The best 2-in-1 laptops in 2025 offer a versatile experience: They can flip between a traditional laptop layout, a tablet, and anything in between using a 360-degree hinge. For those who constantly change their environments, this form factor is perfect.

After over five years of reviewing laptops, I've tested my fair share of 2-in-1 laptops, so I know what boxes a laptop needs to tick to earn a spot as one of the best. Plus, I have a personal love for convertible laptops. My first work laptop was the convertible Lenovo Flex 5, and the Lenovo Yoga 9i has been my daily driver for the last three years.

If you've decided a 2-in-1 laptop is the best option for you, you're likely looking for a laptop that can move with you throughout the day. Use it in traditional laptop mode to get your work done, flip it into tablet mode for drawing or graphic design tasks, and tent mode is perfect to end the night watching your favorite TV show or movie.

Every convertible laptop I've picked for this list is well-constructed, with sturdy hinges that'll stand up to daily rotation. Beyond great build quality, the best 2-in-1 laptops feature a battery that'll last all day, solid multi-tasking performance, and a gorgeous display. These 2-in-1 laptops are among the best laptops, period.

No matter what you're searching for in a 2-in-1 laptop, we have an option that'll fit the bill.

Update log

5/22/2025: Swapped the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition in for the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i as the best graphic design option and updated benchmark comparisons.

The Quick List

The best 2-in-1 laptops in 2025

Through extensive hands-on testing and a series of thorough benchmarks, we decided that the products below are indeed the best 2-in-1 laptops of 2025.

Best 2-in-1 overall

The Asus Vivobook 16 Flip is a “compelling combination” of specs and features, according to Laptop Mag’s Madeline Ricchiuto, making it our favorite 2-in-1 laptop to recommend for most people.

Inside, you’ll find an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor leading the pack, accompanied by 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics. For supporting multiple RAM-hungry browser tabs and even Photoshop and low-intensity games, this configuration is more than equipped.

For concrete proof of this convertible laptop’s performance abilities, let’s take a look at a few benchmarks. In our testing, the Vivobook 16 Flip delivered a great Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 10,987, completed the Handbrake conversion test in 7 minutes and 41 seconds, and maxed out at 85.8 degrees Fahrenheit, well below our comfort threshold of 95 degrees.

Despite impressive performance, this laptop promises healthy battery life. In our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits brightness, the Vivobook 16 Flip lasted a whopping 13 hours and 47 minutes, winning out easily over our previous overall pick: the HP Spectre x360 16 (11.07). That’s more than enough for a full work day, followed by a few hours of streaming or internet shopping.

And of course, for a 2-in-1 laptop, a stunning display is paramount — and this laptop doesn’t disappoint. The Vivobook 16 Flip sports a 16-inch, 2880 x 1800, OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Whether you’re drawing, watching a TV show, or organizing your calendar, this laptop’s display will deliver vibrant colors and rich contrast.

As a bonus, you can even get some solid gaming performance out of this laptop. In our review, it handled Baldur’s Gate III at Medium, 1080p settings incredibly well, with stable frame rates and lush visuals. It’s not going to earn a spot as one of the best gaming laptops any time soon, but it’s an impressive feat for a convertible laptop.

See our full Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) review.

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Best budget

The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a 2-in-1 Chromebook that'll save you a little more than a shiny penny and still provide a solid overall experience. It's packed with an Intel Core i3-1315U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of eMMC storage, and a 14-inch, 1920 x 1080 touchscreen display.

Mark Anthony Ramirez said, "The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i takes full advantage of Google's AI-infused Chrome OS and delivers potent performance that will impress you," in our review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus.

For its performance, we tested it against the Geekbench 6 overall performance test where the IdeaPad Flex 5i scored 5,384, sliding past the 5,259 Chromebook average at the time. That's decent enough to get you through most less-taxing tasks. And thanks to the Chromebook's relatively light operating system, it won't suffer the same slowdowns as a Windows laptop.

The IdeaPad Flex 5i is also quite portable, measuring 12.4 x 9.0 x 0.8 inches and weighing 3.57 pounds. It lands somewhere between the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (3.02 pounds) and the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (3.7 pounds). It also looks nice, featuring an aluminum storm grey colored lid — that's not common for a cheap laptop.

Adding to that portability is its battery life. It lasted 9 hours and 43 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits. It's a bit shorter than the Chromebook average at the time (9:50). However, you'll get more than a workday or school day's worth of life out of this laptop. Close to 10 hours is still solid, especially for a laptop this affothat is rdable.

Unfortunately, you'll need to sacrifice the display. The Flex 5i's 14-inch, 1080p display covered a dismal 46.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and produced only 306 nits of brightness. This isn't too far from what we expect from a laptop at this price point. Still, both scores landed well below the Chromebook average at the time.

Despite that, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop if you are on a budget.

See our full Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review.

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Best for graphic design

With its gorgeous OLED display, good performance, and a plethora of other premium features, the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is one of the best laptops for graphic design you’ll find with a nifty convertible form factor. Though it's not a cheap 2-in-1 rig at $1,749 full price, you get a lot of value in exchange.

In our review of the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, Rami Tabari notes, “Between its battery life and punchy keyboard, and its OLED display and strong speakers, this thing is sure to be one of the best laptops I review this year.”

This laptop’s best-selling feature is, without question, its 14-inch, 2880 x 1800-pixel OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. We were “drooling over the colors” in testing, which makes total sense, seeing as the laptop covered an impressive 149.2% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Then, the display also clocked 421 nits brightness, plenty for working indoors or in direct sunlight.

On top of its enticing display, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition also packs one of Lenovo’s famously clicky, satisfying keyboards, a well-balanced soundbar that lives between the laptop’s hinges and produces stellar audio, and an all-aluminum chassis that’s cool to the touch and rounds out the premium experience.

The only feature that falters slightly is performance, notching a Geekbench 6 score of just 11,059. For everyday tasks, this is perfectly fine. However, if you plan on tackling more intense projects, like video editing, it may struggle to keep up with you. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition also lacks an HDMI port and more than one USB-A port, but this is easily remedied by adding one of the best USB-C hubs to your setup.

In exchange for average performance, this laptop is able to achieve a full workday of battery life and then some. In the Laptop Mag battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits brightness, this laptop held on for 12 hours and 47 minutes. It’s not going to beat the laptops with the best battery life, but it’s impressive nonetheless, considering the laptop’s power-hungry OLED display and its thin-and-light chassis.

See our full Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition review.

Best foldable

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold model we reviewed is built with an Intel Core i7-1260U, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and a 16.3-inch OLED display at 2560 x 2024-pixel resolution. Of course, the main selling point of this device is that it's foldable. If you're unsure what that means, it essentially has the ability to act as a laptop with a keyboard magnetically attached to the deck, and if you remove the keyboard, you can extend it out into a single, full-sized tablet.

Madeline Ricchiuto said, "As a business machine, the ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 is perhaps positioned better than its competitors because its flexibility matches the current hybrid work environment better than a standard laptop might," in our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

This means most people aren't going to need this laptop, but for those that do, our reviewer claimed that it's arguably the best foldable laptop available right now. It's shockingly thin and light, coming in at just 2.9 pounds in tablet mode and 4.3-pounds with the keyboard and stand attached.

Its design allows for a compelling all-in-one use case. You can turn the laptop into a makeshift monitor and then detach the keyboard to emulate a quick desktop setup in no time at all. Considering it's only 4.3 pounds, it can easily fit most bags and is perfect for on-the-go workers who prefer larger space for their projects.

It's important to keep in mind, however, that its Intel Core i7-1260U is a couple of generations old now, so don't expect the latest and greatest processing speeds. On the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, its multi-core score of 7,953 is decent but notably slower than other laptops on this list, like the Yoga 9i's 9,954.

Its battery life also leaves a bit to be desired, coming in at 8 hours and 44 minutes in laptop mode and 7 hours and 22 minutes in tablet mode. Regardless, it has more than enough success in its execution to make for a great foldable.

See our full Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 Gen 1 review.

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Best for travel

What makes a laptop great for travel is its physical portability. The LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 (16T90SP) is the lightest 2-in-1 16-inch laptop ever. The Gram Pro 16 comes in at 14.1 x 10 x 0.51 inches and 3.08 pounds, which is tiny compared with the HP Spectre x360 16 (2024) (4.3 pounds, 14.1 x 9.7 x 0.8 inches) and the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 Gen 9 (4.7 pounds, 14.3 x 10 x 0.7 inches).

Sean Riley said, "It can rattle around in your laptop bag on a trip or commute and come out unscathed," in our review of the LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1.

Adding to its portability is its battery life. The Gram Pro lasted 10 hours and 41 minutes on the Laptop Mag battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits. That puts it in a tightly competitive spot with the HP Spectre (10:45), and it crushes the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (9:51). So not only is the Gram slim and light, but it'll also survive longer than your average workday.

The Gram Pro is built with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. On the Geekbench 6.3 overall performance test, the LG Gram Pro soared over the category average, which was a couple of thousand points lower at the time. It also hovered around the HP Spectre (12,370) and Yoga Pro 9i (12,141).

Its 16-inch, 2880 x 1800 Touch OLED display is absolutely stunning to behold, managing an 133.5% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut and a brightness of 392 nits. Its combination of brightness, color, and high resolution should be fantastic for artists who need to go in-depth with accuracy.

The keyboard is pleasantly bouncy despite its low key travel. The touchpad is also quite responsive. Unfortunately, the touchpad is quite mushy, so if you choose the Gram Pro 16, you might want to check out the best wireless mouse page.

Ports are also very important on a laptop for travel. The last thing you want is to be carrying a dongle or worse yet, forgetting to pack it, so make sure these ports suit your needs. The LG Gram Pro comes with two USB Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, two USB Type-A ports, and a headphone jack. Unfortunately, if you need an SD or microSD card slot, you'll need a USB Type-C hub.

See our LG Gram Pro 16 2-in-1 (16T90SP) review.

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Best business

The MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo A2VM is among the first batch of laptops that have earned our prestigious Editor's Choice badge in 2025, and it has shot its way up to the top as one of the best business laptops we've tested.

The MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo is built with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM, 2TB of SSD storage, and a 60Hz, 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution IPS touchscreen. Even while its display may seem underpowered on paper, it boasts solid color depth and decent brightness.

The MSI Summit scored 10,895 on the Geekbench 6 overall performance test, which is pretty solid, but you can definitely find better performance in competitors like the Asus Zenbook S 16 (13,282) or HP EliteBook Ultra G1q (12,717)

Its display performed solidly in our color tests, reproducing 85% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is about better than what we'd expect out of a business laptop. The MSI Summit was similarly decent in our brightness tests, as it managed an average of 366 nits, which is fine enough for most. We do think it might be a bit too dim for usage while outdoors, especially if it's a sunny day, but it will be more than enough for a majority of indoor settings.

Unfortunately, we were pretty let down by its speaker system, as it's underwhelming in both volume and quality, delivering audio that delivers an uneven sound.

The best part of the MSI Summit is its staggering battery life, lasting 16 hours and 52 minutes in Laptop Mag's test which involves continuous web browsing over wifi at 150 nits of brightness. We typically recommend laptops with more than 10 hours of battery life, and this absolutely crushes that metric.

You won't regret your purchase of the MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo if you're a business user. With its incredible battery life, solid performance, sturdy hinges, and satisfying keyboard, this is a great laptop.

See our full MSI Summit 13 AI+ Evo review.

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Benchmark comparisons

Recently reviewed 2-in-1 laptops

Not every laptop we review can make it onto our best 2-in-1 laptop buying guide, but just because they came up short of the guide doesn't mean they aren't worth checking out. Here's a look at some of our recent reviews that may still be a fit for you despite not making our buying guide, either for a minor fault or simply because it isn't a convertible laptop.

How to find the best 2-in-1 laptops

Finding the perfect 2-in-1 for you differs from a traditional laptop. After all, these are meant to be portable and must fulfill their name appropriately.

Display: You need something bright and sharp

While 2-in-1s aren't exclusively reserved for artists and designers, it's often used by them to make a quick and easy transformation from a traditional laptop to a tablet for illustrating. As a result, you absolutely need a display that can accommodate your creative endeavors, and if it's too dim to be taken on-the-go or too lackluster to accurately present color, you will absolutely be disappointed.

OLED is a great start if you're in need of a quality 2-in-1, but IPS displays can also feature excellent color in some cases. 80% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut should be your minimum if you're an artist, but if you can get closer to 100% or even go beyond, the better off you'll be.

We also recommend higher resolutions to let you get into the nitty gritty when illustrating, as it will present crisper detail for artists and designers. 2K should be your floor, but the higher, the better.

Design: Sturdy portability is a necessity

2-in-1 laptops are inherently all about flexibility, as their hinges support up to 360-degree angles. You don't want hinges that creak and a lid that feels like it'll snap off every time you lift it. Sturdiness is a necessity, and we've found that the best 2-in-1 laptops can support themselves in any position and require conscious force to move about. An aluminum chassis is a great start, but you'll want to read our reviews and see which ones feel the best in practice.

And since 2-in-1 laptops are frequently moved around quite a bit, we recommend something light. Anything around 4 pounds and under is recommended, but some can be a little heavier, depending on the size.

Battery life: Long-lasting is vital for being on-the-go

Battery life is another key component of any good 2-in-1 laptop. If you plan to take the notebook to class, work, or spend a whole day illustrating in a park, don't count on there being an outlet! Consider a laptop with at least 11-12 hours of battery life, which should be enough to get you through most of the day without worry. In any case, the longer, the better.

FAQs

What does "2-in-1 laptop" mean?

It can mean different things for different laptops, but the core design philosophy implies that the product can transform from a laptop into a tablet. They're also all touchscreen laptops (because it would defeat the purpose otherwise).

Now, that can take many forms. The most common one is a traditional laptop with a 360-degree hinge. But there are also detachable laptops, which feature a removable keyboard. There are dual-display laptops, which feature a discrete Bluetooth keyboard. Then there are foldable laptops, which feature a display that can fold in two and also may feature a discrete keyboard.

Do all 2-in-1 laptops fold the same?

No, and this is actually super important to research. Some 2-in-1 laptops are well-crafted with sturdy hinges and magnetic folds that snap in place when put in tablet mode. However, I've also reviewed laptops with sloppy hinges and no magnetic backing. It's important to take a look at the Design sections in Laptop Mag's reviews.

Additionally, there are foldable and detachable laptops. The former features a screen that folds in half, and the latter features a traditional tablet design with a detachable keyboard. Again, read that Design section to ensure you're getting what you need.

Do 2-in-1 laptops break easily?

Ideally, 2-in-1 laptops should not break easily. 2-in-1 laptops often feature the strongest hinges in comparison to traditional laptops, as they're designed to support their own weight when configured in various positions.

Whether you're in tablet mode or tabletop mode, it should be able to hold its own weight. If we review 2-in-1 with weak hinges, it's unlikely that we'd recommend it to begin with, as sturdy hinges is a necessary baseline requirement for a solid 2-in-1 laptop.

Are 2-in-1 laptops good for drawing?

It depends. 2-in-1 laptops are used for business, or casual use, and then some with a very specific focus on catering to artists.

Some are designed for illustrating, but you want to ensure that's one of its intended use cases. You'll also want to make sure it's compatible with a pen.

Are 2-in-1 laptops good for gaming?

No, 2-in-1 laptops are not generally good for gaming. The crossover between gaming laptops and 2-in-1 laptops is pretty much non-existent, but 2-in-1 laptops with discrete GPUs do exist, like the Asus ROG Flow X16. However, these are pretty rare.

Integrated graphics have gotten significantly better over the years. If you're using a laptop with a modern Lunar or Arrow Lake processor or even one of AMD's latest AI chips, you'll likely get some decent performance for casual gaming, but don't expect too much. The gaming-focused Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) is one of the only examples of a gaming 2-in-1 laptop with integrated graphics that we recommend.

Is a convertible laptop the same as a 2-in-1 laptop?

Generally speaking, the terms "convertible" and "2-in-1" are used interchangeably to describe a device that can be used as a traditional laptop and folded into a tablet.

However, more specifically, a convertible laptop typically involves a built-in keyboard. According to IT company CDW, the term "hybrid laptop" describes a laptop with a keyboard that can be removed, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

That said, any laptop with a 360-degree hinge that can fully fold backwards is typically lumped into the same broad category, whether it's technically a convertible or hybrid laptop.

How we test the best 2-in-1 laptops

We put 2-in-1 laptops through extensive benchmark testing — both synthetic and real-world — before they end up in the hands of our reviewers. We evaluate each aspect of the laptop, including its performance, battery life, display, speakers and heat management.

In our benchmark testing, we use a Klein K10 colorimeter to detect the brightness and sRGB color gamut of the laptop's display. For performance testing, we run the laptop through a gauntlet of benchmarks, including Geekbench 5.4 and 6.3 and 3DMark professional graphics tests.

To determine real-world performance, we task the laptop to convert a 4K video to 1080p resolution and to duplicate a 4.97GB multimedia file. Our real-world graphics test is the Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm benchmark with high settings at 1080p resolution. Gaming laptops go through an entire library of games at high settings to see how their discrete GPUs keep up.

We also run heat tests by playing a 15-minute full-screen video and measuring temperatures in different areas of the laptop. Last but not least, our battery test consists of continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. For MacBooks and premium Windows 11 laptops, a runtime of over 9 hours is considered a good result, whereas gaming laptops and workstations that can stay powered for longer than 5 hours deserve praise.

These tests are complemented with extensive hands-on testing from our reviewers who critique everything from the laptop's materials to the feel of its touchpad. For 2-in-1 laptops in particular, it needs a strong hinge and practical design to support its own weight. It's important that every part of the design feels sturdy so that no matter what position a user bends the hinge, it won't collapse.

Why Trust Laptop Mag

Laptop Mag reviews over one hundred different laptops every year, from paperweight ultralights to everyday workhorses to lumbering gaming notebooks that scorch the frame rates of even the hottest AAA games. We're not just experts in the laptop field, as we go one step further by meticulously testing smartphones, tablets, headphones, PC accessories, software, and even the latest in gaming.

We are 100% independent and have decades of experience to help you buy with confidence. In fact, Laptop Mag has been testing and reviewing products for three decades, and we continue to deliver trustworthy reviews you can rely on.

Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it.

Our editorial trustworthiness is enforced by one of the world's largest technology publishers, Future Publishing. As a company, we have unrivaled experience across every tech sector — and we're the group's specialist for all things mobile tech.

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Hoping to hear more about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7? You’re in luck. We’re just a week away from Samsung’s official unveiling of its latest foldable, with Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone expected to steal the show during July’s expected Galaxy Unpacked event.

Although Samsung’s upcoming smartphone promises to be the thinnest Galaxy Fold ever, the rumors surrounding it are anything but.

If you’d prefer not to wait, there have been more than enough leaks about the Z Fold 7 to form an early impression of what to expect from next month’s reveal.

So, let’s dive into what we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, early.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Release date and price rumors

Samsung hasn’t officially announced the Galaxy Z Fold 7 yet, but that doesn’t stop us from piecing together when it will, based on its usual routine for unveiling and releasing smartphones.

Samsung typically holds two Galaxy Unpacked events each year. The first of which takes place right at the start of the year, and will usually focus on its Galaxy S series smartphones. This year, it was the turn of the Samsung Galaxy S25.

The second of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked events takes place halfway through the year, and it’s here that we tend to see the company’s latest Galaxy Z Fold and Flip foldable phones.

Exactly when Samsung hosts these events can vary, but the second Galaxy Unpacked events of the last two years have both fallen within July. A Korean outlet, The JoongAng, claims the same will happen this year as well.

Samsung's summer Unpacked event is scheduled for July 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z series phones will typically go on sale within a few weeks of their announcement, meaning this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be available for purchase as early as Wednesday, July 25.

While the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 both received a $100 price bump last year, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 are said to remain at that price, with no further increases expected.

This means that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will likely be available to buy starting at a still-mighty $1,899.

While there are rumors of a price hike for the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, it seems more likely that Samsung will unveil a higher-end foldable, such as a Z Flip Ultra or Z Fold Ultra. However, we'll have to wait until Unpacked to know for sure.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Rumored specs

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Design and display rumors

From what we’ve heard so far, this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 will reportedly take inspiration from last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 special edition, a limited edition of the foldable sold only in Korea and China that was larger, faster, thinner, lighter, and offered better cooling, speakers, and an improved primary camera.

These changes, along with the phone's super-narrow bezels, could translate to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 receiving a bigger ~8.2-inch foldable display (previously 7.6 inches), a 6.5-inch cover screen (previously 6.3 inches), and adopting a form factor that’s only 8.9mm thick (4.5mm when open) — though some reports suggest the phone could be as little as 3.9mm in thickness while open, making it the thinnest Galaxy Fold to date.

It’s suggested that the rest of the Z Fold 7’s build will largely remain the same, meaning it will presumably offer the same layout as the Z Fold 6 while touting a similar Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, rated at 2,600 nits of peak brightness.

Beyond raw specifications, Samsung’s display is also claimed to have a significantly less noticeable crease than other Galaxy Fold models, with Android Central reporting that the company showcased a creaseless panel at MWC 2025.

As for color choices, it appears the Z Fold 7 will be available in a few different shades. Android Central reported additional color leaks, including the sleek Blue Shadow, Jet Black, and Silver Shadow. But Samsung could save the more unique colors for its own storefront exclusive.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Camera rumors

Among the list of Galaxy Z Fold 6 special edition features that the Z Fold 7 is expected to inherit, a staggering 200MP upgrade to the typically 50MP main camera stands out the most.

It’s believed that the new Galaxy Fold will also feature the same 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x optical), 10MP front-facing selfie camera with a 100-degree wide-angle lens, and 4MP under-display selfie camera of last year’s model.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: Performance and battery rumors

There’s no need to speculate over whether or not the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will go with an Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, as 91mobiles has already put that conversation to bed after uncovering an FCC certification confirming that the new Galaxy Fold will make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset (tailored for Galaxy devices) backed by up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a proven powerhouse, with Qualcomm exec Chris Patrick telling Tom’s Guide in October 2024 that the chip was “a desktop-class CPU [with] mobile-level power efficiency.”

That efficiency could make great use of the Galaxy Fold 7’s expected 4,400 mAh battery capacity, the same as previous models, utilizing 15W wireless charging and 25W of peak wired charging.

What's next

With leaks relating to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 7 appearing thick and fast ahead of July’s rumored Galaxy Unpacked event, expect more news to follow on this device in the coming days as we get closer to the official reveal.

These rumored changes to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 suggest a device even more premium, durable, and attractive than before. Samsung has confirmed in a May 2025 post that One UI 8 “will debut on Samsung’s newest foldables this summer,” making the Z Fold 7 one of the first devices to use the new customized Android 16 UI.

It’s also been suggested that owners of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could get free access (for an unknown amount of time) to Google’s AI Pro subscription service (typically costing $19.99 per month).

For a full look at what the Z Fold 7 will be capable of, we’ll need to wait to hear it directly from Samsung during next week's Galaxy Unpacked event. But until then, there’s plenty of information here to digest, and the Galaxy Fold is looking stronger than ever based on these early reports.

More from Laptop Mag

• The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 might be the most beautiful phone to fail
• MWC Shanghai 2025 will actually be a pressure test for the next generation of tech
• Anker recalls 1 million power banks — here are five to buy instead

Samsung phone deals in June? Honestly, I'm surprised. I'd expect discounts this deep to show up in July once all the Prime Day deals kick in — but now? I love it.

This is a great time to upgrade your phone to a new Samsung. Aside from the Galaxy S25 Edge, all the models have been out for at least a few months, which means the initial hype is starting to fade, and less hype often means more discounts. I bought my last phone right at launch and ended up regretting it, because just a few months later, I could’ve paid a lot less. Now’s your chance to avoid making the same mistake and save hundreds of dollars. And yes, I literally mean hundreds.

Huge discounts usually only really happen if you trade in your device for some extra credit, but maybe you don't want to give up your old phone (but just in case you do, you can save up to $630 on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge). Fortunately, there are some superb phone deals even without trade-ins right now.

The biggest savings I found were on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, which is now $1,299, down from $1,899, at Amazon. The S25 Ultra is a great deal cheaper too, dropping down to $1,119 for $300 in savings.

If you just want a phone that works and doesn't cost a fortune, the Samsung Galaxy A16 is just $174 at Best Buy, saving you $25. That $25 can then go toward buying the Galaxy Buds FE to go with your new phone, and those are down to $65 at Walmart.

Whether you already own a Samsung and you want to upgrade, or you're giving up your iPhone and switching to Android, you're in luck. There are lots of exciting Samsung phone deals up for grabs this summer.

Let's check them out below.

The best Samsung phone deals — Quick links

• Samsung Galaxy A16 5G: was $199, now $174 at Best Buy
• Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: was $399, now $357 at Amazon
  
• Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: was $859, now $799 at Samsung (or $399 w/ trade-in)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: was $1,099, now $899 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: was $1,419, now $1,119 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: was $1,899, now $1,299 at Amazon
  
• Samsung Galaxy Buds FE: was $79, now $65 at Walmart
• Samsung 15W Duo Fast Wireless Charger pad: was $69, now $41 at Best Buy

The best Samsung phone deals now

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S25 / S25 Plus

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold

Samsung Galaxy — Other phones

Samsung phone accessories

Rumors of Apple's foldable iPhone have been circulating for several years, first appearing in the news in 2017. Since then, whispers of its existence have occasionally sprouted, but recent leaks suggest that we're finally reaching a point where its launch is imminent.

A post last month from Digital Chat Station claimed that the dimensions of its two screens had been leaked. In its folded state, the screen would be 5.49 inches, but once it's unfolded, it reveals a 7.74-inch inner screen. The account also claimed that we could expect the phone within the next year or two, so it's rumored to be on the horizon.

Another report came on Thursday, with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors) predicting the device will be priced at over $2,000 or potentially up to $2,500. Keep in mind, this figure is likely referring to the starting price, meaning its more luxurious configurations could get even more expensive.

He also corroborates the leak from last month, predicting that the device will have a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner display. Other predictions include mass production beginning Q4 2026, 9-9.5mm thickness when folded, 4.5-4.8mm thickness when unfolded, and the device will be made with a mix of stainless steel (only in the hinge) and titanium alloy (some in hinge, and all in the casing).

While some might find this announcement exciting, all I see is more proof that the Apple tax is real and it might continue to fail. If people weren't convinced by the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, what makes Apple think they'll invest in a $2,500 foldable iPhone, especially when there are far cheaper alternatives?

$2,500 for a foldable iPhone sounds absolutely absurd

Would you spend $2,500 on a foldable iPhone? There is definitely a market of consumers that would, but will it be any more significant than those who invested in the Apple Vision Pro?

According to The Information, the device was reportedly taken out of production as a result of reduced demand. Apple is apparently focusing on trying to develop a less expensive headset for its next generation.

While some might not think the Meta Quest 3 is comparable to the Apple Vision Pro, how can the latter's $3,500 price tag possibly expect to compete with the former's availability for as low as $499?

Applying this to foldable phones reveals the same truth: You can get a foldable or flip phone for far less than $2,500, so beyond just loyalty to Apple, what reason would someone have to spend nearly $1,000 more on a similar product?

Look at products like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6, which starts as low as $1,099. To be fair, it is a flip phone and not necessarily the same book-style foldable phone that Apple is making. But even if we look at the Galaxy Z Fold6, its starting price of $1,599 is significantly less than the predicted price of Apple's foldable.

Apple has done a good job with both MacBook and iPhone at creating competitively priced products. While they're definitely not cheap, they're not so expensive that buyers feel they're suffering under the weight of the fabled Apple tax.

According to Tim Cook in a Wired interview, Apple Vision Pro was reportedly meant to be an "early adopter product." However, this doesn't change the fact that it wasn't quite as successful as expected and was wildly overpriced compared to its primary mixed reality rival, the Meta Quest 3. It's entirely possible that Apple's foldable iPhone will face a similar fate at such a steep price.

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A recent leak purporting to reveal specs for an upcoming pair of Samsung smart glasses points to a direct competitor to the popular Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Unlike previous reports of mixed-reality headsets or glasses, these new frames appear to be focused on providing a wearable AI assistant in smart glasses form, and less of a visual experience.

See also: Samsung Smart Glasses in January 2025? Here's everything we know so far

Samsung's "Galaxy Glasses": An AI wearable following in the footsteps of Meta's popular smart glasses

The leaked specs alluding to Samsung's take on smart glasses come from a post on X by user Jukanlosreve, sourcing a Wellsen XR Research out of China. While lacking in any information about the design of the frames, the specifications shared are enough to paint a general image of what we can expect.

Featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 processor, a 12-megapixel Sony IMX681 camera sensor, a 155 mAh battery, and a weighing 50 grams, the leaked specs almost perfectly mirror those found in the current Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses — a pair of glasses featuring a camera and an AI assistant which have proved to be an impressive success for Meta.

However, Samsung's frames will differ from Meta's by swapping Meta AI for Gemini, likely harnessing the potential of Google's AI, shown in a recent Project Astra demo. Astra uses the multimodal capabilities of Gemini to act as an AI assistant for smartphones and smart glasses using audio and visual prompts.

There's no indication of which generation of Qualcomm processor Samsung's glasses are rumored to use, with user Jukanlosreve only suggesting that it will be part of the Snapdragon AR1 family.

Qualcomm has yet to announce the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 2, but an improved chipset could improve efficiency and make the most of the wearable's smaller battery life.

Samsung's wider vision for wearables

Samsung's February 2023 Galaxy Unpacked event saw the South Korean tech giants announced a partnership with both Google and Qualcomm to create a new mixed-reality platform, which many suspect to be an upcoming headset similar to the Apple Vision Pro.

However, during a September CNBC interview, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon revealed that the trio is also developing a pair of mixed-reality glasses. There aren't many more details to share surrounding this future product, but AR glasses have long been on Samsung's radar with a 2001 leak revealing its early vision through the Samsung Glasses Lite.

Should this most recent Samsung smart glasses leak prove accurate, it would suggest that the company is currently working on at least three separate vision-based products — a much wider line of wearables than previously expected.

This would also see Samsung face off against Meta on three fronts, directly competing against the Meta Quest 3, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and potentially the future Orion AR glasses.

Outlook

Samsung has already shown its willingness to expand its wearable catalog, diving into a new market with the release of the Galaxy Ring in July.

We've known about the company's mixed-reality ambitions for some time now, and it would appear that the company is willing to diversify its initial goals to find success in the market.

While the mixed-reality headset market will be a tough fight for Samsung to take to Meta, especially after its release of the ultra-affordable $299 Meta Quest 3S, the popularity of the Ray-Ban Meta's and the interest shown in Meta's upcoming Orion there's plenty of space for more options.

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College student discounts and perks are available throughout the year at Apple, Amazon, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, and others. Whether you want to refresh your laptop or stock up on school supplies, every dollar counts. 

In some instances, year-round college student discounts are stackable with digital coupons — amounting to extra savings. One of the best ongoing college student discounts out there is Amazon's Prime Student membership service. It offers all the benefits of a standard Prime membership for half the price. 

Prime Student costs just $7.49 a month and includes a free 6-month trial for new members. Members save big on essentials like laptops, tablets, and peripherals. Free same-day and one-day delivery options let students get everything from cleaning supplies to backpacks with no minimum purchase. What's more, Prime Students get access to Showtime and Amazon Music Unlimited for just $.99 a month. 

Students, parents, and teachers who prefer to go to the source can score education discounts directly from Apple and Samsung. The Apple Education Store nets you huge savings on a new MacBook, prices start at $899. For a limited time, you'll receive a free digital Apple gift card valued up to $150 when you purchase a MacBook from the Apple Education Store. 

Not to be outdone, Samsung's Education Offers Program nets students and educators up to 30% off select Galaxy laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more.

College students, teachers, and parents can all benefit from student discounts and perks. From Amazon's Prime Student deals to Samsung's Education Store, see the best college student discounts in 2026 below.  

Best college student discounts 

Best college student discounts — laptop deals

Best college student discounts — Amazon

Best college student discounts — Apple

Best college student discounts — Best Buy

Best college student discounts — Dell

Best college student discounts — Microsoft

Best college student discounts — Lenovo

Best college student discounts — Peacock

Best college student discounts — Razer

Best college student discounts — Samsung

There is something to be said for playing it safe when it comes to laptop and smartphone designs, but after a while products that look the same year after year start to feel stale and lifeless instead of just safe. While laptops can often get away with this, especially in the business realm, smartphones are a different matter.

There's a reason people get so excited when Google announces a mint green Pixel 8, or a yellow iPhone 14.

And then there's Samsung. The Galaxy lineup has been the same boring minimalist slabs with vertical camera arrays for too long now. Unfortunately, it seems they won't be changing that any time soon if these CAD renders of the Z Fold 6 from Smartprix and OnLeaks are to be believed.

What we know so far

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 CAD Renders were leaked to Smartprix and OnLeaks by Piyush Bhasarkar (@Techkard) who has a 90% accuracy rating for leaks. So there is some credibility to the renders.

In terms of details, Smartprix is reporting that the Z Fold 6's inner screen measures approximately 7.6 inches diagonally while the external cover display measures approximately 6.2 inches diagonally. The Z Fold 6 boasts a triple camera system on the rear, the same as the Z Fold 5. It also features an under-display selfie camera on the inner screen and a punch-hole selfie cam on the outer screen.

The Z Fold 6 design also uses the S24 Ultra's speaker grill design, an embedded fingerprint scanner on the power button, volume buttons on the right side, and a SIM card slot on the left side of the phone. It appears to be using the same droplet hinge from the Z Fold 6.

The inner display is expected to be made of plastic or ultra-thin glass, while the cover display is expected to use the new Corning Gorilla Glass Armor. A higher peak brightness of 2,600 nits is also expected. The Z Fold 6 will likely also feature the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, the same as the S24 lineup.

The Z Fold 6 will likely be announced in late July 2024 at a Samsung Unpacked event, with a launch following sometime in August.

What we'd rather see

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has some minor differences from the Z Fold 5. However, outside of those small tweaks, the design is ultimately the same as the previous iteration. And the design changes are the same small tweaks we saw in the S24 line. These tiny, incremental changes mean little to anyone but the most hardcore Samsung super-fan.

In fact, in most cases, they rarely amount to a decipherable change in design at all. For the Z Fold 6, outside of the speaker grill, it looks nearly identical to the Z Fold 5. The Z Fold 6 retains the same  6.1mm thickness as the Z Fold 5, though the Z Fold 6 is projected to be a bit shorter and wider than its predecessor. But without holding the two phones up to one another, that difference is hardly noticeable. Initial expectations for the Z Fold 6 included a thinner hinge and larger displays. Given the new render leaks, it seems both of those expectations won't be realized in this version of the Galaxy Z Fold.

As for fun color choices, the Z Fold 5 came in five colors - Phantom Black, Cream, Gray, Icy Blue, and Blue. These are pretty boring shades, to be honest. The difference between Blue and Icy Blue is subtle enough that some may not even see a difference between the two shades. The Galaxy S24 at least added Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, and Cobalt Violet shades to add some visual interest. So there is hope the Z Fold 6 will at least get a fun color or two to save it from being entirely drab.

More from Laptop Mag

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Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event isn't expected until July, but we're already hearing big things about what might be revealed and released in five months time — including the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Buds 3, and Samsung's next-gen foldables.

The latest word on the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked lineup comes from X/Twitter tipster @TheGalox_ though word of what to expect at the event has been bubbling for some time with very similar claims.

According to circulating rumors, July's Unpacked event is likely to feature the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 series
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 3
• Samsung Galaxy Ring
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

Outside possibilities for the event also include Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 series of Android tablets and the company's long-in-development AR/VR headset.

Also mentioned in rumors is a new Samsung service of some kind. While we can't say for certain, it could be that Samsung may be planning a new Samsung Health service that blends with the company's newest Galaxy AI capabilities to provides deeper insights into tracked metrics like fitness, sleep, and wellbeing.

This would tie in nicely to the release of the Galaxy Ring, with the smart ring being better positioned on the body over Samsung's smartwatch to better capture deeper and more exact health readings.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked: What date will the event take place?

Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event isn't expected to arrive until July at the earliest. Typically, Samsung stages its mid-year Unpacked showcase in late July or early August. As of the time of writing, there is no exact date confirmed for the upcoming event.

Historically, Samsung prefers to announce event specifics only a few weeks in advance, so we can expect to hear the brand confirm an exact date at some point in July, 2024.

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Samsung will officially reveal the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra in January. However, one reputable leaker has delivered an early Christmas present to many by leaking the entire lineup's official specifications in advance.

Paired with the recent leak of the Galaxy S24's colorways, all we seemingly have left to know about is the extent of the software improvements bundled with Galaxy One UI 6.1 – expected to launch alongside Samsung's new smartphones. However, reports have indicated that there'll be a big push towards both generative AI and computational photography, similar to what Google has offered with the Pixel 8 Pro.

Let's dive in to what can we expect from Samsung's latest phones in terms of specifications.

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, S24 Ultra specifications

Official specifications for the entire S24 lineup were unofficially unveiled on Threads by one of the tech world's most prolific leakers Evan Blass. Blass has a long history of supplying highly accurate pre-release information on a number of devices, and this time around he was able to share, as of yet, unreleased materials with accurate information about the display, cameras, storage, and battery life of each phone.

The leaked specifications will allow Galaxy fans to breathe a sigh of relief on many fronts. Rumors had previously surfaced that Samsung was planning to split this year's lineup between two processors, with the standard and Plus models receiving a lesser Exynos 2400 CPU. However, as you can see in the table above, each phone in the S24 lineup will feature Qualcomm's impressive Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset – delivering substantial performance across the board.

Another long held rumor was that the S24 Ultra would drop its 10x optical zoom magnification. However, the unreleased official spec-sheet would appear to say otherwise – showcasing a x2, x3, x5, and x10 optical zoom for its upgraded 50MP telephoto lens.

Outlook

It genuinely appears to be good news all around with the S24 lineup, with no major sacrifices being made to make room for new additions. However, it is a shame that these new additions don't include the rumored 16GB of RAM or 1TB of storage options previously surfacing online for the S24 Ultra.

That being said, it's very hard to complain about a phone that offers so much. Especially, when we have plenty left to hear about when it comes to software improvements. For now, let's just hope that Samsung retain the same price structure for these devices when they have their official unveiling at the Galaxy Unpacked even of January 2024.

We could be weeks away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but that hasn't stopped speculation swirling about the device's specifications and features. With the smartphone expected to arrive in early January, more and more information about the flagship Ultra device is finding its way online through reliable tipsters and inside sources — well in advance of Samsung's official Galaxy Unpacked unveiling.

We've already caught wind of the S24 Ultra's expected generative AI tools and features coming with the One UI 6.1 update, many of which seem lifted straight from the Google Pixel playbook. Today, conflicting information has brought an older rumor to the forefront once more. And it all revolves around the Galaxy S24 Ultra's inclusion (or lack thereof) of a popular Galaxy S23 Ultra feature.

A closer look at the news

Samsung smartphones are well known for their excellent photography, and its Galaxy S-series of devices have become a favorite of shutterbugs the world over. It's one of Samsung's biggest strengths and something it took to new heights when making the defining feature of the Galaxy S23 Ultra an incredible 200-megapixel main camera.

However, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's photography prowess was a sum of its parts, with the smartphone also hosting a set of 10MP telephoto shooters. It's those telephoto lenses that added even further to the allure of Samsung's smart-snapper for many — with one featuring a 3x optical zoom and the other a whopping 10x optical zoom.

So, imagine the disappointment when ever-reliable tech tipster Ice Universe broke the news that Samsung would be ditching its high-spec 10x optical zoom for a more traditional 5x optical zoom as found in other iPhone and Pixel flagships.

A last minute twist?

However, recently, South Korean outlet The Elec gave telescopic togs hope to cling on to after it reported that the 10x optical zoom would carry over to the S24 Ultra. It was the news many were hoping for, and long-distance lens lovers rejoiced as all was put right in the world once again.

Sadly, not for very long.

The bad thing about the social media platform formally known as Twitter's torrent of tech tipsters is that you're very rarely able to enjoy a surprise as a company unveils its latest product. With a number of the more reliable leakers already having informed you of everything from the device's specifications to the color of underwear the person presenting them will be wearing on the day. They can be pretty remarkable like that.

The good thing about these clued-up canaries is that they're very quick to fact-check one another when something seems amiss. Just as the reputable Revengnus did, hours after the aforementioned article was published.

It would seem that reports of the Galaxy S24 Ultra's 10x optical zoom were greatly exaggerated. Revegnus would clear things up by posting what he believes to be the 'final' camera specifications for Samsung's inbound flagship — and, true to previous murmurings online, it would appear to feature a 5x optical zoom.

Outlook

While Revegnus' revelation may taste like sour grapes to many, it's important to point out that the Galaxy S24 Ultra's optical zoom downgrade is paired with a megapixel upgrade. The previous 10MP sensor will be replaced by a much higher 50MP one, allowing for greater pixel density and more detail in each shot.

There are cases where similarly spec'd smartphones have been able to perform on par with Samsung's long-range lens, and we doubt Samsung would start cutting corners without good reason as iPhone, Pixel, and OnePlus devices begin clipping at its heels.

Of course, we can't say for sure how big of an impact this change will make until we get a hold of the device ourselves. But it is good to know that while Samsung intend to take with one hand, they're looking to give back with another.

Black Friday deals are bringing us some of the finest tech there is at prices so low that I'm beginning to think that the retail industry is getting its kicks by flirting with the potential outcome of absolute collapse.

Don't believe me? Remember foldable phones, the incredibly expensive revival of the mid-noughties classic? Well right now you can lay claim to two of them for a more than modest price tag for Black Friday: the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for just $799 at Amazon and the Motorola Razr Plus for just $699 at Best Buy!

That results in savings of up to $300, with just $100 between these two devices. So which one deserves a spot at the top of your Black Friday shortlist? Let's summarize our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Vs. Motorola Razr Plus face-off and see.

• Performance: Both the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Razr Plus feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 processors, but it's Samsung's foldable that features the improved Gen 2 variant giving it the clear edge when it comes to overall performance and efficiency across the board.
   
• Cameras: You'd expect most camera face-offs including a Samsung phone to be a white wash on paper. However, thanks to the Razr Plus' 32MP selfie camera, the Motorola foldable pulls ahead in terms of sheer hi-res results.
   
• Display: The Galaxy Z Flip 5 makes use of some impressive AMOLED panels for a brighter, crisper, and more vivid result. However, the Motorola Razr Plus features a larger 6.9-inch internal OLED display with a faster refresh rate and a best in class external display that is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

Which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Want the best performing foldable phone?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for $799 at Amazon.
   
• Want a foldable phone with plenty of storage for your photos, videos, and apps?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 (512GB) for $899 at Amazon.
   
• Want one of the most durable foldable phones on the market?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for $799 at Amazon.

• Want a foldable phone with a best in class external display?
  Go with the Motorola Razr Plus for $699 at Best Buy.
   
• Want a sizable internal OLED screen and a high refresh rate?
  Go with the Motorola Razr Plus for $699 at Best Buy.
   
• Want a foldable phone capable of taking higher resolution photos?
  Go with the Motorola Razr Plus for $699 at Best Buy.

Update 11/25/23: Black Friday may be over, but many of the best Black Friday phone deals remain, including deep discounts on our two combatants in this face-off: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at $899 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro at $799. Read on to see which deal comes out on top! 

Black Friday brings with it a horde of deals, far too numerous for anyone to keep up to speed with. Thankfully, we've got our eyes peeled on the top deals in tech, but knowing about these deals is only half the battle.

Deciding which deal to go with is the real question. Today we'll be looking to help you decide between two impressive Android devices on sale for Black Friday: the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro for just $799 at Amazon.

Two flagship Android smartphones are heavily discounted for Black Friday, with only $100 between them. So, if you had to choose between the two, which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Performance: The Google Pixel 8 Pro's new Tensor G3 chipset definitely offers a dramatic improvement of the previous G2 processor, but the PIxel 8 Pro is still stuck in that off-kilter Nintendo-zone in contrast to both Apple and Samsung. The Galaxy S23 Ultra's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor still leaves the Pixel 8 Pro in its wake – regardless of Google's improvements.
   
• Cameras: Direct results from top-tier hardware or the polished refinement of every pixel captured using Google's computational photography? The choice is entirely yours. While the Galaxy S23 Ultra has the raw performance in terms of sheer mega-pixels captured with a 200MP main shooter, the Pixel 8 offers a ton of software enhancements to squeeze every drop of performance out of its more evenly spread 50MP main lens and similar rear cameras.
   
• Display: The Galaxy S23 Ultra has an impressive display. This is Samsung we're talking about, after all. Not only is it slightly bigger at 6.8-inches in size (compared to the PIxel 8 Pro's 6.7-inch panel), but it offers a higher resolution and better pixel density. Add in a 3,000,000:1 HDR10+ contrast ratio and the S23 Ultra's AMOLED 2X pulls further and further ahead.

Which is the better Black Friday deal?

• Want a the best performing phone with a top tier display?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon.
   
• Want a phone with plenty of storage for your photos, videos, and apps?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (256GB) for $899 at Amazon.
   
• Want a camera-phone with one of the most powerful sensors available?
  Go with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for $899 at Amazon.

• Want a great all-around smartphone that's smooth and easy to use?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon.
   
• Want a smartphone with great camera software and photo editing potential?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon.
   
• Want a smartphone with on-board generative AI to simplify your daily tasks?
  Go with the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $799 at Amazon.

It's been almost a year since the Galaxy S23 Ultra launched, so in a surprise to hopefully no one, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the centerpiece of today's Galaxy Unpacked event. Given the volume of Galaxy S24 Ultra, there aren't too many surprises, but 

There’s a fair amount of hype surrounding the S24 Ultras release, but a product with hype around it is always at risk from the words “Didn’t live up to the..” also taking orbit around it post-release. So what do we know about the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and how can we tell if Samsung’s upcoming flagship phone is worth jumping aboard the bandwagon over? Let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Price

There were plenty of rumors of a price increase for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, similar to what we saw with the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, and unfortunately the rumors were true. The Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299, a $100 price bump from the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra leapfrogs the iPhone 15 Pro Max ($1,249) to once again secure its spot as the non-folding phone with the highest starting price. If you are looking for anything to soften the blow, if you pre-order the Galaxy S24 Ultra between now and January 30 on Samsung.com you are eligible for a $100 Samsung Credit and you also get a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB, or for the first time you can opt for the 512GB to 1TB boost.

The offers help and you do have upgrades like the improved display and the titanium frame, but from a pure price standpoint, this one goes to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's also worth noting that the older model will surely drop in price now that its predecessor has launched.

Winner: Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design and displays

As anticipated the design changes for the Galaxy S24 Ultra aren't a massive departure from the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but there are a few notable upgrades.

The first of these is the anticipated move to a titanium frame, much like what we saw from Apple on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max late last year. As the Galaxy S23 Ultra used aluminum, rather than a stainless steel frame like the iPhone, this doesn't result in a lighter phone, but it should prove more durable. 

Inside the Galaxy S24 Ultra gets an updated vapor chamber that is almost two times the size of the one in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which should unlock even greater performance gains with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra display remains the same 6.8 inches with a QHD+ resolution and an adaptive refresh rate from 1-120Hz, but as rumored it is a flatter display that Samsung says is more optimized for viewing and productivity. Opinions will vary on this one, but I dramatically prefer this to the rounded edges from a usability standpoint. 

Samsung delivered two more upgrades for the Galaxy S24 Ultra display. The first is the move to Corning Gorilla Glass Armor, which reduces reflections by up to 75% and according to Corning's own testing is four times more scratch-resistant than "competitive aluminosilicate cover glasses." The former I'm inclined to believe as glare resistance has clearly been a focus on Samsung displays in this generation, but I'll await 3rd party testing on the scratch resistance.

Finally, Samsung claims the Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts an incredible peak brightness of 2,600 nits. We'll see what our lab has to say about that figure, but safe to bet that it will at least overtake the 1,444 that the Galaxy S23 Ultra managed last year.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Processor

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset was one of the S23 Ultra's most impressive features. More power, better graphics, and much-improved efficiency resulted in an all-around improvement in performance and battery life — leading to the S23 Ultra to feel like it genuinely lived up to its name.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and while we still need to run our own tests, if Qualcomm’s released Geekbench and AnTuTu results are to be believed, performance from the 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is enough to rival the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 3nm A17 Pro chipset in several metrics. 

Of course, results like these have been known to over-promise. Until we get our hands on the Galaxy S24 Ultra and put it through its paces in our lab, we won’t know for certain just how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 compares to its flagship Apple counterpart. We can say that benchmark results aren’t generally real-world reflective and that numerous factors go into how well a phone performs beyond its on-paper numbers.

Beyond raw power, Qualcomm and Samsung are leaning heavily into the AI capabilities of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with a 42% improvement in the performance of that all-important NPU (Neural Processing Unit). This is the key to several of the new Galaxy AI features that Samsung highlighted today.

We'll find out the truth of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's performance as we start putting the Galaxy S24 Ultra through its paces in real-world and lab testing today, but it's not a question of whether it will beat its predecessor, but whether it will manage to overtake Apple.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra had a magnificent secret weapon in tow when it was released: an almost comically high-spec 200MP main camera. It was a clear shot across the bow to the competition and an indicator to smartphone shutterbugs that Samsung was willing to go all-out to woo them.

Did it work? Well, let’s just say, there’s a reason you see the S23 Ultra topping so many best cameraphone lists. Beyond its impeccable main shooter, the S23 Ultra features a diverse array of lenses and sensors that make it one of the most versatile smartphones for taking pictures on the market. Toss in a pair of telephoto lenses with one capable of a 10x optical zoom, and the line between cameraphone and phone camera becomes blurrier than pictures of Bigfoot.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn't have as clear of an ace up its sleeve in the camera department, sticking to a 200MP main camera with the same f/1.7 aperture. The 12MP ultra-wide at f/2.2, 3x 10MP telephoto at f/2.4, and 12MP front-facing camera at f/2.2 also match up with last year. The one notable change comes to the formerly 10x optical zoom 10MP zoom at f/4.9, which now becomes a 5x optical 50MP zoom sensor at f/3.4.

The improvement to the aperture, the sensor, and the computational photography capabilities in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may be enough to overcome the drop in optical zoom, but this is one category where we are going to get out and shoot photos in a wide variety of settings to see if the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes out on top. Stay tuned as we'll update this face-off in the coming days with our results.

Winner: TBD

Overall winner

While we will continue to update this face-off with camera samples, lab test results, and our real-world testing, there is no question that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is an overall better phone than its predecessor. That shouldn't come as a significant surprise.

However, based on what we've seen so far, barring incredibly enticing trade-in offers, Galaxy S23 Ultra owners shouldn't be looking to make the leap. While the cumulative upgrades make for a solid package, many of the changes would go unnoticed by most users.

If you are coming from the Galaxy S22 Ultra that is a more serious question as the battery life and performance jump delivered by last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was already considerable and we expect that both will take another step forward this year. The AI performance has also been a considerable focus over these last two generations, so you are missing out on some features and speed enhancements delivered by the NPU.

For anyone currently using a Galaxy S21 Ultra or Galaxy Note 20, this should be an easy upgrade. Battery life has seen a transformative change over that time and you are also likely facing battery degradation if you've been using the phone for the last 3+ years. Overall performance, AI performance, and camera upgrades are also dramatically improved, so you've waited long enough.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is expected to make its debut next year, but a recent leak suggests we finally have a specific date—and it's earlier than expected. Samsung has slowly been moving the S series launches up over the years, with the S23 series unveiled on February 1st and launching on February 17.

However, a recent leak from Tech_Reve on Twitter suggested that Samsung would be moving the release of these phones up by a month and Ice Universe has further backed this rumor up. The prolific and oft-accurate leaker claimed it'll launch on January 18. This could be a direct response to push competition against the iPhone 15 series.

Samsung Galaxy S24 series: Why an earlier date?

We don't know an exact reason why Samsung has decided to push the Galaxy S24 series up (assuming the rumors are true), but we can speculate. A previous tweet from Tech_Reve explains how the Galaxy Z series wasn't selling as well as the company had hoped, so it's possible this is an attempt to get ahead of the competition and ensure the Galaxy S24 series doesn't face a similar fate.

Samsung has to wait until the Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 that should power the S24 series is available, and January is likely the earliest possible shipping date possible. January is also a quiet time for new phones otherwise, so Samsung may be looking to dominate mobile coverage during CES 2024.

On the other hand, these details could be entirely irrelevant. Perhaps Samsung just wants to get this series out there sooner than normal to ensure it stands a chance against the recently launched iPhone 15 series. 

We normally only see an iPhone to Android (or vice versa) shift there when there are big new features revealed to appeal to different individuals, but Samsung may be testing whether cutting the iPhone's 4-month lead time on the S series down to 3 months makes a difference. The reality of course is that for the most part, Galaxy users are likely going to stay Galaxy users, which will be the same for the iPhone fanbase. The Android vs. iPhone lines are etched deep.

More from Laptop Mag

• We asked 7 phone experts: What can the iPhone do that Android CAN’T?
• We asked 5 phone experts: What is it that Android CAN do that iPhone CAN’T?
• iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life blows the competition away — there's just one problem

Apple boasted about numerous new features on the iPhone 15 Pro Max including that new 5x zoom camera and titanium build, but battery life was one feature I really keyed in on, so I was very curious to see how it held up in testing.

We're still awaiting our iPhone 15 Pro Max, but our sister site Tom's Guide uses the same battery test and the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted 14 hours and 2 minutes, outlasting its predecessor by 23 minutes. Now that might not seem like that much, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max was already leading the pack and when you factor in the roughly 30% boost to Geekbench performance, it becomes quite a bit more impressive.

Let's take a closer look at how the iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life stacks up to the competition and the rest of the iPhone 15 lineup.

As you can see the iPhone 15 Pro Max currently commands almost an hour lead on the longest-lasting Android flagship (OnePlus 11), almost 2 hours over the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and an almost silly 3 hours and 58 minutes over the Pixel 7 Pro.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 3 and Tensor G3 that should power those phones' predecessors will need to dramatically improve efficiency if they are going to eclipse the new high watermark set by the 15 Pro Max. 

Apple still has one glaring weakness

While the iPhone may hold the lead on overall battery life, one feature that Apple left untouched is charging. The iPhone 15 Pro Max maxes out at the same 27W that Apple claims should yield 50% in 30 minutes, but in Tom's Guide's tests only made it to 41%.

That doesn't hold a candle to the best Android phones with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra able to reach 57% in 30 minutes and the OnePlus 11 puts them both to shame with a full charge in roughly 27 minutes.

Even if the next-gen Android flagships gain only limited ground when it comes to battery life, the charging advantage is enough that it renders the difference moot for anyone who can quickly charge for even 10-15 minutes a day.

While we're happy to see the iPhone finally join the rest of the phone world with USB-C, here's hoping next year we get a charging speed upgrade on the iPhone 16 to bring it more in line with the best Android has to offer.

Two of the largest smartphone companies in the world enter the ring, but only one can leave. With Samsung in one corner, boasting its acclaimed Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and in the other corner, Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max. Both phones are the highest-end models for their respective flagship series and are undeniable beasts.

We’re exclusively comparing specs in this competition, as we don’t have the iPhone 15 Pro Max in our hands just yet. We’ll update with our final decision once we complete our review, but based simply on what each phone is packing under the hood, let us see which one comes out on top.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Specs

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Price

iPhone’s Pro Max series would have had the advantage over Samsung most years, as iPhone 15 Pro Max has solidified itself as the most expensive iPhone in this latest series, bumping up the price by $100. 

This means both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are $1,199, making the two companies evenly matched in cost for their most premium smartphone model

Winner: Draw 

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Design

Tons of little upgrades are coming to the iPhone 15 series, but it’s hard to count something like USB-C ports as an “upgrade” when everyone else is already doing that (and that Apple was forced to do it). At the very least, the inclusion of the Action Button (a feature from Apple Watch Ultra) is massive, which provides a haptic response that can be modified to perform unique tasks.

But beyond functionality, iPhone 15 Pro Max has finally made its upgrade from stainless steel to titanium. This should make the phone lighter but also sturdier than ever. However, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra wasn’t using stainless steel to begin with, as that was something Apple has always been a bit behind on.

Instead, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is made with “armored” aluminum. The question here comes down to a battle between aluminum and titanium, but the results online about which one is stronger are rather mixed. This isn’t just because the internet cannot come to an exact agreement, but because its use case, grade, and concentration can all make a massive difference. 

It would be rare if both Apple and Samsung used the exact same density and grade quality for their metals, so we won’t know which one is stronger until experts properly test the phones themselves. And while aluminum is way lighter than titanium on average, Samsung does not have the lighter phone. iPhone 15 Pro Max is 7.8 ounces, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 is 8.3 ounces. This could be due to many other factors, but at the end of the day, lighter is better.

Winner: iPhone 15 Pro Max 

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Display

The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch, 2,796 x 1,290 resolution OLED display with adaptive refresh rate from 1-120Hz. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra features the same refresh rate, but also boasts a 6.8-inch, 3,088 x 1,440 AMOLED screen.

We can’t compare testing numbers between these two phones, as we’ve tested only the Samsung, but based on some previous numbers from iPhone 14 tests, we can make some assumptions. The iPhone 14 Pro Max was already brighter than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, with the former achieving 1,565 nits at its peak, while the latter was a bit behind at 1,444 nits. 

During Apple’s September event, the company claimed that the 15 series displays would go as high as 2,000 nits of brightness. Whether or not this statement is entirely true will be determined when we can actually test the phone, but we can say with some confidence that it’s unlikely it will be worse than the previous generation, considering Apple is claiming it’ll be way better.

We can also make an educated guess based on the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s color performance that Samsung will have its next model beat once again. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra achieved 136.7% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max was at only 83.2%. We’re not expecting this new phone to jump 50% higher, especially since a majority of Apple products normally hover around this 80% range.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Processor

Spoiler alert: The iPhone has this in the bag. Apple is making some massive moves with its processor development by introducing the world’s first commercially available smartphone with a 3nm chipset in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

iPhone 14 Pro Max was already ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in our Geekbench 5.4 tests, with the former hitting a score of 5,333 and the latter a tad behind at 5,081. By no means is this a massive gap, but it’s clear that Apple was in the lead and considering the company is continuing to innovate in processing power, we’re expecting that to remain the case.

Beyond just the potential for this to provide excellent performance boosts, it could also mean a huge change in battery life efficiency. We won’t know for sure until we get our hands on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and can test it ourselves, but there’s reason to believe that it could result in hours extra of battery life.

Winner: iPhone 15 Pro Max 

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Cameras

iPhone 15 Pro Max has finally unveiled its periscope camera or, as Apple likes to call it, the “Tetraprism.” Beyond this just sounding like the latest McGuffin in a Marvel Cinematic Universe flick, it’s hilariously on point for Apple to be so extra in the design of something that already exists. I had previously written an explainer on the ins and outs of periscope cameras, which involves reflecting light at a 90-degree angle after lining multiple lenses to perform a greater optical zoom. But instead of just having light reflect through a 90-degree angle, the “Tetraprism” has it bounce off of multiple lens in a zig-zag to reach a 5x optical zoom.

But Samsung’s greatest assets are its incredible cameras. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra features a 200 megapixel sensor as the primary, while it also has a 10MP camera with 10x optical zoom, which doubles what Apple is promising. iPhone 15’s primary camera is unfortunately still only 48MP.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 

Outlook

Determining a winner solely based on specifications isn’t completely fair, as we still have to test the iPhone 15 Pro Max and see how it does in application. Beyond that, whether or not you should buy an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy depends on more than just specs, as each phone’s application suite might be most important to you.

But if we’re analyzing solely based on the numbers we see thus far, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra overpowers the iPhone 15 Pro Max with better optical zoom, high megapixel sensor and potentially more vivid display. iPhone 15 Pro Max will almost certainly have superior nits of brightness, while its performance could blow us away alongside a lighter build. We have one draw, two wins for Apple and two wins for Samsung. At this point, the winner entirely depends on if the battery life rumors are true, but assuming they are, Apple takes this victory home.

Winner: iPhone 15 Pro Max 

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is official, and we have just one question to answer in this piece: is it worth buying right now, or should you wait and see what Samsung is cooking up with the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

We can answer this pretty solidly with a whole host of leaks coming out about Samsung’s next generation ultra premium phone — from its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset to an improved display.

So, now that we’ve seen Apple’s brand new phone for the next 12 months, are the leaks of the S24 Ultra enough to suggest you wait? Let’s find out.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Price

As we saw, the iPhone 15 Pro Max got a $100 price hike, thanks to Apple dropping the 128GB model and offering 256GB as the base model. While there are no rumors circulating about the price of the S24 Ultra, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Samsung keep the same cost.

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: $1,199
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: $1,199

Competing at the same price is going to make customers think carefully about their purchase, and the S24 Ultra’s spec sheet is looking mighty tempting from a “more is better” kind of perspective.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Design

• iPhone 15 Pro Max gets a titanium redesign with slightly curved edges
• Goodbye, lightning. iPhone 15 Pro Max gets USB-C! You can thank the EU for that one
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra design rumored to remain the same candy bar slab, but it may match the iPhone’s move to titanium

Aesthetically, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s updates are subtle, but impactful: a slight curvature to the metal band that should make the phone a little more comfortable to hold in the hand, alongside a switch from the traditional mute toggle to an Action Button.

Another big change is the move to a USB-C port. Given the EU’s legislation, this was pretty much a guarantee for the company to adopt before an imposed 2024 deadline. We’ve been documenting this whole Apple vs EU saga, and it’s been a little dramatic to say the least.

Meanwhile, as you can tell by the rumored specs table, the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t rumored to get a ground up redesign. It looks like we’ll get that same luxurious candy bar with the vertical row of camera rings down the back, however, its chassis may get a considerable upgrade from aluminum to titanium. The lone concern with this change is regarding weight as aluminum is far lighter, but given titanium’s superior strength it will require less material and could be a wash.

No new aesthetic isn’t always a bad thing, as Samsung has got Apple’s number when it comes to battery capacity.

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,422mAh
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 5,000 mAh

This is a warmly welcomed increase in stamina for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra is in a prime position to outlast it with this hardware advantage. The big question is whether Apple’s new 3nm A17 Pro (which we’ll get to later) offers enough of a power efficiency advantage to overcome Samsung’s battery size.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Display

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, 2796 x 1290-pixel resolution, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 6.8-inch OLED display, 3088 x 1440-pixel resolution, 144Hz adaptive refresh rate.

Not much has changed in the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s display — same resolution, same LTPO technology, and the same adaptive refresh rate from 1-120Hz. For the next big display upgrade, you’ll have to wait for the iPhone 16, which is rumored to make the most of a micro lens array (MLA) technology that provides better brightness and power efficiency.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s panel is looking to be a tasty upgrade over the S23. It starts with a rumored maximum 144Hz refresh rate, which could be a game changer for the gaming credentials of this phone. On top of that, peak brightness could reach 2,500 nits — 750 more than the S23, and 500 more than the 15 Pro Max.

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Processor

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: A17 Pro with 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (U.S. and South Korea), Exynos 2400 for other regions

Apple, in a move that probably annoyed tech journalists pre-writing content across the globe, has dropped the Bionic tag and packed iPhone 15 Pro Max with the A17 Pro. There was big talk in the event about this challenging even desktop class CPUs, and the fact it sports a “pro class GPU.” But while there is a lot of vague hyperbole here, the reality is this is a beast of a chip.

Built on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process, the 19 billion transistors in A17 Pro (up from 16 billion in A16 Bionic) delivers 10% faster CPU performance, 20% faster graphics, and even supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

We don’t know too much about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor in the S24 Ultra, except for the fact it will be manufactured with a 4nm process (given that Apple gobbled all of the 3nm chips up in its order to TSMC). But the rumor mill points towards an 8-core CPU with a speed of 3.75 GHz (faster than A17 Pro), a new Adreno 750 GPU, and support for the as-yet unannounced UFS 4.1 storage.

Leaker IceUniverse has made the vague claims that GPU performance has been “greatly improved,” and that the Gen 3 will “maintain the overall energy efficiency of the 8Gen2.” That last bit is great news as we saw a boost to battery life across the board for flagship Android phones this year and we’d hate to see them lose ground again.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Cameras

• iPhone 15 Pro Max gets an updated 48MP wide camera, and the brand new 12MP 5x telephoto with periscope lens (or tetra prism if you’re nasty)
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will still boast four cameras: : including a new 200MP wide, and a 10MP periscopic lens

Apple’s smartphone cameras are the stuff of legend. They’ve had some ropey times (the 14 Pro didn’t necessarily have the best computational photography), but on the main hand, the Cupertino chums continue to roll out the hits.

That is no different with the 15 Pro Max, as the 48MP sensor has been updated with a wider aperture, and instead of a standard telephoto lens (which has a fixed magnification), the Pro Max has made the leap to a 5X periscope lens, although Apple refers to it as a tetraprism design.

But the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is packing its own box of tricks too. Rumors aren’t pointing to much changing on the hardware side, but you can look forward to updates to that 200MP main camera. These will be more fundamental tweaks to the sensor and image processing, which will allow it to better capture more realistic color. 

Speaking of computation, Apple has added some user-friendly tweaks too, thanks to some machine learning knowhow. The biggest one is recognizing when you’re shooting a picture of a person, and saving all the depth of field information automatically to turn it into a portrait mode picture after the fact.

Outlook

The iPhone 15 Pro Max brings some impressive updates to its hardware design, performance, and cameras. But is it enough to recommend anyone who’s on the fence to not wait until the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra? I’m not so sure.

Because sure, the A17 Pro is going to continue the iPhone's run at the top as the fastest smartphone on the planet, and that camera system is going to be stellar. However, Samsung’s going to come out swinging with its 200MP camera system, a bigger capacity battery, a larger display with faster refresh rate, and the far more open Android OS.

iOS 17 has brought some warmly welcomed changes to the software side of it, and that OS is being paired with some tasty new hardware in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But if you want to make a more educated purchase decision, I recommend holding off and seeing what Samsung has to offer.

If you've followed iPhone 15 or are anywhere near the Apple pipeline, you might have read or heard "periscope camera" a few times in reference to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This feature has been talked about since before the iPhone 14 launched, so it's no small deal.

It's one of the many reasons why the iPhone 15 Pro Max will raise in price by $100. But with all of this blabber about the existence of a periscope camera, not many actually understand the technology. What does "periscope camera" even mean and why should you care that it's coming to iPhone?

What is iPhone 15's periscope camera?

News focusing on the phrase "periscope lens" are just describing a technology that is meant to act as a selling point. In practical application, this new lens allows the iPhone 15 Pro Max to zoom 5x optically. Previous iPhone models could only perform a 3x optical zoom, which allows for a far greater hardware-based zoom before it turns into a grainy mess thanks to digital.

Imagine a traditional telephoto lens, the kind that you see attached to professional cameras. When they zoom, you can see the lens physically get longer, causing it to jut out. This cannot be done with smartphones on a large scale, which is why telephoto optical zoom has been limited for years.

Periscope instead utilizes the reflection of light through multiple lens aligned through the phone's height or width, reflecting light at a right angle at the final step. Imagine the opening of the lens, but instead of it having to jut outwards to zoom further in, each lens is aligned inside the phone across its body and then reflected through a 90-degree prism to go through the lens.

This technology isn't simple, but have you ever played with one of those toys that looks like a long rod with two openings at the top and bottom? When you look through the bottom hole, you can see clearly through the top hole, which always blew my mind as a kid. That's exactly what periscope is. Depending on your age, you can probably Google "periscope toy" and immediately understand. 

But this technology isn't all that new. In classic Apple fashion, the company is hopping onto a trend quite a bit later than other companies. Samsung has been doing it since the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which released all the way back in 2020. And even now, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a 10x optical zoom thanks to the periscope lens. Google Pixel 6 Pro also had a 4x optical zoom with periscope, while the Pixel 7 Pro upgraded to 5x.

According to a report in PatentlyApple, reliable leaker Ice Universe shared on Weibo site that the Galaxy Ring will launch alongside the Galaxy S24 in January 2024. Excited by this leak, the folks at Patently Apple went searching through recent Korean Trademarks and were able to locate some patents that support this leak. 

They found a trademark application numbered 4020230032679, directly related to upcoming Samsung Galaxy products. Mind you, Samsung has filed ring trademarks going back to 2015, then subsequently again in 2021 and 2022. The trademark names for these past rings have been the Iris Ring, Triple Ring, and Oval Ring. 

The Samsung patent covers a wide swath of technologies that could allow a Galaxy Ring to connect to many devices, from smartphones, tablets, TVs, and possible AR/VR glasses. The possibilities seem endless, with some patents showing a clear connection to health apps.

The one ring to rule them all

Apple filed an intelligent ring patent all the way back in October of 2015, but we have yet to see it actually come to market. Samsung's first ring patent filing came shortly thereafter in December 2015, but it seems that have eight years Samsung may beat Apple to the punch.

We are entering fall tech reveal madness 2023, with the iPhone 15 launch tomorrow, the Microsoft Surface event and OnePlus Open launch in late September, and finally the Pixel launch in early October. However, 2024 could kick off with some game-changing new devices, so don't blow your entire budget. 

Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro is slated to arrive, and we can now add the Galaxy Ring to Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra announcement and don't forget about the OnePlus 12. At this rate, we may finally get a flying car at CES 2024. 

With Apple, Samsung, and others filing new trademarks and patents as fast as I eat a pint of Hagen Daz while watching reality shows, 2024 could be a year filled with innovation if they can actually turn these ideas into reality. 

The Apple event is just days away, and tech journalists are preparing for the yearly event when Tim Cook unveils the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max and other goodies. However, a recent leak about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra may take some of the luster off the iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

According to a report at GSMArena, reliable leaker Yogesh Brar posted several vital specs that lend credence to previous rumors about the S24 Ultra. Corroborating previous rumors, Brar asserts that the Galaxy S24 will include a titanium frame and upgraded camera system in addition to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and possibly up to 2TB of storage. 

What to expect

According to the leak, we should also see a 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution, with peak brightness at 2,200 nits, which is a leap from the current S23 Ultra's 1,750 nits of brightness. 

The exciting thing for content creators is the rumored camera improvements. Allegedly, the primary rear camera will feature an upgraded 200MP sensor and improved autofocus, with 4-in-1 and 16-in-1 pixel binning. The 3x telephoto camera could take the biggest leap to a new 50MP sensor (1/2.52", 0.7µm pixels before binning, up from a 10MP 1/3.52" sensor with 1.12µm pixels). The all-important 10x periscope module is suspected to remain in the 10MP range. There are no plans for improvements to the selfie camera setup. 

The one down note of the leak is that Brar claims the rumored 65W charging will not happen, and Samsung will stick to the same 45W charging for the 5,000mAH battery. These aren't bad, however, with OnePlus churning out fast-charging devices with 80W+ charging (charger in the box no less), it may behoove Samsung to address this eventually. 

Adding a super durable and lightweight titanium frame to a more powerful chipset and better cameras may seem like Samsung is just matching Apple step for step, but Samsung should retain the camera (hardware) advantage, and Apple likely will not match the 2TB storage option or the available RAM. 

Stick with us to watch all the rumors and developments for the upcoming iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra unfold. 

IFA 2023 (or Internationale Funkausstellung if you’re nasty) is easily the biggest consumer electronics show outside of Vegas — giving us a glimpse at the future of gadgets at home and on the go.

After a couple of wobbly years amidst the pandemic, the show is back to full strength and you best believe the announcements did not disappoint. From Lenovo’s big Steam Deck competitor in the Legion Go to Honor giving Samsung a run for its money with the Magic V2 foldable, this has been an important show.

We have scoured the show floor to find the cream of the crop. Here are our favorite pieces of tech for this year’s IFA.

Best of Show: Lenovo Legion Go

Could the Lenovo Legion Go be the best gaming handheld of 2023? Right now, it’s a strong “maybe.” There’s plenty to like about the Legion Go, starting with its stunning 8.8-inch, 2560 x 1600, IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 144Hz refresh rate. Then you’ve got the powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor with AMD RDNA 3 Graphics, removable controllers, 10 mappable buttons and the ability to accommodate just about every PC gaming platform out there. 

And while some will definitely ding the Go for it’s hefty dimensions, if more powerful thermals and a larger battery life really live up to the hype, it’s an easy trade-off for me. Plus, the device is priced at a very competitive price. And while it’s not a perfect mobile gaming solution, but taking cues from other companies in the nascent space, Lenovo’s put the Legion Go in a prime position to be crowned king of the PC gaming handhelds. 

Sherri L. Smith, Editor in Chief

Best Laptop: Lenovo Legion 9i

Lenovo has come out of the woodworks with a staggeringly powerful gaming laptop oin the Legion 9i. Boasting an Intel Core i9-13980HX processor, Nvidia RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, up to 2TB of SSD storage, 64GB of 5600Mhz DDR5 RAM and a 16-inch Mini-LED 3.2K display with a 165Hz refresh rate, it's no understatement to say this is one of the strongest gaming laptops out there.

We're looking forward to pitting this beast against our various performance tests, and personally, I'm excited to see how its Mini-LED display does. I'm a sucker for bright and vivid screens, and while Mini-LED is definitely not OLED, it can be wonderful nonetheless.

Momo Tabari, Staff Writer

Best Smartphone: Honor Magic V2

Honor’s latest foldable has stolen the IFA spotlight with its impressively slim, sleek design that has put the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on notice. At just 0.39 inches when folded, with a weight of 8.1 ounces (the Z Fold 5 is 0.53 inches, and 8.9 ounces), this is quite the engineering feat — especially when you take a look at the spec sheet of this beast.

You’ve got a 6.43-inch display upfront, and opening the phone will reveal a 7.92-inch panel (both OLED 120Hz). On top of that, Honor has stuffed this with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a triple rear camera system with a 50MP main, 50MP ultra wide, and a 20MP telephoto. Up front, there’s a 16MP selfie snapper, and all of this is kept powered with a 5,000 mAh battery (a bigger capacity than the bigger Z Fold 5). 

One thing is clear. Honor is really taking the fight to Samsung this year for foldable supremacy.

Jason England, Content Editor

Best Innovation: Lenovo Legion Glasses

Yeah, gaming on an 8.8-inch display can be fun. But why settle for that small, albeit pretty screen when you can get a large display right in front of the face without taking over the TV? That’s where the Lenovo Legion Glasses come in. The relatively lightweight glasses utilize micro-OLED lens technology in order to deliver a high-resolution, virtual display that can range between 82  inches at three meters and 163 inches at 5 meters. It’s the difference between your average living room experience and a premium home theater.

In addition to swappable nose pads, there’s a lens holder that you can take to the optometrist to be fitted with prescription lenses. It’s a great way to enhance your mobile gaming experience.

Sherri L. Smith Editor in Chief

Best Headphones: Soundcore Space One

Since the Soundcore Space Q45s impressed me next year, I’ve been wondering just what Anker is going to pull out the bag to continue this Space lineage. Well, now we know, as the Soundcore Space One headphones look set to continue the trend of offering impressive ANC while upgrading some key features.

These include an expanded battery life to 40 hours, tweaked 40mm drivers, and a change in codec support that brings LDAC to the party. On top of that, the ANC in here has been tweaked to bring 2x stronger human voice reduction, and Bluetooth 5.3 guarantees a far stronger, more stable connection.

Jason England, Content Editor

Best Monitor: Lenovo ThinkVision 27 3D Monitor

3D glasses are a pain, especially for someone who already has to wear glasses daily. But with new 3D technology, you can snap those lenses in half and experience the future with the Lenovo ThinkVision 27 3D Monitor. Unlike some stagnant pieces of tech, the monitor is paired with real-time eye-tracking to create 3D visuals. Lenovo ships the monitor with a 3D Explorer software designed for 3D creation and consumption. 

Its 3D functionality and ease-of-use is only one of its compelling features. This 27-inch monitor offers a 4K resolution with 99% coverage for both DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts. It also features built-in speakers, USB Type-C docking and modular camera support. 

Rami Tabari, Editor

Best TV: TCL X955

IFA is usually a show full of TVs and washing machines. While we don’t cover the latter, I can safely say that the TCL X955 is the breakthrough choice for the best big screen in Berlin. The key here is MiniLED, which is offering an insanely good picture quality — available in both 85 and 98-inch sizes.

One key selling point here has to be the screen’s brightness. We’re used to seeing a number hovering around 500-1,500 nits in laptops, but over 5,000 nits of peak brightness? That’s insanity, and makes for a super bright HDR quality, which paired with the increased number of dimming zones makes for super deep contrast.

Jason England, Content Editor

Honor is back at IFA 2023 with a brand new foldable: the Magic V2. I’ve got to be honest, this is perfectly timed, as the company has caught Samsung napping with its mundane Galaxy Z Fold 5 and dropped the banger of the summer.

What we have here is the thinnest and lightest foldable phone in the world, and it’s quite the stunner as I’m sure you’d agree. Let’s take a closer look.

Super svelte, yet more capable than Galaxy Z Fold 5

Put simply, Honor has put the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on notice. The Magic V2 is not only thinner and lighter at  just 0.39 inches when folded, with a weight of 8.1 ounces (the Z Fold 5 is 0.53 inches, and 8.9 ounces), but it also packs more capabilities too.

This includes that 6.43-inch display upfront, and a 7.92-inch panel (both OLED 120Hz) on the inside, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a triple rear camera system with a 50MP main, 50MP ultra wide, and a 20MP telephoto (plus a 16MP selfie snapper), and a 5,000 mAh battery. The latter is especially impressive, given Samsung has only packed its Fold 5 with a 4,400 mAh cell.

So how did Honor manage to cram this super slim device with more battery? The secret is silicon carbon, which has created cells that are as slim as your average credit card. As for the hinge, Hardware-wise, the company has knocked it out the park.

But there is one key problem

It’s the same issue we’ve all faced with Honor and Huawei phones — it doesn’t support Google services out of the box. Of course, with a bit of knowhow, you could sideload the APKs for Google apps, but as it is, MagicOS is limited to Honor’s own services.

Not to say they’re bad, but there is definitely a limit to what you can do based on the rather constricted app store. Chances are it may not even be a problem for you, but it’s worth knowing from the get go.

Outlook

We’ve known about the Magic V2 for a while now, but now with a worldwide launch at IFA, one thing is clear — Honor is really taking the fight to Samsung this year for foldable supremacy.

U.S. availability is going to be the equivalent of a sad face emoji, as it is with all Huawei and Honor tech. But if this is a glimpse at just what is possible in the foldable space, we’re in for some seriously sleek devices in the future.

As we're speeding towards the iPhone 15 launch, I am already looking past it to the soon-to-arrive OnePlus Open. Samsung has dominated the foldables market for the past few years, but that reign will soon end. 

A report from Android Authority quotes a Tweet from leaker Max Jambor, stating that the upcoming OnePlus Open is rigorously tested, being put through 400,000 simulated folds. If this is true, that is double the amount of test folds for which the celebrated Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is rated.

Durability always wins

Don't get me wrong; I have seen what Samsung puts its foldables through. At Samsung Unpacked, we saw a demonstration of how they test fold durability, and it was fascinating.

I can't imagine being folded over 200,000 times and not having a few kinks to complain about. Let's be honest: if I fold over to touch my toes, I may need assistance getting back up. 

However, OnePlus pushing the limits of the Open by test folding it 400,000 times is the kind of limit testing that excites consumers. It's going the extra mile, or in this case, the additional 200,000 folds, to prove the Open is durable.

In human testing conducted by YouTuber Mrkeybrd, Samsung's other foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, not only survived 400,000 folds, but surpassed Motorola's Razr + during the durability testing. We're not saying Samsung foldables are not burdensome, but we've all heard of the occasional lemon that has only survived a few hundred folds before not functioning. 

The other massively important thing to consider is that OnePlus is not only looking to deliver a durable foldable with the Open, but more than likely, they will do so at a price point that is more affordable if the company's history of delivering flagship specs holds. 

Also, the OnePlus Open is made by Oppo, which makes the Oppo Find N3 Flip rated at 400,000 folds and has been a hot seller in non-U.S. markets. If you do the math, 400,000 folds are 100 a day for the next ten years, but who owns a phone for ten years these days? Also, who isn't checking emails and social media at least 50 times daily? So if the average phone is good for five years, that's 200 folds over the phone's lifetime, which is more than enough for most. 

The iPhone 15 lineup will arrive shortly, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning. According to a report in TechRadar, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could come with up to 2TB of storage, which should outpace the iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

However, storage is expensive, and the S24's rumored 2TB's could see the Ultra surpass the Galaxy Z Fold 5 with 1Tb ($2,159.99) of storage in price. If 1TB costs over $2,000, would 2TB cost $2,500? Also, that is just a massive expense for anyone to swallow, but some can argue for such an expense. 

Who needs 2TB of Storage? 

The average smartphone user can get by with 256GB of storage, especially when using cloud storage options like Google Drive and iCloud. However, some are extreme users, like content creators who film many videos and take tons of photos to share on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. 

That specific use case will have you devouring precious storage rapidly, especially with today's high-end phone cameras that are capable of filming in 4 and 8K, which create larger files. Filming videos in 4 and 8K while taking high-resolution photos, eats storage faster than I can devour a plate of my favorite pasta.

When you add that many influencers also edit and save on their devices, you're constantly going through storage. I have had to periodically offload media from my devices onto a hard drive or cloud drive because I get that annoying running out of storage warning every few months. I even pay Apple and Google for extra cloud storage, which I must go through once every six months to offload media to my 32 TB OWC ThunderBay 4 drive. 

Some handy storage suggestions

Having 2TB of storage will be a huge help, but it will cost consumers a lot of money. I suggest trying to understand what your storage consumption is before hauling off and buying what could be a $2,500 phone. If you're sharing photos with friends and family, you don't need 1 or 2TB of storage and can get by with 256GB or even 128GB of storage while backing up your media onto a cloud drive or your computer. 

I would make it a habit of going through your photos and videos periodically. Nobody needs 47 pictures of their ex passed out on the couch or 4,000 cat and cute puppy memes. 

Lastly, other phones are coming that may meet the exact storage requirements and cost much less. The upcoming OnePlus 12 tends to bring Flagship specs at bargain price points. I would wait until at least the end of February 2024 to shop for a new phone unless you're absolutely devoted to one brand. Which is fine, but your loyalty may cost you a ton more. 

Labor Day sales are now live and Samsung's Labor Day sale offers a smorgasbord of deals on the entire Galaxy ecosystem. Among the tech giant's end of summer deals we're seeing massive price drops on our favorite Samsung mobile devices. 

Now is one of the best times of the year to snag the best savings on the Samsung Galaxy Book 3, the new Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy Phones. You can also score the lowest prices of the year on Samsung's big screen offerings from computer monitors, to OLED 4K TVs. 

So if you're due for a gadget refresh or want to pick up a new smart TV, there are tons of savings to be had. Shop Samsung's entire Labor Day sale and see our recommended discounts below.

Make sure you visit our Labor Day sales 2023 hub for the best end of summer deals. 

Samsung Labor Day sale — Quick links

• Laptops: save up to $400 on Galaxy Book 3 Series
• Tablets: free Galaxy S9+/Ultra storage upgrade
• Phones: free Galaxy S23 Ultra, Z Fold5 storage upgrade
• Wearables: save up to $250 on Galaxy Watch 6, $50 off Galaxy Buds 2 Pro
• Smart TVs: save up to $4,000 on Samsung QLED and OLED TVs

Samsung Labor Day sale

Samsung Labor Day sale — Laptops & tablets

Samsung Labor Day sale — Phones

Samsung Labor Day sale — Wearables & audio

Samsung Labor Day sale — PC &TV Monitors

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 could be righting the wrongs of the Galaxy Z Fold5 — that being its very dated design, and the company is looking to the S24 Ultra for inspiration.

What do I mean by this? Well, according to a leaked prototype of the next-gen foldable from Ice Universe on X, the super tall front display and build is gone. In its place is a far wider form factor that’s going to make this a lot nicer to use, while giving it the refresh it desperately needs.

Going Ultra

This starts with a rumor about the Galaxy S24 Ultra going “ultra-wide” with the display. No, I don’t mean a 21:9 aspect ratio like the Sony Xperia 1, but rather a wider display on the horizontal like the Google Pixel Fold. It’s an idea that has been met with some skepticism, given how big the Ultra is already (even in my hands, it’s pretty monstrous), but it would make working on that front display a lot easier than the super tall option on the Fold5.

And it seems like Samsung likes this idea so much that it's going to the Galaxy Z Fold6, along with a fresh redesign that channels the aesthetic of the Ultra too. The concept device folds flat into a candy bar slab that looks virtually identical to the uber premium S24 Ultra. 

Another upgrade that seems to be coming is an under display selfie camera up front (take that with a pinch of salt, as it could just be a prototype thing), but don’t expect any updates to that integrated S Pen holder.

Outlook

One thing we all have an issue with following the launch of the Z Fold5 is how little things have actually changed. Sure, there’s a new hinge, but beyond that, most of you would be hard pushed to find anything different.

If this prototype is to be believed, we’re finally seeing something new come to this category from the company that is seemingly dominating it. Samsung rested on its laurels a little in 2023. 2024 could be a very different, more progressive year for the team over there.

Samsung just gave iPhone users a taste of what it would be like to have a foldable iPhone device. No, this isn't Samsung dipping into any hardware wizardry, it just created an app that lets you simulate the foldable experience across two iPhones and then it dug into the junk drawer to tape them together.

As reported by 9to5Mac, the Samsung Try application is just a web app that is easy to install and use on a pair of iPhones if you want to feel what it would be like to use a foldable. 

Sure, it's a marketing gimmick, and Samsung seems to have mastered gently mocking Apple's iPhone either during or near a launch event. Maybe I'm being unfair to Samsung, perhaps they really just wanted to share the joys of having a foldable device with iPhone users. 

How to get Samsung Try

If you wish to enjoy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 experience, you can head over to the Try Galaxy website and install it by scanning the QR code and saving it to your home screen. Once that's done, you can sample the One UI5.1 Samsung skin of Android, play around with it, and get a feel for what it would be like to own a foldable. 

For this experiment, you will need two iPhones; you should lay them side by side to get the full effect. I, however, do not recommend using duct tape to bind them to each other. You can, but duct tape could damage your iPhone or leave a sticky residue. However, if you want the hinge effect, duct tape away like our friends at Macworld choose to do. 

Once you have the Try app running on the two phones, tap the Fold experience button to have them act as one single foldable. It's a demo, so don't expect an accurate virtual device. It's more look and see what we did; we stretched the UI across two iPhones. You can, however, drag and drop items between both screens, which is rather striking. 

I don't think this hilarious app will convince many iPhone users to convert to a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, primarily because if you own an iPhone, you probably own an Apple Watch, a MacBook, an iPad, and possibly an iToilet. You're hooked into Apple's easy-to-use ecosystem and don't want to start changing your whole tech life, I get it. 

I will give Samsung a massive LOL for always finding cute, non-disrespectful ways to poke fun at Apple while still trying to snag a few of its devoted users. I love an excellent tongue-in-cheek, techie game of the dozens. 

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to considerably up its game when it likely launches in February 2024. All signs indicate that a simple refresh is well and truly off the cards, with Samsung keen to improve the S24 Ultra across a number of key areas.

From what we know so far, Samsung is expected to transition the S4 Ultra to a titanium frame, boost its telephoto lens with a 50MP 3x optical zoom sensor, house the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, switch to a flat display, and boost its response rate to a whopping 144Hz.

Bad news, good news

However, it’s not all good news, that flat screen has led to some chunkier bezels according to a recent leak by ever-reliable tech tipster Ice Universe. The Ultra S24’s bezels will reportedly measure at 3mm on the top and bottom, and 3.42mm on the left and right. However, before we hiss and scowl at Samsung’s crafting of the Bezelzebub, these numbers could prove to be inaccurate.

While the bezel size is a noticeable jump from the S23 Ultra’s 1.9mm measurements, it’s likely that the S24 Ultra will retain the rounded edges of its predecessor — meaning the rumored bezel width increase to 3.42mm could incorrectly include the frame’s curvature.

But, wait. There’s more! A follow-up leak from itnyang points to another much more positive and considerable upgrade heading to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: a peak brightness of over 2,200 nits potentially up to 2,800 nits. My god, it’s full of stars.

An Ultra-bright delight?

The rumored peak brightness of the S24 Ultra is a game changer for smartphones and could register as the brightest phone to ever hit the market when it arrives. The S23 Ultra’s display was already sitting at a considerable 1,750 nits and you’d be hard-pressed to find a single complaint about that phone’s bright and vibrant panel.

Apple’s current flagship iPhone the 14 Pro Max has an advertised peak brightness of 2,000 nits and it’s part of what makes the display so rich and effortless to use while out and about. It would seem that Samsung isn’t interested in keeping up with the Joneses on this one, instead, leapfrogging the competition and aiming for the top spot when it comes to eye-popping displays.

Why is screen brightness important for smartphones?

Why is this upgrade so important? And what’s the deal with screen brightness anyway? Well, it all comes down to maintaining the best visual experience no matter the environment you’re in. Phones with a lower peak brightness become hard to decipher in direct sunlight — especially while wrestling with screen glare. A panel with a brightness of over 1,000 nits is likely to hold up well in brighter outdoor conditions, but it will sometimes lack that same stand-out, vivid ‘pop’ that you see while indoors.

However, the higher your phone’s peak brightness, the more likely you’ll receive that same visual experience under all forms of external lightning. Given Samsung’s history of providing excellent photography options in its smartphones, you can bet the additional boost in brightness will be great for summer shutterbugs looking for the perfect snap.

Outlook

On paper, the upgrades in place for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra easily culminate in one of the best smartphones to date. And, given this new information about its ultra-bright display, a true temptation for Apple alumni to switch to the dark side — which will be anything but.

That being said, all the spec upgrades in the world mean nothing when you don’t have the software in place to enthrall a user. That’s something Apple has had in place for years, offering a best-in-class user experience that’s simply too good to give up — no matter how much better a competitor’s hardware might be.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things tech, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives. 

“Haha! Android users weep!” one TikTok comment said. “Android users have left the chat!” another said.” Comments flooded the short-form video platform as one creator demonstrated an Instagram story hack that requires one to use a new-ish iOS 16-born iPhone feature.

iPhone owners were foaming at the mouth at the opportunity to poke fun at Android for supposedly lacking this cool new perk, but little did they know that my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra could do the same (I’ll reveal which feature this is as the first entry in this list).

Consequently, the idea for this piece came to me. I wondered, “Are there any other Android features that people wrongly assume are iPhone exclusive?” I thought back to my own personal conversations with iPhone fans among my professional network and friendships, and came up with a short list of iPhone features people think are exclusive to IPhone, but aren't.

1. Lifting a subject from a photo

I’m sorry to burst your bubble iPhone devotees, but the iOS 16 Lift a subject from the photo background feature is not an iPhone-exclusive feature. My Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (yes an Android) can do the same. Just like you can press and hold a subject and iOS will isolate it from the background, you can perform the same gesture on a Galaxy S series phone and get the same results.

The name of this tool is called “Image Clipper” and it launched via an April One UI 5.1 update, according to our sister site AndroidCentral. This feature can be found on the following phone lines: Galaxy S23, S22, S21, S20, and Galaxy Fold.

What’s different about iPhone’s version of the tool, however, is that, thanks to iOS 17 (which is expected to roll out to the general public later this year), you’ll have the opportunity to do more with the “Lift a subject from the photo background perk.” For example, you can use this tool to transform your photos into Stickers that you can save and share with your friends.

 2. Android users can join FaceTime calls, too

Android users can, indeed, join FaceTime calls, but keep in mind that they cannot launch FaceTime calls. Only iPhone users can initiate FaceTime calls. iPhone users, you can thank Apple for rolling out this new feature with iOS 15.

iPhone users can open the FaceTime app on their phone, create a join link, and share it with their Android-owning friends and family. After clicking the link, Android users can join the FaceTime call, which will launch in their browser (e.g., Chrome or Edge.). 

Android users stopped being left out of the FaceTime party when Apple announced this feature at WWDC 2021. 

3.  Android has an AirDrop equivalent

I asked YouTuber MrMorbile, a tech, phone-focused creator with over one million subscribers, for help coming up with this third one. AirDrop is one of the most trumpeted, beloved and heralded features in the Apple ecosystem, allowing users to seamlessly share files from one iDevice to another. However, I hate to break it to you iPhone stans, but Android has a pretty good AirDrop equivalent called “Nearby Share.”

No, Android users aren’t emailing themselves to transfer photos and documents from their phones to their PCs. Instead, they can download a Google desktop app called Nearby Share, which lets them zip off files from their phones, and vice versa, in seconds.

Bottom line

If you’re an iPhone user, perhaps these surprised you. If so, I’m glad I taught you something new today. I’d also imagine that even some Android users had no earthly idea they had access to some of these features (please stop emailing yourselves). 

On the other hand, if you already knew that these perks were not iPhone exclusive, good for you! While I have you here, be sure to check out our “We asked 5 phone experts” series that dives into features Android has that iPhone doesn’t and features iPhone has that Android doesn’t.

Chris Brown was right when he said "These [expletive] ain't loyal" — I'm an Android fan, but iPhones are looking more voluptuous and seductive than ever. My Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra had my heart with its S-pen that lets me take on-the-fly notes as a journalist — and it doubles as a remote control, too.

The Galaxy S series arguably takes better selfies while iPhone photos will have you running to TalkSpace to mend your desiccated self esteem. However, after reviewing every iPhone model since the iPhone 12, I'm starting to free myself from Android's clutches.

Whenever I'd go back to using my daily driver, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, I'd find myself mindlessly trying to perform an iPhone-only feature, only to find myself frustrated and saying, "Oh, I forgot I'm using an Android now." These features have been so instrumental with my workflow, I'm thinking about doing the unthinkable -- jumping off the Android ship and hopping aboard the iPhone bandwagon.

Let me dive into the iOS perks that have given me  wandering eye.

1. 'Copy and paste' from one iDevice to another with pinching gestures

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled upon this mind-blowing perk — one you can find among our iPhone features that look like magic tricks list. Did you know that you can copy and paste from one iDevice to another by simply using a pinching gesture? I'm serious, you can literally "grab" a photo on your iPhone and "paste" it onto another iDevice, like a MacBook, for example.

I cannot tell how you often I needed to quickly zip a photo from my Galaxy S22 Ultra to my Windows laptop and there's not a single Android-to-PC method that beats Apple's Handoff feature.

It takes some time to get the hang of the gesture (i.e., pinch inward three fingers to 'copy' and pinch outward with three fingers to 'paste'), but using Handoff on my iPhone 14 Plus with my standard iPhone 14 never ceases to amaze me.

2. Unsend and edit messages

Once I send a text via Google Messages on my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, that's it. There's no changing it. I can't rescind it. I can't fix any typos. There's no mercy on my soul with my Galaxy S22 Ultra.

However, thanks to a new-ish feature that launched via iOS 16, all you need to do is press and hold the offending text to rescind or edit an iMessage. You have a 15-minute window to make this happen, which I'll take because my Galaxy S22 Ultra gives me zero chances to rectify any mistakes. People deserve second chances in life!

3. NameDrop

As a tech journalist, I'm often running into incredible people who I want to keep in my social network, but there's always an awkward dance that happens before we exchange contact information. 

Sometimes, I'd hand them my phone and they'd input their number (after complaining they're not familiar with Android UI.) Other times, I'd just whip out my S-pen and have them scribble their unintelligble contact details on the screen — only to find out that they write like a doctor and I can't read chickenscratch.

NameDrop, a new iOS 17 feature poised to roll out later this year to the wider public, fixes this problem. I can simply tap my iPhone with someone else's iPhone, and voila, we can swap contact details in seconds. 

Plus, I can keep people's grubby fingers off my iPhone and vice versa (I'm sure people don't want my fingers all over their device either.) 

4. Fun animation effects on iPhone

With an iPhone, you can make your texts more expressive with animated effects, including bubble effects, balloons, confetti, fireworks, and more.

When a friend recently announced a major milestone in her life, the "Congratulations" text I sent her didn't seem like it matched my excitement for her. At that point, I wished I used iMessage, which would have allowed me to send eye-catching animated effects, preferably fireworks and heart-eye emojis, that take up the whole screen. 

5. Emergency SOS via satellite

One of the most talked about features that hit the iPhone 14 last year is Emergency SOS via satellite, which lets you connect to emeregency-service personnel in the event that you find yourself in a precarious, network-less situation. At first, I was dismissive about the feature. Not because I didn't find it to be significant, but because I felt that it was more advantageous to hikers, mountain climbers, and other adventurers who often find themselves in areas with poor reception.

However, a touching story recently came out about Emergency SOS via satellite helping a family out of the raging Maui wildfire, which made me change my mind about the "reach" of the feature. Yes, I'm a city slicker with constant access to a network, but who knows what could happen in the future? Plus, I take the NYC subway from time to time, and there's always something going awry down there and satellite connectivity may come in handy for me one day.

Bottom line

I'm this close to ditching my Android; the only thing that's holding me back is that I'm not a fan of the post-processing AI that my iPhone 14 Plus camera uses, making selfies most look unsightly.

If Apple decides to rectify this flaw, it's a wrap for Samsung. The Cupertino-based tech giant will have successfully lured me into its lair.

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra will be the next flagship installment in Samsung's S-series and if a pair of new rumors is accurate the display and cameras may put the iPhone 15 Pro Max and even the iPhone 16 on notice.

The latest comes from the oft-accurate leaker Ice Universe on Twitter with new insights into Samsung's updated 50MP 3x zoom camera sensor and a new upgraded screen (via Phone Arena).

Samsung wants to keep its telephoto crown

The first rumor is far more detailed with Ice Universe claiming that Samsung will use "a new 3x 50MP sensor, 0.7μm, 1/2.52". With this sensor, Samsung can get a good 5x zoom image quality." That last piece is meant to clarify the discrepancy with earlier rumors that Samsung would move to a 5x optical zoom for its smaller telephoto lens on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

While that extra optical zoom reach would be nice, the rest of those specs should put any worries about the quality of Samsung's new junior telephoto to rest. To remind you the 3x optical zoom on the Galaxy S23 Ultra uses a 1/3.52″ 10MP sensor with 1.12 μm pixels. 

So this new sensor is considerably larger and while it does have smaller pixels, that's before you account for the quad-pixel binning that Samsung can employ with a 50MP sensor. By default, that sensor should produce a 12.5MP image that combines four adjacent pixels to create the equivalent of 1.4μm pixels, again at least theoretically vastly outperforming the current sensor. If accurate this should give users sharper images and superior low-light in the 3x-9x zoom range.

Samsung's display dominance

The second piece of the rumor from Ice Universe is far less detailed. The tipster only offers that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will finally get an upgraded screen. Yep, that's it. 

The speculation is that this means Samsung may be using an M13 LTPO panel for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. That's significant because it is also the tech rumored to be coming to the iPhone 16, you read that right, iPhone fans have to wait over a year to get this display tech. 

The new panels will be thinner and offer enhanced power efficiency, but we'll have to wait for future leaks to give us a more detailed look at Samsung's actual specs for its Galaxy S24 Ultra display. 

Samsung has gotten some flack for "coasting" a bit with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, so this should whet the appetites of fans looking for a major upgrade in 2024. 

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra sees a $350 price cut this week amidst Galaxy S24 Ultra gossip. Best Buy currently offers the Galaxy S3 Ultra (Unlocked) for $849 with activation. This unlocked Samsung phone normally costs $1,199, so that's $350 in savings. 

Plus, take an extra $750 off when you trade-in an eligible device. For example, an iPhone 14 Pro Max in good condition has the highest value, so you'd be getting the Galaxy S23 Ultra for just $99 ($1,100 off). As an alternative, Best Buy offers the Samsung Galaxy S23 for $599 ($200 off) and Galaxy S23 Plus for $699 ($300 off). 

In terms of phone deals, this is one of the best we've seen this back to school season.

Samsung's Galaxy S23 Series flagship are among the best smartphones to buy. The base model boasts a 6.1-inch, (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, Adreno 740 graphics and 128GB of storage. If you prefer a bigger display, you can get the 6.6-inch Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus for $699 ($300 off) with activation at Best Buy. 

As per our Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review, we found the phone's bright, vivid display and powerful Qualcomm 8 Gen 2 processor impressive. We were also fond of the advanced camera and seamless integration with other mobile Samsung devices. We gave the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra a solid 4 out of 5-stars backed by our Editor's Choice Award. 

 During real-world testing, the Galaxy S23 Ultra was always up to the task. Not even 40 Chrome tabs with a YouTube video playing in the background while switching between apps could slow it down. Back in our lab, it achieved big scores on our benchmarks, notching 14,611 with 3DMark WildLife Unlimited. It beat flagship competitors including Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max (8,652, 5-core Apple GPU) and Google's Pixel 7 Pro (6,725, Mali-G710 MP7 GPU).

Collectively, the Samsung Galaxy S23 features advanced camera systems for fool-proof high quality resolution photos and videos. For one, the Galaxy S23 Series' enhanced optical image stabilizer (OIS) captures blur-free images even in low light. Plus, wide-angle lenses make 8K video recording at 30 frames look more professional.

Now up to $350 off, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series is worth considering if you don't want to spend upwards of $1,000 on an unlocked phone. 

When you’re trying to focus on a work project or study for a difficult test, notifications on your phone can be incredibly distracting. You can swipe notifications away quickly if they’re not important, or even turn notifications off completely for an app. But what if you just want a temporary break from notifications or you have important notifications that can’t be swiped away until you address them?

That’s where notification snoozing comes in handy. With your Android device, you can snooze notifications for a specified time. During this snooze time, notifications will be hidden and any future notifications will be muted until time is up. You can even specify which notifications you want to snooze if an app has multiple “Notification Channels.” 

If this sounds like the perfect productivity hack for you, read on to figure out how to snooze Android notifications. 

How to snooze notifications on a Samsung Galaxy phone

Samsung’s Galaxy devices are a little different than your typical Android device because of the One UI skin. The steps are quite similar, but menu titles differ slightly and the user interface looks different. 

First, you’ll need to enable the option to snooze your notifications.

1. Head to your Galaxy device’s Settings app.

2. Tap on Notifications in the menu.

3. Select Advanced settings.

4. Make sure the toggle next to Show snooze button is switched on.

After this setting is enabled, you can start snoozing notifications whenever you need a temporary break from your phone.

1. Swipe down from the top of your Galaxy device to see all your notifications.

2. Find a notification you want to snooze for a while and expand it by tapping on the down arrow to the right.

3. Tap the small bell icon in the lower right corner of the notification strip.

4. Choose how long you’d like to snooze the notification. There are options of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours. Once you’ve made your selection, tap Save and the notification will disappear temporarily.

How to snooze notifications on Google Pixel (or any other Android phone)

The ability to snooze notifications on Google Pixel phones — and most other Android devices — isn’t turned on by default. You’ll first need to enable the feature, and then you’ll be able to snooze individual notifications whenever you want. 

To enable notification snoozing on your Google Pixel, follow these simple steps: 

1. Open the Settings app by navigating directly to it or tapping the gear icon after swiping down from the top of the screen. 

2. Select Notifications from the menu. 

3. Make sure the toggle beside Allow notification snoozing is turned on.

4. Then, tap Notification history, and make sure this is toggled on as well. 

Once snoozing and history are both turned on for your notifications, you can start temporarily snoozing individual notifications from your device’s swipe-down menu. 

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to access all your current notifications. 

2. Expand a notification you’d like to snooze by tapping the down arrow to the right. 

3. Tap the little alarm clock icon (the Snooze button) that’s in the lower right corner. 

4. By default, notifications are snoozed for 1 hour, but you can change this time length to 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 2 hours. If you ever need to change something, you can tap Undo. 

Temporarily snoozing notifications can be a great way to hide an important message or email that you need to remember to respond to later. If you find yourself constantly muting notifications from social media, mobile games, or other non-essential apps, you might consider turning off notifications entirely or even deleting or disabling the app. 

Samsung has had the foldables market cornered for a while, with minor challenges from Google and Motorola, not snagging much from the company's dominance. However, according to a report in AndroidAuthority, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun announced that the company's MIX Fold 3 will launch on August 14. 

With the Pixel Fold suffering issues at launch, and the rumored delay of the OnePlus foldable device, Samsung's foldable dominance has gone unchallenged until now. From the images shared by Jun via Twitter (I refuse to call it X), we can see that the MIX 3 looks to have a stunning design, aided by the folks at Leica. 

Xiaomi MIX Fold 3

The initial photos show that the MIX Fold 3 is like its predecessor, the MIX Fold 2. Its squared-off camera island is bold and features Leica branding, but you will immediately notice a fourth camera has been added to the MIX. 

The camera nodule looks sleek, and there is a flash within it. However, the camera lens protrudes a bit out of the nodule. The quad system will feature a periscope camera for better long-range shooting thanks to enhanced zoom capabilities. The MIX Fold 3 looks very thin, with just enough thickness to accommodate the USB-C charging port, making it slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. 

The new MIx Fold 3 will supposedly feature the same faux leather textured finish we find the Xiaomi's 13 ultras, but a smooth surface option will be available. As far as specs, it is rumored that Xiaomi intends to not only make the MIX Fold 3 thinner and lighter but also will pack it with powerful specs to not only compete with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 Xiaomi hopes to surpass it. 

As its launch date approaches, we will update you on the Xiaomi MIX Fold 3. The foldable market will be expanding rapidly in the next year, and it will be interesting to see which makers can compete with Samsung's foldable devices, especially since it's rumored that Samsung will also be bringing more affordable versions of its foldable devices to market sooner than later. 

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is reportedly getting a massive camera upgrade ahead of its expected 2024 launch. 

Samsung’s flagship smartphone is seen as the Android counterpart to the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and has already been subject to a series of high-end rumors including satellite connectivity, a 144Hz refresh rate, and a new titanium chassis. However, the latest rumor should spread joy among Samsung shutterbugs the world over. 

Galaxy S24 Ultra: Samsung’s super snapper

According to reputable leaker Ice Universe, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will be outfitted with a sizable 50MP, 3x optical zoom telephoto sensor. This is an impressive upgrade from the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10MP offering, and makes for an impressive pairing alongside the Ultra’s signature 200MP wide camera. 

While the leaker in question has a proven track record of offering early insight into products before their launch, in July they also highlighted Korean sources claiming that the same lens would be left unchanged beyond a new 10x optical zoom. 

Outlook

Given the nature of leaked information, it’s always wise to take things with a pinch of salt — at least until it can be further corroborated by other in-the-know tipsters. That being said, we’re still a ways away from the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s unveiling and both of these leaks could be accurate if Samsung has been trialing prototype devices.

We’ll have to wait for Samsung to officially unveil the Galaxy S24 Ultra to know for sure. Typically, we can expect that to happen in early 2024, when Samsung unveils its latest smartphone offerings at its February Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event.

Until then, for news, rumors, and updates on all things cybersecurity and tech, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives. 

The choice of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Moto Razr+ could be challenging for foldable fans with both manufacturers making a leap with their respective designs this year.

While we are still weighing the question of which phone offers the better total package, we wanted to do a camera face-off to see which flip-style foldable delivers a superior experience for mobile photographers. 

Now as always with camera face-offs, there is a subjective aspect to some of the interpretations of the images, so while I'll give you my opinion on which is coming out ahead in each case, you can peruse the images and determine which you prefer.

Without further ado, here's a look at the Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2023 cameras.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2023: Camera specs

Both phones feature the same basic camera layout with a primary and ultrawide camera on the back and a centered hole-punch front-facing camera. 

However, the details differ with Samsung opting for a 12MP with an f/1.8 aperture and larger 1.8μm pixels for its primary compared to an f/1.5 aperture and smaller 1.4μm pixels on the Razr. It's hard to land on a clear winner there with Samsung's larger sensor balancing out Motorola's superior aperture.

The ultrawide is basically a wash as well with both featuring an f/2.2 aperture and 1.12μm pixels. The only difference is that Samsung's is 12MP and Motorola's is 13MP, which is negligible. 

The front-facing camera is the one relatively clear win with Motorola going over the top with a 32MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and 0.7μm pixels. Samsung comes up well short in the megapixel race with 10MP but does fight back with a superior f/2.2 aperture and 1.22μm pixels.

From a hardware standpoint, neither of these phones is really managing to stand out as a winner and both fall short of a flagship phone camera experience in 2023, however, that's not to say they can't produce excellent photos.

Let's take a look at actual samples and see what these sensors can do.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2023: Primary camera

Note: I'm including samples here from the primary camera at 1x all the way out to the maximum digital zoom for each phone's primary camera: 10x for Galaxy Z Flip 5 and 8x for Motorola Razr Plus 2023. Neither of these phones actually offers a telephoto lens, there are still times where punching in a little bit can be the difference between getting a shot or not so it's good to know what's possible.

Samsung's primary camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 impressed me after relatively weak results from the previous versions. The first shot is of a mountain lake off Beartooth Highway and shows off the strong dynamic range of the camera. The lush greenery is accurately displayed and the intense clouds that dominated the sky retain sharp detail. The results at 1x are consistently solid from the primary, delivering bright, sharp, and color-accurate results.

This all holds true at 2x allowing you to bring your subject reasonably close without sacrificing any perceptible visual fidelity. While some of the samples in the 4x to 10x range hold up pretty well to me, the first set of the mountain lake is a demonstration of what can go wrong. Something about those conditions just destroyed the sharpness of the image and give it a blurry and surreal quality. The swans and the floral scene on the other hand remained detailed and color accurate throughout, so if you are capturing something that allows for multiple attempts don't ignore the zoom capabilities of the Flip 5.

The Motorola Razr Plus 2023 primary camera has its moments, but overall I found it to be a frustrating experience as it often somewhat inexplicably missed capturing a scene properly. In the first scene, the vibrant green falls to a more muted tone, while the clouds are blown out in comparison to the Flip 5's effort at the same shot. In the second scene the Razr struggled to deal with the contrast between the land and sky with the former being too dark and the latter blowing out again. Finally, the floral scene is over-brightened consistently which is throwing off the hue of the flowers.

While the above issues remain present, I was surprised that the 2x through 4x zoom images remained mostly usable, but steer clear of 8x in almost all circumstances. The detail in the image just evaporates to a degree that won't have you saving or sharing any of these photos.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2023: Ultrawide camera

Things were a little more hit-or-miss with the ultrawide on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. The first scene is excellent again with a color-accurate landscape and it did a fantastic job dealing with the contrast between the land and cloud-filled sky. The second shot is a much less flattering result from the Flip 5 with the sky mostly blown out, the trees in the foreground lost in darkness, and considerable distortion at the edges. The floral scene returns to a solid performance with the lack of distortion on the light post on the left leaving me even further confused by what happened in the second shot.

The ultrawide on the Razr does remain consistent with the primary, which is generally a good thing, but in this case it left me still feeling like it has a way to go to catch up to Samsung. The first shot again lacks some of the vibrant color that should be present in the foreground and the cloudy sky is blown out in spots and loses detail. The second shot casts the entire foreground in darkness in order to deliver an overly bright, but detailed sky. The floral shot is the most successful in the set to me with color accuracy and a lack of distortion at the edges.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Vs. Motorola Razr Plus 2023: Front-facing camera

You should basically never be using the front-facing camera on these phones. Going split-screen on a video chat app is just about the only reason I can think of. Why? One of the most obvious benefits of a flip-style foldable is the incredible ease with which you can use the much better rear cameras for selfies. As you'll see the results bear this out, neither front-facing camera comes close to the results from the primary or ultrawide.

It was a bright environment, but even so the Galaxy Z Flip 5 struggled here with the side of my face and the background largely blown out. It did a solid job with my skin tone and the rest of the colors in the image with my light orange shirt and the leaves behind me accurately depicted. However, I find the detail mushy and lacking with the leaves behind me blending into single mass in spots.

Motorola finally chalks up a win for itself here, it did a much better job of managing the bright lighting to keep the image clear while still maintaining accurate colors. What's more it offers a sharper image and cleaner separation from the background without even using the portrait mode. The only unfortunate part about this is that front-facing camera is the least important of the three by far as you should stick to using the rear cameras with cover display preview whenever possible as both the wide and ultrawide cameras there are superior.

Overall winner

While the Motorola Razr Plus 2023 scored itself a late win in the front-facing camera battle, it ultimately loses the war with the Galaxy Z Flip 5's primary and ultrawide cameras consistently outperforming it. It's not that you can't get a good image out of the Razr Plus 2023, but your hit ratio is going to be much higher with the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

What I will say for both is that the literal flexibility of these phones makes them so much fun to use for taking photos. Whether you are taking a selfie, a group photo, or even just want a steady tripod shot of something you can place your phone down and angle it to get the shot without any concern over shaky hands or needing to leave someone out of the photo. For anyone that loves mobile photography, foldables are only going to make that love blossom even more.

It does make me wish that Samsung would give us a Galaxy Z Flip Ultra that added a telephoto lens and even better sensors, maybe next year. 

Before you preorder the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for $999, here's something you should know. U.S. wireless carrier, Verizon offers a great incentive. For a limited time, new and existing customers can get a free Galaxy Z Flip 5 or save up to $1,000 on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (valued at $1,799). On top of that, you get a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB.

We all know that nothing in life is free, so as you probably guessed, there's a catch. To get a free Galaxy Z Flip 5 from Verizon you must trade-in an eligible device in good condition. You must also activate the Galaxy Z Flip 5 phone on a qualifying Verizon Unlimited Plan. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 costs $999, so if you receive the highest trade-in value, the phone is yours for free. Your rebate shows up as credits on your monthly bill over the course of 36-months. 

And to sweeten the deal even more, Verizon is bundling this deal with NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV for free (valued at $449).

This is one of the best phone deals at Verizon, so if you're due for an upgrade, now's a great time to save. Preorder Samsung's new Galaxy Z Series foldables below. 

News on the iPhone 15 is about to reach a tipping point as we approach Apple’s Special September Event and brace for the big reveal of its launch date. However, we’re already receiving word about the device we’ll be expecting this time next year – the iPhone 16. Today, more specifically, we’re hearing more about the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max: Smartphones with stacked snappers 

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, camera array updates heading to this year's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are set to carry over to 2024’s iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models. The update in question revolves around the iPhone 15’s inclusion of a 48MP rear camera featuring a stacked CMOS Image Sensor (or CIS).

Image sensors are the heart of any camera array and can greatly impact the results on every snap taken. Since the iPhone 4, Apple has made use of mainstream CIS sensors to great effect – with a number of models praised for their photography capabilities, including the latest iPhone 14 Pro models.

However, with Samsung and Google both making fantastic strides in providing excellent camera options with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Pixel 7a, Apple is looking to up its game with the inclusion of a stacked CIS that allows for faster readout speeds and better low light imaging. 

Stacked CMOS image sensors: What’s the fuss?

Stacked CMOS Image Sensors are high-end chips that rearrange the components found in a basic CMOS to bring the light-sensitive photo-diode forward, while layering the image signal processor and memory just behind it.

That might not sound like much, however, the results can be hugely impactful. In layman’s terms, Stacked CMOS image sensors are incredibly fast at capturing an image – and even better at focusing on your chosen subject. The reconfigured chip is also more efficient, drastically improving performance and clarity.

This means snapping a subject at speed will result in clearer, sharper images even in low-light environments – which features drastically less noise than before. All of which is working within a much more power-friendly setup.

Outlook

The iPhone 15’s stacked camera sensor might not seem like a major improvement to many, but when it comes to comparing the results of a standard CMOS and Stacked CMOS configuration, the results should be as clear as night and day.

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max’s projected adoption of this technology is a no-brainer for sure, with the only thing stopping its inclusion in iPhone 15 Pro models already being the industry's continual hiccups when it comes to production and yield.

It may not be an upgrade that’s immediately as apparent as a larger display, alternate chassis material, or new color options – but this one small upgrade could be massive for the smartphone shutterbugs among us.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things Apple, iPhone, and tech, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives. 

Apple has been the performance king for quite some time, but according to a recent appearance in a Geekbench database (via SamMobile), the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus is rocking a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that's seemingly faster than the A16 Bionic chip ,which is expected to be packed inside the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models.

Here's what we know.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus faster than the iPhone 15?

According to the Geekbench listing, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus (SM-S926U model in the listing) features the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is set to be unveiled in October 2023.

On the Geekbench overall performance test, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus allegedly scored 6,661 (multi-core), which leaps over the iPhone 14 Pro Max's score of 5,333 with its A16 Bionic chip. That's a great jump, especially since it means Samsung could beat Apple's best (at least right now), and the iPhone 15 (reportedly). 

Samsung will still have to face off against the iPhone 15 Pro and Max versions when it comes some time this year, which have reportedly scored a whopping 7,860 on the Geekbench test.

In this report, we also know that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus is running Android 14. A separate leak (via Ice Universe) claims that the Galaxy devices will be adopting the Exynos 2400 in Europe and parts of Asia. According to @OreXda, the average score for that is 6,210 — that's still better than the iPhone currently.

We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus to arrive some time early next year, so stay tuned to see confirmation on what the new Samsung phones are packing.

One of the dozens of rumors swirling around the iPhone 15 Pro this year is a move from stainless steel to titanium for its chassis and a new leak suggests Samsung may do the same with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The new rumor comes courtesy of one of the most accurate Samsung leakers, @UniverseIce on Twitter, who posted the periodic table of elements with just "22" in the body of the tweet, indicating Titanium. A reply asked if this was regarding the S24 Ultra frame and all they got in response was a smiling and blushing emoji, which we're going to take as a yes (via Phone Arena). 

How much is this invisible upgrade going to cost?

Apple's move to titanium from stainless steel makes a lot of sense, it's roughly 40% lighter while delivering the same strength as stainless steel. Particularly for the Pro Max that is a welcome move as the 8.5-ounce iPhone 14 Pro Max is one of the heaviest phones on the market. The one downside is that it is more expensive, so this is perhaps one of the motivating factors for the rumored iPhone 15 Pro price increase of $100 to $200.

While I think we could all do without the price increase, from a design and usability standpoint it's an undeniable upgrade. So why isn't that also true for the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

Unlike Apple's stainless steel, Samsung uses aluminum for the chassis of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is about about a third lighter than titanium. Moving to a heavier metal isn't great news as the Galaxy S23 Ultra was already 8.25 ounces. It's possible Samsung will manage to keep the weight roughly the same, titanium is heavier than aluminum, but it is also quite a bit stronger, so it should require less material. 

The greater concern to me is that Samsung is going to follow part two of Apple's titanium upgrade plan and increase the price of the S24 Ultra from the already eye-watering $1,200 of its predecessor. Samsung didn't manage to bring the price of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 or Galaxy Z Fold 5 down this year, but it did at least keep pricing the same and we hoped to see the same for the S24 lineup.

If the rumored iPhone 15 Pro updates do happen this year and we see the predicted price increase, that will put Samsung in an interesting position come January or February when it launches the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Will it be cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max for the first time or will it follow suit and make $1,300 the new top-tier flagship starting price?

Samsung is literally giving away the Galaxy Z Flip 5 for free with its generous back to school education discount. So if you want to step into the new semester with Samsung's latest phone, here's how to get the Galaxy Z Flip 5 for free. 

Preorder the Galaxy Z Flip 5 at Samsung.com starting from $999 and get a free storage upgrade to the 512GB model (valued at $1,119). Students, teachers, and faculty, select Samsung's Education Offers to save $100 which drops the Galaxy Z Flip 5 to $899. Take an extra $900 when you trade in your Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 4 or Galaxy S23 Ultra to drop the Galaxy Z Flip 5 down to the low price of free. 

You can also get the Galaxy Z Flip 5 for free when you trade in a Google Pixel Fold or Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is one of the phone deals students and teachers can get.  

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the ultimate tool for self expression and showcases your personality. It features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz 1,750-nit foldable display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU with 8GB of RAM. When closed, you can access your favorite apps via a 3.4 Super AMOLED 60Hz 1600 nit display.

One thing's for sure about the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it makes it easy to capture images and videos on the fly. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 provides the best hands-free selfie experience, and features an expanded cover screen to access your apps and flex your style. It's the largest cover screen on a Z Flip yet. 

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 features a 12MP Wide, 12MP Ultra Wide and 10X Digital Zoom camera, complemented by a 10MP front camera. Great for creators, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 automatically switches to wide-angle when you're capturing images to include everyone in the frame. Notable Galaxy Z Flip 5 camera features include zoom, night capture, and stable video for shake free recording. Meanwhile, built-in AI reduces noise and enhances image and video quality. 

Introduced four years ago, Samsung's Galaxy Z Series of phones have revolutionized creativity, productivity and lifestyle. 

Galaxy Z Flip 5 preorders ship to arrive by the phone's Aug. 11 release date.

If you’ve read anything I’ve written over the course of the years, you know a few things about me. I don’t believe in either tablets or Chromebooks, I love a big phone and I’m a huge fan of the now defunct Samsung Galaxy Note line of smartphones. TTo me, the Note was damn- near perfect –– a huge screen, always rocking the most premium specs, and then of course, there was the S Pen. A simple stylus that over time, Samsung developed into a font of functionality over time. In its current iteration, it can remotely snap photos on your phone, launch apps, control your music and more –– all without touching your phone. And when it comes to writing and taking notes, it’s as natural as putting pen to paper.

Thanks to recency bias, I assumed that the MacBook Air’s battery life was always this great. That and the fact that it’s only been a recent occurrence that I’m reviewing Macs –– Air or otherwise and you can understand my assumption. But as I began reading some of those past reviews, the wow, Apple has really come a long way with the Air. With the 2013 MacBook Air lasting 11:40 and the first Air coming in with a time of only [TK]. 

It’s a true testament to the power and efficiency Apple developed with the M2 chips. So now, take a walk with me down memory lane as we explore the MacBook Airs of old to see how we got to where we are today. 

But in the world of tech, there’s always something new around the corner. And the latest new kid on the block is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Starting at $1,799, the Z Fold 5 is a beautiful foldable that ticks off a lot of my boxes that I recently demoed. And while I do feel that the phone is only an incremental jump in progress, there’s no denying that the Z Fold 5 is awfully tempting. It’s got the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor as my S23 Ultra, essentially making it one of the most powerful foldables on the market. It’s got loads of cameras that I’d love to try out. And it’s got multitasking potential galore. And those screens! When unfolded, the Z Fold 5’s main display measures 7.8-inches while the Cover Display gives you 6.2 inches of prime real estate. 

And while I’m ever- so- tempted to trade in my beloved S23 Ultra and become the latest initiate to the foldable school of thought,. tThere are a couple things stopping me. First, there’s the price. In the interest of having a comfortable amount of storage I’d either go with the 512GB model which costs $1,799 or just go full big spender and shell out $2,009 for the 1TB version. It’s a lot of money either way. 

But the main reason I’m sticking with the S23 Ultra is the S Pen, or lack thereof, on the Z Fold 5. Although Samsung is pushing the Fold line in the same productivity vein as my beloved Note, it’s just selling wolf tickets without the S Pen. I mean how am I supposed to take notes or take hands-free pics without Samsung’s specialized stylus? I think not. 

And it’s not that Samsung doesn’t offer the S Pen for the Z Fold 5, it does. The company just wants you to pay for the privilege to the tune of $59.99 for just the pen or $99.99 for the Slim S Pen Case, which has an indentation created for your precious stylus. So let me get this straight. You want me to pay another $100 on top of the $1,800 - $2,000 (not including various sales and service tax) for something that is included, nay housed, inside my S23 Ultra? That’s a kick in the teeth and wallet. The rent is too damn high and so is the S Pen’s price.

And while I’m loathe to even acknowledge the existence of tablets, Samsung has sense enough to bundle the S Pen with every model of the new Galaxy Tab S9 tablets, so why make the S Pen an expensive afterthought on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. If Samsung wants me to make the switch over to foldable land, they need to find a way to add silo housing for the S Pen for the Z Fold line. And I know I’m coming off as a little demanding, but this is Samsung:, the company who made foldables a thing. If they have the engineering and design gumption to create a foldable in the first place, I have no doubt that they can fix this oversight as well. 

I was at Galaxy Unpacked July 2023 this week in Seoul to witness the launch of a slew of new Samsung phones, tablets, and wearables. While the Galaxy Z Flip 5 did feature an attention-grabbing update to its cover display, many were underwhelmed with the update.

I get it, cover display (excuse me, "Flex Window") aside the specs do sound an awful lot like the Z Flip 4. However, after spending 72 hours with the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and running it through the gamut of some of our lab tests, I can confidently say that it's a much bigger upgrade than it looks on paper.

Here's a rundown of some of the most impactful differences over the Galaxy Z Flip 4 which may convince you to upgrade or make the Galaxy Z Flip 5 your first foldable.

1. Flex Window

Ok, I promise this isn't a bait and switch, I have other reasons, but I don't want this one to get lost in the shuffle just because it's a visible change. I still think people are ignoring how significantly it transforms your entire usage of the phone.

Samsung had been inching forward with the cover display on the Flip line, but it still felt like a tiny viewport into your content rather than an actual usable display. The jump from 1.9 to 3.4 inches completely changes the game. Now it is more limited than the free-for-all that Motorola is allowing on the Razr+, but that's not all bad as you are getting more curated experiences on this display and given Samsung's share of the foldable market I expect to see developer support grow. 

Selfies are the most obvious use case. While I do not condone slapping the phone out of someone's hand if you see them using the hole-punch front-facing camera on the Flip 5, please kindly and rationally explain the error of their ways, because you have dead-simple access to high-quality cameras for all your selfie needs.

Responding to messages no longer requires popping open your Flip either. Just tap on the notification and you'll be able to type away on a full-size keyboard and return your phone to your pocket. The widget-like modules on the Flip 5 Flex Window can feel a bit like smartwatch apps, but this is the major differentiator as I am not here for anyone telling me they enjoy or find it easy to type on a smartwatch keyboard.

Beyond Samsung's dozen cover screen widgets, you can go to Settings > Advanced Features > Labs to enable "Apps allowed on cover screen." This adds some handy additional apps like Maps, Messages, Netflix, WhatsApp, YouTube, and more.

Again, this is the major visible upgrade to the Z Flip 5 so maybe you weren't ignoring it, but I can't stress how often I find I don't even need to flip open the phone to get some quick task done, which is something I could only say of the Fold previously.

2. Battery life

The battery size on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 remains precisely the same 3,700mAh that Samsung used on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, how much better could the battery life really be? While I felt like I wasn't experiencing much battery anxiety the first couple of days with the Z Flip 5, something I would never have said of previous Flips, I was eager to see whether our lab test would back up my anecdotal experiences.

It did not disappoint with the Z Flip 5 lasting 9 hours and 53 minutes in our Laptop Mag Battery Test which involves the phone browsing the web on 5G with the display set at 150 nits of brightness. That's an hour and 20 minutes longer than the Z Flip 4 survived on that same test. It does come up just shy of the Razr+ (10:09), but that's a negligible advantage and pushes the Z Flip 5 into what I consider to be don't worry about it battery territory.

So how did Samsung pull this off? The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside. While we've seen solid performance gains from Qualcomm's latest, the efficiency has been its most significant win of this generation, consistently delivering at least 1-2 hours of added battery life to Android flagships across the board.

3. Storage boost

While the pricing didn't move on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it starts at the same $999, Samsung doubled your storage for that price. I'd imagine at least 98% of smartphone users can get by with 256GB, so while I would still tell you to take Samsung up on the free upgrade to 512GB if you pre-order the Flip 5, if you're reading this after it elapsed, don't worry you will still be fine.

In a year where the threat of iPhone price hike rumors just won't stop, it's good to see Samsung not only hold the line on pricing but actually give you more for your money.

Outlook

While the first 72 hours have been a solid start, I'm not ready to weigh in with a final review just yet. Stay tuned for that this week after I've spent a little more time with the phone and can stack its photos up against rivals like the Moto Razr+. Early impressions there are good as well though, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 also boasted some photo-enhancing features that may be benefiting the unchanged camera setup on the Z Flip 5.

Samsung may not have completely transformed the Z Flip 5 inside and out, but I think this is a more worthwhile upgrade than meets the eye. If you've been considering the jump into foldables or are waffling on one of the upgrade offers that makes it free or nearly free to go from the Z Flip 4, make the leap, you won't regret it.

Samsung’s foldables are expensive — that much is obvious when looking at the Galaxy Z Fold 5. But the company has heard your concerns, as it plans to add a more affordable option to its portfolio.

As Bloomberg (via Yahoo Finance) reports, ™ Roh, chief of Samsung’s mobile business, has talked about making “a leap in our price positioning,” which would surely sell a lot better than the current pricey options. 

Folding down the cost

This all comes with the backdrop of the smartphone market taking a broader downturn over the past year. But there are some disagreements amongst forecasters, as IDC expects 50 million foldables shipped in 2027, and Counterpoint Research predicts double that at 100 million.

Why? Well, it could be one of the bigger reasons why Samsung is looking to drive the cost down sooner rather than later. Counterpoint is making an assumption that we will all be buying foldable iPhones in 2025.

With that looming specter, it’s logical that Samsung wants to move fast here, and look to hit that $799 price tag that most users are comfortable paying for a flagship smartphone.

Outlook

Offering a cheaper foldable to actually compete at the more acceptable mainstream flagship prices is a smart move on Samsung’s part. While the company has worked hard to really push foldables as luxury devices, that’s only going to attract so many people.

And as this form factor gradually grows into becoming the mainstream, and the threat of an Apple foldable taking over the whole industry is on the horizon, now is the time for Samsung to act and give us maybe a Galaxy A Fold (or whatever the team wishes to name it).

As a solo traveler, people look at me like I have five heads when I carry around a selfie stick and a tripod. It's easy to ignore the "Pfft, what a loser" stares, but as someone who enjoys blending in, the clunky gear often attracts curious strangers. I prefer to take in the beautiful sites alone, hence the words solo traveler, but selfie sticks and tripod are people magnets.

Cue the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the new-and-improved foldable flip phone Samsung unveiled at Unpacked 2023.

Admittedly, its updates are mainly iterative, but the enlarged cover display and enhanced camera software make it the best phone for travelers, particularly those who prefer to trot the globe by themselves.

Flex Mode is elite for solo travel

I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, and the one thing I gushed about the most is Flex Mode. This posture lets you transform the phone into a chair-like position, allowing you to place it on any surface to take hands-free photos. 

Take a look at this picture I took during a trip to San Francisco. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4's Flex Mode. I just placed that bad boy on a surface and I could capture a good chunk of my body without bugging strangers with "Can you take a picture of me?"

Compared to my Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Plus, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 appeared to capture so much more of myself in selfies. With the Galaxy Z Flip 5's debut, Samsung highlighted some of its best new Flex Mode features:

• Thanks to auto framing, you can set the phone down in Flex Mode and the camera can shift from wide to ultrawide to capture more subjects in the shot.
• You can use your Galaxy Watch to control the Galaxy Z Flip 5's camera remotely while placing it down in Flex Mode. In other words, you can snap photos, record videos, and zoom in — all from your wrist. 

Even when I'm traveling with a friend, asking for strangers to take photos of us can be a nuisance. As such, the new autoframing feature appears to be a lifesaver because it can detect when another subject is in the shot. And as a result, it will switch to the ultrawide shooter.

On top of that, controlling my Galaxy Z Flip 5's camera with my Galaxy Watch (without needing to walk up to it, press a button, and step back again) is another feature that will benefit solo travelers.

The cover display gives you easy access to your plane tickets (and more)

The Galaxy Z Flip 5's cover display jumped from a measly 1.9-inch panel to a 3.4-inch display that adds more convenience for solo travelers. Here are some of the cool things you can do on the new-and-improved, 720 x 748-pixel Super AMOLED panel:

• You can select the aspect ratio you want for your pictures directly on the cover display. For example, if you want to take a 1:1 photo for your Instagram feed, but a 9:16 video for TikTok, you can make that happen.
• The enlarged cover display lets you zoom in or out for portraits.
• The cover display features an adaptive brightness feature, so while you're outdoors, the panel should be brighter, but when you're indoors, it'll be dimmer.
• You can use it to quickly access your boarding pass.

I dig that Samsung lets users access camera settings via the new cover display. No need to unfold the phone and waste time — it's all right there in front of you. On top of that, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 appears to let you have all of your documents within reach on the cover display, whether it's a boarding pass, excursion ticket, coupon, ID, or a QR code.

The camera software is a showstopper

Samsung only made minor upgrades to the Galaxy Z Flip 5's triple-camera array (e.g.,  the selfie camera has a wider aperture for better nightography), but it's the enhanced camera software that caught my eye for solo travel. Thanks to a boost from AI for the rear cameras, Samsung claims that Galaxy Z Flip 5 photos are now less noisier, crisper, and sharper compared to its predecessor.

Bokeh effects are better than ever, too, thanks to the AI Stereo Depth Map feature. Your social media followers will surely gush over your solo travel pictures if you take the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with you as your companion.

Bottom line

I'm not convinced the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be of great use for homebodies and travel-averse users, but if you're a solo globetrotter, I can't think of a better phone to get than the fifth-generation Galaxy Z Flip phone.

You can ditch the tripods and selfie sticks and use Flex Mode. I prefer to travel light, and unfortunately, all that gear can add unnecessary weight to my shoulders, which is why I appreciate the Galaxy Z Flip 5 in all of its travel-friendly glory. Plus, it's super pocketable and can fit comfortably into your jeans' pocket (something I bet you can't do with whatever phone you currently own).

You can still preorder the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6  and get the best deals and trade-in offers. Prices start from $299 for the Galaxy Watch 6 and $329 for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 reorders are expected to ship to arrive by Aug. 11.

For a limited time, preorder the Galaxy Watch 6 directly from Samsung and get a free extra fabric watch band (valued at $50). Even better, save up to $250 with eligible device trade in. Or, preorder the Galaxy Watch 6 for just $149 (50% off) when you bundle it with a Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Galaxy Z Flip 5 preorder. 

As an alternative, you can pick up the stainless steel Galaxy Watch 6 Classic for $199 ($130 off) when you preorder it with either of Samsung 5th generation foldable phones. In our Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic hands-on review, we praise their stunning design and gorgeous AMOLED display. Both watches are built sturdy and feel lightweight and comfortable on the wrist .

Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 6 features a 40mm aluminum case in your choice of gold, graphite, black or silver. Choose from a variety of Galaxy watch band options including sport, extreme sport, hybrid leather, and fabric. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Classic is IP68 water resistant and built to military grade specifications. It packs a 1.4GHz Exynos W930 dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and holds 16GB of data. 

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a larger 43mm stainless steel case in black or silver color options. 

Starting at just under $300, the Galaxy Watch 6 is a worthy option if you're looking for a Pixel Watch or Apple Watch alternative. Preorder the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 below to lock in early savings. 

Preorder the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked July 2023 has arrived, and we have just got a full reveal of the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Flip 5, Galaxy Watch 6, and Galaxy Tab S9.

It seems like a lot of the rumors were true — from the improved hinges on the foldables and the expanded display on Flip 5, to the return of the rotateable bezel on the Watch 6.

Join us here for all the post-event live coverage including face-offs and links to where to pre-order. Plus, we have a playlist just below of video hands-on reviews with all the brand new devices.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5: $999 @ Samsung with free storage upgrade to 512GB
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: $1,799 @ Samsung with free storage upgrade to 512GB
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9: from $799 @ Samsung with free storage upgrade
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: from $299 @ Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Hands-on video reviews

Good morning from sunny Seoul, South Korea. This is Sean Riley, Assistant Managing Editor for Laptop Mag, and I'll be with you for the next several hours in the run-up to Galaxy Unpacked July 2023, taking a look at all of the rumors surrounding Samsung's latest devices that we expect to see and giving you a glimpse at some of what Samsung has shown us so far during our trip to the company's Digital City.

Stay with us through Galaxy Unpacked, which kicks off at 7 a.m. ET on July 26, for our commentary on all of the announcements as they happen.

We aren't expecting any laptop announcements at Galaxy Unpacked July 2023, but we're Laptop Mag, so we couldn't resist a photo op with the first Korean laptop from 1987 that we spotted at Samsung's Innovation Museum.

Galaxy Z Fold 5 hinge rumors
Leaping back to the present, one of the bigger rumors regarding Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a completely revamped hinge design that may reduce or eliminate the crease on the display. Having used many foldables now I will attest that you simply do not notice the crease after even a brief time with the phones, but I can't argue that it would be better if it didn't exist at all.

Beyond its impact on the crease, this new design, apparently known as the dumbbell, allegedly would allow for a fold-flat design with a gentler curve that would put less stress on the folding display. While Samsung has done a lot to eliminate the concerns over the fragility of its foldables, there's no denying it's still a worry. So anything that is going to bolster the lives of these expensive phones is going to be welcome.

Reliable tipster @UniverseIce on Twitter has once again shot down the notion that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will add dust resistance to its existing water resistance despite the alleged new hinge design.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover display upgrade

While the rumored hinge change could have a significant impact on Samsung's foldables, by far the biggest visual update would be the larger cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5. There are countless leaks including what appear to be official Samsung marketing materials regarding this change, which would bring the Z Flip 5 in line with its hot new competition from the Motorola Razr+.

The big question is what will you be able to do with that newfound screen real estate? A recent leak showed 7 potential use cases for the Z Flip 5 cover display that seem limited to specific widgets as opposed to the wild west of the Razr+ cover display which will let you put whatever you want on it, for good and for bad.

Matrix Phone

Dipping back into to my visit to Samsung's Innovation Museum, I was among a number of journalists that were tempted to plan an Ocean's 11 style heist to get our hands on the Matrix Phone (a.k.a. Samsung SPH-N270). 20 years later there is still something just ridiculously compelling about this phone. I could picture Neo wielding a Z Flip these days, at least you still have that satisfying feeling of snapping it shut when you're done with a call.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

Filed under tantalizing rumors that we aren't sure will come to pass is the Samsung Galaxy Ring or Samsung Galaxy Pulse. A report on July 17 suggested that Samsung is ready to put a ring on its wearable fans sometime soon with this finger-based fitness wearable in "advanced development" according to Korean news site The Elec.

However, most of the report centered on patents and trademarks, rather than even prototype hardware, so it's a stretch to imagine Samsung will have it ready in time for Galaxy Unpacked today. Assuming it doesn't appear at Unpacked, we'll be keeping our ears to the ground for more on this brand-new wearable from Samsung as it could be ready by the time the Galaxy S24 rolls around next year.

Galaxy Watch 6 may get its bezel back

It's rare that you see anyone celebrating something other than the elimination of the bezel from a piece of tech, but in the case of the Galaxy Watch 6 rumors suggest could bring back the rotating bezel, which fans were sad to see go on the Galaxy Watch 5.

Count me among them, the tactile feel of navigating through menus with that rotating physical bezel is fantastic. I even loved the sound of it. While Samsung gave you a touch bezel to simulate the experience without having to touch the actual display, it just isn't the same. So here's hoping this leak is accurate.

Part of our tour of Samsung's Digital City included a model smart home with a robust collection of SmartThings-enabled products. They could do everything from helping you to wake up in the morning to walking you step-by-step through cooking a meal including portioning water for your ramen for you. However, it was the PC gaming room that captured my attention with the massive Samsung Odyssey Ark display looming large and making the typically desk-defining 49-inch ultrawide display alongside it look positively petite by comparison.

Galaxy Z Flip 5 cover display versus Motorola Razr+

Tipster @UniverseIce has been on a tear with Samsung leaks and rumors heading into the launch and earlier today highlighted the potential resolution difference between what they claim will be a 3.4-inch 720x732 (320 ppi) cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 versus the 3.6-inch 1066x1056 (417 ppi) cover display of the Motorola Razr+.

We've already taken a look at the rumored feature differences between these cover displays, but this would be quite the hardware deficit as well.

Galaxy Tab S9 — AMOLED 2x for all

The Galaxy Tab S9 didn't want to be left out on the leaked marketing material fun with the above seeming to confirm that the base model Galaxy Tab S9 will pick up the same AMOLED 2X display as its larger siblings. Keep in mind that if accurate this could also suggest that the rumored price bump is happening as the two were intertwined in the past.

Official Galaxy Watch 6 marketing materials?

A series of what appear to be legitimate marketing materials for the Galaxy Watch 6 are doing the rounds ahead of Galaxy Unpacked highlighting a thinner bezel and larger display, more advanced sleep tracking, and perhaps easier swapping of bands.

Could Samsung fit the S Pen in the Galaxy Z Fold 5?

Another feature that we would love to see, but are doubtful about is a built-in silo for the S Pen in the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Korean site The Elec covered a report saying that Samsung did view this as a goal, but it seems unlikely that Samsung can find a way to make it all fit.

Qualcomm couldn't resist getting in on the fun with a "Join the flip side" profile image on its Twitter account in case anyone wasn't certain that Samsung's new foldables would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chips.

As part of a series of tweets or xeets about Samsung Unpacked products, the oft-reliable @evleaks showed off this claim that the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will deliver 57 hours of audio playback or 20 hours of video playback and that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside offers up to a 25% boost to GPU and 17% to CPU performance.

Where to catch up on all the latest flipping (and folding) big rumors

We will of course be covering the whole Galaxy Unpacked event live right here, but there is a lot more coming down the line today.

So what about in the build-up to the announcement in a few hours? We've been busy collecting all the rumors and leaks about everything that is set to be announced. Just click the device name just below to see everything you need to know before the show begins.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Here's where to watch the Galaxy Unpacked event livestream

Looking to watchalong with all the latest breaking news from the Galaxy Unpacked event? Samsung has just setup the livestream link over on YouTube. Just click that Notify bell to be alerted when it goes live!

Are we easing into an era of affordable foldables?

A recent price leak in India for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, spotted by Paras Guglani, could add credit to tipster @Revegnus' claims that Samsung's Z Fold 5 will "see a slight reduction in price compared to its predecessor."

The leaked Indian pricing saw a drop of roughly $140 dollars for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which would be the first step in the right direction for making foldables accessible to more people. Is this drop in price the sign of what's to come for the foldable market? We can only hope, as high price points are one of the main barriers to entry for many.

What are you most looking forward to seeing at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

We have a potentially stacked card in store when Samsung Galaxy Unpacked kicks off in just under 2 hours time! Foldables, wearables, and tablets are likely to be the primary focus, but which of these are you most looking forward to checking out?

If you want to catch up on the latest and breaking news or rumors across all these categories then be sure to check out our hubs covering all things Samsung:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

We're finding out more about Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

It's looking likely that the Fold 5 and Flip 5 are set to get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipsets, and Samsung has been busy telling people what this silicon means for the consumers.

@GadgetsBoy summarized the headline features, which includes tweaks to the chip in collaboration with Samsung, improved graphics and processing performance, and the ray tracing capabilities.

The stage is set, and we're almost ready to go

Tom's Guide's own Kate Kozuch took a video from inside the event space, which shows a circular stage in the middle with screens all around! This is going to be quite the grand event.

T-minus 25 minutes to launch

Our own Sean Riley is taking his seat, as we get ready for the event. The stream is available here if you want to watch along!

It's show time!

We've been testing the Fold 5, Flip 5 and Galaxy Tab S9

We will be reporting all the big live announcements coming out of the Galaxy Unpacked event. But our entrepid editors in Sean Riley and Sherri L. Smith have already been hands-on with three of the biggest announcements.

• The Galaxy Z Fold 5 brings a thinner, sleeker chassis to the foldable arena with a more powerful processor, but with few other changes.
• With a larger Flex Window, a gapless hinge design and a powerful new processor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 solidifies its place in the upper echelon of foldables.
• The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra still owns the top end of the Android tablet market, but that remains a relatively niche audience and the new higher pricing may be even tougher for buyers to swallow.

Hello, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

The first device to get a full reveal at Galaxy Unpacked is the Z Flip 5, with its far larger lid display and an upgrade to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2!

We've already gone hands-on with this device, and while some of the updates are more minor, that huge screen up front unlocks plenty of UI opportunities.

Match your screen to the case!

A new kind of foldable case has been announced, which comes with a whole range of artistically inspired back panels. Not only that, but your Z Flip 5 will intelligently identify what case design you have and match the lid screen wallpaper to match!

Bonjour, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 — Flex Hinge confirmed!

As we were seeing plenty of rumors about, the Fold 5 is coming with a new kind of hinge that looks set to work harder on eliminating that crease!

For more about the phone, check out our hands-on review and our video coverage below.

Here's everything you need to know about the Z Fold 5!

While Samsung is busy telling you everything about the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and it's new array of multitasking UI options, let's take you through all the hardware specs and price!

So, when is the Fold and Flip 5 going to launch, and at what prices?

Both phones will launch on August 11, and pre-orders will be available later today!

The Z Flip 5 starts at $999, and the Fold is $1,799.

Ola, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

With a big focus being placed on tracking your sleep (including a new PPG sensor), the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic is being announced right now.

You guessed it, we've already gone hands on with these watches. Watch the video review just below!

How does the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 compare to the Apple Watch Series 8?

Of course, when it comes to wearables, Samsung is doing some great work. But the juggernaut of the industry is the Apple Watch Series 8.

How do these watches compare? Check out our face-off.

Here are 3 foldables that will make the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 sweat

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is official, but really, were there enough updates to get excited about? I’m not so sure.

While there is a new bigger display on the front, the updates seem to be incredibly minor, which has let three other phones catch up and even surpass it.

Here are 3 phones are all flip and no flop!

The Galaxy Watch 6 pricing starts at $299, with the Classic and its rotateable bezel weighing in at $100 more!

안녕하세요, Samsung Galaxy Tab S9

Samsung's moving along pretty fast here! We're onto the brand new Galaxy Tab S9, and (yep, you guessed it), we went hands on with this new tablet too.

Read the hands-on by clicking the name just above, or watch our coverage just below.

Which is better — Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or the Apple iPad Pro?

When it comes to prosumer tablets, two competitors stand atop mountain: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 and the iPad Pro.

Which is better? Take a look at our full face-off.

With the use of recycled materials across all of its devices, and full transparency of environmentally friendly practices across every step of your device's journey, Samsung is really flexing some good green credentials here!

And that's a wrap!

We saw a whole lot of announcements during this year's Unpacked. In short, we got:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Keep it locked on our live blog for a ton of post-event coverage!

Pre-order links are now live!

Sticking true to Samsung's word, the company has just dropped all the pre-order links on its website right now! Here are the offers.

Is the Galaxy Z Fold 5 actually worth it over the Fold 4?

We're looking hard at the comparison, and outside of a new hinge and a new processor, it's a struggle to find something different. 

To help show you the differences, check out our Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Fold 4 face-off.

This should come as no surprise to read, as it’s something I put in most of my wearables reviews, the Apple Watch has been designed to work exclusively with your iPhone.

And in that same vein, Android wearables like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are purpose built to work closely with Android phones. While they do technically have compatibility with the iPhone, the feature set is restricted. Keep that in mind when you make your purchase decisions.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 price and value

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 comes in four variations — two of which are the Classic model with the return of the fan-favorite rotating bezel. 

• Galaxy Watch 6 40mm: $299
• Galaxy Watch 6 44mm: $329
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 43mm: $399
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47mm: $429

Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 8 has a ton of different finishes and price tags. So I’ll stick to the cheapest of each configuration. 

• Aluminum GPS 41mm: $399
• Aluminum GPS 44mm: $429
• Aluminum GPS + Cellular 41mm: $499
• Aluminum GPS + Cellular 44mm: $529

It’s clear that when it comes to value for money, Samsung has Apple beat with a lower price point. 

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 design

To say you’re getting more of the same in the Series 8 would be an understatement. Outside of the new color finishes, it is identical in bubbly aesthetics and size to the Series 7.

The 41mm model measures in at 1.6 x 1.5 x 0.4 inches, whereas the 45mm sports the same thickness, but sees its other dimensions increase to 1.8 x 1.5 inches. Weight-wise, we need to break this down further.

But while I have gotten used to the squared off aesthetic of the Apple Watch, I’ll always be more of a fan of the traditional timepiece. That is what the Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic offers. The build quality is premium in nature, and there are small tweaks all over the place to make this signature device all the more beautiful — including a 30% slimmer bezel on the 6, and a 15% thinner edge on the Watch 6 Classic.

Oh, and that bezel on the Classic? It rotates! I know a lot of people (me included) have been requesting the return of this, and the UI is so much slicker to move around because of it.

Going into specific measurements: 

• Galaxy Watch 6 40mm: 1.2 x 1.6 x 0.4 inches, 1.0 ounces
• Galaxy Watch 6 44mm: 1.7 x 1.75 x 0.4 inches, 1.2 ounces
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 43mm: 1.7 x 1.7 x 0.4 inches, 1.8 ounces
• Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 47mm: 1.8 x 1.8 x 0.4 inches, 2.1 ounces

This will come down to individual taste, but I know what I prefer. 

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 display

Both of these watches pack impressive OLED panels. On the Series 8, Apple’s giving you either a 1.7 or 1.9-inch Retina LTPO panel with a 326 ppi density. As for the Galaxy Watch 6, you’re getting a slightly sharper 377 ppi across either the 1.3 or 1.5 inch Super AMOLED panels.

At this size, the sharpness of each screen is going to be barely noticeable, and you already know that with OLED technology, each of these screens are super vivid too.

Winner: Tie 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 health & fitness tracking

Health and fitness tracking are integral to the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Both of them pack sleep tracking, temperature sensors, heart rate monitors, and the simplistic UIs to make the most of all of them.

The big new additions that Samsung brings to the table are in depth analysis of sleep score factors, personalized heart rate zones, and even a body composition tracker to keep an eye on the likes of skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate, and even body fat percentage.

Both of these offer a comprehensive suite of methods to track your health and fitness.

Winner: Tie 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs Apple Watch Series 8 battery life and charging

The Apple Watch Series 8 saw an upgrade to the battery life over the Series 7, which starts with the 282 mAh (or 308 mAh in the 44mm) battery that is able to hit a promised life of up to 18 hours. On top of that, a new low power mode is able to keep much of the functionality, but extend that longevity to 36 hours.

In the Galaxy Watch 6, the battery capacity has been increased to up to 425 mAh, and the stamina has been claimed to run at up to 40 hours. If true, this would be a significant jump over the Apple Watch. But we’ll see what this is like through testing.

Winner: Undecided 

Outlook

So here is where we’re at: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is basically the Android version of the Apple Watch Series 8 — packing a lot of the same hardware and software capabilities.

Which one you should buy comes down to not just the phone you use, but when looking at the specifications on offer and the price, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 seems to pip Apple at the post.

We’ll wait until we’ve had more hands-on time with the Watch 6 to give a fuller opinion on who is the clear winner, but things are looking good for Samsung right now.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 arrives in the face of many new foldable competitors, but none perhaps as challenging as its own predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Whether you are looking to save a little money by picking up a Galaxy Z Fold 4 after the Z Fold 5 launch or you are considering whether to upgrade from the Galaxy Z Fold 4, we'll help you determine which is the right choice for you.

As you'll see in this comparison, the specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are quite similar, so for those coming from the Fold 4 it will be a tall order to pay for that 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4 price

Despite some rumors to the contrary, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 arrives at the same $1,799 price point as the Z Fold 4. We keep hoping to see the high-end foldable drop in price like the Galaxy Z Flip line. Still, given the ongoing supply chain issues across the industry, Samsung probably views holding the line on pricing as a victory.

So once again the base Galaxy Z Fold 5 for $1,799 comes with 256GB of storage. Stepping up to 512GB is $1,919 and finally, the massive 1TB option is $2,159.

While this should be an easy tick in the win column for the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which can be found discounted, it's worth noting that Samsung always has enticing offers at launch. Currently, you can pre-order the Z Fold 5 and get a free storage upgrade to the next highest tier, up to $1,000 off with an eligible trade-in, up to $540 off when bundling with a Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy Watch 6, and 30% off Samsung Care+. 

After the pre-order period ends on August 11 the price advantage should tip back to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 while you can still find them.

Winner: Draw

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4 design

From many angles you would be forgiven for thinking that nothing had changed from the Galaxy Z Fold 4 to the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but lay them down next to one another on a table and one alteration will stand out. 

Samsung's new Flex Hinge design allows the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to fold flat when shut, eliminating that slight taco shape of the Z Fold 4 and its predecessors. Now this may also be a cause for alarm for some as we've seen slightly disastrous results for some Pixel Fold units attributed to its fold-flat design, but Samsung maintains a slight ridge around the display that it claims will prevent small debris from getting trapped between the glass and causing damage. We'll obviously have to see how this holds up in practice, but it seems reasonable in theory.

Beyond allowing the phone to fold flat, its new dual rail structure also helps reduce the effects of external impacts. We'll let someone else drop a Galaxy Z Fold 5 to test that out, but anything that goes toward enhancing the durability of a foldable will be welcome. 

Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Cover Screen

The lone change to the cover display for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an upgrade to Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 from the Victus+ on the Z Fold 4. In a test of Victus 2 on the Galaxy S23 Ultra by YouTuber JerryRigEverything he observed the same scratch resistance between the two generations, but various tests have shown that it may offer improved drop protection.

The rest of the specs remain identical, and while I wish Samsung would go slightly wider with its cover display, it's otherwise hard to complain about this panel. The AMOLED 2x display offers a 2316 x 904-pixel resolution and a ppi of 402. And you can face shockingly bright environments thanks to its 870 nits in our testing of the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It's sharp, bright, and vibrant with an adaptive 120Hz display, which is ticking all of the boxes.

Winner: Draw

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Inner display

You'll be shocked to hear that there are no changes to the internal display on the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Again while it is hard not to see regular upgrades, I'm not sure what upgrades we would be pushing for on this panel. 

It sports a 2176 x 1812-pixel, AMOLED 2X  display, a 21.6:18 aspect ratio, and a 373 ppi. That same adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz keeps things sipping battery life or maximizing performance as needed. According to our test results, the Galaxy Z Fold 4's internal display has a peak brightness of 905 nits and it covers 159% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. We'll need to get the Z Fold 5 through our labs to verify that it still reaches those same heights, but for now, we'll assume Samsung didn't take a step back.

Viewing them side-by-side during my hands-on I thought the color accuracy and brightness of the Z Fold 5 were slightly superior, but we'll update with the official results when available.

Winner: Draw (for now)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Processor

Here is the one clear-cut advantage for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the move to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor from the 8 Gen 1+ in the Z Fold 4. Now once again we will need to see how it fares in our lab testing, but every 8 Gen 2 device we've tested has delivered notably superior performance and power efficiency over the previous generation.

Now I will perpetually argue that flagship smartphones are more powerful than we need them to be right now, but the power efficiency side is a different matter. I will never turn down more battery life in my phone and particularly on the Z Fold with its power-hungry displays.

While we await our Galaxy Z Fold 5 testing, we can take a look at the Galaxy Z Fold 4's Geekbench 5 score of 3,831 compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 5,081. Presumably, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is going to come in close to its single-screened sibling, so while I wouldn't ditch my Z Fold 4 over this, it is something that will make an impact if you hold on to the phone for 4-5 years, so it's worth considering as you weigh going with the old or the new model today.

Winner: Galaxy Z Fold 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Cameras

We will have our Galaxy Z Fold 5 review unit in our hot little hands soon and be able to weigh in on whether anything has changed from a camera performance standpoint, but when it comes to hardware there are no differences to speak of.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 cameras were an excellent upgrade over their predecessor, but we were hoping to see the Galaxy Z Fold 5 borrow more from the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 still arguably offers the best camera array of any foldable, but it was an advantage that Samsung could have pressed to ensure that remained true through its competitors' next upgrade.

We'll update this section with side-by-side samples from both phones soon to determine if any of the new camera optimizations in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 make a difference in the photos you get from each.

Winner: TBA

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs. Galaxy Z Fold 4: Battery life

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 retains the same 4,400 mAh battery as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. In the Laptop Mag battery test, which runs down phones at 150 nits of brightness on a major carrier network the Fold 4 made it 9 hours and 6 minutes with its main display on. That's not bad, but typically we look for phones to cross the 10-hour mark.

This is where I'm looking for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to deliver a larger impact than even its performance gains given that we have seen it boost battery life on phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 by between 1-2 hours with the same battery size.

Again this needs to await our testing for a final ruling.

Winner: TBA

Outlook

Unsurprisingly it looks like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will be the winner, but there are certainly plenty of asterisks on that win. The changes to the overall hardware this year are marginal. I do prefer the fold-flat look of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 when closed, but if you are either squeamish about it shutting all the way or just not bothered by the gap on the Z Fold 4 then that's not going to be an upgrade for you.

A lot of the upgrades we are anticipating noticing on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 center on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which means we'll need to wait and see what happens when our lab testers get their hands on these phones. Based on previous results it's hard not to bet on both a notable performance and battery life boost, but it's not likely to be enough to warrant an upgrade for a current Galaxy Z Fold 4 owner.

If you are looking to buy your first foldable though, this is a solid entry point, if you can stomach the $1,799 starting price. With that in mind I would recommend picking it up during the pre-order timeframe as it's typically months before we see deals that match these early sales. 

We'll finalize this face-off in the coming days as our test results start to come in, but for now the Galaxy Z Fold 5 notches itself a narrow victory over the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, the company's best new tablet, so naturally, we're going to pit it up against Apple's iconic iPad Pro 12.9. Let's see which is the best tablet.

We don't have all the testing done yet, so this is just a sneak peek (we'll have a 100% accurate face-off at a later date). However, Apple has been the king of tablets for a long time, both in consistency and quality. Although, you are paying a boatload of money for the best.

Here's a brief look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. Apple iPad Pro 12.9.

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Price

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra starts at $1,199, which includes an S Pen, while the Apple iPad 12.9 starts at $1,099 and does not include any of its accessories.

The Galaxy Tab S9 starts with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but the iPad Pro starts with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you're getting the base model, you have to decide what you want more — RAM or storage (performance vs. space).

While this is perhaps the only occasion where the iPad Pro 12.9-inch offers a cheaper starting price, if you were to match the storage of the two the price is identical at $1,199. I still may lean toward the iPad Pro winning if it weren't for the addition of the S Pen with the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, while the Apple Pencil 2 is $129. Factoring all of that we're calling it a draw between these pricey portables.

Winner: Draw

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Design

Ah, yes, the age old question of which nearly identical metal slate looks better? There's not a lot of style that goes into the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or iPad Pro 12.9 unfortunately, so we're going to talk about function or form... well, maybe a little form

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or iPad Pro 12.9 both have a sleek metallic design, with the former offering Beige and Graphite color schemes and the latter featuring Space Gray and Silver. This comes down to personal preference, but I hate them both.

When it comes to size and weight, the iPad Pro (1.5 pounds, 11.0 x 8.5 x 0.25 inches) is lighter than the Tab S9 Ultra (1.61 pounds, 12.85 x 8.21 x 0.21 inches), but the Ultra is thinner. And since there's a massive display size difference, the iPad is overall more portable.

However, that's not why I am choosing the iPad Pro as the victor here. Like I said, it's about form over function. And there doesn't seem to be a way to attach the S Pen to the Galaxy Tab directly, while the Apple Pencil can magnetically attach and charge to the iPad Pro.

Winner: iPad Pro 12.9

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Display

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra comes in with a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (60~120Hz) panel, whereas the iPad Pro 12.9 offers a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR (2732 x 2048) display. Unfortunately, it's not clear what the Tab S9 Ultra's resolution is going to be.

The Apple iPad clocks in with 591 nits of brightness and 82.4% DCI-P3 coverage. Meanwhile, we don't have exact numbers for the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra because we haven't tested it yet. However, both tablets support stylus pens.

We don't have all the information, so this is a little difficult, but what we can say right now is that bigger is often better.

Winner: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Cameras

When it comes to cameras, size matters, but it also doesn't. It's a mix between who has the biggest lens and who has the better software, which makes the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9 fight complicated.

Samsung has more lenses and they're slightly bigger, featuring a 12MP and 12MP UW on the front as well as a 13MP AF and 8MP UW on the rear. However, Apple offers one 12MP on the front as well as a 12MP and 10MP UW on the rear. Despite a whole camera difference, Apple phones are renowned for its stellar camera software. 

It's impossible to judge this from afar, but since this isn't a final test, I'm going to give it to Samsung for now. More and bigger lenses win.

Winner: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Performance

Samsung is launching the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and that's going up against the Apple's M2 chip. Technically, we've tested both of these chips. Let's see how they rock.

On the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Apple M2 scored 8,500, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra scored 5,081. There's no shot that Samsung can take this away from Apple.

Obviously, this isn't the most accurate reading, since these results come from the a smartphone versus a tablet, but it doesn't look good for Samsung.

Winner: iPad Pro 12.9

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Battery life

On our battery test, the iPad Pro 12.9 lasted 10 hours and 40 minutes with a 10,758mAh battery. What does that mean for Samsung?

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra sports a 11,200mAh battery, which is only a ~500mAh difference. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab S9 has a larger screen, so it's consuming more battery, and Apple has been the king of battery life for a while now. Unless Samsung can do a 180, this goes to Apple.

Winner: iPad Pro 12.9

Outlook

We can't decide an official winner at this point, but the larger display and more affordable all-in price with accessories would almost have to be the tipping point for the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Once we get Samsung's latest tablet through our lab, we'll have definitive answers. I hope Samsung can bring competition because no one likes a monopoly. Well, Apple does in this case. At the very least, the one thing that Apple can't beat Samsung on is more cameras and a bigger display.