New images of a prototype Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 have emerged, showcasing an even deeper look at the Samsung foldable and internal display crease.
Images of prototype Galaxy Z Fold 6 or even Flip 6 units are not new, and we’ve seen almost every angle available through previous leaks. They showcase the entirety of the device, detailing the new boxier design on both foldable, as well as camera array changes this time around.
Photos credited to Sonny Dickson of further Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 prototype photos. The images exhibit both the outer and inner displays of each device, and it looks like generation six still carries a significant display crease.
The units in the photos are both prototypes or “dummy” units. Essentially, it means each is subject to extensive changes throughout the design process. These images could be showing off a display that carries a larger seam down the middle than the final version will, or Samsung may have equipped these units with an older display to simply show off the silhouette and overall profile of each phone. Still, users have been hoping for a less significant bend when the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip are open 180 degrees.
The images also show off a black prototype variant, which has “Samsung” crudely stamped on the hinges of both devices. It’s possible Samsung will ditch the etched logo we’ve seen on past Fold and Flip devices and instead opt for a stamped logo, much like in the images here. The etched logo is the preferable option, giving the $2,000 devices a little touch of quality.
Another small possible detail is the way the hinge protection plate flares out at the top and bottom of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It’s very hard to see, and the lighting in these images could be playing tricks on our eyes, but it looks like the hinge is a couple of millimeters further from the main phone panels at the ends than it is in the middle, where the Samsung logo is. There is no such angle for the Flip 6.
Besides a couple of small tidbits, Samsung’s design changes can be appreciated in these prototype units. Each phone looks to be carrying a smaller bezel around the internal display, and the overall footprint looks a little nicer than last year’s model.
Samsung is set to announce the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 on July 10 in Paris.
Samsung Galaxy owners have noticed that Samsung’s Messages app is crashing frequently as of late, and the culprit seems to be an update to Google Meet, somehow.
Over the past few days, many Galaxy users on Reddit and Samsung’s forums have reported (via SamMobile) that the Samsung Messages app is crashing frequently. On trying to open any conversations, the app simply shuts down.
According to a Samsung moderator, the reason for this is an update to the Google Meet app.
Presumably due to the video calling shortcut in Samsung Messages that routes through Meet, something is causing the Messages app to crash frequently. Rolling back Meet updates seems to fix the problem, though. The exact cause isn’t clear, but it’s very widespread with the latest Messages and Google Meet updates. You can go to an older version of Meet by uninstalling updates to the app through Settings.
The problem can also be solved by moving from the Samsung Messages app to the Google Messages app.
Samsung Messages has actually been replaced by Google Messages on Galaxy devices sold in some regions including the US, but the original app is still used by many today. Hopefully, Google will issue a fix to the Meet app in the coming days.
According to new reports, Samsung is planning to exclusively use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in its new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 foldables.
The Elec reports that Samsung will solely use Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chips in the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 globally. Previously, it was thought that Samsung might use Exynos chips in some Galaxy Z Flip 6 models.
Realistically, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Since the first generation, Samsung has been using exclusively Qualcomm chipsets in its foldables, even in regions where Galaxy S devices have been sold with Exynos chips instead. According to this latest report, gearing a new foldable model with Exynos instead of Snapdragon would actually raise the cost due to scale. “Only when foldable phones ship as many units as the S series” would it be a benefit to include Exynos, the report claims.
Samsung’s strategy around the chips in its phones have been going back and forth over the past few years. After many generations using Exynos or Snapdragon depending on the region, Samsung signed a deal with Qualcomm that saw all variations of the Galaxy S23 series sold with Snapdragon around the globe. But, merely a year later, the Galaxy S24 series re-introduced Exynos variants in some countries, though the S24 Ultra uses exclusively Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are expected to launch in July.
Samsung’s next Galaxy launch event reportedly takes place July 10 in Paris
Samsung is gearing up for a pretty big Summer launch event, with a new report pinpointing the next Galaxy Unpacked event for July 10.
Rumors have been floating around for a couple of months now that Samsung would be hosting a launch event in July for its next batch of Galaxy devices, but a specific date was never mentioned.
SamMobile now claims that the launch date in question will be July 10.
That date, a Wednesday, lines up perfectly with Samsung’s usual pattern even though it is a couple of weeks early compared to the year prior. That said, Samsung has good reason for moving things up a couple of weeks – the location.
According to this report, Samsung will host its next Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris, France.
That’s also the location of the 2024 Olympics, so getting things wrapped up well ahead of the torch’s lighting is definitely in Samsung’s best interest. The Olympics begin on July 26. That also lines up well with Samsung’s usual sponsoring of the Olympic Games, as the company has created special-edition devices numerous times for the Games.
Last year, Samsung hosted its foldable launch event from South Korea.
Samsung’s July 10 event is expected to see the debut of the Galaxy Ring, new foldables, and more. The Galaxy Watch 7, new tablets, and more could be incoming. There’s also a good chance Samsung introduces its first Snapdragon-powered laptop at the event.
If this July 10 date is legitimate, Samsung will likely be making some official announcements by the end of May.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 may borrow design elements from the S24
The Galaxy Z Flip series saw one of its most significant design upgrades last year when the Galaxy Z Flip 5 model introduced the folder-shaped cover screen, replacing the comparatively tiny 1.9-inch panel with a 3.4-inch screen.
Samsung is now preparing to announce the sequel to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, but judging from all the leaks, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 won’t reinvent the wheel.
Instead of bringing another leap in design, the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6 will most likely refine the existing formula. It won’t rewrite what the Z Flip series stands for but could borrow some design elements from the newer Galaxy S24.
New renders (via @rquandt) belonging to a third-party case manufacturer reveal a few such minor design changes the Galaxy Z Flip 6 might boast.
According to these case renders, which may or may not reflect the Galaxy Z Flip 6’s final design with precise accuracy, the upcoming model may have an even flatter frame than the ongoing Z Flip 5. The Galaxy S24 went through a similar process earlier this year, admittedly inspired by the Z Flip 5.
Another design element the Galaxy Z Flip 6 might borrow from the Galaxy S24 lineup is the speaker grille. This element might now consists of one wide cutout instead of multiple smaller holes.
Finally, these renders suggest that the circular camera cutouts might have a slightly larger circumference for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 or that the space between the two cameras might be thinner.
However, once again, since the renders supposedly originate from a third-party case manufacturer, these finer design design details might not be entirely accurate.
An upgraded camera and a powerful Snapdragon chip
As far as hardware specs go, previous rumors indicate that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will have an upgraded 50MP primary camera, which could explain the larger cutouts.
The phone will also share its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with the Galaxy S24 series. And only the Snapdragon chip, regardless of region. A recent report claims that Samsung is not ready to divide its foldable phones between Snapdragon and Exynos markets yet.
Samsung should lift the veil off the next-gen Galaxy Z Flip 6 in early July at Unpacked. The tech giant is expected to host the event in Paris — the host city of the 2024 Olympic Games. Which is fitting, given that Samsung is an Official Olympics Partner.
You look at the Galaxy S24 and S24+ and can’t help but wonder if they really are the new models, or Samsung just went and reissued the old ones. The Ultra, on the other hand, is a different beast. The Galaxy S24 Ultra does make some significant strides towards improving on what was already the ultimate smartphone package.
Some of the changes are immediately visible and start with the even blockier design with a fully flat face and the less reflective display glass. You won’t immediately tell, but that glass should also be tougher, and as months go by, you’ll perhaps appreciate the switch to titanium for the exposed frame, too.
An even less obvious development, but one that has potential to be a major step in solidifying the Galaxy Ultra’s position as a top cameraphone, is the new 5x zoom telephoto. Undoubtedly better at 5x than the old model, can it be as good at 10x?
The Ultra won’t partake in the chipset divide that’s now returned to the lesser models, and all of the ultimate Galaxies will feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – no Exynos here if that makes any difference. Sure enough, the S24 Ultra will have all the AI smarts Samsung and Google came up with to fill an hour of Unpacked 2024.
Unchanged is the battery capacity on this year’s model, and so too is the maximum charging rating, for better or for worse. No change can be a good thing too, and the S Pen remains another differentiator that elevates the Galaxy Ultra above all others when it comes to productivity and just general usefulness (it’s the best camera remote is what it is).
You can have another look at the key specs below, before we proceed to get our hands on the Ultra, at long last.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra unboxing
Another uneventful unboxing experience awaits, but it’s not like the slimline box is making any promises. A SIM eject pin is still included, though a line in the instructions that says ‘use a paper clip or an earring’ could be replacing that in the near future. That, or eSIMs.
The other thing of any practical use inside the box is a USB-C cable, but it’s only good for 3A of current, and that may not be enough to get the promised 45W of charging. We might have a rant on that subject later on in the review.
Competition
The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s ultimate smartphone status can only be threatened by similarly uncompromising offerings, though some allowances can be made given the right reasoning. First things first, though, and we reckon there’s some in-brand competition that you must sift through before looking outside the Galaxy.
Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) next to Galaxy S23 Ultra
The most obvious alternative is the previous generation – opting for that one has the potential to save you roughly 20-30% depending on locale, possibly even more given the right combination of research and luck. You’d be missing out on the less reflective display, the overall improved build, and the latest camera advancements. But the old cameras are still plenty capable, battery life and charging are similar, the last-gen Snapdragon has many good years left in it, and the S Pen is the same. We’d always pick the latest one, but a more reasonable person can see the value in the 2023 model.
Another one from last year, but not to be replaced any time soon, the Z Fold5 can challenge the Ultra for productivity, particularly if you grab the optional S Pen with one of those nice cases that let you carry it around everywhere. The price difference goes the other way here and you’ll be paying more for the Fold pretty much everywhere in the world, and you’ll be getting a notably inferior camera system in the process. But the utility of the 7.6-inch canvas may very well be worth it all.
On the other hand, if you ended up seven pages into a Galaxy S24 Ultra review simply looking for a large-screen regular Samsung smartphone, perhaps the S24+ is your answer. This one runs for S23 Ultra money or a little more, throwing you into yet another galactic dilemma. That could be resolved with a trip to our S24+ review, but basically if you want the latest chipset, AI smarts and unrivaled update policy, and don’t care for the greatest cameras or a stylus, the S24+ is worth a look.
Let’s say you’ve dismissed all those and are willing to explore other avenues. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is one such alternative route, which is somehow cheaper in the US and more expensive everywhere else. The ecosystem pros and cons aren’t for us to decide for you, but the iPhone just may have one objective advantage in endurance. The S24 Ultra is likely the superior cameraphone and it’s hard to argue with the S Pen and DeX support for work and play.
If you’re in it for the Google AI smarts and the long-term support, what better option than the Google phone itself, the Pixel 8 Pro? The Pixel is no match for the Galaxy’s battery life, nor can it charge as fast, and despite the general inclination for #teampixel camera fandom, the Galaxy is quite probably the superior cameraphone. But you can have a base 128GB Pixel 8 Pro for two-thirds of the price of an Ultra, and even for matched storage, there will be considerable savings.
A less obvious option and one with considerable camera prowess that outspecs the Galaxy S24 Ultra is another Ultra – the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. Technically, an international version is in existence, but tracking one down might be tricky. With four 50MP rear cameras, among them a 1-inch sensor dual aperture lens primary unit and a properly large ultrawide, the Xiaomi has hardware that can make the Galaxy’s setup look upper midrange, almost. No S Pen though. Somewhat iffy battery life and last year’s chipset. But really, it’s the availability that’s the main issue.
Verdict
The Galaxy S24 Ultra surprised us – we didn’t expect it to have any flaws, and suddenly, we have a cons section. With a list in it. Indeed, most perplexing is the fact that Samsung has produced a display that is anything less than perfect. Of course, it’s not that bad, and its shortcomings are minuscule or will be addressed later in software. But that’s not what we’d expect from Samsung’s ultimate smartphone.
Continually irritating is Samsung’s lack of initiative in the charging department, and no amount of new 45W adapters is seemingly going to bring truly fast top-ups. This one we did expect, but it doesn’t mean we like it any better.
Perhaps an overworked software team with unrealistic deadlines brought us some peculiarities in the new camera’s zoom action. We’ve heard that it happens and such oversights get fixed as weeks go by. We just didn’t think that happens to Galaxies.
But rereading the above for some perspective, we also realize that while imperfect to a certain level, the Galaxy S24 Ultra remains Samsung’s ultimate smartphone, and it’s the most complete package you can buy today.
Samsung didn’t just coast for another year, which we felt was the case with the S23 Ultra. We got more new stuff this time around than we could have predicted. The new materials in the build don’t just feel nice; they also improve the visual experience. After years of enjoying the coolness of curved displays, we’ve now grown up to realize that flat screens have their benefits, and Samsung’s now giving us flat screens across the range.
Without much fuss around that subject, the S24 Ultra is one of the longest-lasting Androids you can buy, and even if the big names from China charge three times as fast, the Pixel and the iPhone don’t. An always-with-you stylus remains elusive outside of the Samsung flagship, and you may not know you want or need one until you’ve had one.
The camera system is also mostly a source of satisfaction. The rethinking of the telephoto setup is a forward step that adds another layer of versatility. The rest of the rear modules we’d almost call stale next to what we’re seeing from Chinese brands and their impressive hardware, but Samsung has managed to squeeze out such performance out of these otherwise uninspired bits that it doesn’t feel like we’re getting less than what is right.
In the end, Samsung’s ultimate smartphone comes easily recommended.
Pros
The new display glass offers an improved viewing experience, and the display itself is plenty bright.
Tougher materials and build all around, the titanium frame is nice to the touch, the target audience will likely appreciate the return to a flat screen.
Battery life is towards the top of the class; charging is faster than Pixels or iPhones.
The S Pen is just as unique a proposition in 2024 as it has been for years.
Exciting One UI with plenty of AI, DeX support, and great connectivity options.
Camera system as versatile as ever thanks to an even more useful telephoto and overall improved processing.
Cons
The display has flaws which may be obscure or fixable along the way but mar the overall impression.
Charging speed is still behind the curve; the phone is picky about adapters, and the bundled cable is 3A only.
Illogical image quality disparity between 10x and slightly lower zoom levels.
The Fan Edition is no more, yet the FE series live on. Indeed, the new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is bringing back the beloved affordable flagship vibe, but there is no mention of the original FE meaning, just Standout Features. And the Galaxy S23 FE has plenty of those.
Note:We are reviewing the US version of the S23 FE, which is based on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.
Update, Dec. 26,2023: We also got the Exynos-based global model of the Galaxy S23 FE and have added its test results across this review.
The Galaxy S23 FE is a refresh of the rather popular Galaxy S21 FE, improving the design, the performance, and the camera quality. The usual stuff, obviously.
The design is the real standout here, especially our Purple version. It is one of the most strikingly beautiful colorways we’ve seen in years, and we are just in love with it.
The phone is IP68-rated, looks a lot like the Galaxy S23 models, but has a matte frame. It borrows the Galaxy 21 FE display – it’s a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
The chipset upgrade is inevitable, of course. The Galaxy S23 FE jumps one generation ahead with the Exynos 2200 (the Galaxy S22 series SoC), up from Exynos 2100 on the S21 FE. That is for the international version. The US model is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, up from Snapdragon 888.
The base model remains 128GB, but the base RAM is now 8GB. There is no microSD expansion, a feature known to be, well, a fan favorite.
Moving on to the camera. The setup on the back is like the one on the S21 FE but with a higher resolution primary camera – it’s now a 50MP OIS main cam, accompanied by an 8MP 3x OIS telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The selfie camera uses a 10MP imager.
And that’s about it. The rest is the same as on the S21 FE – a pair of speakers, a 4,500mAh battery with 25W fast charging, wireless charging, UD fingerprint scanner. The S23 FE arrives with Android 13 and One UI 5.1.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
The Galaxy S23 FE seems like an affordable premium smartphone with an excellent display, powerful hardware, and a capable camera kit. You can easily tell where Samsung had to cut some corners to keep a decent price – last year’s chip, the low-res tele camera, and even the Gorilla Glass went from Victus down to Glass 5. And yet, the cherrypicked features do make for one well-rounded smartphone, at least on paper.
The updates over the Galaxy S21 FE are not major – next-gen chip and a higher-res main camera, so we doubt the S21 FE owners would find this one intriguing. And this is the only thing we can think of upfront that some may find upsetting.
Unboxing the Galaxy S23 FE
The Galaxy S23 FE arrives in one of those super thin eco-friendly boxes that Samsung has been using for the last couple of years.
The retail bundle includes the S23 FE, a black USB-C-C cable, and a SIM ejection PIN. That’s it.
Alternative offers
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is quite the oddball. First, it’s equipped like an overdue Galaxy S22 FE. Then, in some markets, it is priced as the Galaxy S23. Finally, there is the chipset fragmentation we’ve been discussing in detail in this article. It does sound like a hard pass at first, doesn’t it?
Yet, it’s a solid smartphone, one that will be worthy of a recommendation once the price settles down. And we believe this will happen quite soon.
While there is zero chance that both versions would become available in a single market, it is still good to know what differences there are.
The Galaxy S23 FE doesn’t feel exactly like a more affordable alternative to the Galaxy S23+, but the Galaxy S22+. Not that it doesn’t really matter, but it’s just that the Galaxy S23 FE is neither a Fan Edition, nor an S23. More like an S22 FE that is coming extra late for the party.
But the Galaxy S23 FE caters to a certain market niche, which we usually call flagship killers, where it brings flagship-grade features at an affordable price. Even better, it’s smaller than the average phone, so some users would definitely find it a good offer just for its size.
The Galaxy S23 FE launched at $600 in the US and INR 60,000 in India. Then, it went on sale for $500 in the US and INR 49,000 in India, and from what we can see, it’s back to its original pricing. It also launched in Europe at €650.
Having those prices in mind and its compact form factor, we think the first competitor that comes to mind should be the original Galaxy S23 flagship. It has a smaller but brighter screen, a more durable Victus 2 build, a faster chipset, and better telephoto and selfie cameras. The Galaxy S23 has a $800 MSRP in the US, but it can be found for as low as $630 depending on the retailer, which gets it pretty close to the Galaxy S23 FE. It is a similar affair in Europe.
The Nothing Phone (2) also costs the same as the Galaxy S23 FE at launch and it’s a very good alternative. The Glyph UI and the physical design is unique, but the phone also has some impressive specs like the large OLED, a similarly powerful chipset with better stability, and notably faster charging. The rear camera setup consists of two cameras – a high-res primary with high-quality 2x zoom and a high-res ultrawide with great macro photography. There is no zoom camera here, and the selfie camera is inferior to the S23 FE’s. If unique is what you are looking for, or just a larger screen with a clean UI, the Phone (2) will deliver.
Finally, the OnePlus Nord 3, where available, or its nearly identical OnePlus 10T counterpart, are even cheaper offers that deserve a mention here. The Nord 3 is an IP54-rated smartphone with a large Fluid AMOLED with a higher 1240p resolution and fast and more stable Dimensity 9000 chip. The phone has less impressive cameras all around and no zoom one, but it’s a solid offer if your budget is more limited and yet you want a flagship killer phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE name makes little sense, but the phone has every chance of finding its footing when its price settles down. This late Galaxy S22 FE has an attractive dual-glass design, a great OLED screen, capable hardware, consistently good cameras, superb speakers, and flagship software.
We did appreciate the dual-glass design, and we are fond of the new colorways. We are not fans of the extra weight and the thicker bezels, though – even the 6.6-inch 22+ is smaller and lighter. Still, the S23 FE retains a classic design, and we think many will like it.
The Galaxy S23 FE has a 6.4-inch 120Hz OLED screen with good brightness, sharpness and HDR10+ streaming. Its punch hole is quite tiny, too. And the screen can be nicely color-accurate.
And we very much appreciated the louder and better-sounding speakers.
The camera quality is excellent across the board – main camera, 2x zoom, 3x telephoto, ultrawide, selfie. This applies for photos and videos, any time of the day. Samsung has been consistent with its quality and processing, and while its punchy colors may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they are valued by many.
The chipset is quite powerful and still flagship-grade, but its GPU stability is far from ideal, and gamers should want to consider something else before deciding on this Galaxy. The battery life, especially when it comes to gaming, is below average, too.
Overall, the Galaxy S23 FE is a good all-round smartphone, almost like a flagship-killer, even if it’s a year late. It’s pretty much a hard pass at $600/€650, but at $500/€500 or less – we’d say it’s a good deal that makes sense.
Pros
Beautiful classic design, dual-glass, IP68-rated.
Fast OLED screen, decent brightness, great color accuracy, HDR10+.
Very good stereo speakers.
Flagship-grade performance.
Reliable camera quality across the board.
One UI with DeX support; 4 major Android updates.
Cons
It’s closer related to S22 than S23 and yet it arrives 18 months after the S22 family.
Heavy weight, thick screen bezels.
Unimpressive battery life.
Strong GPU throttling, chipset fragmentation by regions.
It’s taken way too long, but after the better part of eight years now, Samsung has finally adopted Android’s Seamless Updates on its latest Galaxy devices.
Seamless Updates were first introduced in Android Nougat way back in 2016, almost eight years ago now. The feature allows devices to install an update in the background and apply the update on a reboot. While it’s typically slower and can eat up more storage, the A/B partition allows for a safer install as a messed-up installation can be reverted to the prior software build. It also leaves the device fully usable during the lengthy install process. Google has also made improvements to Seamless Updates over the years, with the feature now being much faster and also requiring less storage using a “virtual A/B mechanism.”
Yet, for all this time, Samsung has repeatedly skipped out on this feature that virtually every other Android OEM currently uses.
That’s finally changed now, though, as the Samsung Galaxy A55 is the company’s first smartphone with Seamless Updates support for Android updates.
The change was spotted on the new mid-range device by early buyers (via Mishaal Rahman) as well as SamMobile and The Mobile Indian. On downloading an update on the device, a new “downloading and installing” message appears with “Restart Now” appearing when the device has the update installed. Existing Samsung smartphones have an “Install Now” prompt when the update
Samsung may have finally implemented seamless updates on their Android devices! When updating the new Galaxy A55 5G, users have noticed that the software update screen now shows a "downloading and installing" as well as "verification" steps.
a feature configured before the device is in the customer’s hands. Back in 2016, Google had confirmed that existing devices wouldn’t support it.
However, future Samsung Galaxy devices are very likely to support Seamless Updates going forward. It was revealed earlier this year that Android is moving to only support this form of update, and while Samsung could technically work out a way to stick with its existing model, it seems the company has decided to just give in to how Android is supposed to work in 2024.
After a teaser earlier this year, Samsung is showing off the Galaxy Ring for the first time at MWC 2024. We were able to get a quick look at the upcoming health-focused wearable and pick up a few tidbits on the device.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring won’t be coming out for a while yet but the company is giving a first look at the product in Barcelona this week and, technically, “unveiling” the product more formally.
As a new addition to our wearables portfolio, Galaxy Ring will offer users an all-new way to simplify everyday wellness, empowering them with greater insights and more ways to understand themselves day and night. With Galaxy Ring, users can embrace an unrivalled experience during every step of their wellness journey, all while being delivered in lockstep with Samsung’s broader vision for a more connected, integrated and seamless digital wellness platform.
The launch of Galaxy Ring is just one of Samsung’s many initiatives that exemplifies this and delivers on our vision of improving the health and wellness of billions, starting at home, with you.
While we, unfortunately, weren’t about to get an opportunity to try the device on, we did get to take a quick look at Samsung’s booth.
Galaxy Ring comes in three colors – silver, black, and gold. All three have a slick polished finish, almost a mirror on the silver and gold models. Just based on this first look, I’d certainly go for the black, and I do feel this particular shade of gold is a bit gaudy, but I do really hope Samsung expands color choices and maybe offers other finishes for the metal.
Each will be available in a total of nine sizes. These are categorized into small, medium, large, and extra-large, with two available of each, and three available for small. Presumably, when the Galaxy Ring goes on sale, Samsung will relate these sizes to traditional ring sizing. Samsung told The Verge that sizes range from 5 to 13 and also mentioned the wearable will support a new Samsung Health feature called “My Vitality Score” which will also come to Galaxy Watch (only when paired to Galaxy S24) alongside other health tracking (heart rate, sleep, cycle, and more).
The hardware looks like a normal ring from the outside, but inside is where you can see the smarts.
There’s a contact space for charging pins, and a heart rate sensor visible that very slightly juts out from the inner circle. It looks to be a more subtle implementation compared to something like Oura’s smart ring.
Samsung Galaxy Ring to have up to nine days of battery, launching second half of 2024
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is quickly on its way and new information keeps coming, including an official estimate on battery life.
Speaking to FNNews, Samsung has confirmed that the battery life of the Galaxy Ring will fall somewhere in-between five and nine days. That estimate puts Samsung’s ring in pretty good company, potentially beating the 4-6 day estimate of rings from UltraHuman and RingConn, while also potentially beating out the one-week estimate of the Oura ring.
This extended battery life falls in line with Samsung’s pretty obvious vision for this product, which is to have a health-tracking device that largely fades into the background.
Beyond that, though, Samsung also confirmed to The Elec that the Galaxy Ring will see its release in the second half of this year. That comes as no surprise, as previous reports have pointed at July 2024 for the launch, but it’s nice to have further confirmation nonetheless.
It was showcase the first look at the Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024 to check out its charging method, colors, and various sizes.
Samsung has struck gold with the Galaxy A73 5G– this phone comes as a really well-balanced package with great performance and a camera that blows almost every other mid-range phone out of the water, Sure, Samsung has made some compromises but those won’t be deal-breakers for most users.
The Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is one of the best mid-range phones we’ve looked at and has the best camera phone you can find in the mid-range segment with its impressive 108MP camera sensor.
When it comes to performance, you’ll get a capable Snapdragon 778 5G processor that’s more than capable of handling gaming and other heavy tasks. Samsung’s efforts in de-bloating One UI also have a hand as well in keeping the phone as fast as possible.
In addition to the high-performing chipset, you will also get a fantastic screen with good color reproduction and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate that will give you a pleasant experience in gaming and scrolling through web pages.
With a 108 MP main camera and 50 MP ultra-wide, you’ll be able to capture great shots in different lighting conditions, the camera’s prowess in this phone is really fantastic.
Where the phone falls behind is with charging speeds compared to other phones- it only supports 25 Watts charging and you’ll have to buy a charger separately as Samsung doesn’t bundle one in the box.
Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is made entirely of plastic, as it’s the case with most Galaxy A series phones. The back of the phone comes in a matte plastic that prevents getting any fingerprints stuck on it. However, the sideband is made of shiny plastic that feels a little bit cheap.
With a thickness of only 7.6 mm, the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is fairly impressive given the big battery it contains. Samsung has also done a really good job in hiding the camera bump that comes slightly thicker than the phone. With the smooth edges, the phone feels thinner in your hand than it actually is.
At just 180 grams, the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is also easy on your hands even when used all day long.
The button layout on the Galaxy A73 5G is standard with what you’d find in most phones these days. The power and volume buttons are on the right-hand side of the phone and feel nice with a solid clicky feeling to them. The only thing we didn’t like is that the back of the phone feels a little hollow when you press on it.
The Samsung Galaxy A73 5G comes with a trusty IP67 dust/water resistant rating which means you’re safe to use it around water as it can withstand a dip in the water. You don’t see IP ratings on mid-range phones and we really like that Samsung is pushing this segment with the Galaxy A73 5G.
Display
With an AMOLED display that Samsung has perfected over the years, the Galaxy A73 5G gives you a very pleasant viewing experience. With a pixel density of 393 and a screen size of 6.7 inches, the phone is a joy to consume media, play games and surf social media.
The display’s design is nice and flat with nearly symmetrical bezels, The selfie camera’s punch hole is a bit wider than usual, however you get used to it easily.
Even though the display doesn’t support the higher 144Hz refresh rate that has made its way to some other mid-rangers such as Motorola Edge 30 and the Poco X4 GT 5G, we found the 120Hz refresh rate to be very smooth. The Snapdragon processor equipped on the Galaxy A73 5G coped up perfectly with no signs of sluggish performance or low frame rates.
The color reproduction in this display is nice buy a little bit oversaturated as is usual with all Samsung phones. The extra saturation makes the color pop and feel more punchy.
Outdoor viewability is great with this phone as it reaches up to 800 nits in HBM (High brightness mode) and we didn’t have any problem using the phone in direct sunlight.
Camera
Samsung went all out with the quad-camera setup on the Galaxy A73 5G that’s highlighted up with the 108MP flagship sensor and accompanied by a 12 MP ultrawide lens as well as a pair of 2 MP lenses that are used for zooming and macro.
The phone is capable of producing beautiful shots in well-lit environments as well as night shots. The phone uses pixel binning to take 9MP shots as standard, however you have access to a 108MP mode which is useful in zooming in and capturing more details.
Shutter lag on this phone is barely noticeable and we found it quite snappy to capture shots right away in well-lit scenes. It does took a little longer in night time or dimly lit scenes as the shutter needed to capture more light to the camera.
Thanks to both optical and electrical image stabilization, this phone produced some of the best night shots we’ve seen that blow all of the other mid-range phones out of the water. Even the video quality in low light was pretty good and usable.
Using the ultrawide lens was also a pleasant experience with the high fidelity camera that produces well-balanced pictures with good sharpness and colour reproduction.
With a 32 MP selfie snapper, the selfie shots come out with really good details and quality that approaches flagship cameras.
The TLDR of the camera’s on the Galaxy A73 5G is the best camera phone in any mid-range phones we’ve got our hands-on.
Performance and software
Using the Snapdragon 778 SoC paired with an 8GB of RAM, the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G is smooth. Samsung has done a good job optimizing One UI 4.1 that now gives you the option to opt out of installing third-party apps and not force them on you.
Even though the screen isn’t the fastest we’ve seen on a mid-range, the 120Hz display here is good enough for gaming and other tasks. The Qualcomm SoC keeps up in providing the phone with a stable supply of frames to make the most out of the 120Hz display.
Using the phone in multitasking, gaming and other heavy demanding scenarios we didn’t notice any signs of slowing down or sluggishness with the phone.
There are a lot of customization options available through the system to tweak the phone to your liking. The Always-on-display on Samsung’s phones, is one of the best experiences with many customizations and useful info you can find glancing on the phone.
Battery life and charging
Samsung has decided on ditching the bundled chargers which is good for the environment and makes sense on higher-end phones where its customers can easily afford buying an additional charger.
We’re not sure if that idea works on mid-range on budget phones as the target for these phones are consumers looking to save money. Inside the box, you only get documentation, a sim card remover tool, and a charging cable only.
On the bright side, the phone has an excellent 5,000 mAh battery that has an impressive life. We didn’t hold back on turning the high refresh rate along with the always-on-display and we still couldn’t drain the battery after a full day of usage. Dialing down the screen refresh rate and with moderate usage, you should easily get two days of battery life out of this phone.
While that large battery sounds great, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns as you’d be surprised on how much time it takes to fully charge this phone. The Galaxy A73 5G has a maximum charging speed of 25 watts which takes a while to juice the phone up. It took the phone close to an hour and half to fully charge which is not the worst thing but it could be much better.
Samsung has lagged behind when it comes to fast charging since the infamous Note 7 incident and has been really conservative to use fast chargers. The Korean giant really needs to step up their game with faster chargers as we see other companies are now supporting charging speeds upwards of 100 watts.
Needless to say that this phone doesn’t support wireless charging and you’ll have to settle for wired charging only to charge it.
Should I buy a Galaxy A73 5G?
Buy it if …
You want the best camera phone in the mid-range phone
The Galaxy A73 5G arguably has the best camera in the mid-range segment and blows the competition out of the water with its photography chops.
You need a large battery
The battery on the Galaxy A73 is as impressive on paper as it is in real-life usage. You can easily get over a day of usage from the battery on this phone.
You need a phone with a great display
Samsung continues to lead the industry in smartphones panels, and the Galaxy A73 5G is no different. It features a vibrant OLED display with 120Hz and great viewability outdoors with a peak brightness of 800 Nits
Don’t buy it if …
You can’t stand slow charging
This phone’s charging speed is mediocre at best and doesn’t cope with the modern charging speeds that are supported by other manufacturers.
You don’t want to spend extra on a charger
If you are already stretching your budget with the Samsung Galaxy S73 5G, you should think twice as you will also need to invest in a charger as Samsung doesn’t include one in the box.
Samsung is pretty widely rolling out its Android 14 update over the past week, but there’s a slight chance you should wait to actually install it, as it seems Samsung has left out a method that prevents burn-in from the status bar.
Burn-in on smartphone displays was once a major problem, with a few years on the same smartphone often resulting in display elements showing up nearly constantly on the screen. A common trick to prevent this is to slightly shift UI elements so they never stay in the same place too long. It’s nearly invisible to the user, but goes a very long way in preventing burn-in.
In One UI 6 (Android 14), though, it seems Samsung might have left this out.
Users on Reddit noticed that the status bar elements (time, battery, etc) no longer seem to shift over time. This was spotted by comparing screenshots over time, with the status bar elements perfectly aligning. Back in One UI 5 (Android 13), comparing screenshots over time showed that the elements would move a fair bit, resulting in an almost blurred effect when stacking screenshots on top of each other as seen below.
Notably, the navigation bar buttons still move, so Samsung doesn’t seem to have given up on this method entirely.
As for what exactly is going on here, it’s really hard to say. It’s entirely possible that Samsung has just adjusted screenshots to where they compensate for status bar elements moving, or that the company is using a new method for preventing burn-in. It’s also noteworthy that the comparison is made on two different devices – a Galaxy S23 Ultra on One UI 6 and a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra on One UI 5.
In any case, it’s at least a little worrying, and we’ll be curious to see if things change with further updates.
One UI 5 (1st photo) vs One UI 6 (2nd photo)
Samsung posts a new Android 14 update schedule for over 50 Galaxy devices
Samsung’s Android 14 rollout is well underway this week, and the company has now posted an updated schedule for the release, which details over 50 devices set to be updated over the next couple of months.
In Germany, Samsung has posted (as spotted by SamMobile) a new schedule via the Samsung Members app that details over 50 different devices set to get Android 14. The updated schedule shows updates going through February 2024, with the bulk of the work being done in November and December of this year.
Of course, we’ve heard this story before. Earlier this month, a roadmap posted by Samsung in another European country also detailed the company’s plans before being scrubbed from the web. But there are a couple of reasons to believe this latest roadmap is much more accurate. For one, it has far more devices, and it also lacks specific dates, which are always tough to hit. Beyond that, it’s being distributed through the Samsung Members app instead of the company’s forums, and the Members app is where we’ve seen this sort of roadmap released in the past.
Presumably, Samsung will add this same list to other countries in the days to come. It’s not live in the US as of now.
That’s not to say this is a concrete, definitive schedule. It’s still lacking plenty of lower-cost models, and things are always subject to change. But, that said, this is the closest we’re likely to get.
Samsung Android 14 update schedule
Smartphones
Galaxy S23 – Completed
Galaxy S23+ – Completed
Galaxy S23 Ultra – Completed
Galaxy Z Fold 5 – November 2023
Galaxy Z Fold 4 – December 2023
Galaxy Z Fold 3 – December 2023
Galaxy Z Flip 5 – November 2023
Galaxy Z Flip 4 – December 2023
Galaxy Z Flip 3 – December 2023
Galaxy S22 – December 2023
Galaxy S22+ – December 2023
Galaxy S22 Ultra – December 2023
Galaxy S21 – December 2023
Galaxy S21+ – December 2023
Galaxy S21 Ultra – December 2023
Galaxy S21 FE – December 2023
Galaxy A72 – December 2023
Galaxy A54 5G – November 2023
Galaxy A53 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A52 – December 2023
Galaxy A52 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A52s 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A34 5G – November 2023
Galaxy A33 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A23 5G – January 2024
Galaxy A14 – December 2023
Galaxy A14 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A13 – February 2024
Galaxy A13 5G – February 2024
Galaxy A04s – February 2024
Galaxy M53 5G – December 2023
Galaxy M33 5G – December 2023
Galaxy M23 5G – February 2024
Galaxy M13 – February 2024
Galaxy XCover 6 Pro – December 2023
Tablets
Galaxy Tab S9 – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S9 5G – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S9+ – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S9+ 5G – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 5G – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8+ – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8+ 5G – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 5G – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S7 FE – January 2024
Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G – January 2024
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite – November 2023
Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro – January 2024
Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro 5G – January 2024
Galaxy Tab A8 – February 2024
Galaxy Tab A7 Lite – February 2024
Again, the list here certainly isn’t definitive or all-inclusive, but it offers a much clearer picture of Samsung’s Android 14 update schedule compared to what we’ve had thus far.
Samsung’s Twitter/X account in Australia has posted a brief video teaser that confirms the date of the next Galaxy Unpacked event for January 18, 2024. The time of the event, 5am local, translates to 10am PT. The post, crazy enough, has actually been live since December 27.
The video posted is brief, but definitely gets the point across that Samsung is heavily focusing on AI, with the tagline “Galaxy AI is coming.”
The teaser was posted solely to this account, as highlighted by SamMobile, and is probably being posted early in error, as Samsung typically makes this announcement across all of its accounts. The URL on the post also currently redirects to the Samsung.com homepage.
We’ve embedded the post below, but it will almost certainly be removed imminently.
Samsung officially confirms Galaxy S24 event on January 17, opens reservations with $50 credit
Samsung has just officially announced a January 17 Unpacked event which is expected to deliver the Galaxy S24 series among other releases, and also opened up reservations with a bonus credit.
A teaser image released today from Samsung confirms that the next “Galaxy Unpacked” event will take place on January 17, 2024. The event will be live-streamed via Samsung’s website as well as through YouTube.
The event itself takes place in person in San Jose, California, at 10am PT.
The teaser image doesn’t reveal much, but a video from Samsung, as seen below, offers up the tagline “Galaxy AI is coming” with a familiar set of symbols that represent AI. Reports and leaks have shown Samsung’s focus on AI including:
The Galaxy S24 series is likely to be the main focus of the upcoming Unpacked event, but there’s a good chance we’ll see other products too. Leaks suggest new Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are coming, a new fitness-focused tracker, and we also previously spotted evidence that a new fitness-focused smart ring is coming. We could also see a glimpse at Samsung’s mixed-reality headset, which is rumored to launch later in 2024.
For those looking to upgrade, Samsung is opening up reservations on its website today.
These reservations are completely free and just hold your place in line. You only need to enter your name and email address. When pre-orders actually open up, you’ll be able to get in and complete the order, or just skip it and lose nothing.
If you do end up pre-ordering any of Samsung’s new devices, though, you’ll get an additional $50 credit that comes with your pre-order. Notably, with the Galaxy Foldables released last year, Samsung allowed this credit to be used towards the cost of the device.
