Samsung rains gadgets – Note20, Tab S7, Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live & Galaxy Z Fold 2
Samsung has launched a flurry of new gadgets – phones, tablets, a watch, earbuds and a foldable, in a virtual “unpacked” event.
Samsung has launched a flurry of new gadgets which the South Korean giant hopes will rekindle its sales. Research firm Kantar last week revealed that the pandemic had led to a 27 per cent drop in smartphone sales in Australia.
Apple was affected by this – its sales dropped three per cent however Android sales plummeted a staggering 38pc in the second quarter compared to the same quarter in 2019.
Kantar said one factor for Android’s sales decline was the unfortunate timing of the release of Samsung’s new S20 flagship in early March, just as the pandemic gathered momentum.
Five months on, and Samsung has announced new devices to turn this around.
There’s four variants of the Galaxy Note20 smartphone, including two models with 5G, two new tablet computers, the Tab S7 and Tab S7+, a Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live earbuds, and a foldable Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphone.
The phones – the Note20, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra and Note20 Ultra 5G go on sale in Australia on August 21 and customers can pre-order now.
The Note series has been a major success for Samsung; its signature feature is a stylus called the S Pen. It has a reputation as a mobile computing powerhouses with powerful processors that support multi-tasking.
The Note20 and Note20 Ultra respectively feature 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch displays, with full HD and 2K resolution, and modern 7 nanometre Exynos 990 processors. Prices in Australia will range from $1499 to $2199. They will be available from telcos on plans.
The high end Note20 Ultra has a high resolution camera with a 108MP main snapper, a 12MP telephoto lens with 5X optical zoom, and 12MP ultrawide lens. It has a 10MP selfie camera.
Samsung devices support HDR10+ video which is the rival format to Dolby Vision, providing high dynamic range which retains the detail in images in bright and dark sections of a frame, and a huge range of colour choices.
The camera shoots 8K video at 24 frames per second, and 4K video at up to 60 fps.
The phone supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard, fingerprint authentication, fast charging, fast wireless charging using the Qi standard, and Samsung’s reverse charging, where the handset itself can charge another Samsung device placed on it.
Samsung says it has reduced the latency (delay time) of using the S Pen by 80 per cent, so if you write on the screen, the flow of virtual ink should look instantaneous. It also claims improved handwriting resolution, and that the phone can improve your messy handwriting.
The phone can natively import and display PDF documents, there’s the availability of Microsoft software such as Teams, Outlook and OneNote, and an ability to mirror phone apps onto a connected PC.
You’ll be able to play more than 100 Xbox games on your phone directly from the cloud with Xbox Game Pass.
Samsung has further embellished its useful DEX feature with this phone. You connect the phone to a display, and your apps are arranged as if they were on the homepage of a desktop computer.
You originally used a special device to connect the phone to the display, then Samsung enabled the connection with just a cable. Now you can connect your phone wirelessly to a display. That won’t be useful for standard displays that don’t have Wi-Fi, but will be for your smart TV.
The Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ feature faster processors, improved S Pen functionality and 5G.
Samsung has adopted a feature of Apple’s iPad where a tablet can act as a second screen when connected to a Samsung PC. You can either duplicate the screen contents or extend it.
The Galaxy Watch 3 will measure and track oxygen saturation over time, detect a potential fall and send your location to predesignated contacts.
There is running analysis and insights to your cardio progress and oxygen consumption. There are more than 120 different home training programs.
Galaxy Buds Live look like a pair of jelly beans and features a 12mm speaker, voice pick-up unit and three microphones.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the third foldable phone released by Samsung. It has two edge-to-edge, nearly bezel-free displays with a 6.2-inch cover screen and 7.6-inch main internal screen, and will be available in black and bronze.
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