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Engadget Podcast: Breaking down the Samsung fest and MWC mess
A bunch of things in tech got the proverbial nails slammed into their coffins this week. Andy Rubin's Essential phone company shut down, MWC got canceled due to fears over coronavirus and the Motorola Razr folding flip phone is pretty likely dead on arrival thanks to Samsung's new Galaxy Z Flip. Cherlynn is joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco (Devindra is off on vacation, yay!) to talk about their Galaxy phone coverage and commiserate over no longer going to Barcelona. Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News! Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Play Music Links Our Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra hands-on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on: Razr who? Samsung makes too many damn phones MWC 2020 is canceled Andy Rubin's Essential is shutting down Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Chris Velazco Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Samsung makes too many damn phones
Samsung unveiled three flagships this week: the S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra. It also showed off a new foldable called the Z Flip, which honestly looks and feels far superior to the incredibly similar Motorola Razr. That's four entirely new handsets that the company just unleashed.
The Galaxy Home Mini is finally available, but most people can't get it
After almost two years, it looks like at least one of Samsung's long-in-development Bixby smart speakers will finally make its way out to consumers -- though likely not in the way most of us imagined. After Samsung skipped announcing the Galaxy Home Mini at its Unpacked event on Tuesday, TizenHelp spotted that people in South Korea can get the device as a bonus for pre-ordering the Galaxy S20. The offer appears to be available until February 26th, but it doesn't look like they buy the speaker by itself.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip hands-on: Razr who?
As you might have seen elsewhere, I'm in the middle of writing our Motorola Razr review. I bring that up now because there's simply no way not to compare that thing to the new Galaxy Z Flip we just played with at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco. After all, these are the first two flip-phone-style foldables to hit the market, and they're launching within weeks of each other after prolonged periods of hype.
Here's everything Samsung announced at its Galaxy S20 event
After weeks of leaks, Samsung officially revealed its Galaxy S20 series at its Unpacked event today. The company also shared its next attempt at a foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip, and had a lot to say about its new camera tech.
Samsung will offer a 4G version of the Galaxy S20 in some countries
Samsung has made a point of making 5G available for every Galaxy S20 variant, but that doesn't mean the phones will always come equipped with 5G. People in the UK, countries in mainland Europe and elsewhere will also have the option of buying the S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra in 4G (read: LTE) variants. In some countries, like Russia and South Africa, the 4G variant appears to be the only one on offer in pre-registration campaigns. That's not surprising when 5G is still rare or non-existent in most parts of the world, but it's worth noting if you're going phone shopping.
Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra vs. the competition: The most megapixels
With a screen size just shy of seven inches, it's hard not to just call the Galaxy S20 Ultra a full-fledged tablet. (We never really liked the word "phablet" around here.) Albeit a tablet with a quad rear camera setup containing a 108-megapixel wide-angle shooter. But a big screen and powerful camera aren't all the Ultra has to offer. We've got a rundown of the relevant specs below, especially as compared to some of the other big handsets vying for your attention this spring. Check back later this month for our full review.
Flipboard TV is a video news service that costs $3 a month
Flipboard is launching a new subscription video service called Flipboard TV. When it becomes available on March 6th, it will allow you to watch short-form news videos directly within the company's mobile app for $3 per month.
Samsung created an Olympics edition Galaxy S20+ for athletes
With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics mere months away, Samsung says it will give athletes taking part in the competition a special version of the Galaxy S20+. Dubbed the Olympic Games Athlete Edition, the "Mirror Gold" phone features the Olympic rings toward the bottom back of the device.
Samsung's discounted Galaxy S10 series starts at $599
Now that the Galaxy S20 series is here, there are bargains to be had if you don't need Samsung's absolute latest hardware. The phone maker has cut prices for the Galaxy S10 family. The S10e now starts at an easier to handle $599, while the standard S10 sits at the $749 that you previously paid for its smaller counterpart. And if you want a large phone without jumping to the S20 series, the S10+ starts at $849.
The first Forza mobile game will debut on Samsung Galaxy phones
Forza Street, a free-to-play racing game, is coming to Samsung's Galaxy devices, marking the first time a game in the Forza series has been playable outside of PC and Xbox. Microsoft released the game on PC last April.
Samsung adds Google Duo to the Galaxy S20 dialer
Samsung has confirmed rumors that its Galaxy S20 lineup will integrate Google Duo. From the dialer, users will simply tap Duo to start a video call in Full HD with 5G. And, since Duo works across operating systems, you won't be limited to who you can video chat with.
The Galaxy S20 vs. the competition: Pretty in pink (or blue or black)
It's time for a new set of Galaxy S phones, and the most diminutive of this year's trio isn't actually that small thanks to its 6.2-inch screen. In addition to that extra display real estate, the S20 also packs in a trio of rear shooters, 5G and a Samsung-made 2.7 GHz processor. To see how it all stacks up against some of the more "petite" flagship handsets, check out our table below, and be sure to check back for our full review later this month.
Samsung taps Thom Browne for special edition Galaxy Z Flip
Alongside the three standard color variants of the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung plans to sell a special Thom Browne variant of its upcoming foldable phone. The phone is features a clean, silver finish with the designer's signature red, white and blue strip down its center.
Samsung fully reveals the foldable Galaxy Z Flip after weeks of leaks
Samsung announced its first folding phone one year ago -- and what followed was tumultuous, to say the least. The Galaxy Fold's fragile design caused major delays, and its high price made many question exactly who this phone was for. The troubles haven't stopped Samsung from trying again, though: the company just announced the Galaxy Z Flip, its latest folding phone that has a design that's extremely similar to Motorola's recently-revived Razr.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra squeezes 108 megapixels of data into 12-megapixel photos
Samsung is getting a little extra with its latest flagship series. Not only do you get a pair of premium phones in the S20 and S20+, the company is also launching a third souped-up variant called the S20 Ultra. It's a monster of a handset with a 6.9-inch screen compared to its 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch siblings, the S20 and S20+. Like its smaller stablemates, the Ultra features an HDR10+ screen that can run at 120Hz for smoother playback, though only at 1080p instead of its native Quad HD+ resolution.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds+ offer improved battery life and more for $150
Samsung scooped itself a few times ahead of today's Galaxy Unpacked event. One of the devices it prematurely revealed was a revamped version of its true wireless earbuds: the Galaxy Buds+. The company even posted the companion app for the audio accessory a week before the official announcement. While the Galaxy Buds+ look very similar to the original model, that's okay. The overall design was one of the best aspects of Samsung's 2019 earbuds. A small pill-shaped charging case holds the buds and touch controls on the outside of each one are still there for quick adjustments.
The Galaxy S20 and S20+ sport fast screens and crazy sharp cameras
The first flagship phones of the year are here. In fact, depending on how you math, the first flagship phones of the decade are here, and Samsung is ready to set the stage. Over the past two or three years, camera notches got smaller, fingerprint sensors disappeared under screens and display aspect ratios got taller. There's not a lot that smartphones can do to surprise us anymore. This year, the most unexpected thing about the new Galaxy flagships is their names -- the S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra. Samsung left 11-19 in the last decade, and even that was already exposed (no thanks also to the abundance of leaks).
Samsung Galaxy S20 series hands-on: 5G across the board (sort of)
If you were planning to buy a premium Android smartphone this year, you can rest easy knowing they'll all come with more or less the same things. A speedy, new chipset with gobs of RAM? Yep. An at least mildly tweaked build of Android 10? Sure. A few too many cameras? You get the idea. Samsung understands this all too well, which explains why it's leaning so hard into the whole "age of experience" angle it first laid out at CES this year -- as far as the company is concerned, a device's true value doesn't lie in just the hardware; it's in the things that hardware allows you to do. Suffice to say, the $999 Galaxy S20, $1,199 S20+ and $1,399 S20 Ultra allow you to do a lot. We got to spend a little hands-on time with all three devices ahead of today's launch event, and as usual they made some strong first impressions. Sure, in many ways, they don't stray too far from Samsung's proven flagship formula, and some people simply won't find enough value here to warrant an upgrade. If you've been itching for more 5G support, though, or if camera performance is high on your list of priorities, these new smartphones just might be must-haves. Emphasis on "might."
We're live at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco!
It seems like just yesterday that Samsung was explaining the "age of experience" at CES, and now we're in SF to sit through another lengthy, spectacle-filled presentation. This time, though, the show is all about a handful of smartphones that you've almost certainly seen already: The Galaxy S20 series.
