the same time, Samsung and Google Both benefit from an expansion in terms of developer base.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series is supposed to come with Samsung’s very own Exynos SoC with 5nm process. That also means that it should be Samsung’s most powerful smartwatch so far. At the same time, the new SoC is supposed to allow for a longer lasting battery alongside Wear OS 3.
Reportedly, there are supposed to be more sensors withing the watch for even more accurate health tracking with even more data that can be collected. One such sensor is supposed to be able to detect your blood sugar level.
In term of design though, we are expecting the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series, including its Active counterpart, to come in similar design languages as before. The rotating bezel that acts as a navigation tool should also make a comeback in the Watch 4 series. Of course, the two physical buttons will not be going away anytime soon.
There are supposed to be three sizes that users can choose from in the range. There will be a 42mm, a 44mm, and 46mm watch sizes that should fit a larger variety of users and preferences instead of the two 42mm and 46mm choices from before. All of them comes with 20mm lugs though, for standardisation purposes. They are also supposed to come in either aluminium or stainless-steel build material choices. Either builds will still be 5ATM water resistant and MIL-STC-810G certified though.
4. One UI 4.0 on Android 12
Android 12 has been on beta testing mode for a while now. Google is expecting the first Android 12 devices to be rolling out in September 2021 onward. They are even updating their Google Pixel devices in about the same time frame, which also means we can expect Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 to come with Android 12 with their very own iconic One UI 4.0 flavour.
One UI, if you are not yet familiar with it, is Samsung’s custom skin on top on Android. While One UI started out its early life as TouchWiz UI, the new One UI design language has been dialed back from TouchWiz UX that technically existed since the first Samsung Galaxy S. One UI, while sort of retains some of the old charm from TouchWiz UX, is a completely different beast of an overlay though.
It cleans up the UX to the point that it is near barebones on top of Android. Of course, to ensure that Android on Samsung Galaxy devices takes full advantage of what Samsung’s devices are capable of, One UI still has to add some functionalities to Android as well.
The look and feel of One UI, in the Android world at least, is one that is quite unique to Samsung though, and one of the most intuitive out there. Thanks to Samsung’s own optimisation as well, you cannot possibly think using a Samsung device without the power of One UI. It is especially true when you start working with devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Note series.
One UI 4.0 though will focus on bringing the best out Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip capabilities. It will optimise Android to the odd display aspect ratio on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 for example. One UI 4.0 will also expand on the multitasking capabilities of Android 12 on the foldable devices, obviously.
Of course, One UI 4.0 does not only highlight the benefits of Samsung’s foldable devices. It will also embrace Android’s Material You design language. In that sense it should be even more customisable for its users. The amount of customisation should reflect very well on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. No two devices you pick up will be the same.
5. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds started out life as the Samsung IconX. The IconX also kickstarted the whole True Wireless earphones (TWS) industry on its own. It also put Samsung on a path to becoming a one stop shop for all things mobile and seamless integration for Android devices. It spawned the Samsung Galaxy Buds in 2019.
Since then, there has been many iterations that comes from the humble Samsung Galaxy Buds. While capturing completely different markets, the Samsung Galaxy Buds was often compared to its Apple competition, the AirPods. Since then, the TWS earphones market has grown tremendously too, in terms of market size, demand, and even technology.
The new Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 is supposed to feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology. It is also reportedly an improved ANC technology that came on Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro. In that sense, there are also more ANC controls on Samsung’s Wearable app too. The ANC is supposed to be capable of blocking out 98% of noise.
In its IPX7 rated body (supposedly) is a powerful 11mm driver and 6.5mm tweeter. It also houses a battery that sllows the Galaxy Buds 2 to last up to 5 hours from a single charge. Its case is supposed come with three extra charges to give it 20 hours of total battery life. We are also expecting Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 to connect to smartphones via Bluetooth 5.2.
All Will be Revealed Tonight at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021
Source: Samsung
Of course, everything we have written here is a collection of speculations and even hopes that Samsung addresses problems with their older devices. We are extremely excited about Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 with Google Wear OS for the first time. It is also the first time we are looking at Google Wear OS 3 with Samsung’s input.
Everything will be revealed and announced tonight at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021 though. Of course, due to the current pandemic situation, Samsung will not be holding a LIVE physical event. Instead, they will be holding the global press conference online. You can watch Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event LIVE on YouTube. We are also including the stream link here, so that you can just watch the announcement here.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 was quite a brilliant device. We reviewed it, and we have plenty of good things to say about the device. Of course, no device is perfect; we had a few things we did not like too much on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 as well. For example, we did not particularly like how it was priced. Then again, it is a one-of-a-kind device.
Since the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 was released and reviewed though, everyone talks about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, its predecessor. When the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 launched too, there is another smartphone device that the crowd was wondering about – the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2, a certain follow up to Samsung’s brilliant first flip smartphone with a foldable touch display.
Samsung just released a new visual for an upcoming Galaxy event. Alongside the very telling visual is also a date; 11th August 2021. Indeed, Samsung confirms that the next Galaxy Unpacked event will happen in August 2021 and on the 11th of the month.
The upcoming August Unpacked event should be a big one though. While the previous August Unpacked events have been a Samsung Galaxy Note event, this will be the first August Unpacked event that will not have a Samsung Galaxy Note device announced. We all knew this day would come though; the day that Samsung cancels the Samsung Galaxy Note series. Of course, it was rumoured for some time now. We were also expecting that Samsung releases one last Galaxy Note device in 2021, but the whole global situation had other plans and Samsung had scrapped that plan and might show up with one last Galaxy Note in 2022.
Back into the Galaxy Unpacked event and its visual. While Samsung did not mention that they are going to be launching a new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and a Z Flip device, all rumours points to the devices being launched. Rumours and expectations are also pointing to new Samsung Galaxy Watch devices launching in the event itself. The visuals does confirm some of the rumours and expectations of the event with two silhouettes of Samsung’s famous foldable and flip devices.
The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is expected to come with all-new, all-improved internals. There are some talks about beefing up the display’s integrity and adding S Pen capabilities to the device as well. That could very well mean that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 2 might get S Pen capabilities too. Although, with Samsung’s move with the S Pen being a separate accessory for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, that would most likely be the case with the foldable devices too.
For what its worth though, you can expect Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 2 to be beasts. The devices are rumoured to pack Samsung’s latest chip technology and innovation. You can expect at least Samsung Galaxy S21 levels of hardware in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 at least. The only issue is that we still expect the prices to be in the regions of what we saw in last year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. At least we are getting chargers in the package this time, right? We are getting the charging adapter in the box, right Samsung?
It has been nearly a month since Google’s I/O keynote. In that same time, we were reeling back from the shock we got from the keynote itself about Google and Samsung joining hands to co-develop Android Wear moving forward. That announcement also means that Samsung is abandoning their Tizen OS for future Galaxy Watches. It also seems like Samsung might give up on the idea of their own unique looking UI on their smart watches with the announcement. Now, it does not seem so.
They call it the One UI, and yes, it is based on Google’s Android Wear UI. At least according to Samsung, One UI is developed and built jointly with Google for the Galaxy Watch platform. It is meant to be a unified platform that combines the best of both Google’s wearable platform and Samsung’s Watch platform.
All this is meant to create a Galaxy Watch experience that is familiar but somewhat new to users. But at the same time, the new One UI platform is designed to be more integrated with your Android smartphones as well. That also means that you get a more unified experience between your smartphone and your Galaxy Watch.
Source: Samsung
With the new One UI, the Galaxy Watch responds almost simultaneously with your Android smartphone. For example, if you change the information you want on your clock app on your smartphone, the changes will be reflected on your Watch as well. When you download apps with a complementing app for the Watch, your Watch downloads and installs the complementing apps at the same time too. When you block calls or messages from your smartphone, that gets directly translated on your Watch as well.
The biggest difference between the older Tizen OS powered Galaxy Watch and the new upcoming One UI powered Galaxy Watch is where you get your apps. One UI gets all its apps from Google’s trusty Play store. That should be good news to Galaxy Watch users though. It means you get access to popular apps like Google Maps, and YouTube music, finally.
Samsung is not the only one that gets the benefits of this partnership though. Samsung is bringing their clever watch face design tool for developers into the Android Wear ecosystem. That also means that designing watch faces for Android Wear is even easier now. More watch faces is always better, especially if you can get great looking watch faces from the Galaxy Watch ecosystem.
Source: Samsung
Of course, the new One Ui unified platform from the Samsung and Google partnership will be featured in the new upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch device. The full functionalities of One UI will also be announced and showcased in the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event. There are already leaks of how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 floating around on the internet, and all of those gets us more excited about Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 that is coming soon.
Qualcomm has been teasing their Snapdragon platform to run on PC and Windows for a while now. To be fair, the possibility of having a Snapdragon SoC running Windows is not such a far-fetched idea. The processing chips that have been staple for Android, at least on the flagships, are already as powerful, if not more powerful than a regular CPU made by Intel and AMD. They are also a lot more power efficient, which also means that it runs cooler and benefits battery life.
While they have been teasing, there are no notable products to put the concept into practice. The closest we got to a modern Qualcomm Snapdragon compute platform on Windows is the JOI Book SK3000, an attempt at creating an affordable notebook by a Malaysian firm. To be fair, we see a lot of potential from that attempt, even if they are using a somewhat dated System on a Chip (SoC) that was not even made for Windows.
Today though, all that is about to change with Samsung’s introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Book Go. The new Galaxy Book Go comes in three variants too, for good measure. The regular Galaxy Book Go can be fitted with LTE connectivity, but there is a 5G variant. Naturally, two variants also mean two different SoCs. The standard Galaxy Book Pro with or without LTE comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 platform and the Galaxy Book Pro 5G comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 platform.
Source: Samsung
Again, because the power consumption requirements are lower than before, the notebook is touted to have an all-day battery life. Even if you need to plug it into a wall socket, your 25W charger should be larger than a smartphone charger. Thanks to USB Type-C too, you can charge your smartphone using the same charger. All of that also, while remaining constantly connected to the internet.
It features a 14-inch Full HD display with slim bezels to fit a body that is likened to an old 13-inch notebook. eUFS memory (up to 128GB) also means that you get instant boot and load speeds from the Galaxy Book Go. With up to 8GB of RAM, Windows 10 should be running nicely without too much strain. On top of all of that is Dolby Atmos certified speakers for all kinds of entertainment needs.
All of that power is packed into a body that is 14.9mm thick, or thin, depending on how you look at it. It could be thinner, but they do need a little bit of space to fit a full-sized USB Type-A port on the side of the Galaxy Book Go. Still, it only weighs 1.38kg and it does not need a fan to run a whole day.
Source: Samsung
It is very much a Samsung product though with Galaxy ecosystem a part of the Samsung Galaxy Book Go. The Galaxy Book Go works nicely with Link to Windows and Microsoft’s Your Phone app on your Android device. With Smart Switch also, you can easily transfer settings from your old PC to the Galaxy Book Go quickly and easily. There is even SmartThings built into the Galaxy Book Go for all kinds of IoT use at home.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Go Wi-Fi and LTE will be available in select market June 2021 onward. The selected markets does not include Malaysia at this time though. If you are in a market where the Samsung Galaxy Book Go with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 platform is available, it starts at US$ 349 (MYR 1,439*). The Samsung Galaxy Book Go 5G variant will be available sometime later in the year 2021. For more information on the Samsung Galaxy Book Go and other Samsung products, you can visit their website.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.12 as of 03/06/2021 on xe.com
Samsung’s brilliant Galaxy S8 series is now a four-year-old flagship smartphone. Four years, in today’s standards, is a long time to own a smartphone and keep it running as your daily driver. The Samsung Galaxy S8 was different though.
The Galaxy S8 series was the first smartphone from Samsung that came out from the drama that was the Samsung Galaxy Note7 series. It was also Samsung’s first foray into the ultra-thin bezel design language with edge-to-edge displays fronting the devices. While the overall design of the device has not changed that much though, it was one good-looking high-end device and feels it too.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus was also Samsung’s first device to come with Android 7.0. But it was not the Samsung that we were used too as well with a complete overhaul of the iconic Samsung interface. The Samsung Galaxy S8 series was the first Samsung One UI device ever, and Samsung never looked back. To be fair, we never looked back into TouchWiz UI too, with good reasons.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ has now officially been removed from Samsung’s security updates page altogether. Last year, they have been removed from monthly update list to quarterly update list. That means also that your Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ will remain as it is from this point onward.
It is not the entire Samsung Galaxy S8 line-up that gets the axe though. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and S8 Lite will still be getting quarterly and biannual updates for now. The Galaxy S8 active and Galaxy S8 Lite was launched a little later than the main flagship models launched in the 1st quarter of 2017.
In that case, while you might be tempted to swap the Samsung Galaxy S8 devices for a newer device, you might want to keep in mind that the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still great devices in today’s standards. We are not saying you should not upgrade, because we think you should take a look at today’s flagships and get what tickles your fancy through the highly competitive smartphone plans from your favourite telco. The Samsung Galaxy S8 still can be used as your secondary device for example. You could even turn it into your IoT controller or sensor if you want to with Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling at Home programme.
With the removal of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ from the supported updates list, comes a slew of changes too to other devices being moved from regular monthly updates to quarterly and biannual updates from this point onward. True to Samsung’s words, firmware updates for their devices are kept to about 4 years. As we mentioned earlier, four years is a long time for a modern smartphone. Four years update cycle is also longer than most manufacturers in the industry currently. To check if your Samsung Galaxy device is still supported and updated, check out their updates website.
Samsung’s April 2021 Galaxy Unpacked event saw the new Samsung Galaxy Book devices with Samsung’s Galaxy integration. While you can spec them with NVIDIA’s GeForce MX450 discrete GPU, they are not really made for gaming though. For proper gaming, you need something a bit more powerful, a bit beefier. You need a Samsung Galaxy Book Odyssey gaming notebook.
The Odyssey namesake from Samsung is technically nothing new. Their very popular gaming monitor line-up bears that coveted name. Now that name comes to a gaming notebook and it seems like a no-brainer. At the same time, it is a little bit of a surprise too.
While Samsung has dabbled in gaming, they have only been dabbling in the display part of gaming. They produced the desirable Odyssey G9 ultra-wide gaming monitor, and recently made TVs that supports up to 120Hz for the next-generation gaming consoles. Still, they are no newbies to the video games industry.
Source: Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Book Odyssey is a little odd though. It is not meant to be the most powerful gaming PC out there. It could come packing Intel’s most powerful mobile based CPU, the 11th Generation Core i7, but it does not come with NVIDIA’s most powerful GPU in their mobile GPU ecosystem. Instead, Samsung took this opportunity to introduce the world to a brand new NVDIA GPU that is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti.
There is not much in terms of information on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti though. In our books, the GeForce RTX 3050 and RTX 3050Ti looks like replacement models to the older GeForce GTX 1660 and GeForce GTX 1660Ti discreet GPUs made for entry-level gaming PCs. In effect, the Samsung Galaxy Book Odyssey is made to be an entry-level gaming PC. In that sense, we do not expect NVIDIA’s highly acclaimed Ray Tracing technology to be available to the notebook.
It is still a Samsung Galaxy Book though so it still has Smart Things integration treatment. You can get your Samsung tablet to be its secondary display too, if you want. Heck, you can properly play AAA titles on your tablet if you do that. Easy Bluetooth connection feature ensures that you can easily connect your Bluetooth headphones to the PC quickly and painlessly. Your smartphone experience can easily be integrated with Link to Windows and Your Phone app on the PC.
Source: Samsung
It is, technically, the heaviest Galaxy Book that will be launched to date though. It weighs 1.85kg, which is really not heavy in the world of gaming notebooks. It is also about 17.7mm thick, which is also not all that thick for a gaming notebook. Its aluminium body looks sturdy and sleek, very much like a modern professional notebook. Its subtle logo and muted colour help it blend in your workplace and meeting room. The Pro Keyboard works with you to keep your emails churning out like a proper professional.
You can opt for up to 1TB of SSD storage for fast access to not just your files, but your games. The SSD also helps reduce loading screens. With up to 32GB of RAM, you will not be wanting more too, even if you need it for heavy video work. Speaking of videos, you are getting a 15.6-inch LCD display with Full HD resolution. No mentions on its refresh rate at this point though. We may only know closer to its launch date in August 2021.
They did not mention its battery life too, although we suspect something closer to 8 hours with 83Wh battery pack. In real life, you can expect something closer to 4 hours of battery life. It comes with a 135W fast charger though, to get the large battery quickly topped up. It is also a unique fast charger, because it is a USB Type-C charger which also means you can fast charge your smartphones with the same charger.
Source: Samsung
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The Samsung Galaxy Book Odyssey will be available in August 2021 onward in selected markets. We cannot confirm if Malaysia will be part of those select markets at this point of time. The Galaxy Book Odyssey will set you back US$ 1,399 (MYR 5,742*) onward. For more information on the Samsung Galaxy Book Odyssey, you can head over to Samsung’s website.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.10 as of 30/04/2021
Samsung’s Galaxy name is not just stuck to smart home products and smartphones anymore with the most recent Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event (April). Now, you can find the Samsung Galaxy name on notebooks. To be fair, this is not the first Galaxy notebook there is, but the last Galaxy notebook did not arrive in Malaysia and was short lived.
This is supposed to be different though, this Samsung Galaxy Book. It is supposed to be better, more seamless, more integrated. It is no Samsung Galaxy Book Pro though, so you cannot expect the same thin and light experience.
It is not that much thicker though at 15.4mm. You do not get the beautiful display that is the AMOLED panel from the Galaxy Book Pro, but it is still an expansive 15.6-inch display pushing Full HD in resolution. With up to an 11th generation Intel Core i7 supported by an NVIDIA GeForce MX450, the Samsung Galaxy Book can still be one powerful workhorse for all your entertainment and work needs.
Source: Samsung
You also get to opt for up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage for all kinds of multitasking needs. If you think that 1TB is a little small, you can expand with another SSD slot within the svelte body of the Samsung Galaxy Book. Covering all the internals is also the same Pro Keyboard you would find on the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360.
For all day battery you get a 54Wh battery pack within the Galaxy Book. Of course, unlike its Intel EVO approved sisters, you might want to carry the charger around with you. It is the same 65W charger you get from the Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 though. That means carrying and deploying your charger is not more of a hassle than charging your smartphones with USB Type-C charging.
While you do not get a lot of the same hardware treatment from the Galaxy Book Pro series, the Samsung Galaxy Book is also one capable Samsung device that should fit into your Galaxy lifestyle easily. It still allows you to work with a Samsung Galaxy tablet as a secondary display. Link to Windows and Your Phone app works better than ever now too. The Galaxy Book also connects to your Galaxy Buds easily with Easy Bluetooth connection.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Book is available in Mystic Silver and Mystic Blue colour options. The notebook will be available 14th May 2021 onward in selected markets at US$ 549 (MYR 2,253*). There are no information or confirmation on its availability and pricing for the local (Malaysia) market just yet. For more information on the Samsung Galaxy Book, you can head over to Samsung’s website.
*Based on approximate exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.10 as of 30/04/2021
There is a problem with the smartphone and smart device industry today. That problem is accentuated by the accelerated growth of the industry as well. It is not just a localised problem, mind you.
That problem is electronic waste. Technically, electronic waste has started becoming a problem since electronics have become a part of our lives. Today, electronics are an excessively big part of our lives. Wherever you go, you carry your smartphones with you. Every where you go too, you are exposed to at least one electronic display that is not your smartphone. When these devices go out of phase and gets replaced, it becomes electronic waste. We are sure you could be spared from the lecture though.
In that case, plenty of the current electronics manufacturers look for ways to reduce their own electronic waste, or waste in general in some cases. Apple claimed that they are reducing their own electronic wastes by not including charging adapters when you buy your Apple iPhone 12 series devices. Samsung followed suit with their Samsung Galaxy S20 devices. Superficial or not, you have to admit that your old chargers are still effective in charging your modern devices, albeit at a slightly lower speed (that also protects your battery a little bit).
Source: Samsung
Samsung also took liberties in redesigning their packaging so that users can opt to repurpose their unused packaging for some other purposes, like a pencil holder or something. This is all part of their Galaxy Upcycling Programme, very clever stuff. But your old smartphones are still collecting dust in your drawer.
With SmartThings Labs though, your old Samsung Galaxy devices can stop collecting dust in your drawer and be a smart home accessory. Of course, this is not a new thing that we have heard about. Samsung has been talking about upcycling their older Galaxy devices into an IoT device for a couple of years now, correct us if we are wrong.
Via SmartThings Labs within the SmartThings app on a Galaxy device, your old device can now become an enhanced sound and light sensor. The implementation uses Galaxy’s improved Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accurately distinguish sounds in its surroundings. It can even record certain sounds too, if you want it to. You can get it to record knocks, dogs barking, baby crying, and even cat meowing. If any of those sounds are recorded, it will send notification to your current smartphone of choice and you can listen to the recording yourself. Nothing too new here, except you do not need the camera function.
Source: Samsung
Other than sounds, Samsung Galaxy device can be turned into a light sensor. Thanks to the existing light sensor on your smartphones, the Galaxy devices can measure the brightness level of a room quite accurately. That could also be an indication to automatically turn on the lights in a room or even adjust the brightness level of your TV through SmartThings.
What makes it cleverer is that Samsung’s SmartThings implementation to make your device a smart sensor for sounds and lights technically reduces its battery consumption as well. Your smartphones already uses its mic and light sensors constantly anyway, which also means that they devices already consume minimal battery life on their own. With the implementation though, Samsung also introduces their very own battery optimisation solution to minimise battery consumption. We suspect that the implementation turns off other sensors in favour of the sensors the device has exclusive access to for the purpose of measuring light and sounds. So, is this another glorified light sensor? Sort of, but it is a start.
Samsung recently unveiled their new Galaxy A series smartphones. The new entries take Samsung’s pre-existing approach to midrange phones and turns in on its head. This year the Galaxy A series comes with specifications that push the old envelope for midrange smartphones and brings more value.
The company has now confirmed their A Series offerings. Malaysia will be getting their Galaxy A72, Galaxy A52, Galaxy A32 5G and the regular Galaxy A32. The new line up joins the earlier released Galaxy A42 5G. If you need a full rundown of the Galaxy A series, you can head on down to our articles for the launch of the A52 and A72, and the A32’s reveal.
The new smartphones will be available in Malaysia starting on the 26th of March 2021. Samsung Malaysia is having a special introductory offer for the smartphones starting on 26 March 2021 until 30 April 2021. Purchases of the A52 and the A72 will come with a free “Clear Standing Cover” worth MYR109 while purchases of the A32 will come with a “Clear Standing Cover” worth MYR39. The Galaxy A series is also eligible for Samsung’s trade up program which allows you to get an immediate cash rebate for your old phone.
The new A series will be available in Awesome Violet, Awesome Black, Awesome Blue and Awesome white across the board. Of course, only the A52 and the A72 come with the haze finish. The Galaxy A72 will be available for MYR1,899; the A52 for MYR1,499; the A32 5G for MYR1,199, and the A32 for MYR1,099.
Model
Recommended Retail Price (RRP)
Colour
Freebie
Galaxy A72 (8GB RAM + 256GB ROM)
RM1,899
Awesome Violet Awesome Blue Awesome White Awesome Black
Clear Standing Cover (worth RM109)
Galaxy A52 (8GB RAM + 256GB ROM)
RM1,499
Awesome Violet Awesome Blue Awesome White Awesome Black
Clear Standing Cover (worth RM109)
Galaxy A32 5G (8GB RAM + 128GB ROM)
RM1,199
Awesome Violet Awesome Blue Awesome White Awesome Black
Soft Clear Cover (worth RM39)
Galaxy A32 (8GB RAM + 128GB ROM)
RM1,099
Awesome Violet Awesome Blue Awesome White Awesome Black
