Tag Archives: ARM

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Performance Review!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE, and find out how well the Exynos 1380 performs against the competition!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Powered By Exynos 1380

Like the Samsung Galaxy A54, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE runs on the Samsung Exynos 1380 mobile platform that was officially launched on 23 February 2023.

Fabricated on the latest 4nm process technology, the Exynos 1380 comes with an Arm Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, as well as eight processor cores in a dual-cluster architecture :

  • four Arm Cortex-A78 high-performance cores, and
  • four Arm Cortex-A55 low-power cores.

On paper, this is a powerful mid-range mobile platform, but let’s take a look at how it actually performs!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Review : Entry-Level IP68 Tablet!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Battery + Charging Review!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Work Performance

We first tested the devices using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S9 FE
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD
8 Gen 1
SD
865+
Exynos
1380
SD
778G
Performance Score 12351 12348 11650 9747
Web Browsing 9696 11864 9028 7355
Video Editing 6194 7664 6193 6028
Writing 14411 12659 15302 10512
Photo Editing 31774 26230 27122 22188
Data Manipulation 10449 9511 9248 8505

The Samsung Exynos 1380 did well in this test, delivering performance close – within 6% – to that of older flagship-class processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 865+. Interestingly, the Exynos 1380 did better in the Galaxy A54, delivering a score of over 13.5K.

In any case, the Exynos 1380 is fast enough, even if we did not run this test  – Galaxy Tab S9 FE did not feel slow at any app we tried.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the devices using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Galaxy Tab
S9 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8 Gen 1 SD 865+ SD 778G Exynos 1380
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 826
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 2997
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 8793 6688 6223

Where the Samsung Exynos 1380 really falls is in gaming performance. Even in the easy Sling Shot Unlimited benchmark, it was 7% slower than the mid-range Snapdragon 778G, which is 2.5 years old.

That doesn’t mean the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is useless at games. It runs 2D games and simple 3D games like Roblox perfectly fine. It’s the more strenuous 3D games that it will struggle in.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S9 FE using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
GGalaxy Tab
S9 FE
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8 Gen 1 Exynos 1380 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 591126 577726 508008
CPU 213689 193122 161243 157465
GPU 417669 136759 230859 155115
Memory 161903 118456 98269 79972
UX 157369 142789 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark showed that this Fan Edition tablet performs at around the same level as the Snapdragon 865+, which is a flagship-class mobile SoC, albeit from 2020.

As you can see, its CPU is particularly fast, while its GPU is slow. In other words, this entry-level tablet will do great in work applications and simple games, but don’t rely on it for high-end 3D games!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Performance Summary

Built around the Samsung Exynos 1380, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has a very fast CPU, but a relatively weak GPU.

What that means is that it offers snappy performance for most part – web browsing, work applications, casual gaming, etc. It only has trouble delivering high frame rates for graphics-intensive 3D games, and AI or 3D apps may take longer to process in comparison to flagship tablets.

This should not be a surprise – the Exynos 1380 is a mid-range mobile platform, after all. And it is a fast one for the most important workloads. This makes the Galaxy Tab S9 FE great for people who need an affordable and fast Android tablet for work and study.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE : Price + Availability

This Fan Edition tablet comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver. It comes with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB : US$449.99 / £549 / A$749 / RM2,099
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : US$519.99 / £619 / A$899 / RM2,399

Here are some online per-order and purchase options:

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Exynos 2200) Performance Review!

In this review, we are going to take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) smartphone, which is powered by the Samsung Exynos 2200 mobile SoC!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Flagship Class Performance!

The Galaxy S23 FE runs on Samsung’s best in-house mobile chip – the Exynos 2200, which is fabricated on the 4 nm process technology.

Launched in January 2022, this is a flagship-class mobile SoC (System-on-a-Chip) designed to compete with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It has eight processor cores with a tri-cluster architecture:

  • a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 2.8 GHz,
  • three Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
  • four Cortex-A510 cores running at up to 1.8 GHz.

This mobile SoC also comes with the Samsung Xclipse 920 GPU, a dual-core NPU, and DSPs to support 8K video decoding at up to 60 fps, and camera resolutions up to 200 MP.

The Samsung Exynos 2200 also has a built-in 5G modem that supports Sub-6Ghz and mmWave connectivity, as well as LTE Cat.24 download and LTE Cat.22 upload speeds.

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Battery Review!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy S23 FE using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra Z Flip 5 Z Flip 4 S23 FE S22 Ultra
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8+
Gen 1
Exynos
2200
SD 8
Gen 1
Performance Score 16408 14655 14429 13971 12860
Web Browsing 15680 11404 12097 11664 10442
Video Editing 7879 7943 7387 7369 7444
Writing 22257 19525 17593 18138 15471
Photo Editing 35533 324420 31762 27060 30177
Data Manipulation 12171 11788 12523 12616 9691

Not bad! The Exynos 2200 is certainly no match for the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it actually beat the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 by 9%, and came within 3.3% of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1!

I should point out that these are peak performance results. The truth is – you won’t be able to actually tell the difference between the three mobile processors in normal usage.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Storage Performance

PCMark also has an Android Storage 2.0 benchmark that measures the smartphone’s storage I/O performance.

Storage 2.0 Z Flip 5 S23 Ultra S23 FE S22 Ultra Z Flip 4
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
Exynos
2200
SD 8
Gen 1
SD 8+
Gen 1
Storage Score 48435 41647 31839 27808 27271
Sequential Read (MB/s) 2676.53 2592.42 1584.66 1457.68 1350.51
Random Read (MB/s) 49.95 38.25 31.25 37.73 33.94
Sequential Write (MB/s) 2631.38 603.29 510.16 856.21 256.81
Random Write (MB/s) 76.66 81.44 81.13 47.20 50.29

Samsung appeared to have used slower flash storage to reduce the cost of the Galaxy S23 FE. Its storage performance is much closer to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, than the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Interestingly, its random write performance was exceptional, matching the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and almost double that of the Galaxy S22 Ultra,

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy S23 FE using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Z Flip 5 S23 Ultra Z Flip 4 S22 Ultra S23 FE
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8+
Gen 1
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2200
Solar Bay Unlimited 5481 NA NA NA 4570
Wild Life Extreme
Unlimited
3705 3814 2636 2220 2233
Wild Life Unlimited 14823 14554 11144 9106 8671
Sling Shot Unlimited 16661 16344 10690 11094 11348

The Samsung Exynos 2200 powering the Galaxy S23 FE is almost identical in performance to the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – the difference between their performance is less than 0.7%!

Like the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 FE will have no problem handling most games. Only when it comes to more strenuous games (as tested by the Wild Life benchmark) does it lag significantly behind the Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

But the good news is that the new Solar Bay ray-tracing benchmark shows that the Exynos 2200 is able to hold its own – it is just 17% slower than the Galaxy Z Flip5, which is powered by the Snapdragon Gen 2 for Galaxy processor.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy S23 FE using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu S23 Ultra Z Flip 5 S23 FE S22 Ultra Z Flip 4
Device SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 2
Exynos
2200
SD 8
Gen 1
SD 8+
Gen 1
AnTuTu Score 1212174 1187296 1166868 889167 856357
CPU 261886 393404 329078 203090 205939
GPU 538823 282780 425455 402617 362669
Memory 236163 291048 193981 146002 135707
UX 175302 220064 218354 137458 152042

The AnTuTu benchmark tells a slightly different story. According to its tests, the Galaxy S23 FE is about 31% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and 36% faster than the Galaxy Z Flip 4. Not bad!

The Galaxy S23 actually came within 2% of the Galaxy Z Flip 5‘s performance, at least in the AnTuTu Benchmark. In fact, it was only 3.7% slower than the Galaxy S23 Ultra!

But note that its temperature jumped by almost 12°C! At peak performance, the Galaxy S23 FE can get quite toasty!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Performance Summary

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a rather chunky smartphone, so one would expect better cooling performance, compared to something thinner and foldable like the Galaxy Z Flip 5.

It shows in the benchmarks – the Galaxy S23 FE comes admirably close to the performance of the Galaxy Z Flip 5, even though it’s using a mobile processor that is one generation older.

The Samsung Exynos 2200 might not do quite so well at high-resolution games, compared to the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but that’s a different price point altogether.

Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE punches above its weight in everything except gaming performance. Unless you are an avid gamer, this is flagship-class performance at a more affordable price point.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Fan Edition Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver, with two exclusive colours on their website – Tangerine and Indigo. They are all offered with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy S23 FE :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM2,999 (approx. US$633 / £519 / A$998)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM3,299 (approx. US$699 / £571 / A$1,098)

Here are some online purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE:

Recommended : How To Setup Galaxy S23 FE For The First Time!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

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Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Unboxing + First Impressions!

Samsung just sent me their new Galaxy S23 FE – Fan Edition smartphone, and here is my unboxing video, as well as my first impressions!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Unboxing : What’s In The Box?

I managed to get my hands on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) smartphone BEFORE it actually ships! Take a look at my unboxing video, and share it out!

In our unboxing video, you can see that the Galaxy S23 FE package is sparse, and only consists of:

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone
  • Set of documents – quick start guide in two languages, and a warranty card
  • USB Type C to Type C cable
  • SIM card extractor pin

As the unboxing video shows, the Galaxy S23 FE does not come with any charger, or earphones. Not even a TPU case to hold you over until you get a better case.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : My First Impressions!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE (Fan Edition) is meant to be a more affordable version of the Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone, released early this year.

It uses the same design as the Samsung Galaxy S23, with a shiny glass back and a matte aluminium frame, instead of a matte glass back, and a shiny aluminium frame.

But the most apparent thing would be its size – the Galaxy S23 FE is a decidedly larger and bulkier phone than the Galaxy S23. The Fan Edition is also heavier at 209 grams.

The Galaxy S23 FE is larger and heavier because it comes with a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, and a larger 4,500 mAh battery. But that does not mean that it is superior to the original Galaxy S23 smartphone.

For one thing – the Galaxy S23 is powered by the faster (and pricier) Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC, while the Fan Edition runs on the Samsung Exynos 2200. They both have a 50 MP main camera, but the Fan Edition has a lower-resolution zoom camera, and a lower resolution front camera.

The larger Fan Edition may have a larger 4,500 mAh battery, but it is limited to 25 watt charging, while the original Galaxy S23 supports up to 45 watt fast charging.

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Preview In All 3 Colours!

The SIM card tray, which supports two nano SIM cards is located at the top, together with a microphone port. It also supports an eSIM. However, you are limited to a maximum of two SIM numbers.

At the bottom, you will find the USB Type C port, as well as the speaker and microphone ports. The Power button and the Volume control buttons are located on the right side.

In the front, the Galaxy S23 FE has a 10 MP camera in a punch hole. At the back, it has a 50 MP main camera (with a Samsung S5KGN3 sensor), a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, and an 8 MP telephoto camera, with 3X optical zoom.

Like the Galaxy S23, the Fan Edition has an under-display fingerprint sensor. It appears to use the EGISTEC EL721 fingerprint sensor.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is protected on the front and back by Gorilla Glass 5 (instead of Gorilla Glass Victus 2), with an aluminium frame.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE smartphone :

Specifications Galaxy S23 FE
Display 6.3-inch Display
– Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
– 1080 x 2340 pixels (403 ppi)
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
– 1450 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass 5
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Samsung Exynos 2200
CPU 1 x Cortex-X2 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Xclipse 920
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 10 MP camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
8 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
S Pen None
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 4,500 mAh
Charging 25 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 76.5 mm wide
158.0 mm tall
8.2 mm thick
Weight 209 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE comes with colour options of Mint, Lavender, Gray and Silver, with two exclusive colours on their website – Tangerine and Indigo. They are all offered with two RAM and storage options:

  • 6 GB + 128 GB
  • 8 GB + 256 GB

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy S23 FE :

  • 6 GB + 128 GB : RM2,999 (approx. US$633 / £519 / A$998)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM3,299 (approx. US$699 / £571 / A$1,098)

Here are some online per-order and purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE:

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Preview In All 3 Colours!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5, and here is my hands-on experience of its latest foldable behemoth in all three main colour options!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 : My Hands-On Experience!

I was one of the few who had the rare opportunity to get my hands on not one, but three Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 smartphones, which allowed us to do a proper colour comparison.

And now, I present to you – my own hands-on experience with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 smartphone… in all three main colours!

I apologise for the shaky video – Samsung still insists that I do not take photos or record videos with a smartphone, even though it’s their own Galaxy S22 Ultra!

When folded, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks like a rather tall and chunky smartphone. Its 6.2-inch Cover Screen is large but has a tall aspect ratio. You can use it like any regular smartphone, without opening the foldable display.

The hinge mechanism, which occupies its entire left side, has been improved, allowing the Galaxy Z Fold 5 to fold completely flat, reducing its folded thickness by 15% to just 13.4 mm! It is also 10g lighter at 253 grams.

At the bottom, you will find the USB port, together with a row of speaker ports and a microphone port; while at the top are another row of speaker ports with what looks like three more microphone ports.

On the right side, you will find the Power button, with a built-in fingerprint sensor; and the volume buttons. You will also find the SIM tray near the top. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 supports two physical nanoSIM cards, and an eSIM.

The Cover Display itself features a 10 MP punch hole camera with an f/2.2 aperture, while at the back, it features the same triple camera setup, which consists of:

  • a 50 megapixels Dual Pixel camera
  • a 10 megapixel telephoto camera, and
  • a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle camera

When unfolded, you will get a massive 7.6-inch display with a squarish 5 by 4 ratio, which offers about twice the screen space as a regular smartphone.

This super large display is what makes the Galaxy Z Fold 5 such a productivity powerhouse. It also features a hidden 4 megapixel camera under this large main display.

When unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is about as thick as a regular smartphone, like the Galaxy S23. And from the back, it actually looks like two smartphones welded together!

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is protected all around by a tough Armour Aluminium frame. Incredibly, it is IPX8 water-resistant, even though it is not dust-resistant due to its hinge mechanism.

What may put some people off is how tall and thick it is when folded. It is quite hard to fit the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in most pockets. That’s probably why the Z Flip design is more popular, despite having a much smaller display.

But what people who have tried it out will realise – its large display is incredibly hard to give up, because you can do so much more on it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 smartphone :

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 5G
Main Display 7.6-inch Infinity Flex Display
Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
1768 x 2208 pixels, 374 ppi
120 Hz refresh rate
1000 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (peak)
Cover Display 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
816 x 2260 pixels, 387 ppi
120 Hz refresh rate
1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak)
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection
Protection IPX8 Water Resistance
No Dust Resistance
OS Android 13 with One UI 5.1.1
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 5G (SM8550)
CPU 1 x Cortex-X3 core (3.36 GHz )
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 cores (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740
Memory 12 GB
Storage 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB UFS 3.1
Cover Camera 10 MP camera, f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera 4 MP under-display camera (f/1.8)
Main Cameras 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
10 MP 2X telephoto camera, f/2.4
12 MP ultrawide camera, f/2.2
Audio Stereo speakers tuned by AKG
Surround sound with Dolby Atmos
UHQ 32-bit and DSD64/128 support
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB-C 3.2
Fingerprint Sensor Capacitive, Side-Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Proximity, Light
GPS GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS
NFC Yes
Battery 4,400 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging Wired : 25 watt
Wireless : 11 watt
Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt
Folded
Dimensions
67.1 mm wide
154.9 mm tall
13.4 mm thick
Unfolded
Dimensions
129.9 mm wide
154.9 mm tall
6.1 mm thick
Weight 253 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes in three main colour options:

  • Phantom Black
  • Cream
  • Icy Blue

Samsung is also offering two other colour options exclusively on its own online store:

  • Gray
  • Blue

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 smartphone :

  • 12 GB + 256 GB : US$1,799.99 / £1,749 / A$2,599 / S$2,398RM6,799
  • 12 GB + 512 GB : US$1919.99 / £1,849 / A$2,799 / S$2,578 / RM7,299
  • 12 GB + 1 TB : US$2,009.99 / £2,049 / A$3,149 / S$2,938 / RM8,299

Just in case you are wondering, the launch prices for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the same as the launch prices for the Galaxy Z Fold 4. There was no price increase year-on-year.

Here are some online per-order and purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 :

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 : Colour Comparison!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Preview In All 4 Colours!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy Z Flip 5, and here is my hands-on experience of its latest compact foldable smartphone in all four colours!

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 : My Hands-On Experience!

I was one of the few who had the rare opportunity to get my hands on not one, but four Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphones, which allowed us to do a proper colour comparison.

And now, I present to you – my own hands-on experience with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphone… in all four main colours!

I apologise for the shaky video – Samsung still insists that I do not take photos or record videos with a smartphone, even though it’s their own Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Samsung maintained the same design from last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 4, so you may not be able to distinguish between the two models… until you turn it on.

Then you will realise that it has a much larger 3.4-inch front display, which is now called the Flex Window, instead of the Cover Screen. It is now much more useful. Not only can you check notifications, and send quick replies to text messages, it comes with 14 essential widgets out of the box!

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has the same large 6.7-inch foldable display as the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which supports a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The difference this year lies in its No-Gap Flex Hinge and improved Ultra Thin Glass with a droplet fold, allowing the Galaxy Z Flip 5 to fold completely flat.

Like the previous models, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is IPX8 water-resistant, even though it is still not dust-resistant due to its hinge mechanism. It is protected on all sides by a tough Armour Aluminium frame, and on the back by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Recommended : Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Preview In All 3 Colours!

On the left side, you will find the SIM card tray, which only supports a single nano SIM card. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 also supports an eSIM, so you can use up to a total of two SIMs.

At the bottom, you will find the USB port, as well as the speaker and microphone ports. On the right side are the Power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor, and the Volume control buttons.

In the front, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a punch hole camera hidden at the top of its foldable display. This is the same 10 MP camera from Galaxy Z Flip 4, albeit with a slightly larger f/2.2 aperture. So you can expect it to perform slightly better in low-light conditions.

At the back are the same two 12 MP cameras from the Galaxy Z Flip 4 – a main camera with f/1.8 aperture, and an ultra-wide angle camera with a 123° field of view, and f/2.2 aperture.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 also comes with the same 3,700 mAh dual battery as the Galaxy Z Flip 4. But it now supports 25 watt fast wired charging, with a suitable charger.

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 : Specifications

Here are the key specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphone :

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 5G
Main Display 6.7-inch Infinity Flex Display
Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
1080 x 2640 pixels, 425ppi
120 Hz adaptive refresh rate
Cover Display 4.2-inch Super AMOLED display
720 x 748 pixels, 306 ppi
Protection IPX8 Water Resistance
No Dust Resistance
OS Android 13 with One UI 5.1.1
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 5G (SM8550)
CPU 1 x Cortex-X3 core (3.36 GHz )
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 cores (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 740
Memory 8 GB
Storage 256 GB / 512 GB UFS 3.1
Front Camera 10 MP camera (f/2.2)
Main Cameras 12 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Audio Stereo speakers tuned by AKG
Surround sound with Dolby Atmos
UHQ 32-bit and DSD64/128 support
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB-C 3.2
Fingerprint Sensor Capacitive, Side-Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Proximity, Light
GPS GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS
NFC Yes
Battery 3,700 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging Wired : 25 watt
Wireless : 10 watt
Reverse wireless : 4.5 watt
Folded
Dimensions
71.9 mm wide
85.1 mm tall
15.1 mm thick
Unfolded
Dimensions
71.9 mm wide
165.1 mm tall
6.9 mm thick
Weight 187 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 : Price + Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes in four main colour options:

  • Graphite – legacy colour
  • Lavender – similar to Bora Purple, their signature colour for the Z Flip 4
  • Mint – new colour
  • Cream – new colour

In addition, Samsung will offer these four colours exclusively on their online store:

  • Gray
  • Blue
  • Green
  • Yellow

These are the available models and launch prices for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : US$999.99 / £1,049 / A$1,649 / RM4,499
  • 8 GB + 512 GB : US$1,199.99 / £1,149 / A$1,849 / RM4,999

Just in case you are wondering, the launch prices for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 only went up by RM100 (~US$22 / £17 / A$33 / S$29) over the launch prices for the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Here are some online per-order and purchase options for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 :

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 : Colour Comparison!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Review : Tech ARP Editor’s Choice!

Read our comprehensive review of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and find out why it won our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Model + Colour Options

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four main colours – Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream.

Ahead of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s official launch, we were given special access to all four main colours it will be offered through retail stores, including Samsung Experience Stores.

So I was able to record this video comparing the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone in all four colours. Take a look at all four colours, and let us know which you prefer!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

Here are online purchase options for your convenience:

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Specifications Compared!

I created this table to compare the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s specifications to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Specifications Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 1440 x 3088 pixels (500 ppi)
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate (1~120 Hz)
– 1750 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Adreno 740 Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
12 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
12 GB + 1 TB
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
12 GB + 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2 40 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 200 MP Adaptive Pixel camera, f/1.7
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 78.1 mm wide
163.4 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
77.9 mm wide
163.3 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 234 grams 229 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box?

We got our hands on a golden sample of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone at the official launch in Singapore. Let’s take a quick look at the box before we check out what’s inside!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : What’s Inside The Box!

Once you fully unbox the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, this is what you will find inside:

  • the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone
  • a Quick Start Guide
  • a USB Type C to USB Type C data and charging cable
  • a SIM tray extraction pin

That’s it! While the Galaxy S23 Ultra supports 45 watt fast charging, it does not come with the charger. You will need to purchase it separately. Neither does it come with a TPU bumper case to tide you over until you get a better one.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Key Features

Now, let us go through its key features, and show you why the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is worthy of our Editor’s Choice Award!

Boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Performance!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is powered by a specially-boosted variant of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC, which features a quad-cluster architecture:

  • 1 x Arm Cortex-X3 core (3.36 GHz, instead of 3.2 GHz)
  • 2 x Arm Cortex-A715 cores (2.8 GHz)
  • 2 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.8 GHz)
  • 3 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (2.0 GHz)

The new processor feels very snappy, and appears to be more power efficient – the Galaxy S23 Ultra last longer than our Galaxy S22 Ultra on typical use.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

200 MP Main Camera

The biggest upgrade in the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its new Adaptive Pixel main camera, which is built around the 200 MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 (S5KHP2) sensor, and features a slightly wider f/1.7 aperture.

This is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor with 200 million pixels, each of which is 0.6 μm in size. The Galaxy S23 Ultra camera can combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance.

Video capabilities also got an upgrade, thanks to this new sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can now record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps previously.

It also boasts better Adaptive VDIS capability, and improved optical image stabilisation (OIS), delivering silky smooth videos by doubling the angle to ±3°, from the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera‘s ±1.5°.

Similar Telephoto + Wide-Angle Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra reuses the same 3X and 10X zoom cameras from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, right down to their Sony IMX754 sensors.

The ultra-wide angle camera gets a newer sensor – the Sony IMX564, which appears to be an incremental upgrade of the S22 Ultra’s IMX563.

12 MP Selfie Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also features another camera upgrade in the front. Instead of a 40 MP sensor in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it now features a new 12 MP camera, with the same f/2.2 aperture.

While this may seem to be a downgrade, it is actually an upgrade as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 40 MP sensor defaults to 10 MP. On top of that, it features a Dual Pixel sensor for faster and more accurate auto-focus!

We tried using the front camera, and found that it was superior to the front camera of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. More of this later in our review.

Buttons

The only buttons on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are all located on the right side – volume control buttons and a Power switch.

S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with the same S Pen as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It too boasts a very quick 2.8 ms latency.

We tried swapping them and both S Pens appear to fit both devices. From what we can tell – they are physically and functionally similar, if not exactly the same.

USB Type C Port

At the bottom of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you will find a SIM card tray, next to the USB port, as well as the S Pen in its slot.

The USB port is, of course, the new bidirectional Type C port, which is now the EU standard.

Read more : EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

SIM Tray Without SD Card Slot

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra supports two physical SIM cards, as well as a single eSIM. The SIM tray is located at the bottom, next to the USB port.

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is protected in the front and in the back by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is not just tougher, it is also made from 22% pre-consumer recycled content!

Armoured Aluminium

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also protected on all four sides by an Armoured Aluminium frame.

5,000 mAh Fast-Charging Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 45 watt fast wired charging, and 15 watt fast wireless charging.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Battery + Charging

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a 5,000 mAh battery, which is the same size as Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.

Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.

It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :

Will you look at that!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a battery life of 13 hours with Adaptive refresh rate enabled, and a whopping 15.3 hours with the Standard refresh rate – 24% and 7.5% better respectively than the S22 Ultra!

But let’s also compare its battery life at 60 Hz and 120 Hz, against the S21 Ultra and Z Flip 3 smartphones.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra really shines with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz. It used 7% less power per minute, which delivered 7% longer battery life than the S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra
(60 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(60 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh 5,000 mAh
Battery Life 15 hrs 18 mins 14 hrs 15 mins 8 hrs 11 mins 11 hrs 22 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.36 mAh 4.68 mAh 5.38 mAh 5.87 mAh

Adaptive Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

While the Galaxy S23 Ultra certainly used less power than the S22 Ultra, that advantage was greatly diminished with the Adaptive refresh rate enabled.

This is where we see the greatest improvement in the power efficiency of the S23 Ultra. Its display used 18% less power per minute, and delivered 22% (almost 1.5 hours) longer battery life than the S22 Ultra.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra
(120 Hz)
S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
S21 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Z Flip 3
(120 Hz)
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Battery Life 13 hrs 0 mins 10 hrs
38 mins
10 hrs
26 mins
6 hrs
44 mins
Utilisation
per min.
5.13 mAh 6.27 mAh 6.39 mAh 6.53 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.

So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones – something we believe most users will end up doing. But we used the 25 watt charger for the S21 Ultra, because it came with that charger.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Battery Life + Charging Speed!

Work 3.0 S21 Ultra S22 Ultra S23 Ultra Z Flip 3
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh 5,000 mAh 3,300 mAh
Charger Output 25 watts 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 64 minutes 64.5 minutes 88.8 minutes 88.5 minutes
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
62.5 mAh 62.0 mAh 45.0 mAh 29.8 mAh

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra fully recharges from 20% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours hour with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger. Oddly enough, this is significantly (38%) slower than the S22 Ultra.

It’s hard to know whether this was an intentional design decision to reduce the thermal output while charging, or to drive the adoption of the 45 watt chargers (sold separately).

Fortunately, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a significantly better battery life, which should offset the slower recharging speed. Frankly, I don’t see a real need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Performance Summary

Samsung has done it again – raised the performance bar yet again with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – a boosted variant of the fastest mobile SoC that exists for Android devices – it offers a tremendous boost in GPU performance, which should make gamers and mobile content creators happy.

The benchmark results amply demonstrates that you can count on the Galaxy S23 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Performance Examined!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 S23 Ultra S22 Ultra S21 Ultra Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Mobile Platform SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD
750G
Performance Score 16408 12860 12535 10523 7874
Web Browsing 15680 10442 10185 8865 7021
Video Editing 7879 7444 6336 6232 5693
Writing 22257 15471 15247 11112 7454
Photo Editing 35533 30177 37847 30789 15812
Data Manipulation 12171 9691 8310 6825 6424

Will you look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is 27.5% faster than Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from last year.

That’s a surprisingly significant boost in performance that people upgrading from the Galaxy S22 Ultra or the S21 Ultra will notice.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark S23 Ultra S22 Ultra Z Flip 3 Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
Note10+
Device SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
SD 888 Exynos
990
Exynos
9825
Sling Shot Unlimited 16344 11094 9248 8026 3327
Wild Life Unlimited 14554 9106 3952 4504 3288
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
3814 2220 1174 1387 528

Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!

It was 47% to 72% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and 77% to 468% faster than the Snapdragon 888!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is undoubtedly the gaming smartphone to beat!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy S23 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu S22
Ultra
S22
Ultra
S21
Ultra
Note20
Ultra
Galaxy
A52
Device SD 8
Gen 2
SD 8
Gen 1
Exynos
2100
Exynos
990
SD 750G
AnTuTu Score 1212174 889167 624411 522735 341908
CPU 261886 203090 166290 146783 105098
GPU 538823 402617 258995 215205 88068
Memory 236163 146002 120805 89376 60642
UX 175302 137458 78321 71371 88100

The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is truly a performance beast in every way!

The new Galaxy S23 Ultra is 36% faster than the S22 Ultra, and a whopping 94% faster than the S21 Ultra!

Its CPU was 29% faster, and its GPU was 33% faster than the S22 Ultra. When compared against the S21 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 57% faster CPU and 2X faster GPU.

Thanks to its improved cooling system, its temperature jumped by about 7°C. That is noticeable, but significantly lower than the 10°C we saw with the S22 Ultra.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Camera Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Camera Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts a super-high resolution 200 MP main camera, built around a new ISOCELL HP2 sensor.

This is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor with 200 million pixels, each of which is 0.6 μm in size. The Galaxy S23 Ultra camera can combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance.

Video capabilities also got an upgrade, thanks to this new sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can now record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps previously.

It also boasts better Adaptive VDIS capability, and improved optical image stabilisation (OIS), delivering silky smooth videos by doubling the angle to ±3°, from the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera‘s ±1.5°.

Here are six shots I took in Singapore, using the 200 MP main camera, and the 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera.

They are 4000 x 3000 pixels in size, with a JPEG file size of between 4 MB and 8 MB – it all depends on the amount of detail in the picture. To save space, I definitely recommend that you enable HEIF – the High Efficiency Image Format.

By default, the 200 MP camera takes 12 MP photos, combining sixteen pixels into one super-large pixel. Coupled with the improved lens and wider aperture, the final photos are not only much brighter, but have significantly lower noise.

Here are six night shots to show you just how bright the Galaxy S23 Ultra photos are, taken at night handheld without flash.

Here are six shots to show you the incredible amount of detail you can capture at just 12 MP. If you need greater detail, you can always increase the resolution to the full 200 MP, but frankly – these pictures should show you that you don’t really need to.

Of course, the 200 MP capability is not there for marketing purposes. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can truly take 200 MP photos, with a resolution of 16,320 pixels x 12,240 pixels, with each file at about 13-15 MB!

To demonstrate both the 200 MP capability and its ability to take bright photos at night, I took this 200 MP photo at Marina Bay Sands.

From that single photo, I could zoom in to make out individuals within the dome-shaped Apple Store hundreds of metres away – all unbeknownst that they were being captured on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra at night!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Camera Performance Summary

If you want the best cameras on a smartphone money can buy, you should definitely consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Don’t put too much stock into the 200 MP marketing spiel. Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is breaking new resolution groups with its 200 MP photography capability. But most of us will probably never use it, except in special circumstances.

What you are really getting is an awesome 12 MP camera with super-large pixels for really great noise-free images, and better low-light photos.

I am especially impressed with its low-light night photography capabilities. The photos I took in Singapore look like they were well-lit by moonlight. That was not the case at all, and it was all the more impressive because I took it handheld.

The photos turned out great – bright, sharp and with much less noise than I dared to hope! There is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has some of the best smartphone cameras I’ve tried this year.

Next Page > Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Summary + Award

 

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Summary + Award

It is tough for Samsung to keep touting radical improvements in smartphone technology every year, so I was not surprised that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is an evolutionary upgrade of the excellent Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Samsung didn’t even bother to hide that, reusing the same design almost to the millimetre! It even reuses the same S Pen from last year. Its improvements are almost entirely internal or at least not readily visible to the user.

Its display, for example, is the “same” as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s display on paper. But improvements in its design makes it a more efficient display, improving battery life.

Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU and GPU are not only significantly faster than last year’s Gen 1 CPU and GPU, they are also more efficient, again improving battery life.

Even though it comes with the same battery capacity as the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the new Galaxy S23 Ultra boasts 22% longer battery life with its Adaptive Refresh mode enabled!

Samsung added a new 12 MP front camera, which offers better image quality at a higher resolution than the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 40 MP shooter that defaults to 10 MP).

But the killer feature this year is arguably the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Adaptive Pixel main camera, which not only boasts a new 200 MP sensor but also improved lens, a slightly wider f/1.7 aperture, and better optical image stabilisation.

While its ability to take great photos in good light carries on from the Galaxy S22 Ultra‘s 108 MP Dual Pixel camera, where it really shines is in low-light, night photography. As my photo samples show, they are truly amazing.

If you really love photography, and especially like taking photos at night, or in low-light conditions, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will surely impress you.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is tougher this year. It has the same Armor Aluminium frame, but is protected in the front and back by best-in-class Gorilla Victus 2 glass.

For these reasons, we gladly award the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra our Editor’s Choice Award! Great work, Samsung!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Price + Pre-Order Offer!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four main colours – Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream.

Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be significantly more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung is offering some great pre-order offers:

  • you get a free upgrade to the next storage option!
  • if you buy from the Samsung Online Store, you get an RM400 e-Voucher
  • you get 30% off Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy tablets, Watch, and Buds earphones!
  • you get to save up to RM600 more when you trade in!

Here are online purchase options for your convenience:

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Hands-On Preview!

We got our hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, so here are our hands-on preview, and our first impressions!

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Hands-On Preview!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and here is our hands-on preview and first impressions of this flagship smartphone with a 200 MP camera!

Boosted Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Performance!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is powered by a specially-boosted variant of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile SoC, which features a quad-cluster architecture:

  • 1 x Arm Cortex-X3 core (3.36 GHz, instead of 3.2 GHz)
  • 2 x Arm Cortex-A715 cores (2.8 GHz)
  • 2 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.8 GHz)
  • 3 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (2.0 GHz)

The new processor feels very snappy, and appears to be more power efficient – the Galaxy S23 Ultra last longer than our Galaxy S22 Ultra on typical use. We will have battery benchmarks up shortly!

Read more : Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Colour Options Compared!

200 MP Main Camera

The biggest upgrade in the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its new Adaptive Pixel main camera, which is built around the 200 MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 (S5KHP2) sensor, and features a slightly wider f/1.7 aperture.

This is a large 1/1.3-inch sensor with 200 million pixels, each of which is 0.6 μm in size. The Galaxy S23 Ultra camera will be able to combine up to 16 pixels to form a single large pixel for much better low-light performance.

Video capabilities also got an upgrade, thanks to this new sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can now record 8K videos at 30 frames per second, instead of just 24 fps previously.

It also boasts better Adaptive VDIS capability, and improved optical image stabilisation (OIS), delivering silky smooth videos by doubling the angle to ±3°, from the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera‘s ±1.5°.

Similar Telephoto + Wide-Angle Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra reuses the same 3X and 10X zoom cameras from the Galaxy S22 Ultra, right down to their Sony IMX754 sensors.

The ultra-wide angle camera gets a newer sensor – the Sony IMX564, which appears to be an incremental upgrade of the S22 Ultra’s IMX563.

12 MP Selfie Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also features another camera upgrade in the front. Instead of a 40 MP sensor in the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it now features a new 12 MP camera, with the same f/2.2 aperture.

While this may seem to be a downgrade, it is actually an upgrade as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 40 MP sensor defaults to 10 MP. On top of that, it features a Dual Pixel sensor for faster and more accurate auto-focus!

We tried using the front camera, and found that it was superior to the front camera of the Galaxy S22 Ultra. More of this later in our review.

Buttons

The only buttons on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are all located on the right side – volume control buttons and a Power switch.

S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with the same S Pen as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It too boasts a very quick 2.8 ms latency.

We tried swapping them and both S Pens appear to fit both devices. From what we can tell – they are physically and functionally similar, if not exactly the same.

USB Type C Port

At the bottom of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you will find a SIM card tray, next to the USB port, as well as the S Pen in its slot.

The USB port is, of course, the new bidirectional Type C port, which is now the EU standard.

Read more : EU Orders All Brands To Use USB-C, Including Apple!

SIM Tray Without SD Card Slot

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra supports two physical SIM cards, as well as a single eSIM. The SIM tray is located at the bottom, next to the USB port.

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is protected in the front and in the back by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is not just tougher, it is also made from 22% pre-consumer recycled content!

Armoured Aluminium

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also protected on all four sides by an Armoured Aluminium frame.

5,000 mAh Fast-Charging Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a large 5,000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 45 watt fast wired charging, and 15 watt fast wireless charging.

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Specifications Compared!

I created this table to compare the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s specifications to last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Specifications Galaxy S23 Ultra Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 1440 x 3088 pixels (500 ppi)
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate (1~120 Hz)
– 1750 nits peak brightness
Protection Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water Resistance IP68
Platform Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Cortex-X3 (3.36 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A715 (2.8 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A710 (2.8 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A510 (2.0 GHz)
1 x Cortex-X2 (3.0 GHz)
3 x Cortex-A710 (2.5 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A510 (1.8 GHz)
GPU Adreno 740 Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
12 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
12 GB + 1 TB
8 GB + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 512 GB
12 GB + 1 TB
External Storage NA
Front Camera 12 MP camera, f/2.2 40 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 200 MP Adaptive Pixel camera, f/1.7
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
108 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
10 MP 10x zoom camera, f/4.9
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
Bluetooth : BT 5.3
USB : USB Type C
Wi-Fi : Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 78.1 mm wide
163.4 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
77.9 mm wide
163.3 mm tall
8.9 mm thick
Weight 234 grams 229 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra : Prices + Pre-Order Offer!

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra comes in four main colours – Phantom Black, Green, Lavender, and Cream.

Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will be significantly more expensive than last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra!

Here are the official launch prices for the three available storage capacities:

  • 256 GB : RM5,699 (about US$1,336 / £1,083 / A$1,888 / S$1,755)
  • 512 GB : RM6,199 (about US$1,453 / £1,179 / A$2,052 / S$1,910)
  • 1 TB : RM7,199 (about US$1,688 / £1,369 / A$2,388 / S$2,218)

While the increased price may be disappointing, Samsung is offering some great pre-order offers:

  • you get a free upgrade to the next storage option!
  • if you buy from the Samsung Online Store, you get an RM400 e-Voucher
  • you get 30% off Samsung accessories, Samsung Care+, Galaxy tablets, Watch, and Buds earphones!
  • you get to save up to RM600 more when you trade in!

Here are online purchase options for your convenience:

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Galaxy Watch5 vs. Watch5 Pro : Which To Buy?

Samsung is offering three different Galaxy Watch5 + Watch5 Pro models, so which should YOU buy?

 

Galaxy Watch5 vs. Watch5 Pro : How Different Are They?

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch5 series on August 10, and they have already made waves as their most durable and feature-packed watches yet!

In this article, I will go through their key features, so you can find out which Galaxy Watch5 model is best for you!

Three Sizes, Two Case Types, One Strap Size

Samsung offers three different Galaxy Watch5 models, each with a different case sizes, but fortunately – the same 20 mm strap size.

The size difference between the three models does not “look” significant, but they feel different and have different capabilities.

I highly recommend that you visit a Samsung Experience Store to try out the fit first, because how it feels and looks on your wrist is important.

Specifications Watch5
40mm
Watch5
44mm
Watch5
Pro
Model SM-R900 SM-R910 SM-R920
Body Size 40 mm 44 mm 45 mm
Body Material Armor Aluminum Titanium
Strap Band Width 20 mm
Dimensions 40.4 x 39.3 mm
9.8 mm thick
44.4 x 43.3 mm
9.8 mm thick
45.4 x 45.4 mm
10.5 mm thick
Weight 28.7 grams 33.5 grams 45.6 grams

All Models : Full Load Of Sensors

First, let me point out that regardless of which Galaxy Watch5 model you choose, you can rest assured that you will have access to the full load of sensors, including:

  • an improved BioActive sensor, with an increased surface area and more direct contact with your wrist.
  • accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, light sensor, and geomagnetic sensor

The BioActive Sensor incidentally is a unique Samsung chip that combines 3 sensors – Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart (ECG)  and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, to monitor and track heart rate, blood oxygen level, and even your stress level.

All Models : Same Performance + Connectivity

You will also be glad to know that Samsung did not skimp on the performance in any Galaxy Watch5 model.

All three Galaxy Watch5 models come with Samsung Exynos W920 system-on-chip, built on the 5 nm process technology. It features:

  • two Arm Cortex-A55 processor cores running at 1.18 GHz
  • an Arm Mali-G68 graphics processor
  • 1.5 GB RAM
  • 16 GB internal storage, with 7.5 GB of available storage

All three models also support the same connectivity capabilities – dual-band WiFi-N with Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC with support for Samsung Pay.

They also support all of the main location systems – GPS, Glonass, Beidou and Galileo

All Models : Same Durability

Samsung also did not cheap out on durability. All three Galaxy Watch5 models are similarly tough, boasting a rugged military-grade case that is certified to withstand up to 5 bars of water pressure.

All three models are MIL-STD-810H certified, with dust and water resistance of IP68 and 5ATM. That means you can take them diving at up to 50 metres of depth!

On top of that, the Super AMOLED display of all three Galaxy Watch5 models are protected by Sapphire crystal, which is 1.6 times harder than Gorilla Glass with DX+.

44mm Watch5 | Watch5 Pro : Larger Display

The 44 mm Watch5 model, and the Watch5 Pro come with a larger 1.4-inch display, with a resolution of 450 x 450 pixels.

The 40 mm Watch5 model, on the other hand, comes with a smaller 1.2-inch display, with a resolution of 396 x 396 pixels.

I prefer the larger display, but this is really a personal preference. To really appreciate the difference, I recommend you check out the three models at a Samsung Experience Store.

Galaxy Watch5 Pro : Higher Corrosion Resistance

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 has an Armor Aluminum case, while the Watch5 Pro has a titanium case. They are both tough and have excellent corrosion resistance.

However, titanium is more corrosion-resistant than aluminium, and is best suited for those who intend to put their watch through the toughest environments.

Galaxy Watch5 Pro : Route Workout + Track Back

As part of its health monitoring capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 series can track your sleep, and check your body composition.

But fitness enthusiasts will love the additional Route Workout and Track Back features in the Galaxy Watch5 Pro:

  • The all-new Route workout feature lets you import GPX format workout routes from your smartphone to your watch, syncing your route list.
  • Go the distance, then use Track Back to return right back where you started. Staying on track is easy thanks to voice or vibration-guided turn-by-turn navigation for cyclists and hikers.

All Models : Different Battery Lives, Same Fast Charging

More significant is the difference in battery life between the three Galaxy Watch5 models. They all have different battery sizes, with different battery lives:

Specifications Watch5
40mm
Watch5
44mm
Watch5
Pro
Battery Size 284 mAh 410 mAh 590 mAh
Battery Life Up to 40 hours Up to 80 hours
Charging 10 watt Qi wireless charging

I’m not sure how the Watch5 Small is able to match the battery life of the Watch5 Large, since it has a 30.7% smaller battery. But the smaller display would help, and it is possible that Samsung may have down-clocked its processor.

But there is no doubt that if you want the longest possible battery life in your watch, the Watch5 Pro is what you are looking for, with its rated battery life of up to 80 hours – just over 3 days!

All three models support Qi fast wireless charging, which will allow you to quickly recharge them. The Watch5 only needs 30 minutes to recharge from 0% to 45%.

All Models : Different Colour Options

What is also important to note is that all three models come in different colour options, which I summarised in this table:

Colour Options
Watch5 (40mm) Graphite, Silver, Pink Gold
Watch5 (44mm) Graphite, Silver, Sapphire
Watch5 Pro Grey Titanium, Black Titanium

The Galaxy Watch5 Small and Large models offer a conservative Graphite option, with two “fun” colour options.

The Pro version, on the other hand, is limited to a conservative Black Titanium option, and a cool Grey Titanium colour option.

Again, you need to physically examine these colour options, and try them out on your wrist at a Samsung Experience Store, to decide which looks best on your wrist.

 

Galaxy Watch5 vs. Watch5 Pro : Which To Buy?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is geared towards adventurers and fitness enthusiasts, who will love its Route Workout and Track Back features.

Its titanium case will easily handle years of acid rain to salt water immersion, while its long battery life will be helpful for long outdoor excursions and field trips.

So if you are an outdoorsman, or someone who dives or goes on long treks, there is no doubt – get the Galaxy Watch5 Pro.

Both the Small (40mm) and Large (44mm) versions of the Galaxy Watch5 are targeted at “the rest of us” – people who want a digital exercise or healthcare companion.

It will help us monitor our health vitals, and track our exercises; while looking stylish enough to go clubbing with, or to attend black tie dinner parties.

If you don’t do triathlons like IRONMAN, or go into the wilderness, try on both the Small and Large versions of the Galaxy Watch5, and buy the one that feels and looks best on your wrist!

 

Galaxy Watch5 + Watch5 Pro : Where To Buy?

Here are online purchase options where you can buy the Galaxy Watch5 series (prices accurate as of Oct 14):

Malaysia

Singapore

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

  • Galaxy Watch5 (40mm) : $479
  • Galaxy Watch5 Pro : $697 | $697

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Review : A Complete Package!

In our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, we will share with you everything you need to know about this premium tablet.

Find out why we are so impressed with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet, that we gave it our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Flagship Tablet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a premium tablet built around the most powerful mobile SoC available for Android devices – the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

It boasts a massive 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display, quad AKG speakers and a large 11,200 mAh battery – all packed into a compact chassis that weighs just 726 grams!

In this review, we will check out its key features, and show you why it is really the best Android tablet you can buy in 2022!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display 14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 2960 x 1848 pixels
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
Armor Aluminium
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.7 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : A Complete Package

What we really like about the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 tablet is that it comes as a complete package.

Unlike competing tablets, it comes with an awesome keyboard cover and S Pen in the package. There is no need to pay extra for either. Everything you need is in the box. Well, almost everything.

Once you fully unbox it, this is what you will find inside the box :

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Book Cover Keyboard
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra S Pen
  • Set of Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 documents
  • USB Type A to Type A data and power cable
  • microSD tray ejector pin

The only thing missing is the charger. The package does not include the 45 watt power adaptor. Not even a standard 15 watt Samsung charger.

But that’s how most of the brands are rolling these days, in the name of reducing digital waste, so we won’t hold it against them.

Next Page > Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Key Features

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Key Features

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is arguably the largest and most powerful tablet you can buy in 2022, so let’s take a closer look at its key features.

14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display

This first thing that you will notice when you see the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for the first time, is just how large and beautiful its display really is.

That is a 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display you are looking at – larger than the display on most laptops; with a WQXGA+resolution of 2960 x 1848 pixels, and support for two fixed refresh rates :

  • High : Get smoother animations and scrolling with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate
  • Standard : Get longer battery life with a 60 Hz screen refresh rate

This large, high-resolution display allows you to fit multiple windows, and open different apps at the same time, for greater productivity.

This display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and also by the bundled Keyboard Cover when it’s not in use.

Flagship Class Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform, which boasts a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :

  • a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.7 GHz.

Those eight processor cores are paired with a powerful Qualcomm Adreno 730 graphics processor.

Performance is not only the key advantage of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Built on the latest 4 nm process technology, it also offers lower battery consumption.

We will show you just how fast it runs in the benchmarks, and how efficient it is, later in this review.

RAM + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a variety of RAM and storage options :

  • 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
  • 12 GB RAM + 256 GB / 512 GB storage
  • 16 GB RAM + 256 GB / 512 GB storage

You don’t have to worry too much about running out of storage, as it comes with a microSD card slot, allowing you to add up to 1 TB of additional storage.

Two Front Cameras

Catering to the new hybrid workspace reality today, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with two cameras in the front.

Both 12 MP cameras, one has a wider f/2.2 aperture for better low-light performance, while the other supports a wider angle – to fit more people in the same photo / video call.

Two Rear Cameras

This is a really large and hefty tablet, so you wouldn’t expect photography to be a focus. However, it still comes with two cameras at the back.

The main camera has a 12 MP sensor, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for better low-light performance.

It also comes with an ultra-wide camera at the back, but oddly enough, only with a 6 MP sensor.

Next Page > S Pen, Book Cover Keyboard, Speakers, Battery

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : S Pen, Book Cover, Speakers, Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is more than just a tablet, because it comes with both an S Pen stylus, and a Book Cover Keyboard.

Ultra-Low Latency S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a new S Pen with ultra-low latency of just 2.8 milliseconds!

This is a full-size stylus that feels like a typical pen or pencil, letting you draw and doodle with up to 4,096 pressure levels!

You can also write naturally with the S Pen, and turn your handwriting into text in Samsung Notes.

The S Pen magnetically locks onto a glass strip at the back, which acts as a recharging dock. The S Pen automatically recharges whenever you place it on this glass strip.

Don’t worry about losing it with the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, because it comes with a Book Cover Keyboard that has a special cover for the S Pen!

Book Cover Keyboard

This year, Samsung included the really awesome Book Cover Keyboard with every Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet.

This cover not only provides really solid protection for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, it also converts it into a 2-in-1 tablet with a kickstand!

You don’t just get a full-size keyboard with the Book Cover Keyboard, you also get a large touch pad! This really gives you a laptop-like working experience.

In addition, the Book Cover Keyboard has a special S Pen cover that prevents your precious S Pen from falling and getting lost.

As I shared in my Galaxy Tab S7 Book Cover Keyboard review last year, this is a must-have accessory, and I’m really glad Samsung included it as part of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra package.

 

Quad AKG-Tuned Speakers

Another premium Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra feature that Samsung does not really speak much of is the quad speaker system tuned by AKG.

They are not only powerful, they deliver really crisp sound from this tablet. They are also positioned to radiate from both sides with the Book Cover Keyboard installed.

Large Battery

To power all that, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a large 11,200 mAh lithium-ion battery.

It supports 45 watt fast recharging, but as pointed out earlier – it doesn’t come with any charger, so your mileage in this sense really depends on the charger you have.

In the next section, we will show you just how long this battery lasts, and how long it takes to recharge this massive battery!

Next Page > Battery Life + Recharging Speed

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a massive 11,200 mAh battery, which is more than the size of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery!

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.

Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.

It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :

Astoundingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra only has a battery life of 6.5 hours with High refresh rate enabled, and a more acceptable 8 hours with the Standard refresh rate!

This is a slight improvement over last year’s Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. There is no doubt that its much larger 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display is a significant drain on battery life.

Let’s compare its battery life against the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra delivers the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz.

The Tab S8 Ultra appears to use 9% more power than the Tab S7 Plus, but I have to point out that it has a 39% larger display.

Fortunately, the battery life deficit is “covered” by its 11% larger battery.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(60 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 14 hrs 15 mins 7 hrs 55 mins 8 hrs
3 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.68 mAh 16.99 mAh 18.55 mAh

High Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

Switching on the High refresh rate of 120 Hz cut its battery life by 17.6% – almost 1.5 hours!

But the data shows that its larger 14.6-inch display only used 3.4% more power than the Tab S7 Plus.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(120 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 10 hrs
38 mins
6 hrs
11 mins
6 hrs
38 mins
Utilisation
per min.
6.27 mAh 21.76 mAh 22.51 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.

So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones and tablets – something we believe most users will end up doing.

Recharging Speed Tab S8 Ultra Tab S7 Plus S22 Ultra
Display Size 14.6-inch 12.4-inch 6.8-inch
Battery Capacity 11,200 mAh 10,090 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 86.5 mins 86 mins 64.5 mins
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
103.6 mAh 93.9 mAh 62.0 mAh

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra recharged faster with a standard 15 watt charger, than the Tab S7 Plus or even the Galaxy S22 Ultra!

This is really good news. It means that Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra owners need not worry too much about its recharging speed with the older 15 watt chargers.

In fact, you don’t need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger. The Tab S8 Ultra fully recharges its massive battery from 20% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger!

Next Page > Work + Gaming Performance

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 888 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8
Gen 1
SD 865+ SD
778G
Performance Score 13317 12860 12351 12348 9747
Web Browsing 11637 10442 9696 11864 7355
Video Editing 7762 7444 6194 7664 6028
Writing 15316 15471 14411 12659 10512
Photo Editing 25357 30177 31774 26230 22188
Data Manipulation 11938 9691 10449 9511 8505

Surprisingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Get 1 was slightly slower than the Snapdragon 888 used by the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but the difference was just 7%, which means you won’t actually notice the difference.

For certainly, it will easily handle anything you throw at it, whether it’s just posting your latest Instagram pictures or editing a 4K video.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8
Gen 1
SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 11094 9248 8793 6688
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 9106 3952
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 2220 1174

Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!

It was 16% to 150% faster than the Snapdragon 888, and 22% faster than the Snadragon 865+!

For certain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will crush any game you throw at it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 889167 696767 577726 508008
CPU 213689 203090 206228 161243 157465
GPU 417669 402617 242573 230859 155115
Memory 161903 146002 133586 98269 79972
UX 157369 137458 114380 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a veritable beast of a performer, beating even the very fast Galaxy Z Flip 3 by 36%.

Its GPU performance was, in particular, spectacular, delivering 72% better performance than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and 81% better performance than the Galaxy Tab S7+!

Interestingly, it was 7% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. This is likely due to better cooling – its temperature only increased by 0.3°C, whereas the S22 Ultra’s temperature spiked by over 10°C!

Next Page > Verdict + Award, Price + Availability

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Verdict + Award

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra was meant to be the ultimate Samsung tablet for 2022, and it does not disappoint.

The display is a magnificently large and beautiful 14.6-inch Super AMOLED panel, which offers an expansive amount of space to play and work with.

Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – the fastest mobile SoC that exists for Android devices – you can count on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.

It also has surprisingly good battery life – delivering over 8 hours of non-stop use at 60 Hz, and over 6.5 hours at 120 Hz; despite sporting such a large display.

It also offers very good recharging speed, even using the standard 15 watt fast charger. So you don’t really need to invest in expensive 45 watt chargers.

But beyond those hardware features, what I really like is how the Samsung offer a complete experience by bundling the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with not just the S Pen, but also the Book Cover Keyboard.

The ultra-low latency S Pen gives you the premium pen-on-paper like experience working on a tablet, while the Book Cover Keyboard gives you a laptop experience. You literally have the best of both worlds in a single box!

If you want the best-possible Android tablet money can buy, you can’t do wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

In fact, we like this premium tablet so much, we are giving it our Editor’s Choice Award!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display 14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 2960 x 1848 pixels
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
Armor Aluminium
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.7 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Apple Silicon M1 Series vs. M2 Comparison!

Apple just launched the M2 – their second-generation M-series system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Mac computers!

Let’s compare the new M2 against the last-generation M1 series SoCs!

 

Apple Silicon M1 vs. M2 Comparison

On 6 June 2022, Apple unveiled their second-generation M-series system-on-a-chip (SoC) for Mac computers – the Apple Silicon M2!

Built on an improved 5 nm process technology, the Apple M2 has 20 billion transistors – 25% more transistors than the M1.

All those transistors allow the Apple M2 to deliver better performance than the last-generation M1 :

  • Faster Performance cores with a larger cache
  • 18% faster CPU performance
  • 35% more powerful GPU at max. power
  • 40% faster Neural Engine
  • 50% more memory bandwidth
  • up to 24 GB of unified memory
  • a new image signal processor (ISP) for better image noise reduction

The new M2 no doubt offers a significant boost in performance and capabilities over the M1.

On top of that, it partially addressed the limited Unified Memory capacity offered by the M1, by offering a 24 MB option.

The new M2 will debut in the 2022 MacBook Air, and the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro 2022 laptops.

To give you a better idea of how they compare, here is our direct comparison b between the Apple M1 and the Apple M2 :

Specifications M1 M2 Difference
Fab Tech 5nm (N5) 5 nm (N5P)
Transistor
Count
16 billion 20 billion +25%
Die Size 120 mm² NA
CPU Cores
(Performance)
4 x Firestorm
@ 3.2 GHz
4 x Avalanche cores
@ NA GHz
CPU Cores
(Efficiency)
4 x Icestorm cores
@ 2.06 GHz
4 Blizzard cores
@ NA GHz
L2 Cache P-core : 12 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : 16 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : +33%
SLC 16 MB 32 MB +100%
GPU Cores 7 / 8 cores
1278 MHz
8 / 10 cores
NA MHz
+1 / +2 cores
Neural Engine 16 cores
(11 TOPS)
16 cores
(15.8 TOPS)
+44%
Memory Options 8 GB / 16 GB 8 GB / 16 GB / 24 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
Memory Speed 2133 MHz 3200 MHz +50%
Memory Bus 128-bit 128-bit
Memory
Bandwidth
68.2 GB/s 102.4 GB/s 50%

 

Apple Silicon M1 Series vs. M2 Comparison

While the M2 may offer significant improvements over the M1, Apple has been careful in not letting it cannibalise sales of the higher-performing M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips.

Even without testing the new M2, its specifications show that it slots in between the M1 and the M1 Pro.

  • M2 has 8 cores like M1, with 2-4 fewer Performance cores than the M1 Pro.
  • Its Performance cores have L2 cache size of 16 MB, right between M1 (8 MB) and M1 Pro (24 MB).
  • Its 8-10 GPU core count is right between M1 (7-8 cores) and M1 Pro (14-16 cores).
  • Its maximum Unified Memory option is 24 GB, right between M1 (16 GB) and M1 Pro (32 GB).
  • It retains the M1’s narrower 128-bit memory bus, but uses the M1 Pro’s faster LPDDR5 memory.

To show you what I mean, here is a table I created comparing the key specifications of the M1 series against the new M2 :

Specifications M1 M1 Pro M1 Max M1 Ultra M2
Fab Tech 5nm (N5) 5 nm (N5P)
Transistor Count 16 billion 33.7 billion 57 billion 114 billion 20 billion
Die Size 120 mm² 245 mm² 432 mm² 864 mm² NA
CPU Cores
(Performance)
4 cores
(Firestorm)
3.2 GHz
6 / 8 cores
(Firestorm)
3.23 GHz
8 cores
(Firestorm)
3.23 GHz
16 cores
(Firestorm)
3.23 GHz
4 cores
(Avalanche)
NA GHz
CPU Cores
(Efficiency)
4 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
2 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
2 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
4 cores
(Icestorm)
2.06 GHz
4 cores
(Blizzard)
NA GHz
L2 Cache P-core : 12 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : 24 MB
E-core : 4 MB
P-core : 48 MB
E-core : 8 MB
P-core : 16 MB
E-core : 4 MB
SLC 16 MB 32 MB 64 MB 128 MB 32 MB
GPU Cores 7 / 8 cores
1278 MHz
14 / 16 cores
1296 MHz
24 / 32 cores
1296 MHz
48 / 64 cores
1296 MHz
8 / 10 cores
NA MHz
Neural Engine 16 cores 32 cores 16 cores
Memory Options 8 / 16 GB 16 / 32 GB 32 / 64 GB 64 / 128 GB 8 / 16 / 24 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
Memory Speed 2133 MHz 3200 MHz
Memory Bus 128-bit 256-bit 512-bit 1024-bit 128-bit
Memory
Bandwidth
68.2 GB/s 204.8 GB/s 409.6 GB/s 819.2 GB/s 102.4 GB/s

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Performance Review!

Take a look at the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, and find out how well this ultra-premium tablet performs!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Flagship Class Performance!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra runs on the most powerful mobile SoC available for Android devices – the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 boasts a powerful Adreno 730 GPU as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :

  • a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.

On paper, this is about as powerful as it gets in 2022, but let’s take a look at how it actually performs!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Work Performance

We first tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browsing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.

Work 3.0 Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy Tab
S7 FE
Mobile Platform SD 888 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8
Gen 1
SD 865+ SD
778G
Performance Score 13317 12860 12351 12348 9747
Web Browsing 11637 10442 9696 11864 7355
Video Editing 7762 7444 6194 7664 6028
Writing 15316 15471 14411 12659 10512
Photo Editing 25357 30177 31774 26230 22188
Data Manipulation 11938 9691 10449 9511 8505

Surprisingly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Get 1 was slightly slower than the Snapdragon 888 used by the Galaxy Z Flip 3, but the difference was just 7%, which means you won’t actually notice the difference.

For certainly, it will easily handle anything you throw at it, whether it’s just posting your latest Instagram pictures or editing a 4K video.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using 3DMark, with these results :

3DMark Galaxy
Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8
Gen 1
SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
Sling Shot Unlimited 10728 11094 9248 8793 6688
Wild Life Unlimited 9838 9106 3952
Wild Life
Extreme
Unlimited
2221 2220 1174

Look at that! The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was a head above the competition when it comes to gaming!

It was 16% to 150% faster than the Snapdragon 888, and 22% faster than the Snadragon 865+!

For certain, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will crush any game you throw at it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Overall Performance

We then tested the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra using AnTuTu, yielding these results :

AnTuTu Galaxy Tab
S8 Ultra
Galaxy
S22 Ultra
Galaxy
Z Flip 3
Galaxy
Tab S7+
Galaxy
Tab S7 FE
Device SD 8 Gen 1 SD 8 Gen 1 SD 888 SD 865+ SD 778G
AnTuTu Score 950630 889167 696767 577726 508008
CPU 213689 203090 206228 161243 157465
GPU 417669 402617 242573 230859 155115
Memory 161903 146002 133586 98269 79972
UX 157369 137458 114380 87355 115456

The AnTuTu benchmark confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a veritable beast of a performer, beating even the very fast Galaxy Z Flip 3 by 36%.

Its GPU performance was, in particular, spectacular, delivering 72% better performance than the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and 81% better performance than the Galaxy Tab S7+!

Interestingly, it was 7% faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. This is likely due to better cooling – its temperature only increased by 0.3°C, whereas the S22 Ultra’s temperature spiked by over 10°C!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Performance Summary

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra was meant to be the ultimate Samsung tablet for 2022, and it does not disappoint.

Built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – the fastest mobile SoC that exists for Android devices – it offers a tremendous boost in GPU performance, which should make gamers and mobile content creators happy.

The benchmark results amply demonstrates, you can count on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra to easily handle anything and everything you throw at it.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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How To Setup Your Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Tablet!

In this guide, we will show you how to setup your new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for the first time!

 

How To Setup Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : A Video Guide!

We have the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet with us, and soon you will get yours too.

Let us show you how to setup the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for the first time, as a new device!

The process is very easy as our video shows, so you will be able to enjoy using it within minutes!

 

How To Setup Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Step-By-Step Instructions

It is very easy to setup the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as a new device.

This should take no more than 10 minutes, will be much longer if you are transferring data from an older tablet.

  1. Press the Power button to start up your Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet.
    It will take 23 seconds to boot up for the first time.
  2. Click Start to begin the setup process.
  3. The first thing you need to do is select a language.
  4. Next, you will need to select your country or region.
  5. Then, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra will reboot – a process that takes about 32 seconds.
  6. After it boots up again, you will be asked to agree to the EULA (End User Licence Agreement) and the Privacy Policy.
    You can skip sending Samsung your Diagnostic Data.
  7. In the next screen, you will have the opportunity to turn off certain Samsung apps and services.
    These are all key features that will greatly impact your use of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, so I recommend that you leave them all enabled.
  8. Next, you will be allowed to log into your Wi-Fi network for Internet connectivity.
    Select your Wi-Fi network and key in the password to connect.
  9. Once your Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra connects to the Wi-Fi network, it will automatically look for updates, and prepare the device.
    It can take a few minutes to finish, so don’t fret.
  10. Next, you will be given the option to transfer apps and data from your old tablet.
    This is a long process, which you can do now, or do it later after setting up the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
    To do it later, or set it up as a new device, simply click on Don’t copy.
  11. Now you will be asked to log into your Google Account, or create a new one.
    To skip for now and do it after setting up the tablet, click on Skip.
    But you will lose access to certain Google services until you log in.
  12. Next, you will be given the option of disabling certain Google services.
    Generally, I would recommend leaving them enabled, except sending Google your usage and diagnostic data.
  13. Now you will be asked to protect your Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra by selecting a preferred login method – Face recognition, Fingerprint, Pattern, PIN or Password.
  14. If you select the Face Recognition or Fingerprint option, you will need to select a secure screen lock method using Pattern, PIN or Password.
  15. Next, you will need to go through the Face Recognition / Fingerprint training process
  16. After that, you will be asked to log into your Samsung account, or create a new one.
    To skip for now and do it after setting up the tablet, click on Skip.
    But you will lose access to certain Samsung services until you log in.

That’s it! You have successfully setup the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as a new device! Enjoy!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Battery Life + Recharging Speed!

Take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s battery recharging speed, and how its two refresh rate options affect its battery life!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Two Refresh Rate Options

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet offers two refresh rate options (Settings > Display > Motion smoothness) :

  • High : Get smoother animations and scrolling with a 120 Hz screen refresh rate
  • Standard : Get longer battery life with a 60 Hz screen refresh rate

You may think that this is similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 120 Hz display, but you would be wrong.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra has an Adaptive mode that dynamically refreshes between 1 Hz and 120 Hz for better battery life.

The 120 Hz refresh rate option in the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is fixed at 120 Hz. This guarantees you an ultra-smooth 120 Hz refresh rate all the time, at the expense of battery life.

In the next section, we will look at how the two refresh rate options affect the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra’s battery life.

Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Hands-On Experience!
Read more : Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Life Comparison!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with a massive 11,200 mAh battery, which is more than the size of the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery!

To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.

Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.

It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the ambient brightness changes.

We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20% several times, and this was the best result we obtained with 60 Hz and 120 Hz refresh rates :

Astoundingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra only has a battery life of 6.5 hours with High refresh rate enabled, and a more acceptable 8 hours with the Standard refresh rate!

This is a slight improvement over last year’s Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. There is no doubt that its much larger 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display is a significant drain on battery life.

Let’s compare its battery life against the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC.

Standard Refresh Rate (60 Hz)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra delivers the best battery life with the Standard refresh rate of 60 Hz.

The Tab S8 Ultra appears to use 9% more power than the Tab S7 Plus, but I have to point out that it has a 39% larger display.

Fortunately, the battery life deficit is “covered” by its 11% larger battery.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(60 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(60 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 14 hrs 15 mins 7 hrs 55 mins 8 hrs
3 mins
Utilisation
per min.
4.68 mAh 16.99 mAh 18.55 mAh

High Refresh Rate (120 Hz)

Switching on the High refresh rate of 120 Hz cut its battery life by 17.6% – almost 1.5 hours!

But the data shows that its larger 14.6-inch display only used 3.4% more power than the Tab S7 Plus.

Work 3.0 S22 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Tab S7 Plus
(120 Hz)
Tab S8 Ultra
(120 Hz)
Display Size 6.8-inch 12.4-inch 14.6-inch
Battery Capacity 5,000 mAh 10,090 mAh 11,200 mAh
Battery Life 10 hrs
38 mins
6 hrs
11 mins
6 hrs
38 mins
Utilisation
per min.
6.27 mAh 21.76 mAh 22.51 mAh

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Battery Recharging Speed!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra supports up to 45 watts of wired fast charging, but unfortunately, does not come with the charger in-the-box.

So we relied on the standard 15 watt Samsung fast charger than shipped with their previous smartphones and tablets – something we believe most users will end up doing.

Recharging Speed Tab S8 Ultra Tab S7 Plus S22 Ultra
Display Size 14.6-inch 12.4-inch 6.8-inch
Battery Capacity 11,200 mAh 10,090 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charger Output 15 watts 15 watts 15 watts
Battery Life 86.5 mins 86 mins 64.5 mins
Recharging Speed
(per minute)
103.6 mAh 93.9 mAh 62.0 mAh

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra recharged faster with a standard 15 watt charger, than the Tab S7 Plus or even the Galaxy S22 Ultra!

This is really good news. It means that Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra owners need not worry too much about its recharging speed with the older 15 watt chargers.

In fact, you don’t need to splurge on a new 45 watt fast charger. The Tab S8 Ultra fully recharges its massive battery from 20% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours with the standard 15 watt Samsung charger!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Hands-On Experience!

Here is our hands-on look at the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet, its new low-latency S Pen and its Book Cover Keyboard!

Find out why this tablet will offer you a 2-in-1 laptop-like experience!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra + S Pen : Hands-On Experience!

Samsung just sent us the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – their largest and most powerful tablet, with a massive 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display!

As you will see in this video – this is a really large tablet, and it is pretty hefty too at 726 grams. But it is very solidly built, and weighs half as much as a typical laptop.

It also comes with a new full-size S Pen with an ultra-low latency of just 2.8 milliseconds.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform boasts a powerful Adreno 730 GPU as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :

  • a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.7 GHz.

Powering all that is a massive 11,200 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, with 45 watt fast charging capability!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Book Cover Keyboard : Hands-On!

This year, Samsung included the really awesome Book Cover Keyboard with every Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet.

This cover not only provides really solid protection for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, it also converts it into a 2-in-1 tablet with a kickstand!

In addition, the Book Cover Keyboard has a special S Pen cover that prevents your precious S Pen from falling and getting lost.

As I shared in my Galaxy Tab S7 Book Cover Keyboard review last year, this is a must-have accessory, and I’m really glad Samsung included it as part of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra package.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display 14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.7 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in five RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

Let’s unbox the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, and see what we find inside!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Flagship Class Performance!

Samsung just launched the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – their largest and most powerful tablet, with a massive 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display!

It runs on the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform, which boasts a powerful Adreno 730 GPU as well as eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :

  • a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.7 GHz.

Powering all that is a massive 11,200 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, with 45 watt fast charging capability!

If you want the biggest and most powerful Android tablet, this is the ultimate choice!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Unboxing : What’s Inside?

Samsung just sent us the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which comes in a large and hefty box, with two security stickers.

Please check the label to make sure you have the right device, and that the two security stickers are intact.

Now, let’s take a look at the box, and see what we find inside!

Once you fully unbox it, this is what you will find inside the box :

  • Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra tablet
  • Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra keyboard cover
  • Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra S Pen
  • Set of Galaxy Tab S8 documents
  • USB Type A to Type A data and power cable
  • microSD tray ejector pin

Unfortunately, the package does not include the 45 watt power adaptor, not even the standard 15 watt Samsung charger.

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Display 14.6-inch Super AMOLED Display
– 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate
Protection Gorilla Glass 5 (Front + Back)
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.4 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.7 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
Options
8 GB RAM + 128 GB
12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage microSD (up to 1TB)
Front Camera 12 MP main camera, f/2.2
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.4
Main Cameras 12 MP main camera, f/2.0
6 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 3.2 Type C
S Pen Yes, 2.8 ms latency
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic, Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers tuned by AKG
Battery 11,200 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 45 watt wired charging
Dimensions 326.4 mm wide
208.6 mm tall
5.5 mm thick
Weight 726 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Tab S8 Ultra in four RAM + storage capacity options globally :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB
  • 12 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB
  • 16 GB + 256 GB / 512 GB

But over here in Malaysia, it is available with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for RM 5,899 (about US$1,387 / £1,063 / A$1,877 / S$1,892.

Here are some online pre-order options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Samsung Galaxy A33 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A33 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on preview!

 

Samsung Galaxy A33 with 48 MP Quad Camera System!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A33 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 48 MP quad-camera system!

We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A33 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!

6.4-inch Super AMOLED Display

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A33 runs on the new Samsung Exynos 1280 mobile platform, which has a dual-tier CPU architecture :

  • four sustained-performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0 GHz

It also comes with a ARM Mali-G68 GPU running at 1.0 GHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal flash storage.

The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).

Cameras Galore!

The Samsung Galaxy A33 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 13 MP camera, with an f/2.2 aperture, and in the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :

  • a 48 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
  • an 8 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 2 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A33 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A33 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.

The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.

 

Samsung Galaxy A33 Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A33
Display 6.4-inch Super AMOLED
– 90 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection IP67
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU 2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU ARM Mali-G68 (1 GHz)
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 128 GB
External Storage microSDXC
Front Camera 13 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 48 MP OIS camera, f/1.8
8 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
2 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Hall, Light,
Virtual Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 74.0 mm wide
159.7 mm tall
8.1 mm thick
Weight 186 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A33 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A33 smartphone is available in four colour options :

  • Awesome Peach
  • Awesome Blue
  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Black

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 1,499 (about US$359 / £269 / A$487 / S$487)

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy A53 : Exclusive Hands-On Preview!

We recently had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Samsung Galaxy A53 that was just launched, and here is our hands-on experience!

 

Samsung Galaxy A53 with 64 MP Quad Camera System!

Samsung just launched their Galaxy A53 mid-range smartphone, which boasts a 64 MP quad-camera system!

We had the exclusive opportunity to get some hands-on time with the Galaxy A53 smartphone recently, and here is our hands-on video experience!

6.5-inch Super AMOLED Display

The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with a large 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display.

It has a Full HD+ resolution, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz!

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A53 runs on the new Samsung Exynos 1280 mobile platform, which has a dual-tier CPU architecture :

  • four sustained-performance ARM Cortex-A78 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0 GHz

It also comes with a ARM Mali-G68 GPU running at 1.0 GHz.

Memory + Storage Options

The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of internal flash storage.

The memory capacity can be expanded through the RAM Plus feature, while storage can be expanded through a microSD card (up to 1 TB).

Cameras Galore!

The Samsung Galaxy A53 is targeted at those who love to take photos and videos.

In the front, it has a 32 MP camera, with an f/2.2 aperture and the ability to combine pixels for better low-light performance.

In the back, it has a quad-camera system that consists of :

  • a 64 MP Dual Pixel camera with f/1.8 aperture
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 5 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 5 MP depth camera with f/2.4 aperture

IP67 Dust + Water-Resistance!

You will also love the fact that the Galaxy A53 is IP67-rated for dust and water-resistance! That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1 metre of fresh water for up to 30 minutes!

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery, that supports up to 25 watts of fast charging.

The only downside – Samsung is not providing the 25 watt charger in-the-box.

 

Samsung Galaxy A53 Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Display 6.5-inch Super AMOLED
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
Protection IP67
OS One UI 4 (Android 12)
Platform Samsung Exynos 1280
CPU 2 x ARM Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz)
6 x ARM Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU ARM Mali-G68 (1 GHz)
Memory +
Storage
8 GB + 256 GB
External Storage microSDXC
Front Camera 32 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 64 MP OIS camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
5 MP macro camera, f/2.4
5 MP depth camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Hall, Light,
Virtual Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Glonass, Galileo
NFC Yes
Battery 5,000 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
Dimensions 74.8 mm wide
159.6 mm tall
8.1 mm thick
Weight 189 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy A53 Colour + Availability!

Here in Malaysia, the Galaxy A53 smartphone is available in four colour options :

  • Awesome Peach
  • Awesome Blue
  • Awesome White
  • Awesome Black

It will be offered in only one variant, at this price point :

  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 1,849 (about US$439 / £336 / A$599 / S$599)

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy S22 Hands-On Preview + First Impressions!

I just had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with the new Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone, and here are my first impressions!

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 : Hands-On Experience!

The Samsung Galaxy S22 arguably offers the best bang for your buck in the new Galaxy S22 family!

Here is our hands-on experience of this compact flagship smartphone!

6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display

The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a large 6.1-inch display, with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.

Its wide colour gamut of 100% DCI-P3, a peak brightness of 1300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 2 million:1 will guarantee the best possible image quality, whether indoors or outdoors.

Gamers will love its high dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, with a touch sampling rate of up to 240 Hz.

The display is truly magnificent. In addition, it is super bright, so there’s no problem using it outdoors in bright sunlight!

4nm Flagship Mobile Platform

The Samsung Galaxy S22 is built around the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile SoC, which is fabricated on the latest 4nm Samsung process technology.

Together with a powerful Adreno 730 GPU, it has eight processor cores in a triple-tier architecture :

  • a Cortex-X2 prime core running at up to 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance Cortex-A710 cores running at up to 2.5 GHz, and
  • four energy-efficient Cortex-A510 cores running at 1.8 GHz.

So far, it has no problem handling everything I threw at it, but I will have proper benchmark numbers up for you shortly.

Memory + Storage Options

Samsung will be offering just two memory and storage options :

  • 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
  • 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage

Unfortunately, it does NOT support any storage expansion through a microSD card.

Cameras Galore!

As a Samsung flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S22 comes with a smorgasbord of cameras!

In the front, it has a 10 MP camera, with a wide f/2.2 aperture.

In the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :

  • a 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8 aperture,
  • a 12 MP ultra-wide angle camera, f/2.2 aperture, and
  • a 10 MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture

Built To Last

The Samsung Galaxy S22 has a tough Armor Aluminium frame, and is protected in the back and front by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+.

Thanks to its heft and Armor Aluminium frame, it feels really solid in my hand.

On top of that, it is IP68-rated against dust and water ingress. That means it can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

Battery + Charging

The Samsung Galaxy S22 comes with a 3,700 mAh battery, which supports wired charging at up to 25 watts, and wireless charging at up to 15 watts.

Despite having a relatively small battery, the Galaxy S22 appears to have a long battery life. I will have its battery test results up shortly.

It also supports Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to recharge other smartphones and wearables like the Galaxy Buds2.

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S22
Display 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
– 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
– 240 Hz touch sampling (Game Mode)
– 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut
– 1300 nits peak brightness
– 2 million:1 contrast ratio
Protection Armor Aluminium + Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water Resistance IP68
OS One UI 4.1 (Android 12)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
CPU 1 x Arm Cortex-X2 core (3.0 GHz)
3 x Arm Cortex-A710 cores (2.5 GHz)
4 x Arm Cortex-A510 cores (1.8 GHz)
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 730
Memory +
Storage
8 GB RAM + 128 / 256 GB storage
External Storage NA
Front Camera 10 MP camera, f/2.2
Main Cameras 50 MP Dual Pixel camera, f/1.8
12 MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
10 MP 3x zoom camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB Type C
S Pen No
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Under Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope,
Geomagnetic,
Hall, Light, Proximity
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass, QZSS
NFC Yes
Battery 3,700 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 25 watt wired charging
15 watt wireless charging
Wireless PowerShare
Dimensions 70.6 mm wide
146.0 mm tall
7.6 mm thick
Weight 168 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 : Price + Availability

Samsung is offering the Galaxy S22 in four colour options – Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Green and Pink Gold.

I had the opportunity to attend an exclusive Samsung preview event, to check out the colours for ourselves.

Note : Samsung only allowed us to use digital cameras, so the video is not stabilised as it would be with smartphones that I generally use.

Here in Malaysia, it is available starting 10 February 2022 in two variants, at these price points :

  • 8 GB + 128 GB : RM 3,499 (about US$836 / £617 / A$1,164 / S$1,122)
  • 8 GB + 256 GB : RM 3,699 (about US$884 / £652 / A$1,230 / S$1,186)

You can now pre-order the 8 GB + 256 GB model from now until 3 March 2022, to receive this offer!

Here are some online pre-order options : RM3,699 | RM3,699 | RM3,699 | RM3,699 | RM3,699

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > MobileTech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : What You Need To Know!

Samsung just introduced the Galaxy Tab A8 – a tablet targeted at families!

Take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, and find out if this is the tablet for you!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : What You Need To Know!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is a thin and lightweight tablet designed for learning and entertainment, with a very attractive price tag.

It has a large 10.5-inch display, with a sleek metal body that is only 6.9 mm thick and weighs just 508 grams.

Powered by an octa-core processor, it comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded through a dedicate microSD card slot.

The large display not only gives you a more immersive viewing experience, its multi-window support allows you to split the screen in half to do two things at the same time!

On top of that, this highly-affordable tablet comes with four speakers that support Dolby Atmos surround sound, for exceptional audio clarity and depth.

Don’t worry about the Galaxy Tab A8 running out of juice. It has a massive 7,040 mAh battery, which supports 15W fast charging!

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : Specifications

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
Model SM-X200
Display 10.5-inch TFT Display
– 1200 x 1920 pixels
Protection NA
Water Resistance NA
OS One UI 3 (Android 11)
Platform UNISOC Tiger T618
CPU 2 x Arm Cortex-A75 cores (2.0 GHz)
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores (2.0 GHz)
GPU Arm Mali-G52 MP2
Memory +
Storage
3 GB + 32 GB
4 GB + 64 GB
External Storage microSD slot (up to 1 TB)
Front Camera 5 MP camera
Main Cameras 8 MP camera
Connectivity Wi-Fi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.0
USB : USB Type C 2.0
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side-Mounted
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic,
Hall Sensor, Light Sensor
GPS GPS, GLONASS, QZSS
NFC No
Audio Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos
Battery 7,040 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 15 watt fast charging
Dimensions 246.8 mm wide
161.9 mm tall
6.9 mm thick
Weight 508 grams

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 : Price + Availability!

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is available in three colour options – Gray, Silver and Pink Gold, with two variants globally :

  • 3GB + 32GB
  • 4GB + 64GB

Here in Malaysia, it is only available in 3GB + 32GB variant in either the Gray or Pink Gold colour options, with a recommended retail price (RRP) of RM999 (about US$238 / £178 / A$336 / S$322).

From now until 28 February 2022, every purchase will come with two freebies :

  • one Samsung Clear Edge Cover worth RM99
  • one year Samsung Care+ coverage plan worth RM110

Here are some online purchase options :

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Mobile | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

vivo V23e 5G Preview : What You Need To Know!

The brand-new vivo V23e 5G smartphone is here, offering a magnificent 44MP front camera for selfie-lovers!

Take a look at what else the vivo V23e 5G offers, and find out if this is what you have been waiting for!

 

vivo V23e 5G : For Photography Enthusiasts!

The new vivo V23e 5G smartphone is designed for photography enthusiasts, offering really great front and rear cameras at an affordable price point.

Those are some of the most important characteristics many consumers are looking for in their smartphones during the pandemic.

6.44-inch Display

The vivo V23e 5G smartphone comes with a massive 6.44-inch display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

It uses an AMOLED panel, which delivers much better colour gamut and brightness than regular LCD displays.

High-Performance Mobile SoC

The MediaTek Dimensity 810 is a new and faster mid-range mobile SoC, with an integrated 5G modem, and :

  • two high-performance Arm Cortex-A76 cores running at up to 2.4 GHz,
  • six power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores, and
  • an Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU to accelerate 2D and 3G graphics

It also features a Multi-Turbo software that intelligently optimises network speed, heat dissipation, AI and gaming performance.

RAM + Storage

The vivo V23e 5G comes with 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory, with an additional 4 GB of extended RAM, giving up to 12 GB of RAM – more than enough to handle multiple memory-hungry games and apps at the same time!

There’s also no need to worry about storage – its 128 GB internal storage is plenty enough for a multitude of games and apps. And if you run out, you can top up storage through a microSD card!

44 MP Selfie Camera

When it comes to photography, the vivo V23e 5G offers both great selfie shots from its 44 MP front camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture for great selfies even in low light conditions.

The front camera automatically focuses on your eye area, to ensure that you are always in focus; with software enhancements to deliver a natural portrait look.

You can also opt for Multi-Style Portrait to create portraits in a variety of distinct styles!

You can also take photos in really dark conditions using its Front Camera AI Extreme Night feature, which uses multi-frame noise reduction to combine multiple shots into one bright and clear shot!

It also supports Steadiface Selfie Video, which ensures that your face remains stable and clear, no matter how you move.

50 MP Triple-Camera System

In the back, it has a 50 MP main camera with a wide f/1.8 aperture, together with an 8 MP wide-angle camera, and a 2 MP macro camera for really close-up shots (as close as 4 cm).

The main camera supports Double Exposure, allowing you to take two different photos and combine them for a unique double-exposed shot!

5G Connectivity

While 5G connectivity is still not available in Malaysia, and sparse around the world, the integrated 5G modem means you’re future-proofed.

More importantly though are its other connectivity options. It comes with support for dual-band WiFi-AC, Bluetooth 5.1 and a reversible USB Type C port.

Sleek + Light

The vivo V23e 5G features a premium glass-covered chassis, with a smooth anti-fingerprint finish.

It has a sleek profile that is just under 7.5 mm thick, and weighs just 172 grams.

Large Fast Charging Battery

To power all that, the V23e comes with a large 4,050 mAh battery, which gives you a full day of usage and then some!

On top of that, it supports 44 watt flash charging – a quick 30 minute flash charge will restore its battery life to 69%! Best of all – vivo included the charger in the box!

 

vivo V23e 5G : Specifications

Specifications vivo V23e 5G
Display 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display
– 1080 x 2400 pixels
OS Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek Dimensity 810 (MT6873)
CPU 2 x Arm Cortex-A76 cores (2.4 GHz )
6 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores
GPU Arm Mali-G57 MC2
Memory 8 GB + 4 GB Extended RAM
Storage 128 GB
microSD support
Front Camera 44 MP camera (f/2.0)
Main Cameras 50 MP main camera, f/1.8
8 MP wide-angle camera, f2.2
2 MP macro camera, f/2.4
Connectivity Network : 5G / 4G / 3G
Wi-Fi : 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : USB Type C
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient Light,
Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
GPS GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC No
FM Radio Yes
Battery 4,050 mAh Li-Po battery
Charging 44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions 74.28 mm wide
160.87 mm tall
7.36-41 mm thick
Weight 172 grams

 

vivo V23e 5G : Colour Options

The vivo V23e 5G is available in two colour options – Sunshine Coast on the left, and Cosmic Aurora on the right.

 

vivo V23e 5G : Price, Availability + Deals!

The vivo V23e 5G has a launch price of RM1,599 – approximately US$378 / £286 / A$532 / S$517.

For a limited time, every pre-order will come with free gifts worth RM550

  • Automatic Soap Dispenser Gift Box
  • Viu TV membership (1 month)
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection

There is also a V23e 4G version with a launch price of RM1,399 – approximately US$330 / £250 / A$466 / S$453.

For a limited time, every pre-order will come with free gifts worth RM491

  • Backpack
  • Viu TV membership (1 month)
  • 1 Year Extended Warranty
  • 1 Year Screen Crack Protection

Buying either model will also get the opportunity to purchase any vivo TWS 2 wireless earphones at 50% off! There are also daily rewards from now until 17 December 2021!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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100% Correct : MagSafe 3, SDXC + HDMI 2.0 In 2021 MBP!

Back in February 2021, we gave you all a sneak peek at what the 2021 Apple MBP would offer in terms of connectivity.

We said back then that “Apple will not only introduce a new MagSafe 3 connector in the upcoming 2021 MacBook Pro, they will also bring back the SD card slot!

Take a look at what we revealed back then, and what Apple just revealed earlier today!

 

We Were Right About MagSafe 3 In 2021 MBP!

In our February 2021 sneak peek of the 2021 MBP’s connectivity options, we shared that Apple will bring back their long-missed MagSafe connector.

It would be a brand new connector with a slimmer profile called MagSafe 3, which would be bidirectional with 5 pins, and have a slimmer profile.

Take a look at the picture we shared in February, showing MagSafe 3, next to two Thunderbolt ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

And take a look at the connectors on the left side of the actual 2021 MacBook Pro. Pretty much the same, right?

 

We Were Right About SDXC Card Reader + HDMI 2.0 In 2021 MBP!

In our February 2021 sneak peek, we also shared that Apple would bring back the sorely-missed SDXC card reader, as well as the HDMI 2.0 port.

Here was the picture we shared in February, showing the SDXC card reader, together with the HDMI 2.0 port.

Doesn’t it look EXACTLY like the actual right side of the 2021 MacBook Pro?

We also revealed back then that the OLED Touch Bar would finally be banished… hopefully for good. It was an expensive boondoggle that MBP users were forced to pay for.

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : What You Need To Know!

vivo just introduced the X70 Pro and X70 smartphones featuring ZEISS optics and a unique gimbal camera!

Find out if the new vivo X70 gimbal smartphones are what you have been waiting for!

 

vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : What You Need To Know!

vivo just launched their X70 series of professional photography flagship smartphones, with two models – the X70 and the X70 Pro.

Both models come with ZEISS optics for their cameras, and a unique Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera, to allow users to capture the best possible photos and videos, even in the most challenging conditions.

Here is what you need to know about the new vivo X70 series smartphones…

Large AMOLED Display

Both the vivo X70 and X70 Pro come with a large 6.56-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2376 pixels.

They both support a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 240 Hz response rate, as well as HDR10+ support and Hi-Rest certification.

There is a subtle difference between the two models though – the vivo X70 display has a 2.5D edge, while the Pro version has a 3D curved edge.

Performance

Both models are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 – a 5G mobile SoC built on the 6 nm process, with eight processor cores that consists of :

  • a high-performance A78 core running at 3 GHz,
  • three sustained-performance cores running at 2.6 GHz, and
  • four high-efficiency A55 cores running at 2 GHz.

In addition to its 8 processor cores, it has a 9-core Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU, and a 6-core MediaTek APU 3.0 AI processor.

RAM + Storage

The vivo V70 comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, while the Pro version comes with a whopping 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.

Even though they both come with a lot of memory, they support Extended RAM 2.0 – giving them additional 4 GB of memory on call!

There is no option to upgrade storage through a microSD card, but they both come with more than enough storage for most users, and most importantly – it’s super fast UFS 3.1 flash storage!

Cameras Co-Engineered With ZEISS

Both models have a high-resolution 32 MP front camera, with a triple camera system for the X70 and a quad camera system for the X70 Pro.

Both camera systems were co-engineered with ZEISS and feature lenses with ZEISS T* coating to reduce unwanted light flares, ghosting, stray light and other image artifacts.

The pièce de résistance of both models is the unique Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera, which is coupled with the Gimbal Stabilisation 3.0 technology, to let you capture steady images and video even in the most challenging conditions.

They also support VIS 5-Axis Ultra Stable Video technology, which integrates enhanced optical image stabilisation (OIS) with electronic image stabilisation (EIS) to aggressively stabilise the X/Y-axis as well as Z-axis rotation for silky-smooth video.

Rounding that up is a slew of AI-enhanced photography and videography technologies, like Real-Time Extreme Night Vision, Super Night Video, Pure Night View, Pro Cinematic Mode and more.

Battery + Charging

The vivo X70 Pro and X70 come with large batteries – 4,450 mAh and 4,400 mAh capacities respectively, for a long battery life.

On top of that, they both come with a USB charger in-the-box, which supports 44W FlashCharge for extremely fast charging.

 

vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : Specifications

To make it easier for you to decide between the two models, we created this table to compare their key specifications :

Specifications X70 Pro X70
Display 6.56-inch AMOLED
– 1080 x 2376 pixels resolution
– 120 Hz refresh rate, 240 Hz response rate
– HDR10+, Hi-Res
Platform MediaTek Dimensity 1200
– 1 x Arm Cortex-A78 core @ 3 GHz
– 3 x Arm Cortex-A78 cores @ 2.6 GHz
– 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 @ 2 GHz
– Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU
– 6-core MediaTek APU 3.0
Operating System Funtouch OS 12 (Android 11)
Memory 12 GB LPDDR4X 8 GB LPDDR4X
Extended RAM 4 GB
Storage 256 GB, UFS 3.1 128 GB, UFS 2.1
Front Camera 32 MP, f/2.45
Rear Cameras 50 MP, f/1.75
12 MP, f/1.98
12 MP, f/2.2
8 MP, f/3.4
40 MP, f/1.75
12 MP f/1.89
12 MP, f/2.2
Connectivity WiFi : Up to Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth : BT 5.2
USB : USB 2.0 Type C
GPS GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, QZSS, A-GPS
OTG Yes
NFC Yes
Fingerprint Sensor In-Display
Other Sensors Accelerometer, Colour Temperature,
Ambient Light, Proximity, E-compass, Gyroscope
Linear Motor Yes
IR Emitter Yes
Battery 4450 mAh battery 4400 mAh battery
Charging 44 watt FlashCharge
Dimensions 73.21 mm wide
158.3 mm tall
7.99-8.08 mm thick
75.39 mm wide
160.1 mm tall
7.55 mm thick
Weight 183-184 g 181-182 g

 

vivo X70 Gimbal Smartphones : Price + Pre-Order Deals

The vivo X70 is priced at RM2,499 – approximately US$598 / £437 / A$822 / S$806.

Here are the freebies you will get if you pre-order one from now until 1 October 2021 :

  • Protection Plus : 1 year extended warranty + 1 year screen crack protection
  • Premium Gift Box : Bluetooth speaker + car charger + 1-month Viu subscription

The vivo X70 Pro is priced at RM3,299 – approximately US$789 / £577 / A$1,085 / S$1,064.

Here are the freebies you will get if you pre-order one from now until 1 October 2021 :

  • Protection Plus : 1 year extended warranty + 1 year screen crack protection
  • Premium Gift Box : Bluetooth sound bar + 1-month Viu subscription

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : What You Need To Know!

HUAWEI just launched the 2021 MatePad Pro, which runs on the new HarmonyOS 2!

Here is what you need to know about the 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro tablet!

 

2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : What You Need To Know!

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro looks superficially like the 2020 HUAWEI MatePad Pro, but they are quite different beasts altogether.

It is now much bigger 12.6-inch tablet, built around the Kirin 9000E mobile platform and runs on the brand new HarmonyOS 2 operating system!

Flagship Performance

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro is built around the Kirin 9000E, the world’s first 5nm 5G mobile SoC.

It has a triple-core CPU architecture, with a boosted Cortex-A77 core at 3.13 GHz, three high-speed Cortex-A77 cores at 2.54 GHz, and four low-power Cortex-A55 cores at 2.05 GHz.

It has a 22-core Mali-G78 GPU, and two Neural Processing Units – one Big-Core NPU and one Tiny-Core NPU.

Memory + Storage

The 2021 MatePad Pro comes with 8 GB LPDDR4x memory and 256 GB built-in storage, with the option of adding an NM card for additional storage (up to 256 GB).

Large OLED Display

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro sports a massive 12.6-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.

Thanks to its ultra-narrow 5.6 mm bezels, this FullView Display offers a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio.

On top of that, it has a colour accuracy of ∆E < 0.5, making it a great portable second monitor for professional photographers!

Improved HUAWEI Share Capabilities

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro offers improved HUAWEI Share, offering the next level of device connectivity :

You can not only mirror your HUAWEI smartphone onto your tablet, you can also transfer and share files across multiple devices even laptops, simply by dragging and dropping them!

2nd Generation HUAWEI M-Pencil

HUAWEI is introducing the 2nd generation M-Pencil with the MatePad Pro. This optional stylus has a much lower input lag – as low as 9 ms, with 4,096 levels of pressure and tilt sensitivity.

Designed to give you the natural writing experience, it offers the feel of a real pencil on paper. It also supports HUAWEI FreeScript, which transforms handwritten content into machine-encoded text in real time.

If you need to switch into different modes like Instant Shape or Instant Table, all you need to do is double-tap it!

HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard

The HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard is a full-sized keyboard with a key travel of 1.3 mm; and supports Bluetooth and wireless charging.

This magnetically-paired keyboard quickly converts the MatePad Pro into a full-fledged laptop, offering greater working productivity.

Large Battery + Super Fast Charging

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro tablet comes with a large 10,050 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery built-in for a very long battery life.

On top of that, it supports 40 watt SuperCharge, when used with a 40 watt HUAWEI Super Fast Charger.

 

2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Specifications

Here is how the 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro compares to the 2020 MatePad Pro!

Specifications MatePad Pro
2021
MatePad Pro
2020
Display Size 12.6-inch 10.8-inch
Display Panel OLED LCD
Display Resolution 2560 x 1600 pixels
Max. Brightness 400 nits 540 nits
Colour Gamut DCI-P3
Operating System HarmonyOS 2 EMUI 10.1 (Android 10)
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 9000E HUAWEI Kirin 990
Memory 8 GB 6 GB / 8 GB
Storage 256 GB 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB
External Storage 256 GB NM Card
Front Camera 8 MP selfie camera
Rear Cameras 13 MP main camera
8 MP wide-angle camera
13 MP main camera
Connectivity WiFi-AX
Bluetooth 5.2
USB Type C
WiFi-AC
Bluetooth 5.1
USB Type C
Stylus Optional
M-pencil Gen 2
Optional
M-pencil
Fingerprint Sensor No
NFC Support No
Audio 8 Speakers
HUAWEI Histen 7.0
4 Speakers
HUAWEI Histen 6.0
Battery 10,050 mAh 7,250 mAh
Charging 40 W SuperCharge 20 W fast charging
Dimensions 286.5 mm wide
184.7 mm tall
6.7 mm thick
246 mm wide
159 mm tall
7.99 mm thick
Weight 609 g 492 g

 

2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Price + Deal!

The 2021 HUAWEI MatePad Pro will be available for sale in Malaysia from 18 June 2021 onwards, in the Matte Grey colour.

It has an official launch price of RM 3,999 (about US$970 / £686 / A$1,253 / S$1,286). Here are online purchase options :

It is available for pre-order from 10 to 17 June 2021, with the following free gifts :

  • 2nd Generation HUAWEI M-Pencil
  • HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard
  • HUAWEI Classic Backpack
  • 50 GB HUAWEI Cloud Storage (3 months)
  • HUAWEI Video VIP Access (1 month)

 

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vivo V21 Smartphone : Our Hands-On Preview!

The new vivo V21 boasts a phenomenal 44 MP front camera, and a triple camera system as its killer features!

Take a look at our hands-on preview of vivo V21, and find out if this is the smartphone you have been waiting for!

 

vivo V21 + V21e Smartphones : 44 MP Selfie FTW!

On 28 April 2021, vivo launched their V21 and V21e smartphones, both offering a phenomenal 44 MP front camera as their killer feature!

Let’s start with this official vivo V21 series promotional video, which gives you a quick overview of their key features.

To make it easier for you to differentiate the two models, we created this table comparing their key specifications :

Specifications vivo V21 vivo V21e
Display Size 6.44-inch
Display Panel AMOLED
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Brightness 500 nits 430 nits
Refresh Rate 90 Hz 60 Hz
Operating System Funtouch OS 11.1 (Android 11)
Platform MediaTek
Dimensity 800U
Qualcomm
Snapdragon 720G
RAM 8 GB
Storage 128 GB
Front Camera 44 MP OIS (f/2.0) 44 MP (f/2.0)
Rear Cameras 64 MP OIS (f/1.79)
8 MP wide-angle (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
64 MP (f/1.89)
8 MP wide-angle (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
Connectivity Network : 4G LTE
Wi-Fi : 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
GPS GPS, Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS
Battery 4,000 mAh
Charging 33 W fast charging
Dimensions 73.90 mm wide
159.68 mm tall
7.29 mm thick
74.37 mm wide
161.24 mm tall
7.38 mm thick
Weight 176 g – 177 g 171 g

 

Unboxing The vivo V21 Smartphone!

The vivo V21 comes in a premium-looking box. Once you unbox it, this is what you will find inside.

  • vivo V21 smartphone
  • vivo V21 clear TPU bumper case
  • Set of vivo V21 documents
  • vivo V3330L0A0-UK charger (supports 33 watt Flash Charge 2.0)
  • USB-A to USB-C data and power cable
  • USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adaptor
  • One pair of wired earphones
  • SIM tray ejection pin

 

vivo V21 Smartphone : Our Hands-On Experience!

vivo sent us a unit of the V21 smartphone to try out, so here is our hands-on experience and its key features!

6.44-inch AMOLED Display

The vivo V21 comes with a large 6.44-inch AMOLED display, which is HDR10 certified.

While this is the same size as the V21e, it comes with a brighter 500 nits panel, which supports a higher 90 Hz refresh rate.

Performance

The vivo V21 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U, which is a new mid-range mobile SoC, roughly equivalent to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G.

It has two fast ARM Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.4 GHz for sustained performance, six power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at up to 2.0 GHz, and a tri-core ARM Mali-G57 MC3 GPU.

Memory + Storage

The V21 comes with 8 GB of RAM, but has the ability to expand it with 3 GB of Extended Memory (virtual memory).

It also comes with 128 GB of internal UFS 2.2 storage, which offers 110% faster read speed and 95% faster write speed, compared to the vivo V20.

Its storage can be further expanded using a microSD card – shared with SIM2 in a hybrid SIM tray.

44 MP OIS Selfie Camera

The vivo V21 comes with a 44 MP selfie camera, with a wide f/2.0 aperture; and support for Super Night Selfie and AI Night Portrait.

This 44 MP selfie camera boasts two world-leading features :

  • its 44 MP selfie camera supports optical image stabilisation (OIS), which allows you to take super-steady photos and videos even while walking!
  • it is the first phone to feature Dual Selfie Spotlight, for radiant selfies even in low light conditions!

Triple Rear Camera System

The vivo V21 features a triple camera setup, that consists of:

  •  a 64 MP main camera with f/1.79 aperture,
  • an 8 MP wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture,
  • a 2 MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a single LED flash.

The 64 MP main camera with a 4-axes OIS technology, allowing you to take photos and record videos with incredible stability.

Large Fast-Charging Battery

The vivo V21 has a large 4,000 mAh battery, which supports 33 watt fast charging. And yes, it comes with the 33 watt FlashCharge 2.0 charger in box!

Heck, vivo even threw in a USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adaptor, and a pair of earphones too.

 

vivo V21 + V21e : Price + Availability

Both models are available for purchase with immediate effect, at these launch prices :

  • V21 (8 GB + 128 GB) : RM1,599 (about US$390 / £280 / A$502 / S$518)
  • V21e (8 GB + 128 GB) : RM1,299 (about US$317 / £228 / A$408 / S$421)

Here are online purchase options :

 

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NXP iMX 8M Plus To Use Kingston eMMC Memory!

Kingston just announced that their eMMC memory has been selected to be used in the NXP iMX 8M Plus reference board!

 

NXP iMX 8M Plus To Use Kingston eMMC Memory!

On 8 April 2021, Kingston Technology announced that their eMMC embedded memory will be featured in NXP iMX 8M Plus evaluation kits.

Although Kingston did not reveal which eMMC part was selected, the picture they released appears to show the EMMC08G-MB29, which boasts these key features :

  • 8 GB capacity
  • 3D TLC in pMLC NAND memory
  • eMMC 5.1 standard
  • 11.5 x 13 x 0.8 mm package size

They will be used as storage in the NXP iMX 8M Plus reference boards, which will be used for development and engineering verification.

 

NXP iMX 8M Plus : What Is It?

The NXP iMX 8M Plus is an application processor – a System-On-a-Chip (SoC) designed for infrastructure solutions like smart home, intelligent city and industrial IoT devices.

  • two or four ARM Cortex-A53 processors (up to 1.8 GHz)
  • a neural processing unit (NPU) operating at up to 2.3 TOPS
  • ARM Cortex-M7 controller (up to 800 MHz)
  • 32-bit DDR4 and LPDDR4 interface (up to 4.0 GT/s)
  • dual image signal processors (ISP) : up to 12 MP, up to 375 MPixels per second
  • two MIPI CSI camera interfaces
  • two Gigabit Ethernet LAN interfaces
  • two USB 3.0 / 2.0 with Type C PHY
  • PCI Express Gen 3 support
  • 14 nm FinFET process

 

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First Look : 2021 MacBook Pro MagSafe 3 + SD Card Slot!

Exclusive on Tech ARP – the first look at the 2021 MacBook Pro ports, including a brand new MagSafe 3 port and an SD card slot!

Here is the first ever look at the MagSafe 3 connector, the SD card slot, and other ports that will ship with the 2021 MacBook Pro!

 

First Look : 2021 MacBook Pro MagSafe 3 + SD Card Slot!

Apple fans who miss the MagSafe port and the SD card reader in their MacBook laptops will have something to cheer for this year!

Apple will not only introduce a new MagSafe 3 connector in the upcoming 2021 MacBook Pro, they will also bring back the SD card slot!

New Apple MagSafe 3 Connector!

The new MagSafe 3 connector is bidirectional and has 5 pins, and will lock and detach magnetically like the previous two generations.

The MagSafe 3 connector is not compatible with older MacBook computers, and has a pill-shaped design with a thinner profile.

The MagSafe 3 port is located on the left side of the 2021 MBP, next to two Thunderbolt 3 (USB4) ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Ports on the left side of the 2021 Apple MBP | Copyright : Tech ARP (www.techarp.com)

Return Of The SD Card Reader!

We are also glad to report that Apple will (finally) bring back the SD card reader that many photographers LOVED, and bemoaned when Phil Schiller killed it in 2016.

Now that Schiller is out of Apple, it looks like it’s been resurrected for the 2021 MacBook Pro. Utility finally trumped cumbersome!

The SD card reader is located on the right side, together with a third Thunderbolt 3 (USB4) port and a HDMI 2.0 port.

Ports on the right side of the 2021 Apple MBP | Copyright : Tech ARP (www.techarp.com)

 

2021 Apple MacBook Pro : What Else Is New?

So what else is new in the 2021 MacBook Pro, other than MagSafe 3 and the resurrected SD card reader?

14-inch + 16-inch Models

There will be two 2021 MacBook Pro models – with 14-inch and 16-inch displays.

Apple M1X SoC

There will no longer be Intel CPU options, only the Apple M1X SoC.

Nothing much is known about the Apple M1X, other than it is a more powerful version of the M1 that has stunned many with its performance.

But rumours have it that it will have 12 processor cores, split into two performance clusters :

  • P Cluster (Performance) : 8 x Firestorm (?) cores
  • E Cluster (Efficient) : 4 x Icestorm (?) cores

It will have a more powerful GPU than Apple M1‘s 8-core GPU.

Memory

The Apple M1X will use the same unified memory design as the M1, built directly onto the package for near-instantaneous access.

However, it will offer larger memory options – 24 GB and 32 GB are possible – in addition to 16 GB currently available with the M1.

External Display Support

A big limitation of the Apple M1 is its support for just one external display of up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz.

The 2021 MacBook Pro will support at least two external displays, if not more, via its Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI ports.

OLED Touch Bar Gone!

Good riddance to the pointless OLED Touch Bar. That’s gone for the 2021 MacBook Pro models.

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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OPPO Reno5 Pro Powered By MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus!

The OPPO Reno5 Pro smartphone is basically the Reno5 powered by the new MediaTek Dimension 1000 Plus!

Take a look at what the OPPO Reno5 Pro offers, and find out if it’s worth the price difference!

 

OPPO Reno5 Pro Powered By MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus!

OPPO is introducing the Reno5 Pro as a more powerful variant of their Reno5 5G smartphone.

Let’s start with this presentation on the OPPO Reno5 Pro.

AMOLED Display

The OPPO Reno5 Pro comes with a 6.5-inch AMOLED display, with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.

This display has a high colour gamut of 100% sRGB, with a maximum brightness of 800 nits.

You can toggle between a 60 Hz and 90 Hz refresh rate, and the display has a 180 Hz sampling rate.

Mid-Range Performance

The OPPO Reno5 Pro is powered by the new MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus, which has eight CPU cores :

  • 4 x Arm Cortex-A76 core @ 2.6 GHz
  • 4 x Arm Cortex-A55 cores @ 2.0 GHz

They are paired with the Arm Mali-G75 MC5 GPU, with AV1 hardware decoding capability.

Recommended : MediaTek Benchmark Cheating : What Happened So Far

Memory + Storage

The OPPO Reno5 Pro comes with 12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage. The larger storage capacity is important, because it does not support external storage through a microSD card.

Cameras Galore

The OPPO Reno5 Pro has a high-resolution 32 MP front camera, with an f/2.4 aperture. Despite its high resolution, it only supports 1080p video recording, at up to 30 fps.

In the back, it has a quad camera system that consists of :

  • a 64 MP main camera, with f/1.7 aperture
  • an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, with f/2.2 aperture
  • a 2 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 2 MP depth sensor, with f/2.4 aperture

The 64 MP main camera can record videos at up to 4K @ 30 fps, or 1080p @ 60 fps.

Beyond that, OPPO is trying to promote their new Dual-View capability, which combines videos from both the front and rear cameras.

5G Connectivity

5G connectivity is a key selling point for the OPPO Reno5 Pro, which supports both 5G SA (Standalone) and 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) modes.

However, you are unlikely to be able to actually utilise this capability for quite some time, as the 5G rollout will take years.

Small Fast-Charging Battery

The OPPO Reno5 Pro has a small 2,175 mAh battery, but it supports 65 watt SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging capability.

And yes, it comes with the charger in-box.

 

OPPO Reno5 Pro : Specifications Compared

Here is our comparison of the key specifications of the Reno5 Pro with its cheaper brother, the Reno5 :

Specifications Reno5 Reno5 Pro
Model CPH2145 CPH2201
Display 6.4-inch AMOLED 6.5-inch AMOLED
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Pixel Density 410 ppi 402 ppi
Colour Gamut 93% DCI-P3
135% sRGB
97% NTSC
100% sRGB
Display
Brightness
430 nits to 600 nits 500 nits to 800 nits
Display
Features
90 Hz refresh rate
180 Hz sampling rate
Protection None
Operating System ColorOS 11.1 (Android 11)
Platform Qualcomm
Snapdragon 765G
MediaTek
Dimensity 1000+
Memory 8 GB 12 GB
Storage Options 128 GB 256 GB
External Storage None
Front Camera 32 MP (f/2.4)
Rear Cameras 64 MP (f/1.7) main camera
8 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera
2 MP (f/2.4) macro camera
2 MP (f/2.4) depth sensor
Connectivity 5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : WiFi-5
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
Wi-Fi : WiFi-6
Bluetooth : BT 5.1
USB : Type C
GPS Support GPS, Gelileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS
NFC Yes
Fingerprint Sensor In Display
Other Sensors Geomagnetic, Proximity, Optical, Pedometer
Accelerometer, Gravity, Gyroscope
Battery 2,150 mAh 2,175 mAh
Charging 65 watt wired
Width
Height
Thickness
73.4 mm
159.1 mm
7.9 mm
73.2 mm
159.7 mm
7.6 mm
Weight 172 g 173 g

 

OPPO Reno5 Pro : Price + Availability

The OPPO Reno5 Pro is available in the Galactic Silver and Starry Black colour options.

It will be available for purchase starting 27 January 2021, with a recommended retail price of :

  • Malaysia : RM2,599, which is about US$643 / £468 / A$827
  • Singapore : S$899

Here are direct purchase / pre-order options online :

 

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : New Entry-Level 5G Smartphone!

Xiaomi just introduced a new entry-level 5G smartphone – the Redmi Note 9T!

Take a look at the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T, and see if this is what you have been waiting for!

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : New Entry-Level 5G Smartphone!

Xiaomi just introduced a new entry-level 5G smartphone – the Redmi Note 9T! This is the 5G big brother of their Redmi 9T. Confusing naming, indeed!

6.53-inch FHD+ Dot Drop Display

The Redmi Note 9T sports a large 6.53-inch Dot Drop display, with a FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels.

It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and is TUV Rheinland-certified for low blue light.

MediaTek Dimensity 800U

The Redmi Note 9T is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 800U mobile platform, with 5G and WiFi-AC connectivity.

It has an 8-core processor, with two high-speed ARM Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.4 GHz, and six low-power ARM Cortex-A55 cores running at 2 GHz.

It comes with the ARM Mali-G57 MC3 GPU, and a built-in AI accelerator.

Memory + Storage Options

Xiaomi is offering two memory and storage options – 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage.

Five Cameras

In the front, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T has an 13 MP selfie camera, with a f/2.3 aperture. At the back, it has a triple-camera system that consists of :

  • a 48 MP main camera, with f/1.79 aperture and 4-in-1 Super Pixel capability
  • a 2 MP macro camera, with f/2.4 aperture, and
  • a 2 MP depth sensor, with f/2.4 aperture

Power + Charging

Powering all that is a large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports 18 watt fast charging. Oddly enough, it comes with a 22.5 watt charger in the box.

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : Specification Comparison

To help you differentiate between the Redmi 9T (4G) and the Redmi Note 9T (5G), here is their specification comparison.

Specifications Redmi 9T Redmi Note 9T
Display Size 6.53-inch IPS
Display Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, 395 ppi
Display Brightness 400 nits
Protection Gorilla Glass 3 Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System MIUI 12 (based on Android 10)
Platform Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 MediaTek Dimensity 800U
Memory 4 GB / 6 GB
Storage Options 64 GB / 128 GB
External Storage microSD (Up to 512 GB)
Front Camera 8 MP camera (f/2.05) 13 MP camera (f/2.3)
Rear
Cameras
48 MP wide (f/1.79)
8 MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
2 MP depth sensor (f/2.4)
48 MP wide (f/1.79)
2 MP macro (f/2.4)
2 MP depth sensor (f/2.4)
Connectivity 4G / 3G / 2G
WiFi-AC (2.4 + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB 2.0 Type C
5G / 4G / 3G / 2G
WiFi-AC (2.4 + 5 GHz)
Bluetooth 5.0
USB 2.0 Type C
GPS Support GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
NFC No Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes, Side-Mounted
IR Emitter Yes
Audio FM radio (with earphones)
Dual speakers (Hi-Res Audio certified)
3.5 mm audio jack
Battery 6,000 mAh 5,000 mAh
Charging 18 watt wired
Width
Height
Thickness
77.3 mm
162.3 mm
9.6 mm
77.3 mm
161.2 mm
9.1 mm
Weight 198 g 199 g

 

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T : Price + Availability

The Redmi Note 9T will be available for purchase starting 11 January 2021, in two variants :

  • 4 GB + 64 GB : 229 (approximately RM1133 / US$281 / £207 / A$361 / S$372)
  • 6 GB + 128 GB : 269 (approximately RM1331 / US$330 / £243 / A$424 / S$436)

 

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Apple M1 Gaming : Watch It Run The Witcher 3! 😲

Windows gaming on the ARM-based Apple M1 is possible!

Watch how well the Apple M1 runs The Witcher 3 using CrossOver 20!

 

Apple M1 Gaming : Watch It Run The Witcher 3 On CrossOver 20!

MrMacRight successfully ran The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, using the 2020 Apple MacBook Pro with the new ARM-based Apple M1 SoC.

Here was his recorded gameplay of The Witcher 3 at the 1080p resolution, with the Medium graphics and post-processing presets, and VSync enabled.

He could not get the FPS counter to work, but it looks smooth and very playable, albeit with some visual artefacts.

Basically – Apple M1 gaming is not only possible, it is possible to play Windows games!

Video Credit : MrMacRight

 

Windows Gaming On Apple M1 : Rosetta 2 + Windows API Translation!

That quick gameplay showcase of The Witcher 3 shows that Windows gaming is possible on the Apple M1.

The ability to run The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, and at such playable frame rates, is important for two reasons.

Windows App Compatibility

The Witcher 3 is a 64-bit Windows-only game, so you wouldn’t expect it to run well on the ARM-based Apple M1, right?

Running it on the Apple M1 involves translating Windows API calls using CrossOver, and then translating x86 instructions to ARM instructions using Rossetta 2.

Yet it not only worked, it ran pretty well on the Apple M1!

Performance

While AppleGamers was not able to obtain a frame rate, The Witcher 3 appears to run pretty well at the 1080p resolution.

That shows that the Apple M1’s integrated 8-core GPU is fast, and will have no problem handling native ARM games at 1080p, and likely 1440p as well.

 

Apple M1 : A Quick Primer

The Apple M1 is the first ARM-based SoC (System on a Chip) designed by Apple for use in Mac computers.

Packing 16 billion transistors, it is the first chip to be manufactured on the new 5 nm TSMC process technology.

It comes with 4 high-performance Firestorm CPU cores, 4 power-efficient Icestorm cores, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.

As the M1 is based on the ARM architecture, you can natively run iPhone and iPad apps on it. However, existing macOS apps will have to be ported over, or translated on-the-fly using Rosetta 2.

It is currently available in these Apple Mac computers :

  • 2020 MacBook Air : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 MacBook Pro 13-inch : US | UK | AU | MY | SG
  • 2020 Mac mini : US | UK | AU | MY | SG

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : Key Features, Price + Availability!

HUAWEI just launched the P40 Pro Plus / P40 Pro+ smartphone, featuring a 50MP Leica penta-camera system!

Here is a quick overview of the new HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus – its key features, price and availability!

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : A Quick Primer

The HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus is the big brother of the new P40 family of smartphones. It has a 6.58-inch OLED display, with a resolution of 1200 x 2640 pixels, and a 90 Hz refresh rate.

It comes only in 5G variants, powered by the Kirin 990 5G. HUAWEI will offer it with 8 GB of memory, and storage options of 256 GB and 512 GB.

In front, it has a 32 MP camera, with a depth camera. But its marquee feature is its rear Leica penta-camera system, which consists of :

  • a 50 MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture (OIS support),
  • a 40 MP ultra-wide camera with f/1.8 aperture,
  • an 8 MP 10X SuperZoom camera with f/4.4 aperture (OIS support),
  • an 8 MP 3X telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture (OIS support), and
  • a 3D depth sensor

Powering all that is a large 4,200 mAh battery, which supports 40 watt HUAWEI SuperCharge wired charging.

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : Specifications

HUAWEI P40 Pro+ (5G)
Display 6.58-inch OLED display
– 1200 x 2640 pixels, 90Hz refresh
Protection IP68
Operating System EMUI 10.1 (based on Android 10)
System Platform HUAWEI Kirin 990 5G
Processor 2 x Cortex-A76 (2.86 GHz)
2 x Cortex-A76 (2.36 GHz)
4 x Cortex-A55 (1.95 GHz)
NPU 2 x Big Core + Tiny Core
Graphics ARM Mali-G76 MP16
Memory + Storage Options 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
8 GB RAM + 512 GB storage
Storage Expansion Yes, 256 GB NM card slot
Front Camera 32 MP selfie camera (f/2.2 aperture)
Depth camera
Rear Camera Leica Penta Camera System
– 50 MP main camera (f/1.9 with OIS)
– 40 MP ultra-wide camera (f/1.8 aperture)
– 8 MP 10X SuperZoom camera (f/4.4 with OIS)
– 8 MP 3X telephoto camera (f/2.4 with OIS)
– 3D depth sensor
Fingerprint Sensor In-Display Fingerprint Sensor
Other Sensors Gesture, Ambient Light, Proximity, Gyroscope,
Compass, Gravity, Hall, Colour Temperature, Laser
NFC Yes
Battery + Charging 4,200 mAh
– supports 40 W HUAWEI SuperCharge (wired)
Dimensions 72.6 mm wide
158.2 mm tall
9.0 mm thick
Weight 226 g

 

HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI P40 Pro Plus is available in selected markets, with a recommended retail price of €1,399 for the 8GB+512GB variant.

HUAWEI will offer just two colour options – Ceramic Black, and Ceramic White.

 

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