This week, we had two main telephone reveals at reverse ends of the value spectrum, with Galaxy Unpacked revealing premium foldables and CMF by Nothing’s showcase giving us a brand new low cost and cheerful (but surprisingly properly specced) smartphone.
We additionally noticed different Samsung devices, bought a Google and Samsung XR tease (once more), and have been promised massive Prime Day offers, together with three free PC video games.
We have lined these prime tales and extra on this in case you missed it round-up, so let’s get you caught in control on the week’s greatest tech information tales.
7. We Flipped out at Samsung Unpacked
(Picture credit score: Samsung)
The long-awaited Galaxy Ring could have earned prime billing at this week’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked showcase, however two new entries in Samsung’s foldable lineup – specifically the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 – proved simply as common with the attending Paris crowd.
Admittedly, this 12 months’s upgrades are extra iterative than ground-breaking, however they might nonetheless be sufficient to rank the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 among the many greatest foldable telephones of 2024. The previous gadget will get a sharper design and a brighter display than its predecessor, whereas the Galaxy Z Flip 6 brings a brand new 50MP digicam and a much bigger battery. Each new foldables get a sooner Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and loads of sturdiness enhancements, too.
We’ve at present have the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 in our testing labs, however for an early verdict on every new gadget, examine our our hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 evaluation and hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 evaluation.
6. Samsung Unpacked was one thing you needed to Watch
(Picture credit score: Future / Matt Evans)
The most important information in wearables is that Samsung lastly dropped its Galaxy Ring, the Galaxy Watch 7, and its new, flagship Galaxy Watch Extremely.
The hotly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Ring, Samsung’s first foray into a brand new wearables class, seems like a small, discreet health tracker that’s actually packing some smarts due to the Samsung Well being app, and in contrast to a few of its rivals, it doesn’t include a subscription.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely is Samsung’s Apple Watch Extremely rival: a rough-and-tumble smartwatch with a titanium physique and prolonged battery life. Lastly, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is a smooth smartwatch that hardly deviates from the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6’s design. You’ll be able to learn all our opinions on the brand new units by clicking on the hyperlinks above.
5. Samsung and Google talked AI updates, and teased XR
(Picture credit score: Shutterstock / thinkhubstudio)
Persevering with 2024’s hottest tech pattern, Samsung made AI a central a part of its Unpacked presentation, even bringing a Google exec on stage to clarify how Gemini would make Samsung (and different Android units) forces to be reckoned with.
This features a new Sketch to Picture characteristic that permits the gadget to show your tough drawings into extra artistic-looking footage as a standalone picture or as a brand new aspect in an present picture. The Z Flip 6 even has a singular live-translation characteristic that exhibits translated textual content on its interior and outer shows so that you and the individual you are conversing with can perceive one another with out you consistently turning your telephone display round.
Proper on the finish of this section, nevertheless, we bought one other tease of Samsung and Google XR collab (a catchall for VR, AR, and MR) with Samsung President and Head of the Cellular Expertise (MX) enterprise TM Roh saying the “new XR platform coming this 12 months.” We did not get a precise date, however all eyes are on the Samsung Developer’s Convention (SDC), which is scheduled for October 3, 2024, because the venue for an announcement the place we would lastly see the Samsung XR/VR headset.
4. CMF by Nothing gave us some low cost however cheerful new tech
(Picture credit score: CMF by Nothing)
Nothing’s sub-brand CMF (which stands for Shade, Materials, End) is understood for combining good design with some tempting value tags. And it did so once more this week with a trio of recent launches: the Telephone 1, Buds Professional 2, and Watch Professional 2.
All three deliver one thing new to their respective desk, whether or not it’s the Telephone 1’s detachable again covers, the Buds Professional 2’s fancy case with a built-in dial, or the Watch Professional 2’s lowly $69 / £69 / AU$119 price ticket.
With their vibrant orange accents and respectable spec sheets, they’re prone to bother a couple of of our budget-focused shopping for guides, such because the greatest finances wi-fi earbuds and the greatest low cost smartwatches. Look out for some full critiques very quickly.
3. YouTube Music introduced the AI recreation to Spotify by trialling AI radio
(Picture credit score: YouTube)
AI is not only for weird art work and giving your CV a glow-up, you already know. It’s additionally able to making radio stations – and doesn’t Google-owned YouTube Music comprehend it? Shortly after introducing a “you hum it, we’ll play it” audio recognition system, the lesser-known streaming service is now testing an AI playlist characteristic that can create a customized, customized radio station only for you. As soon as – or if – the characteristic rolls out to your account, you will see a brand new card in your Dwelling feed that reads: “Ask for music any method you want” (cue us singing, “Any method you need it that’s the way in which you want it” straight into our telephones).
Anyway, a chat window opens, permitting you to enter a immediate by typing or speaking. The app suggests instance prompts comparable to “epic soundtracks,” “catchy pop choruses,” and even “shock me.”
To date, the brand new characteristic does not look like testing extensively, however YouTube Music’s now twofold AI experiments may turn out to be necessary and defining options in its battle to turn out to be one of many greatest music streaming companies going.
2. Amazon promised free Prime Day goodies
(Picture credit score: Rocksteady)
Amazon Prime Day offers are quick approaching, and whereas early offers we have seen thus far may also help you save on Sony headphones, OLED TVs, and smartwatches is there a greater low cost that 100%-off? (Nicely I suppose 200%-off, which means they pay you, however I imply a reduction you will really see)
That is proper, Prime members are getting some free goodies on July 16 within the type of three PC video games: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Chivalry 2, and Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 12 months Celebration (which incorporates the Season Move DLC).
We all know Kill the Justice League is a horrible recreation (we gave it two-stars in our evaluation), however with it costing you nothing and its subsequent Mrs. Freeze enlargement coming very quickly this may very well be the proper time to leap in? That or simply play Rise of the Tomb Raider, as that is a cracking recreation.
(Picture credit score: Meta)
Talking of offers, we will not not discuss this horrible provide Meta launched for its 512GB Meta Quest 3, as a result of regardless of Meta saying you will “find yourself spending lower than you’d in the event you bought every merchandise individually,” that is not true.
This week, Meta launched a purchase now pay later scheme, which lets eligible US-based prospects decide up a Meta Quest 3 headset, a 24-month subscription to Meta Quest+, and a 24-month Meta Guarantee Plus, and pay for it in 24 month-to-month installments. The 128GB Meta Quest 3 bundle prices $24.99 month-to-month and can prevent cash total (costing $599.76 as an alternative of $659.96). Nonetheless, the 512GB bundle would come to $839.76 as an alternative of simply $819.96, which you’d pay for the whole lot by itself.
Meta hasn’t responded to our request for remark, however we predict the difficulty comes from the way it calculates the price of a 24-month Meta Quest+ membership. Since you’re locked into the 2 years with the scheme, we predict it is truthful to match the associated fee to 2 one-year subscriptions at $59.99 every (or $119.98 all-in), whereas Meta calculates it utilizing the $7.99 month-to-month value (or $191.76).
You must all the time assume laborious earlier than agreeing to a purchase now, pay later scheme, as you may’t change your thoughts later. That is one other reminder to double-check that it is really a very good deal earlier than you commit to at least one.
